佛祖統紀 17.26

17.26

法師慧詢。字謀道。號月堂。其先永嘉陳氏。寓居四明昌國之胊山。母夢異僧至門求化既而妊娠。八歲出家祖印院。初授法華數遍。即能成誦。嘗歸省祖母諭之曰。汝已去家。當學吾州忠佛子。初謁南湖澄照。以卓立稱。至東掖見皎法照奇之。有忌之者群譟之。師曰。佛法大義有疑即問何必見嫉。乃西遊浙左。遍參名匠。東回南湖。依圓辯正所學。聞性惡即具之旨。名體不轉之妙。一家圓頓深有悟入。紹興末年。出主法昌。遷淨名普和。常持鉢。海岸遇盜。師正色曰。汝輩所欲者財耳。盡與之。因諭以善惡業報。盜為感動。歸物悔過而去。淨名無徒。每對海山。為鬼神講維摩經。屢感神應。乾道五年。遷主南湖。負笈之士自遠而至。幾莫能容。丞相魏杞與師為道契。嘗問世間相常住之旨。師曰。得非以四時代謝為疑乎。曰然。師曰。窮過去極未來。雖有代謝而此理常住。魏公曰。屢以問人。未若今日之可曉。淳熙六年冬十月二十七日。忽告眾示疾。慰問者群至。見門學則勉其進德。士官則囑其護法。聞其言者。悚然有感。既而別眾。書偈念佛。結印趺坐而化。停龕彌月。脣臉鮮紅。其容若笑。遺言分骨為二。一祔親壟。一塔祖原。眾以歷代窆全身。唯剃髮以酬師志。逾月視其髮。舍利可掬。師坐必端直。行不旁示。密室靜處必披袈裟。高座宣揚不事著述。學者多於聽次筆以記之。誦經坐禪日有常課。未嘗以事廢。制學者。未二十夏不許出世。躁進之風為之一戢。

Dharma Master Huixun, courtesy name Moudao, styled himself Yuetang. His ancestors were of the Chen clan of Yongjia, who resided at Qushan in Changguo of Siming. His mother dreamt of an extraordinary monk arriving at the door to beg for alms, after which she became pregnant. At age eight, he left home at the Zuyin Cloister. When first taught the *Lotus Sutra*, after a few readings he was able to recite it from memory. He once returned to visit his grandmother, who instructed him, saying: 'Having left home, you should emulate the Buddha's disciple Zhong of our prefecture.' He first paid respects to Chengzhao of Nanhu, who praised him for his outstanding independence. When he went to Dongye and met Jiao Fazhao, Fazhao regarded him as extraordinary. Some who envied him stirred up clamor against him; the Master said: 'Regarding the great tenets of the Buddha's teachings, if there is doubt, one should ask; why must you feel envy?' Thereupon he traveled west through western Zhejiang, calling upon famous masters everywhere. Returning east to Nanhu, he verified his learning with Yuanbian. Hearing the principle of inherent inclusion of evil nature and the wonder of names and substances not shifting, he deeply gained awakening into the perfect and sudden teachings of our school. In the final years of the Shaoxing reign era, he went forth to preside over Fachang, and then moved to Jingming and Puhe. He constantly held his alms bowl. On the seacoast he encountered bandits; the Master assumed a stern countenance and said: 'What you people desire is merely wealth,' and gave them everything. He then instructed them on karmic retribution of good and evil; the bandits were moved, returned his belongings, repented of their misdeeds, and left. Jingming had no disciples; facing the sea and mountains, he would lecture on the *Vimalakīrti Sūtra* for ghosts and spirits, repeatedly evoking spiritual responses. In the fifth year of the Qiandao reign era, he moved to preside over Nanhu; scholars carrying book-boxes arrived from afar in numbers that could scarcely be accommodated. Grand Councilor Wei Qi formed a bond of Dao with the Master, and once asked about the principle of the constant abiding of worldly characteristics. The Master said: 'Is it not because you harbor doubts regarding the alternations of the four seasons?' Wei Qi said: 'Indeed.' The Master said: 'Exhausting the past and reaching the extreme of the future, although there is alternation, this principle constantly abides.' Duke Wei said: 'I have repeatedly asked others about this, but none made it as clear as today.' On the twenty-seventh day of the tenth month in the winter of the sixth year of the Chunxi reign era, he suddenly announced his illness to the assembly. Those offering comfort and inquiries arrived in droves. Meeting his disciples, he urged them to advance in virtue; meeting scholar-officials, he entrusted them with protecting the Dharma. Those who heard his words were solemnly moved. Afterward, he bid farewell to the assembly, wrote a verse, recollected the Buddha, formed a mudrā, sat cross-legged, and passed away. His coffin was kept for a full month; his lips and cheeks were fresh red, and his countenance seemed to smile. His final instructions were to divide his relics into two: one to be buried beside his parents' tomb, and one encoffined in a stupa on the ancestral mound. Because the past generations buried the whole body intact, the assembly only shaved his hair to fulfill the Master's wish. Examining the hair after a month, one could scoop up handfuls of śarīra. When the Master sat, it was always upright and straight; when walking, he did not look aside. In secret rooms and quiet quarters, he always wore the kāṣāya. When proclaiming teachings from the high seat, he did not engage in written treatises; students mostly recorded them with brush in the course of listening. Reciting scriptures and sitting in meditation were his daily regular lessons, never abandoned due to business. He instituted a rule for students that they were not permitted to assume public abbacy before twenty summer retreats, and the trend of reckless ambition was thereby checked.