弘贊法華傳 2.29

2.29

右。沙門闍那崛多。隨云德志。北賢豆楗陀羅國人也。隨云香行國焉。崛多。昆季五人。身居最小。宿植德本。早發道心。適在齠齔。便願出家。二親深識其度。不違所請。本國有寺。名曰大林。遂往歸投。因蒙度脫。崛多。自出家後。孝敬專誠。承誨積年。指歸通觀。二十有七。隨師弘法。以周明帝武成年初。屆長安。止草堂寺。師徒遊化。已果來心。更登淨壇。再受具足。會譙王字文險鎮蜀。復請同行。於彼三年。任盆州僧主。在龍淵寺。譯出前偈。沙門圓明筆受。建德隳運。像教不弘。五眾一朝同斯俗眼。武帝禮之。下勅追入京輦。重加爵祿。逼從儒服。崛多。秉操鏗然。守死無懼。帝愍其貞高。哀而放歸。路出甘州。北由突厥。乃為突厥所留。至開皇五年。大興善寺沙門曇延等三十餘人。以躬當翻譯。音義乖越。承崛多在北。乃奏勅請還。帝依然順許。遣使延訪崛多。西歸已絕。流滯十年。深思明世重遇三寶。忽蒙遠訪。欣願交并。即與使乎。同來入國。于時。文帝巡幸洛陽。於彼奉謁。天子大悅。賜問頻仍。未還京闕。尋勅敷譯。與沙門僧休法粲等。更出眾經。隋滕王。遵仰戒範。奉以為師。因事塵染。流擯東越。又在甌閩。道聲載露。身心兩救。為益極多。至開皇二十年。便從物故。春秋七十有八。

The above: Śramaṇa Jñānagupta, translated in the Sui as Dezhi, was a native of the kingdom of Gandhāra in northern India, which in Sui translation is called the Kingdom of Fragrant Conduct. Gupta was the youngest of five brothers. Having planted roots of virtue in past lives, he early developed the resolve for the way. While still a young child, he wished to leave the household. His parents deeply recognized his capacity and did not go against his request. In his home country there was a monastery named Dalin (Mahāvana); he then went to take refuge there and thus obtained ordination and deliverance. From the time Gupta left the household, he was filial, respectful, dedicated, and sincere. Receiving instruction over accumulated years, he gained a comprehensive understanding of the essential teachings. At the age of twenty-seven, he accompanied his master to propagate the Dharma. In the beginning of the Wucheng era of Emperor Ming of the Northern Zhou, he arrived at Chang'an and stayed at Caotang Monastery. Master and disciple traveled to transform beings, already fulfilling their original wish in coming. He mounted the pure altar once again and received the full precepts anew. It happened that Yuwen Xian, Prince of Qiao, was stationed to garrison Shu, and he again invited him to travel together. There for three years he served as Monastic Overseer of Penzhou. At Longyuan Monastery, he translated the above verses, with the śramaṇa Yuanming acting as scribe. When the fortunes of the Jiande era deteriorated, the semblance teaching was not propagated, and the five assemblies were overnight reduced to the eyes of the common folk. Emperor Wu treated him with courtesy, issuing an edict summoning him to the imperial capital, conferring high ranks and stipends upon him, and forcing him to adopt the robes of a Confucian scholar. Gupta maintained his integrity resoundingly, facing death without fear. Pitying his unbending virtue, the Emperor took compassion on him and released him to return [home]. His route took him through Ganzhou and northward through the Turks, where he was detained by the Turks. In the fifth year of the Kaihuang era, Śramaṇa Danyan and more than thirty others from Daxingshan Monastery, being themselves engaged in translation and finding the pronunciations and meanings discordant, learned that Gupta was in the north and submitted a memorial requesting an imperial edict to summon him back. The Emperor readily consented and sent envoys to invite and seek him out. Gupta's hopes of returning west had already been cut off; stranded for ten years, he deeply longed in this enlightened age to meet again with the Three Jewels. Suddenly receiving this distant quest, joy and aspiration mingled together, and he immediately accompanied the emissaries to enter the state. At that time, Emperor Wen was on an imperial progress to Luoyang, and he had audience with him there. The Son of Heaven was greatly pleased, repeatedly bestowing gifts and inquiries. Before returning to the imperial capital, the Emperor promptly decreed that translations be expounded; together with the śramaṇas Sengxiu, Facan, and others, he further translated various sūtras. Prince Teng of the Sui revered his precept-observing model and honored him as his master. Because of an involvement in worldly affairs, he was banished to Dongyue; while in Oumin, the renown of his way became renowned again, rescuing both bodies and minds and bringing immense benefit. In the twentieth year of the Kaihuang era, he passed away at the age of seventy-eight.