淨土往生傳 2.4

2.4

釋智顗。俗姓陳其先潁川人。有晉遷都。寓居于荊州之華容。母徐氏。懷顗屢感異夢。及誕室內洞明踰日。乃止襁褓之間。臥即合掌。坐即面西。殆其總角。喜往伽藍。僧有奇其志尚。口授法華普門品。纔及一過則通誦之。志學之年。北度硤州。依學于舅氏。十八遇湘州果願寺緒法師。從而落髮。緒授十戒。令就慧曠律師北面橫經。續潛大賢山。誦無量義及法華普賢觀經。浹旬未再。三部終焉。次依光州大蘇山思禪師。思見顗曰。昔在靈山同聽法華。勝緣所資。今復會此。首示普賢道場。及說四安樂行。顗止蘇山。行法華三昧。始三夕至藥王品是真精進句。解悟開發。且見與思共在靈山聽佛說法。翌日白思。思曰。非爾弗感。非我弗知。此乃法華三昧前方便也。未幾又入熙州白沙山。如前入觀。於經有疑。輒見思來冥為披釋。其後思令代講。聞者伏之。惟於三三昧三觀智用以諮審。餘皆炳然自曉。思於座下觀聽。謂學徒曰。此吾之義兒也。但恨定力少矣。於是道俗改觀。名聞遐邇。尋而別思。思曰。汝於陳國有緣。往必饒益。顗乃間適金陵。於瓦官寺。大弘禪法。僕射徐陵。與時貴望。咸叩問之。然顗賦性恬怡。不樂紛擾。出處動靜。率思林澤。陳光大中。曾夢巖崖千仞。雲日半垂。滄溟萬里。渺無堤岸。遙見一僧在其巖頂。招手伸臂。至于岐麓。挽顗而上詰。旦具言其夢。人或告曰。此必會稽之天台爾。晉宋以來。僧光道猷法蘭曇密之徒。皆棲焉。顗欣其說。與慧辯等二十餘僧。相與南征其山。先有僧定光。棲之已四十年。顗之未至前二年。光謂人曰。善知識來。爾宜辦事。以待其闕。及顗之至。歡然相接。且問之曰。善知識。憶吾早年招手伸臂以相挽不。顗乃驚悚。知昔之夢有靈矣。旋聞鐘聲遍徹山谷。顗以山谷無寺。頗怪異之。光曰。鐘是召集有緣。爾得住也。何怪焉。洎將營寺。光曰。可以隨宜安堵。至國清時。當有貴人為立寺矣。後二年宣皇帝。聞顗道行果勅立寺。又知僧徒所在景附。特割始豐縣資賦。以充給之。顗居其寺。每膺夏制。講淨名經。一旦講次。倏見三道寶階自天來降。又復有數梵僧。乘階而下手。擎香鑪繞顗三匝。久而乃滅。識者以為石橋聖眾。明示印認。使固其心焉。永陽王百智。以師事顗。及其出撫吳會全家就山。以請戒法。宣帝亦甞問曰。方今釋門誰為名勝。近臣陳喧曰。瓦官禪師真為名勝。往在京輦群賢所宗。今遁天台物情失附。願陛下詔迴。規訓道俗。帝乃疊降璽書詔之。顗至都下帝勅群臣。迎入太極殿之東堂。講智度論。又詔羊車童子引導於前。又宣中書舍人。翼從於後。于時天下檢括僧尼。無籍貫者。萬計朝議。以其寡經業者。盡搜簡之。顗諫曰。調達誦六萬象經。不免地獄。盤特諷一行法偈。獲登聖果。篤論道也。豈多誦哉。宣帝大悅。遂停搜簡。俄夢一人。部從嚴整。前而告曰。余冠達也。請住三橋。顗曰。冠達梁武法名也。三橋非光宅耶。乃移居之。其年夏四月。陳主幸寺。請講仁王經。帝於眾中。起拜殷勤。儲后嬪妃。並崇戒範。仍具文曰。惟師化導。無方隨機濟物。衛護國土。汲引天人。又曰。今欲罄其本願。請為菩薩戒師。冀流慈忍。如朕意焉。顗升高座。帝於座下執弟子禮。及金陵敗。覆事歸楊氏。晉王時在楊州。亦欲咨受戒法。躬制文曰。弟子承基積善。生在皇家。庭訓早趨。貽教夙漸。又曰。和尚名稱遠聞。眾所知識故。茲虔仰命檝遠迎。顗屆楊州。王陳千僧法會稟受焉。受已顗告王曰。大士超度總攝為先。詮名表實。今昔同然。王可法名總持用彰其實。王頂受之。王於眾中。亦告顗曰。禪師智德。內融慈忍外發降伏天人。制諸魔外。願號智者。下副群心。因捨異物。六十餘事。顗迴其物。俱賑貧乏。後還舊山。一心在定。他日由禪定起。謂弟子智越曰。吾之幻質旦夕云滅。汝於石城。嚴持香華。俟吾以謝此報。及顗至之施床。西向念彌陀佛與二菩薩。及於淨土化佛與化菩薩。來相擁護。又囑弟子。多燃香燭。又挹三衣鉢杖。以近其身。有欲進齊食者。師曰。能無攀緣。即真齊矣。又索香湯。漱淨舌根。說十如四不生十法界三觀四智四無量六波羅蜜等法。僧有問其所證。答曰。吾不領眾。必淨六根。為他損己。退歸五品內位。爾又曰。人命將終。聞鐘磬聲增其正念。汝宜鳴磬以增吾念。乃自跏趺。於彌陀像前終焉。

Shi Zhiyi. His secular surname was Chen, and his ancestors were people of Yingchuan. When the Jin moved its capital, they took up residence in Huarong of Jingzhou. His mother, Lady Xu, repeatedly experienced miraculous dreams while pregnant with Zhiyi. When he was born, the room was brightly illuminated; only after a full day had passed did it cease. While still in swaddling clothes, whenever he lay down he joined his palms, and whenever he sat he faced the west. When he reached childhood, he delighted in visiting monasteries. A monk marveled at his aspiration and orally taught him the 'Universal Gate Chapter' of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka; after only a single hearing, he could recite it thoroughly. At the age when his mind was set on learning, he crossed northward into Xiazhou, relying on his maternal uncle for study. At eighteen, he met Dharma Master Xu of Guoyuan Monastery in Xiangzhou and thereupon had his head shaved. Xu conferred the ten precepts upon him and bade him go to Vinaya Master Huikuang, facing north with his scriptures horizontally laid. Afterward, he secluded himself on Mount Daxian, reciting the Amitārtha Sūtra, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, and the Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra; before two decads had elapsed, he had finished reciting all three texts. Next, he placed his reliance on Dhyāna Master Si on Mount Dasu in Guangzhou. When Si saw Zhiyi, he said: 'Formerly on Vulture Peak, we listened together to the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka. Aided by that supreme condition, we now meet again here.' He first showed him the Samantabhadra bodhimaṇḍa and explained the four pleasant practices. Zhiyi stayed on Mount Su and practiced the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka samādhi. Beginning on the third night, when he reached the phrase 'This is true vigor' in the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', his understanding opened up and was awakened, and he saw himself together with Si on Vulture Peak listening to the Buddha preach the Dharma. The next day, he reported this to Si. Si said: 'Were it not for you, it could not have been sensed; were it not for me, it could not have been known. This is the preliminary expedient of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka samādhi.' Not long after, he entered Mount Baisha in Xizhou, entering into contemplation as before. Whenever he had doubts about a scripture, he would see Si come and mysteriously explicate it for him. Later, Si had him lecture in his stead, and all who heard him submitted in admiration. Zhiyi only consulted him regarding the cognitive application of the three samādhis and three contemplations; as for the rest, he clearly understood it on his own. Si sat below the seat observing and listening, and said to his students: 'This is my son of the Dharma! I only regret that his meditative power is still slight.' Thereupon, monastics and laypeople looked upon him with new respect, and his renown spread far and wide. Soon after, he took leave of Si. Si said: 'You have karmic ties with the state of Chen; if you go, it will surely bring immense benefit.' Zhiyi then traveled leisurely to Jinling, where he broadly propagated the Dhyāna methods at Waguan Monastery. Left Vice Director Xu Ling and the prominent nobles of the time all came to inquire of him. Yet Zhiyi was by nature tranquil and serene, finding no joy in bustle and turmoil; whether taking office or retiring, whether moving or at rest, his thoughts were always with the forests and marshes. During the Guangda era of Chen, he once dreamed of a thousand-fathom cliff where clouds and sun hung halfway, and ten thousand leagues of vast ocean stretched boundlessly without shore. In the distance, he saw a monk atop the cliff, waving his hand and extending his arm all the way down to the foot of the bifurcated peak, pulling Zhiyi upward. In the morning, he described the dream in detail, and someone said to him: 'This must surely be Mount Tiantai in Kuaiji. Since the Jin and Song dynasties, the likes of Sengguang, Daoyou, Falan, and Tanmi have all dwelled there.' Zhiyi rejoiced at his words, and together with Huibian and more than twenty monks, he journeyed south toward that mountain. Formerly, a monk named Dingguang had already lived there for forty years. Two years before Zhiyi arrived, Guang had told people: 'A good friend will come. You should prepare tasks to attend to his needs.' When Zhiyi arrived, Guang joyfully received him and asked him: 'Good friend, do you remember when I waved my hand and extended my arm in earlier years to pull you up?' Zhiyi was startled and awed, knowing that his earlier dream had been spiritual. Soon, the sound of a bell was heard echoing throughout the mountain valley. Because there was no temple in the valley, Zhiyi found it quite strange. Guang said: 'The bell is summoning those with karmic affinity; it is because you are able to dwell here. Why be surprised?' When they were about to build a monastery, Guang said: 'You may settle down according to what is appropriate for now. When the country is pure and peaceful, there will surely be a person of noble rank to erect a monastery for you.' Two years later, Emperor Xuan, hearing of Zhiyi's conduct in the Way, indeed decreed the construction of a monastery; furthermore, knowing that monks and followers everywhere were gathering around him like shadows, he specially set aside the revenue and taxes of Shifeng County to supply them. Zhiyi resided at that monastery, and whenever he undertook the summer retreat, he lectured on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra. One day during the lectures, he suddenly saw three jeweled stairways descend from heaven; moreover, several Indian monks descended the stairs, holding incense burners in their hands, circumambulating Zhiyi three times, and after a long while they vanished. Those who knew regarded them as the holy assembly of the Stone Bridge, clearly bestowing confirmation to strengthen his mind. Prince Bai Zhi of Yongyang served Zhiyi as his master, and when he went out to govern the Wu and Kuaiji regions, his entire family came to the mountain to request the precept transmission. Emperor Xuan also once asked: 'Who among the Buddhist sangha today is eminent and celebrated?' His close courtier Chen Xuan replied: 'The Dhyāna Master of Waguan is truly eminent and celebrated. Formerly in the capital, he was the model for the worthy; now he has retired to Tiantai, and the people have lost their reliance. I hope Your Majesty will summon him back to instruct monastics and laypeople.' The emperor thereupon repeatedly issued imperial decrees to summon him. When Zhiyi arrived at the capital, the emperor ordered his officials to welcome him into the Eastern Hall of Taiji Palace to lecture on the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa. He also decreed that a child driving a sheep-drawn carriage lead the way in front, and commanded the Palace Cadets of the Secretariat to follow in attendance behind. At that time, throughout the empire there was an investigation of monks and nuns, and those without official registries were numbered in the tens of thousands. The court deliberated on thoroughly searching out and weeding out those deficient in scriptural learning. Zhiyi admonished: 'Devadatta recited sixty thousand elephant-loads of scriptures, yet could not escape hell; Panthaka chanted only a single verse on the Dharma, yet attained the holy fruit. A profound discussion of the Way—how could it consist of much recitation?' Emperor Xuan was greatly pleased and thereupon halted the search and purge. Soon afterward, Zhiyi dreamed of a man whose retinue was strict and imposing, who came forward and told him: 'I am Guanda. I request that you reside at Sanqiao.' Zhiyi said: 'Guanda was the Dharma name of Emperor Wu of Liang. Does Sanqiao not refer to Guangzhai Monastery?' He then moved to reside there. In the fourth month, summer of that year, the ruler of Chen visited the monastery and requested a lecture on the Benevolent Kings Sūtra. The emperor bowed earnestly among the assembly, and the crown prince and imperial consorts all revered the standards of the precepts. He further drew up a text, saying: 'Only the Master's transforming guidance is boundless, rescuing beings according to their capacities, safeguarding the realm, and guiding gods and humans.' He also stated: 'Now I wish to fulfill my original vow, asking you to be my master for the bodhisattva precepts, hoping that you will bestow your kind forbearance in accordance with my wish.' Zhiyi ascended the high seat, and the emperor observed the etiquette of a disciple below the seat. When Jinling fell and affairs returned to the Yang clan, the Prince of Jin was then in Yangzhou, and likewise wished to consult and receive the precept transmission. He personally composed a text, saying: 'This disciple has inherited the dynastic foundation through accumulated virtue, born into the imperial house; early on I hastened to heed the family instructions, and long have I been gradually steeped in ancestral teachings.' He also stated: 'The Upādhyāya's renown is heard from afar, known to all; therefore, in reverent admiration, I dispatch oarsmen to welcome you from afar.' When Zhiyi arrived in Yangzhou, the Prince arranged a Dharma assembly of a thousand monks to receive them. After receiving them, Zhiyi told the Prince: 'For a great being to cross over [the world], comprehensive maintenance comes first; a name corresponds to reality, the same now as in antiquity. Your Highness may take the Dharma name Zongchi to manifest this reality.' The Prince received it atop his head. Among the assembly, the Prince also told Zhiyi: 'The Dhyāna Master's wisdom and virtue are inwardly fused with kind forbearance, outwardly manifesting the subjugation of gods and humans and the suppression of māras and non-Buddhists. We desire to title you Master of Wisdom, to fulfill the wishes of all below.' Thereupon, he offered more than sixty unusual items. Zhiyi took these items and used them all for the relief of the impoverished. Later, he returned to his old mountain, his single-minded focus set on meditation. One day, rising from dhyāna, he told his disciple Zhiyue: 'My illusory form will vanish morning or evening. Prepare fragrant flowers at Shicheng and await me to cast off this retribution body.' When Zhiyi arrived there, a couch was laid out facing west, and he meditated on Amitābha Buddha and the two bodhisattvas, as well as the transformation buddhas and transformation bodhisattvas of the Pure Land coming to protect him. He also instructed his disciples to burn abundant incense and candles, and he drew near to his body the three robes, bowl, and staff. When someone wished to offer the pure meal, the Master said: 'To be free of grasping is the true pure meal.' He then asked for fragrant water to rinse his tongue clean, and expounded such teachings as the ten suchnesses, the four non-arisings, the ten realms of reality, the three contemplations, the four wisdoms, the four immeasurables, and the six pāramitās. A monk asked what he had realized, and he replied: 'Had I not led the assembly, my six sense faculties would certainly have been purified. Damaging myself for the sake of others, I have retreated to the inner stage of the five grades.' He further said: 'When a person's life is about to end, hearing the sound of bells and chimes increases their right mindfulness. You should sound the chimes to increase my mindfulness.' He then sat cross-legged and passed away before the image of Amitābha.