[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [續高僧傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060) › 6.43 # 續高僧傳 6.43 續高僧傳 6.43 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [6.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.6.43) 釋真玉。姓董氏。青州益都人。生而無目。其母哀其。及年至七歲。教彈琵琶。以為窮乏之計。而天情俊悟聆察若經。不盈旬日便洞音曲。後鄉邑大集盛興齋講。母携玉赴會。一聞欣領曰。若恒預聽終作法師。不憂匱餒矣。母聞之欲成斯大業也。乃棄其家務。專將赴講。無問風雨艱關。必期相續。玉包略詞旨氣攝當鋒。年將壯室振名海岱。後遭母憂捨法還家。廬於墓側。哀毀過禮茹菜奉齋。伏塊持操三年野宿。鄉黨重之。後服闋附道修整前業。覽卷便講無所疑滯。預聞徒侶相次歸焉。齊天保年中文宣皇帝盛弘講席。海內髦彥咸聚天平。於時義學星羅跨轢相架。玉獨標稱首登座談敘。罔不歸宗。盡諦窮神煥然開發。耆年前達稽首崇仰。遂使道俗奔隨酌衢罇而不竭矣。一曾往復者別經十年。聞聲即憶其名義。斯總持之功莫與尚也。常徒學士幾百千人。耳對行往了知心性。誡勗之勤彌隆餘哲。生來結誓願終安養。常令侍者讀經。玉必跪坐合掌而聽。忽聞東方有淨蓮華佛國莊嚴世界與彼不殊。乃深惟曰。諸佛淨土豈限方隅。人竝西奔一無東慕。用此執心難成迴向。便願生蓮華佛國。曉夕勤到誓不久留。身無疹瘵便行後事。授諸弟子。衣服几杖麈尾如意。分部遺誥各有差降。眾初不悟之也。並共驚之。玉曰。願與運同世非可樂。汝等助念蓮華佛。令我得至彼岸也。布薩之後。便臥疾於鄴城北王家。神氣無昧聲相如常。動京大德並就問疾。午後忽見煙雲相糺從東而來。異香纏遶充塞庭宇。空中出聲有如讚唄之響。清亮宛然。當爾之時足漸向冷口猶誦念。少時而卒。卒後十日香氣乃絕。大眾哀仰如臨雙樹。玉氏昆季俱制縗絰。與諸門人收其屍而葬焉。 > Shi Zhenyu was surnamed Dong and was a native of Yidu in Qingzhou. He was born blind. His mother pitied him, and when he reached the age of seven, she taught him to play the pipa as a livelihood to avert destitution. Yet by nature he was intelligent and discerning; his hearing and comprehension were as if he had studied it before, and in less than ten days he thoroughly mastered the melodies. Later, when a grand assembly was gathered in the village for a vegetarian feast and lecture, his mother brought Yu to attend. Upon hearing it once, he joyfully grasped it and said: 'If I can always attend and listen, I will eventually become a dharmabhāṇaka, and there will be no worry of poverty or hunger.' Hearing this, his mother wished to fulfill this great aspiration; she then abandoned her domestic chores and dedicated herself to taking him to lectures. Regardless of wind, rain, or difficult passes, she ensured they never missed one. Yu grasped the broad purport of the texts, and his spirit held the vanguard. As he approached adulthood, his fame resounded through the seas and Mount Dai. Later, suffering the loss of his mother, he relinquished the robe and returned home, dwelling in a hut beside the grave. His grief and emaciation exceeded the rites; eating wild vegetables and keeping the vegetarian rule, he slept on an earthen clod and maintained his discipline, lodging in the open wilds for three years, for which the villagers held him in high esteem. Later, when the mourning period was complete, he returned to the Way and resumed his former vocation; he would lecture as soon as a text was read to him, without any doubt or hesitation, and students who sought to listen came to him one after another. During the Tianbao era of the Qi dynasty, Emperor Wenxuan greatly promoted lecture assemblies, and the talented and eminent scholars of the realm all gathered at Tianping. At that time, masters of doctrinal learning were as numerous as stars, vying with and eclipsing one another. Yu alone stood foremost; ascending the seat to deliver his exposition, there were none who did not acknowledge his authority. He exhausted the ultimate truths and plumbed the profound mysteries, revealing them with brilliant clarity, so that elders and predecessors prostrated and revered him. Consequently, monastics and laymen rushed to follow him, like drinking from an inexhaustible wine vat set out at the crossroads. If someone had conversed with him only once ten years earlier, he would recall the person's name and the meaning discussed simply upon hearing their voice. Such power of dhāraṇī was unmatched by anyone. His regular disciples and scholars numbered several hundreds and thousands; facing their movement and conduct merely with his ears, he thoroughly knew their hearts and dispositions, and his diligence in admonishing and encouraging them far surpassed other sages. Throughout his life, he made a vow wishing to end his life in Sukhāvatī. He constantly had an attendant read sūtras while he sat kneeling with palms joined to listen. Suddenly he heard that in the eastern direction there is a Buddha-land of the Pure Lotus, whose adorned world is not different from that one. He then deeply reflected: 'How could the pure lands of the Buddhas be limited to one direction? People all rush to the west, with none yearning for the east. With such an attached mind, it is hard to achieve dedication.' Thereupon he vowed to be born in the Lotus Buddha-land, striving earnestly morning and evening, vowing not to linger long \[in this world\]. Free from any illness, he then arranged his posthumous affairs, distributing among his disciples his robes, tables, walking sticks, chowries, and ruyi scepters, allocating his bequests and final instructions according to their rank. The assembly did not understand at first and were all astonished. Yu said: 'My vow aligns with my destiny; the world is not a place of joy. Help me chant the name of the Lotus Buddha so that I may reach the other shore.' After the poṣadha, he lay ill at the house of the Wang family north of the city of Ye. His mind was clear and his voice and appearance were as usual. The bhadantas who moved the capital all went to inquire after his illness. In the afternoon, they suddenly saw clouds of smoke intertwining and approaching from the east, with a wondrous fragrance entwining and filling the courtyard. In the sky there arose a sound like the resonance of chanting hymns, clear, resonant, and distinct. At that time, his feet gradually grew cold while his mouth continued reciting; in a short while, he passed away. Only ten days after his death did the fragrance cease. The great assembly grieved and looked up to him as if standing before the Twin Trees. Yu's brothers all wore mourning garments of hemp and, together with the disciples, took his body and buried it. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 6.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.6.42) - [Next: 6.44](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.6.44) - [Up: 6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.6) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060~en-mt.6.43) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.6.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.6.43) · Pramāṇa