續高僧傳 16.32

16.32

釋僧達。俗姓李。上谷人。十五出家。遊學北代聽習為業。及受具後宗軌毘尼。進止沈審非先祖習。年登二夏。為魏孝文所重。邀延廟寺闡弘四分。而形器異倫見者驚奉。虎頭長耳雙齒過寸。機論適變時其高美。與徐州龍達各題稱謂。尋復振錫洛都。因遇勒那三藏。奉其新誨。不久值那遷化。覆述地論聲駭伊穀。令望歸信相次稱謁。後聽光師十地發明幽旨。遂從受菩薩戒焉。因從請業有名學眾。又南會徐部隨通地論。梁武皇帝撥亂弘道。銜聞欣然遂即濟江造宮請見。勅駙馬殷均。引入重雲殿。自晝通夜傳所未聞。連席七宵帝歎嘉瑞。因從受戒。誓為弟子。下勅住同泰寺。降禮供奉。旬別入殿開示弘理。年移一紀道懷有據。請辭還魏。乃經七啟方許背梁。時兗州行臺侯景為造二寺。山名天觀。治曰。丈六達念身為苦器難可維持。乃試履裁約。餌苓斷粒。自此終報。資用通生。未為魏廢帝中王勅僕射高隆之召入鄴都。受菩薩戒。暨齊文宣特加殊禮。前後六度歸崇十善。達性愛林泉居閑濟業。帝為達於林慮山黃華嶺下立洪谷寺。又捨神武舊廟造定寇寺。兩以居之。初達經營山寺將入谷口。虎踞其前。乃祝曰。欲造一寺福被幽靈。若相許者。可為避道。言訖尋去。及造寺竟安眾綜業。達反鄴京。夜有神現。身被黃服拜而跪曰。弟子是載山神也。王及三谷正備供養。願不須還。達曰。在山利少在京利多。貧道觀機而動。幸無遮止。又經靜夜有推戶者。稱曰。山神之妻。白日無暇。今故參拜。并奉米糕一筐進而重曰。僧無偏為。禮佛之時請兼弟子名也。達答。糕可將還。後當為禮。因令通為之。時一拜兼唱。其含幽識明皆此類也。達遣弟子道爽。為山神讀金光明經。月餘有虎來將狗去。達聞之曰。此必小道人懈怠。不為檀越讀經。具問之。果云三日來別誦維摩耳。乃燒香禮佛告曰。昨雖誦餘經。其福亦屬檀越。若有靈鑒放狗還也。至曉狗還。看於項上有銜嚙處。斯又接統神明。殆不可測。講華嚴四分十地地持。雖無疏記而敷揚有據。特善論議知名南北。禪法一門開世殊廣。曾遊梁境。誌公遇而告曰。達禪師是大福德人也。帝亦深敬。常顧侍臣云。北方鸞法師達禪師。肉身菩薩。恒向北遙禮。其為時君所重無有加焉。一時少覺微疾。端坐繩床口誦波若。形氣調靜。遂終於洪谷山寺。春秋八十有二。即齊天保七年六月七日也。宣帝聞之。崩騰驚赴。舉聲大哭。六軍同號山林為動。葬於谷中巖下。立碑於後余以貞觀九年親往禮謁。骸骨猶存。寺宇遺迹宛然如在。自達奉心玄道。情無間然。有識同親無聞嫌隙。承先私憾倍加事之。榮勝高流彌所謙退。自季世佛法崇尚官榮。僥倖之夫妄生朋翼。而達為國都眇然無顧。昭玄曹局曾不經臨。斯乃聖達之所輕。寔世福之嘉相矣。

Śramaṇa Sengda, secular surname Li, was a native of Shanggu. At fifteen he left household life (pravrajyā). He traveled and studied in Northern Dai, taking listening [to lectures] and practice as his occupation. After receiving full ordination, he took the Vinaya as his guiding rule; his movements and deportment were deliberate and prudent, unlike the habits of former generations. Having reached two summer retreats of age, he was held in high esteem by Emperor Xiaowen of the Wei, who invited him to the imperial ancestral temple monastery to expound and promote the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya (Four-Division Vinaya). His physical appearance was extraordinary, astonishing all who saw him: a tiger-like head, long ears, and two teeth over an inch long. His capacity for debate adapted to all circumstances, and he was praised highly in his day, being renowned alongside Longda of Xuzhou, each distinguished by title. Soon he shook his staff toward the capital of Luoyang. There he met the Tripiṭaka master Ratnamati and received his fresh instructions. Shortly thereafter Ratnamati passed away. Sengda recapitulated the Daśabhūmika Sūtra Śāstra (Dilun), and his fame astonished the Yi and Luo rivers. Figures of fine renown took refuge in faith, arriving in succession to pay homage. Later, upon hearing Master Guang's [exposition of] the Ten Grounds (Daśabhūmika) and clarifying its profound import, he received the bodhisattva precepts from him. He then studied under him, gaining fame among the scholars. Moving south, he assembled in Xuzhou, where he propagated the Daśabhūmika Sūtra Śāstra everywhere. Emperor Wu of the Liang, who brought order out of chaos and broadly promoted the Way, rejoiced upon hearing of him; Sengda thereupon crossed the Yangtze and went to the palace, requesting an audience. The Emperor ordered his son-in-law Yin Jun to usher him into the Chongyun Hall. From day into night, he transmitted what had never been heard before; sharing the same mat for seven nights, the Emperor marveled at this auspicious omen. He then received the precepts from him, vowing to be his disciple. An imperial edict was issued for him to reside at Tongtai Monastery, where the Emperor lowered his own protocol to offer him provisions, and every ten days Sengda entered the hall to elucidate the vast principle. After twelve years had passed, with his inner cultivation firmly grounded, he submitted a request to return to the Wei; only after seven petitions was he permitted to depart from the Liang. At that time, Hou Jing, the imperial regional commissioner (xingtai) of Yanzhou, built two monasteries for him, the mountain being named Tianguan and the retreat site called Zhangliu. Sengda, contemplating that the body is a vessel of suffering and difficult to maintain, experimented with ascetic practices: taking Tuckahoe (fuling) and ceasing the consumption of grains. From then on until the end of his life, his provisions were just enough to sustain existence. When the Prince of Zhongshan, the deposed emperor of the Wei, [was on the throne], an edict was issued ordering the Assistant Director of the Left Gao Longzhi to summon him into the capital Ye to administer the bodhisattva precepts. When Emperor Wenxuan of the Qi ascended, he accorded him exceptional honors; in all, on six occasions he took refuge and revered the ten virtues. By nature, Sengda loved forests and springs, dwelling in seclusion to fulfill his religious work. For Sengda, the Emperor established the Honggu Monastery below the Huanghua Ridge of Mount Linlü, and furthermore relinquished the old shrine of Emperor Shenwu to build Dingkou Monastery, using both as his residences. Earlier, when Sengda was establishing the mountain monastery and was about to enter the mouth of the valley, a tiger crouched before him. He prayed, saying: 'I wish to build a monastery so that its merit may benefit the invisible spirits. If you permit this, you may clear the path.' As soon as he finished speaking, it left. When the construction of the monastery was completed, the assembly settled, and the training organized, Sengda returned to the capital Ye. At night a spirit appeared, wearing yellow garments, who bowed and knelt, saying: 'This disciple is the spirit of Mount Zai. The king and the three valleys are precisely preparing offerings; we pray that you do not return.' Sengda said: 'The benefit in the mountains is small; the benefit in the capital is great. This poor monk acts according to the conditions of the moment; fortunately do not obstruct me.' Another quiet night, someone pushed the door open, announcing: 'I am the wife of the mountain spirit. During the day I had no leisure, so I have come now especially to pay homage.' She presented a basket of rice cakes, stepped forward, and said repeatedly: 'The Sangha should have no bias; when bowing to the Buddha, please also include this disciple's name.' Sengda answered: 'You may take the cakes back; I shall make prostrations for you later.' He then instructed that prostrations be made generally on their behalf, at that time reciting [the name] with a single bow. His interactions with invisible beings were all of this nature. Sengda dispatched his disciple Daoshuang to recite the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra (Golden Light Sūtra) for the mountain spirit. After more than a month, a tiger came and carried off a dog. Hearing of this, Sengda said: 'This novice monk must have grown negligent and failed to recite the sūtra for the donor.' When questioned thoroughly, he indeed said that for the past three days he had only been reciting the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra separately. Sengda then burned incense, bowed to the Buddha, and announced: 'Although he recited other sūtras yesterday, the merit still belongs to the donor. If there is spiritual discernment, release the dog and send it back.' By dawn the dog returned; looking at its neck, there were bite marks. In this way too, his communication with spirits was almost unfathomable. He lectured on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya, the Daśabhūmika Sūtra Śāstra, and the Bodhisattvabhūmi (Dichi). Although he left no commentaries, his expositions were well-founded; he was especially skilled in debate and famous in both the north and south. His branch of dhyāna methods was opened to the world most broadly. He once traveled to the Liang domain. Master Zhi met him and said: 'Dhyāna Master Da is a man of great fortune and virtue.' The Emperor also revered him deeply, often turning to his attendants and saying: 'Dharma Master Luan and Dhyāna Master Da of the north are flesh-and-blood bodhisattvas,' and would constantly bow toward the north from afar. The esteem he received from the rulers of his day could not be surpassed. Once, feeling a slight illness, he sat upright on a corded chair, reciting the Prajñāpāramitā with his mouth; his breath and demeanor were calm and serene, and he subsequently passed away at the Honggu Mountain Monastery. His age was eighty-two; this was the seventh day of the sixth month in the seventh year of the Tianbao era of the Qi (556 CE). Hearing of this, Emperor Xuan rushed over in shock and distress, weeping aloud; the six armies wailed together, shaking the mountains and forests. He was buried below the crags in the valley, and a stele was erected behind it. In the ninth year of the Zhenguan era (635 CE), I personally went to pay homage; his skeleton was still preserved, and the traces of the monastery's buildings were intact as though still in use. Ever since Sengda devoted his mind to the profound Way, his heart was completely free of bias. Those with consciousness were all treated like kin, and no resentment was ever heard from him. Toward those who harbored previous personal grievances, he served them with redoubled care; toward the eminent and illustrious, he was all the more humble and deferential. From the later ages, Buddhism came to prize official honors, and opportunistic men formed factions without restraint. Yet Sengda, while in the national capital, looked far away without regard for them, and never once set foot in the offices of the Zhaoxuan Bureau. This is precisely what the wise and sagacious hold in low esteem, and is truly an auspicious mark of worldly merit.