續高僧傳 15.31

15.31

釋道洪。姓尹氏。河東人也。父曜仕隋歷任江陵令。有子五人洪其第三矣。聰敏易悟。深厭形有。年在十三。以開皇六年出家。事京邑大德曇延法師。博通內外馳譽門序。雖廣流眾部。偏以涅槃為業教之極也。故敷演之。所以師資傳道聲績逾遠近。亦於法眾親喻覆述。後於願法師所學窮地論傍通經數德器崇振。及隋祖升遐禪定構立。乃召處之。自爾專事弘經。周輪無輟。貞觀伊始弘護道張。凡寺綱維無非令達。乃勅為律藏寺上座。緝諧理事允副朝委。立性清慤無競榮辱。故使厚供殊禮鱗接邀延。致令二宮樹福妙資搜舉物議所及莫不推先。尋又下勅任大總持。本居寺主。春宮異供隨時薦及。以追受戒之禮也。貞觀十四年。寶昌寺眾請講涅槃。時感白鷄隨人聽法。集散馴狎終于講會。相從傳授迄于暮齒。凡講涅槃八十七遍。依承宗旨罕墜彛倫。及弘福譯經。選充證義。慈恩創起。又勅徵臨。以貞觀末年微覺輕貶。纔經一旬奄爾長逝。春秋七十有九。初染疾之始。全無別痛少食不語用乖常候。而數以手撝撥於空。侍問其故。答曰。有二衣冠者。數來禮拜。故以止之。又曰。紅花淥池鮮榮可翫。尋爾合掌。目送於空曰。大德羅睺羅來辭去也。因爾潛逝。殊香滿院。洪形器端偉七尺有餘。沈簡仁愛慈濟存沒。喜慍莫顯操節不形。傳者目其梗概。要妙固多略耳。

Śramaṇa Daohong, surnamed Yin, was a native of Hedong. His father, Yao, served under the Sui and successively held the post of magistrate of Jiangling. He had five sons, of whom Hong was the third. Clever, discerning, and quick to awaken [to understanding], he deeply reviled bodily existence. At the age of thirteen, in the sixth year of the Kaihuang reign-era, he went forth from household life (pravrajyā). He served the venerable elder of the capital, Dharmabhāṇaka Tanyan; he became broadly versed in both internal and external [teachings] and his reputation spread through the monastic ranks. Although he extensively explored the various scriptural divisions, he focused particularly on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra as his vocation, regarding it as the pinnacle of the teachings. He therefore expounded and disseminated it widely. Thus his transmission of the Way to disciples and students won a fame that spread far and wide, and he also personally explained and recapitulated it before assemblies of the Dharma. Later, under Dharmabhāṇaka Yuan, he thoroughly mastered the Daśabhūmikā-śāstra and collaterally penetrated the various scriptures and treatises; his virtues and capacity grew exalted and renowned. When the Sui founder passed away and the Chanding Monastery was established, an imperial order summoned him to reside there. From then on, he devoted himself exclusively to propagating the scriptures, the turning of the wheel never halting. At the beginning of the Zhenguan reign-era, the promotion and defense of the Dharma expanded; all monastic administrators of the temples were distinguished and accomplished men. An imperial decree appointed him rector (sthavira) of the Lüzang Monastery. Harmonising principle and affairs, he faithfully fulfilled the court's trust. By nature pure and sincere, he competed for neither honor nor disgrace. Consequently, abundant offerings and extraordinary courtesies continuously invited him one after another. This led both palaces [of the Emperor and Crown Prince] to plant merit, searching for and recommending superior candidates; and whenever public opinion was consulted, all deferred to him first. Soon another imperial edict appointed him abbot (vihārasvāmīn) of the Da Zongchi Monastery, which was his original residence. Extraordinary offerings from the Eastern Palace [of the Crown Prince] arrived continually according to the seasons, commemorating the rite of his receiving the precepts. In the fourteenth year of Zhenguan, the assembly of the Baochang Monastery invited him to lecture on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. At that time, in spiritual resonance, a white rooster followed people to listen to the Dharma, flocking, dispersing, and becoming tame among them until the lecture assembly concluded. Disciples gathered to receive his teaching right up to his twilight years. In all, he lectured on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra eighty-seven times, adhering to the foundational principles so that the established norms were rarely neglected. When the translation of scriptures was undertaken at Hongfu Monastery, he was chosen to serve as a certifier of meaning. When the Cien Monastery was first founded, an imperial edict summoned him to assist there as well. In the closing years of Zhenguan, he felt a slight ailment. After barely ten days, he suddenly passed away at the age of seventy-nine. When he first took ill, he had no other pains at all, but ate little and did not speak, deviating from his usual condition. He repeatedly waved his hands in the air. When his attendants asked the reason, he answered: "There are two men wearing robes and caps who have come repeatedly to bow in worship, so I am motioning them away." He also said: "The red blossoms and the clear pool are fresh, luxuriant, and lovely to behold." Shortly afterward, he joined his palms, looked into the air, and said: "The venerable elder Rāhula has come to take his leave." Thereupon he quietly passed away, an extraordinary fragrance filling the courtyard. Hong was of dignified and imposing stature, over seven feet tall. He was reserved, succinct, benevolent, and loving, providing compassionate relief to both the living and the deceased. Neither joy nor anger showed on his face, and his integrity was unostentatious. The chronicler has recorded merely the broad outline of his life; the profound and wonderful details have naturally been largely omitted.