宋高僧傳 17.18

17.18

釋元崇，俗姓王氏，瑯瑘臨沂人也。晉丞相始興文獻公子薈之後，自南朝淪廢，世居句容。祖禰已來，非賢即哲。崇幼而孤秀，嶷若斷山。心喻芙蕖，形同玉潔，風塵不雜，立志夷簡。時年十五，奉道辭家，負笈洞天，餐霞臥雲，師範陶許，精研妙句，獨證微隱。乃恐至理未融，解脫方阻，因歸心釋典，大暢佛乘，三教齊驅，遘心世表。於是聲振吳越，緇素異焉。採訪使潤州刺史齊平陽公聞其行業，虛佇久之，適會恩制度人，裒充舉首。以開元末年因從瓦官寺璿禪師諮受心要，日夜匪懈，無忘請益。璿公乃揣骨，千里駿足可知，因授深法。崇靈臺虛徹，可舍百神，心鑒高懸，塵無私隱。既而聲價光遠，物望所知，金陵諸德，請移所配棲霞寺。春秋逾紀，服勤道務，彝倫有敘，時眾是瞻。至德初，並謝絕人事，杖錫去郡，歷于上京，遍奉明師，棲心閑境，罕交俗流。遂入終南，經衛藏，至白鹿，上藍田，於輞川得右丞王公維之別業。松生石上，水流松下，王公焚香靜室，與崇相遇，神交中斷。于時天地未泰，豺狼構患，朝賢國寶，或在薖軸。起居蕭舍人昕與右丞諸公，並碩學雄才，尊儒重道，偶茲一會，抗論彌日，鉤深索隱，襟期許與。王、蕭歎曰：「佛法有人，不宜輕議也矣！」及言旋河洛，登陟嵩少，懷達磨之旨要，得《華嚴》之會歸，聲價漸高，衣冠羨仰。京師名德咸請住持。志在無為，翛然不顧。乃放浪人世，追蹤道流，考盤靈蹤，遂東適吳、越、天台、四明，清心養素。數年之後，遐想鐘山，飛錫舊居，考以雲房，道俗咸喜，玉反山輝。大曆五年，刺史南陽樊公雅好禪寂，及屬縣行春，順風稽首，諮請道要，益加師禮矣。時道俗以為此寺靈勝，遊憩者多，監主護持，須選名德。僉議無以易禪師者。崇頻告辭懇苦，眾咸再三，事不獲已，順受彌縫其間，總二十年。藉四方之財，因道化之力，欒櫨雲構，丹雘日新，蓋存乎無為無所不為者也。功成身退，安禪高頂，前後學徒，詎可勝計。至大曆十二年，示疾言歸，不加藥餌。八月二日，卒於山院，春秋六十有五。臨終，命門人無令封樹，弟子如泉、澄添等奉全師教，以其月八日瘞于攝山之陽，依巖為窟，累石不磨不礱，遵遺誥也。崇身長六尺，儀表端肅，望之儼然，即之生畏。意密情恕，心和行高，天姿龍象，生此岐嶷。享齡非永，惜哉！弟子等共建豐碑，以紀化跡，樹于寺之門首焉。

Shi Yuanchong, secular surname Wang, was a native of Linyi in Langya. He was a descendant of Wang Hui, Duke Wenxian of Shixing and Chancellor of the Jin dynasty. Since the decline of the Southern Dynasties, his family had lived in Jurong for generations. From his ancestors down, they were none other than worthy and wise men. In his youth, Yuanchong was extraordinarily gifted, towering like an isolated peak. His mind was likened to a lotus flower, and his form was as pure as jade; untainted by worldly dust, he set his resolve on tranquility and simplicity. At the age of fifteen, revering the Dao, he left his family, carrying his book-box to cave-heavens, feasting on dawn vapors and sleeping on clouds. Taking Tao Hongjing and Xu Mai as his models, he meticulously examined wondrous phrases and independently realized subtle profundities. But fearing that the ultimate principle was not yet fully integrated and that liberation was therefore obstructed, he turned his mind to the Buddhist scriptures and broadly expounded the Buddha Vehicle. Galloping abreast across the three teachings, his mind communed beyond the mundane world. Thereupon, his fame shook Wu and Yue, and both monastics and laity marveled at him. The Surveillance Commissioner and Prefect of Runzhou, Duke Qi of Pingyang, heard of his conduct and practices, and waited empty-minded for him for a long time. It happened that there was an imperial dispensation to ordain monks, and [Yuanchong] was gathered to head the recommendations. In the late Kaiyuan era, he sought instruction in the essentials of mind from Chan Master Xuan of Waguan Temple; day and night without wearying, he never forgot to seek instruction. Master Xuan examined his bone structure, knowing he was a steed capable of a thousand leagues, and so transmitted the profound Dharma to him. Yuanchong's spiritual platform was open and penetrating, able to house a hundred spirits; the mirror of his mind was hung high, leaving no dust hidden in secret. Afterward, his reputation shone far and wide, and he was known to the expectations of all. The virtuous masters of Jinling requested that he move to Qixia Temple, to which he was assigned. More than a decade passed; he faithfully attended to affairs of the Way, the standard principles were kept in order, and the contemporary assembly looked up to him. In the beginning of the Zhide era, he declined worldly affairs, leaned on his monk's staff and left the prefecture, traveling to the Superior Capital. He visited wise masters everywhere, lodged his mind in tranquil realms, and rarely consorted with worldly people. He then entered Zhongnan, passed through Weizang, reached Bailu, ascended Lantian, and came upon the villa of Wang Wei, Vice Director of the Right, at Wangchuan. Pines grew on the rocks, and water flowed beneath the pines; Duke Wang burned incense in a quiet room and met with Yuanchong, their spiritual communion never interrupted. At that time, heaven and earth were not yet at peace, wolves and jackals wrought havoc, and the worthy of the court and treasures of the state sometimes took refuge in huts and mountain valleys. Supervising Secretary of the Chancellery Xiao Xin and the gentlemen with the Vice Director of the Right were all erudite scholars of heroic talent who honored Confucianism and respected the Way; happening to meet here, they debated day after day, probing the depths and exploring the hidden, expressing mutual admiration and esteem. Wang and Xiao sighed, saying: 'The Buddha Dharma has its men; it should not be lightly criticized!' When he returned to the He and Luo regions, he ascended Mounts Song and Shaoshi, bearing the essentials of Bodhidharma's purport and grasping the converging points of the Huayan. His reputation rose higher, and the gentry admired him. The renowned and virtuous of the capital all invited him to be abbot. His resolve lay in non-action, and he detachedly paid them no heed. He then roamed freely through the world of men, following in the footsteps of followers of the Way, resting his spirit in wondrous haunts. He then went east to Wu, Yue, Tiantai, and Siming, purifying his mind and cultivating his essence. Several years later, his thoughts drifted to Mount Zhong; flying his staff to his former dwelling, he took up residence in the cloud-chamber. Monastics and laity alike rejoiced, like jade returning to make the mountain shine. In the fifth year of Dali, the Prefect, Duke Fan of Nanyang, who had an elegant fondness for Chan tranquility, came to the subordinate county on his spring inspection, followed the wind to bow before him, consulted on the essentials of the Way, and accorded him even greater respect as a teacher. At that time, monastics and laity considered this temple spiritually supreme and frequently visited by travelers; supervising and protecting it required selecting a person of renowned virtue. All agreed there was no one who could replace the Chan master. Yuanchong repeatedly declined with earnest distress, but the assembly pressed him again and again. With no choice, he complied and managed affairs in their midst for a total of twenty years. Relying on the wealth from the four directions and the power of spiritual transformation, bracket-clusters rose like clouds, and vermilion lacquer grew new day by day; this was indeed dwelling in non-action while leaving nothing undone. With his work completed, he withdrew his person and settled in meditation on the high peak; his students, before and after, could hardly be counted. In the twelfth year of Dali, he showed illness and spoke of returning, refusing medicine. On the second day of the eighth month, he passed away at his mountain cloister at the age of sixty-five. Nearing the end, he instructed his disciples not to erect a mound or plant trees. His disciples Ruquan, Chengtian, and others carried out their master's teachings in full; on the eighth day of that month, they entombed him on the south side of Mount She, making a cave against the cliff, piling stones without grinding or polishing them, in accordance with his bequeathed instructions. Yuanchong was six feet tall, of upright and dignified appearance; seen from afar he appeared awe-inspiring, and approached closely he inspired reverence. His thoughts were discreet and his sentiments forgiving; his mind was harmonious and his conduct exalted; with the innate endowment of a dragon and elephant, he was born extraordinarily precocious. His lifespan was not long—what a pity! His disciples jointly erected an ample stele to record his transformative deeds, setting it before the temple gate.