續高僧傳 19.27

19.27

釋智璪。俗姓張氏。清河人。晉室播遷寓居臨海。祖元秀梁倉部侍郎。任臨海內史。父文懷陳中兵將軍。璪受經之歲。言無虛發行不慚人。親里鄉隣深加敬愛。年登十七二親俱逝。慘服纔釋便染疾病。頻經歲月醫藥無効。仍於靜夜策杖曳疾。出到中庭向月而臥。至心專念。月光菩薩惟願大悲濟我沈痾。如是繫念遂經旬朔。於中夜間夢見一人。形色非常。從東方來。謂璪曰。我今故來為汝治病。即以口就璪身。次第吸𡂡。三夜如此。因爾稍痊。深知三寶是我依救。遂求離俗。便投安寧寺慧憑法師以為弟子。逖聞智者軌行超群為世良導。即泛舸豐流直指台岫。伏膺受道。乃遣行法華懺悔。第二七日初夜懺訖。還就禪床始欲安坐。乃見九頭龍從地涌出上昇虛空。明旦諮白。云此是表九道眾生聞法華經。將來之世破無明地入法性空耳。又陳至德四年永陽王伯智。作牧仙都。迎屈智者來于鎮所。璪隨師受請同赴稽山。九旬坐訖仍即辭王。往寶林山寺行法華三昧。初日初夜如有人來搖動戶扇。璪即問之。汝是何人夜來搖戶。即長聲答云。我來看燈耳。頻經數過。問答如前。其寺內先有大德慧成禪師。夜具聞之。謂弟子曰。彼堂內從來有大惡鬼。今聞此聲必是鬼來取一人也。天將欲曉。成師扣戶而喚璪。未暇得應便繞堂唱云。苦哉苦哉其人了矣。璪即開戶問意。答云。汝猶在耶。吾謂昨夜鬼已害汝。故此嗟耳。成師以事諮王。王遣數十人執仗防護。璪謂防人曰。命由業也。豈是防護之所加乎。願諸仁者將領還城。啟王云爾。防人去後。第二日夜鬼入堂內。搥壁打柱周遍東西。堂內六燈。璪即滅五留一。行道坐禪誦經坦然無懼。於三七日中事恒如此。行法將訖。見一青衣童子。稱讚善哉言已不現。雖值此二緣心無憂喜。璪又因事出往會稽。路由剡縣孝行村乞食。主人誤煮毒椹設。璪食竟進趣前途。主人於後噉此餘殘。並皆吐痢若死等苦。隣人見之。即持藥追璪。十里方及。見璪快行無恙。問曰。何故見尋。具陳上事。便笑而答曰。貧道無他可棄藥反蹤。不須見逐。驗之道力所薰。故毒不能傷也。又隋大業元年。駕幸江都。璪銜僧命出參引見內殿。御遙見璪即便避席命令前坐。種種顧問。便遣通事舍人盧正方。送璪還山。為智者設一千僧齋。度四十九人出家。施寺物二千段米三千石并香酥等。又為寺造四周土牆。大業六年又往楊州參見。仍遣給事侍郎許善心。送還山。又為智者設一千僧齋。度一百人出家。施寺物一千段。嚫齋僧人絹一匹。七年又往涿郡參。勞謝遠來。施寺物五百段。遣五十人執仗防援還山。凡經八迴參見天子。並蒙喜悅供給豐厚。以貞觀十二年卒於寺。春秋八十三矣。

Śramaṇa Zhizao was born to the Zhang family of Qinghe. During the turmoil of the Jin court's migration, his family took up residence in Linhai. His grandfather, Yuanxiu, was a Vice Minister in the Bureau of Granaries under the Liang and served as Regional Inspector of Linhai. His father, Wenhuai, was a General of the Central Guard under the Chen. During the years Zhizao studied the scriptures, his speech was never without substance, and his conduct never shamed others, so his relatives and fellow villagers held him in deep respect and affection. When he reached the age of seventeen, both of his parents passed away. No sooner had he taken off the mourning clothes than he fell ill. Years passed, yet medicines were of no effect. Then, on a tranquil night, leaning on a cane and dragging his sick body along, he went out into the central courtyard and lay facing the moon. With single-minded devotion, he concentrated his thoughts on Candrottara Bodhisattva: “May your great compassion rescue me from this deep illness!” He kept his thoughts focused in this manner for over a month. In the middle of the night, he saw in a dream a person of extraordinary form and complexion coming from the east, who said to Zhizao, “I have come now especially to treat your illness.” He then placed his mouth against Zhizao's body and sucked upon it one spot after another. This happened for three nights, and thereafter he gradually recovered. Deeply realizing that the triratna was his true refuge and savior, he sought to leave secular life and went to dharmabhāṇaka Huiping at Anning Temple to become his disciple. Hearing from afar that Zhizhe’s conduct and discipline were extraordinary and that he was a fine guide for the world, Zhizao immediately sailed a boat down the Feng Stream, heading straight for the peaks of Tiantai. Submitting his mind to receive the doctrine, he was dispatched to perform the Lotus repentance. At the end of the early-night repentance on the fourteenth day, he returned to the meditation couch and was just sitting peacefully when he saw a nine-headed dragon gush forth from the earth and ascend into the open sky. In the morning, he asked [Zhizhe about this], who told him, “This indicates that the sentient beings of the nine paths, upon hearing the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, will in future ages shatter the ground of avidyā and enter into the emptiness of the dharmatā.” Furthermore, in the fourth year of the Zhide era of the Chen (586), Prince Bozhi of Yongyang took up office as governor of Xiandu. He invited Zhizhe to his garrison post, and Zhizao accompanied his master upon this invitation to Mount Kuaiji. When the ninety days of sitting were concluded, they took leave of the prince and went to Baolin Mountain Temple to practice the Lotus samādhi. On the first night of the first day, someone seemed to come and shake the door leaf. Zhizao at once asked, “Who are you, coming at night to shake the door?” A prolonged voice replied, “I have just come to look at the lamps.” This occurred several times, with questions and answers as before. In that temple, there was previously a bhadanta, dhyāna master Huicheng, who heard it all during the night and said to his disciples, “There has always been a great evil demon in that hall; now that I hear this sound, it must be the demon coming to take someone.” As dawn was about to break, Master Cheng knocked on the door and called for Zhizao. Before he had time to answer, [Huicheng] walked around the hall crying out, “How bitter, how bitter! The man is finished!” Zhizao at once opened the door and asked why. He replied, “Are you still here? I thought the demon had killed you last night, so I lamented thus.” Master Cheng reported the matter to the prince, who dispatched several tens of armed guards. Zhizao said to the guards, “One’s lifespan is determined by karma; how could it be extended by guards? I hope you good sirs will lead [your men] back to the city and tell this to the prince.” After the guards left, on the second night the demon entered the hall, beating the walls and striking the pillars all around the east and west. There were six lamps in the hall; Zhizao extinguished five and kept one, continuing to practice circumambulation, dhyāna sitting, and recitation of the scriptures with an untroubled mind, entirely fearless. For three weeks, matters continued constantly like this. As the practice was about to end, he saw a youth dressed in blue who praised him, saying, “Splendid!” Having spoken, he disappeared. Although he met with these two conditions, his mind knew neither sorrow nor joy. On another occasion, Zhizao traveled out toward Kuaiji on business. Traveling through the village of Xiaoxing in Shan County, he begged for food. The host inadvertently boiled poisonous mulberries to serve him. Zhizao ate them and set off on his way. The host then ate the remnants and suffered vomiting and diarrhea, with agonizing pain as if near death. Seeing this, the neighbors immediately took medicine and chased after Zhizao, catching up with him only after ten li. Seeing Zhizao walking swiftly without illness, they asked him, “Why are you unharmed?” and explained what had occurred. He laughed and replied, “This poor monk has no ailment; you may throw away the medicine and turn back, there is no need to pursue me.” This proved that the fragrance of the power of the Way prevented the poison from causing harm. Furthermore, in the first year of the Daye era of the Sui (605), the imperial entourage visited Jiangdu. Bearing the monastic community’s mission, Zhizao went to pay his respects and was granted an audience in the inner palace. Seeing Zhizao from afar, the Emperor rose from his mat and bade him come forward to sit, making various inquiries. He then dispatched the Receptionist Lu Zhengfang to escort Zhizao back to the mountain, hold a feast for a thousand monks for Zhizhe's benefit, ordain forty-nine people into pravrajyā, and bestow upon the temple two thousand pieces of material, three thousand piculs of rice, along with incense, ghee, and the like. He also had an earthen wall built around all four sides of the temple. In the sixth year of Daye (610), Zhizao again went to Yangzhou for an audience. [The Emperor] dispatched the Vice Minister of Attendance Xu Shanxin to escort him back to the mountain, held another feast of a thousand monks for Zhizhe, ordained one hundred people, presented one thousand pieces of material to the temple, and offered one bolt of silk to each participating monk. In the seventh year (611), Zhizao again went to Zhuo Commandery for an audience. [The Emperor] thanked him for traveling from so far, presented five hundred pieces of material to the temple, and dispatched fifty armed guards to escort him back to the mountain. In total, he had eight audiences with the Son of Heaven, all of which brought imperial joy and bountiful provisions. In the twelfth year of the Zhenguan era (638), he passed away at the temple at the age of eighty-three.