續高僧傳 21.25

21.25

釋靈藏。俗姓王氏。雍州新豐人也。年未登學志慕情遠。依隨和上潁律師而出家焉。藏承遵出要善達持犯。僧祇一部世稱冠冕。於智度論講解無遺。妙尚沖虛兼崇綱務。時屬周初佛法全盛。國家年別大度僧尼。以藏識解淹明銓品行業。若講若誦卷部眾多。隨有文義莫不周鏡。時共測量。通經了意最為第一。藏之本師素鍾華望。為太祖隋公所重。道義斯洽得喪相符。藏與高祖。布衣知友情欵綢狎。及龍飛茲始彌結深衷。禮讓崇敦光價朝宰。移都南阜。任選形勝而置國寺。藏以朝宰惟重佛法攸憑。乃擇京都中會路均近遠。於遵善坊天衢之左而置寺焉。今之大興善是也。自斯已後。中使重沓禮遇轉隆。厚味嘉肴密輿封送。王人繼至接軫相趨。又勅左右僕射兩日一參。坐以鎮之與語而退。時教網初張名德雲搆。皆陳聲望莫與爭雄。宮闈嚴衛來往難阻。帝卒須見頻闕朝謁。乃勅諸門不須安籍。任藏往返。及處內禁與帝等倫。坐必同榻行必同輿。經綸國務雅會天鑒。有時住宿即邇寢殿。䞋錫之費蓋無競矣。開皇四年。關輔亢旱。帝引民眾就給洛州。勅藏同行共通聖化。既達所在歸投極多。帝聞之告曰。弟子是俗人天子。律師為道人天子。有樂離俗者。任師度之。遂依而度。前後數萬。晚以事聞。帝大悅曰。律師度人為善。弟子禁人為惡。言雖有異意則不殊。至於隋運譯經勝緣貴集。身先眾範言會時望。未知寺任綱正有聲。開皇六年卒於所住。春秋六十有八葬于南郊。

Shi Lingzang, whose secular surname was Wang, was a native of Xinfeng in Yongzhou. Before he reached the age of schooling, his aspirations were detached and his inclinations far-reaching. He took up the homeless life under his preceptor, the vinayadhara Ying. Zang adhered to the essentials for escaping [the cycle of birth and death] and thoroughly mastered the rules on upholding and transgression. In the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, he was hailed throughout the world as preeminent. In his lectures and explanations of the Da zhidu lun, nothing was left unplumbed. He subtly esteemed detachment and emptiness, while also upholding the duties of administrative leadership. At the time, during the early Zhou dynasty, the Buddha-Dharma flourished completely, and each year the state carried out mass ordinations of monks and nuns. On account of the depth and clarity of Zang's understanding, he evaluated and ranked their conduct and religious practice. Whether lecturing or chanting across numerous volumes and collections, whenever he encountered the scriptural meaning, there was none he did not survey comprehensively. Contemporary peers all evaluated him, deeming him foremost in penetrating the sūtras and comprehending their principles. Zang's original master had long enjoyed illustrious renown and was held in deep esteem by the Grand Ancestor, the Duke of Sui (Yang Zhong); their sharing of moral virtue was harmonious, and they shared alike in fortune and adversity. Zang and Emperor Gaozu (Yang Jian) were friends from the days of plain clothes, their affection intimate and close. When [Gaozu] first took the imperial throne, their bond deepened all the more. [Gaozu's] deferential respect was lofty and earnest, outshining the high court dignitaries. When the capital was moved to the Southern Mounds, [Lingzang] was granted free choice of an advantageous site to establish a state monastery. Considering that the court ministers were solely focused on state affairs while the Buddha-Dharma was what they relied upon, Zang selected a central location in the capital where the roads were equidistant from near and far, establishing the monastery to the left of the imperial thoroughfare in the Zunshan Ward. This is today's Daxingshan Monastery. From that time onward, palace envoys arrived in constant succession, and his honorable treatment grew ever more magnificent. Rare delicacies and fine meats were secretly dispatched in covered carriages, and royal envoys arrived one after another, their carriages following in close succession. An imperial decree also ordered the Left and Right Supervisors of the Affairs of the State to pay homage to him once every two days; he would steady them with his presence, converse with them, and then dismiss them. At that time, when the net of teachings was first cast and eminent men of virtue gathered like clouds, all displayed their renown, yet none could contest his supremacy. The palace gates were heavily guarded and passage was difficult, but the emperor often required an audience and [Lingzang] frequently missed court attendance. An imperial decree was therefore issued to all the gates stating that his name need not be entered in the registers, leaving Zang free to come and go at will. When he was within the inner palace, he was treated as the emperor's peer: whenever they sat, it was on the same couch; whenever they moved, it was in the same carriage. His management of state affairs elegantly accorded with the imperial mind. Sometimes when he stayed overnight, it was adjacent to the imperial bedchamber; the expenditure on donations and gifts was beyond compare. In the fourth year of the Kaihuang era, the capital region suffered a severe drought. The emperor led the populace to seek relief in Luozhou and decreed that Zang accompany him to jointly extend holy transformation. Wherever they arrived, those who took refuge were exceedingly numerous. Hearing of this, the emperor said to him: 'This disciple is the Son of Heaven of laymen, while you, vinayadhara, are the Son of Heaven of men of the Way. Whoever takes joy in leaving the secular world, you may ordain at will.' Lingzang accordingly ordained them as requested, numbering several tens of thousands from first to last. Later, when the matter was reported, the emperor was delighted and said: 'The vinayadhara ordains people to do good; this disciple restrains people from doing evil. Though the words differ, the intent is the same.' When the fortunes of the Sui dynasty brought about the translation of scriptures, through which supreme conditions gathered in nobility, he stood at the forefront as an exemplar to the community, his words matching the expectations of the time. Even before he took up the office of monastery director, his rectitude was already renowned. In the sixth year of the Kaihuang era, he passed away at his dwelling at the age of sixty-eight and was buried in the southern suburbs.