樂邦文類 3.127

3.127

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.