樂邦文類 3.127

3.127

師諱延壽，本丹揚人，後遷餘杭。總角之歲，誦《法華經》，五行俱下，經六旬而畢。甞為北郭稅務專知官，見魚鰕輒買放生。後盜官錢，並為放生用。事發坐死，領赴市曹。錢王使人視之，若悲懼即殺之，否則捨之。而彼澹然無異色，乃捨之，因投明州翠巖出家。次參韶國師，發明心要。初往天台智者巖，九旬習定，有鳥尺鷃巢于衣裓中。於國清行法華懺，夜見神人持戟而入，師呵其何得擅入。對曰：「久積淨業，方到此中。」又中夜旋遶，次見普賢前供養蓮華忽然在手，因思夙有二願：一願終身常誦《法華》，二願畢生廣利群品。憶此二願，復樂禪寂，進退遲疑，莫能自決。遂上智者禪院作二鬮，一曰一心禪定鬮、二曰誦經萬善莊嚴淨土鬮，冥心自期曰：「儻於此二途有一功行必成者，須七返拈著為證。」遂精禱佛祖，信手拈之。乃至七度，並得誦經萬善生淨土鬮。由此一意，專修淨業。遂振錫金華天柱峯，誦經三載。禪觀中見觀音以甘露灌于口，從此發觀音辯才。初住雪竇山，晚詔住永明寺，徒眾常二千，日課一百八事。學者參問，指心為宗、以悟為決。日暮往別峯行道念佛，旁人聞山中螺貝天樂之聲。忠懿王嘆曰：「自古求西方者，未有如此之切也。」遂為立西方香嚴殿，以成師志。至大宋開寶八年二月二十六日，晨起焚香告眾，跏趺而逝。

The Master's taboo name was Yanshou; he was originally a native of Danyang and later moved to Yuhang. When he was a boy with his hair in tufts, he recited the Lotus Sūtra, reading five lines at a glance, completing it in sixty days. He once served as the supervisory official for tax affairs at the northern suburbs; whenever he saw fish and shrimp, he would buy them and release them. Later he took official funds and used them entirely for releasing living beings. When the matter came to light, he was sentenced to death and led to the marketplace execution ground. King Qian sent someone to watch him: if he showed sorrow or fear, he was to be killed; if not, he was to be spared. He was calm and unperturbed, without any change in countenance, so he was spared. He thereupon went to Cuiyan in Mingzhou to leave the household life. Next, he visited National Preceptor Shao, who illuminated the essentials of mind for him. At first he went to Master Zhiyi's Cliff on Mount Tiantai, where he practiced meditation for ninety days; small birds nested in the folds of his robes. While practicing the Lotus Repentance at Guoqing Monastery, he saw at night a spirit holding a halberd enter; the Master scolded him for entering without permission. The spirit replied: "Only because I have long accumulated pure karma could I reach this place." Moreover, while circumambulating at midnight, he saw the lotus flower offered before Samantabhadra suddenly in his own hands. He then reflected on his two long-held vows: the first was to recite the Lotus Sūtra constantly throughout his life, and the second was to benefit all beings broadly for the rest of his days. Recalling these two vows while also delighting in chan quiescence, he wavered in proceeding or withdrawing, unable to decide for himself. He thereupon went up to Master Zhiyi's Chan Cloister and made two lots: one was "Lot for Single-Minded Chan Meditation," and the other was "Lot for Reciting Sūtras and Cultivating the Ten Thousand Good Deeds to Adorn the Pure Land." He set his heart in secret expectation, saying: "If one of these two paths is certain to bring success in spiritual practice, I must draw it seven times consecutively as verification." He then earnestly prayed to the Buddhas and patriarchs, and drew with an unguided hand. For as many as seven times, he drew the lot for reciting sūtras and cultivating the ten thousand good deeds to be reborn in the Pure Land. From this, he was single-minded, dedicating himself exclusively to cultivating pure karma. He thereupon shook his staff at Tianzhu Peak in Jinhua, reciting the sūtras for three years. In meditative contemplation, he saw Avalokiteśvara pour sweet dew into his mouth; from then on, the eloquence of Avalokiteśvara was awakened in him. He first resided at Mount Xuedou; in his later years, an imperial decree appointed him to reside at Yongming Monastery, where his disciples always numbered two thousand, and his daily curriculum consisted of one hundred and eight practices. When students came to inquire, he pointed to the mind as the fundamental principle and took awakening as the decisive factor. At dusk, he would go to another peak to practice the Way and recite the Buddha's name; those nearby heard the sounds of conch shells and celestial music in the mountains. King Zhongyi sighed, saying: "From ancient times, among those seeking the Western Direction, there has never been one so earnest as this." He thereupon established the Western Hall of Fragrant Adornment for him to fulfill the Master's aspiration. On the twenty-sixth day of the second month in the eighth year of the Kaibao reign of the Great Song, he rose in the morning, burned incense, announced his departure to the assembly, and passed away seated in the lotus posture.