華嚴經傳記 3.4

3.4

釋慧覺。姓范氏。齊人也。達量通鑒。罕附其倫。而儀形秀峙。長七尺餘。眉目峯映。衣服鮮潔。容止溫弘。鏘鏘然也。凡行路士子。莫不迎睇目送焉。雖博學群經。多以華嚴為首。被請高陽。久當講匠。聽眾千餘。堂宇充溢。而來者不絕。遂停法肆。爰有施主。即為造千人講堂。締搆斯須不月便訖。登法座引眾充滿。時訝其法會之盛也。著華嚴十地維摩等疏。至武德三年。覺少有心痛。告門人曰。吾其去矣。乃出身資。為僧設食。與眾取訣。於是通夜。正念明相。纔動奄然從化。春秋九十。

Shi Huijue, whose secular surname was Fan, was a native of Qi. His far-reaching capacity and penetrating discernment were rarely matched by his peers. His appearance was lofty and prominent, being over seven feet tall; his eyebrows and eyes mirrored the beauty of mountain peaks; his robes were fresh and clean, and his deportment was warm and grand, dignified and resonant. All scholars and gentlemen traveling on the road would turn to gaze at him and follow him with their eyes. Although broadly learned in many scriptures, he mostly took the Avataṃsaka as paramount. He was invited to Gaoyang, where he served as a lecture master for a long time. His listeners numbered over a thousand, filling the halls to overflowing, yet those coming never ceased. Consequently, he had to suspend his Dharma lectures. Thereupon, a donor immediately built for him a lecture hall for a thousand people, the construction of which was completed in less than a month. When he ascended the Dharma seat, the assembly gathered and filled it completely; at that time, everyone marveled at the grandeur of the Dharma gathering. He composed commentaries on the Avataṃsaka, the Ten Grounds, the Vimalakīrti, and other texts. In the third year of Wude, Huijue felt a slight pain in his chest and said to his disciples: 'I am about to depart.' He then provided from his own personal funds to offer a meal to the monks and bid farewell to the assembly. Thereupon, through the whole night, he maintained right mindfulness until the signs of dawn just appeared, when he quietly passed away at the age of ninety.