續高僧傳 22.14

22.14

釋法礪。俗姓李氏。趙人也。因宦遂家于相焉。生而牙齒全具。迄于終老中無齓毀。堅白逾常。登年學位便欣大法。初歸靈裕法師。即度為弟子。風素翔郁威容都雅。言議博達欣尚玄奧。受具已後敦慎戒科。從靜洪律師諮學四分。指撝刑網有歷年所。振績徽猷譽騰時類。功業既著更師異軌。又從恒州淵公。聽集大義乃周兩載。統略支葉窮討根源。當即簙引所聞開講律要。詞吐簡詣攻難彌堅。故得隣幾獨絕尤稱今古。末又往江南遊覽十誦。而盛專師授討擊未資。還返鄴中適緣開導。屬隋煬道銷岳瀆塵擾。聽徒擁戢諮逮無因。唐運初基法門重闢。會臨漳令裴師遠。夙承清訓預展法筵。請礪在縣敷弘相續。綿積累載開悟極多。四方懷道霄興命駕。解契昇堂行敦入室。礪以初學舊習委訪莫歸。若不流于文記是則通心無路。乃開拓素業更委異聞。旁訊經論為之本疏。時慧休法師道聲遠被見重世猷。讚擊神理文義相接。故得符采相照律觀高邈。休有功焉。以貞觀九年十月。卒于故鄴日光住寺。春秋六十有七。前後講律四十餘遍。製四分疏十卷。羯磨疏三卷。捨懺儀輕重敘等。各施卷部見重於時。時衛州道爍。律學所崇。業駕於礪。為時所重矣。

Śramaṇa Fali's secular surname was Li, and he was a native of Zhao. Because of an official post, his family settled in Xiang. When he was born, his teeth were fully formed; right up until the end of his old age, he never lost or damaged a tooth, their hardness and whiteness being beyond the ordinary. When he reached the age of formal studies, he already delighted in the Great Dharma. At first he took refuge under Dharmabhāṇaka Lingyu, who ordained him as a disciple. His demeanor was graceful and luxuriant, and his dignified deportment was suave and elegant; his conversation was broad and penetrating, and he favored the profound and subtle. After receiving the full precepts, he was sincere and cautious regarding the disciplinary rules. Following Vinayadhara Jinghong, he inquired and studied the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya; pointing out its network of disciplinary models, years passed in this endeavor. His achievements and fine models flourished, and his reputation soared above his contemporaries. His achievements being already notable, he further took different exemplars as his teachers. He then studied under Master Yuan of Hengzhou, listening and compiling the great essentials for two full years; synthesizing the branches and foliage, he exhaustively investigated the roots and sources. At once he broadly cited what he had heard to open lectures on the essentials of the Vinaya; his speech was concise and to the point, and his engagement with difficult points grew ever more solid. Thus, his closeness to the subtle workings was uniquely supreme, and he was exceptionally praised in both present and past. Later, he went south of the Yangtze to examine the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya; however, relying heavily on personal instruction from teachers, his critical investigations lacked sufficient materials. When he returned to Ye, he met with opportunities to guide and open [minds]. But as the Sui under Emperor Yang lost the Way and the mountains and rivers were agitated by mundane dust, listeners were obstructed, and there was no way to consult or reach him. When the fortunes of the Tang laid their foundation, the Dharma gate was opened anew. It happened that Pei Shiyuan, magistrate of Linzhang, having long received pure instruction, proactively opened a Dharma seat and invited Li to expound continuously in the county. Through the accumulation of successive years, those who gained awakening were extremely numerous. From the four quarters, those cherishing the Way set out at nightfall and ordered their carriages; those whose understanding tallied mounted the hall, and those of earnest practice entered the inner chamber. Li believed that for beginners clinging to old habits, if their thorough inquiries were left unresolved, and if this was not put into written records, there would be no way to penetrate their minds. Thereupon, he broadened his original undertaking, further gathered unfamiliar traditions, and consulted sūtras and treatises on all sides to compose his primary commentary. At that time, Dharmabhāṇaka Huixiu's reputation in the Way spread far, and he was deeply respected as a model for the world; in praising and investigating the spiritual principles, his texts and meanings dovetailed with [Li's]. Thus their brilliance illuminated one another, and their Vinaya contemplation was lofty and distant; Xiu had merit in this. In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zhenguan, he passed away at his dwelling in Riguang Monastery in the old city of Ye, at the age of sixty-seven. First and last, he lectured on the Vinaya more than forty times. He composed the Commentary on the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya in ten fascicles, the Commentary on the Karmavācanā in three fascicles, and the Ritual for Relinquishment and Repentance with an Account of Minor and Major [Offenses], etc., each distributed in fascicles and volumes, and deeply respected by his contemporaries. At that time, Daoshuo of Weizhou was revered in Vinaya studies; his achievements rivaled Li's, and he was also esteemed by the times.