[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [續高僧傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060) › 17.16.1 # 續高僧傳 17.16.1 續高僧傳 17.16.1 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [17.16.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.17.16.1) 釋智顗。 字德安。 姓陳氏。 潁川人也。 有晉遷都。 寓居荊州之華容焉。 即梁散騎孟陽公起祖之第二子也。 母徐氏夢。 香煙五采縈迴在懷。 欲拂去之。 聞人語曰。 宿世因緣寄託王道。 福德自至何以去之。 又夢吞白鼠。 如是再三。 怪而卜之。 師曰。 白龍之兆也。 及誕育之夜。 室內洞明。 信宿之間其光乃止。 內外胥悅。 盛陳鼎爼相慶。 乃火滅湯冷。 為事不成。 忽有二僧扣門曰。 善哉兒德所熏。 必出家矣。 言訖而隱。 賓客異焉。 隣室憶先靈瑞。 呼為王道。 兼用後相復名光道。 故小立二名字。 參互稱之。 眼有重瞳。 二親藏掩而人已知。 兼以臥便合掌。 坐必面西。 年一紀來口不妄噉。 見像便禮逢僧必敬。 七歲喜往伽藍。 諸僧訝其情志。 口授普門品。 初契一遍即得。 二親遏絕不許更誦。 而情懷惆悵。 奄忽自然通餘文句。 豈非夙植德本業延于今。 志學之年士梁承聖屬元帝淪沒。 北度硤州。 依乎舅氏。 而俊朗通悟儀止溫恭。 尋討名師冀依出有。 年十有八。 投湘州果願寺沙門法緒而出家焉。 緒授以十戒導以律儀。 仍攝以北度詣慧曠律師。 地面橫經具蒙指誨。 因潛大賢山。 誦法華經及無量義普賢觀等。 二旬未淹三部究竟。 又詣光州大蘇山慧思禪師。 受業心觀。 思又從道於就師。 就又受法於最師。 此三人者。 皆不測其位也。 思每歎曰。 昔在靈山同聽法華。 宿緣所追今復來矣。 即示普賢道場。 為說四安樂行。 顗乃於此山行法華三昧。 始經三夕。 誦至藥王品。 心緣苦行。 至是真精進句。 解悟便發。 見共思師處靈鷲山七寶淨土聽佛說法。 故思云。 非爾弗感。 非我莫識。 此法華三昧前方便也。 又入熙州白砂山。 如前入觀。 於經有疑。 輒見思來冥為披釋。 爾後常令代講。 聞者伏之。 惟於三三昧三觀智。 用以諮審。 自餘並任裁解。 曾不留意。 思躬執如意。 在坐觀聽。 語學徒曰。 此吾之義兒。 恨其定力少耳。 於是師資改觀名聞遐邇。 及學成往辭。 思曰。 汝於陳國有緣。 往必利益。 思既遊南岳。 顗便詣金陵。 與法喜等三十餘人在瓦官寺。 創弘禪法。 僕射徐陵尚書毛喜等。 明時貴望學統釋儒。 並稟禪慧俱傳香法。 欣重頂戴時所榮仰。 長干寺大德智辯。 延入宋熙。 天宮寺僧晃。 請居佛窟。 斯由道弘行感故為時彥齊迎。 顗任機便動。 即而開悟。 白馬警韶奉誠智文禪眾慧命。 及梁代宿德大忍法師等。 一代高流江表聲望。 皆捨其先講欲啟禪門。 率其學徒問津取濟。 禹穴慧榮住莊嚴寺。 道跨吳會。 世稱義窟。 辯號懸流。 聞顗講法故來設問。 數關徵覈莫非深隱。 輕誕自矜揚眉舞扇。 扇便墮地。 顗應對事理渙然清遣榮曰。 禪定之力不可難也。 時沙門法歲。 撫榮背曰。 從來義龍今成伏鹿。 扇既墮地。 何以遮羞。 榮曰。 輕敵失勢未可欺也。 綿歷八周講智度論。 肅諸來學。 次說禪門用清心海。 語默之際每思林澤。 乃夢巖崖萬重雲日半垂。 其側滄海無畔。 泓澄在于其下。 又見一僧搖手申臂至于岥麓挽顗上山云云。 顗以夢中所見。 通告門人。 咸曰。 此乃會稽之天台山也。 聖賢之所託矣。 昔僧光道猷法蘭曇密。 晉宋英達無不栖焉。 因與慧辯等二十餘人。 挾道南征隱淪斯岳。 先有青州僧定光。 久居此山。 積四十載。 定慧兼習。 蓋神人也。 顗未至二年。 預告山民曰。 有大善知識當來相就。 宜種豆造醬編蒲為席更起屋舍用以待之。 會陳始興王出鎮洞庭。 公卿餞送。 迴車瓦官與顗談論。 幽極既唱貴位傾心。 捨散山積虔拜殷重。 因歎曰。 吾昨夢逢強盜。 今乃表諸軟賊。 毛繩截骨。 則憶曳尾泥中。 仍遣謝門人曰。 吾聞闇射則應於弦。 > Śramaṇa Zhiyi, whose courtesy name was De'an and whose secular surname was Chen, was a man of Yingchuan. When the Jin dynasty moved its capital, his family came to lodge at Huarong in Jingzhou. He was the second son of Qizu, Duke of Mengyang and Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary under the Liang dynasty. His mother, Lady Xu, dreamed that five-colored incense smoke coiled and encircled her bosom. When she wished to brush it away, she heard someone say: "A karmic connection from previous lives is entrusted to the royal path; when good fortune and virtue arrive of themselves, why cast them away?" She also dreamed of swallowing a white mouse, and this occurred two or three times. Finding it strange, she divined about it. The diviner said: "It is an omen of a white dragon." When the night of his birth arrived, the interior of the room shone brightly, and only after two nights did the light cease. Within and without, all were delighted, lavishly setting out cauldrons and meat platters to celebrate with one another. But the fires died out and the broth went cold, so that the affair could not be brought to completion. Suddenly two monks knocked at the door and said: "Excellent! Perfumed by this child's virtue, he will surely leave the household." Having spoken, they vanished. The guests marveled at it. Remembering the earlier numinous auspicious sign, the neighbors called him Wangdao ("Royal Path"); also taking the later omen into account, they further named him Guangdao ("Luminous Path"). Hence, in his youth these two names were established, and he was addressed by them interchangeably. His eyes had double pupils; though his parents concealed this, others already knew. Moreover, whenever he lay down he would clasp his hands together, and whenever he sat he would invariably face west. By the age of twelve, nothing improper passed his mouth; whenever he saw an image he would bow, and whenever he met a monk he was bound to pay reverence. At seven years old, he delighted in going to saṅghārāmas. The monks were astonished at his disposition and intentions, and orally taught him the "Samantamukha Chapter"; matching it at the first hearing, he mastered it in a single reading. His parents restrained and forbade him from reciting it further, yet his heart was sorrowful and yearning, and suddenly, naturally, he penetrated the rest of the text and phrases. Was this not the extending to the present of roots of virtue planted long ago in past karma? When he reached the age of fifteen, the Liang dynasty's Chengsheng era arrived, and Emperor Yuan met his downfall. Crossing north to Xiazhou, he relied upon his maternal uncle; yet he was brilliant, perceptive, and thoroughly awakened, with a demeanor warm and respectful. He searched for renowned masters, hoping to rely on them to depart from mundane existence. At the age of eighteen, he turned to the śramaṇa Faxu of Guoyuan Temple in Xiangzhou and went forth from the household. Faxu conferred the ten precepts upon him and guided him in the monastic decorum. He then brought him north to visit Vinaya Master Huikuang. Spreading the scriptures on the ground, he fully received his guidance and instruction. He subsequently secluded himself on Mount Daxian, reciting the Lotus Sūtra, the Immeasurable Meanings Sūtra, the Meditation on Samantabhadra Sūtra, and others; before twenty days had passed, he had mastered all three works. He also visited Dhyāna Master Huisi on Mount Dasu in Guangzhou to receive instruction in the mind contemplation. Huisi had in turn followed the Way under Master Jiu, and Jiu had received the Dharma from Master Zui; the spiritual stages of these three men could not be fathomed. Huisi frequently sighed and said: "Long ago, on Vulture Peak, we listened together to the Lotus Sūtra; pursued by past karmic affinities, you have now come once more!" He immediately revealed the Samantabhadra bodhimaṇḍa to him and expounded the four comfortable practices. Zhiyi then practiced the Lotus samādhi on this mountain. After only three nights, when he recited up to the "Chapter on the Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja" and his mind dwelled upon the ascetic practices, upon reaching the phrase "this is true vigor," understanding and awakening arose. He saw himself together with Master Huisi at Vulture Peak in the seven-jeweled pure land, listening to the Buddha preach the Dharma. Therefore Huisi said: "Had it not been for you, it could not have been sensed; had it not been for me, it could not have been recognized. This is the preliminary expedient of the Lotus samādhi." Zhiyi also entered Mount Baisha in Xizhou, entering contemplation as before; whenever he had doubts about a scripture, he would invariably see Huisi come secretly to explain and resolve them. Thereafter Huisi frequently had him lecture in his stead, and those who heard him were won over. Only regarding the three samādhis and the wisdom of the three contemplations did he consult and verify with Huisi; for everything else, he left the judgment and interpretation to Zhiyi, never paying it any heed. Huisi personally held a ruyi scepter, sitting and observing among the audience, and said to the students: "This is my Dharma son; I regret only that the power of his samādhi is still slight." Thereupon the master and disciple looked upon each other with new eyes, and their renown was heard near and far. When his studies were completed and he went to bid farewell, Huisi said: "You have karmic ties with the state of Chen; going there, you will surely bring benefit." After Huisi traveled to Nanyue, Zhiyi proceeded to Jinling, where, together with Faxi and over thirty others, he first propagated the methods of dhyāna at Waguan Temple. The Vice Director of the Right Xu Ling, the Minister of Personnel Mao Xi, and others—prominent figures of that enlightened age whose learning integrated both Buddhist and Confucian traditions—all received his dhyāna wisdom and transmitted the fragrant Dharma, joyfully and reverently honoring him as an object of universal admiration. Bhadanta Zhibian of Changgan Temple invited him to stay in Songxi, and Seng-huang of Tiangong Temple asked him to reside in the Buddha Cave; because his propagation of the Way and his practice moved others, the luminaries of the age all came to welcome him. Zhiyi acted according to their capacities, and they were immediately awakened. Jingshao of Baima Temple, Zhiwen of Fengcheng Temple, Huiming of the Dhyāna Assembly, as well as elder bhadantas of the Liang dynasty such as Dharma Master Daren—the eminent stream of that era and voices of renown throughout Jiangbiao—all abandoned their previous lecturing to open the gate of dhyāna, leading their students to ask for the ferry and seek passage. Huirong of the Cave of Yu, who resided at Zhuangyan Temple, whose Dao straddled the Wu and Kuaiji regions, acclaimed in his generation as a "storehouse of doctrine" and whose eloquence was called a cascading torrent, came specifically to pose questions upon hearing of Zhiyi preaching the Dharma. His numerous challenges and inquiries were all profound and abstruse; haughty and self-satisfied, he raised his eyebrows and waved his fan, but the fan dropped to the ground. Zhiyi answered both the principles and phenomena, melting and clearly dispelling his objections. Rong said: "The power of meditative absorption cannot be challenged!" At that time the śramaṇa Faxui patted Rong on the back and said: "The doctrinal dragon of former days has now become a submissive deer! Since your fan has dropped to the ground, how will you hide your shame?" Rong said: "Belittling the opponent led to losing the advantage, yet he should not be trifled with." For eight full years he lectured on the Dazhidulun to bring discipline to all who came to learn, and next expounded the gate of dhyāna to purify the ocean of their minds. Whether speaking or remaining silent, he constantly longed for the forests and marshes. He then dreamed of myriad layers of craggy precipices where clouds and sun hung half suspended; at their side was a boundless blue sea, vast and clear below. He also saw a monk waving his hand and stretching out his arm down to the foot of the slope, pulling Zhiyi up the mountain, and so forth. Zhiyi made known to his disciples what he had seen in his dream. All said: "This is Mount Tiantai in Kuaiji! It is where sages and worthies have entrusted themselves. In the past, Sengguang, Daoyou, Falan, and Tanmi—all the heroic and accomplished figures of the Jin and Song dynasties—dwelt there." Thereupon, together with Huibian and over twenty others, bearing the Way he journeyed south to retire into this mountain. Previously, a monk from Qingzhou named Dingguang had long resided on this mountain for forty years, cultivating both meditative absorption and wisdom; he was indeed a divine man. Two years before Zhiyi arrived, he foretold to the mountain folk: "A great spiritual friend will come to join us. You should plant beans, brew sauce, weave cattails into mats, and build additional dwellings to await him." It happened that Prince Shixing of the Chen dynasty was leaving to garrison Dongting, and the court ministers gave him a farewell banquet. He turned his carriage back to Waguan Temple to converse with Zhiyi; once the profound mysteries were proclaimed, the noble lords yielded their hearts, heaping up offerings like mountains and bowing down with deep reverence. Zhiyi then sighed and said: "Yesterday I dreamed of meeting fierce robbers; today they manifest as these soft thieves! As a hemp rope cuts to the bone, I recall dragging my tail in the mud." He then dismissed and thanked his disciples, saying: "I have heard that shooting in the dark hits the mark upon the release of the bowstring." > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 17.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.17.15) - [Next: 17.16.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.17.16.2) - [Up: 17.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.17.16) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060~en-mt.17.16.1) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [天台九祖傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2069.1.7) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.17.16.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.17.16.1) · Pramāṇa