續高僧傳 25.57

25.57

釋道仙。一名僧仙。本康居國人。以遊賈為業。往來吳蜀。江海上下集積珠寶。故其所獲貲貨乃滿兩船。時或計者云。直錢數十萬貫。既瓌寶填委。貪附彌深。惟恨不多。取驗吞海。行賈達于梓州新城郡牛頭山。值僧達禪師說法曰。生死長久無愛不離。自身尚爾況復財物。仙初聞之。欣勇內發。深思惟曰。吾在生多貪。志慕積聚。向聞正法。此說極乎。若失若離要必當爾。不如沈寶江中出家離著。索然無擾豈不樂哉。即沈一船深江之中。又欲更沈。眾共止之。令修福業。仙曰。終為紛擾。勞苦自他。即又沈之。便辭妻子。又見達房凝水滉瀁。知入水定信心更重。投灌口山竹林寺而出家焉。初落髮日對眾誓曰。不得道者終不出山。即逈絕人蹤結宇巖曲。禪學之侶相次屯焉。每覽經卷。始開見佛在其處。無不哽咽。我何不值但見遺文。而仙挺卓不群。野栖禽狩。或有造問學方者。皆答對善權冥符正則。自初入定。一坐則以四五日為恒。唯客到其門。潛然即覺。起共接語。若無人往端坐靜室寂若虛空。有時預告。明當有客至。或及百千。皆如其說曾無欠長。梁始興王澹。褰帷三蜀禮以師敬。携至陝服沮曲。以天監十六年。至青溪山。有終焉志也。便薙草止容繩床。于時道館崇敞巾褐紛盛。屢相呵斥甚寄憂心焉。仙乃宴如曾無屑意。一夕道士忽見東崗火發。恐野火焚害仙也。各執水器來救。見仙方坐大火猛焰洞然。咸歎火光神德。道士李學祖等。捨田造像。寺塔欻成。遠近歸信十室而九。州刺史鄱陽王恢。躬禮受法。天監末。始興王冥感。於梁泰寺造四天王。每六齋辰常設淨供。仙後赴會。四王頂上放五色光。仙所執爐自然煙發。太尉陸法和。昔微賤日。數載在山。供仙給使。僧有肆責者。仙曰。此乃三台貴公。何緣罵辱。時不測其後貴也。和果遂昇袞服。仙或勞疾。見縹衣童子從青溪水出椀盛妙藥跪而進服。無幾便愈。居山二十八年。復遊井絡。化道大行時遭酷旱。百姓請祈。仙即往龍穴。以杖扣門數曰。眾生憂苦。何為嗜睡如此。語已登即玄雲四合大雨滂注。民賴斯澤。咸來禱賽欽若天神。有須舍利即為祈請。應念即至如其所須。隋蜀王秀。作鎮岷絡。有聞王者。尋遣追召。全不承命。王勃然動色。親領兵仗往彼擒之。必若固蹤可即加刃。仙聞兵至都無畏懼。索僧伽梨。被已端坐念佛。王達山足。忽雲雨雜流雹雪崩下。水涌滿川藏軍無計。事既窘迫。乃遙歸懺禮。因又天明雨霽。山路清夷得至仙所。王躬盡敬。便為說法。重發信心。乃邀還成都之靜眾寺。厚禮崇仰。舉郭恭敬。號為仙闍梨焉。開皇年中返于山寺。道路自淨山神前掃。一夜客僧止房。仙往曳出。房因即倒。年百餘歲端坐而卒。仍葬彼山。益州今猶有木景白疊尚存。云是聖人仙。闍梨許。

Shi Daoxian, also named Sengxian, was originally a man of the Kangju kingdom. He made his living as an itinerant merchant, traveling between Wu and Shu, going up and down the rivers and seas collecting and amassing pearls and gems, such that the wealth and goods he acquired filled two boats. Some at the time calculated that they were worth several hundred thousand strings of cash. With such abundant rare treasures piled high, his greed and attachment grew ever deeper; he only regretted having too little, wishing to swallow the sea to test his greed. While traveling on business, he reached Mount Niutou in Xincheng Commandery of Zizhou, where he met Dhyāna Master Sengda preaching the Dharma, saying: 'Samsāra is long; there is no loved one from whom one is not parted. It is so even of one's own body, how much more so of wealth and goods?' When Xian first heard this, joyful courage arose within him. He reflected deeply, saying: 'Throughout my life I have been full of greed, with my mind set on accumulating possessions. Having just heard the true Dharma, this teaching is indeed ultimate! Even if they are lost or separated from me, it must surely come to this. It is better to sink the treasures into the river, renounce secular life, and leave behind attachment. Free and untroubled—how could this not be joyful?' Thereupon he sank one boat into the deep river. He wished to sink the other as well, but the crowd stopped him together, urging him to use it to cultivate meritorious deeds. Xian said, 'In the end it will cause turmoil and bring weariness to myself and others.' He then sank that one as well, and bade farewell to his wife and children. Moreover, seeing the room of Sengda filled with surging, deep water, he understood that Sengda had entered the water samādhi, and his faithful mind became even firmer. He went to Zhulin Temple on Mount Guankou and entered the monastic order (pravrajyā). On the day his hair was shaved, he swore before the assembly: 'If I do not attain the Way, I shall never leave the mountain.' Thereupon he cut himself off from human traces and built a dwelling in a mountain recess; companions in dhyāna practice gathered there in succession. Whenever he read the scripture scrolls, upon first unrolling them and seeing the Buddha present in that place, he could not help but choke with tears: 'Why did I not meet him, and only see his bequeathed texts?' Yet Xian stood out eminent and unattached, living among wild beasts in the wilderness. When someone came to inquire about methods of practice, all his answers skillfully adapted to the capacity of the person, quietly tallying with the correct standard. From the time he first entered samādhi, he made it his constant rule to sit for four or five days at a time. Only when a visitor arrived at his gate would he secretly awaken, rising to converse with them. If no one came, he sat upright in his quiet chamber, silent as empty space. Sometimes he would announce beforehand: 'Tomorrow a guest will arrive,' or even up to hundreds or thousands, and all happened just as he had predicted, never falling short or exceeding. Xiao Dan, Prince of Shixing of the Liang dynasty, when governing the Three Shu regions, paid him homage and treated him as a master. He brought him along to the rugged passes of Shanfu. In the sixteenth year of Tianjian, they arrived at Mount Qingxi, and Xian had the intention of ending his days there. He then cut the grass to make a space just large enough for a rope bed. At that time Daoist abbeys were lofty and spacious, and Daoist caps and gowns were flourishing; they repeatedly scolded and rebuked him, causing deep concern. Yet Xian remained at ease, without giving it the slightest thought. One evening, the Daoists suddenly saw fire breaking out on the eastern ridge; fearing the wild fire would burn and harm Xian, they each took vessels of water and came to the rescue. They saw Xian sitting upright in the fierce flames of a great blaze, glowing brightly. All marveled at the divine virtue of his fire-light. The Daoist Li Xuezu and others gave up land and fashioned statues; temples and pagodas suddenly sprang up, and nine out of ten households near and far took refuge in faith. The prefect of the province, Prince Hui of Poyang, came in person to pay homage and receive the Dharma. At the end of Tianjian, the Prince of Shixing had a hidden spiritual resonance and fashioned the Four Heavenly Kings at Liangtai Temple, always preparing pure offerings on each of the six fast days. When Xian later attended the assembly, the crowns of the Four Kings emitted five-coloured light, and the censer held by Xian spontaneously sent forth smoke. When Grand Commander Lu Fahe was in his humble days, he spent several years on the mountain, serving and attending to Xian. When some monks reprimanded him harshly, Xian said, 'This is a noble gentleman destined for the Three Excellencies; for what reason do you revile him?' People at that time could not foresee his future nobility, but Fahe indeed eventually rose to imperial robes. When Xian occasionally fell ill from toil, he saw a youth in azure garments emerge from the Qingxi river, holding a bowl containing marvelous medicine, kneeling to offer it; shortly after taking it, he was healed. He resided on the mountain for twenty-eight years, and again traveled through the Jingluo region, where his teaching flourished greatly. Once, encountering a severe drought, the common people prayed for his help. Xian immediately went to the dragon's cavern, knocked on the door with his staff, and rebuked it, saying: 'Sentient beings are suffering; why are you so addicted to sleep?' As soon as he spoke, dark clouds gathered from all sides, and heavy rain poured down. The people relied on this bounty, and all came to offer thanks and sacrifice, revering him as a celestial deity. If someone needed relics, he would pray for them, and they would arrive as soon as the thought arose, just as required. Under the Sui, Prince Xiu of Shu was garrisoning Minluo; hearing of the prince's arrival, people told him, and the prince soon sent messengers to summon him, but Xian did not heed the order at all. The prince changed countenance in anger and led armed troops in person to capture him, saying that if he persisted in hiding, he could be put to the sword immediately. When Xian heard the soldiers arriving, he showed no fear at all; asking for his saṅghāṭī, he put it on, sat upright, and recited the Buddha's name. When the prince reached the foot of the mountain, clouds, rain, hail, and snow suddenly collapsed upon them, and rushing water filled the valley, leaving the army nowhere to hide. Since the situation was desperate, the prince bowed and repented from afar. Thereupon the sky cleared and the rain ceased; the mountain road became clear and peaceful, and he was able to reach Xian's dwelling. The prince paid his respects in person, and Xian preached the Dharma for him, causing him to renew his faithful mind. He then invited Xian back to Jingzhong Temple in Chengdu, honouring him with lavish ceremonies; the entire city revered him, calling him Master Xian (Ācārya Xian). During the Kaihuang era, he returned to the mountain temple; the paths cleaned themselves, and mountain spirits swept before him. One night, a visiting monk was staying in a room; Xian went and dragged him out, whereupon the room collapsed immediately. Over a hundred years of age, he died sitting upright, and was buried on that mountain. In Yizhou today there still remain his wooden image and white fine cotton cloth, which are said to have been left by the holy Master Xian (Ācārya Xian).