宋高僧傳 15.32

15.32

釋神皓，字恒度，姓徐氏。八代祖摛，齊竟陵王西邸學士。子陵，梁尚書左僕射，其文與庾子山齊名，迨陳國亡，因佐吳邑，遂家姑蘇。皓乃為吳郡人也。天性耿潔，風韻朗邁。幼負脫俗之姿，尋依錢塘龍泉道場一公出家。天寶六年，降版詔精擇真行，一州許度三人，皓居薦首，因隷僧籍于包山福願道場。初進具於興大師，次通《律鈔》於曇一。後十講《律鈔》，五昇壇場。遂乘舟歸包山，使野叟誅茅，山童掃石，逍遙棲息。旋增修屋宇。乾元元祀，有詔天下二十七寺，各奏大德七人，長講戒律。因請住開元寺，欲果其願，且懼簡書，遂僶俛從命。奉戒弟子開州刺史陸向、前給事中嚴涗，服道弟子禮部侍郎劉太真、前大理評事張象，欽風弟子前廉使亞相李棲筠請綱任海隅。一邑緇伍，三變至于道。末年工於圓宗，別置「西方法社」，誦《法華經》九千餘部。貞元六年十月開元寺遇疾，至十二月，顧囑弟子維亮曰：「我棄世後，可歸洞庭故山置塔。」說法而終。是夜瑠璃色天，星霣如雨，西方兆眹，密現于前。春秋七十五，僧臘四十三。門人維亮有文有道，獨步當時，執師之喪，不以證而廢教也。傳法弟子道超、靈俊、道濬、道稜、維讓、維誠，皆一時英邁。霅晝為墳塔碑頌美云。

Shi Shenghao, courtesy name Hengdu, was surnamed Xu. His ancestor eight generations earlier was Chi, an academician of the Western Mansion of Prince Jingling under the Qi. Chi's son Ling was Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs under the Liang, whose literary fame equaled that of Yu Zishan; when the Chen dynasty fell, because he assisted in the district of Wu, his family settled in Gusu. Hao was thus a man of Wujun. By nature he was pure and resolute, with a bright and lofty manner. From youth he possessed an air of world-transcendence, and soon went to Master Yi of the Longquan Bodhimaṇḍa in Qiantang to renounce household life. In the sixth year of Tianbao, an imperial decree was issued to select carefully those of genuine practice, permitting each prefecture to ordain only three persons. Hao stood at the head of those recommended, and his saṅgha registration was accordingly assigned to the Fuyuan Bodhimaṇḍa on Baoshan. He first received full ordination under Grand Master Xing, and next mastered the Vinaya Commentary under Tanyi. Afterwards, he lectured on the Vinaya Commentary ten times and ascended the ordination platform five times. He then took a boat back to Baoshan, having an old rustic cut the thatch and a mountain lad sweep the stones, living in leisurely retreat. Soon he expanded the buildings. In the first year of Qianyuan, a decree ordered twenty-seven temples throughout the realm each to submit names of seven venerable ones to lecture continuously on the vinaya. He was thus invited to reside at Kaiyuan Temple. Though wishing to fulfill his vow, he was also apprehensive of the official order, and so reluctantly complied. Lay disciples who upheld the precepts included Prefect of Kaizhou Lu Xiang and former Supervising Secretary Yan Cui; disciples who followed the Way included Vice Minister of Rites Liu Taizhen and former Case Reviewer of the Court of Judicial Review Zhang Xiang; and the disciple who admired his style, former Vice Censor-in-Chief and Surveillance Commissioner Li Qiyun, invited him to take charge of the coastal quarter. The monastic ranks of the whole district underwent a threefold transformation to attain the Way. In his later years he focused on the Perfect School, establishing a separate 'Western Dharma Society' and reciting the Lotus Sūtra over nine thousand times. In the tenth month of the sixth year of Zhenyuan, he fell ill at Kaiyuan Temple. By the twelfth month, he instructed his disciple Weiliang: 'After I leave the world, you may return to our old mountain in Dongting to erect a stūpa.' He passed away while expounding the Dharma. That night the sky turned the color of lapis lazuli, stars fell like rain, and portents of the Western direction were secretly manifested before them. His age was seventy-five; his saṅgha age was forty-three. His disciple Weiliang possessed both literary talent and realization of the Way, standing peerless in his time; while observing mourning for his master, he did not abandon teaching on account of personal realization. Disciples who transmitted his Dharma included Daochao, Lingjun, Daojun, Daoleng, Weirang, and Weicheng, all outstanding men of their era. Jiao of Zha composed a stūpa inscription eulogizing his virtues.