北山錄 3.2.6

3.2.6

At seven years of age he could read texts, and after two readings was able to recite them by heart. At twelve he went forth from household life. His appearance was coarse and lowly, yet he was esteemed by his master. He bore hardships and performed manual labor, never showing any resentment on his countenance. After several years, he finally requested to be taught the scriptures. He was given a volume of the Scripture on the Discrimination of Meaning (Bianyi jing), roughly five thousand words; he carried the scripture into the fields, and upon returning at dusk had already committed it to memory. He was further given a volume of the Scripture of Complete Illumination (Chengju guangming jing), totaling ten thousand words; as before, he recited it by heart. His master held the scripture to check him, and not a single character was amiss.) Qin conquered Yan and Liang (Former Yan was Murong Wei holding the capital of Ye, overthrown by Fu Jian. Former Liang was Zhang Tianxi occupying Liangzhou, destroyed by Fu Jian), reducing their rulers to vassals. From the Bohai Sea to Liusha, he expanded his realm (the Bohai Sea is the easternmost limit; Liusha is the westernmost limit). With ample provisions and soldiers, his might shook all within the seas. Yet he was constantly distressed that he could not inherit Yu's ancient territories, climb Kuaiji to gaze out at the azure ocean, and receive the court of the myriad states to issue commands to all under heaven (Yu assembled at Mount Tu, where the lords of the myriad states held jades and silks to pay tribute; Mount Tu is at Kuaiji in Yuezhou). Repeatedly he asked Dao'an for a strategy to attack Jin. An firmly answered: "Though Jin's virtue is slight, the mandate of heaven has not yet changed; it is difficult to plot against." Noble gentlemen also took this to mean that while privately protecting and aiding his native court, in truth he attained ritual propriety; thus in a single statement both ends were achieved. Fu [Jian], holding the view of a solitary tyrant (the Book of Documents says: "The solitary tyrant, Zhou"), thereupon raised a host of a million. Fu Rong commanded the vanguard. Before the Jin forces had ceased their maneuvers, before their drums had sounded and before they had even formed their ranks, the Qin army collapsed in great disarray (Fu Jian marshaled eighty-seven thousand cavalry and infantry from Chang'an; from front to rear they spanned a thousand li with banners and drums in sight of one another, advancing ten thousand li from east to west by water and land together. Fu Rong was the general. The Jin general Xie Xuan and others resisted them with seventy thousand naval troops. Wang Daozi sought aid from the spirit of Mount Zhong through wind and percussion music. When Jian reached Shouchun, he climbed the city walls and looked out, seeing that the grasses and trees on Mount Bagong all had the appearance of men; he drew up his army along the Fei River. The Jin army was unable to cross. They sent an emissary to Rong, saying: "You have advanced your isolated forces deep and formed a battle line pressed against the water; this is a strategy for enduring delay—do you really wish to fight? If you retreat slightly to let our soldiers maneuver, I and the gentlemen may loosen our reins to watch the spectacle; would that not be splendid?" Rong waved his troops back to reposition the line, whereupon the army fled in retreat and could not be controlled; Rong galloped his horse along the ranks, his steed fell, and he was slain by the troops). Thereafter, Yan revived as Yan (after Jian's defeat, Murong Chong raised troops and attacked Chang'an; Murong Chui returned to the city of Ye and proclaimed Later Yan); Liang revived as Liang (Li Gao was originally a general under Zhang Gui, and later declared Western Liang in Dunhuang; Lü Guang declared Later Liang in Guzang); and Qin seized Qin (Yao Chang sent a general to surround Jian at Mount Wujiang, captured and strangled him at a Buddhist temple in Xinping, and established himself as Later Qin). Prior to this, Master Shi passed away (Master Shi was Dao'an). Jian wept in deep lamentation (excessive sorrow is called lamentation) and said: "I have not yet crossed over, yet Master An has abandoned me and departed!" How could his words have been mistaken? Earlier, An had said to Wang Zinian: "The affairs of the world are like this; why not depart?" (He means "why not"). Nian said: "You, venerable sir, may proceed; I must settle my final debts." Later, Nian was murdered by Yao Chang (Wang Jia, styled Zinian, was a man of Luoyang. His appearance was coarse and unsightly as though deficient; he was fond of jesting and did not eat the five grains. When questioned about good and bad fortune, his replies were playful in form, yet when the events passed, they proved largely accurate. He answered Dao'an: "My small debts are not yet settled; we cannot go together." When Yao Chang captured Chang'an, he was deadlocked with Fu Deng for a long time. Chang asked him: "Will I succeed?" He answered: "You will barely succeed [lve-de]." Chang said: "You should say I will succeed! What do you mean by 'barely'?" Thereupon he had him beheaded. After Chang died, his son Xing finally killed Deng; Xing's courtesy name was Zilve, which was what Jia meant by 'lve-de'). Fatai went to Jingzhou to call upon Huan Wen. Relying on his imposing prestige, Wen was not quick to receive guests. Troubled by his hesitation, Tai suddenly said to the usher: "I have fallen ill," and abruptly withdrew. On another day when Tai arrived, Wen rushed forward to greet him without even waiting to put on his shoes (Fatai was a man of Dongwan. In his youth he studied together with Dao'an; though his talent and eloquence did not equal An's, his physical appearance surpassed his). After An was taken captive by the Qin, his disciples dispersed in all directions. Huiyuan was originally about to go to Luofu (a mountain near the Southern Sea); upon reaching Xunyang (which is Jiangzhou), he divined a dwelling on Mount Lu and settled there. Having found that drilling into the earth produced a spring, he did not seek to leave. Huiyong (both disciples of Dao'an) invited him to lodge at the Xilin Monastery (the Xilin Monastery of Mount Lu). Later, Inspector Huan Yi (a minister of Eastern Jin) specially established Donglin Monastery. Prior to this, Tao Kan governed Guangzhou (Tao Kan was styled Shiheng; at first he loved study and welcomed guests and companions, but when guests arrived his family was poor, so his mother cut her hair and sold it to provide for them; later he became commander-in-chief of the eight provinces). He obtained a statue of King Aśoka (that is, an image made by King Aśoka) and sent it to Hanxi Monastery in Wuchang (Wuchang is Ezhou). When Yuan's monastery was completed, he made a request for the statue from afar, and it soared through the air to arrive. At that time, eminent scholars and literati who disdained the world and dwelled in retirement—such as Zong Bing, Lei Cizong, Liu Yimin, Zhou Xuzhi, and Zhang Jishuo (Zong Bing and Zhang Jishuo of Nanyang, Liu Yimin of Pengcheng, Lei Cizong of Yuzhang, Zhou Xuzhi of Yanmen, Bi Yingzhi of Xincai, and the monks Huichi and Huiyong together formed the Lotus Society)—in all, a hundred celebrated gentlemen, associated themselves with him (xu means "mutually"). In his youth, Yuan together with Huichi was a student who thoroughly mastered the study of the Six Classics; their knowledge of ritual, music, and moral propriety especially served as standards for court and countryside. Wang Xun sent a letter to Fan Ning (Wang Xun was registrar under Huan Wen; Fan Ning annotated the Guliang zhuan), asking: "Between Master Yuan and Master Chi, who is superior?" (Shu means "who"; yu means "superior"). Master Fan replied: "They are truly a worthy pair of brothers!" (Chi and Yuan were in fact biological brothers in secular life). Wang reiterated: "Merely to be like true brothers is indeed not easy to find; how much more so when both are worthy sages!" When Yao Xing finished the initial translation of the Treatise on Great Wisdom (the Zhilun, also called the Dazhidu lun, composed by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna), he earnestly sent an invitation asking Yuan to compose the preface; he was uniquely held in such high esteem. When Huan Xuan campaigned against Yin Zhongkan (Huan Xuan was styled Jingdao; son of Grand Marshal Wen, he was inspector of Jiangzhou. In the second year of Yuanxing he usurped the Jin emperor Andi; when Liu Yu raised troops, Huan Xuan then campaigned against Zhongkan), he invited Yuan to come out to Tiger Brook. Yuan pleaded illness. Xuan entered the mountain in person. His attendants said: "In the past, Yin Zhongkan paid homage to Yuan."