續高僧傳 5.15

5.15

釋法申。本姓呂。任城人也。祖世寓居青州。申幼出家。夙懷儒素廣學經論。妙思獨遠彌歷年祀。規空畫有日夜惆悵。隱士平原明曇聊嘲之曰。三陽在節明辰淑景。何不飲美酒賦新詩。而終日竟歲瞪視四壁。百年俄頃。知得成儒素以不。答曰。蓋是平生鄙好。何論得失。頃之而大明成論。譽美州鄉值宋太始之初莊嚴寺法集。勅請度江住安樂寺。累當師匠道俗欽賞。建元之中遭本親遠喪。道途迴岨有礙北歸。因爾屏絕人事杜塞講說。逮齊竟陵王蕭子良永明之中。請二十法師。弘宣講授苦相徵屈。辭不獲免。當斯之盛無與友者。兼又淳厚仁慧不出厲言。安閑守素不狎人世。以天監二年卒。春秋七十有四。時復有道達慧命。並以勤學顯名。達姓裴。河東聞喜人。住廣陵永福精舍。少以孝行知名。拯濟危險道閏江濆。永明中為南兗州僧正在職廉潔雅有治才。罷任之日唯有紙故五束。慧命廣陵人。住安樂寺。開濟篤素。專以成實見知。

Shi Fashen was originally surnamed Lü and was a native of Rencheng. For generations, his ancestors had resided in Qingzhou. Shen left householder life when young. He had long cherished Confucian simplicity and broadly studied the sūtras and treatises. His wondrous reflections were uniquely profound and spanned many years. Regulating the empty and sketching the existent, he was melancholic day and night. The recluse Ming Tan of Pingyuan jokingly teased him, saying: 'The three yangs are in season; it is a bright hour and a lovely vista. Why not drink fine wine and chant new poems, instead of staring at the four walls all day and all year long? A hundred years pass in an instant; who knows if one will succeed in Confucian simplicity or not?' He replied: 'This is merely my life's humble inclination; why discuss gain and loss?' Soon after, he attained great brilliance in the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*, and his praise flourished across the province and townships. At the beginning of the Taishi era of the Song, he attended a Dharma assembly at Zhuangyan Monastery. By imperial decree, he was invited to cross the river and reside at Anle Monastery. Repeatedly serving as a master instructor, both monastics and laypeople admired and appreciated him. During the Jianyuan era, he suffered the death of his parent far away. The road was precipitous and rugged, hindering his return to the north. Consequently, he cut himself off from human affairs and brought an end to his lecturing. Coming to the Yongming era under Prince Jingling of the Qi, Xiao Ziliang, [the prince] invited twenty Dharma masters to propagate and lecture; he earnestly requisitioned Fashen, who could not avoid [accepting]. At the height of this prominence, none could be his peer. Moreover, he was honest, kind, and wise, never uttering harsh words. Peaceful and tranquil, he maintained his simplicity and did not associate with worldly society. In the second year of the Tianjian era, he died at the age of seventy-four. At that time, there were also Daoda and Huiming, both of whom were renowned for their diligent study. Daoda was surnamed Pei and was a native of Wenxi in Hedong. He resided at the Yongfu Vihāra in Guangling. From his youth, he was known for his filial conduct; he rescued the imperiled, and his virtue enriched the riverbanks. During the Yongming era, he served as the monastic rectifier (sengzheng) of Southern Yanzhou; while in office, he was incorruptible and showed noble administrative talent. On the day he left office, he had nothing but five bundles of old paper. Huiming was a native of Guangling and resided at Anle Monastery. Open, helpful, earnest, and plain, he was known solely for the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*.