續高僧傳 19.26

19.26

釋灌頂。字法雲。俗姓吳氏。常州義興人也。祖世避地東甌。因而不返。今為臨海之章安焉父夭早亡。母親鞠養。生甫三月。孩而欲名。思審物類未知所目。母夜稱佛法僧名。頂仍口斆。音句清辯同共驚異。因告攝靜寺慧拯法師。聞而歎曰。此子非凡。即以非凡為字。及年七歲還為拯公弟子。日進文詞。玄儒並騖清藻才綺。即譽當時。年登二十。進具奉儀。德瓶油鉢彌所留思。洎拯師厭世。沐道天台。承習定綱罔有虧緒。陳至德元年。從智顗禪主出居光宅。研繹觀門頻蒙印可。逮陳氏失馭。隨師上江。勝地名山盡皆遊憩。三宮廬阜九向衡峯。無不揖迹依迎訪問遺逸。後屆荊部停玉泉寺。傳法轉化教敷西楚。開皇十一年。晉王作鎮揚州。陪從智者戾止邗溝。居禪眾寺。為法上將。日討幽求。俄隨智者。東旋止于台岳。晚出稱心精舍開講法華。跨朗籠基超於雲印。方集奔隨負篋屯涌。有吉藏法師。興皇入室。嘉祥結肆獨擅浙東。聞稱心道勝意之未許。求借義記尋閱淺深。乃知體解心醉有所從矣。因癈講散眾投足天台餐稟法華發誓弘演。至十七年智者現疾。瞻侍曉夕艱劬盡心。爰及滅度親承遺旨。乃奉留書并諸信物。哀泣跪授。晉王五體投地悲淚頂受。事遵賓禮情敦法親。尋遣揚州總管府司馬王弘。送頂還山為智者設千僧齋置國清寺。即昔有晉曇光道猷之故迹也。前峯佛隴寺號修禪。在陳之日智者初建隴南十里。地曰丹丘。經行平正瞻望顯博。智者標基刊木。欲建道場。未果。心期。故遺囑斯在。王工入谷即事修營。置臬引繩一依舊旨。仁壽元年。晉王入嗣東巡本國。萬里川途人野畢慶。頂以檀越昇位寺宇初成。出山參賀。遂蒙引見。慰問重疊酬對如響言無失厝。臣主榮歎。又遣員外散騎侍郎張乾威送還山寺。施物三千段㲲三百領。又設千僧齋。寺廟臺殿更加修緝。故丹青之飾亂發朝霞。松竹之嶺奄同被錦。斯寔海西之壯觀也。遠符智者之言。具如彼傳。仁壽二年下令延請云。夏序炎赫道體休宜。禪悅資神故多佳致。近令慧日道場莊論二師講淨名經。全用智者義疏判釋經文。禪師既是大師高足。法門委寄。令遣延屈。必希霈然。并法華經疏。隨使入京也。佇遲來儀書不盡意。頂持衣負錫高步入宮。三夏闡弘。副君欣戴。每至深契無不伸請。並隨問接對。周統玄籍。後遣信送還。䞋遺隆倍。大業七年。治兵涿野親總元戎。將欲蕩一東夷用清文軌。因問左右備敘軒皇。先壯阪泉之戮暴。後歎峒山之問道。追思智者感慕動容。下勅迎頂遠至行所。引見天扆敘以同學之歡。又遣侍郎吳旻送還台寺。爾後王人繼至房無虛月。頂縱懷丘壑絕迹世累。定慧兩修語默雙化。乃有名僧大德。近城遠方希覩三觀十如及以心塵使性。並拜首投身請祈天鼓。皆疏瀹情性澡雪胸襟。三業屢增二嚴無盡。忽以貞觀六年八月七日。終於國清寺房。春秋七十有二。初薄示輕疾無論藥療。而室有異香。臨終命弟子曰。彌勒經說。佛入城日香煙若雲。汝多燒香。吾將去矣。因伸遺誡。詞理妙切。門人眾侶瞻仰涕零。忽自起合掌如有所敬。發口三稱阿彌陀佛。低身就臥累手當心。色貌歡愉。奄然而逝。舉體柔軟。頂暖經日嘗有同學智晞。顗之親度。清亮有名。先以貞觀元年卒。臨終云。吾生兜率矣。見先師智者。寶坐行列皆悉有人。惟一座獨空。云却後六年灌頂法師昇此說法。焚香驗旨。即慈尊降迎。計歲論期。審晞不謬矣。以其月九日窆于寺之南山。遠近奔號喧震林谷。初頂化流囂俗神用弘方。村人於法龍。去山三十餘里。染患將絕眾治不愈。其子奔馳入山祈救。頂為轉法華經。焚旃檀香。病者雖遠。乃聞檀香入鼻。應時痊復。又樂安南嶺地曰安洲。碧樹青溪泉流伏溺人逕不通。頂留連愛翫。顧而誓曰。若使斯地夷坦。當來此講經。曾未浹旬。白砂遍涌平如玉鏡頂以感通相顯不違前願。仍講法華金光明二部。用酬靈意。嘗於章安攝靜寺講涅槃經。值海賊上抄道俗奔委。頂方撾鍾就講。顏無懾懼。賊徒麾幡詣寺。忽見兵旗曜日持弓執戟人皆丈餘雄悍奮發。群覩驚懅一時退散。甞於佛隴。講暇携引學徒。累石為塔。別須二片用搆塔門。弟子光英。先以車運一石。咸疑厚大。更欲旁求復勞人力。頂舉杖聊撝。前所運石颯然驚裂。遂折為兩段。厚薄等均用施塔戶。宛如舊契。若斯靈應其相寔多。自頂受業天台又稟道衡岳。思顗三世宗歸莫二。若觀若講常依法華。又講涅槃金光明淨名等經。及說圓頓止觀四念等法門。其遍不少。且智者辯才雲行雨施。或同天網乍擬瓔珞。能持能領唯頂一人。其私記智者詞旨。及自製義記。并雜文等題目。並勒于碑陰。弟子光英。後生標俊優柔教義。與國清寺眾僉共紀其行。樹其碑于寺之門。常州弘善寺沙門法宣為文。其詞甚麗。見于別集。

Śramaṇa Guanding, whose courtesy name was Fayun, was originally surnamed Wu, a native of Yixing in Changzhou. His ancestors fled troubled times to Dong'ou, and consequently did not return, so that he became a native of Zhang'an in Linhai. His father died prematurely, and his mother raised him with maternal care. When he had been born barely three months and was an infant to be named, she reflected on various creatures and things but did not know what to call him. At night, his mother recited the names of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha; Guanding promptly imitated them with his mouth, his tone and phrasing clear and articulate, which astonished everyone. She thereupon informed Master Huizheng of Shejing Temple. Hearing of it, he sighed and said, 'This child is extraordinary (feifan),' and immediately gave him the courtesy name Feifan. When he reached seven years of age, he returned to become Zheng's disciple. Daily he progressed in literary composition; he pursued both the esoteric [Buddhist/Daoist] and Confucian teachings, and his polished rhetoric and elegant talent brought him renown at the time. At the age of twenty, he advanced to full ordination and observed the monastic deportment, devoting his thoughts all the more to the 'virtue jar and the bowl of oil'. When Master Zheng departed this life, Guanding bathed in the Dharma on Mount Tiantai, receiving and practicing the essential discipline of meditation without any lapse. In the first year of the Zhide era of the Chen dynasty, he followed Dhyāna Master Zhiyi out to reside at Guangzhai Temple, where he investigated and practiced the contemplation gates and frequently received verification. When the Chen dynasty lost rule, he followed his master up the Yangtze River; they traveled and rested among all the fine places and celebrated mountains. At the three shrines of Mount Lu and the nine peaks of Mount Heng, there was nowhere they did not leave their traces, receiving welcome and seeking out hermits. Later they arrived in Jingbu and stayed at Yuquan Temple, transmitting the Dharma, converting others, and spreading the teachings across Western Chu. In the eleventh year of the Kaihuang era, the Prince of Jin was stationed as defender of Yangzhou; Guanding accompanied Zhizhe as he arrived at Hangou and resided at Chanzhong Temple. Serving as a great general of the Dharma, he daily investigated the abstruse. Soon after, following Zhizhe, he returned east to reside on Mount Tiantai. Later he went out to Chengxin Hermitage to lecture on the Lotus Sūtra; his stature surpassed Jilang, eclipsed Ji, and went beyond Fa’yun and Bao’yin. Those who assembled and rushed to follow him with book-boxes packed like gushing streams. There was Dharma Master Jizang, who had entered the inner chamber of Xinghuang [Falang] and set up his teaching at Jiaxiang, holding sole sway over eastern Zhejiang. Hearing of Chengxin's superior way, he did not at first concede it, but asked to borrow the record of its commentaries to inspect their shallowness and depth. He then realized that Guanding had an internalized understanding that enraptured the mind, which indeed derived from a master. Consequently, he disbanded his lectures, dismissed his assembly, and cast himself at Mount Tiantai to receive the Lotus Sūtra, making a vow to promulgate it widely. In the seventeenth year, when Zhizhe displayed illness, Guanding attended to him day and night, exhausting his heart in hardship and toil. When [Zhizhe] entered extinction, Guanding personally received his final instructions; he presented his testamentary letter and various tokens of faith, weeping in grief as he knelt to confer them. The Prince of Jin touched all five points of his body to the ground, weeping tears of sorrow as he received them upon his crown. He observed the etiquette of a guest and deepened his affection as a Dharma relative. Soon he dispatched Wang Hong, marshal of the General Administration of Yangzhou, to escort Guanding back to the mountain, host a feast for a thousand monks on behalf of Zhizhe, and establish Guoqing Temple—the ancient site of Dan’guang and Daoyou of the Eastern Jin. The front peak, Folong Temple, had been named Xiuchan; during the Chen dynasty, Zhizhe had first founded it ten li south of the peak, a land named Danqiu. Its paths for circumambulation were flat and even, its view open and broad. Zhizhe had marked the foundation and cleared the trees, wishing to erect a sanctuary, but did not realize his intention; hence his testamentary wish remained. The prince’s artisans entered the valley and promptly engaged in construction, setting markers and stretching lines strictly according to the former instructions. In the first year of the Renshou era, the Prince of Jin succeeded to the throne [as crown prince] and toured his former fief in the east; along the myriad li of river routes, everyone in the countryside celebrated. Guanding, taking note that the dānapati had ascended in station and the temple buildings were newly completed, emerged from the mountain to offer congratulations. He was granted an audience, showered with repeated inquiries of comfort, and his replies came like an echo, without a single misplaced word, earning the admiration of both ruler and minister. The crown prince then dispatched the Supernumerary Gentleman of Cavalier Attendant Zhang Qianwei to escort him back to the mountain temple, donating three thousand bolts of silk, three hundred fine cotton robes, and again hosting a feast for a thousand monks. The temples, platforms, and halls were further renovated and repaired, so that the cinnabar and green decorations rivaled the morning clouds, and the ridge of pines and bamboos seemed suddenly wrapped in brocade—truly a magnificent spectacle west of the sea, profoundly matching Zhizhe’s words, as detailed in his biography. In the second year of the Renshou era, an order was issued inviting him, saying: 'The summer season is blazing hot; may the body of the Dharma be in good repose. As the joy of dhyāna nourishes the spirit, it brings many fine states. Recently, I commanded the two masters Zhuang and Lun of Huiri Sanctuary to lecture on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra, using Master Zhizhe's commentary entirely to interpret the scripture. Since the Dhyāna Master is the great master's foremost disciple to whom the Dharma gate was entrusted, I have sent this summons to invite you, hoping you will arrive like torrential rain. Please also bring the commentary on the Lotus Sūtra along with the envoy into the capital. Looking forward to your arrival, my letter cannot convey the full measure of my intention.' Guanding took his robes, shouldered his staff, and stepped proudly into the palace. During the three months of summer he expounded the teachings, and the crown prince rejoiced and revered him. Whenever it came to deep accord, the prince never failed to present questions, and Guanding answered all inquiries, thoroughly mastering the profound scriptures. Later, an envoy was sent to escort him back, with donations doubled. In the seventh year of the Daye era, [Emperor Yang] assembled troops in the wilderness of Zhuo and personally commanded the main armies, intending to sweep away the Eastern Barbarians and bring order to civilization. Asking his attendants, he recalled the Yellow Emperor: first admiring his crushing of tyranny at Banquan, and later sighing over his seeking of the Way at Mount Kongtong. Recalling Zhizhe, he was so moved by admiration that his expression changed. He issued an edict summoning Guanding from afar to the traveling encampment, received him before the imperial screen, and recalled the joy of their being fellow students. He then dispatched Vice Minister Wu Min to escort him back to the Tiantai temple. From then on, royal emissaries arrived continuously, without a vacant month for his chamber. Although Guanding set his heart on the hills and ravines, cutting off all ties with worldly entanglements, he practiced both meditation and wisdom, transforming others equally through speech and silence. Eminent monks and bhadantas from both nearby cities and distant lands, longing to behold the three contemplations, the ten suchnesses, the defilements of mind, and the afflictions of nature, all bowed their heads and cast themselves down, praying to strike the heavenly drum. All had their natures cleansed and their hearts purified; their three karmas repeatedly advanced, and their two adornments were inexhaustible. Suddenly, on the seventh day of the eighth month in the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, he passed away in his quarters at Guoqing Temple, at the age of seventy-two. At first, he manifested only a slight illness, showing no concern for medicine, while an unusual fragrance filled the room. Approaching the end, he instructed his disciples: 'The Maitreya Sūtra says that on the day the Buddha enters the city, the smoke of incense is like clouds. Burn much incense; I am about to depart.' He then gave his testamentary admonitions, the words and reasoning of which were profound and poignant. The disciples and monks looked upon him with weeping and tears. Suddenly he rose on his own, joined his palms as if revering someone, and thrice uttered with his mouth 'Amitābha Buddha.' He lowered his body, lay down, clasped his hands over his heart, his countenance joyful, and suddenly passed away. His whole body remained soft and supple, and his crown stayed warm for days. Formerly, his fellow disciple Zhixi, personally ordained by Zhiyi and famous for his purity, had died earlier in the first year of the Zhenguan era. Approaching his end, Zhixi said: 'I am born in Tuṣita. I saw our late master Zhizhe; in the rows of jeweled seats, everyone had one, except for a single seat that stood empty. It was said, "Six years from now, Dharma Master Guanding will ascend this seat to expound the Dharma."' Burning incense to verify the intent, the Compassionate Honored One indeed descended to welcome him; calculating the years and dates, Zhixi was confirmed not to have been mistaken. On the ninth day of that month, he was entombed on the southern mountain of the temple; people from near and far ran wailing, their cries shaking the forest and valleys. Earlier, when Guanding’s transformation flowed through the worldly masses, his spiritual efficacy was broad. A villager named Yu Falong, living more than thirty li from the mountain, contracted a disease and was about to die, failing to recover after all kinds of treatments. His son rushed into the mountain to pray for help. Guanding recited the Lotus Sūtra for him and burned sandalwood incense. Although the patient was far away, he smelled the sandalwood incense entering his nostrils and immediately recovered. Moreover, at the southern ridge of Le'an, in a place called Anzhou, the jade-green trees and clear stream submerged the springs, leaving no human path. Guanding lingered there and enjoyed it; looking around, he vowed: 'If this land becomes flat, I shall come here to lecture on scriptures.' In less than ten days, white sand gushed everywhere, making it as smooth as a jade mirror. Because this manifestation of spiritual resonance was evident, Guanding did not violate his former vow, and thereupon lectured on the Lotus Sūtra and the Golden Light Sūtra to fulfill the intention of the spirits. Once, while lecturing on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra at Shejing Temple in Zhang'an, sea pirates came up to raid, and monastics and laypeople fled in panic. Guanding was just striking the bell to commence the lecture, his countenance showing no fear. When the pirates waved their banners and approached the temple, they suddenly saw military banners shining in the sun, with men over ten feet tall holding bows and halberds, ferocious and brave. Seeing this, the band was frightened and dispersed all at once. Once at Folong, during a break in his lecturing, he led his students to pile up stones to build a stupa. They specifically needed two slabs to frame the stupa door. A disciple, Guangying, had earlier carted over a stone, but everyone suspected it was too thick and large, wanting to seek another elsewhere, which would cause more labor. Guanding raised his staff and merely gestured with it; the stone previously transported suddenly cracked with a snap, breaking into two pieces of equal thickness, which served as the door of the stupa, fitting exactly like a previous covenant. Spiritual responses such as this were truly manifold. From the time Guanding received his instruction at Tiantai and learned the Way from Hengyue [Huisi], through the three generations of Si, Yi, and [Guanding], their fundamental refuge was undivided. Whether in contemplation or in lecturing, he always relied on the Lotus, and also lectured on scriptures such as the Nirvāṇa, Golden Light, and Vimalakīrti, as well as delivering teachings such as the Perfect and Sudden Calm Abiding and Contemplation, and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness; his cycles of lectures were numerous. Moreover, Zhizhe’s eloquence was like clouds moving and rain falling, sometimes like Indra's net, sometimes resembling a necklace of gems; yet Guanding alone was able to retain and comprehend it. His private notes on Zhizhe’s words and intentions, along with his own commentaries and miscellaneous writings, were all inscribed on the back of the stele. His disciple Guangying, a refined talent of the younger generation who was deeply versed in doctrinal principles, together with the assembly of Guoqing Temple, recorded his conduct and erected a stele at the temple gate. Śramaṇa Faxuan of Hongshan Temple in Changzhou composed the text; its prose is exceedingly beautiful, and it is found in a separate collection.