續高僧傳 25.67

25.67

釋智則。姓憑。雍州長安人。二十出家。止辯才寺。聽凝法師攝論四十餘遍。性度掉舉僅絕觀採。恒披敗納裙垂膝上。有問其故則云。衣長多立耳。遊浪坊市宿止寺中。銷聲京邑將五十載。財法食息一同僧伍。房施單床上加以薦。瓦椀木匙餘無一物。或見其襤縷為經營者。隨得服用。言終不及。則雖同僧住形有往來。門無開閉。同房僧不知靈異。號為狂者。則聞之仰面笑曰。道他狂者。不知自狂。出家離俗只為衣食。往往遮障鎖門鎖櫃。費時亂業。種種聚斂役役不安。此而非狂。更無狂者。乃撫掌大笑。則性嗜餺飥。寺北有王摩訶家。恒令辦之。須便輒往。因事伺候。兩處俱見。方委分身。而言行相投。片無瑕謬。自貞觀來。恒獨房宿竟夜端坐。嘅嗽達曙。余親目見。故略述其相云。

Śramaṇa Zhize, surnamed Feng, was a native of Chang'an in Yongzhou. He went forth from home at the age of twenty and resided at Biancai Monastery, where he listened to Master Ning's lectures on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha more than forty times. By nature he was restless and heedless, barely able to sit quietly or attend to appearances. He perpetually wore a tattered rag-robe with its skirt hem hung above his knees. When asked why, he remarked, “If the robe were long, it would cause too much standing about.” He wandered aimlessly through the city quarters and markets, resting at night in monasteries, concealing his traces in the capital for nearly fifty years. In terms of material goods, Dharma, food, and rest, he shared everything equally with the monastic community. In his room there was only a single bed layered with a reed mat, an earthenware bowl, and a wooden spoon—nothing else. Whenever people saw his ragged state and tried to provide for him, he would take and use whatever he received without ever a word of appreciation. Although Ze resided among the monks, his physical form was seen coming and going freely, without opening or closing the doors. The monks sharing his quarters, unaware of his spiritual marvels, called him a madman. When Ze heard this, he looked up, laughed, and said, “Those who call others mad do not realize their own madness! Going forth to leave secular life merely for food and clothing, constantly barricading doors, locking up gates and chests, wasting time, confounding spiritual cultivation, endlessly amassing possessions, and toiling without peace—if this is not madness, there is no madman anywhere!” With that, he clapped his hands and laughed heartily. By nature, Ze was fond of flat cakes (batuo). To the north of the monastery lived the Wang Moha family, whom he frequently instructed to prepare them; whenever he had need, he would go there. Once, upon checking his whereabouts on an errand, he was seen simultaneously at both places; only then was it known that he could divide his body. Yet his speech and actions remained consistent, without the slightest flaw or discrepancy. From the Zhenguan era onward, he always stayed alone in his room at night, sitting upright until morning, coughing and clearing his throat until dawn. Having witnessed this with my own eyes, I have briefly recorded his ways.