國清百錄 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.2

51. Letter of the Prince Expressing Thanks for the Commentary on the Meaning

Your disciple Zongchi pays homage. Receiving your order sending the first roll of the Commentary on the Meaning, I knelt to receive the Dharma-jewel and perused its general outlines; its inner and outer siddhāntas are things my ears had never heard before, so I know Nāgārjuna acted in place of the Buddha in an inconceivable way. As for the present composition, mortal eyes have not yet fathomed its light and darkness; I shall respectfully study and investigate it further, looking forward to meeting you face-to-face. Respectfully paying homage.

3.4

52. Letter of the Prince Discussing the Various Monasteries in Jingzhou

3.5

Your disciple Zongchi pays homage. Regarding the two monasteries in Jingzhou, Yuquan and Shizhu, as you recently granted an order to inspect and administer them, letters must now be sent to the Area Commander-in-Chief of Jiangling so as to instruct the relevant officials to ultimately heed the monk emissaries, whether with leniency or urgency. Your disciple respectfully received the pure precepts; through conditions from past lives, I have slightly aspired toward doctrinal principles, and through your wisdom-pāramitā, you condescended to grant your permission. You have just begun composing the Commentary on the Meaning, and I am relying on your enlightening guidance as I enter the gate of wisdom. In years past, I respectfully asked you to go occasionally to Qixia; looking at the government's administration, it is intimately close, and departing in the morning and arriving in the evening, decisions could be consulted upon without being different from dwelling in the city. The practice of the Way fundamentally values pacifying the mind; why labor to go too far? Regarding the road to Tiantai, I fortunately hope you will set aside that wish. Bending oneself for the sake of others is what a bodhisattva grants; I dare not contravene our exclusive accord. Previously, I did not know at all that the pure persons' good intentions had already placed them among the sangha; deliverance knows no barriers, and I can only rejoice in it. Respectfully paying homage. Twenty-seventh day of the seventh month.

3.6

53. Letter Restating the Return to Tiantai

3.7

Regarding what was previously inquired about concerning Mount Tiantai, I had originally agreed to a later date, and now I have received your reply. Were it not so, my longstanding aspiration would be Qixia; mentioning its close proximity does not concern the mind of my original vow. Since Tiantai is the place to entrust my end, I constantly think of seeing it accomplished. I frequently instruct my disciples that I fear my life will not wait for the appointed time, and once impermanence strikes, my body will feed the birds; they should burn my remaining bones and send them to Tiantai, hoping that in the next life I may return to lodge in the mountain valleys, and having completed my cultivation, only then can I benefit others. Yet in respectfully proceeding to the doctrinal gates, I am much ashamed of my shallowness; since my resolve is weighty, I have presumed to task my humble insignificance, trusting that your compassionate grace will not be hurried. Simply speaking, the management of Tiantai was originally intended for the ten directions, establishing sangha disciples not solely for oneself. In past years, the repairs were undertaken with the wish of founding a saṅghārāma; while physical form may follow conditions, the incense and lamps must not cease, so I wish to send someone to carry out repairs, hoping to rely on expedient means. We travel the same path with matching equipment. The pure persons were able to receive this superior undertaking, and I also pray for a decree regarding the matters previously consulted upon, now begging for a monastery name and humbling you to serve as the donor; fearing too much bothersome clutter, I did not dare present them all at once. Forging affinities in every place brings even greater merit. You have granted your kindness for Yuquan and Shizhu; awaiting only your instructional decree, I shall immediately dispatch the monk emissaries, hoping that by relying on your radiant prestige the three monasteries may receive remote blessings. The saṅghārāma is not yet completed, but its merit is already full; for respectfully disturbing you with frequent bother, how can words express my gratitude? The monk so-and-so respectfully states. Twentieth day of the third month.

3.8

54. Letter of the Prince in Reply

3.9

Zongchi pays homage. You have again deigned to send instructive decrees, displaying ever more humaneness and compassion. The open-hearted Great Being responds whenever stimulated; how could the power of your original vow fail to bear fruit? I only say that having taken up the Way for but a short time, I cannot bear to be far separated, deeply relying on your mindful protection to open, demonstrate, awaken, and enter. Yuquan, Shizhu, and your original dwelling at Tiantai—relying on your superior efficacy, all can be established, and only then will their resonant influence last forever until the adamantine [end]. Letters to Jiangling and decrees to Kuaiji have both instructed the relevant officials to dispatch them at the proper time. Respectfully paying homage. Twenty-ninth day of the seventh month.

3.10

55. Letter of the Prince to Daxi Ru, Upper Pillar of State, Duke of Qi Commandery, and Area Commander-in-Chief of Jingzhou

3.11

Dhyāna Master Zhizhe's virtue is revered and his prestige is weighty; in recent years he bent his path to confer upon me the pure precepts. Now he is repairing the Shizhu Monastery in your prefecture and building the Yuquan Monastery facing westward, and in both cases has invited me to be the donor. Furthermore, I have heard that your Grace and others have forged many superior affinities; with the Great Vehicle moving freely, I deeply rejoice. The master is now dispatching two monk emissaries, Zhiguo and Facai, to return to Yuquan Monastery to manage it alongside Dharma Masters Facan and Daohui, and to Shizhu Monastery to manage it alongside Dharma Master Daozhen. I trust you will add your mind to echo and assist in bringing about this wonderful undertaking, so that public and private blessings may extend widely and the unseen and visible worlds may equally rely on it. Since this matter of Dharma is sent from afar, I shall not add greetings on the weather. Presented by Yang Guang. Second day of the eighth month.

3.12

56. Letter Replying to the Ordination of People into the Sangha

3.13

I submit that on this auspicious day of the present month, the Bodhisattva has appeared in the world; on behalf of the Supreme Empress, for the merit of requiting kindness, wondrous images have been cast and people ordained into the sangha, bringing immeasurable roots of future merit and karmic fruits in the present. In making the five śrāmaṇeras become my disciples, I shall respectfully follow your decree and act as the precept-expounding master. Since their ages are young, an upādhyāya must be separately selected, and I will certainly choose an eminent and virtuous person to serve as their refuge, and bestow Dharma robes upon them, which they will joyfully receive atop their heads before the assembly. The monk so-and-so respectfully states. Nineteenth day of the seventh month.

3.14

57. Letter Replying to the Release of Convicts and Exiles

3.15

Academician of the Opening of the Office Liu Guyan proclaimed the decree that the practice of the Suvarṇaprabhāsa has reached completion, pure and perfect like the full moon of the fifteenth day, and by your grace convicts and exiles are released and spared flogging and punishment. Forty-five persons in all, including Pan Huida, Upper Grand Master of the Opening of the Office, and Zhang Siniang, Equal to the Three Excellencies, were granted for consideration. I immediately investigated the details in accordance with the affair. I submit that the appearance of a single person in the world brings benefit to many people; the pure and benevolent ruling of the secular world belongs respectfully to the wheel-turning king. Based on this sūtra, it says: 'If they have violated the king's laws and are bound in cangues and chains with various afflictions, let them all be liberated.' Moreover, the Guanding jing says: 'The king should grant pardon to those who are wronged and distressed; when convicts and chains are released, the king attains his blessings. The realm will be peaceful, rain will fall in season, and the people will be secure and happy.' The purport of the decree accords with the sūtra text; is this not the power of planting roots of virtue and compassionate roots of goodness in past lives? Inadvertently, by great fortune, I have been favored with this grand occasion, leading and encouraging the sangha to keep pure fast and perform ablutions, whereupon the dragon king poured down rain, with sweet moisture reaching all around. Thereupon the prison gates were opened, manacles and fetters were cast off, and the convicts and exiles were pardoned, not one of whom did not dance for joy, extolling your kindness in the palace halls and redoubling their gratitude. We sent them off with superior banners, hung them on the jewel stupa, ascended high places to scatter flowers, burned incense, and lit bright candles; we also detained them for offerings, preached the Dharma, and enlightened them, causing them all to turn toward goodness. As for the monk Fayun and others, although they wore the Dharma robes, they were unable to cultivate their minds; bodily violating the state laws, they brought defilement to the stream of the Way. Thinking of how they came forth, deep fear and profound shame arise; I informed the great assembly to detain them for seven days, admonishing and bestowing gifts on them day and night, temporarily applying expulsion to make them feel ashamed and warned. The monk so-and-so respectfully states. Sixteenth day of the tenth month.

3.16

58. Letter Replying to the Bestowal of Items

3.17

Liu Guyan, Grand Master of the Opening of the Office, proclaimed your decree inquiring after my welfare on the occasion of the completion of the Dharma year. Furthermore, you bestowed a newly made gold-colored incense burner and box, a set of Dharma robes, one hundred bolts of floss-silk, thirty candles, two thousand sheets of paper, and superior kitchen fruits and food. Instant by instant does not abide, and seasonal changes hurry each other along; when old age arrives it is easy to grieve, and contemplating the mind it is difficult to perceive truth. Fortunately relying on the propagation and establishment of the correct Dharma, when I examine myself I lack precepts and wisdom, truly fearing it will be hard to digest [these gifts]. The incense burner raises peaks, the lotus flowers steal the show in elegance, one patiently endures insult and leaves defilement behind, safely walking and treading, as the sūtra calls use without exertion ever-abiding. The candles await burning at night, the paper is intended for the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa Sūtra]; bestowed as an essential requirement answering the need, this Dharma affair forgets all thanks. The fruits, food, and fine silks will be shared by the bodhimaṇḍa, and the dedication of merit has its focus, so my words are brief beyond words. The monk so-and-so respectfully states. Fifteenth day of the seventh month.

3.18

59. Letter of the Prince Postponing the Welcoming into the City Due to Rain

3.19

Zongchi pays homage. Just as I was about to respectfully invite you, the rain temporarily hindered us. If it clears tomorrow, I will dispatch another messenger. Respectfully paying homage. Twenty-sixth day of the seventh month.

3.20

60. Letter of the Prince Welcoming into the City

3.21

Zongchi pays homage. In the frosty cold, may your physical body in the Way be healthy and superior; your disciple has only just returned. Before having leisure to invite you, my sincere devotion was already deep; I am now sending someone to await and receive you, and before long I shall pay my respectful visit. Respectfully paying homage. Sixteenth day of the ninth month.

3.22

61. Letter of the Prince Sending an Emissary to Inquire at Tiantai

3.23

Zongchi pays homage. In the season of wheat, the weather is clear and your physical body in the Way is harmonious and comfortable, with your adornment of blessings and wisdom becoming ever more lofty and superior with the season. It has not been long since your disciple arrived, and things are roughly workable. Lately you have sent two letters in succession, deigning to reveal your merits. The Profound Meaning has been pruned and condensed, and the Textual Phrases has entered its beginning; the old is made new, moving from the coarse to the wondrous; only when unfolding and receiving them will the mists and clouds be cleared away. The spring season has already waned, and the summer retreat is just beginning; how would I dare violate the sūtras' teachings to venture out in the summer heat to welcome you? When the white dew gathers at night and autumn leaves fall in the wind, I will certainly prepare boats and oars to welcome and pay visit at Jiangyang. Yet respectfully burdening you with writing has already spanned several years; prajñā meets many obstacles, but I hope for success in the near future; as you progress day by day and month by month, I hope you will open and enlighten me; I hastily present this separate list to express my reverent sincerity. In my respect there is no eloquence, and I look up to your vast understanding; in the meantime, I shall continue to send messages regarding your precious virtues. Respectfully paying homage.

3.24

Ten patchwork kāṣāyas; two dragon-beard rushes mats; two Sumeru felt rugs; three jars of yak ghee; one box of frankincense.

3.25

62. Letter of the Prince Sending an Emissary to Welcome from Tiantai

3.26

Zongchi pays homage. The frosty chill has already grown sharp and the mosquito heat has long been dispelled; just now I fear severe freezing, so I am taking measures in advance to adjust and accommodate you. I am now sending someone to respectfully receive you; paying our respects is not far off. Respectfully paying homage. Twenty-second day of the ninth month.

3.27

63. Letter of the Prince Inquiring About Illness

3.28

Zongchi pays homage. I respectfully hear that having departed from Tiantai, you have already reached Shicheng Monastery, and your illness has not yet abated. A bodhisattva manifesting illness is also healed in illness; yet in my earnest sincerity, I am alternately alarmed and distressed. I am now sending Physician Li Ying to go and treat you; once you have attained a slight recovery, I hope you will slowly proceed on your journey, looking forward to paying respect and meeting before long. Respectfully paying homage.

3.29

64. Text of the Vow Document

3.30

The two statues of Vipaśyin and Kāśyapa in Wu County: we vow to reassemble and restore them. The King Aśoka Stupa Monastery in Mao County is ruined: we vow to repair and rebuild it. The ten-zhang stone statue of Maitreya in Shan County has its gold color peeled and ruined: we vow to adorn it anew. The above three places of merit we beg to repair. The monk so-and-so respectfully states.

3.31

I bow my head and pay reverence to the Buddhas of the three times. I humbly reflect that the Dharma-body has no form, yet manifests in accordance with capacities; the pure land is never destroyed, yet the multitudes see it burning. [The stone images] floated forth at Hudu, and the wondrous stūpa surged up from the earth. The heavenly music of Mount Shan, the dream communication of Lu Xian—the revered forms in these three places represent the power of the three times' roots of loving-kindness and good, benefiting this land. Yet as the years have deepened and the ages have receded, the sacred traces have fallen into decline; the images of the Buddhas are as if sunken away, and sentient beings have no anchor for their roots of good. I, through good fortune from past lives, have humbly taken part in the Dharma gate, but my virtuous conduct is slight, my accomplishments negligible, and I am mistakenly known by both clergy and laity. Looking at my shadow and ashamed of my person, I have no way to bear myself. Above, I am ashamed before the Three Jewels of lacking the ability to make them flourish and shine forth; below, I am chagrined before all living beings for having little power to uplift and rescue them. Even if I were to carve my bones and engrave my flesh, what could it remedy? Fortunately meeting this enlightened age, a pillar of the sun of the Buddha, I wish to rely upon the imperial breeze and also receive the power of the assembly, to exhort those with karmic affinity to repair and maintain these three places: first, to make the Buddha Dharma of the three times flourish and shine forth; next, to protect the realm of the great Sui; and below, for all sentient beings of the Dharma realm. If the stūpas and images are adorned and solemn, then [the Dharma] will be carried on and magnified without interruption, thereby repaying the Buddha's kindness. If every place is renewed with brilliance, so that the borders of the realm are naturally extraordinary and wonderfully fair, this will repay the sovereign's benevolence of water and earth. If those who see or hear of it generate the bodhi-mind, it will benefit all varieties of world-transcending karma. However, I have long harboured this wish in my heart, but due to conditions and hindrances it has not been fulfilled. Now, arriving at my appointed time as I set forth westward, my qi disorder has flared up; a vessel of poison, an earthen pitcher, is certainly nothing to treasure or spare. I have first offered my life to the Three Jewels, reverently submitting to their awesome spiritual power. If my bodily life remains, able to give rise to good in beings and not sully the Buddha Dharma, I humbly submit to [the Three Jewels'] bidding, begging that I may soon be cured, and my practices and vows quickly brought to fulfillment. If my life has not yet ended, but many demonic hindrances will arise to harm beings' roots of good and defile and disrupt the Buddha Dharma, why should I linger in this world? May I quickly turn to ashes and vanish. After my extinction, I entrust all these vows to those who come after, so that they may administer and establish the repairs, begging the Three Jewels to bestow their support so that they may swiftly be completed. I previously made this vow at the Suvarṇaprabhāsa bodhimaṇḍa on Folong; now once again before the stone-carved Honoured One I restate my foolish sincerity. I humbly pray that sages and mortals alike will deign once more to gather and embrace it. Reverently written. The twenty-first day of the eleventh month of the seventeenth year of Kaihuang.

3.32

Testament to the Prince of Jin, Sixty-Fifth

3.33

When this poor monk first encountered superior conditions and began to generate the resolve, I aspired above to the patience of the non-arising of dharmas, and sought below the purification of the six sense-faculties, striving diligently in the three modes of karma and hoping to attain them in a single lifetime. I did not foresee that my past misdeeds and calamities would be so deep as to bring about various hindrances: within, lacking true virtue; without, courting empty renown, disciples forcefully gathered, and dānapatis came on their own. Since I could not escape far into distant lands, yet accommodating and yielding to them, I brought affliction and confusion upon myself. The Way declined and suffered loss; what ought to have been attained was not attained—how can grief and regret make amends? Above, I have failed the Three Jewels; below, I am ashamed before my original aspiration: this is my first regret. Furthermore, since the sacred Dharma was lost to me, I examined myself and saw it was beyond my capacity, and wished instead to impart the dhyāna and wisdom of my late master to students; thus I lingered in the Chen capital for eight years propagating the Dharma. Among the scholars who came, some understood easily but died early; others benefited themselves only to their own capacity. Lacking the ability to guide others as well, I prolonged the teachings in vain, and the lineage was virtually cut off. My personal practice had failed earlier, and my benefiting of beings proved hollow; thus I again failed my late master's entrustment of a hundred pieces of gold: this is my second regret. Moreover, as my years drew to their twilight, I ever cherished the wondrous Way, longing to meet an enlightened age and hoping to encounter an external protector. When I first received the four requisites, inspiring my decaying years, I, together with forty disciples and some three hundred other monks, practiced the Way daily in Jiangdu, and also opened my heart to await those who came to inquire, hoping to meet someone of easy understanding to repay the Prince's kindness. Yet not a single person came seeking dhyāna or seeking wisdom. That my lack of affinity with beings should suddenly reach this extent, that I should mistakenly accept the offerings of the faithful while my transformative guidance was of no effect: this is my third regret. Again I thought: if there are no affinities here, perhaps there are past causes in other regions. Wishing to repay the kindness of my native land through my vow for Jingzhou and Tanzhou, the Great Prince's vast compassion showered down in granting permission. In Xiangtan, my merit and virtue roughly expressed my slight intentions; but though many formed karmic bonds, who was capable of being entrusted with the enterprise? At first I thought those with affinity did not come; now, having gone to seek them, none were to be found. My presumption having proved mistaken: this is my fourth regret. At the Dharma assembly in Jingzhou, the audience numbered over a thousand monks, with three hundred studying dhyāna. The prefectural authorities, fearful and anxious, deemed it a violation of state regulations: how could a crowd be gathered so as to trouble the officials? Thus, in the morning they gathered like clouds, and in the evening they scattered like rain. Even if there were sprouts of goodness, they were not permitted to grow. This was an inability to accommodate the mundane world, failing to harmonize and find a proper place: this is my fifth regret. Having then traveled a second time to Jiangdu, Your Sagely Mind, esteeming the Dharma, commanded me to compose a commentary on the Vimalakīrti[-nirdeśa]. Without measuring my own dim understanding, I straightaway expressed my partial views; when the profound meaning was just completed, your banners and canopy arrived for an audience. You then permitted me to return east; the monks of the Wu region all rejoiced at hearing and studying it, but in the mountains, depleted and destitute, a crowd could not be assembled, so I restrained my heart to await going out to seek the Dharma gates, promising that in my declining years and debility I would expound and transform. Now the time for going out has been cut short, and the Dharma affinities are also severed: this is my sixth regret. During two summer retreats in the mountains, I concentrated on editing the profound meaning, and proceeded to explain the text of the sūtra up to the 'Buddha Path' chapter, making thirty-one fascicles. Neglecting my own person, I consequently provoked fever and thirst; for over a hundred days, racing against illness, I edited and revised it. Arriving at the end of this summer, anxious that a summons might come, I packed my baggage and awaited the date. On the seventeenth day of last month, an envoy arrived at the mountain; staying only for a single night, swiftly as a firefly's gleam, eager to advance on the road early, we crossed Shan Ridge. Next we reached Shicheng, where my qi disorder grew severe, and I could go no further. As for this doctrinal commentary, I dictated the original draft and revised it once myself, but it has not yet been carefully searched and scrutinized. It still contains many errors regarding the sūtras and treatises, and is unfit to be circulated. Yet since it was composed for the Prince, how could I be ashamed of its clumsiness? I have instructed my disciples to transcribe the latter draft for your humble inspection. As for the previously sent profound meaning and the commentary on the text, please hand them to my disciples to be burned. You, naturally endowed with sagacious wisdom, I pray will read through it once to grasp its general meaning; the rest is not worth viewing. Although this poor monk is about to perish and turn to ashes, I pray that you will keep your mind on the Buddha Dharma, seek out and inquire of those of superior virtue, and ensure that the gates of doctrine are not neglected. Probe deeply into the Buddha's teachings, and the way of governing will be increasingly enlightened; practicing universally and studying universally is the bodhisattva's practice. When the Tathāgata entered extinction, he entrusted the Dharma to kings. Who am I, that the gate of wisdom should be entrusted to me? Joyfully I approach my end; in death there is no leftover glory. But my writings extended over years, and the phrasing and meanings are inconsistent, leaving me disconsolate and ashamed of myself. My bustling about throughout my life was entirely for the sake of the Buddha Dharma, for the sake of the country, and for the sake of sentient beings. Now that I have the Dharma gate to humbly entrust, the three aims are fulfilled and my six senses are at rest. After my life ends, if I possess spiritual power, I vow to invisibly protect the Prince's territory, causing the teachings of my vows to spread widely to repay the Prince's kindness and fulfill my original aspiration. A bodhisattva's vow is sincere and does not deceive; the bond of incense and lamp is profound—how can I express my gratitude? I pray that you will contemplate foam and illusion, and know that all conditioned dharmas are impermanent; meeting without parting is ultimately impossible. You should only be diligent in the precepts and bestow charity to withstand the four mountains, and swiftly seek the essentials of liberation; why should you injure the Dharma and trouble your sagely heart? The lotus incense burner and rhinoceros-horn ruyi sceptre were bestowed by the Prince. Now taking my humble leave, I pray that the fragrance of your virtue will reach far, and that you will long maintain all as you wish. After the Great Master of Nanyue passed into extinction, there has been no stele inscription. Previously, I was favored by your command granting permission to compose one yourself; I pray you will not forget this intention. Master Nanyue established Daming Monastery in Tanzhou, and Dao'an, [vast as] the filling sky, established Shangming Monastery in Jingzhou. Previously favored by your command of invisible protection, I pray you will glorify past virtues and act as their head dānapati. This poor monk has lived sixty years in the world and has never performed conditioned merit. In my twilight years, with failing strength, I have often lacked the heart to do so; yet the offerings of incense and lamp were weighty, and recently in Jingzhou, I humbly built Yuquan Monastery and repaired Shizhu Monastery on your behalf, having also received your instructions. Daxirù, the Commander of that region and Duke of Qijun, died at Xiakou just as a monk was carrying your instructional letter there; the letter could not be delivered, yet your loving kindness was already complete. I pray you will act as the dānapati of Yuquan. Now the thatched hermitage at the summit temple of Tiantai is somewhat orderly, and at the foot of the mountain there is an extraordinarily fine site; again I have humbly founded a saṅghārāma on your behalf. We have just cut the timber and laid out the foundation, and I commanded my disciples to construct it; not seeing the temple completed, closing my eyes in death will be my regret. Tiantai does not yet have an official placard; I beg to request a name, to transfer the registrations of ten monks from Yuquan Monastery in Jingzhou to reside at the Tiantai monastery, and request the fields of abandoned temples to serve as Tiantai's permanent estate. The diagram of the temple, together with the stone image and the vow document, are all left for your humble inspection. In this peaceful and sagely age, the imperial breeze is orderly and pure; the bodhisattva's pure land is inconceivable. I have observed that when various prefectures transmit their tax grain in turns, the cartage fees are three to five times the official levy, causing not a little private expense. Out of esteem for the statutes, there are separate deep regulations for dispositions. This poor monk is unversed [in state affairs] and rashly speaks of national regulations, but I venture to suggest that for prefectures without grain, transportation is appropriate as such; while prefectures with grain should deliver it in turn locally, so there would be no such private expense. My narrow view has not seen all; if this principle conflicts with regulations, please do not consider it; if it benefits affairs, I pray you will memorialize it to the throne, so the common people may rejoice and rely upon it. Moreover, the state is the Prince's state, and the people are the Prince's people; if you cultivate a loving heart to nurture the common folk, even dogs and horses recognize being fed—how could people forget kindness? In the past, I heard of Emperor Gao of Qi: seeing soldiers carrying charcoal with haggard appearances, he pitied their hardship and permitted them to leave household life, yet only a single man was willing to go. The ruler of Qi sighed: 'All men cherish wives and children; who is willing to sleep alone in a solitary room, stare at the four walls, and banish himself to the mountains and forests?' From this perspective, leaving household life is difficult to attain. Today the realm is vast and taxes are light and fair; few leave household life, and the elderly monks are dwindling, decreasing day by day. At the previous registration, some were traveling to listen and study according to conditions, or practicing the Way in mountains and forests, and were not entered onto the register. Although striving earnestly, they constantly harbor worry and fear. Such cases are not many, and all possess religious practice; I pray you will allow them to register their names. This would be ordaining people to leave household life, increasing the monastic assembly, and causing the Buddha Dharma to blaze forth, obtaining immeasurable merit. Formerly, three kingdoms stood like a tripod, using arms and husbanding men; now that all under heaven is united in peace, cultivating civil virtues and cultivating merit is truly what is appropriate. Furthermore, in the final age of the Dharma, many monks do not act in accordance with their robes; they do not even win human approval, let alone uphold the sūtras and vinaya. The Prince upholds the laws of the state and also supports the Buddha's teachings: punish those who are guilty, and revere those who are without guilt. If you give rise to an impartial, inconceivable mind, the merit will be immeasurable. Matters such as these I originally wished to consult you about in person, but missing the opportunity, they have suddenly become my dying testament. They too are for the sake of the Buddha Dharma, for the sake of the country, and for the sake of sentient beings; if you can bear them in mind, the merit will be repaid to you above. Dictated on the brink of death, words exhausted and strength depleted, time presses and longings are many—how can I explain it all? Great Good Friend, let bodhi be our appointed meeting! The śramaṇa so-and-so, eleventh month of the seventeenth year of Kaihuang.

3.34

The Prince's Response to the Testament, Sixty-Sixth

3.35

The bodhisattva-precept disciple Zongchi bows his head and pays homage. The late master, the Tiantai Zhizhe's personal disciples Guanding and Puming, have arrived, and I respectfully received the testament of seven sheets of paper dated the twenty-first day of the eleventh month of the seventeenth year, bearing forty-six characters in [the Master's] own hand, together with the thirty-one fascicles of the commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra, a rhinoceros-horn ruyi, a lotus censer, and other items. Kneeling to read it through, my heart was shattered and shaken; his relics remain majestic, and the virtuous voice is fully present. Like Mahākāśyapa at Wolf Track Peak, his physical realization pursued the distant light of Heduo. Tiantai's peaceful dhyāna closely trod in [former footsteps] and truly returned [to the source]. At the Twin Trees, the fourfold assembly wailed in grief for the Tathāgata, yet the Dharma of the bequeathed teachings of the Nirvāṇa was all the more profound and weighty. How much more so after the five hundred years, when one of the four reliances rescues the drowning, profoundly according with the Buddha's intent! Dwelling in the world like an ordinary person, when about to enter nirvāṇa, he manifested rare wonders. The five ranks and the ten faiths were already luminous of themselves; Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara in person came to receive and guide him. Now that his virtue has departed forever, grief and longing only increase; recollecting my awakening in this life, I rejoice anew in what was formerly conferred. What I regret is not receiving the commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa in person once again, but I still hope to explore and study it to make up for my shortcomings. Reflecting on my hindrances and afflictions, the current faculties have not yet opened; yet listening afar to what was heard before, there is also accomplishment. Not only is awakening shallow or deep, but the timing may also be early or late. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, those who attained sagehood were vast in number; their light illuminated other regions, coming unseen to instruct and reveal. Reflecting again on how I suddenly attended upon the Great Master in this present life, it was truly due to past conditions accumulated from having formerly drawn close to him. His loving kindness extends to future lives, where his influence will surely descend; not forsaking his original vow, the traces of his brush remain complete. Therefore, returning with sincere devotion and relying upon the spiritual presence with earnest precepts, I knelt to receive the scriptural commentary, the ruyi, and the censer, reverently bowing to the west, vowing in heart and mouth, my hands exploring the scrolls in final diligence. On the eighteenth of this month, an auspicious dream was felt; thus I know that the vessel of crossing has already descended. My only wish is that on that very day, lotuses will open afar in the jewel pond, and residing now in the pure realm, he will moisten my defiled heart close at hand, so that life after life, generation after generation, master and disciple will never part, shedding the ordinary to ascend to the holy, serving without fail. However, the treasury of meaning plumbs the depths and the bequeathed writings are vast and profound; though I urge on my sluggish pace, I constantly fear facing a wall. I particularly hope to be moistened with ghee as if drawing fragrant milk, and illuminated as into a dark well, true gold is straightaway revealed. Thereafter, looking up to rely upon your spiritual powers and bending down to spur my own vigor, I will separately inquire among eminent monks to uphold and propagate the flavor of the Dharma, universally bringing great benefit to all sentient beings. In this way, I will not disobey your uplifting guidance, together ascending to the other shore; what is most supreme and most exalted is venerated here. Regarding the final thirty-one fascicles of the commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa sent by Guanding up to the Chapter on the Buddha Path, I have respectfully had them mounted, bound, and transcribed to study and read, so as to attain their purport. The profound meaning and textual explanations before that were entrusted to the disciples to be burned; I have now sent them back with the messenger to be incinerated before him. As for the rhinoceros-horn ruyi and the lotus censer, bestowed from afar upon parting, I shall constantly wear and use them without wearying, perpetually serving Dharma rituals. Now I offer a glazed ceramic censer to make offerings at the shrine room. The bequeathed instructions noted that at the foot of Mount Tiantai you came upon an extraordinarily fine site, which you intended to make into a monastery, having just begun to clear the timber and lay out the foundations and steps. I am now dispatching the Marshall Wang Hong to construct the saṅghārāma, entirely according to the blueprints. As the monastery requires an official plaque and a fine name to be established, this too will not depart from your instructions. Folong and the dhūta [dwellings] shall each remain as before. As for having ten monks from Yuquan in Jingzhou move to guard Tiantai, most of the assembly currently present on the mountain are from Zhugong, and I have already restrained them from scattering away; how could it be merely ten monks? Regarding the requested abandoned monastery and paddy fields to serve as the foundation estate, I have also instructed Wang Hong to bestow fertile and good lands, receiving profound protection. In that same year, additional funds were supplied to escort and deliver a complete canon of scriptures, and in accordance with the Dharma, a separate set of offering utensils, bells, banners, incense, and the like were provided for the late master; money was also granted to cover daily expenses for the time being. The efficacious stupa within the borders of Mao, the stone image in Wu, the Maitreya in Shan County, and the place where his venerable form lay sick shall all be adorned without deviation. Since Yuquan Monastery in Jingzhou was built for him, its treatment ought by rights to differ from other bodhimaṇḍas. As for Daming Monastery in Tanzhou, and Shizhu and Shangming Monasteries in Jingzhou, having previously respectfully agreed to be their dānapati, there is no reason to go against that now. You have now instructed me to compose an inscription for the master of Mount Nanyue; I have immediately ordered the Scholar of the Kai-fu Bureau Liu Guyan to write the preface, while I shall personally compose the verse inscription as requested. As for punishing guilty monks and treating the innocent equally: strictly speaking, the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] and the karmavācanā provide clear scriptural texts. Setting forth the governance of the state, the chapter in the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra directs that the maintenance of the Three Jewels must not dare be neglected. You also instructed me to cultivate a compassionate heart further and nurture the common people; even dogs and horses know those who rear them, so how could human beings forget kindness? I have heard that secular books teach benevolence and esteem forbearance toward things, while Buddhist scriptures hold the great compassion as supreme; though differing in words, they are truly identical in reaching the principle. Without gentlemen, how could the state be governed? Without bodhisattvas, how could sentient beings be saved? Furthermore, regarding monks who are not yet registered, allowing them to turn themselves in: I happened to receive an imperial edict that mysteriously coincided with your request, acting in accordance with the circumstances. This is what is meant by 'following Heaven afterward and honoring Heaven's timing.' As for the transport of provisions, which profoundly concerns the military and the state, I previously reported it in a memorial, but the authorities have not yet replied; I will eventually employ expedients and surely expect a harmonious outcome. Upon receiving your entrusted charge, you were once again able to perceive the minds of others. My previous replies did not contravene your intentions, hoping that through this cultivation of fragrance, blessings would protect the state. Guanding and Puming were interviewed in person and inquired of; they related in detail that the abandoned form sat in meditation just as in life. I regret all the more missing the opportunity and failing to taste the flavor of the Dharma again, reverently estimating that your power of samādhi stood like Mount Sumeru. Now that your Dharma-age is said to be complete, I earnestly wish to send a carriage to welcome you once to Jiangyang, returning to enter the dhyāna assembly, where monastics and laity may touch your feet and humans and gods pay homage; thereafter you shall be respectfully escorted back to that mountain shrine, hoping that gazing upon you will open eyes and minds. I deeply pray that your spiritual power will not fail this request; though the repayment of profound kindness is fully set forth in the prayer text, in truth extra protection should be added and retribution should be paid. The two monks are now returning; I lightly send this letter in reply, bowing from afar to the efficacious image, my heart choked with sobs. Respectfully, with palms joined. Kaihuang 18th year, first month, twentieth day.

3.36

Prayer Text No. 67 on the Prince Sending an Emissary to Mount Tiantai to Establish Meritorious Deeds

3.37

The bodhisattva-precept disciple Zongchi bows in homage. To the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times, all the venerable Dharma, the holy assemblies of the Three Vehicles, the devas, ṛṣis, and nāga deities of the upper realms, who protect and manifest with other-minds knowledge and the eye of the Way, filling space without limit, hidden and manifest: I have heard that the Buddhas and bodhisattvas do not abandon their original vows, serving as teachers of devas and humans to rescue sentient beings. Next, they cause the upādhyāyas and ācāryas to serve as models across generations, guiding and receiving latecomers no differently from the Buddha. The gravity of honoring and respecting them is fully present in the sūtras and vinaya; without a luminous guide, how could one cross the ocean of suffering? Without repaying their profound virtue, how could one reap the field of merit? The bequeathed deeds can be pursued; I respectfully rely on the Buddha's words. The bodhisattva-precept late master, Tiantai Zhizhe, crossed the Shan mountain ridges and passed away at Shicheng. When I first heard the news arrive, grief broke through and overcame me; reverently contemplating his supreme deeds, they surpassed the crossing of the Hiraṇyavatī River. The Buddha permitted that at the approach of death one may speak of one's own attainments. Now, opening what the attendant recorded, there were immense extraordinary signs: he stated that his rank resided in the five grades of disciples, the matter being found in the Lotus Sūtra, and that the faithful mind of the ten abodes is fully attested in the text of the Yingluo jing. Thereupon, unearthly voices and extraordinary sounds filled the mountain chambers; he called for his great robe to be put on, saying that Avalokiteśvara had arrived, proving that he had entered the stage of definite assurance and beheld Amitābha face to face. With serene composure his spirit departed, sitting peacefully in personal realization; even as the new and full moons shifted, his countenance remained majestic. This was entirely because for immeasurable kalpas he had perfected dāna and prajñā, profoundly protecting the Buddha's Dharma and inspiring all living beings. Without manifesting teachings in his appearances and disappearances, who could achieve this? Only a sage can have both a beginning and an end! Even if with the eloquence of thousands of myriads of koṭis of gāthās one were to praise the Master's merit and wisdom, one could never exhaust it. At the beginning of summer, I sent a messenger to the mountain, expecting to welcome him when the Dharma year ended. When the monastic rains retreat was completed, I still feared the noxious mists of the ravines, intending to wait for the season of frost and snow to cross the Mirror Water with a cup; but when I reached Shan, I heard that he had fallen ill. Who could have thought that in the space of a message his spirit would soar to the Pure Land, so that I was unable to behold his voice and countenance again or consult once more on the flavor of the Dharma? The commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa was concealed and not expounded; this was truly due to past hindrances rooted deeply, bringing about a breach of the heart's covenant. Having instructed me before, I must make amends afterward. Recently, I respectfully held an assembly at the old residence of the dhyāna community in this prefecture, and founded a monastery and stupa at the site laid out by Tiantai; yet at the dhūta site on that mountain, I have not yet been able to practice cultivation. Now, reverently reading your farewell letter entrusting the inconceivable matter of the Buddha's Dharma, my sighs, engraving, and grief are of an unending sincerity. Now I send [messengers] to the summit of Folong Peak to assemble the multitude and hold a fast, wishing that, by relying on the power of the Three Jewels, he may swiftly reach the Western Direction. May Zhizhe bear witness to the prophecy of the Pure Land, so that life after life, generation after generation, I may perpetually remain the Great Master's disciple, and before attaining buddhahood, be delivered early by him, not abandoning the responsiveness of our conditions, grandly reaching bodhi. And I beg the power of the assembly to perform repentance for this disciple: from the ground of fundamental ignorance up to the present day, with defilement-hindrances numerous as the sands of the Ganges, blinded by afflictions, the five hindrances and ten fetters, cycling within the realms, eighty-four thousand worldly dusts multiplying. I pray that relying on this accumulated celebration and these merits, all sins will vanish like frost and dew before the sun of wisdom, all goods will universally gather, the Dharma rain will overflow, and the spiritual power of the Way will shine upon and illuminate the Imperial House, so that the precious reign may endure long and extend to hundreds of millions. Kaihuang 18th year, first month, twenty-ninth day.

3.38

The Prince's Condolence Letter to the Great Assembly, No. 68

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On the twenty-ninth day of the first month, Zongchi respectfully states: All conditioned things are impermanent; this is the law of arising and ceasing. Even Buddhas and pratyekabuddhas cast aside their impermanent bodies; now that the Great Master Zhizhe has shifted his responsive transformation and his spirit has departed, my grief and pain are overwhelming, and the longing and mourning are unbearable. He is gone forever—what can be done, what can ever be done? The two attendants, Guanding and Puming, delivered the farewell letter, the Contemplation of the Mind, the commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, the rhinoceros-horn ruyi, the lotus censer, along with the memorial from Dharma Master Zhiyue and the whole assembly. Looking upon them, my choked sorrow grew, as if his virtuous voice were still present. I immediately had the spiritual traces of his passing recorded in order: the auspicious omens were clearly manifest and his own account was distinct. His whole-body relic remains sitting peacefully to this day; this was not the realization of a lesser fruit of a śrāvaka, but definitely an entry into the great stage of a bodhisattva. I had always heard that he attained the Lotus Samādhi, and only now is the unretrograde wheel of the Dharma verified; beholding Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta face to face, and using his knowledge of past lives to reflect back upon this land, how could the fourfold disciples not strive diligently? Reflecting on my own unworthiness, I have no way to repay him; I can only respectfully rely upon his entrusted charge and dare not forget it. The saṅghārāma that ought to be built on the demarcated plot: when Sudatta stretched the measuring cord, the heavenly palace straightaway responded down to the vajra limit. Since there is an essential path, it should be built and repaired, entirely following the original intent. Formerly, when Confucius passed away, his disciples guarded the tomb for three years, and Zigong's group even did so for six years. How much more so when just establishing a monastery to plant the foundation of blessings forever! Let the monks currently present there take care not to disperse; as long as you plan for the Way, why worry about lacking food? Expecting the future life, the Western Direction is not far; but if you grow lax and withdraw, the jewel pond will be extremely distant. I am now dispatching an envoy to reverently perform repentance and bowing at the summit of Folong Peak, cultivating blessings and establishing a fast, entirely as stated in the prayer text, briefly expressing my humble thoughts. As the two monks are now returning, I send this condolence letter especially. Yang Guang states. Eleventh month, fifth day.

3.40

Letter of Thanks from the Mount Tiantai Assembly, No. 69

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Memorial of thanks from the Śramaṇa Zhiyue and the entire community of Mount Tiantai: Sima Wang Hong arrived, and the monastic envoys Guanding and Puming returned, reverently bearing your instructions of the twenty-ninth day of the first month, which deigned to offer condolences and deliver your verbal instruction. You inquired with thoughtful solicitude. Reverently facing the doors of the niche, we burned incense and knelt to read [your letter]. Its words and sentiments were poignant and deeply grieved, piercing our souls and hearts. We shall bear your lingering charge whether in death or in life. When our master was in the world, he frequently instructed us, saying: 'I now obtain the temple foundation to construct it for the Prince. It is not something you junior monks can manage. There will be another person of great strength and authority who shall later bring it to completion; my only regret is that I will not see the monastery completed.' At that time, we could not fathom the reason, but now that we have received your renovation and construction, we at last awaken to his prior prediction; its silent correspondence is inconceivable. The Dharma treasure of the scriptural canon is a ferry to transcend the world, the teacher of all Buddhas, and a guide for sentient beings. It shall forever safeguard Mount Folong, relied upon, upheld, and recited. The bells, banners, incense, and other offerings you bestowed have been installed for worship; the Dharma drum awakens and benefits humans and spirits. The Dharma gathering of one thousand monks has brought its merit to full perfection. We humbly imagine his hidden spirit, in its compassion, beholds this from afar. Reverently, on the day of the feast, we unfolded and read your vow text; the Dharma assembly trembled in heart, seeking to enter the ocean of your vows. Having been granted provisions for the feast and graciously bestowed agricultural lands, the foundation and estate are inexhaustible, and this gift of sustenance is boundless. As dependent beings, we cause much trouble, and it is difficult to repay your towering grace and the intentions of your instructions. You specifically ordered that the current resident monks must not disperse. We humbly reflect that your grand protection is of grave importance and the monastery is soon to be completed; fellow students and disciples are just now relying upon it. With the niche chamber standing solemnly, what heart could bear to depart? Moreover, having received your strict instructions, we are all the more fearful in our sincere devotion, and shall reverently exert ourselves, redoubling our mental and physical efforts. But having lost our shade and shelter, the community has forever parted from his compassionate vows; yet recalling and rejoicing in our past affinities, we again receive your shielding protection. Joy and sorrow intermingling, we weep as we approach this memorial. Reverently submitted. Fifteenth day of the second month of the eighteenth year of Kaihuang.

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國清百錄 — Classical Chinese