法苑珠林 63.55

63.55

晉長安有竺曇摩羅剎。此云法護。其先月氏人。本姓支氏。世居燉煌。天性純懿操行精苦。篤志好學萬里尋師。日誦萬言過目即能。是以博覽六經游心七籍。雖世務毀譽。未甞分抱。是時晉武之世。寺廟圖像雖崇京邑。而方等深經蘊在葱外。護乃慨然發憤志弘大道。遂隨至西域。大齎經論還歸中夏。沿路傳譯寫為晉文。所獲賢劫正法華光讚等一百六十五部。孜孜所務。唯以弘道為業。終身寫譯勞不告倦。後隱居深山。山有清㵎。常取澡漱。後有採薪者。穢其水側。俄頃而燥。護乃[褒-保+(非/(乏-之))]回歎曰。人之無德遂使清泉輟流。水若永竭真無以自給。正當移去耳。言訖而泉流滿㵎。其幽誠所感如此。故支遁為之像讚云。

Under the Jin, in Chang'an, there was Zhu Dharmarakṣa; here translated as Fahu. His ancestors were Yuezhi people, originally surnamed Zhi, who had resided in Dunhuang for generations. By nature pure and admirable, his conduct was rigorous and ascetic. Dedicated in purpose and fond of learning, he traveled ten thousand li to seek teachers. Daily he chanted ten thousand words, mastering them upon a single glance. For this reason, he read widely in the Six Classics and allowed his mind to roam through the Seven Treatises. Although worldly affairs involved praise and blame, he never let them disturb his thoughts. At that time, in the era of Jin Emperor Wu, although monasteries, shrines, paintings, and statues were revered in the capital cities, the profound Vaipulya sūtras remained hidden west of the Pamirs. Dharmarakṣa was deeply moved and stirred with determination to propagate the Great Way. He consequently accompanied [travelers] to the Western Regions, brought back a vast number of sūtras and śāstras to China, and along the route translated and transcribed them into Jin script. Those he obtained, such as the Bhadrakalpa, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, and the Guangzan, amounted to one hundred and sixty-five works. Diligently devoted to his task, he took only the propagation of the Way as his enterprise, copying and translating all his life without ever complaining of fatigue. Later he lived in seclusion in deep mountains. In the mountains there was a clear stream which he regularly used for washing and rinsing. Later, a woodcutter defiled the bank of the water, and presently it dried up. Dharmarakṣa paced about and sighed, saying, "Because of man's lack of virtue, the clear spring has ceased its flow. If the water should run dry forever, I will truly have no way to support myself; I should simply move away." As soon as he finished speaking, the spring water gushed forth and filled the ravine. Such was the resonance stirred by his hidden sincerity. Therefore, Zhi Dun composed a panegyric on his portrait, which said: