續高僧傳 7.15

7.15

釋慧勇。厥姓桓氏。其先譙國龍亢人也。祖法式尚書外兵錢唐令。因此遁迹于虎丘山。後仍寓居吳郡吳縣東鄉桓里。父獻弱齡早世。母張氏嘗夢。身登佛塔獲二金菩薩。俄育二男。並幼而入道。長則慧聰。勇其次也。初出楊都。依止靈曜寺則法師為和上。銳志禪誦治身蔬菲。隨方受業不事專門。豈非版金成寶方資銑鏤瑄玉有美必待刮摩誠有由矣。年登具戒。從靜眾寺峰律師。遊學十誦。有龍光寺僧綽建元寺法寵。並道秀域中聲高梵表。乃服膺坐右稟宗成實。刻情砥礪寢食忘疲。苦思沈淪坑岸斯墜。彌曆寒暑博習大成。至年三十法輪便轉。自此遠致學徒盛開講肆。高視上京欝為翹采。專講論文將十許遍。俄而梁季傾覆人百沸騰。每思遁世莫知其所。于時攝山詮尚。直轡一乘橫行山世。隨機引悟有願遵焉。嘗行報恩寺前忽見人云。從攝山來授竹如意俄失。謂勇曰。尋當如意。俄失蹤迹。信宿之間又有漆函。盛三論一部置房前窓上。尋究莫知來也。欣茲嘉瑞銳勇難任。因此拂衣里閈駕言泉石。期神窅冥。非企琴臺之侶。修空習慧。寔追林遠之風。便停止觀寺。朝夕侃侃如也。詮師忘以年期。義兼師友。抑亦宮羽相諧。氷藍待益之志也。自此言刈章句採擷希微。凡厥釋經莫不包舉。大法獲傳於焉是賴。天嘉五年。世祖文皇。請講於太極殿。百辟具陳。七眾咸萃。景仰之輩觀風繼踵遊息之伍附影成群。自此聲名籍甚矣。住大禪眾寺十有八載。及造講堂也。門人聽侶經營不日。接霤飛軒製置弘敞題曰般若之堂也。以至德元年五月二十八日遘疾。少時平旦神逝。春秋六十有九。然其大漸之時神容不變。經宿頂暖。眾皆異之。至六月六日。窆于攝山西嶺。自始至終。講花嚴涅槃方等大集大品各二十遍。智論中百十二門論。各三十五遍。餘有法花思益等數部不記。又早捨親愛。弱而貞苦。文章聲辯時所高之。爰至啟手啟足不淄不涅。寔象教之棟梁。精義之林藪。弟子等追深北面之禮。鐫石碑之。其文侍中尚書令濟陽江總制。

Shi Huiyong's surname was Huan. His ancestors were originally from Longkang in the Qiao Commandery. His grandfather, Fashi, served as the Minister of War and Magistrate of Qiantang; on account of this, he lived in seclusion at Mount Huqiu. Later, the family resided at Huan Hamlet in the Eastern District of Wu County in Wu Commandery. His father, Xian, passed away at an early age. His mother, Lady Zhang, once dreamed that she ascended a Buddhist pagoda and obtained two golden bodhisattvas. Soon after, she gave birth to two sons, both of whom entered the monastic order in their youth. The elder was Huicong, and Yong was the second. When he first went to Yangdu, he relied on Master Ze of Lingyao Temple as his preceptor. He concentrated his mind on dhyāna and recitation, disciplining his body with coarse vegetarian food. He received instruction from various masters without restricting himself to a single tradition. Is it not that gold ore must be carved and polished to become a treasure, and beautiful jade must await grinding and polishing? Indeed, there was a reason for this. Upon receiving the full precepts, he studied the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya* under Vinaya Master Feng of Jingzhong Temple. Master Sengchuo of Longguang Temple and Master Fachong of Jianyuan Temple were both eminent luminaries within the country whose renown resonated beyond the Indic lands; Yong submitted himself as their disciple and received the lineage of the *Tattvasiddhi-śāstra*. He disciplined his mind and sharpened his resolve, forgetting exhaustion in sleep and food; immersed in rigorous contemplation, as if on the brink of falling into an abyss. Passing through many winters and summers, his extensive learning achieved great mastery. By the age of thirty, he was already turning the wheel of the Dharma. From that time on, he drew students from afar and opened extensive lecture assemblies; commanding great respect in the capital, he stood out prominently. He lectured exclusively on treatises nearly ten times. Shortly thereafter, the Liang dynasty collapsed, and the populace was thrown into turmoil. He frequently contemplated retreating from the world, but knew not where to turn. At that time, Master Quan of Mount She maintained the singular vehicle without compromise and moved freely through mountains and the world; guiding people to awakening in accordance with their capacities, Yong wished to follow him. Once, while walking in front of Bao'en Temple, he suddenly saw a person who said, 'I have come from Mount She to give you a bamboo ruyi scepter.' Then, telling Yong, 'You shall soon fulfill your wish (ruyi),' the person suddenly disappeared. Within a couple of days, there was a lacquered box containing a set of the Three Treatises placed upon the window before his room. Upon inquiring, none knew where it came from. Delighted by this auspicious omen, his fervent courage could hardly be contained. Thereupon, he shook his robes, departed his hometown, and set out for the springs and crags. Yearning for the profound spiritual realm, he did not seek companions of the lute terrace; cultivating emptiness and practicing wisdom, he genuinely followed the exemplary style of Huiyuan of Mount Lu. He then took up residence at Zhiguan Temple, working diligently from dawn to dusk. Master Quan set aside the difference in their years, treating him as both a disciple and a friend, just as the musical notes of gong and yu harmonize together, or as indigo enhances blue. From then on, he parsed sentences and gathered subtle meanings; of all sūtras he expounded, none was omitted. That the Great Dharma was transmitted was truly dependent on him. In the fifth year of the Tianjia era (564 CE), Emperor Shizu (Emperor Wen) invited him to lecture at the Taiji Hall. The hundred ministers were fully present, and the seven assemblies gathered together. Those who looked up to him followed in rapid succession, and those who sought spiritual rest gathered in droves like shadows. From that time on, his fame flourished exceedingly. He resided at Da Chanzhong Temple for eighteen years. When he built a lecture hall, his disciples and audience accomplished it in no time. With eaves adjoining and flying pavilions, its construction was vast and open, inscribed with the name 'Prajñā Hall.' On the twenty-eighth day of the fifth month of the first year of the Zhide era (583 CE), he fell ill. Shortly thereafter, at daybreak, his spirit departed. His worldly age was sixty-nine. At the moment of his passing, his countenance did not alter, and his crown remained warm through the night; the assembly all marvelled at this. On the sixth day of the sixth month, he was buried at the western ridge of Mount She. From beginning to end, he lectured on the *Avataṃsaka*, the *Mahāparinirvāṇa*, the *Vaipulya*, the *Mahāsaṃnipāta*, and the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā* twenty times each; the *Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa*, the *Madhyamaka-śāstra*, the *Śata-śāstra*, and the *Dvādaśamukha-śāstra* thirty-five times each; and several other scriptures such as the *Lotus Sūtra* and the *Viśeṣacinti-brahma-paripṛcchā*, which were not recorded. Furthermore, having early on renounced loved ones, he was steadfast and austere from youth; his literary skill and eloquent speech were esteemed by his contemporaries. Up until his death, he remained undefiled and pure. Truly, he was a pillar of the image teaching and a repository of profound principles. His disciples, pursuing the deep respect due to a teacher, carved a stone stele for him. The text was composed by Jiang Zong, Palace Attendant and President of the Department of State Affairs, of Jiyang.