續高僧傳 5.19

5.19

釋僧若。莊嚴寺僧璩之兄子也。璩以律行清嚴見之前傳。若少而廉靜。邑里推之。十五出家。住虎丘東山精舍。事師恭孝與人友善。性好勤學。出都住治城寺二十餘年。經數通達。道俗器賞。太常卿吳郡陸惠曉左氏尚書陸澄深相待接。年三十二。志絕風塵末東返虎丘。栖身幽室簡出人世。披文翫古自足雲霞。雖復茹菜不充單複不贍。隨宜任運罕復經懷。瑯瑘王斌守吳。每延法集。還都謂知己曰。在郡賴得若公言謔大忘衰老。見其比歲放生為業。仁逮蟲魚愛及飛走。講說雖疎津梁不絕。何必滅迹巖岫方謂為道。但出處不失其機。彌覺其德高也。天監八年勅為彼郡僧正。親當元師。猶肆意山內。故失匡救之美。致有貪慢之謗。未必加諸己。要亦有貶暮齡。以普通元年卒。春秋七十。復有僧令者。若之兄也。亦以碩學知名。少而俊警長益廉退。經律通明不永早世。復有法度者。住定林寺。沈審其性言不卒暴。先行而後從焉。時莊嚴寺又有慧梵慧朗。並以內外通博期標聲譽。梵本吳氏。剡人。剛決強斷不事形名。朗肌貌霜潔。時人目為白朗。屢講眾經頗入能例。

Shi Sengruo was the nephew of Sengqu of Zhuangyan Monastery. Qu's pure and strict practice of the Vinaya was recorded in a previous biography. In his youth, Ruo was pure and calm, esteemed by his village. At fifteen, he left householder life and lived at the Dongshan Vihāra on Huqiu. He served his master with respect and filial devotion, and was friendly with others. By nature, he loved diligent study. He went to the capital and lived at Zhicheng Monastery for more than twenty years, gaining thorough mastery of the scriptures; monastics and laypeople held him in high esteem. Lu Huixiao of Wujun, Minister of Ceremonial (Taichangqing), and Lu Cheng, Minister of Personnel (Shangshu) versed in the Zuo Commentary, received him with great respect. At the age of thirty-two, his resolve severed from worldly dust, he returned east to Huqiu. Sheltering himself in a secluded chamber, he rarely emerged into the human world; browsing through texts and enjoying antiquity, he found contentment amidst clouds and mist. Even though he lacked vegetables to eat and lacked adequate clothing, he went along with conditions and followed circumstances, rarely taking such matters to heart. Wang Bin of Langye, who served as Governor of Wu, frequently invited him to Dharma assemblies; returning to the capital, he told his close acquaintances: 'In the commandery, thanks to Venerable Ruo's witty conversation, I completely forgot my advancing age. I saw that in recent years he has made liberating living beings his enterprise; his benevolence extends to insects and fish, and his love reaches flying and running beasts. Although his lecturing is infrequent, his ferry across the waters never ceases. Why must one conceal one's traces in crags and peaks to be said to practice the Way? Provided one's emergence and withdrawal do not miss the right opportunity, one feels his lofty virtue all the more.' In the eighth year of the Tianjian era, an imperial decree appointed him monastic rectifier of that commandery. Personally serving as the foremost teacher, he nevertheless indulged his preferences within the mountains; thus he failed in the virtue of correction and rescue, leading to slander of greed and arrogance. It was not necessarily applicable to him personally, but it undoubtedly diminished his later years. In the first year of the Putong era, he died at the age of seventy. There was also Sengling, who was Ruo's elder brother; he was also renowned for his profound learning. Young and alert, he grew even more modest and reserved with age; thoroughly illuminating both sūtras and Vinaya, he did not live long and died early. There was also Fadu, who resided at Dinglin Monastery. Deep and deliberate in temperament, his speech was never hasty; he practiced first and spoke afterward. At that time, Zhuangyan Monastery also had Huifan and Huilang, both of whom were well versed in inner and secular texts and achieved high renown. Fan was originally of the Wu family and a native of Shan; decisive and firm, he paid no attention to forms and formalities. Lang had a complexion as white as frost, and contemporaries referred to him as 'White Lang'; he repeatedly lectured on various scriptures, quite entering the ranks of the capable.