[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) › 7.14 # 續高僧傳 7.14 續高僧傳 7.14 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [7.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.7.14) 釋法朗。俗姓周氏。徐州沛郡沛人也。祖奉叔齊給事黃門侍郎青州刺史。父神歸梁員外散騎常侍沛郡太守。朗託生之始。母曰。劉氏夢見神人乘樓殿入懷。夢中如言。身與空等。既而覺寤。四體輕虛有異恒日。五辛雜味因此悉斷。爰在齠齓卓出凡童。孝敬純備志操貞立。家雄六郡氣蓋三邊。少習軍旅早經行陣。儉約治身。寵辱無能移也。俄而假節寧遠將軍徐子彥北伐。門設長戟坐休大樹。惟曰。兵者凶器身曰苦因。慾海邪林安能覺者。年二十一。以梁大通二年二月二日。於青州入道。遊學楊都就大明寺寶誌禪師受諸禪法。兼聽此寺彖律師講律本文。又受業南㵎寺仙師成論竹㵎寺靖公毘曇。當時譽動京畿神高學眾。所以天口之侶藏耳之賓。心計目覽莫不奔競。但以鷲山妙法群唱罕弘。龍樹道風宗師不輟。前傳所紀。攝山朗公。解玄測微世所嘉尚。人代長往嗣續猶存。乃於此山止觀寺僧詮法師。飡受智度中百十二門論並花嚴大品等經。於即彌綸藏部探賾幽微。義吐精新詞含華冠。專門強學課篤形心。可謂師逸功倍。於斯為證。永定二年十一月。奉勅入京住興皇寺。鎮講相續。所以花嚴大品四論文言。往哲所未談。後進所損略朗皆指擿義理徵發詞致。故能言氣挺暢清穆易曉。常眾千餘福慧彌廣。所以聽侶雲會揮汗屈膝。法衣千領積散恒結。每一上座輒易一衣闡前經論各二十餘遍。二十五載流潤不絕。其間興樹四部。兩宮法輪之華當時莫偶。以太建十三年歲在辛丑九月二十五日中夜遷神寺坊。春秋七十有五。即以其月二十八日窆于江乘縣羅落里攝山之西嶺。初攝山僧詮受業朗公。玄旨所明惟存中觀。自非心會析理。何能契此清言。而頓迹幽林禪味相得。及後四公往赴三業資承。爰初誓不涉言。及久乃為敷演。故詮公命曰。此法精妙識者能行。無使出房輒有開示。故經云。計我見者莫說此經。深樂法者不為多說。良由藥病有。以不可徒行。朗等奉旨無敢言厝。及詮化往。四公放言。各擅威容俱稟神略。勇居禪眾辯住長干。朗在興皇。布仍攝領。福門宏敞慧聲遐討。皆莫高於朗焉。然辯公勝業清明。定慧兩舉。故其講唱兼存禪眾。抑亦詮公之篤厲也。然其義體時與朗違。故使興皇座中排斥中假之誚。布勇兩公見于別紀。昔梁天監十年六月七日。神僧寶誌記興皇寺云。此寺當有青衣開士廣弘大乘。及朗遊學之時初服青納。及登元席乃與符同。又南陌居士杜法粲年踰八十。頗識歸心。昔夢寺內有幡花天伎側塞殿堂。緇素法眾充仞筵席洎朗來儀創會公私齋講。又盛符焉。又十二年五月七日。帳下淨人解齋失曉。朗夜扣閤催之。而洪鍾自響。良久不絕。故其禎祥早著。其例此也。東朝於長春殿義。集副君親搖玉柄。述朗所竪諸師假名義。以此榮稱。豈惟釋氏宗匠。抑亦天人儀表。故其所獲檀嚫。充造經像修治寺塔濟給窮厄。所以房內畜養鵝鴨鷄犬其類繁多。所行見者無不收養。至朗寢息之始。皆寂無聲。遊觀之時鳴吠喧亂。斯亦懷感之致矣。侍中領軍廬陵王。聲懋權衡資承戒約。遂仰奏承華為之銘頌。其墓誌文。太子詹事濟陽江總。故陳主叔寶。時在春宮。為之頌曰。洪源遠來傳芳馥蕙。君子哲人英芬是繼。朱旄既杖青組仍曳。紉虎戎印珥貂狄制。功可冠軍業非出世。揖彼聲色超此津濟。津濟伊何裂斷網羅。忍衣早記乘樓夜過。航斯苦海涸此愛河。非此智士孰寄宣揚。法雲廣被慧日舒光。既權衡櫓自闢金湯。夢齊鼓說應異鍾霜。識機知命同彼現病。夙心栖遁度脫難竟。化緣已矣乃宅丘阱。智炬寂滅頹巖遼敻。遼敻空岑搖落遠墅。弦餘月暗霧曖松深。香滅窮壟幡橫宿林。切切管清遙遙鼓聲。野煙四合孤禽一鳴。風悽唄斷流急寒生。神之淨土形沈終古。勒此方墳用旌蘭杜。 > Shi Falang's secular surname was Zhou. He was a native of Pei in Pei Commandery, Xuzhou. His grandfather, Fengshu, was an attendant gentleman of the Yellow Gate under the Qi and regional inspector of Qingzhou. His father, Shengui, was an extra gentleman of the cavalier attendant under the Liang and grand protector of Pei Commandery. When Lang was first conceived, his mother, Lady Liu, dreamed of a divine being riding in a multi-storied palace entering her bosom. In the dream, \[the being\] said, 'My body is equal to space.' Shortly after waking, her limbs felt light and airy, distinct from ordinary days. She immediately renounced the five pungent roots and diverse meats. During his childhood, he surpassed ordinary youths; his filial piety was fully perfected, and his resolve stood firm. His family held sway over six commanderies, and their prowess surpassed the three borders. In his youth, he trained in the military and early on experienced the battle ranks. Practicing thrift to discipline himself, neither favor nor disgrace could sway him. Shortly after,徐 Ziyan, General Pacifying the Distant, who had been granted the tally of office, went on a northern campaign; Lang had tall halberds planted at his gate and took rest under a great tree. He contemplated: 'Weapons are instruments of misfortune; the body is a cause of suffering. In the sea of desires and the forest of delusion, how can one awaken?' At the age of twenty-one, on the second day of the second month in the second year of the Datong era of the Liang (528 CE), he entered the monastic order in Qingzhou. He traveled to study in the capital city of Yang\[du\], going to Daming Temple to receive various dhyāna methods from Dhyāna Master Baozhi. Concurrently, he listened to Vinaya Master Tuan of that temple explain the root text of the Vinaya. Furthermore, he studied the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra under Master Xian of Nanjian Temple, and the Abhidharma under Venerable Jing of Zhujian Temple. At that time, his renown stirred the capital region, and his spiritual bearing was elevated above the assembly of scholars. Consequently, those of supreme eloquence and the most discerning listeners vied with one another to attend him. However, as the wondrous Dharma of Vulture Peak was rarely propagated by the various expounders, the style of the path of Nāgārjuna was sustained by ancestral masters without interruption. As recorded in the previous biography, Master Lang of Mount She understood the profound and plumbed the subtle, being highly esteemed by the world. Though his generation had long passed, his lineage still endured. Lang therefore went to Zhiguan Temple on this mountain to study under Dharma Master Sengquan, receiving and absorbing the \*Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa\*, the \*Madhyamaka-śāstra\*, the \*Śata-śāstra\*, the \*Dvādaśamukha-śāstra\*, as well as sūtras such as the \*Avataṃsaka\* and the \*Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā\*. Thereupon, he harmonized the scriptural collections, exploring their profundity and subtlety; his exposition was refined and original, his diction splendid and supreme. Dedicating himself to specialized study, he diligently disciplined his body and mind. It can truly be verified here that 'when the teacher is at ease, the result is doubled.' In the eleventh month of the second year of the Yongding era (558 CE), he was commanded by imperial edict to enter the capital and reside at Xinghuang Temple, where he gave uninterrupted lectures. The words and principles of the \*Avataṃsaka\*, the \*Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā\*, and the four treatises—matters not fully expounded by past sages or omitted by later generations—were all elucidated by Lang, who identified their essential principles and manifested their profound meaning. Therefore, his speech was fluent, clear, serene, and easy to comprehend. His regular assembly numbered over a thousand; their blessings and wisdom grew ever broader. Thus the listeners gathered like clouds, wiping away sweat and kneeling. A thousand monastic robes were continuously collected and distributed; every time he ascended the high seat, he would change into a different robe. He expounded the aforementioned sūtras and treatises more than twenty times each; for twenty-five years, the flow of moisture \[of the Dharma\] was unceasing. During that time, he established the four assemblies, and the blossom of the wheel of the Dharma in the two imperial palaces was peerless at that time. On the midnight of the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month in the thirteenth year of the Taijian era, being the year Xinchou (581 CE), his spirit departed at the temple quarters. His worldly age was seventy-five. On the twenty-eighth day of that month, he was buried at the western ridge of Mount She in Luoluo Village of Jiangcheng County. Formerly, Sengquan of Mount She received instruction from Master Lang; in elucidating the profound doctrine, he solely maintained the Madhyamaka view. If one does not comprehend with the heart and analyze the principles, how can one accord with these pure words? Thus he secluded himself in the dark forests, finding joy in the taste of dhyāna. Later, when the four masters went to receive guidance through the three activities, \[Sengquan\] initially vowed not to speak. Only after a long time did he expound it for them. Therefore, Master Quan instructed: 'This Dharma is subtle and exquisite; only the discerning can practice it. Do not let it leave the room to be casually disclosed.' Hence the sūtra says: 'To those who harbor the view of self, do not preach this sūtra; to those who take deep delight in the Dharma, do not expound it excessively.' Truly, this was because remedies correspond to illnesses, so it cannot be disseminated casually. Lang and the others received the instruction and dared not casually speak of it. When Quan passed away, the four masters began to preach openly, each possessing majestic presence and endowed with spiritual mastery. Yong resided at Chanzhong, Bian dwelt at Changgan, Lang was at Xinghuang, and Bu remained at the mountain retreat. With grand gates of merit and wisdom renowned far and wide, none surpassed Lang. Master Bian’s excellent undertakings were clear and bright, cultivating both samādhi and prajñā; thus, his preaching concurrently sustained the dhyāna community, which was also due to Master Quan’s earnest exhortation. However, the substance of his doctrine at times diverged from Lang's, which led to criticisms rejecting the intermediate provisionality during Xinghuang \[Lang's\] lectures. The masters Bu and Yong appear in separate biographies. Formerly, on the seventh day of the sixth month in the tenth year of the Tianjian era of the Liang (511 CE), the divine monk Baozhi foretold regarding Xinghuang Temple: 'This temple shall have a blue-robed bodhisattva who will broadly propagate the Mahāyāna.' When Lang was traveling for study, he initially wore a blue patchwork robe; when he ascended the primary seat, it matched this prophecy. Furthermore, Upāsaka Du Facan of Nanmo, over eighty years of age, held a deep devotion; he once dreamed that banners, flowers, and heavenly musicians crowded the temple halls, and the ordained and lay assemblies filled the seats. When Lang arrived and began holding public and private fast-day lectures, it again coincided with this auspicious sign. Moreover, on the seventh day of the fifth month of the twelfth year, the attendant tasked with signaling the end of the fast mistook the dawn; Lang knocked on the chamber door at night to urge him, whereupon the great bell sounded on its own and continued for a long time. His auspicious omens were thus made manifest early on, of which these are examples. During a doctrinal assembly at the Changchun Palace in the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince personally held the jade duster and recited the doctrine of provisional designations of various masters established by Lang. With such honorable acclaim, how could he be merely a master of the Buddhist tradition? He was also a model for gods and humans. Therefore, the offerings and donations he received were devoted to producing sūtras and statues, repairing temples and pagodas, and relieving the impoverished and distressed. For this reason, numerous geese, ducks, chickens, and dogs were kept within his quarters; any animal he encountered on the road was taken in and cared for. When Lang fell asleep, they were all completely silent; when he strolled and took leisure, their calls and barks sounded clamorously—such was their emotional resonance with him. The Minister of the Attendants and Army Commander, Prince of Luling, whose virtue and authority were weighty, relied on him for monastic precepts; he subsequently petitioned the Crown Prince to compose an inscription and eulogy for him. The epitaph text was composed by Jiang Zong, Supervisor of the Household of the Crown Prince, of Jiyang. The former Chen ruler Shubao, then in the Spring Palace, wrote a eulogy saying: / 'From a vast source running afar, fragrant fragrance has been transmitted; / The noble and wise men have succeeded one another in virtue and brilliance. / Having wielded the red pennon, he still draped the green cords; / Wearing the tiger seal of military command, he donned the sable of martial decree. / His merit could have championed the military, but his vocation was not worldly; / Abandoning sounds and forms, he crossed beyond this ford. / What is this ford? Tearing asunder the tangled net! / Foretold early by the robe of patience, he passed through the night riding a tower. / Navigating this bitter sea, he dried up this river of craving. / Without this man of wisdom, who could be entrusted to proclaim it? / The cloud of Dharma broadly covers; the sun of wisdom extends its radiance. / Having balanced the shield and turret, he naturally opened the fortress of gold and hot water. / Dreaming of drums and preaching, responding distinctively from the frost on the bell. / Recognizing the opportune moment and knowing destiny, he manifested sickness like \[Vimalakīrti\]; / His long-held aspiration was to seclude himself, yet the deliverance of beings was hard to complete. / His affinity to transform beings having ended, he made his abode in the tomb. / The torch of wisdom is extinguished; the collapsed crag stands remote. / Remote stands the empty peak; leaves fall over the distant retreat. / In the crescent moon’s darkness, mist enshrouds the deep pines. / Incense fades over the final mound; banners flutter across the old forest. / Plaintive and clear are the pipes; distant sounds the drum. / Wild mist gathers from the four quarters; a solitary bird utters a cry. / The wind mourns as chanting ceases; the current rushes as coldness rises. / The spirit enters the Pure Land; the form sinks for eternity. / Carving this square tomb-stele, we thereby commemorate the orchid and thoroughwort.' > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 7.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.7.13) - [Next: 7.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.7.15) - [Up: 7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.7) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060~en-mt.7.14) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.7.14](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2060.7.14) · Pramāṇa