續高僧傳 8.18

8.18

釋曇遵。姓程氏。河北人。少厭世網投法出家。而容色盛美堂堂然也。恐染淨戒還返俗焉。資學既明允當時寄。有魏擢為員外郎。二十有三情背朝官。復請光公以為師保。光以舊事捨而不度。遵跪啟曰。今沒命歸依遠崇至道。如不允副必從邪見壞及三寶。光審其情至。即度而授戒。因從稟學。功踰一紀。大乘頓教法界心原。並披析義理挺超時匠。手無異筆而變他成己。故談述有續。而章疏闕焉。初出化行洛下。流演齊楚晉魏乃至燕趙。通傳道務攝治相襲。丞相淮陰王肱深器之。德動貴重傾心奉禮。年餘七十。舉為國都。尋轉為統。後少覺有疾。便坐誦維摩勝鬘。卷了命終卒於鄴下。時年八十有五。承化門人罕繼其後。初遵賦志清高無為立性。褰帷開戶標樹方遠。形無妄涉口不俗談。動靜自嚴不假方便。而敬愛宗師罕階儔緒。光師終日。遵在齊州。初聞哀問不覺從床而墜。口中流血。其誠孝動人如此之類也。多遊念慧有得機緣。溫講而終業矣。

Shi Tancun, surnamed Cheng, was a native of Hebei. In his youth, weary of the worldly net, he sought the Dharma and underwent pravrajyā. However, his physical appearance was magnificent and imposing; fearing he would stain the pure precepts, he returned to lay life. Since his learning and scholarship were luminous, he suited the responsibilities of the time, and the Wei dynasty elevated him to the position of supernumerary gentleman (yuanwailang). At the age of twenty-three, his heart turned away from officialdom, and he requested Master Guang to be his preceptor and mentor. Guang, mindful of past precedent, dismissed him and would not ordain him. Tancun knelt and pleaded, 'Now I cast away my life to take refuge and revere the supreme Way from afar; if you do not grant my wish, I will surely fall into heterodox views and bring ruin to the triratna.' Guang, discerning his profound sincerity, immediately ordained him and conferred the precepts upon him. Following him, [Tancun] studied under his guidance; his application exceeded a cycle of twelve years. He dissected the principles of the sudden teaching of the Mahāyāna and the mental source of the dharmadhātu, remarkably surpassing the masters of the day. Without picking up a different brush, he transformed others' ideas into his own; therefore, his discourses and expositions were continuous, while written chapters and commentaries were omitted. At first, he went forth to teach and practice in Luoyang, and his teachings spread throughout Qi, Chu, Jin, Wei, and even to Yan and Zhao. Universally transmitting the affairs of the Way, his guidance and governance were handed down in succession. The Prime Minister, King Huaiyin, Wang Hong, held him in deep esteem; his virtue moved the exalted and noble to bow their heads and revere him with devoted hearts. When over seventy years of age, he was recommended as Capital Controller (guodu), and soon after was promoted to Provincial Controller (tong). Later, sensing a slight illness, he sat and recited the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa and the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra; when the scrolls were finished, his life ended, and he died in Ye. At that time, his age was eighty-five. Few among the disciples who received his teaching could follow in his footsteps. From the outset, Tancun was endowed with a lofty disposition, establishing his nature upon non-action. Pulling back the curtains and opening the doors, he set up his standard from afar. His body did not engage in improper paths, nor did his mouth utter mundane chatter. Solemn in movement and stillness, he relied on no expedient contrivances. In revering and loving his ancestral master, few could equal him. On the day Master Guang died, Tancun was in Qizhou; when he first heard the grievous news, he unwittingly fell from his bed, bleeding from his mouth. His sincere filial devotion moved people in ways such as this. Mostly dwelling in mindfulness and wisdom, whenever the conditions were ripe, he would hold warm lectures, and thus brought his life’s work to completion.