宋高僧傳 5.11

5.11

釋智昇，未詳何許人也。義理懸通，二乘俱學，然於「毘尼」，尤善其宗。此外，文性愈高，博達今古，每慊聶道真、道安，至于明佺、宣律師各著《大藏》目錄，記其翻傳年代人物者，謂之晉錄、魏、漢等錄，乃於開元十八年歲次庚午，撰《開元釋教錄》二十卷，最為精要。何耶？諸師於同本異出、舊目新名，多惑其文，真偽相亂。或一經為兩本，或支品作別翻，一一裁量，少無過者。如其舊錄江泌女子誦出經，黜而不留，可謂藻鑑。杜塞妖偽之源，有茲獨斷。後之圓照《貞元錄》也，文體意宗，相岠不知幾百數里哉。麟德中道宣出《內典錄》十卷，靖邁出《圖紀》四卷，昇各續一卷。經法之譜，無出昇之右矣。

Shi Zhisheng: it is unknown where he was from. He had an overarching comprehension of doctrine and studied both vehicles, but in the vinaya he was particularly adept in its school. Furthermore, his literary talent was ever more elevated, and he was broadly conversant with the past and present. Always dissatisfied with Nie Daozhen, Dao'an, down to Mingquan and Vinaya Master [Dao]xuan each composing catalogues of the Tripiṭaka recording the dates and figures of translation and transmission—termed the Jin Catalogue, Wei, Han, and other catalogues—he thereupon compiled the Kaiyuan Shijiao lu (Kaiyuan Era Catalogue of Buddhist Teachings) in twenty scrolls in the eighteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the gengwu year, which was the most precise and essential. Why so? The various masters were mostly confused by the texts regarding different versions of the same original and old titles versus new names, confounding the authentic and the spurious. Either one scripture was made into two copies, or an excerpted chapter was taken as a separate translation; he judged each and every one, erring in scarcely anything. As when he eliminated without keeping the sūtras recited by the daughter of Jiang Mi in the old catalogues, he may be called discerning. In blocking the source of deceptive fabrications, he possessed this independent judgment. As for the Zhenyuan lu of Yuanzhao later, in literary style and intended doctrine, how many hundreds of li apart were they! During the Linde era, Daoxuan produced the Neidian lu in ten scrolls, and Jingmai produced the Tu ji in four scrolls; Zhisheng continued each with one scroll. In the lineage records of scriptures and dharmas, none surpassed Zhisheng.