續高僧傳 9.26

9.26

釋智脫。俗姓蔡氏。其先濟陽考城人也。後因流宦故復為江都郡人焉。祖平齊新昌太守。父遠珍梁北兗州司馬。脫初誕之夕神光照室。旬日之間枯泉自涌。斯蓋智炬欲明法流將導之徵也。然其幼而風儀頴秀氣調清遠。七歲出家。為鄴下頴法師弟子。頴法侶鴛鴻釋門龍象。華嚴十地冠絕漳流。乃專經請道分陰無棄。宮牆重仞咸得其門。久之又覩強師成實及毘曇論。分流異派濫觴必盡。盤根錯節遊刃有餘。即於大眾便事覆講。寫瓶珠貫驗在於茲。緇素嗟服咸高神略。時丹陽莊嚴寺㬭法師。成論之美名實騰涌。遠近朝宗獨步江表。脫乃服義下風思餐法味。既適金陵研幾幽旨。精統詞理馳譽兩都。每宴居避席請談玄論。㬭師深加賞讚。稱為重器。及高座云亡三千咸在。爰命門徒以相付囑。乃續敷義席常轉法輪。莊嚴之部於斯榮盛。既揖論主之知人。又歎傳燈之弘教。故彫琢門侶無輟於時。眾侶百餘一期俊乂。成其器者九十許人。據此敷揚之功。今古罕類也。陳至德中。帝請入內。講說開悟亟動神機。自鄱陽王伯山兄弟僕射王克中書王固等。敬仰惟深並伸北面。隋祖留心法寶闡揚至教。於岐陽宮建齋發講。有詔於脫先昇寶座。乃遣舍人崔君德宣旨曰。昔獨步一方未足為貴。今為四海論主始見英才云云。脫即發言抗論剖斷如流。莫不緘口卷舌迴車復路。冕旒清耳屢動晬容。群辟解頤日仄忘倦。煬帝作牧邗江。初建慧日盛搜異藝。海岳搜揚。脫以慧業超悟。爰始霑預。既處齊衡功倍勵業。日夕相係通眄諸部。而標勇無前出言成論。鼓激支派深有會宗。故道場英賢學門崇仰而脫雅為論士眾所推焉。後隨帝入京。住日嚴寺。遣學士諸葛頴齎教書請講。於即奉命成化宣譽天朝。自江南成實並述義章。至於論文曾無顧涉。脫憤激先達。創問其論。命筆制疏消散有聞。更使德溢由來。重新其美自帝居望苑大緝玄猷。以脫譽動物情。下令使修論疏。素已條貫卷帙將成。乃結為四十卷。尋用奏聞。及獻后既崩福事宏顯。乃召日嚴英達五十許人。承明內殿連時行道。尋又下令講淨名經。儲后親臨時為盛集。沙門吉藏命章元坐。詞鋒奮發掩蓋玄儒。道俗翕然莫不傾首。脫以同法相讓。未得盡言。藏乃顯德自矜。微相指斥。文至三解脫門。脫問曰。三解脫門以何箭射。藏曰。未解彎弧。何論放箭。脫即引據徵勘超拔新奇。遂使投解莫從處坐緘默。殿下乃分品量德依位演之。既即席端便盡胸臆。仍令與道莊法師遞昇高座共談玄理。賓主無竭貴達咸欣。嗣后嗟味載形音旨。頻遣庶子張衡。殷勤稱敘曰。法師才學鉤深。古今罕例。仰觀談說稱實不虛。覽所撰論疏。光溢心目。可更造淨名疏及大小名教。便給書吏尋錄勒成。釋二乘名教四卷。淨名疏十卷。常自披翫。又遣畫工圖其形於寶臺供養。每彫輦來儀。未嘗不鞠躬致敬。瞻仰遺塵有若真對。初梁代琰法師。撰成論玄義十七卷。文詞繁富難於尋閱。學者相傳莫敢刪正。脫乃研詳領要演暢惟新。理在忘筌義深功倍。卷軸因舊宗旨不殊。當世盛行無不欣慶。斯可謂懸鏡拂而逾明。寶珠鎣而加彩是也。仁壽末年龍飛之始。以脫夙昔敦厚情在深衷。賜帛四百段。用隆厥德也。大業元年隨駕雒邑。二年暮冬見身有疾。自強不息猶事法筵。三年正月九日。弟子智翔智僔侍疾。忽有異香滿室赤光照牖。即夜香水盥漱。遺疏周悉。端坐正念以至無常。時年六十有七乘輿震悼賻贈優厚。勅施物三百段。喪事所須隨由供給。又勅黃門侍郎張衡監護。自脫之傳道也。聲辯清徹眾莫之諠。標宗控引咸有聯類。章疏雖古陳解若新。每至隱括必重疊研覈。預在講肆永祛昏漠求文檢義功不虛筵。自見弘誘而成清範者。罕繼斯塵矣。初脫每開講題。必夢與優填瑞像齊立。豈非住持三寶功用均也。又諸有疑義昔所未了。輒見梵僧隨方解釋。未亡之前夢一童子。手執蓮華云。天帝釋遣來請講。臨終之日又見此相。觀其叡思通微名高宇內妙感靈應。夫豈徒然。凡講大品涅槃淨名思益各三十許遍。成論文玄各五十遍。傳業學士慧詮道灌詮聲德雙揚灌復立貞梗。各踵敷弘知名當世。又以其年二月二十五日。式建方墳於雒陽縣金谷里之北邙山。樹碑于側。其文隋祕書郎會稽虞世南撰（大業中年。脫之亡後。昔與藏公素情不狎。乃託形於病僧惠畟具述前緣。藏聞而見之。與共論議。傾心盡禮願託舊情。故幽明不墜其緒云）。

Shi Zhituo, whose lay surname was Cai, had ancestors originally from Kaocheng in Jiyang. Later, due to wandering official posts, his family became residents of Jiangdu Commandery. His grandfather, Pingqi, was Governor of Xinchang; his father, Yuanzhen, was an Aide in Northern Yanzhou under the Liang. On the evening when Zhituo was born, a spiritual light illuminated the room. Within ten days, a dried-up spring welled forth on its own. This was an omen that the torch of wisdom was about to shine and the flow of Dharma was about to be guided. From his youth, his demeanor was outstanding and elegant, and his temperament pure and lofty. At seven years of age he left home, becoming a disciple of Master Ying of Ye. Master Ying's Dharma companions were like geese and swans, the dragons and elephants among the sons of Śākya; his mastery of the Avataṃsaka and Daśabhūmika was unmatched along the Zhang River. Zhituo focused on the scriptures and requested instruction in the Way, wasting not an instant of time; he found the gate to every high mansion wall. Later, he also studied under Master Qiang, learning the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra (*Chengshi lun) and the Abhidharma treatises; he exhausted their disparate currents and tracing each back to its source, handling complex knots with blade moving effortlessly. Immediately before the great assembly he engaged in reviewing the lectures, the water poured between vessels and the pearls strung on a thread being proved right there. Clerics and laity sighed in submission, all praising his spiritual strategy. At that time, Master Hui of Zhuangyan Monastery in Danyang enjoyed a surging reputation and reality for his excellence in the Chengshi lun, being venerated from near and far and walking without equal east of the Yangtze River. Zhituo took the lower seat in deference to righteousness and longed to taste the Dharma's flavor. After arriving in Jinling, he investigated the subtle and obscure tenets; with an exquisite mastery of phrasing and principle, his fame galloped through both capitals. Whenever Master Hui took leisure and left his seat, he would invite him to discuss the profound treatises; Master Hui deeply appreciated and praised him, calling him an important vessel. When the high seat passed away, the three thousand disciples were all present; thereupon he instructed his followers to entrust [the lineage] to Zhituo. Zhituo continued to spread out the seats of doctrine and constantly turned the wheel of the Dharma; the lineage of Zhuangyan Monastery flourished through this. People both admired the treatise master's ability to recognize talent and praised the vast propagation of the lamp's transmission. Thus his chiseling and polishing of his companions never ceased at that time; among over a hundred companions, all talents of an era, those who were shaped into accomplished vessels numbered about ninety. Judging by such merits of expounding and propagating, few in past or present can compare. During the Zhide era of the Chen dynasty, the Emperor invited him into the palace; his lecturing and unfolding of enlightenment repeatedly stirred the imperial mind. From Prince of Poyang Bai Shan and his brothers, to Vice Director Wang Ke, Secretariat Drafter Wang Gu, and others, all looked up to him with the deepest reverence, facing north in submission. When the founder of the Sui dynasty turned his mind to the Dharma treasure and propagated the supreme teaching, he held a vegetarian feast and initiated lectures at the Qiyang Palace. An imperial edict commanded Zhituo to ascend the jeweled seat first. The Palace Attendant Cui Junde was sent to proclaim the decree: 'In the past, walking alone in one region was not worthy of high esteem; today, becoming the treatise master of the four seas, your outstanding talent is truly seen,' and so on. Zhituo immediately spoke, debating vigorously and cutting through issues like flowing water; there was none who did not shut his mouth, curl his tongue, and turn his chariot back. The emperor under his beaded crown cleared his ears and repeatedly showed a radiant countenance; the court officials beamed with joy, forgetting fatigue as the sun declined. When Emperor Yang governed Hanjiang, he first established the Huidi Monastery, extensively gathering extraordinary talents; sea and mountains were searched. Zhituo, having transcendent understanding in the study of wisdom, was included from the beginning. Being placed alongside peers of equal rank, he doubled his efforts in his studies; day and night consecutively, he surveyed the various sections. In his peerless valor, his words formed complete treatises; stimulating the branching streams, he deeply harmonized with the fundamental principles. Thus the eminent and virtuous of the bodhimandala and the schools of study looked up to him with veneration, and Zhituo was naturally celebrated by the assembly as a master of treatises. Later, he followed the Emperor into the capital, dwelling at Riyang Monastery. The scholar Zhuge Ying was dispatched with an imperial letter to request him to lecture. Thereupon, obeying the decree, he accomplished the transformation and proclaimed his renown at the imperial court. Previously, all those expounding the Chengshi lun south of the Yangtze River only composed doctrinal essays, never paying regard to the treatises themselves. Indignant with these predecessors, Zhituo first raised questions regarding the treatise, took up his brush, and composed a commentary, analyzing and resolving issues with great renown. This caused his virtue to overflow further and renewed its excellence. When the Emperor resided at the Wangyuan Palace and extensively gathered profound teachings, because Zhituo's reputation moved the sentiments of all, an imperial order was issued commanding him to compose a treatise commentary. He had already organized the headings and threads, and the fascicles were nearly complete, so he compiled them into forty fascicles and soon submitted them to the throne. After Empress Xian passed away, when auspicious services were grandly conducted, some fifty eminent figures of Riyang were summoned to continuously circumambulate in the Chengming Inner Palace. Soon, an order was issued to lecture on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra; the Crown Prince attended in person, making it a grand gathering. The śramaṇa Jizang was chosen to open the discourse from the primary seat; the sharpness of his words burst forth, overshadowing the dark learning and Confucianism, and monastics and laity all bowed their heads in admiration. Zhituo, out of deference to a fellow Dharma practitioner, had not yet spoken fully. Jizang, displaying his virtues with pride, subtly criticized him. When the text reached the Three Gates of Liberation, Zhituo asked, 'With what arrow does one shoot the Three Gates of Liberation?' Jizang replied, 'If one does not yet know how to bend the bow, why talk of releasing an arrow?' Zhituo then cited evidence and conducted a critical examination that was singularly transcendent and novel, leaving Jizang with no way to offer an explanation, sitting in his place in silence. The Crown Prince then divided the chapters, weighed their virtues, and had them expounded according to their rank. Once Zhituo took the head of the seat, he spoke his mind completely. He was further ordered to ascend the high seat alternately with Master Daozhuang to discuss profound principles together; guest and host never ran dry, and the noble and eminent were all delighted. The heir apparent repeatedly savored the discourse, expressing his feelings in speech. He frequently sent his Cadet Zhang Heng to earnestly state: 'The Dharma Master's talent and learning probe the depths, rare in past and present. Looking up to your discourse, it matches reality without falsehood. Reading the treatise commentary you composed, its brilliance overflows the mind and eyes. You should further compose a commentary on the Vimalakīrti and [treatises on] the terminology of the Greater and Lesser Vehicles.' Scribes were then provided to record and compile them, completing four fascicles on the Terminology of the Two Vehicles and ten fascicles of the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti, which the Crown Prince personally read and enjoyed constantly. Furthermore, painters were sent to depict his portrait on a jeweled platform for offerings; whenever the carved palanquin arrived, the Crown Prince never failed to bow and show reverence, gazing upon his legacy as if facing him in person. Earlier, Master Yan of the Liang dynasty had composed the Mysterious Meaning of the Chengshi lun in seventeen fascicles; its language was dense and elaborate, making it difficult to peruse, and successive scholars dared not abridge or correct it. Zhituo investigated and grasped its essentials, expounding them afresh; the principle lay in forgetting the trap, and the deep meaning achieved double the effect. The scrolls followed the old division while the central tenets remained identical; it circulated widely in that age, with everyone rejoicing. This can truly be called: a suspended mirror becomes brighter when dusted; a precious jewel gains luster when polished. In the late Renshou era, at the start of the dragon's ascent to the throne, because Zhituo had long been honest and held a deep place in the imperial heart, he was bestowed four hundred bolts of silk to elevate his virtue. In the first year of Daye, he followed the imperial retinue to Luoyi. In the late winter of the second year, seeing that his body was ill, he strove without rest and still attended to the Dharma assemblies. On the ninth day of the first month of the third year, while his disciples Zhixiang and Zhicun were attending to his illness, a wondrous fragrance suddenly filled the room and a red light illuminated the window. That very night, he washed and rinsed with fragrant water, fully completed his farewell instructions, and sat upright in proper mindfulness until impermanence came, at the age of sixty-seven. The Emperor was shocked and grieved, generously presenting condolences: by imperial decree, three hundred bolts of goods were bestowed, and all funeral necessities were provided as needed. The Yellow Gate Vice Director Zhang Heng was also ordered to oversee the arrangements. From the time Zhituo began transmitting the Way, his vocal eloquence was pure and penetrating, and the crowd never caused disturbance. In presenting the tenets and adducing citations, everything was harmoniously categorized. Although the commentaries were ancient, his expositions were like new; whenever he came to synthesize and evaluate, he repeatedly investigated and scrutinized. Those who attended his lecture halls were forever rid of obscurity and confusion; seeking the text and examining the meaning, their efforts were never wasted on the seat. Among those who, seeing his grand guidance, achieved pure models, few have succeeded to his footsteps. Earlier, whenever Zhituo began a lecture title, he always dreamed that he stood side by side with the auspicious King Udayana statue; was this not because their function in maintaining the Triratna was equal? Moreover, whenever there were doubtful meanings he had previously not understood, he would see an Indian monk appear and explain them according to the context. Before he died, he dreamed of a youth holding a lotus flower in his hand, saying, 'The Heavenly King Śakra sends me to invite you to lecture.' On the day of his death, he saw this sign again. Observing his penetrating sagacious thoughts, his lofty name within the realm, and his wondrous spiritual resonances, how could it all have been in vain? In total, he lectured on the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā, Nirvāṇa, Vimalakīrti, and Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā about thirty times each, and on the Chengshi lun and its Mysterious Meaning fifty times each. His transmitting disciples, Huiquan and Daoguan, both carried on his work: Quan's reputation and virtue both soared, while Guan established an unbending integrity; each succeeded him in expounding and propagating, being renowned in their era. Furthermore, on the twenty-fifth day of the second month of that year, a square tomb was built according to the rites on the North Mang Mountain in the Jingu Ward of Luoyang County, and a stele was erected beside it. Its text was composed by Yu Shinan, Gentleman of the Palace Secretariat of the Sui from Kuaiji. (In the middle of the Daye era, after Zhituo's death, since he had not been personally close to Master Jizang in the past, he manifested his form through the sick monk Huice, fully recounting their former affinity. Jizang heard of it and visited him, engaging in discussion with him; pouring out his heart and paying complete respect, he wished to renew their former acquaintance. Thus across the dark and light worlds, their connection was not severed.)