Peng Shaosheng 彭紹升

P'êng Shao-shêng 彭紹升 (T. 允初 H. 尺木, 知歸子, 際清), 1740-1796, Feb. 28, Buddhist lay-monk and philosopher, was a native of Ch'ang-chou, Kiangsu. The fourth son of P'êng Ch'i-fêng (see under P'êng Ting-ch'iu), he lost the sight of one eye when a child, but despite this handicap was able while young to master the Confucian Classics. He also studied devotedly the works of the philosophers, Lu Chiu-yüan (see under Li Fu) and Wang Shou-jên (see under Chang Li-hsiang), whose stress on the importance of mind was derived from the Ch'an (Zen) sect of Buddhism. Having become a chin-shih in 1769, P'êng at first admired the character of the vigorous, brilliant, and youthful official of the Han dynasty, Chia I 賈誼 (200-168 B. C.), and longed for prominence in public life. But analysis of this ambition soon revealed to him its worthlessness. He investigated Taoism, and found it inadequate. In the meantime he had begun a life-long friendship with Wang Chin (see under P'êng Ting-ch'iu) and Lo Yu-kao (see under Wang Hui-tsu) who were students of the Buddhist sutras. One result of this association was his conversion to the Pure Land Sect of the Buddhist religion. Thus when in 1769, after he had received his chin-shih degree, he was offered the position of district magistrate, he declined. P'êng's life, from this time until his death, is that of the Pure Land 淨土宗 ascetic, eating no meat, remaining celebate, giving clothes, food, and coffins to the poor, etc. He also, in conformity with the best traditions of the ascetic life, did not neglect scholarship. In 1775 he discussed philosophical problems with the poet, Yüan Mei [q.v.]. After his father's death in 1784, P'êng retired to a temple where he remained for more than ten years, practicing silence, and keeping the precepts strictly. Shortly after his return home he died.

A collection of P'êng's prose writings, entitled 二林居集 Êr-lin chü chi, 24 chüan, was printed in 1799 and reprinted in 1880. Chüan 12 to 18 of this collection are about the lives of famous officials of the Ch'ing period, and are known as the 名臣事狀 Ming-ch'ên shih-chuang. Chüan 19, entitled 儒行述 Ju-hsing shu, contains lives of several Confucian philosophers. Chüan 20 to 21 are biographies of lower officials, and are entitled 良吏述 Liang-li shu. His writings about Buddhism, in the form of prayers, letters, biographies, prefaces, poems, etc., are collected under the title 一行居集 I-hsing chü chi, in 8 + 1 chüan, a compilation that was first printed in 1825. This collection has been popular among lay Buddhists. P'êng wrote a number of biographies of Buddhist priests of the Pure Land Sect, entitled 淨土聖賢錄 Ching-t'u shêng-hsien lu; and of Buddhist lay-women, entitled 善女人傳 Shan nü-jên chuan. His biographies of Buddhist lay-monks, entitled 居士傳 Chü-shih chuan, 56 chüan, were written in the years 1770-75, and printed about 1776. Though several scholars of the Ch'ing period are known as devout Buddhists, P'êng was foremost in popularizing Buddhism among the laity. He was not so much interested in establishing Buddhism at the expense of Confucianism as in reconciling the two. His writings have been reprinted in recent years by various Buddhistic organizations.

[ Autobiography 知歸子傳 Chih-kuei tzŭ chuan in I-hsing chü chi; 2/72/28a: 3/437/19a; Liu Hsien-hsin 劉咸炘, 學史散篇 Hsüeh-shih san p'ien (1933), final chapter.]

RUFUS O. SUTER

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%BD%AD%E7%B4%B9%E5%8D%87

彭紹升（1740年—1796年2月28日），字允初，號尺木，又號二林居士，法名際清。江南長洲（今江蘇蘇州）人，祖籍江西清江（今樟樹市）[3]，清朝佛教居士，進士出身。

生平
紹升十八歲時，與兄彭紹觀同年會試登第，卻引疾未參加殿試。

十九歲習詩，二十歲習古文，乾隆二十六年（1761年）二十二歲殿试位列二甲第十八名，赐進士出身。

二十四歲習宋明理學，為究其心，曾修習道教修鍊術三年，然一無所獲。後讀佛書以為道之所歸，此後號知歸子，題其住所為「二林」，號二林居士。

二十九歲斷肉食，茹素。

三十歲朝廷命其為官，紹升並未從命。

三十四歲從聞學實定禪師，受菩薩戒，法名際清。後閉關文星閣僧舍，名住所為「一行」。

五十七歲時去世。

行誼
二十二歲舉進士，不任官。少喜陆王心学，後學道教不契，三年無成。又讀憨山、紫柏、莲池之書，转信佛教，精讀大乘、小乘经论。後信仰淨土宗，主张儒佛一致。建念佛道场，设放生會。

紹升原本服膺陸王心學，貶抑程、朱，認為程朱理學遠離聖人之學。 又認為王陽明之致良知是聖人之學，但陽明後學卻異於聖人之道。他說：「後之學王子者，吾異焉。言知不必良，言良知不必致。知而不必良，則不善不可得而去也；良知而不必致，則無不善者不可得而復也。此其所以異于聖人之學也！」[4]故紹升主張性善，認為知必良，反對陽明後學「知不必良」、「良知不必致」的論點，顯示他認為性善才符合聖人之說，相信這也是他後來學佛，鍾情華嚴經的理由之一。

家世
紹升家世顯赫，曾祖彭定求康熙十五年（1676年）狀元，曾任國子監司業。父彭啟豐雍正五年（1727年）狀元，官至兵部尚書。

著作
著有《無量壽經起信論》三卷、《觀無量壽佛經約論》一卷、《阿彌陀經約論》一卷、《一乘決疑論》一卷、《華嚴經念佛三昧論》一卷、《居士傳》五十六卷、《善女人傳》二卷、《二林居集》二十四卷、《一行居集》八卷、《二林唱和詩》、《觀河集》、《測海集》各一卷、《和碩怡賢親王允祥傳》。[5] 由他編纂，經其從子彭希涑等編成計有《淨土聖賢錄》九卷。由他重刊編纂計有《淨土三經》、《念佛警策》上下二卷、《省庵法師語錄》二卷、《西方公據》二卷。[6]

評價
紹升文才頗負盛名。《清朝續文獻通考》：「紹升專心淨業，敝屣榮華，自捷南宮，即辭膴仕歸。既無用世之志，更何有於身後之名！然古文、宗法、震川詩亦功力極深，論乾隆一朝文學者，要不能不數及之也。」[7]

紹升將己之佛學作品寄給徹悟禪師審定時，徹悟禪師回覆道：「仰惟居士深入淨宗，廣陳法施，自他並利，解行俱圓，可謂現居士身，修菩薩行，不違本願，不忘佛屬者矣！向得三經新論，妄為評題，不見罪責，已出分外。茲復寄示種種新刻，屬令論定，益覺赧顏山野。唯教乘大旨，粗知向方，而幼失問學，語不成文，故兩處住持二十餘年，檀護之門未投隻字。今感居士虗懷遠問，為法之誠，遂頓忘固陋，罄己所知，直詞以告。其當否去取，唯高明以自裁焉！ 」[8]