宋高僧傳 17.10

17.10

釋玄嶷，俗姓杜氏。幼入玄門，纔通經法，黃冠之侶推其明哲，出類逸群，號杜乂鍊師。方登極籙，為洛都大恒觀主。遊心《七略》，得理三玄，道術之流，推為綱領。天后心崇大法，揚闡釋宗，又悟其食蓼非甘，却行遠舍，願反初服，嚮佛而歸。遂懇求剃落，詔許度之，住佛授記寺，尋為寺都焉。則知在草為英，在禽為雄，信有之矣。續參翻譯，悉彼宗之乖謬，知正教之可憑。或問之曰：「子何信佛邪？」嶷曰：「生死飈疾，宜早圖之，無令臨衢整轡，中流竚枻乎！有若環車望斗，劾鬼求仙，以此用心，非究盡也。」乃造《甄正論》一部，指斥其失，令歸正真，施設主客問答，極為省要焉。嶷不知厥終。

Śramaṇa Xuanyi had the secular surname Du. In his youth he entered the Daoist fold; having barely mastered its scriptures and methods, his yellow-crowned companions praised his discernment as preeminent and surpassing the throng, calling him Refined Master Du Yi. Just as he climbed to the highest register, he became Abbot of Daheng Daoist Monastery in the eastern capital. He applied his mind to the Seven Summaries and grasped the principles of the Three Mysteries; those of Daoist arts praised him as their leader. When Empress Regnant Wu venerated the Great Dharma and propagated the Buddhist school, he also realized that eating smartweed is not sweet, so he retraced his steps from afar, desiring to return to his original garb and turn in refuge toward the Buddha. He then earnestly petitioned for tonsure; an imperial decree permitted his ordination, and he resided at Foshouji Temple, soon becoming the temple rector. One thus knows that among vegetation there are blossoms and among birds there are heroes—it is truly so! He subsequently participated in translations, thoroughly comprehended the errors of his former school, and knew that the correct teachings could be relied upon. Someone asked him, "Why do you believe in the Buddha?" Xuanyi said, "Birth and death are swift as a gale; one should make plans early, and not be adjusting the bridle only upon reaching the crossroads, or waiting to grasp the oar in midstream! It is like circling a carriage to gaze at the Dipper, or interrogating ghosts to seek immortality—to direct one's mind like this is not ultimate." He then composed the Treatise Discerning the Correct in one work, pointing out their faults and leading them to return to the correct and true, structuring it as a dialogue between host and guest, which was extremely concise and essential. It is not known how Xuanyi ended.