淨名經關中釋抄 1.23

1.23

生法師者。三藏記集云。法師彭城人。幼而穎悟。父知非常。將詣法大道人。改服受學。而俊思卓拔。披讀經文一覽能誦。研味句義即自解說。是以年未至學便登講座。吐納奇辯詞清珠玉。高僧名士屢挫辭。窮年至具戒聲遍區夏。初住龍光寺下惟專業。後移廬岳幽栖七年。常以為入道之要惠解為本。故鑽仰群經斟酌眾論。遂與嚴觀等同往長安從什受學。關中僧眾咸嗟秀𥆐。妙貫龍樹大乘之原。兼綜提婆小道之要。博以異聞約以一致。乃喟然歎曰。由自經典東流。譯人重阻多守滯文鮮見圖義。若亡筌取魚則可以言道矣。乃立善不受報及頓悟等義。而守文之徒多生嫉妬。與奪之聲紛然互起。又六卷泥洹先至京都。剖拆佛性洞入幽微。乃說一切眾生皆有佛性。于時大本未至。孤明先發獨見。迂眾舊學僧以為背經邪說。遂被擯逐。生眾中誓曰。若我所說反於經義者。請現身癘疾。若與實相不相違背。願捨壽之時據師子座。言竟拂衣而逝。以宋元嘉七年投迹廬山。銷影巖阿怡然自得。俄而大經本至。佛性之義與前說符同。生以元嘉十一年於廬山精舍昇于法座。神色開明德音駿發。觀聽之眾莫不悟悅。法音罷唱麈尾忽墜。端坐正容隱机而卒。道俗嗟駭遠近悲悼。京邑僧眾內慚自疾矣。

Regarding Dharma Master Sheng: The Collection of Records of the Translation of the Tripitaka states: The Dharma Master was a native of Pengcheng. In his youth he was extraordinarily intelligent; his father, knowing he was uncommon, took him to Daoist Master Fada, where he changed his attire and received instruction. His brilliant thinking was towering and outstanding: reading a sūtra text, he could recite it at a single glance, and savoring its words and meanings, he could explain them of himself. Therefore, before reaching the age of study, he ascended the lecturing seat, delivering extraordinary eloquence with words as pure as pearls and jade. Eminent monks and famous scholars were repeatedly refuted by him. By the time he reached the age of full ordination, his renown spread throughout the realm. At first he resided at Longguang Monastery, contemplating his professional study alone; later he moved to Mount Lu, dwelling in seclusion for seven years. He always considered wise understanding to be the foundation and essential key for entering the path. Thus he delved into the various sūtras and weighed the diverse treatises. He then traveled together with Yan, Guan, and others to Chang'an to receive instruction from Shi. The Saṃgha of Guanzhong all sighed at his preeminence. He marvelously penetrated the fountainhead of Nāgārjuna's Great Vehicle, and also synthesized the essentials of Deva's lesser path, broadening it with diverse traditions and condensing it to a single accord. He then sighed and said: "Since the classics flowed east, the obstacles of translators have been manifold; most cling stagnantly to the text and seldom see the overarching meaning. If one can discard the fish trap to grasp the fish, one may truly speak of the Dao." Thereupon he established doctrines such as good karma receiving no retribution and sudden enlightenment. However, literalist disciples mostly grew jealous and envious; voices of praise and condemnation arose in turmoil. Furthermore, when the six-fascicle Nirvāṇa Sūtra first arrived in the capital, he dissected the Buddha-nature, penetrating deep into its subtleties, and asserted that all sentient beings have Buddha-nature. At that time, the large version had not yet arrived; his solitary insight arose first as an isolated perception. The multitude of old-school monks considered it a perverse doctrine that contradicted the sūtras, and he was consequently expelled. Sheng swore an oath in the assembly: "If what I say contradicts the meaning of the sūtras, may I suffer leprosy in this present body! If it does not diverge from the true mark, may I occupy the lion's seat when my lifespan ends!" Having spoken, he shook his robes and departed. In the seventh year of the Yuanjia reign of Song, he withdrew his steps to Mount Lu, hiding his trace among the crags, serene and self-content. Soon after, the large text of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra arrived; its doctrine of Buddha-nature matched his previous explanation. In the eleventh year of Yuanjia, Sheng ascended the Dharma seat in the Mount Lu monastery; his countenance was clear and bright, and his virtuous voice arose swiftly. None among the listening crowd failed to be awakened and delighted. When his Dharma speech ended, his deer-tail flywhisk suddenly dropped; sitting upright in solemn composure, he rested on the desk and passed away. Monks and laypeople gasped in sorrow, mourning near and far; the monastic community of the capital felt inner shame and remorse.