出三藏記集 15.22

15.22

釋法勇者。胡言曇無竭。本姓李氏。幽州黃龍國人也。幼為沙彌。便修苦行持戒諷經。為師僧所敬異。常聞沙門法顯寶雲諸僧躬踐佛國。慨然有亡身之誓。遂以宋永初之年。招集同志沙門僧猛曇朗之徒二十有五人。共齎幡蓋供養之具。發跡北土遠適西方。初至河南國。仍出海西郡。進入流沙到高昌郡。經歷龜茲沙勒諸國。前登葱嶺雪山。棧路險惡驢駝不通。增氷峨峨絕無草木。山多障氣。下有大江浚急如箭。於東西兩山之脇。繫索為橋。相去五里。十人一過。到彼岸已。舉烟為識。後人見烟知前已度。方得更進。若久不見烟則知暴風吹索人墮江中。行葱嶺三日方過。復上雪山。懸崖壁立無安足處。石壁皆有故杙孔處處相對。人各執四弋。先拔下杙手攀上弋。展轉相代三日方過。乃到平地相待料檢。同侶失十二人。進至罽賓國。禮拜佛鉢停歲餘。學胡書竟便解胡語。求得觀世音受記經梵文一部。無竭同行沙門餘十三人。西行到新頭那提。漢言師子口河。西入月氏國。禮拜佛肉髻骨。及覩自沸木舡。後至檀特山南石留寺。生僧三百人雜三乘學。無竭便停此寺受具足戒。天竺沙門佛陀多羅。齊言佛救。彼方眾僧云。其得道果。無竭請為和上。漢沙門志定為阿闍梨。於寺夏坐三月日。復北行至中天竺。曠絕之處常齎石蜜為糧。其同侶八人路亡。五人俱行。屢經危棘。無竭所齎觀世音經。常專心繫念。進涉舍衛國中。野逢山象一群。無竭稱名歸命。即有師子從林中出。象驚怖奔走。後渡恒河。復值野牛一群鳴吼而來。將欲害人。無竭歸命如初。尋有大鷲飛來野牛驚散。遂得免。其誠心所感在嶮克濟皆此類也。後於南天竺隨舶汎海達廣州。所歷事跡別有記傳。其所譯出觀世音受記經。今傳于京師後不知所終。

Shi Fayong, whose Hu name was Dharmodgata and whose original surname was Li, was a native of the realm of Huanglong in Youzhou. Having become a śrāmaṇera in his childhood, he practiced austerities, maintained the precepts, and chanted the scriptures, winning the respect and marvel of his masters and fellow monks. Constantly hearing that the śramaṇas Faxian, Baoyun, and other monks had personally trodden the lands of the Buddha, he was stirred to make a vow at the risk of his life. Consequently, in the Yongchu era of the Song dynasty, he gathered twenty-five like-minded śramaṇas such as Sengmeng and Tanlang; carrying banners, canopies, and offering implements together, they set out from the northern lands and traveled far to the west. First arriving in the kingdom of Henan, they proceeded out from Haixi Commandery, entered the shifting sands, and arrived at Gaochang Commandery. They passed through various realms such as Kucha and Kashgar, and then ascended the snow-capped Pamir Mountains. The plank-paths were perilous and harsh, impassable to donkeys and camels; towering ice piled high, entirely devoid of grass or trees. The mountains had much pestilential vapour, and below was a great river roaring swift as an arrow. Across the flanks of the eastern and western mountains, ropes were tied to make a bridge five li across. Ten people crossed at a time; once they reached the other shore, they raised smoke as a signal. Only when those behind saw the smoke did they know the former had crossed, and could then proceed. If no smoke was seen for a long time, it was known that a violent gale had blown the ropes and people had plunged into the river. Having traveled for three days through the Pamir Mountains, they finally crossed. Then they ascended the snow mountains; sheer cliffs stood upright with nowhere to set foot. The rock cliffs all had old peg holes positioned opposite one another; each person held four pegs, first pulling out a lower peg and holding fast with their hand to the upper peg, exchanging them cyclically, taking three days to cross. When they reached level ground and waited to take count of their companions, they had lost twelve men. Proceeding to the realm of Kapiśa, they worshipped the Buddha's alms bowl and stayed for over a year. Having learned Hu writing, he then understood the Hu language. He sought and obtained one Fan manuscript of the Avalokiteśvara-vyākaraṇa-sūtra (Guanshiyin shouji jing). The thirteen remaining śramaṇas traveling with Dharmodgata walked west to the Sindhu nadī, which in Chinese means 'Lion's Mouth River'. Entering the realm of the Yuezhi to the west, they paid homage to the Buddha's uṣṇīṣa-bone and beheld a self-boiling wooden boat. Later they reached the Shiliu Monastery south of Mount Daṇḍa, which housed three hundred monks who pursued the study of the three vehicles together. Dharmodgata stayed at this monastery to receive full ordination. The Tianzhu śramaṇa Buddhatrāta, in Qi meaning 'Buddha-rescuer'—whom the local assembly of monks said had attained the fruit of the Way—was invited by Dharmodgata to serve as his upādhyāya, and the Chinese śramaṇa Zhiding served as ācārya; they spent the three-month summer retreat at the monastery. Then traveling north to Central Tianzhu, through isolated and desolate regions they constantly carried rock honey (sugar candy) as provisions. Eight of his companions died along the road, leaving five to travel together. Frequently experiencing danger and thorns, Dharmodgata constantly concentrated his mind in recollection upon the Avalokiteśvara Scripture that he carried. As they entered the realm of Śrāvastī, they encountered a herd of wild mountain elephants in the wilderness; Dharmodgata invoked the name [of Avalokiteśvara] and took refuge, whereupon a lion emerged from the forest, and the elephants fled in terror. Later, while crossing the Ganges, they encountered a herd of wild oxen charging toward them with roars, about to harm them; Dharmodgata took refuge as before, and immediately a great vulture flew down, scattering the wild oxen in fright, so that they escaped harm. That his earnest mind evoked such responses, allowing them to overcome perils, was consistently like this. Later, in Southern Tianzhu, he boarded a ship and sailed across the sea to arrive at Guangzhou. The events he experienced are recorded separately in an account. The Avalokiteśvara-vyākaraṇa-sūtra that he translated is now transmitted in the capital. Later, his ultimate end was unknown.