宋高僧傳 28.14

28.14

釋智江，俗姓單，幽州三河南管人也。本富族遊俠之子，雖乘竹馬，厭迴火宅之門；乍玩沙堆，好作浮圖之制。略聞竺乾之教，必淡慮凝情，若瀟湘之逢故人也。唐乾寧四載，始年十五，詣盤山感化寺遂成息慈，息慈業備。天復三祀，往五臺山梨園寺納木叉法。自此擔簦請業，擇木依師，《淨名》、《上生》二典精練，渙然氷釋，心未屬厭。梁龍德元年於商丘開元寺講《名數》一支，所謂精義入神，散則繁衍，因著《瑞應鈔》八卷，達者傳之。生徒影附，繕寫夥多。後唐同光元年，在微子之墟住院，締搆堂宇，輪奐可觀。復塑慈氏、釋迦二尊、十六羅漢像，咸加繢彩，克肖聖儀。善務方辦，俄遘沈痾，以周顯德五年孟秋順終，享齡七十四。當屬纊時，滿院天人雜沓，若迎導之狀，疇昔誓生覩史之昭應也。吏部員外郎李鉉著〈塔銘〉云。

Shi Zhijiang, whose secular surname was Shan, was a native of Nanguan in Sanhe, Youzhou. Originally the son of a wealthy and chivalrous family, even when riding a hobbyhorse he loathed returning to the door of the burning house; when playing with piles of sand, he loved to build stupas. Whenever he caught wind of the teachings of India, his thoughts grew tranquil and his emotions condensed, as if meeting an old friend along the Xiao and Xiang rivers. In the fourth year of Qianning of the Tang (897), when he was just fifteen, he went to Ganhua Temple on Mount Pan to take the vows of a novice, and completed the training of a novice. In the third year of Tianfu (903), he went to Liyuan Temple on Mount Wutai to receive the Prātimokṣa rules. From then on, carrying his umbrella, he sought instruction, choosing trees to lodge in under teachers; he mastered the two scriptures, the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa and the Maitreya-upapatti, understanding them as easily as melting ice, yet his mind was never satisfied. In the first year of Longde of the Liang (921), he lectured on a branch of the 'Categories of Terms' at Kaiyuan Temple in Shangqiu; what is called penetrating subtle meanings miraculously and branching out extensively led him to compose the Ruiying chao in eight rolls, which was transmitted by the adept. Students followed him like shadows, and transcriptions were numerous. In the first year of Tongguang of the Later Tang (923), he resided at a cloister in the ruins of Weizi, constructing halls and buildings that were grand and magnificent. He also sculpted images of the two honored ones, Maitreya and Śākyamuni, and of the sixteen arhats, painting them in bright colors to perfectly resemble the sacred forms. Just as good works were accomplished, he suddenly contracted a severe illness, and passed away peacefully in the first month of autumn in the fifth year of Xiande of the Zhou (958), at the age of seventy-four. As he drew his final breath, the whole cloister was crowded with devas as if welcoming and escorting him, which was a clear resonance of his former vow to be born in Tuṣita. Li Xuan, Vice Director in the Ministry of Personnel, composed the 'Stupa Inscription'.