出三藏記集 15.4

15.4

Bo Yuan, styled Fazu, was originally of the Wan clan and a native of Henei. His father, Weida, was renowned for his classical erudition, and although summoned by both commandery and provincial administrations, he never took office. In his youth, [Fa]zu gave rise to the aspiration for the Way. When he petitioned his father to let him leave the household, his words and reasons were so earnest and deeply felt that his father could not dissuade him; so he changed his clothes and followed the Way. Fazu was quick-witted, brilliant, and peerlessly clear-sighted. He could chant eight to nine thousand words of scripture a day; he savoured the Vaipulya scriptures and penetrated their profound subtleties, and he also had a comprehensive grasp of secular canonical texts. He then built a monastery in Chang'an, making lecturing and study his calling; monks and laity who received instruction from him numbered nearly a thousand. Toward the end of the reign of Emperor Hui of Jin, Grand Tutor Prince of Hejian, [Sima] Yong, was in garrison at Guanzhong. With an open mind he honoured him, treating him with the respect due to a teacher and friend, and whenever there were leisure days and quiet nights, he would converse on and discuss the Way and virtue. At that time, when the Western Headquarters was newly established, talents flourished, and all eloquent scholars submitted to his farsighted profundity. Seeing that the rival warlords were contending in arms, which was just beginning, [Fa]zu intended to retire secretly to Longyou to preserve his refined integrity. It happened that Zhang Fu became the regional inspector of Qinzhou and was garrisoned in Longshang; [Fa]zu traveled together with him. Seeing that [Fa]zu's fame and virtue were illustrious and that the hopes of the masses converged upon him, Fu wanted to compel him to disrobe and serve as his subordinate officer. [Fa]zu remained firm in his resolution and would not budge, and resentment was formed on this account. Previously, a man of the province, Guan Fan, had repeatedly been bested by [Fa]zu in debate; Fan harbored deep shame and hatred, and constantly slandered him. When [Fa]zu arrived at Qian County, he suddenly said to the monks and disciples: 'My retribution will arrive in a few days.' He then bade farewell, wrote letters on plain silk, and completely distributed his scriptures, images, and property. The next morning, when he went to Fu to converse, he unexpectedly offended Fu's wishes. Fu ordered him seized and punished; all the onlookers were astonished and aggrieved. [Fa]zu said: 'I have come to complete my retribution. This is a longstanding karmic knot from a past life, not an affair of today.' Thereupon he called upon the Buddhas of the ten directions: 'May [Fa]zu joyfully settle the karmic offenses of past lives! May I henceforth become a good spiritual friend to Fu, and let him not incur the karmic fault of murder!' He was then given fifty lashes with a whip and suddenly passed away. Only later, when Fu heard the full story, was he filled with great remorse. Earlier, the renown of [Fa]zu's spiritual transformation had spread across Guanlong, and west of the Xiao and Han [mountains], they revered him like a god. Both barbarians and Chinese wailed with grief, and people wept on the roads. Five thousand elite cavalry led by the Qiang and Hu of Longshang were on their way to welcome [Fa]zu back to the west; hearing halfway that he had been murdered, their grief and regret were beyond reach, and all were inflamed with indignation, desiring to avenge [Fa]zu. Fu sent an army up to Long, and the Qiang and Hu led light cavalry to meet them in battle. At that time, Fu Zheng, a former subordinate commander of Tianshui, seized upon the anger to behead Fu. Once the various Hu had avenged their resentment and shame, they rejoiced and returned, divided [Fa]zu's remains among themselves, and erected stūpas and shrines in various places. Fu, styled Shiwei, was a native of Nanyang and a descendant of Zhang Heng; although he possessed talent and insight, he was cruel and unreasonable, having arbitrarily executed the Administrator of Tianshui, Feng Shang, which caused the common people to become suspicious and alarmed; thus they used the disorder to behead him. Guan Fan also ultimately brought about his own downfall through his deceitful and treacherous ways. Shortly afterward, a man named Li Tong died and revived, saying that he had seen Master [Fa]zu in the abode of King Yama, lecturing on the Śūraṅgamasūtra for the king, and that after the lecture, he was destined to go to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. He also saw the libationer Wang Fu (one source says the Daoist Master Ji), who was shackled in irons and begging [Fa]zu for repentance. Formerly, in [Fa]zu's everyday life, he and [Wang] Fu had often debated orthodoxy and heterodoxy; Fu had been repeatedly bested, and, unable to stomach it, composed the Laozi huahu jing to slander and defame the Buddhas and the Dharma. Retribution had its proper place, so only in death did he think of repentance. Sun Chuo's Daoxian lun (Treatise on Worthies of the Way) pairs Fazu with Ji Kang. The treatise states: 'Bo Zu's misfortune began with Guan Fan; the Palace Attendant's disaster arose from Zhong Hui. Both worthies, through their towering spirits, obscured their concern for self-preservation; their hearts dwelt beyond worldly affairs, and treating the world lightly, they brought calamity upon themselves; their governance of self was no different.' Such was the praise he received. Since [Fa]zu was widely read, possessed versatile talents, and was proficient in both the Hu and Chinese languages, he translated three scriptures, including the Weidai di zi ben and Wubu seng. He also commented on the Śūraṅgamasūtra. It is also said that he translated several other minor scriptures, but encountering chaos, they were lost, and their titles are unknown. [Fa]zu's younger brother, Fazuo, was also celebrated from youth. When summoned as an eradication scholar, he did not take up the post; at age twenty-five he left the household, deeply penetrated Buddhist doctrine, and was renowned in Guanlong. At that time, the Regional Inspector of Liangzhou, Zhang Guang, killed [Fa]zu because he refused to disrobe, and Guang also pressured Fazuo to abandon the Way. Fazuo held firm to his resolve, vowing to remain so even unto death, and was ultimately murdered by Guang at the age of fifty-seven. He wrote a commentary on the Fangguang bore jing and authored the Xianzong lun, among others. Guang, styled Jingwu, was a native of Jiangxia; he was later besieged by Yang Nandi of the Di of Wudu, fell into fury and distress, and died. At the time of Emperor Hui of Jin, there was also the upāsaka Wei Shidu, who translated the Daoxing bore jing in two fascicles. Shidu was originally a native of Ji in the Ji Commandery of Sizhou; living in obscurity among the humble classes, he was content in poverty and delighted in the Way, constantly fixing his mind on the Buddhadharma. On the day of his death, he washed and rinsed himself, chanted more than a thousand words of scripture, and then, covering himself with clothing and lying down like a corpse, suddenly passed away.