續高僧傳 6.33

6.33

釋道超。姓陸。吳郡吳人。吳丞相敬風之六世也。祖昭尚書金部。父遵散騎侍郎。超少以勤篤知名。與同縣慧安早投莫逆。俱遊上京共契請業。時旻法師住靈基寺。值旻東講。因共聽沙門法珍成論。至滅諦初聞三心滅無先後。超曰。斯之言悟非吾師也。見旻解冠一方海內諮仰。輟寢忘味以夜繼晝。但性偏躁銳不顧功少。願望已多。每打髀嘆曰。為爾漠漠生肇笑人。又聞龍光寺僧整始就講說。彌復勇歎曰。乃可無七尺。何事在於人後。惆悵疚心累日廢業。因自懺悔求諸佛菩薩。乞加威神令其慧悟如僧旻也。事在旻傳。遂勤劬苦至。有頃洞澈終日熙怡獨語獨笑。每言無價寶珠我今已得。雍容高步負氣陵俗。白黑改觀名架當時。及至講說解析疑伏每無遺隱。若復為賓雅伏意氣求相擊杭。若遇機臨無不應躡。同寺僧道賁。年齒小大。亦微向學方。而性多怠惰未能剋己。橫相陵罵。超亦眄衡嘯嗷。未之數也。他日賁曰。我之與卿誰相優劣。超曰。若論年臘請以相寄。胸臆之量未論先後。時為直言。自超處獨房屏絕賓倖。內外墳典常擁膝前而手不釋卷。加以塵埃滿屋蟋蟀鳴壁。中書郎吳郡張率謂曰。虫鳴聒耳。塵土埋膝。安能對此而無忤耶。答曰。時聞此聲足代簫管。塵隨風來我未暇掃。致忤名賓為愧多矣。時人高其放達。年三十六以天監初卒。有慧安道人住湘宮寺。探玄析奧甚有精理。年三十二卒于住寺。時以盛年俱卒。楊輦同哀。

Shi Daochao, whose lay surname was Lu, was a native of Wu in Wu Commandery. He was a sixth-generation descendant of Lu Jingfeng, Chancellor of Wu. His grandfather Zhao was a director in the Bureau of Gold of the Department of State Affairs, and his father Zun was a Cavalier Attendant Gentleman. Chao was known from his youth for diligence and earnestness. He formed an intimate, unreserved friendship early on with his fellow county native Hui'an. Together they travelled to the capital, making a pact to seek instruction. At that time, Master Min resided at Lingji Temple. As Min was lecturing in the east, they listened together to the śramaṇa Fazhen's lecture on the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*. When it came to the truth of cessation, hearing for the first time that the cessation of the three minds occurs without precedence or succession, Chao said, 'Such understanding of words is not what my teacher holds.' Seeing that Min's understanding was unmatched in the entire region and that all within the realm consulted and looked up to him, Chao gave up sleep and forgot to eat, continuing day through night. However, his nature was partial, impatient, and sharp; disregarding his meager accomplishment, his aspirations were already vast. Often slapping his thighs, he sighed, 'Remaining so obscure like this, [Seng]zhao and [Dao]sheng would laugh at me.' Hearing further that Sengzheng of Longguang Temple had just begun to deliver lectures, he sighed all the more boldly, 'One can do without a seven-foot body, but why must one fall behind others?' Melancholy and distressed in heart, he neglected his studies for several days. Thereupon he repented on his own, praying to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, begging them to bestow divine power so that his wisdom and comprehension might equal those of Sengmin. This incident is recorded in Min's biography. He then toiled with extreme bitter diligence. After a short while, he attained penetrating comprehension; all day long he was beaming with joy, talking to himself and laughing to himself. He often said, 'The priceless precious pearl—I have obtained it now!' Composed and walking with lofty strides, high-spirited and looking down upon the worldly, monastics and laypeople changed their opinion of him, and his fame towered over the age. When it came to his lectures, in resolving doubts and subduing disputes he never left anything hidden. If guests, admiring his deportment, gathered their spirit to contest and debate him, whenever an opportunity arose, he unfailingly met and countered it. A monk of the same temple, Daoben, was around the same age and also inclined slightly toward the path of learning, but his nature was largely indolent, unable to master himself. He would insolently insult and revile Chao. Chao merely glanced askance, whistling and chanting, paying him no heed. Another day, Ben said, 'Between you and me, who is superior?' Chao said, 'If we speak of age and monastic seniority, please take precedence; but regarding the capacity of the mind, precedence has not yet been decided.' This was regarded at the time as straightforward speech. Chao lived alone in a solitary chamber, cutting off guests and favourites. Works of inner [Buddhist] and outer [non-Buddhist] classics were constantly piled before his knees, and the scrolls never left his hands. Furthermore, dust filled the room, and crickets chirped on the walls. Palace Secretariat Gentleman Zhang Shuai of Wu Commandery said to him, 'The chirping of the insects deafens the ears, and dust and dirt bury the knees. How can you face this without vexation?' He replied, 'Occasionally hearing these sounds is enough to substitute for pipes and flutes. The dust comes with the wind; I have not yet had leisure to sweep it. Causing offense to an illustrious guest—for this I am deeply ashamed.' People of the time esteemed his untrammeled nature. At the age of thirty-six, he died at the beginning of the Tianjian era. There was also the Daoist Hui'an, who resided at Xiangdong Temple; he probed the profound and dissected the abstruse, showing extremely refined reasoning. At the age of thirty-two, he died at his residential temple. Since both died in the prime of life, the capital mourned them together.