續高僧傳 3.7

3.7

釋慧賾。俗姓李。荊州江陵人。早悟非常神思鋒逸。九歲投本邑隱法師出家。隱體其精爽異倫。即度為沙彌。講授之暇誨以幽奧。賾領牒玄理曾不再思。執卷誦文紙盈四十。荊楚秀望欽而美之。初從隱聽涅槃法華。後別聽三論。皆剖析新奇。抗擬摽會。開皇中年江陵寺。大興法席群師雲赴。道俗以賾嘉績夙成。咸欲觀其器略。共請為法主。顧惟披導有旨。因而踐焉。甫年十二。創開涅槃。比事吐詞義高常伯。論難相繼。辯答冷然。少長莫不緘心。頌聲載路。荊州刺史宜龍公元壽。聞其幼譽。驚挺親駕謁焉。素倍前聞大相褒賞。以事奏聞云。希世卓秀者也。登即有詔。令本州備禮所在恭送。既達京輦殊蒙慰引。賜納僧伽梨并衣一襲。仍令住清禪寺。從容法侶敦悅玄儒。才藻屢揚汲引無竭。預有衣冠士族。皆來展造門庭。莫不讚其洽聞博達。機捷之謂也。末厭煩梗思濟清神。乃從應禪師。稟資心學。掩關兩載。情𮛫諸門。遂語默於賢聖之間。談授於經緯之理。值隋氏云喪法事淪亡。道闋當年情欣栖靜。以大業末歲。移卜終南之高冠嶺。因巖構室疎素形心。會唐運勃興蒼生攸濟。賾不滯物我。來從帝城。講誨暫揚。傾都請道。武德年內釋侶云繁。屢建法筵皆程氣宇。時延興寺。百座講仁王經。王公卿士並從盛集。沙門吉藏爰竪論宗。聲辯天臨貴賤傾目。賾纔施銳責。言清理詣思動幾微神彩驚越四部駭心百辟。藏顧而歎曰。非惟論辯難繼。抑亦銀鉤罕蹤。今上在蕃親觀論府。深相結納擬為師友。六使來召令赴別第。賾以生名殺身之累。由來有人。退讓餘詞一不聞命。及貞觀開譯。詔簡名僧眾以文筆知名兼又統詳論旨。乃任為翻論之筆。譯訖奏聞。有勅賜帛百匹衣服一具。賾又著論序曰般若燈論者。一名中論。本有五百偈。借燈為名者。無分別智有寂照之功也。舉中標目者。鑑亡緣觀等離二邊也。然則燈本無心智也。亡照法性平等。中義在斯。故寄論以明之也。若夫尋論滯旨。執俗迷真。顛倒斷常之間。造次有無之內。守名喪實攀葉亡根者。豈欲爾哉。蓋有由矣。請試陳之。若乃構分別之因。招虛妄之果。惑累熏其內識。惡友結其外緣。致使慢聳崇山見深滄海恚火難觸詞鋒罕當。聞說有而快心。聽談空而起謗。六種偏執各謂非偏。五百論師諍陳異論。或將邪亂正。或以偽齊真。識似悟而翻迷。教雖通而更壅。可謂捐珠翫石。棄寶負薪。觀畫怖龍。尋迹怯象。愛好如此。良可悲夫。龍樹菩薩救世挺生。呵嗜慾而發心。閱深經而自鄙。蒙獨尊之懸記。然法炬於閻浮。且其地越初依。功超伏位。既窮一實且究二能。佩兩印而定百家。混三空而齊萬物。點塵劫數歷試諸難。悼彼群迷故作斯論。文玄旨妙破巧申工。被之鈍根多生怯退。有分別明菩薩者。大乘法將體道居衷。遐覽真言為其釋論。開祕密藏賜如意珠。略廣相成師資互顯。至如自乘異執欝起千端。外道殊計紛然萬緒。驢乘競馳於駕駟。螢火爭耀於龍燭。莫不標其品類顯厥師宗。玉石既分玄黃也判。西域染翰乃有數家。考實析微此為精詣。若含通本末有六千偈。梵文如此。翻則減之。我皇帝。神道邁於羲皇。陶鑄侔於造化。崇本息末。無為太平。守母存子不言而治。以為聖教東流年淹數百。而億象所負闕者猶多。希見未聞勞於寤寐。中天竺國三藏法師波頗蜜多羅。學兼半滿博綜群詮。喪我怡神搜玄養性。遊方在念利物為懷。故能附弋傳身舉煙命伴。冐氷霜而越葱嶺。犯風熱而度沙河。時積五年途經四萬。以大唐貞觀元年。頂戴梵文至止京輦。昔秦徵童壽苦用戎兵。漢請摩騰遠勞蕃使。詎可方茲感應道契冥符。家國休祥德人爰降。有司奏見。殊悅帝心。勅住興善勝光。即傳新經之始。仍召義學沙門及王公宰輔。對翻此論。研覈幽旨。去華存實。目擊則欣其會理。函杖則究其是非。文雖定而覆詳。義乃明而重審。歲在壽星。檢勘云畢。其為論也。觀明中道。而存中失觀。空顯第一而得一乖空。然司南之車本示迷者。照膽之鏡為鑑邪人。無邪則鏡無所施。不迷則車不為用。斯論破申。其猶此矣。雖復斥內遮外盡妄窮真。而存乎妙存。破如可破。蕩蕩焉。恢恢焉。迎之靡測其源。順之罔知其末。信是鎣心神之砥礪。越溟海之舟輿。駭昏識之雷霆。照幽途之日月者矣。此土先有中論四卷。本偈大同。賓頭盧伽為之注解晦其部執。學者昧焉。此論既興可為龜鏡。庶明達君子。詳而味之。序成未即聞上。帝勅祕書監虞世南作序。見賾之所製。嘆咽無以加焉。因奏聞上。仍以序列于卷首。所在傳寫緘于經藏。以貞觀十年四月六日終於所住。春秋五十有七。葬于京郊之東。列隧立碑頌其芳德。太常博士褚亮為文。自賾之知道。倫等崇其辯機。時俗以擬慧乘。固為篤論。詞注難窮。無施不遂。講華嚴大品涅槃大智度攝大乘及中百諸論。皆筌釋章部決滯有聞。又誦涅槃法華。音文淳美。時為眾述。清囀動神。又抽減什物。用寫藏經。尋閱纔止便修虔奉。又善導達眾首舒暢物情。為諸文雄之所稱敘。特明古迹偏曉書畫。京華士子屢陳真偽。皆資其口實定其人世。文章詞體頗預能流。草𮨕筆功名疏臺府。每有官供勝集。必召而處其中。公卿執紙請書填赴。賾隨紙賦筆飛驟如風。藻蔚雄態綺華當世。故在所流詠耽玩極多。懸諸屏障。或銘座右。著集八卷行世。

Śramaṇa Huize, whose lay surname was Li, was a native of Jiangling in Jingzhou. Early on, he awakened to what was beyond the ordinary; his mental acumen was sharp and transcendent. At nine years of age, he went to Dharma Master Yin of his home prefecture to leave the household. Yin recognized that his pure spirit was exceptional and immediately ordained him as a novice (śrāmaṇera). In the intervals between lectures, he instructed him in abstruse secrets. Huize comprehended the profound principles without ever having to think twice; holding a scroll to recite the text, he could master more than forty sheets. The distinguished figures of Chu revered and praised him. At first, he listened to Yin lecture on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra and the Lotus Sūtra, and later separately studied the Three Treatises. In all of them, he offered novel analyses and matched or surpassed the essential points. In the middle of the Kaihuang reign, Jiangling Monastery broadly established a Dharma gathering, and many masters gathered like clouds. Since Huize had established admirable achievements from an early age, monastics and laypeople alike wished to see his caliber and together invited him to be the Dharma master of the seat. Reflecting that expounding the teachings had its purpose, he stepped onto the platform. When he had just reached the age of twelve, he first opened lectures on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra. Fitting instances and producing phrases, his meanings surpassed those of seasoned ministers. Questions and refutations followed one after another, yet his eloquent replies were lucid and cool. Young and old alike were struck to the heart, and praise filled the roads. Yuan Shou, the Duke of Yilong and Prefect of Jingzhou, heard of his youthful renown and, deeply astonished, drove in person to visit him. Finding him far surpassing prior reports, he greatly lauded him and memorialized the court, saying that he was an extraordinary talent rare in the world. An edict was immediately issued ordering his home prefecture to prepare ceremonial courtesies and respectfully escort him everywhere. After arriving in the capital, he was granted exceptional solace and audience, and was bestowed a saṅghāṭī and a full set of robes, with orders to reside at Qingchan Monastery. Leisurely dwelling among Dharma companions, he took deep pleasure in both the abstruse [Buddhist] and Confucian teachings. His literary talents were frequently displayed, and he guided others inexhaustibly. All the robe-and-cap gentry came to call at his gate, and none failed to praise his extensive learning, broad penetration, and swift responsiveness. Later, growing weary of worldly encumbrances and wishing to purify his spirit, he followed Dhyāna Master Ying to receive instruction in the mind teaching. Closing his gate for two years, his sentiments were cleansed of all worldly doors. He thus spoke or remained silent amidst the worthy and the holy, and expounded the interwoven principles of the scriptures. Encountering the collapse of the Sui house, Buddhist activities went into decline. Since the path was disrupted in that era, his heart delighted in secluded repose. In the final years of Daye, he moved and settled on Gaoguan Peak in the Zhongnan Mountains, building a hermitage against the cliff, his inner spirit and outer form becoming sparse and plain. When the Tang destiny arose vigorously and the living beings were delivered, Huize, unattached to self or other, came to the imperial city. As he briefly raised the voice of lecturing and instruction, the entire capital sought the Way from him. During the Wude era, the assembly of monks grew dense like clouds. He repeatedly set up Dharma platforms, in each displaying his magnificent bearing. At that time, Yanxing Monastery held a lecture on the Humane Kings Sūtra with a hundred seats, and princes, dukes, and high officials assembled in great numbers. Śramaṇa Jizang established the thesis of the treatise; his eloquent speech descended like heaven, drawing the gaze of noble and base alike. When Huize merely delivered a sharp critique, his words were pure, his principles thoroughly reached, his thought stirred subtle depths, and his bearing was so startling that the fourfold assembly was struck with awe and the hundred officials held their breath. Jizang turned back and sighed, saying, 'Not only is his debate difficult to follow, but also his silver-hook calligraphy is rare to encounter.' When the present Emperor was still a prince, he observed the arena of debate in person; he formed a deep bond with Huize, intending to take him as teacher and friend. Messengers were dispatched six times to summon him to the private residence, but Huize, believing that the entanglement of fame bringing death to the body had afflicted men from ancient times, modestly declined with various words and completely disregarded the summons. When the translation bureau opened in the Zhenguan era, an imperial decree selected renowned monks. Because he was noted for his literary brush and also thoroughly grasped the import of treatises, he was appointed as the text polisher for the translation of treatises. When the translation was complete and memorialized, an imperial edict bestowed a hundred bolts of silk and a suit of robes. Huize also composed a preface to the treatise, which states: 'As for the Prajñāpradīpamūlamadhyamakavṛtti, another name is the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. The original has five hundred verses. It borrows the name "lamp" because non-conceptual wisdom possesses the efficacy of tranquil illumination. It raises "middle" to mark its title because the contemplation that extinguishes conditions equally departs from the two extremes. Yet the lamp is originally mind-free wisdom: by extinguishing illumination, the dharmatā is equal—the meaning of "middle" lies herein. Therefore, it is lodged in the treatise to elucidate it. As for those who seek the treatise but get stuck in its import, cling to the conventional and are deluded by the ultimate, fall upside-down between annihilation and permanence, and precipitously remain within existence and non-existence, clutching names and losing reality, clinging to leaves and forgetting roots—how could they intend to do so? There are indeed reasons for it. Let me try to state them. If one constructs causes of conceptual differentiation, one invites false fruits. Afflictive taints perfuse the inner consciousness, and evil friends knit outer conditions. This causes pride to soar like a towering mountain, views to deepen like the vast ocean, the fire of anger to be untouchable, and the blade of words to be seldom rivaled. Hearing existence spoken of, the heart is delighted; listening to emptiness discussed, slander arises. Six kinds of partial attachments each claim not to be partial; five hundred treatise masters contentious display divergent treatises. Some take the heterodox to confuse the orthodox; some take the counterfeit to equal the genuine. Consciousness seems to awaken yet turns around into confusion; although the teachings are accessible, they become all the more obstructed. This may be called discarding pearls to play with stones, abandoning treasures to carry firewood, being terrified of dragons upon seeing a painting, or fearing an elephant upon tracking its footprints. To be fond of such things is truly lamentable! Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna was exceptionally born to save the world. Rebuking lustful desires, he generated the aspiration; reading deep sūtras, he humbled himself. Receiving the remote prophecy of the Uniquely Honored One, he lit the Dharma torch in Jambudvīpa. Moreover, his stage surpassed the first reliance, and his merits transcended the subdued states. Having exhausted the one truth, he also completely grasped the two abilities. Bearing two seals, he settled the hundred schools; blending the three emptinesses, he leveled all things. Over dust-mote kalpas, he passed through and tested all hardships. Grieving for those deluded multitudes, he therefore composed this treatise. Its words are profound and its import is subtle; its refutations are clever and its expositions skillful. When applied to those of dull faculties, it causes many to retreat in fear. There is Bodhisattva Bhāviveka, a great general of the Mahāyāna Dharma, who embodies the Way within his heart. Gazing afar upon the true words, he made an explanatory commentary for it, opening the secret store and granting the wish-fulfilling jewel. The concise and the extensive complete one another, master and disciple mutually revealing. As for the divergent attachments of their own vehicle, they arose in a thousand forms; the diverse schemes of non-Buddhists were scattered in ten thousand threads. Donkeys competed to gallop against teams of four horses; fireflies vied in brightness against dragon torches. In all cases, their varieties were marked and their school founders exposed. Once jade and stone were separated, the dark and yellow were also distinguished. In the Western Regions, several houses applied their brushes; examining reality and analyzing subtleties, this one attained the ultimate refinement. If it comprehensively includes the root and branches, there are six thousand verses. The Indic text is like this; in translation, it was reduced. Our Emperor’s divine Way surpasses Fu Xi, and his molding of things equals nature itself. He esteems the root and stills the branches, achieving non-action and supreme peace; guarding the mother and preserving the child, he governs without speech. Considering that the holy teaching has flowed east for hundreds of years, yet among those carried by myriad elephants, many were still lacking; having rarely seen or heard them, he labored over them waking and sleeping. The Tripiṭaka Master of Central India, Prabhākaramitra, had learning encompassing both the partial and the complete, and broadly integrated all expositions. Losing the self, he gladdened his spirit; probing the abstruse, he nourished his nature. Wandering through lands was in his thoughts; benefiting creatures was in his heart. Thus, he was able to attach to the stakes to preserve his body and raise smoke to summon companions. Braving ice and frost, he crossed the Pamir Mountains; defying wind and heat, he crossed the River of Sand. Over five years, the road spanned forty thousand [li]. In the first year of Zhenguan of the Great Tang, carrying the Indic manuscripts on his head, he arrived at the capital. Formerly, Qin summoned Kumārajīva with bitter use of military troops; Han invited Dharmaratna, laboring barbarian envoys from afar. How could they compare to this resonance, where the Way tallies with the unseen? Auspicious omens of family and state brought the descent of a virtuous man. When the authorities memorialized his arrival, it exceptionally delighted the imperial mind. He was decreed to reside at Xingshan and Shengguang, which marked the beginning of translating new scriptures. The Emperor also summoned monks of doctrinal learning as well as princes, dukes, and chief ministers to translate this treatise together, investigating its profound import, discarding superficialities to preserve the real. Seeing it with their own eyes, they rejoiced in its accord with principle; holding their walking sticks, they investigated its truth and falsehood. Although the text was established, it was re-examined; after the meaning was clarified, it was scrutinized again. When the year was in the Star of Longevity, the collating was finished. As for this treatise: contemplation clarifies the Middle Way, but if one preserves the middle, one loses the contemplation; emptiness reveals the foremost, but if one grasps the one, one violates emptiness. Now, the south-pointing chariot was originally to show those who are lost; the gall-illuminating mirror was to inspect the wicked. Without wickedness, the mirror has no use; without being lost, the chariot is of no service. The refutation and exposition of this treatise are just like this! Although it rejects the internal and blocks the external, exhausts the false and explores the true, it preserves the wondrous existence and refutes what can be refuted. How vast! How immense! Facing it, one cannot measure its source; following it, one cannot know its end. Truly, it is a whetstone that polishes the mind and spirit, a boat and chariot that crosses the ocean of darkness, thunder that startles the dim consciousness, and the sun and moon that illuminate the dark path! In this land, there were previously four fascicles of the Madhyamakaśāstra; the basic verses are largely the same. Piṅgala made a commentary on it, which obscured its sectarian views, leaving scholars benighted. Now that this treatise has arisen, it may serve as a guide. May clear and penetrating gentlemen examine and savor it.' When the preface was completed, it was not immediately reported to the Emperor. The Emperor decreed that the Director of the Palace Library, Yu Shinan, write a preface. Seeing Huize's work, he praised it with gasps, finding nothing that could surpass it. He therefore memorialized it to the Emperor, and it was placed at the head of the roll, everywhere transcribed and enclosed within the scriptural canon. On the sixth day of the fourth month in the tenth year of Zhenguan, he passed away at his dwelling at the age of fifty-seven. He was buried to the east of the capital outskirts. A path was arranged and a stele erected to praise his fragrant virtue; the Erudite of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Chu Liang, composed the text. Ever since Huize came to know the Way, his peers revered his sharpness in debate. Contemporaries compared him to Huicheng, which was indeed a sound judgment. His flow of words was difficult to exhaust; in whatever he applied himself, he never failed. He lectured on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, Mahāyānasaṃgraha, and the Madhyamaka and Śata treatises; in all, his unraveling of chapters and resolving of obscurities were renowned. He also recited the Mahāparinirvāṇa and Lotus Sūtras; his pronunciation and prose were pure and beautiful, and whenever he recited for the assembly, his clear trill moved the spirit. Furthermore, he reduced his personal utensils to transcribe the scriptural canon; no sooner had he finished examining them than he practiced reverent worship. He was also skilled at guiding the assembly and putting people's feelings at ease, and was praised and recounted by literary masters. He especially understood ancient traces and was exceptionally versed in calligraphy and paintings. When scholars of the capital repeatedly presented genuine and forged works, they all relied on his spoken verdict to determine their period. In literary composition and stylistic form, he quite belonged to the ranks of the talented. In cursive and clerical script, his brush skill was renowned in the ministries and bureaus. Whenever there was an official gathering of distinguished assemblies, he was certainly summoned to sit among them. High officials would hold paper, asking for his calligraphy and rushing to present it; Huize applied his brush according to the paper, soaring swiftly like the wind. His rich and grand style was the finest of his age. Therefore, his works were circulating, recited, and cherished in vast numbers, hung upon screens or inscribed beside seats. He composed a collection in eight fascicles, which circulates in the world.