[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) › 5.52 # 神僧傳 5.52 神僧傳 5.52 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [5.52](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.5.52) 僧大志。會稽顧氏子。發蒙出家師事天台智者。智者見其形神洒落高放物表。取名大志。誦法華經索然閑靜。音聲清轉聽者忘疲。後於廬山甘露行頭陀行。有時投身猛獸彼皆避去。飡粒若盡惟以餅果繼命而已。如是七載禪誦不休。晚住持福林寺。會大業中屏除佛教。慨大法陵遲。遂身著孝衣於佛堂中慟哭三日。誓捨形骸申明正教。即往東都上表曰。願陛下興隆三寶。貧道當然一臂於嵩岳用報國恩。帝許之。遂設大齋七眾通集。師絕糧三日登大棚中。布裹其臂灌之以蠟。如炬燃之。光照巖岫晃然大明。眾見苦行痛入心髓。而志形色不變。或誦經文。或讚佛德。或為眾說法。聲聲不絕。燒已下棚。跏趺入定七日而卒。 > The monk Dazhi was a son of the Gu clan of Kuaiji. While still a youth, he renounced household life and served Zhiyi of Tiantai as his master. Zhiyi, seeing that his form and spirit were unrestrained and elevated far above worldly matters, gave him the name Dazhi ('Great Aspiration'). He recited the Lotus Sūtra in detached serenity; the sound of his voice was so clear and melodious that listeners forgot their weariness. Later, he practiced dhūta austerities at Ganlu on Mount Lu. At times he cast himself before ferocious beasts, but they all avoided him and went away. When his provisions of grain were exhausted, he merely sustained his life on cakes and fruits. Like this, his meditation and recitation were ceaseless for seven years. Later in life, he presided over Fulin Monastery. It happened that during the Daye era Buddhism was suppressed. Lamenting the decline of the Great Dharma, he put on mourning clothes and wept bitterly in the Buddha hall for three days, vowing to sacrifice his body to clarify the true teaching. He immediately went to the Eastern Capital and submitted a memorial saying: 'May Your Majesty cause the Three Jewels to flourish. This poor monk will surely burn an arm on Mount Song to repay the imperial kindness.' The emperor granted permission. Thereupon, a great vegetarian feast was set, and the seven assemblies gathered together. The master abstained from food for three days and climbed onto a large scaffold. Wrapping his arm in cloth and pouring wax over it, he ignited it like a torch. The light illuminated the cliffs and peaks, dazzling with great brilliance. The crowd, seeing this ascetic practice, felt the pain penetrate to their heart and marrow, yet Dazhi's expression did not change. At times he recited sūtra passages, at times praised the Buddha's virtues, and at times expounded the Dharma for the multitude, voice after voice without interruption. Having burned it, he descended from the scaffold, sat cross-legged, entered samādhi, and passed away after seven days. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 5.51](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.5.51) - [Next: 5.53](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.5.53) - [Up: 5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.5) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064~en-mt.5.52) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.5.52](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2064.5.52) · Pramāṇa