[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [神僧傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064) › 1.21.1 # 神僧傳 1.21.1 神僧傳 1.21.1 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.21.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.1.21.1) 佛圖澄者。 西域人也。 本姓白氏。 少出家清真務學。 誦經數百萬言。 以永嘉四年來適洛陽。 志弘大法。 善念神呪。 能役使鬼物。 以麻油雜臙脂塗掌。 千里外事皆徹見掌中如對面焉。 亦能令潔齋者見。 又聽鈴音以言事無不效驗。 欲於洛陽立寺。 值劉曜寇洛臺帝京擾亂。 澄立寺之志遂不果。 乃潛身草野以觀世變。 時石勒屯兵葛陂。 專以殺戮為威沙門遇害者甚眾。 澄憫念蒼生欲以道化勒。 於是杖策到軍門。 勒大將郭黑略素奉法。 澄即投止黑略家。 黑略從受五戒。 崇弟子之禮。 黑略後從勒征伐。 輒預剋勝負。 勒疑而問曰。 孤不覺卿有出眾智謀。 而每知行軍吉凶何也。 黑略曰。 將軍天挺神武幽靈所助。 有一沙門知術非常。 云將軍當略有區夏。 已應為師。 臣前後所白皆其言也。 勒喜曰。 天賜也。 召澄問曰。 佛道有何靈驗。 澄知勒不達深理。 止可以道術為教。 因言曰。 至道雖遠亦可以近事為證。 即取器盛水燒香呪之。 須臾生青蓮華。 光色耀目。 勒由此信伏。 澄因諫曰。 夫王者德化洽於宇內。 則四靈表瑞。 政弊道銷。 則彗孛見於上。 恒象著見休咎隨行。 斯乃古今之常理。 天人之明戒。 勒甚悅之。 凡應被誅殘。 蒙其利益者十有八九。 於是中州之胡皆願奉佛。 時有痼疾世莫能治者。 澄為醫療應時疾瘳。 勒自葛陂還河北過枋頭。 入夜欲斫營。 澄語黑略曰。 須臾賊至。 可令公知。 果如其言。 有備故不敗。 勒欲試澄。 夜冠冑衣甲執刃而坐。 遣人告澄云。 夜來不知大將軍所在。 使人始至。 未及有言。 澄逆問曰。 平居無寇何故夜嚴。 勒益敬之。 勒後因忿欲害諸道士并欲苦澄。 澄乃避至黑略舍。 語弟子曰。 若將軍使至問吾所在者。 報云。 不知所之。 使人尋至覓澄不得。 使還報勒。 勒驚曰。 吾有惡意向聖人。 聖人捨我去矣。 通夜不寢思欲見澄。 澄知勒意悔。 明旦造勒。 勒曰。 昨夜何行。 澄曰。 公有怒心。 昨故權避。 公今改意是以敢來。 勒大笑曰。 道人謬耳。 襄國城塹水源在城西北五里團丸祠下。 其水暴竭。 勒問澄。 何以致水。 澄曰。 今當勅龍。 勒字世龍。 謂澄嘲己。 答曰。 正以龍不能致水。 故相問耳。 澄曰。 此誠言非戲也。 水泉之源必有神龍居之。 往以勅語告之水必可得。 乃與弟子法首等數人至泉源上。 其源故處久已乾燥。 坼如車轍。 從者心疑。 恐水難得。 澄坐繩床燒安息香。 呪願數百言。 如此三日水泫然微流。 有一小龍。 長五六寸許。 隨水來出。 諸道士競往視之。 澄曰。 龍有毒勿臨其上。 有頃水大至隍塹皆滿。 澄閑坐歎曰。 後二日當有一小人驚動此下。 既而襄國人薛合有二子。 既小且驕。 輕侮鮮卑奴。 奴忿抽刀刺殺其弟。 執兄于室以刀擬心。 若人入室便欲加手。 謂薛合曰送我還國我活汝兒。 不然共死。 於此內外驚愕莫敢往觀。 勒乃自往視之。 謂薛合曰。 送奴以全卿子誠為善事。 此法一聞方為後害。 卿且寬情。 國有常憲命人取奴。 奴遂殺兒而死。 鮮卑段波攻勒。 其眾甚盛。 勒懼問澄。 澄曰。 昨寺鈴鳴云。 明旦食時當擒段波。 勒登城望波軍不見前後。 失色曰。 軍行地傾。 波豈可獲是公安我辭耳。 更遣夔安問澄。 澄曰。 已獲波矣。 時城北伏兵出遇波執之。 澄勸勒宥波遣還本國。 勒從之。 卒獲其用。 時劉載已死。 載從弟曜篡襲偽位。 稱元光初。 光初八年曜遣從弟中山王岳。 將兵攻勒。 勒遣石虎率步騎拒之。 大戰洛西。 岳敗保石梁塢虎堅柵守之。 澄與弟子自官寺至中寺。 始入寺門。 歎曰。 劉岳可憫。 弟子法祚問其故。 澄曰。 昨亥時岳已被執。 果如所言。 光初十一年曜自率兵攻洛陽。 > Fotudeng was a native of the Western Regions. His original surname was Bo. He renounced household life in his youth, was pure and devoted to learning, and recited several million words of sūtras. In the fourth year of the Yongjia era, he came to Luoyang, resolved to propagate the great Dharma. He was adept at chanting divine incantations and could command ghosts and spirits. By mixing sesame oil with rouge and smearing it on his palms, affairs from a thousand li away could be clearly seen in his palms as if face to face; he could also enable those who observed fasting and purifications to see. Moreover, when he listened to the sound of bells to pronounce on affairs, he was never without verification. He wished to establish a monastery in Luoyang, but encountered Liu Yao's invasion of the Luoyang terraces, plunging the imperial capital into chaos. Deng's aspiration to establish a monastery was consequently not fulfilled, so he concealed himself among the grasses and wilds to observe the changes of the world. At that time, Shi Le was garrisoning troops at Gebei, relying solely on slaughter as his authority, and many śramaṇas were killed. Pitying the living beings, Deng wished to transform Shi Le through the Way. Thereupon, resting on his staff, he went to the army gates. Le's senior general Guo Heilüe had long revered the Dharma; Deng immediately took shelter at Heilüe's home. Heilüe received the five precepts from him and treated him with the courtesy due to a master. Later, when Heilüe accompanied Le on military campaigns, he foresaw victory and defeat every time. Le grew suspicious and asked, 'I have not noticed that you possess outstanding wisdom or stratagems, yet you always know the fortune of the army's movements; why is that?' Heilüe said, 'The General is endowed by Heaven with divine martial prowess, aided by the unseen spirits. There is a śramaṇa whose knowledge and arts are extraordinary; he says that the General will conquer the Central Plain and that he should already be your master. Everything I have reported before was his words.' Le was delighted and said, 'A gift from Heaven!' He summoned Deng and asked, 'What spiritual efficacy does the Buddha's Way possess?' Deng knew that Le did not comprehend profound principles and could only be instructed through arts of the Way. He therefore said, 'Although the Supreme Way is remote, it can also be verified by near matters.' He immediately took a vessel, filled it with water, burned incense, and chanted incantations over it. In an instant, blue lotuses grew forth, their radiant colors dazzling the eyes. Le thereby believed and submitted. Deng then admonished him, saying, 'When the virtuous transformation of a king permeates the universe, the four auspicious beasts manifest good omens; when governance decays and the Way declines, comets appear above. Constellations manifest clearly, and good and ill fortune follow one's actions. This is the constant principle of past and present, the clear warning between Heaven and humanity.' Le was exceedingly pleased. Of all those who were due to be executed or maimed, eight or nine out of ten benefited from his intervention. Thereupon, the northern tribesmen of the Central Plains all wished to revere the Buddha. At that time, there were chronic illnesses that the world could not cure; Deng treated them with medicine, and they were healed in response. When Le returned north of the Yellow River from Gebei, passing through Fangtou, \[the enemy\] intended to raid his camp at night. Deng said to Heilüe, 'The bandits will arrive in a moment; you may inform the Duke.' It turned out just as he had said; because they were prepared, they were not defeated. Le wished to test Deng; at night, wearing a helmet and armor and holding a blade, he sat and sent someone to tell Deng, 'Tonight we do not know where the Senior General is.' The messenger had just arrived and had not yet spoken when Deng preemptively asked, 'In peacetime without bandits, why are you heavily armed at night?' Le respected him all the more. Later, in an anger, Le wished to harm all the religious practitioners and also make Deng suffer. Deng then avoided him and went to Heilüe's residence, telling his disciples, 'If the General's messenger arrives and asks where I am, reply that you do not know where I went.' The messenger arrived shortly, but could not find Deng. The messenger returned and reported to Le. Le was startled and said, 'I harbored ill intentions toward the holy man; the holy man has abandoned me and left!' He did not sleep all night, longing to see Deng. Deng knew that Le regretted his actions, and the next morning he visited Le. Le said, 'Where did you go last night?' Deng said, 'You had wrath in your heart, so yesterday I temporarily avoided you. Now you have changed your mind, and for that reason I dared to come.' Le laughed heartily and said, 'The man of the Way is mistaken!' The water source for the moat of Xiangguo city was five li northwest of the city, below the Tuanwan Shrine. The water suddenly dried up. Le asked Deng, 'How can water be brought forth?' Deng said, 'Now I must command the dragon.' Le's courtesy name was Shilong ('Generational Dragon'); thinking Deng was mocking him, he replied, 'It is precisely because the dragon cannot bring forth water that I asked you.' Deng said, 'These are sincere words, not in jest. In the source of the spring, there must be a divine dragon dwelling; if we go and address it with a command, water can certainly be obtained.' He then went to the spring source with several disciples, including Fashou. The old site of the source had long been parched, cracked like cart ruts. His followers doubted in their hearts, fearing that water would be difficult to obtain. Deng sat on a rope bed, burned benzoin incense, and chanted incantations and prayers of several hundred words. After three days like this, water trickled out faintly. There was a small dragon, five or six inches long, that emerged following the water. The practitioners vied to go look at it. Deng said, 'The dragon has venom; do not approach it.' Shortly afterward, water arrived in great volume, filling the moats completely. Deng sat at leisure and sighed, 'In two days, a petty person will cause a disturbance here.' Soon after, a man of Xiangguo named Xue He had two sons, who were both young and arrogant. They insulted a Xianbei slave; the slave was enraged, drew a knife, and stabbed the younger brother to death. He seized the elder brother in the room and held the knife to his heart; if anyone entered the room, he would strike. He said to Xue He, 'Send me back to my state and I will let your son live; otherwise, we will die together.' At this, everyone inside and outside was terrified and dared not go to look. Le went in person to see it, and said to Xue He, 'Sending the slave back to preserve your son is indeed a good deed, but once this precedent is known, it will create future harm. Bear your grief for now; the state has standard laws.' He ordered men to seize the slave. The slave thereupon killed the boy and died. Duan Bo of the Xianbei attacked Le; his forces were very strong. Le was terrified and asked Deng. Deng said, 'Yesterday the monastery bell rang, saying, "Tomorrow at mealtime, Duan Bo will be captured."' Le mounted the wall to look at Bo's army; unable to see its front or rear, he paled and said, 'As the army marches, the earth tilts. How can Bo be captured? These are just words to comfort me.' He again sent Kui An to ask Deng. Deng said, 'Bo has already been captured.' At that time, ambushers north of the city emerged, encountered Bo, and captured him. Deng advised Le to pardon Bo and send him back to his native state; Le complied, and eventually obtained his service. At that time, Liu Zai had died; Zai's cousin Yao usurped the illegitimate throne and proclaimed the first year of the Guangchu era. In the eighth year of Guangchu, Yao sent his cousin Yue, King of Zhongshan, leading troops to attack Le. Le sent Shi Hu leading infantry and cavalry to resist him. A great battle was fought west of Luoyang; Yue was defeated and held Shiliangwu, while Hu built strong palisades to besiege him. Deng, accompanied by his disciples, was going from the Official Monastery to the Middle Monastery; just as he entered the monastery gate, he sighed and said, 'Liu Yue is pitiable!' His disciple Fazuo asked the reason, and Deng said, 'Yesterday at the hai hour, Yue was already captured.' It turned out just as he had said. In the eleventh year of Guangchu, Yao personally led troops to attack Luoyang. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.1.20) - [Next: 1.21.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.1.21.2) - [Up: 1.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.1.21) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064~en-mt.1.21.1) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.1.21.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.1.21.1) · Pramāṇa