四明尊者教行錄 7
English (machine translation) 7
- Language
- English
7.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Zongxiao of Shizhi in Siming
7.2
Stele of the Deeds of the Late Great Master Fazhi of Yanqing Monastery in Mingzhou under the Song
7.3
Tomb Inscription of the Late Great Master Fazhi, Transmitters of the Tiantai Doctrinal Teaching and Contemplation, of Yanqing Monastery in Mingzhou
7.4
True Record of the Venerable Fazhi of Siming
7.5
Preface to the *Shibuer men zhiyao chao* by [Zunshi of] Tianzhu
7.6
Eulogy in Sacrificial Offering to the Great Master Fazhi of Siming by the Same as Above
7.7
Poem of Mourning for the Great Master Fazhi of Siming by the Same as Above
7.8
Eulogy for the Venerable Fazhi of Siming by his Disciple Sengjiang
7.9
Eulogy for the Portrait of the Great Master Fazhi of Yanqing in Mingzhou under the Song by Censor Luo Yan
7.10
Eulogy for the Painted Portrait of the Great Master Fazhi, Founding Patriarch of Yanqing, by Grand Preceptor Shi Hao
7.11
Eulogy for the Great Master Fazhi of Siming by Xiyan of Xuexi
7.12
Memorial Address for the Death Anniversary Feast of Patriarch Master Fazhi of Yanqing by Chen Tianyu
7.13
Memorial Address for the Death Anniversary of the Great Master Fazhi of Siming by Xiyan of Xuexi
7.14
Memorial Address for the Death Anniversary of the Great Master Fazhi, Founding Patriarch of Yanqing, by Keshou of Cishan
7.15
Inscription on the Restoration of the Image of the Venerable Fazhi by Shanyue of Boting
7.16
Stele of the Deeds of the Late Great Master Fazhi of Yanqing Monastery in Mingzhou under the Song
7.17
Composed by Zhao Bian, Merit Official of Dedication and Preservation of Virtue, Grand Academician of the Hall of Aid in Governance, Acting Junior Protector of the Crown Prince, Retired, Pillar of the State, Founding Duke of Nanyang Commandery, with a Fief of 2,500 Households, an Actual Feoff of 600 Households, and Bestowed the Purple and Gold Fish Bag
7.18
The Great Master Fazhi, named Zhili, style Yueyan, family name Jin, was of a lineage that had lived in Ming[zhou] for generations. His marks of a holy person were extraordinary and magnificent, his nature placid and his capacity broad. Initially, his parents prayed to the Buddha for a son. At night they dreamed of a divine monk holding a boy and handing him over, saying: "This is the Buddha's son, Rāhula." When he was born, they named him after him. At the age of losing his baby teeth he left home, at fifteen he had his head shaved and received the full precepts, and at twenty he followed Master Baoyun (Yitong) of his native commandery to receive the transmission of the Tiantai doctrinal teaching and contemplation. After only three days, the head monk said to him: "The Dharma realm naturally has an order; you should observe and maintain it." The master asked: "What is meant by the Dharma realm?" The monk replied: "It is the great overarching characteristic of dharmas, perfectly interfused and unimpeded." The master said: "If it is already perfectly interfused and unimpeded, how can there be an order?" That monk was speechless. In barely a month, he gave lectures on the *Hṛdaya Sūtra* himself; all people flocked to listen and spread word of him in astonishment, declaring that the doctrinal teaching now had someone to rely upon. Having resided there for three years, he frequently lectured in place of Master Tong, penetrating the text and elucidating the meaning, further making known what he had learned. Later he resided at Chengtian, and subsequently moved to Yanqing. His virtuous renown grew increasingly high, and his practice of the Way flourished immensely. Wherever he went became an assembly of scholars. The National Preceptor of Japan once sent disciples bearing twenty questions to inquire after the essentials of the Dharma; the master answered them, and all reached perfection. Never was the Tiantai teaching more flourishing than at this time. Emperor Zhenzong became aware of his reputation and dispatched a high-ranking palace official to his dwelling, commanding him to perform repentance rituals and bestowing generous gifts. Once, in a year of great drought, the master, together with the two masters Zunshi and Yiwen, jointly cultivated the Golden Light Repentance to pray for rain. When after three days rain had not fallen, they cleared away their mats, prostrated on the ground, and took an oath before Heaven, saying: "In this Buddhist rite, if rain does not fall, each of us shall burn one hand to offer to the Buddha." Before the Buddhist rite had finished, torrential rain poured down everywhere. He once exchanged written inquiries with several persons—Qingyuan of Fengxian in Qiantang, Qingzhao of Fantian, and Zhiyuan of Gushan—debating back and forth; though repeated often, he never yielded. He also sent his disciple, Great Master Shenzhao (Benru), to debate their doctrines with them, and in the end they were able to gain the victory. He composed two commentaries, the *Zhiyao* and *Miaozong*, the *Dabei chanyi biexing shu ji* (Subcommentary to the Independent Ritual of the Great Compassion Repentance), the two commentaries on the *Guangming*, and the like, all of which were subsequently transmitted. He once cultivated the Miaosheng Repentance for three years together with ten monks, making an agreement that when the repentance ended they would burn their bodies together, hoping thereby to stimulate the indolent and arouse vigorous progress. Academician of the Hanlin Academy Lord Yang Yi and Commandery駙馬李遵勗 Li Zunxu, who had previously recommended the master for bestowed monastic robes and titles, held him in the highest esteem and affection. Knowing of his intention to self-immolate, they sent letters urging him to desist, but he would not comply. They also sent a letter to Master Ciyun Shi of Tianzhu, having him come in person from Hangzhou to Mingzhou to dissuade him from his intention, yet he still would not listen. Commandery Governor and Auxiliary in the Institute of History Lord Li (Yiyu) secretly ordered the neighboring communities to watch him constantly, not allowing him to slip away to burn himself. His wish having thus been thwarted, he again assembled ten monks to cultivate the Great Compassion Repentance for three years. Moreover, he took the seven days during the Golden Light Repentance as the period for his passing; on the fifth day, he sat cross-legged and passed away. This was truly on the fifth day of the first month in the sixth year of Tiansheng. His age was sixty-nine, and he had been a monk for fifty-four years. A month after his demise, when his casket was opened to view, his complexion and skin were as if alive, and his nails and hair had grown. After cremation, his tongue root was indestructible, and the relics were beyond count. In all, he presided over three Dharma assemblies, devoted solely to lecturing and repentance for over forty years, his sides never touching the mat. Those who followed and were transformed by him at the time were numbered by the thousands; those who received his teaching and proclaimed the Way in their time occupied more than thirty teaching seats. Figures such as Zequan, Juezong, Benru, Chongju, Shangxian, Renyue, Huicai, and Fanzhen were all famous men of the age. Today, among the flourishing lecture seats in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, there are none that do not transmit the master's teaching; his merit in opening people's minds was truly broad. In the tenth month, winter of the third year of Yuanfeng, after I had retired from office for a year, I traveled from Quzhou to Wenzhou. There was the Lecturer Yi of Faming Cloister, whose practice and understanding were both lofty; he had once traveled to Quzhou, where I had contact with him before I passed the examinations. One day, he gathered his robes and stepped forward, saying: "I, Jizhong, am a Dharma grandson of Master Fazhi. Alas, he has been departed for sixty-three years! His attainments were towering and distinct, and his learning served as a model for future generations; the master was truly the wooden clapper of the Buddhist gate! From the past, among high officials and men of letters whose words could be trusted by later generations, none have recorded him. His disciples secretly feel ashamed of this. Having now set down an account of his deeds, they request that you compose a stele inscription to serve as an everlasting transmission." I then sighed and said: "At the beginning of human life, one is empty, unified, and tranquil; originally there is no distinction between ordinary and sagely. When one engages in conflict within the realm of things and events, unable to return, the Buddhas had no choice but to come to the Eastern land, taking the trouble of names and characteristics to transform them—how could this be done casually? They set down Dharma that can be practiced, and showed precepts that must not be transgressed—like a floater in the eye that others cannot see, or a ringing in the ear that others cannot hear—desiring that they subdue their own minds and seek to return to the original ground. Thereafter, guiding teachers arose one after another, giving free rein to their wisdom and eloquence to preach the true, marvelous meaning, enabling people to transcend immediately to the perfect and sudden One Vehicle without leaving their present thought, and manifesting all aspects of liberation without leaving written words. In the final analysis, there is not a single dharma to be preached, not a single word to be given to another. Since Master Fazhi attained this, how could he rely on words to be transmitted? Nevertheless, finding it hard to refuse your earnest request, I looked over what was recorded; all are matters commonly known to the multitude. Therefore, I have gathered the main points and truthfully recorded them, further praising him with words, saying:"
7.19
The Great Hero, awakened to the world, bequeathed subtle words, / boundless as the sun and moon, encompassing heaven and earth. / Zhizhe's eloquence and discernment exhausted the origin of transformation, / from time to time expounding to open the eyes of the deluded and unenlightened. / The eighty thousand teachings, comprehensively bound, are like the grains of river sand; / all enter the Tiantai gateway of calming and contemplation. / Fazhi emerged from afar to spread the pure fragrance, / sporting in samādhi, truly surpassing the multitude. / His resolve was firm, his spirit upright, and his countenance gentle; / keen and perceptive in youth, he grew ever more diligent in old age. / The bequeathed teachings he thoroughly and profoundly discussed; / although unwrapping the text and explaining the meaning were manifold, / his phrasing was pure, the principle wondrous, concise and free of complication. / Now repenting, now lecturing, he forgot sunset and dawn; / disciples from near and far dashed forward daily like swift steeds, / realizing equal and right awakening, dispelling Pāpīyas. / He made the Way of all buddhas and patriarchs ever more revered; / like a stream already clear, he dredged its source; / like foliage already lush, he nourished its roots. / His conduct was exalted and his name celebrated in the imperial capital; / the Son of Heaven dispatched envoys from the inner palace. / The worthy, heroic, meritorious, and imperial in-laws certainly rejoiced; / bestowed robes and granted titles returned the celestial grace. / Knowing the body undergoes transformation and destruction like floating clouds, / he bravely vowed to cast it aside and willingly hurried toward the flames; / his pristine aspiration not yet fulfilled, he still cultivated the perfumes of practice. / The predilections of sentient beings follow greed and wrath, / drifting through the three evil destinies like a greasy wheel. / If there is one who can suddenly awaken to the cause of recompense and giving, / offenses and blessings, suffering and bliss, bifurcate into separate paths. / As for preaching that essentially has no preaching, who was such a person? / The Master's mind was lucid, anchored long ago in sincerity. / Words that can shatter delusion—how could they not be the truth? / Though his body is said to have perished, now he endures forever; / his descendants are flourishing throughout Jiangzhe; / may this writing be viewed for hundreds of millions of generations.
7.20
Stūpa Inscription (with Preface) for the Late Great Master Fazhi, Transmitter of the Tiantai Doctrinal Teaching and Contemplation at Yanqing Monastery in Mingzhou
7.21
Composed by Hu Fang, Military Staff Officer of Wenzhou, Gentleman of Literary Discussions, Probationary Proofreader of the Department of the Palace Library, and Former Supervisor of the Eastern Salt Monopolies of Changguo
7.22
When Heaven desires that its Way endure, the world is sure to give birth to the right person. If the imperial virtue departed, were it not for the Duke of Ji and Confucius, there would be no way to hand down the constant canons for a hundred generations; when the Buddha's Way declined, were it not for Master Si and Zhizhe, there would be no way to penetrate the texts spoken during the five periods. Among those who became ancestral masters of the Confucian rostrum after Confucius, how could there never have been someone? After Zhizhe's demise, as for those who became models and teachers of the Dharma gate, there surely must be born people of virtue. The Great Master's taboo name was Zhili, and his courtesy name was Yueyan; his secular surname was Jin, and for generations his family were people of Siming. Initially, his father, having no male heir born to him, was earnest and urgent in his resolve. His mother, Lady Li, prayed to the Buddha together with him, and thereupon became pregnant. When the Master was born, he was named after the Buddha's son, Rāhula. His spiritual disposition was serene and still, and his physiognomy heroic and refined. When he was a young child, he was entirely beyond the ordinary run. At the age of seven, he suffered the loss of his mother; reflecting that her maternal toils were not easy to repay, he wept and wailed without cease, and from this grew weary of the secular world, urgent to leave home. His father stroked him, marveled at him, and ultimately did not thwart his resolve. He first served Hongxuan of Taiping Xingguo Monastery as his master. At fifteen he received the full precepts and specifically probed the Vinaya section. At twenty he studied the Tiantai Dharma under the seat of Dharma Master Baoyun (Yitong), guarding the jewel with a resolve as firm as forged gold, and possessing an understanding like pouring from a pitcher, clear as viewing daylight. Thereupon, exerting great vigor and endowed with great wisdom, he reposed peacefully on the open ground, blazing like the vast sky. Whenever he accepted a disciple, people inevitably called it "ascending the dragon"; whenever he analyzed a doctrine, the multitude inevitably called it "taming the deer." Thus, without seeking to propagate his Way, it was heard throughout the four quarters; without waiting to be summoned, the assembly arrived of their own accord from a thousand li. In the autumn, the seventh month, of the bing-shen year of the Zhidao reign era, he returned from Chengtian Bodhimaṇḍa to the Dharma seat at Yanqing, where for nearly forty years he devoted his whole mind to lecturing and repentance; thus he never for an instant departed from the offerings of incense and lamps, nor did he ever spend a single night knowing the warmth of fine bedding. In his diligence, a hundred rivers vied to surge without ceasing; in his benefit, the great sun abode at the center and illuminated everywhere. Above, Emperor Zhenzong dispatched envoys to bestow exceptional honours upon him; afar, the National Preceptor of Japan ordered his disciples to come and inquire about the essentials of the Dharma; thus the admiration of the rest can well be known. In the first year of the Tianxi reign era, having reached the age of sixty, he told his disciples: "Giving up one's body for half a gāthā, casting oneself into the fire for a single phrase—such was the mind of the sages for the sake of the Dharma. How much more so as we are ever farther from the Buddha, and those who slight the Way are numerous! If I cannot sacrifice and give up my lifespan to arouse and awaken the indolent, how can vigorous enterprise be spoken of?" Thereupon he joined with ten monks to enter repentance, pledging to burn themselves together in three years. At that time, Hanlin Academician Duke Yang (Yi) and Imperial Son-in-law Commandant Duke Li (Zunxu) were both world-transcending literary giants and illustrious dignitaries of the reigning court. Whenever they contemplated the Master's thorough awakening, they unfailingly deferred to him and looked up to him from afar. In that year, an imperial decree bestowed a purple kāṣāya, and shortly after, an imperial edict bestowed the title "Fazhi"—both granted upon the recommendation and praise of these two dukes. When they heard that the Master had vowed to make an offering of the true Dharma and yearned for the Land of Peaceful Nurture, Duke Yang made diligent use of the post-relay system to earnestly entreat him to remain in the world, and further raised doubting objections on the basis of the sentiments of aspiration and aversion. Therefore the Master replied: "Though all day shattering marks, all dharmas are fully established; though all day establishing dharmas, the finest dust is completely exhausted." Duke Yang knew he could not be bent by argument, nor could he be detained by words, and so specifically entrusted the prefectural governor and the various department officials to have him protected throughout their jurisdictions and preserved for long admiration. At that time, the Prefect, Vice Director of the Bureau of Receptions and of the Institute of History Duke Li Yigeng, together with his commandery and county colleagues, were all exceedingly deep in faith and veneration, earnestly making entreaties together. Moreover, in Qiantang there was Dharma Master Zunshi, whose reputation was weighty in his generation, and whose Way surpassed the common run. He had long associated with the Master, and they were in closest accord through the Dharma. Duke Yang also sent a letter to Zunshi, having him join in entreating the Master (the letter appears in the Pengshan ji). Zunshi then crossed the great river in person and went straight to the abbot's quarters. Thereupon the Great Master's practice and vows were, only out of necessity, halted. When the Great Master passed away, Zunshi once composed a poem to mourn him, with the lines: "In the heavens there is no twin moon; / in the human world there was only this one monk." Critics did not regard Zunshi's words as excessive, but deemed that the Master's Way was indeed so. Such was the extent to which the Great Master's virtue and the Great Master's sincerity were cherished and esteemed by the worthy of the time and companions of the Way. In the winter of the fifth year of the Tiansheng reign era, he suddenly manifested illness in his body, yet practiced the Way with ever greater diligence. When his disciples requested that he rest a little, the Master's body immediately recovered health. On the fifth day of the first month of the sixth year, while sitting cross-legged, he passed away in profound stillness. Although many days had elapsed, when the niche was opened he looked as if alive. His worldly age was sixty-nine, and his monastic seniority was fifty-four. On the twenty-fourth day of that month, he was cremated outside the southern gate of the commandery. Facing the pyre of sandalwood, as it was about to be set ablaze, the fragrance of campaka was already smelled in rich profusion. The five-colored relics obtained were of an unknown number, and those sought and taken by monastics and laypeople were again countless. On the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month of the second year of the Mingdao reign era, his numinous bones were enshrined and buried to the left of Chongfa Cloister, following the custom of this teaching. The Great Master was endowed by Nature with perfect illumination and bestowed by spirit with vigorous energy; therefore, when broadly elucidating the great scriptures and advancing in samādhi, wherever ancient masters had not clarified and present students had not explained in detail, the Master unfailingly recorded and explicated it with brilliance. What past sages found difficult to tread and future generations found difficult to continue, the Master unfailingly pursued and advanced toward with steadfastness. It was like a solitary peak rising ten thousand cubits high: people could gaze up at its steepness, but could not scale its heights; it was like the hundred valleys lying below: the multitude could behold their breadth, but could not fathom their depth. Therefore, the writings transmitting the Great Master's brush numbered over forty fascicles. Those who ascended the Great Master's hall numbered more than a thousand. Among them, those who discerned the esoteric depths with particular profundity, leading disciples and continuing his flourishing, included Zequan of Kaiyuan Monastery in this prefecture, Juezong of Yuanzhi Monastery in Yuezhou, Benru of Mount Dongye in Taizhou, Chongju of Fushi Cloister in Quzhou, and Shangxian and others who presently succeed to the abbacy of the Great Master's cloister. Another twenty-two individuals were all outstanding and fully accomplished, aloofly awakening to the mind, resolutely shattering the various mountain peaks and extending their benefit to all living beings. This is what is meant by the upper, middle, and lower natures being universally moistened by a single cloud, and hundreds of thousands of rays radiating forth from a single torch. Thus the Great Master's Way was magnificent in the world and beneficial to the multitude, resplendent and impossible to exhaust or extinguish, as can also be known. The matters are fully recorded in the authentic record composed by Master Quan, and are omitted here. The master of the teachings, Venerable Xian, wishing to engrave an inscription of the Great Master's Way upon his stūpa, sent a letter with fine words requesting this record. Alas! Did the Great Master's appearance in the world happen for no reason? Could it not be that the Dharma of the Jetavana grove belonged to a degenerate age, and the Master sustained it? Could it not be that the teachings of Mount Tiantai were due to be spread abroad, and the Master magnified them? Were there carriages outside the gate that the children no longer rode, and the Master made them ride them? Was there a jewel in the robe that the drunken man no longer realized, and the Master made him realize it? Did he manifest a conjured city on a perilous road? Did he float a buoyant float upon the great sea? Was it to repay the kindness of all buddhas? Was it to act as an envoy of the Tathāgata? Were it not so, why would he concentrate his mind toward the Way and sacrifice his body for the multitude to such an extreme degree? In the past, Omissioner Liang said: "Was Tiantai at equal awakening? Or wondrous awakening? It cannot be known." Prime Minister Pei said: "Was Guifeng a person of the four reliances? Or a person of the ten stages?" Then for those who speak of the Great Master today, how could they not take the words of Liang and Pei to utter praise and sighs of admiration? I, Fang, am unperceptive, yet dared not decline the incoming instruction. Burning incense and bowing my head, I respectfully compose the inscription, which says:
7.23
When the Way operates in the world, / its enduring depends upon Heaven; / when the teachings are spread by sages, / their assistance depends upon the worthy. / Sovereign was the True Awakened One, / who first bequeathed conditions for transformation, / revealing the one nature, / pervading the trichiliocosm. / Extraordinary people appeared in succession, / alternately proclaiming the ancestral style; / grand was Zhizhe, / who wondrously penetrated the Golden Immortal. / The true vehicle was clearly expounded; / the Dharma torch illuminated the mats. / The Yin River succeeded him, / shining brightly over the four seas. / The Purple Palace added extraordinary honors; / foreign lands expressed devotion. / The three contemplations uniquely illuminated; / the ten thousand practices grew ever firmer. / The nature of jade is fundamentally pure; / the shape of a pearl is naturally round. / Serenely stepping onto the ground of awakening, / giving up his body at the lecture mat: / "If the Dharma is not awakened by me, / the good hope to move the multitude; / if you all remain negligent, / my body can be cast away." / Hoping that people would be alerted and awakened, / they received his instructions back and forth. / Court worthies held him dear; / companions of the Way were earnest and devoted. / All harbored longing and admiration, / not permitting him to burn himself. / His benefit grew broader by the day; / his mind became ever more dedicated. / There was nowhere his transformation did not reach; / there was nothing his teaching did not elucidate. / Having borrowed the world for his karmic recompense, / the wisdom sun sank into the abyss. / The Master's workings of the Way / cannot be fully described in words; / the Master's traces of transformation / may be carved into stone. / Inscribing it upon the stūpa, / the fragrant renown will be handed down forever.
7.24
Authentic Record of the Venerable Siming Fazhi
7.25
Compiled by his disciple Zequan of the Three Studies Cloister of Kaiyuan [Monastery]
7.26
The Grand Master's taboo name was Zhili, his courtesy name was Yueyan, and his secular surname was Jin. He was a descendant of Jin Midi of the Former Han, and his later descendants were residents of Mingzhou for generations. His father was Jing, and his mother was of the Li clan. At the age of seven he lost his father; to repay the nurturing he had received, he was eager to renounce household life. He thereupon became a disciple under the monk Hongxuan of Taiping Xingguo Monastery in his native village. At fifteen he shaved his head and took full ordination. At twenty he followed Dharma Master Tong of Baoyun to study the doctrinal teaching and contemplation of Tiantai. Scarcely two years had passed when his father chanced to dream that the Master was kneeling before Tong, and Tong held a vase of water and poured it into his mouth. From then on, once the purport of the perfect and sudden was received, he immediately comprehended it, and accordingly lectured on his [master's] behalf. A few years later, around the time Tong passed away, Zhili also dreamt that he pierced his master's head, hung it on his left arm, and walked along. He immediately interpreted it to himself, saying: 'Does not the first symbolize receiving, practicing, and propagating [the teaching], and the second symbolize holding fast to the head of sarvākārajñatā and moving about to transform the world?' In the xinhai year of Chunhua [991], he accepted an invitation to Qianfu Monastery (midway through Qianfu it was renamed Chengtian, and now it is Nengren), where he remained for four years. The disciples happily followed him, but the halls and lodgings were cramped and mean, so he moved to Bao'en Cloister (now Yanqing). From the second year of Xianping [999] onward, the Master dedicated himself exclusively to lecturing and repentance rituals; he constantly sat without lying down, his feet never ventured outside, and he turned away all formal visits. In all, he lectured on the Fahua xuanyi seven times, the Fahua wenju eight times, the Mohe zhiguan eight times, the Da banniepanshing shu once, the Jingming jing shu twice, the Jinguangming jing xuanshu ten times, the Guanyin biexing xuanshu seven times, the Guan Wuliangshou fo jing shu seven times, and on the Jingang pi, Zhiguan yili, Zhiguan dayi, and the Shi bu'er men shizhong xinyao countless times. He composed the Guangming xuan xuyi ji in three fascicles, the Jinguangming wenju ji in six fascicles, the Guanjing miaozong chao in three fascicles, the Guanyin xuanshu ji in four fascicles in total, the Shi bu'er men zhiyao chao in two fascicles, the Guanjing rongxin jie in one fascicle, the Fuxing chuan hongjue tixia zhuwen in one fascicle, the Yili jingguan huzhao in one fascicle, the Tiantai jiao yu qixin lun ronghui zhang in one fascicle, the Bieli suiyuan ershi wen in one fascicle, the Shi Qing Guanyin shu xiaofu sanyong in one fascicle, the Dui chanyi chao bian sanyong shijiu wen in one fascicle, the Guangming xuan dangti zhang wenda ji in one fascicle, the Shi nan fu zong ji in two fascicles, the Guanxin erbai wen in one fascicle, the Shi yi shu in three fascicles, the JiebDirectory bang shu in three fascicles, the Da Ribenguo Genshin Wenshi ershiqi wen in one fascicle, the Da Yang Wengong san wen bing shu in one fascicle, the Jiangwei sanshi wenda in one fascicle, the Kaiwei shiwen sishier zhang, the Jinguangming sanmei yi in one fascicle, the Qianshouyan dabeixin zhou xingfa in one fascicle, the Shou pusa jie yi in one fascicle, the Fangsheng wen in one fascicle, the Wei Yu diantou zuo xiu chan yaozhi in one fascicle, and the Wei sifa Zhu Tan zuo fayuan wen in one fascicle. He practiced the Lotus Repentance for thirty days and nights five times, the Golden Light Repentance for ten days and nights twenty times, the Amitābha Repentance for one period of seven days and nights fifty times, the Invocation of Avalokiteśvara Repentance for forty-nine days and nights eight times, and the Great Compassion Repentance for three periods of seven days and nights ten times. When he reached the age of fifty-seven, he formed an agreement with ten companions who shared his aspirations, vowing to practice the Lotus Repentance and, on the day the three-year period was fulfilled, burn their bodies together as an offering to the wondrous sūtra and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. When the practice was nearing completion, unexpectedly the famed court official and Hanlin Academician, Duke Yang Yi, wrote successive letters entreating him to remain in the world. Furthermore, the commandery prefect and Collator of the Bureau of Historiography Li Yigeng, together with the vice-prefect and all the officials, repeatedly and earnestly urged him, all begging him to remain in the world, preach the Dharma, and benefit sentient beings. Because of this, his aspiration could not be carried out. Together with the ten monks, he then performed the Great Compassion Buddhist service for three years to solidify their resolve and practice. From his thirty-second year when he came forth into the world to serve as abbot, he single-mindedly lectured and conducted repentance rituals for thirty-eight years. He once burned three fingers as an offering to the Buddha, constructed a monastery complex of three hundred bays, large and small, and made a total of twelve sacred images of Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, one image of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, one image of Great Compassion Bodhisattva, and six images of Tiantai patriarchs; he also transcribed nearly ten thousand scrolls of the Tiantai doctrinal vehicle. In the first year of Tianxi [1017], the Hanlin [Academician] Yang Yi submitted a memorial, and an imperial edict bestowed the purple robe upon him. In the fourth year of Tianxi [1020], the imperial son-in-law Li Zunxu respectfully submitted an earnest memorial requesting a master's title, and Emperor Zhenzong specially bestowed the title 'Grand Master Fazhi'. In the winter of the fifth year of Tiansheng [1027], he lay sick, and although he received rudimentary medical treatment, he never ceased preaching the Dharma. On the fifth day of the first month of the sixth year [1028], during the xu hour, he sat cross-legged, summoned the assembly, and preached the Dharma, uttering as his final words: 'I have exhausted my strength and mind to establish this bodhimaṇḍa, vowing to circulate the Tiantai doctrinal teaching and contemplation. You must bear this burden well on your shoulders; do not become the ones who ultimately sever the seed of the Buddhas. Consider well this ultimate instruction of our patriarchs! That birth must have death is like dawn following dusk; nonetheless, if you strive vigorously to practice the Path without interruption, we shall surely meet again life after life.' When he finished speaking, he suddenly invoked the venerable name of Amitābha and passed away peacefully. His body was displayed in an open casket; after two periods of seven days, his nails and hair had grown, and his countenance looked as if he were still alive. After another seven days had passed, he was moved to the outskirts of the southern gate to be cremated; before [the fire], an extraordinary, rich fragrance was smelt. When the fire died down and the smoke cleared, his tongue remained uncorrupted, and the five-colored relics were beyond counting, most of which were obtained by court officials, scholars, and commoners. Five years later, on the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month in the guiyou year of Mingdao [1033], his disciples reverently took his sacred bones, interred them to the left of the Chongfa Cloister, and erected a pagoda to mark the spot. His age was sixty-nine; his monastic age was fifty-four. Those who received the Dharma and led assemblies were over thirty people, namely Zequan, Juecong, Benru, Chongju, Shangxian, Fanzhen, Renyue, Huicai, and others. Those who passed his threshold and entered his chamber numbered 478, while others who devoted themselves to study and came from all directions were beyond reckoning. The disciples he personally ordained were seventy people, including Licheng and Youxuan. Every year in mid-spring he established an assembly for the Bodhisattva Precepts, and those who received his transformation constantly filled the assembly to five thousand; as for his other secret practices and hidden virtues, they can scarcely be fully observed. What has been recorded above is entirely what is known and heard by the multitude, in the hope that later worthies will all revere his supreme virtue. Respectfully recorded on the eighteenth day of the late autumn of Mingdao by his disciple Zequan.
7.27
Preface to the Commentary on the Key Points [of the Ten Non-Dual Gates]
7.28
The rise and decline of the Great Teaching depends upon the person. Once the patriarchs had passed on, the abstruse transformation almost ceased.
7.29
When it speaks of the 'Great Teaching', this is not dividing the great from the small by contrasting the doctrines of bodily analysis, partial, or perfect within the doctrinal approaches; here it is discussed in terms of the internal and external traditions. As the Shiqian explains Zhang'an's phrase 'the eastward transmission of the Great Dharma' by saying that it refers generally to the Buddhist teaching as the Great Dharma, this is it. The Wenxuan says: 'The Dao has its rise and decline.' The commentary says: 'Long means flourishing. Yi means level.' Flourishing and level also have the sense of high and low. The Zhouyi says: 'To render it divine and illuminate it depends upon the person.' 'The patriarchs' refers to the various masters from Jingxi onward. The Taixuan jing says: 'What is distant and dark is called xuan.' Now, using the profound, distant, subtle, and esoteric purport of the Tiantai school, it is called the 'abstruse transformation'. The character 幾 is pronounced ji; the Wenxuan uses 其, and their pronunciations are close.
7.30
The times could not long remain decayed; a person appearing once in an age was bound to emerge. Master Li, the teacher transmitting the doctrine in Siming, was truly a giant of the doctrinal school. As a boy receiving the scriptures, he could already reflect upon their meaning. His natural genius was uniquely manifest—could he not be called one of superior nature who knows things by birth?
7.31
The Erya says: 'Ti means abandoned.' 'One appearing once in an age' means a person of renowned virtue born between generations. Mencius says: 'That was one time, and this is another. Every five hundred years a true king must arise, and in the intervening period there must be someone renowned in his age.' Siming is the name of a mountain south of Qingyuan Prefecture. Lu Guimeng said: 'There is a highest peak, with four openings at the top. Whenever it clears up and becomes bright, looking at them they are like doors and windows; tradition calls them the stone windows, which is the site where the immortals of Siming dwell.' See the Siming tujing. The Liji says that at ten years old one begins youthful study, and at twenty one is capped. Whenever 'boy' is mentioned, it refers to the period between ten and twenty, the age of capping, before the primordial harmony has dispersed; all are called 'boys'. The Master renounced household life at seven, which was precisely his boyhood. As for 'natural genius', Zhuangzi says: 'He whose appetites and desires are deep has shallow natural genius.' The Analects says: 'Those who know by birth are the highest; those who know through learning come next.'
7.32
When he advanced to take the full precepts and receive instruction, he studied under Master Tong of Baoyun. When he first attended the Dharma assembly, his father dreamed that he was kneeling before the master, and the master held a vase of water and poured it into his mouth. Its draw was like a spring; its reception was like a valley. Thereupon, the purport of the perfect and sudden of the great Tiantai teaching was understood as soon as he received it, without waiting to hear it again. The master said to him: 'There is nothing in my words that you do not penetrate; you are of no help to me!'
7.33
According to the pagoda inscription, the Master shaved his head and received the full precepts at fifteen. At twenty, he studied under Master Baoyun. The father of [the Master of] Siming was of the Jin clan, taboo name Jing. The dream of water like a spring symbolizes that the doctrinal teaching and contemplation have a continuous source. Mencius says: 'The gushing spring surges forth, not stopping day or night, filling every depression and then advancing, reaching the four seas. Such is having a source.' The Erya says: 'Water pouring into a stream is called a valley.' Regarding 'There is nothing in my words, etc.', in the Analects the Master said: 'Hui is of no help to me! There is nothing in my words that does not please him.' The commentary explains: 'Yan Hui silently understood all of the Master's words, so there was no benefit of drawing forth inquiry; therefore he said, "He is of no help to me."'”
7.34
When the master first passed away, the Venerable again dreamed that he pierced his master's head, hung it on his left arm, and walked along. Ah! Could not the first [dream] have symbolized receiving and practicing, being no different from Ānanda pouring water from one vase into another? And the latter [dream] have symbolized transmitting and upholding, grasping the head of his master's sarvākārajñatā, and going about to transform others?
7.35
Master Tong manifested extinction in the first year of the Duanhong reign of Emperor Zhenzong. Guan means to pierce through. Huan is pronounced huan and comes from the Zuo zhuan. It says there: 'Wearing armor and holding weapons.' Huan jia means wearing armor. Discussing the form of this dream, it was that Siming pierced Tong's head with his right hand and walked along carrying Tong with his left arm. This was indeed a miraculous dream. Xi is an exclamation of sighing. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra explains that Ānanda attended the Buddha and retained the twelve divisions of scriptures, just like pouring water from one vase into a different vessel. The two characters 'seed-wisdom' (sarvākārajñatā) are concise in wording yet rich in meaning, referring to sarvajñā (all-knowledge), mārgajñatā (knowledge of the paths), and sarvākārajñatā (all-aspect knowledge). These three wisdoms in a single mind originally derive from the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra. The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra explains them, as seen in fascicle thirty. In the past, the master of Northern Qi relied on this to practice mind-contemplation and orally transmitted it to Nanyue; Nanyue transmitted it to Tiantai. After Tiantai, it was transmitted through thirteen generations until it reached Siming. Indeed, the essential Dharma of our school's transmission consists solely in this.
7.36
At the beginning of Chunhua, Qianfu Monastery in the commandery invited him to inaugurate a lecture seat. The disciples followed him with joy, like numerous streams gathering into the ocean. Because of this, the halls and lodgings were cramped and mean, and his followers gradually multiplied, so before long he moved to Bao'en Cloister. The various scriptures such as the Lotus Sūtra, Great Calming and Contemplation, and Golden Light Sūtra were lectured upon in continuous succession, without a day left idle throughout the year.
7.37
Qianfu was located in the center of Ming[zhou]'s market district; its name was subsequently changed to Chengtian, and it is now Nengren Monastery. The residence where the Master lived was indeed the Fahua subsidiary cloister. Bao'en is now Yanqing. As for "joyfully following," the Book of Changes states: "Following: the firm descends below the yielding; it moves and they joyfully follow." Kong['s] commentary on the Book of Documents states: "The hundred rivers take the sea as their master." Yangzi states: "An end brings a beginning; a beginning brings an end, like an endless interlocking ring."
7.38
He once exhorted his disciples, saying: "Whether I go out or dwell [at home], keep silent or speak, never have I not taken the import of provisional and ultimate in the doctrinal teachings and contemplation as my clothing and nourishment, as my staff and armrest. Do not be indolent!"
7.39
"Exhorted" (xu) means to encourage. The Book of Documents has: "Gentlemen, exert yourselves!" (xu zai)—this is it. Going out or dwelling, speaking or keeping silent, and so on, are taken entirely from the "Appended Phrases" of the Book of Changes, which clarifies that regarding the way of the superior man, he never forgets it across the four deportments. The provisional and ultimate of the doctrinal teachings and contemplation are the pivot and key for our school's entry into the Way. Clothing covers the body; nourishment satisfies hunger; a staff supports the hand; an armrest supports the body. These are used as metaphors to show that the dharmas of doctrinal teachings and contemplation cannot be dispensed with in one's morning-and-evening practical use.
7.40
How great! As for wearing the robe of tranquil patience and occupying the room of great compassion, gently and skillfully guiding others, no one can fully praise him!
7.41
This praises and extols his altruistic practice by means of the three dharmas of the Lotus [Sūtra]. The sūtra states: "Entering the room of the Tathāgata, wearing the robe of the Tathāgata, and sitting on the seat of the Tathāgata." Pervasively sheltering is named the "room"; warding off evil is named the "robe"; not being attached is named the "seat." To possess these three and thereby propagate the noble transformation is precisely to be a refuge for the world. The Analects states: "The Master gently and skillfully guides people forward." The commentary states: "'Gently' (xunxun) describes an orderly sequence. 'Guides' (you) means to advance."
7.42
The Ten Non-dual Gates of the Shiqian has been regarded by lecturers past and present as a single difficult text. Some wrote numerous annotations, each setting forth discordant views; who among them did not claim for himself to hold the pearl of the Marquis of Sui or to wield a pen spanning the heavens? How could they have contemplated the doctrinal teachings and contemplation of our single school, while remaining completely ignorant of their origin of inspiration? When the Master read them, he sighed repeatedly: not only was the explanation of the text inaccurate, but how could they have let the great framework fall into disarray, like a mountain crumbling and horns breaking? It truly caused him deep sorrow.
7.43
"Some wrote numerous annotations" refers to works after Jingxi, such as Fengxian's Zhizhi and Gushan's Zhengyi, and their like. Citing two matters serves as an analogy for the various masters each claiming their own excellence. Formerly, when the Marquis of Sui was traveling, he saw a cowherd beat and injure a serpent's head. The Marquis pitied it, applied medicine to treat it, and went away. One night, he happened to see a light illuminating his courtyard; it was a serpent holding a pearl in its mouth on the ground. It spoke for itself: "I was originally a dragon's son; having transformed myself to disport, I was injured by a cowherd. Relying upon your rescue, I have now brought this pearl to thank you." The Marquis obtained the pearl and presented it to the King of Chu. The king placed it in the palace, and it shone as brightly as day. According to the Liang Biographies of Eminent Monks, Dharma Master Dao'an was well versed in the literary style and principles of the scriptures, and his virtue and renown were exalted. At that time, Xi Zuochi's sharp eloquence was famed throughout the land, and he specifically went to visit him. Once seated, he announced: "Throughout the four seas, Xi Zuochi." Dao'an replied: "Spanning the heavens, Shi Dao'an." Contemporaries praised and admired his retort. The Record of Rites, "Tangong," states: "Will Mount Tai crumble? Will the beam-wood break?" The Book of Documents, "Great Declaration," states: "The common people are terrified, as if their horns were broken." These two passages lament the rise and fall of persons; here they are used as an analogy for the decline and ruin of the Dharma.
7.44
"If I wish to set it straight, who is there but me?" Thereupon, he directly analyzed this text, cited evident proofs from the side, possessed ample room to spare in brandishing his blade, and together straightened out the great pathway. The provisional and ultimate of the doctrinal teachings, which contemporaries were uniformly confused about, were distinguished herein—the principle of the separate [teaching] following conditions is of this kind. That upon which the way of contemplation relies, which successive generations were collectively bewildered by, was manifested herein—this is why the Zhiyao [chao] was established.
7.45
Mencius records Confucius saying: "In the present generation, who is there but me?" The words "directly analyzed" are like the Śūraṅgama [Sūtra]'s statement: "Peeling away the myriad phenomena, analyzing out the refined brightness." "Cited" (yuan) means to quote. "Ample" (chuo) is an appearance of being spacious and relaxed. The book of Ke [Mencius] states: "Is there not ample room and abundance to spare?" Furthermore, Zhuangzi explains that Cook Ding carved several thousand oxen for Lord Wenhui, yet his knife was as though freshly honed from the whetstone: "Spacious indeed! When moving the blade, there is bound to be room to spare." As for "the principle of the separate [teaching] following conditions": in the Tripiṭaka and Shared teachings, doctrine and principle are both provisional; in the Perfect [teaching], doctrine and principle are both ultimate—these three are easy to understand. Only the provisional principle of the Separate teaching genuinely harbors the meaning of following conditions; its import is somewhat difficult to understand. Siming was able to elucidate and expound it; hence Tianzhu praised it. As for "the way of contemplation... which successive generations were collectively bewildered by": this was because the various Shanwai masters maintained that the mysterious phrases did not apply to cultivation, and furthermore said that one contemplates the true and does not contemplate the deluded. The Zhiyao rejects them, saying: "Some explain the present single thought as the true nature; this is feared not to accord with the text's import," and so forth.
7.46
As for the framing passages of the Lotus [Sūtra] and Zhiguan, they were straightened and interwoven, leaving practically nothing omitted. Later students are sufficiently enabled to look at what is near and see what is far, and to dip their fingers to know the flavor. Does not the Book of Changes say: "To penetrate the aspirations of all under heaven, to establish the undertakings of all under heaven, to resolve the doubts of all under heaven"? This is truly achieved in these ten to twenty thousand words.
7.47
Regarding "framework" (gangge), the Fuxing states: "Gang means the guiding ropes, like the outer perimeter of a net. Ge means standardizing, like the general body of a thing." There, the critical analysis by the Eight Teachings is like the framework, and the teachings according to different capacities are like the meshes of the net. Here it is not so; it is adopted or adapted according to the text. "Straightened" (yingua) appears twice in Xunzi. One says: "Stooping as if waterworks and shaping-frames were applied to oneself." The commentary states: "Waterworks are that by which water is regulated; shaping-frames are that by which wood is regulated." Another says: "Therefore crooked wood must await the shaping-frame, and dull metal must await grinding and sharpening." The commentary states: "Gou is read as gou, crooked. The yingua is an instrument for straightening crooked wood." The Guangya: Cuo means to insert. Zong means to synthesize. The Shuowen says it refers to the loom-threads holding the silk crossing each other—that is, interweaving its passages concisely and synthesizing its principles. "To look at what is near and see what is far": the Doctrine of the Mean says: "The way of the superior man knows the far and knows the near." As for "dipping fingers," the Zuo Tradition relates: A man of Chu presented a softshell turtle to Duke Ling of Zheng. Zijia was about to see Zigong, whose index finger twitched. Showing it to Zijia, he said: "On other days when this happens to me, I am bound to taste an extraordinary delicacy." When they entered, the cook was about to butcher the softshell turtle; they looked at each other and smiled. The Duke asked them about it, and Zijia told him. When eating, he summoned Zigong but did not give him any. Zigong was angry, dipped his finger into the cauldron, tasted it, and left. Now, taking the Zhiyao as the cauldron: if someone investigates and verifies it, that is dipping their finger; thereby they are able to savor the flavor of the doctrinal teachings and contemplation. Though the lines from the Book of Changes below use those words, they do not adopt that intention. Its intention is that when the aspirations of all under heaven are not yet penetrated, the Book of Changes can penetrate them; when the undertakings of all under heaven are not yet established, the Book of Changes can establish them; when the doubts of all under heaven are not yet resolved, the Book of Changes can resolve them. Applying these three meanings to the Zhiyao, it may truly be called a book that exhausts principle and fulfills nature.
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- 四明尊者教行錄 — Classical Chinese