宋高僧傳 6.16

6.16

釋元浩，姓秦氏，字廣成，吳門人也。綺歲依晉陵靈山寺慧日禪師出家，具滿律戒，配本州龍興寺，尋為荊溪湛然禪師囑累弟子。初受《法華》、《止觀》，已得醍醐，唯以裂大網、感大果、成大行、歸大處以為大願。宴居三昧，常隨佛後，希夷自得，人莫能知。其祕密深遠如海印三昧，不言出處，常行佛事。與夫難行苦行，更相祖述，默傳心要；為論為記、靈芝瑞草，以為功德。傳於後世者，不同日而語矣。浩注解《大涅槃經》，為文首序，德美圓實，志願顯現。蓋錄其所證之意，而見于文，曰：「余聞先覺之大寶曰『常』，在宥布和之盛典曰『教』，率土知化之歸宗曰『行』，交感人心之至極曰『證』，然則以道行御其時，以法性合其運，當應物之際，與顯晦同其光，恢張至化而自他昭著者，實播厥鴻名。欽恭聞思，協和至極，四德克彰者，實存乎妙體。格變群家，歷觀諸行，至典克修，庶績有成者，實賴乎宗本。信以授人，大明宗極，敷暢厥旨，庶幾有補於將來者，實存乎妙用。博綜群言以立誠訓，風行十方率用歸順者，實存乎妙教矣。」此浩之法要，如王輔嗣之法〈繫辭〉，司馬遷之〈自敘〉，管仲能言〈輕重〉，孟子之傳《春秋》，雖儒、釋不同，其義一也。以元和十二年十一月十一日示疾，右脇累足，入于涅槃，非二乘境界，真如來定也。明年十一月十三日闍維，起塔於蘇州西北虎丘東山南原也。浩耽學味道，不涉餘事，常隨然師聽其言說，曾無倦色。分析義理，派流川注，必默記而暗誦，一言不失。數年之後，人始知之。然師曰：「回也如愚」罕為人說，多辭以不能，及被梁、田二君苦勸請之，始著《涅槃經解述》。浩與上都雲華寺華嚴澄觀法師，若孔門之游、夏焉。其儒流受業，翰林學士梁公肅、蘇州刺史田公敦。緇流受業者，智恒、子瑜、道儒、仲儀、仲良五人，持經講論，傳之無窮。大比丘尼識微、道巽、志真、悟極，此四人者高潔之倫，深練禪觀。初浩為二官所請注經，預夢甚為奇特。又庭階生花，非人間恒所見者。祥鳥飛馴，五彩絕異。刺史崔恭撰塔碑，立于虎丘山羅漢石壇之左。後有行滿、道暹、明曠皆著述，廣天台之道歟。

Śramaṇa Yuanhao, whose secular surname was Qin and whose courtesy name was Guangcheng, was a native of Wumen. In his youth, he relied on Chan Master Huiri of Lingshan Temple in Jinling to renounce household life. Having received the full Vinaya precepts, he was assigned to Longxing Temple in his home prefecture, and soon became an entrusted disciple of Chan Master Zhanran of Jingxi. When he first received the Lotus Sūtra and Calming and Contemplation, he had already obtained the ghee; he took as his great vows only the tearing through of the great net, the resonance with the great fruit, the accomplishment of the great practice, and the return to the great place. Resting peacefully in samādhi, he constantly followed behind the Buddha; ethereal and self-possessed, no one could comprehend him. His secret and profound state was like the Ocean-Seal Samādhi; without speaking of his origins, he constantly performed Buddhist deeds. Together with difficult and ascetic practices, he successively passed down the heritage and silently transmitted the heart essence. Composing treatises and records, he regarded them as numinous mushrooms and auspicious grasses of merit. That these have been transmitted to later generations cannot be spoken of in the same breath [with ordinary writings]! Yuanhao commented upon the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra and composed a preface for the work, the moral beauty of which was complete and true, and his aspirations clearly manifested. It recorded the intentions of his realization, appearing in his text as follows: 'I have heard that the great treasure of former awakened ones is called the "eternal"; the grand canonical ceremony of forgiving and distributing harmony is called the "teaching"; the lineage of return whereby all under heaven know transformation is called "practice"; and the ultimate limit of mutual resonance with the human heart is called "realization." Thus, governing the times with the practice of the Way, and according with destiny through Dharma-nature, at the juncture of responding to things, sharing its light with both manifest and hidden, expanding the supreme transformation so that self and other become illustrious—this truly spreads its magnificent name! Reverently cultivating hearing and contemplating, harmonizing with the supreme limit, so that the four virtues can be manifest—this truly abides in the wondrous essence. Correcting the deviations of various schools, surveying the myriad practices, so that the supreme canon can be cultivated and the diverse undertakings achieved—this truly relies on the ancestral root. Transmitting with faith to others, brightly illuminating the ancestral ultimate, and expounding its purports so as to perhaps provide aid to the future—this truly abides in the wondrous function. Comprehensively synthesizing various sayings to establish sincere instructions, so that like wind blowing over the ten directions everyone follows and submits—this truly abides in the wondrous teaching.' These were Yuanhao's essentials of the Dharma, like Wang Bi's taking the 'Xici' as the model, Sima Qian's 'Self-Narration,' Guan Zhong's ability to speak on the 'Light and Heavy,' and Mencius's transmission of the Spring and Autumn Annals; though Confucianism and Buddhism differ, their principle is one. On the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the twelfth year of Yuanhe, he manifested illness, lay on his right side with feet folded, and entered nirvāṇa; this was not the realm of the two vehicles, but the true samādhi of the Tathāgata. On the thirteenth day of the eleventh month of the following year, his body was cremated, and a stupa was erected on the southern plain of East Mount at Huqiu, northwest of Suzhou. Yuanhao was devoted to learning and savoured the Way, not involving himself in other matters; he constantly followed Master Zhanran to listen to his discourses, never showing a tired countenance. In analyzing principles, his words flowed like streams and gushed like rivers, and he always silently noted and memorized them, without missing a single word. Only after several years did people begin to recognize him. Master Zhanran said, 'Yan Hui seemed foolish.' He rarely expounded for others, often declining on grounds of inability; only when earnestly urged and requested by Gentlemen Liang and Tian did he first compose the Niepan jing jieshu. Yuanhao and Dharma Master Chengguan of the Huayan school at Yunhua Temple in the Upper Capital were like Ziyou and Zixia among Confucius's disciples. Among Confucian scholars who received instruction from him were Hanlin Academician Lord Liang Su and Prefect of Suzhou Lord Tian Dun. Among monks who received instruction from him were the five men Zhiheng, Ziyu, Daoru, Zhongyi, and Zhongliang, who upheld scriptures, lectured, and discussed, transmitting them endlessly. The great bhikṣuṇīs Shiwei, Daoxun, Zhizhen, and Wuji—these four were of an elevated and pure sort, deeply trained in dhyāna contemplation. When Yuanhao was first requested by the two officials to annotate the scripture, he had an exceedingly remarkable prophetic dream. Moreover, flowers bloomed on the courtyard steps that were not commonly seen in the mortal world. Auspicious birds flew down and grew tame, their five colours extraordinarily rare. Prefect Cui Gong composed the stupa stele, which was erected to the left of the Arhat Stone Altar on Mount Huqiu. Later, Xingman, Daoxian, and Mingkuang all composed works, broadening the Way of Tiantai.