出三藏記集 15.6

15.6

釋道安。本姓衛。常山扶柳人也。年十二出家。神性聰敏而形貌至陋。不為師之所重。驅使田舍至于三年。執勤就勞曾無怨色。篤性精進齋戒無闕。數歲之後方啟師求經。師與辯意經一卷。可五千餘言。安齎經入田。因息尋覽。暮歸以經還師。復求餘經。師曰。昨經不讀。今復求耶。對曰。即已闇誦。師雖異之而未信也。復與成具光明經一卷。可減萬言。齎之如初。暮復還師。師執經覆之不差一字。師大驚敬而異之。後為受具戒恣其遊方。至鄴入中寺遇佛圖澄。澄見而嗟歎。與語終日。眾見其形望不稱。咸共輕怪。澄曰。此人遠識非爾儔也。初經出已久而舊譯時謬。致使深義隱沒未通。每至講說唯敘大意轉讀而已。安窮覽經典鉤深致遠。其所注般若道行密迹安般諸經。並尋文比句。為起盡之義及析疑甄解。凡二十二卷。序致淵富妙盡玄旨。條貫既敘。文理會通經義克明。自安始也。又自漢暨晉。經來稍多。而傳經之人名字弗記。後人追尋莫測年代。安乃總集名目表其時人銓品新舊撰為經錄。眾經有據實由其功。四方學士競往師之。受業弟子法汰慧遠等五百餘人。及石氏之亂。乃謂其眾曰。今天災旱蝗𡨥賊縱橫。聚則不立散則不可。遂率眾入王屋女机山。頃之復渡河依陸渾山木食修學。俄而慕容俊過陸渾。遂南投新野。復議曰。今遭凶年。不依國主則法事難立。又教化之體宜令廣布。咸曰。隨法師教。乃令法汰詣楊州曰。彼多君子好尚風流法和入蜀。山水可以修閑。安與弟子慧遠等五百餘人度河夜行。值雷雨乘電光而進。前得人家見門裏有一雙馬𭡧。𭡧間懸一馬[笐-〦+(兜-儿)]可容一斛。安便呼林伯升。主人驚出。果姓林名伯升。謂是神人厚相賞接。既而弟子問。何以知其姓字。安曰。兩木為林。[笐-〦+(兜-儿)]容伯升也。遂住襄陽。習鑿齒聞而詣之。既坐而稱曰。四海習鑿齒。安曰。彌天釋道安。時人咸以為名答。鑿齒常餉安梨數十枚。正值講坐。便手自割分。梨盡人遍無參差者。高平郗超遣使遺米千石。修書累紙深致慇懃。安答書曰。捐米彌覺有待之為煩。鑿齒與謝安書曰。來此見釋道安故是遠勝非常。道士師徒數百。齋講不惓。無變化伎術。可以惑常人之耳目。無重威大勢。可以整群小之參差。而師徒肅肅自相尊敬。洋洋濟濟。乃是吾由來所未見其人。理懷簡衷多所博涉。內外群書略皆遍覩。陰陽算數亦皆能通。佛經故最是所長。作義乃似法蘭法祖輩。統以大無不肯稍齊物等智在方中馳騁也。恨不使足下見之。其亦每言思得一見足下。其為時賢所重如此。安在樊河十五載。每歲常再遍講放光經。未常廢闕。桓沖要出江陵朱序西鎮。復請還襄陽。符堅素聞其聲。每云。襄陽有釋道安。是名器方欲致之以輔朕躬。後堅攻襄陽。安與朱序俱獲於堅。堅謂僕射權翼曰。朕以十萬之師取襄陽。唯得一人半。翼曰。誰耶。堅曰。安公一人。習鑿齒半人也。既至住長安城內五重寺。僧眾數千人。大弘法化。初魏晉沙門依師為姓。故姓各不同。安以為大師之本莫尊釋迦。乃以釋命氏。後獲增一阿鋡經。果稱四河入海無復河名。四姓為沙門皆稱釋種。既懸與經符。遂為後式焉。安外涉群書善為文章。長安中衣冠子弟為詩賦者。皆依附致譽。與學生楊弘仲論詩風雅。皆有理致。初堅承石氏之亂。至是民戶殷富四方略定。唯有東南一隅未能抗服。堅每與侍臣談話。未嘗不欲平一江左。欲以晉帝為僕射。謝安為侍中。堅弟平陽公融及朝臣石越原紹。並切諫終不能迴。紹以安為堅所敬信。乃共請曰。主上將有事東南。公何能不為蒼生故一言耶。會堅出東苑。命安昇輦同載。僕射權翼諫曰。臣聞天子法駕侍中陪乘。道安毀形寧可參廁乘輿。堅懍然作色曰。安公道德可尊。朕將舉天下而不易。雖輿輦之榮。乃是為其臭腐耳。即勅翼扶之而登輿。俄而顧謂安公曰。朕將與公南遊吳越。整六師而巡狩。陟會稽而觀滄海。不亦樂乎。安對曰。檀越應天御世。有八州之富。居中土而制四海。宜棲神無為。與堯舜比隆。今欲以百萬之眾求厥田下下之土。且東南地卑氣厲。昔舜禹遊而不反。秦皇適而弗歸。以貧道觀之。非愚心所同也。平陽公懿戚石越重臣。並謂不可。猶尚見拒。貧道輕淺。言必不允。既荷厚遇敢不盡誠耳。堅曰。非為地不廣。民不足治也。將簡天心明大運所在耳。順時巡狩亦著前典。若如來言。則帝王無省方之文乎。安曰。若鑾駕必動。可暫幸洛陽。抗威畜銳傳檄江南。如其不服。伐之未晚。堅不從。遂遣平陽公融等精銳二十五萬為前鋒。堅躬率步騎六十萬。到頃晉遣征虜將軍謝石徐州刺史謝玄拒之。堅軍大崩。晉軍還逐北三十餘里。死者相枕。融馬倒隕首。堅單騎而遁。如所諫焉。堅尋為慕容冲所圍。時安同在長安城內。以偽建元二十一年二月八日。齋畢無疾而卒。葬五給寺中。未終之前。王嘉往候安。安曰。世事如此。行將及人。相與去乎。嘉曰。如所言。並行前吾有小債未了。不得俱去。及姚萇之得長安也。嘉故在城內。萇與符堅相持甚久。萇患之問嘉曰。吾得天下不。答曰。略得。萇怒曰。得當言得。何略之有。遂斬之。嘉所謂負債者也。萇死。其子略。方得殺堅稱帝。所謂略得者也。嘉字子年。隴西人。形貌鄙陋似若不足。滑稽好語笑。然不食五穀清虛服氣。咸宗而事之。往問善惡。嘉隨而應答。語則可笑。狀如調戲。辭似讖記。不可領解。事過皆驗。及嘉之死。其日有人於隴上見之。法師之潛契神人。皆此類也。初安聞羅什在西域。思共講析微言。安勸堅取之。什亦遠聞其風。謂是東方聖人。恒遙而禮之。初安生。便左臂上有一皮。廣寸許。著臂如釧。將可得上下。唯不得出手而已。時人謂之印手菩薩。安終後二十餘年而什方至。什恨不相見。甚悲悵焉。初安篤志經典務在宣法。所請外國沙門僧伽跋澄曇摩難提及僧伽提婆等。譯出眾經百餘萬言。常與沙門法和銓定音字詳覈文旨。新出眾經。於是獲正。孫興公為名德沙門論目云。釋道安博物多才通經名理。其見述於世如此。法和冀州人。凝靜有操行。少與安公同師受學。善能標朗論綱解悟疑滯。安公所得群經常共校之。後遊洛陽。又請提婆重出廣說等經。居陽平寺。年八十餘為偽晉公姚緒所請。集僧齋講。勅其弟子曰。俗內煩惱苦累非一。無常甚樂。乃正衣服遶塔禮拜。還詣坐所。以衣覆首。忽然而卒。時人謂之知命。

Shi Dao'an was originally surnamed Wei, and was a native of Fuliu in Changshan. He left home at the age of twelve. Although his inner spirit was intelligent and quick, his physical appearance was exceptionally ugly, so he was not esteemed by his master. He was sent to work in the fields for three years, yet he undertook his strenuous duties and bore hard labor without the slightest look of resentment. Sincere and devoted in his vigorous progress, he observed the fasting precepts without lapse. Only after several years did he address his master to request a sūtra. His master gave him one scroll of the Bianyi jing (Sūtra on the Questions of Debate), containing some five thousand words. Dao'an took the sūtra into the fields and read it during his breaks. In the evening, when he returned, he gave the sūtra back to his master and requested another sūtra. The master said, 'You did not read the sūtra from yesterday, and now you ask for another?' He replied, 'I have already memorized it.' Although his master found this extraordinary, he did not yet believe it. He gave him another sūtra, one scroll of the Chengju guangming jing (Sūtra of Complete Luminance), of just under ten thousand words. Dao'an took it as before, and in the evening returned it to his master. His master held the text and tested him on it; he did not miss a single character. His master was greatly amazed, respected him, and marveled at him. Later, he had him receive the full precepts and permitted him to travel where he wished. When he arrived in Ye, he entered the Central Monastery and met Fotudeng. Fotudeng marveled at him upon seeing him and spoke with him the entire day. Seeing that his appearance did not match his renown, the assembly looked down upon him and found him strange. Fotudeng said, 'This man has far-reaching insight; he is not of your kind.' Previously, although the sūtras had circulated for a long time, old translations were often erroneous, causing profound meanings to remain obscure and inaccessible. Whenever it came to expounding the texts, people merely narrated the general gist or chanted the words, nothing more. Dao'an thoroughly examined the sūtras and śāstras, fathoming their depths and bringing out their far-reaching subtleties. In his commentaries on various sūtras such as the Prajñā, Daoxing, Guhyaka, and Ānāpāna, he investigated the text sentence by sentence, determining the underlying logic of their beginning and ending sections, resolving doubts, and discerning clear interpretations, totaling twenty-two scrolls. His prefaces were profound and rich, thoroughly exhausting the subtle tenets; once the structure was systematically organized, the literary style and principles coalesced, and the sūtras' meanings became brilliantly clear. This truly began with Dao'an. Moreover, from the Han to the Jin dynasty, the sūtras arriving had gradually increased, but the names of those who transmitted the texts were often unrecorded, so later people tracing them could not ascertain their dates. Dao'an thereupon assembled all titles, identified the figures of each period, evaluated the new and old, and compiled a catalogue of sūtras. That the various sūtras possess verifiable provenance is truly due to his merit. Scholars from the four quarters vied to go and take him as their teacher; more than five hundred disciples received instruction, including Fatai and Huiyuan. When the turmoil of the Shi clan arose, he said to his assembly, 'Now there are natural disasters of drought and locusts, and bandits run rampant. If we remain together, we cannot survive; yet to disperse entirely is not permissible.' He then led his assembly into Mount Wangwu and Mount Nüji. Shortly afterward, he crossed the Yellow River again to rely on Mount Luhun, living on wild fruit and cultivating his studies. Soon Murong Jun passed through Luhun, whereupon Dao'an went south to flee to Xinye. He held counsel again, saying, 'Now we encounter bad years; unless we rely on the ruler of a state, the affairs of the Dharma can hardly be established. Moreover, the body of teaching and transforming should be broadly distributed.' Everyone said, 'We will follow the Master's instructions.' He then ordered Fatai to go to Yangzhou, saying, 'There are many gentlemen there who admire refined pursuits.' He sent Fahe into Shu, saying, 'The mountains and waters are suitable for cultivating serenity.' Dao'an and more than five hundred disciples, including Huiyuan, crossed the river and traveled by night. Encountering a thunderstorm, they advanced by the flashes of lightning. Ahead, they reached a homestead and saw within the gate a pair of horse-troughs, between which hung a horse nose-bag capable of holding about one hu. Dao'an then called out, 'Lin Bosheng!' The host came out startled, and was indeed surnamed Lin and named Bosheng. Believing Dao'an to be a divine man, he received and entertained him with great generosity. Afterwards, the disciples asked, 'How did you know his surname and personal name?' Dao'an said, 'Two pieces of wood (mu) make a Lin (forest); a nose-bag holds a sheng (measure).' He then settled in Xiangyang. When Xi Zuochi heard of him, he went to visit him. Having taken his seat, Xi said, 'Xi Zuochi of the Four Seas.' Dao'an said, 'Shi Dao'an who fills the heavens.' People of the time all considered this a famous exchange. Xi Zuochi once sent Dao'an several tens of pears. As Dao'an was just holding a lecture, he cut and distributed them with his own hands; the pears were finished exactly when everyone had received one, without anyone being left out. Xi Chao of Gaoping sent a messenger with a thousand shi of rice, and wrote a letter several pages long expressing deep devotion. Dao'an replied, 'Receiving the rice makes me feel all the more acutely the burden of having material needs.' Xi Zuochi wrote a letter to Xie An, saying, 'Coming here, I met Shi Dao'an, who is indeed far superior and extraordinary. The teacher and his disciples number several hundred; their fasting and lecturing are unflagging. He has no magical arts of transformation to bewilder the ears and eyes of ordinary people, nor has he heavy authority or great power to regulate the discrepancies of lesser men; yet the teacher and pupils are solemn and mutually respectful, dignified and harmonious. He is a person the likes of whom I have never seen before. His intellectual disposition is straightforward and sincere, and he is broadly learned; he has skimmed through and read nearly all external and internal writings, and is also fully versed in yin-yang and astronomy/numerology. The Buddhist sūtras are naturally his greatest specialty. In producing commentaries, he resembles the likes of Falan and Fazu; comprehending everything through the Great Non-being, he does not stoop to merely equalizing things, yet his intellect gallops freely within standard limits. I only regret that you cannot see him; he also often speaks of wishing to meet you.' Such was the high esteem in which he was held by the worthy of his time. Dao'an spent fifteen years on the Fan and Han rivers. Every year he regularly lectured twice through the Fangguang jing (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra), never failing or omitting it. Huan Chong invited him to come out to Jiangling; later, when Zhu Xu was garrisoned in the west, he again invited him back to Xiangyang. Fu Jian had long heard of his renown and often said, 'Xiangyang has Shi Dao'an, who is a vessel of extraordinary renown; I am about to summon him to assist my own person.' Later, when Fu Jian attacked Xiangyang, Dao'an and Zhu Xu were both captured by Fu Jian. Fu Jian said to his Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, Quan Yi, 'With an army of a hundred thousand, I took Xiangyang, but I only obtained one and a half persons.' Quan Yi said, 'Who are they?' Fu Jian said, 'Master Dao'an is one person, and Xi Zuochi is half a person.' When Dao'an arrived, he resided in the Wuzhong Monastery within the city of Chang'an, where the monastic assembly numbered several thousands, and he greatly propagated the Dharma's transformation. Originally, śramaṇas of the Wei and Jin took their master's clan name as their own surname, and thus their surnames were all different. Dao'an considered that among the origins of the Great Teacher, none was more venerable than Śākya, and so he took Shi as his surname. Later, when the Ekottarika-āgama was obtained, it indeed stated that when the four rivers enter the sea, they no longer retain the names of rivers, and that when the four castes become śramaṇas, they are all called of the Śākya clan. Since this coincided so remarkably with the sūtra, it subsequently became the standard model for later generations. Dao'an was well-read in various secular texts and was skilled in composition. The refined youths of Chang'an who composed poetry and rhapsodies all associated with him to gain acclaim. When he discussed the Feng and Ya odes with the student Yang Hongzhong, it was all reasoned and profound. Earlier, Fu Jian had inherited the turmoil of the Shi clan; by this time, the population was wealthy and prosperous, and the four quarters were largely pacified, with only the southeast corner not yet submitting. Whenever Fu Jian conversed with his attendants, he never failed to express a desire to unify the region east of the Yangtze; he intended to make the Jin emperor Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, and Xie An a Palace Attendant. Fu Jian's younger brother, the Duke of Pingyang Fu Rong, as well as court officials Shi Yue and Yuan Shao, all earnestly remonstrated with him, but in the end could not turn him back. Because Dao'an was respected and trusted by Fu Jian, Shao and the others jointly beseeched Dao'an, saying, 'The Sovereign is about to undertake a campaign in the southeast; how could you, Master, not say a word on behalf of the common people?' It happened that Fu Jian went out to the Eastern Park and commanded Dao'an to ascend the imperial carriage to ride with him. The Vice Director Quan Yi remonstrated, 'I have heard that when the Son of Heaven takes his ceremonial chariot, the Palace Attendants ride along. Dao'an has disfigured his form; how could he take a place in the imperial carriage?' Fu Jian sternly changed his countenance and said, 'Master Dao'an's virtue is venerable; I would not exchange him for the entire realm. Although the glory of the imperial carriage is great, to him it is mere rotten stench.' He immediately ordered Quan Yi to assist Dao'an in mounting the carriage. Shortly after, looking back at Master Dao'an, he said, 'I shall travel south with you to Wu and Yue, organize the Six Armies to conduct an imperial tour of inspection, climb Mount Kuaiji and gaze upon the vast sea; would that not be delightful?' Dao'an replied, 'Dānapati, in accord with Heaven you govern the world, possessing the wealth of the eight provinces; residing in the Central Plains, you control the four seas. You ought to rest your spirit in non-action and match the majesty of Yao and Shun. Now you intend to seek out the infertile land of the lowest grade with an army of a million men. Moreover, the land in the southeast is low-lying and the pestilential air is severe. In antiquity, Shun and Yu traveled there and did not return; the First Emperor of Qin went there and never came back. In my humble view, this does not meet with my foolish approval. The Duke of Pingyang is your close kin, and Shi Yue is an important minister; both considered it impermissible, yet were still rebuffed. I am base and shallow, and my words will certainly not be accepted; but having received your generous treatment, dare I not offer my utmost sincerity?' Fu Jian said, 'It is not because my territory is not broad or my people are insufficient to govern; it is to examine the Mandate of Heaven and clarify where the Great Cycle resides. To conduct tours of inspection according to the seasons is also recorded in the ancient canons. If it were as you say, would emperors have no texts about inspecting the provinces?' Dao'an said, 'If the imperial carriage must move, you may temporarily visit Luoyang, display your might, nurture your strength, and transmit manifests across the southern river. If they do not submit, it will not be too late to attack them.' Fu Jian did not heed him. He then sent Fu Rong, the Duke of Pingyang, and others with an elite force of 250,000 as the vanguard, while Fu Jian personally led 600,000 infantry and cavalry. When they arrived, Jin dispatched General Who Subdues the Caitiffs Xie Shi and Inspector of Xuzhou Xie Xuan to resist them. Fu Jian's army suffered a major collapse, and the Jin army pursued the fleeing troops for more than thirty li; the dead were piled upon one another. Fu Rong's horse fell, and his head was severed; Fu Jian fled on a single horse, just as had been cautioned. Soon afterwards, Fu Jian was besieged by Murong Chong. At that time, Dao'an was also inside the city of Chang'an. On the eighth day of the second month in the twenty-first year of the illegitimate Jianyuan era (385 CE), having finished his vegetarian meal, he passed away without illness. He was buried in the Wuji Monastery. Prior to his demise, Wang Jia went to visit Dao'an. Dao'an said, 'Worldly affairs being like this, disaster is about to reach men. Shall we depart together?' Wang Jia said, 'It is as you say; but before traveling together, I have a small debt that is not yet settled, so I cannot leave with you.' When Yao Chang took Chang'an, Wang Jia was still inside the city. Yao Chang and Fu Jian had been stalemated for a long time; troubled by this, Yao Chang asked Wang Jia, 'Will I obtain the realm or not?' He replied, 'Lüe de (you will obtain it through Lüe / you will roughly obtain it).' Yao Chang said in anger, 'If I am to obtain it, say that I will obtain it; what do you mean by "lüe"?' He thereupon had him beheaded. This was what Wang Jia had meant by 'owing a debt.' After Yao Chang died, his son, Yao Lüe, was finally able to kill Fu Jian and declare himself emperor; this was what was meant by 'obtaining it through Lüe.' Wang Jia, styled Zinian, was a native of Longxi. His physical appearance was crude and ugly, appearing deficient; he was witty and fond of jokes, yet he did not eat the five grains, practicing breath-control in purity and lightness. All revered and served him. When people went to inquire about good and bad fortunes, Wang Jia answered accordingly; his words were laughable, like teasing, and his phrasing resembled prophetic verses, impossible to understand, but after events passed, they all proved accurate. On the day Wang Jia died, someone saw him on the Long mountains. The subtle communion of the Dharma Master with divine men was entirely of this sort. Earlier, when Dao'an heard that Kumārajīva was in the Western Regions, he wished to analyze the subtle teachings together with him. Dao'an urged Fu Jian to bring him. Kumārajīva also heard of Dao'an's reputation from afar, considering him a sage of the East, and constantly bowed to him from afar. Earlier, when Dao'an was born, on his left arm there was a piece of skin about an inch wide adhering to the arm like a bracelet, which could move up and down, but could not come off past his hand. People of the time called him the 'Bodhisattva with the Sealed Hand.' Dao'an passed away more than twenty years before Kumārajīva finally arrived. Kumārajīva lamented that they had not met, feeling profound sorrow and regret. Dao'an was deeply devoted to the scriptural texts, making it his mission to propagate the Dharma. He invited foreign śramaṇas such as Saṅghabhūti, Dharmanandin, and Saṅghadeva, who translated various sūtras totaling more than one million words. He frequently examined and determined phonetics and characters together with the śramaṇa Fahe, carefully verifying the purport of the texts; the newly translated scriptures thereby attained correctness. In his Lunmu of Famous and Virtuous Śramaṇas, Sun Xinggong wrote: 'Shi Dao'an was erudite and multitalented, thoroughly versed in the sūtras and eminent principles.' Such was how he was described in his time. Fahe was a native of Jizhou. Quiet and principled in his conduct, he had received instruction under the same master as Master Dao'an in his youth. He was skilled in clarifying the main threads of treatises and dispelling doubts and perplexities. Whenever Master Dao'an obtained scriptures, they always collated them together. Later he traveled to Luoyang and also invited Saṅghadeva to re-translate texts such as the Vibhāṣā. Residing in Yangping Monastery, when he was over eighty years of age, he was invited by the illegitimate Duke of Jin, Yao Xu, to assemble the monks for a fast and lecture. He instructed his disciples, saying, 'Within worldly life, afflictions, suffering, and burdens are manifold; impermanence is great joy!' He then straightened his robes, circumambulated the stūpa, made prostrations, returned to his seat, covered his head with his robe, and suddenly passed away. People of the time said that he knew his destiny.