[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) › 18.16.2 # 續高僧傳 18.16.2 續高僧傳 18.16.2 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [18.16.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.18.16.2) 獲攝大乘論。 以為全如意珠。 雖先講唯識薄究通宗。 至於思搆幽微有所流滯。 今大部斯洞文旨宛然。 將欲弘演未聞彼之家國。 承周道失御隋歷告興。 遂與同侶俱辭建業。 緇素知友祖道新林。 去留哀感各題篇什。 曉禪師命章賦詩曰。 生平本胡越。 關吳各異津。 聯翩一傾蓋。 便作法城親。 清談解煩累。 愁眉始得申。 今朝忽分手。 恨失眼中人。 子向涇河道。 慧業日當新。 我住邗江側。 終為松下塵。 沈浮從此隔。 無復更來因。 此別終天別。 迸淚忽沾巾。 餘之名德並有綴詞。 久失其文。 各執手辭袂。 登石頭岸。 入舟動檝。 忽風浪騰涌眾人無計。 遷獨正想不移。 捧持攝論告江神曰。 今欲以大法開彼未悟。 若北土無運命也如何。 必應聞大教請停風浪。 冀傳法之功冥寄有屬。 言訖須臾恬靜安流達岸。 時人以為此論譯於南國。 護國之神不許他境。 事同迦延之出罽賓為羅剎之稽留也。 進達彭城。 新舊交集遠近欣赴。 欝為大眾有一檀越。 捨宅栖之。 遂目所住為慕聖寺。 始弘攝論。 又講楞伽起信如實等論。 相繼不絕。 攝論北土創開。 自此為始也。 徐州總管穀城公萬緒。 率諸僚佐擁篲諮承。 盡弟子之禮。 遷弘化此土屢動暄涼。 黑白變俗大有成業。 自周毀正法。 遺形充野。 乃勸獎有緣。 於慕聖寺多構堂閣。 隨有收聚莊嚴供養。 上柱國宋公賀若弼長史張坦。 出鎮楊州。 承風思展。 結為良導。 及諸道俗佇願德音。 坦乃手疏邀延。 遷亦虛舟待吹。 遠到廣陵。 舉郭迎望。 歌梵遏雲霞。 香花翳日月。 桑門一盛榮莫加斯。 宋公名重位高。 頗以學能傲誕。 遷應權授法。 不覺心醉形摧。 乃携其家屬。 從受歸戒。 初停開善建弘攝論。 請益千計。 不久徐方官庶思渴法言。 江都纔了復迎還北。 盛轉法輪聲名遐布。 屬開皇七年秋。 下詔曰。 皇帝敬問徐州曇遷法師。 承修敘妙因勤精道教。 護持正法利益無邊。 誠釋氏之棟梁。 即人倫之龍象也。 深願巡歷所在承風飡德。 限以朝務實懷虛想。 當即來儀以沃勞望。 弟子之內閑解法相能轉梵音者十人。 並將入京。 當與師崇建正法刊定經典。 且道法初興觸途草創。 弘獎建立終藉通人。 京邑之間遠近所湊。 宣揚法事為惠殊廣。 想振錫拂衣。 勿辭勞也。 尋望見師不復多及。 時洛陽慧遠。 魏郡慧藏。 清河僧休。 濟陰寶鎮。 汲郡洪遵。 各奉明詔同集帝輦。 遷乃率其門人。 行途所資皆出天府。 與五大德謁帝於大興殿。 特蒙禮接勞以優言。 又勅所司。 並於大興善寺安置供給。 王公宰輔冠蓋相望。 雖各將門徒十人。 而慕義沙門勅亦延及。 遂得萬里尋師。 於焉可想。 于斯時也宇內大通。 京室學僧多傳荒遠。 眾以攝論初闢投誠請祈。 即為敷弘。 受業千數。 沙門慧遠領袖法門。 躬處坐端橫經稟義。 自是傳燈不絕于今多矣。 雖則寰㝢穿鑿時有異端。 原其解起莫非祖習。 故真諦傳云。 不久有大國不近不遠大根性人。 能弘斯論。 求今望古豈非斯人乎。 十年春。 帝幸晉陽。 勅遷隨駕。 既達并部。 又詔令僧御殿行道。 至夜追遷入內與御同榻。 帝曰。 弟子行幸至此。 承大有私度山僧。 欲求公貫。 意願度之如何。 遷曰。 昔周武御圖殄滅三寶。 眾僧等或剗迹幽巖。 或逃竄異境。 陛下統臨大運更闡法門。 無不歌詠有歸來投聖德。 比雖屢蒙招引度脫。 而來有先後致差際會。 且自天地覆載莫匪王民。 至尊汲引萬方寧止一郭蒙慶。 帝沈慮少時。 方乃允焉。 因下勅曰。 自十年四月已前。 諸有僧尼私度者。 並聽出家。 故率土蒙度數十萬人。 遷之力矣。 尋下勅為第四皇子蜀王秀。 於京城置勝光寺。 即以王為檀越。 勅請遷之徒眾六十餘人。 > He obtained the Mahāyānasaṃgraha-śāstra and regarded it as a complete wish-fulfilling jewel. Although he had previously lectured on Vijñaptimātra and had briefly examined and thoroughly studied its school, when it came to conceiving its abstruse subtleties, there remained points where he was impeded. Now this great work was fully penetrated, its textual purport perfectly clear. Wishing to propagate and spread what had not yet been heard to those distant lands and states, and having heard that the ruling virtue of the Zhou dynasty had collapsed while the epoch of the Sui was proclaimed to rise, he thereupon, together with his companions, took leave of Jianye. Clergy and laity, acquaintances and friends, held a farewell gathering at Xinlin; those departing and those remaining were moved with sorrow, each composing verses. Dhyāna Master Xiao ordered a composition and composed a poem, saying: / 'In life we were originally as distant as the Hu and Yue, / Separated at the passes and Wu by different ferries. / Travelling along, our carriages momentarily brushed, / And straightway we became kin within the fortress of Dharma. / Pure conversation dispelled weariness and toil; / Frowning brows only then began to relax. / This morning we abruptly part hands; / Grieved to lose the person before my eyes. / You head toward the route of the Jing River; / Your karmic fruit of wisdom daily shall be renewed. / I dwell beside the Han River; / Destined in the end to become dust beneath the pines. / Floating and sinking, henceforth separated; / There will be no cause to meet again. / This parting is a parting for all eternity; / Gushing tears suddenly moisten my kerchief.' / Other eminent and virtuous masters likewise composed verses, but their texts have long been lost. Each clasped hands and parted sleeves. Ascending the banks of Shitou, they boarded the boat and worked the oars. Suddenly the wind and waves surged violently, and the multitude was at a loss. Tanqian alone kept his right contemplation unmoved; holding the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, he addressed the river spirit, saying: 'I now desire to open those who have not yet awakened by means of the Great Dharma. If the northern lands have no destiny for it, what then can be done about fate? If they are surely meant to hear the Great Teaching, I pray you calm the wind and waves. I trust that the merit of transmitting the Dharma may be invisibly entrusted and fulfilled.' When he finished speaking, in a brief moment it became calm and quiet, and they reached the shore over peaceful currents. Contemporary people thought that since this treatise had been translated in the southern realm, the protective spirit of the realm would not permit it to go to other territories—a situation identical to Kātyāyana's departure from Kashmir being delayed by a rākṣasa. Proceeding forward, he reached Pengcheng. New and old acquaintances gathered together, arriving with joy from far and near. As they swelled into a great assembly, a dānapati gave up his residence to accommodate them. Thereupon they designated the residence as the Musheng Monastery. He first propagated the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, and furthermore lectured on the Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra, the Awakening of Faith, the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, and other treatises, one after another without cease. The initial opening of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha in the northern lands began from this. Wan Xu, Duke of Gucheng and Area Commander of Xuzhou, led all his subordinate officials to hold brooms and inquire of him, carrying out the etiquette of disciples to the utmost. As Tanqian propagated and transformed in this land, warm and cold seasons repeatedly turned, and both monastics and laity altered their customs, achieving great accomplishments. Ever since the Zhou destroyed the True Dharma, abandoned bodily relics had filled the wilderness. He thereupon exhorted and encouraged those with karmic affinity to construct numerous halls and pavilions at Musheng Monastery, gathering, adorning, and making offerings wherever relics were found. Heruo Bi, Grand Pillar of State and Duke of Song, and Zhang Tan, the Chief Administrator, went out to garrison Yangzhou. Hearing of his reputation, they wished to pay their respects and establish ties as a fine guide; likewise, all the monastics and laity eagerly awaited his virtuous words. Tan thereupon wrote a letter by his own hand to invite him, and Tanqian, like an empty boat waiting for the wind, travelled afar to Guangling. The entire city came out to welcome and look upon him. Brahma chants arrested the clouds and mist; incense and flowers obscured the sun and moon. For a śramaṇa, this was a height of grandeur none could surpass. The Duke of Song possessed great fame and high rank, and was somewhat arrogant on account of his learning and ability. When Tanqian adapted expediently to confer the Dharma upon him, he unconsciously became deeply enraptured and subdued; he thereupon brought his family to receive the refuge and precepts from him. Initially, he stayed at Kaishan Monastery to establish and propagate the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, with those requesting instruction numbering in the thousands. Soon, the officials and commoners of the Xu region thirsted for his Dharma discourses; no sooner was his work in Jiangdu finished than they welcomed him back to the north again. Magnificently he turned the wheel of the Dharma, his reputation spreading afar. In the autumn of the seventh year of the Kaihuang era, an imperial edict was issued, stating: 'The Emperor respectfully inquires after Dharmabhāṇaka Tanqian of Xuzhou. We have heard that you cultivate and unfold wondrous causes, diligent and refined in the teachings of the Way. Safeguarding and upholding the True Dharma, your benefit is boundless. Truly you are a ridgepole and beam of the Śākya clan, an elephant and dragon among human kind. We profoundly wish to make an imperial tour wherever you are, to receive your reputation and partake of your virtue; but restrained by court affairs, We indeed harbor an unfulfilled longing. You should immediately come to the court to satisfy Our weary longing. Among your disciples, bring ten persons who are well-versed in the characteristics of phenomena and capable of chanting in Brahma tones into the capital together with you. We shall, together with you, Master, erect the True Dharma and emend the scriptural canons. Moreover, the Buddha Dharma is newly flourishing, and its undertakings are in their nascent stages; its broad encouragement and establishment ultimately rely on men of comprehensive penetration. The imperial capital is where those from far and near converge; proclaiming and propagating Dharma affairs will bring exceptionally wide benefit. We envision you shaking your staff and dusting your robes, without declining the fatigue. We look forward to seeing you soon, and shall not elaborate further.' At that time, Huiyuan of Luoyang, Huizang of Weijun, Sengxiu of Qinghe, Baozhen of Jiyin, and Hongzun of Jijun, each receiving the radiant imperial edict, gathered together at the imperial carriage. Tanqian thereupon led his disciples; all provisions for the journey were supplied from the imperial treasury. Together with the five bhadantas, he had an audience with the Emperor at the Daxing Hall, where he was specially received with ritual courtesy and comforted with flattering words. An edict was also issued to the relevant authorities to accommodate and supply them at the Daxingshan Monastery. Princes, dukes, and prime ministers crowded together in an unbroken stream of carriages and robes. Although each master brought ten disciples, śramaṇas who admired righteousness were also extended the invitation by edict; thus they were able to seek their masters from ten thousand miles away, which can well be imagined. At this time, communication throughout the realm was wide open. Scholar-monks of the capital mostly transmitted traditions from remote wildernesses. As the Mahāyānasaṃgraha was newly opened, the multitude devoted their sincerity to make requests; he straightway expounded and propagated it, with those receiving instruction numbering in the thousands. Śramaṇa Huiyuan, a leader of the Dharma gate, personally sat at the head of the assembly, placing the scriptures across his lap to receive the doctrinal meanings. From this point onward, the transmission of the lamp has continued without cease down to the present day in great numbers. Although throughout the realm there have occasionally been divergent heterodox opinions arising from forced interpretations, trace their origins, and none fail to stem from ancestral transmission. Therefore, the biography of Paramārtha says: 'Before long, there will be a person of great faculties in a great realm, neither near nor far, who will be able to propagate this treatise.' Seeking in the present and looking to the past, is it not this very person? In the spring of the tenth year, the Emperor visited Jinyang and ordered Tanqian to accompany the imperial retinue. Having reached the Bing region, another edict ordered the monks to conduct circumambulation in the imperial hall. When night arrived, Tanqian was summoned into the inner palace to share the same couch as the Emperor. The Emperor said: 'Since Our imperial tour arrived here, We have heard that there are a great many mountain monks who took the tonsure privately, seeking official registration. Our wish is to ordain them; what do you think?' Tanqian said: 'Formerly, Emperor Wu of the Zhou held the imperial domain and annihilated the Triratna. The monks either effaced their tracks in secluded crags or fled to foreign borders. Your Majesty reigns over the great epoch and re-opens the Dharma gate; there are none who do not sing praises and return, taking refuge in your sagely virtue. Although recently they have repeatedly received summons for liberation, their arrivals have had precedence and delay, resulting in missed encounters. Furthermore, under Heaven and Earth, whoever is covered and carried is none other than the king's subject; when the Most Venerable draws and guides the myriad directions, how could the blessings be confined to merely a single city?' The Emperor pondered deeply for a short while, and only then assented. He thereupon issued an edict, stating: 'From before the fourth month of the tenth year, all monks and nuns who were privately ordained are permitted to take pravrajyā.' Therefore, throughout the entire realm, those who received ordination numbered several hundreds of thousands—this was through the effort of Tanqian. Soon after, an edict was issued to establish Shengguang Monastery in the capital for the fourth imperial prince, Xiu, Prince of Shu, making the prince its dānapati. An imperial order invited more than sixty of Tanqian's disciples to reside there. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 18.16.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.18.16.1) - [Next: 18.16.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.18.16.3) - [Up: 18.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.18.16) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060~en-mt.18.16.2) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [釋氏稽古略](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2037.2.296) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.18.16.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.18.16.2) · Pramāṇa