續高僧傳 20.52

20.52

釋曇獻。姓張。京兆始平人。少事昌律師。昌虞鄉賈氏。淨行無玷精誠有聞。股肱之地咸所宗仰。所居谷口素有伽藍。因此谷名遂題寺目為靜林寺也。昌師攝念經行常志斯所。周武道喪隳壞仁祠。昌與俗推移而律儀無缺。隨文御㝢重啟法筵。百二十僧釋門創首。昌膺此選也。仍僧別度侍者一人。獻預其位。住大興善。昌後言歸故里。悲瘞靈儀。掘出莊嚴。一佛興世。博修院宇延緝殿堂。緇素翹誠始欣有奉。彫造未畢而昌遷逝。族人百數仰慨尊容。以為法儀雖歿神足猶在。祈請續功便從來意。遂移仁壽而經營之。故得棟宇高華不日而就。兩寺圍繞四部歸依。州司以靜林仁壽已偃慈風。栢梯淨土未霑甘露。遂屈知栢梯寺任。俯從物議。又之斯位。釋網斯張萬目咸舉。仁洽開務有漏天舟。眾侶弘之大小齊美。以貞觀十五年正月微疾。至十五日旦便曰。須向靜林。至卯時乃有非常雲霧。遺形於栢梯山東南山頂。其夜大放光明形如華蓋。四照遠近迄于三夕。經旬其屍為靜林寺側諸信士潛竊神柩寘于靜林南山之頂。栢梯初不知也。於彼山頂兩夜續放神光。始詳其故。兩處交競九載于茲。緣州歷縣紛黷不息。豈非通幽洞理。致茲靈感。深慈博惠戀結眾情者乎。弟子等勒銘山阿。敢告惟遠。

Shi Tanxian had the secular surname Zhang and was a native of Shiping in the Capital District. In his youth he served Vinaya Master Chang. Chang belonged to the Jia clan of Yuxiang; his pure conduct was spotless, and his sincere dedication was widely known. Those in the core domains of the empire all revered him. At the mouth of the valley where he resided, there had long been a saṅghārāma; because of the name of this valley, the temple was subsequently named Jinglin Temple. Master Chang gathered his thoughts and practiced walking meditation, constantly aspiring to this place. When the Way declined under Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou and the benevolent temples were destroyed, Chang shifted with the secular world, yet his vinaya deportment was never deficient. When the Sui Emperor Wen governed the realm and reopened the Dharma seats, one hundred and twenty monks were the first leaders of the Buddhist community; Chang was among those selected. Each monk was additionally permitted to ordain one attendant, and Tanxian was chosen for this role, residing at Da Xingshan Temple. Later, Chang expressed the desire to return to his hometown. He mourned the buried sacred images, and upon excavating them, he adorned them, as if a Buddha had arisen in the world. He extensively repaired the courtyards and expanded the halls. Clerics and laity, with heartfelt sincerity, were newly joyful to offer reverence. Before the carving and construction were completed, Chang passed away. Hundreds of his clansmen looked up with sorrow at his revered countenance, believing that although the exemplar of the Dharma was deceased, his spiritual disciple still remained. They prayed and requested Tanxian to continue the work, and he complied with their intent. He then transferred the operation to Renshou Temple and managed it; thus the lofty and magnificent buildings were completed in no time. Flanked by the two temples, the fourfold assembly took refuge. The prefectural authorities, considering that Jinglin and Renshou had already been bathed in the gentle wind of benevolence, while Baiti and Jingtu had not yet tasted the sweet dew, then constrained Tanxian to take charge of Baiti Temple. Submitting to public opinion, he went to that post as well. The net of Śākya was thus spread, and its ten thousand meshes were all raised; benevolence pervaded the enterprise, providing a heavenly boat for the defiled world. The monastic assembly promoted it, and both the great and small prospered equally. In the first month of the fifteenth year of the Zhenguan era, he contracted a slight illness. On the morning of the fifteenth day, he said: "I must head toward Jinglin." By the hour of the rabbit (5:00–7:00 AM), extraordinary clouds and mist arose. He left his body at the southeastern summit of Mount Baiti. That night, a great light radiated, shaped like a flowered canopy, shining afar in all four directions for three nights. After ten days, his corpse and spiritual coffin were secretly stolen by faithful laymen beside Jinglin Temple and placed upon the summit of the Southern Mountain of Jinglin. Baiti initially knew nothing of this. But upon that mountain summit, spiritual light radiated continuously for two nights, and only then was the cause discovered. The two places contended with each other for nine years up to the present. Passing through prefectures and across counties, the disputes continued without cease. Was it not his penetration of the unseen and comprehension of principle that brought forth such spiritual resonances, his deep compassion and broad benevolence causing fond attachment to bind the hearts of the multitude? His disciples engraved an inscription on the mountain cliff, venturing to proclaim it far and wide.