佛祖統紀 22.8

22.8

禪師僧稠。鉅鹿孫氏。從景明寺道房禪師受行止觀攝心旬日即得入定。復修涅槃聖行四念處法。安居五夏。日唯一食。嘗九日修死想觀。以所詣白跋陀三藏。藏曰。葱嶺以東習禪定者汝為最矣。復詣王屋山修習前法。遇兩虎鬪。師以錫杖中解。虎即散去。黃門侍郎李獎。求學禪要為說止觀兩卷。北齊文宣。詔師出山說法。師為說三界本空萬法如幻。榮華世相不可常保。帝為之毛竪汗流。於鄴城結雲門寺以禮奉之。宴坐一室未嘗送迎。弟子或以為諫。師曰。賓頭盧迎王七步致令失國。吾雖德不逮古。而儀相是同。不敢自欺。冀致福於帝耳。帝惑左右之言。謂師不敬。欲躬往加害。師已冥知。旦乘牛車往谷口二十里。拱立道旁。帝怪問之。師曰。身血不淨恐污伽藍。帝愧悔。謂侍臣楊遵彥曰。若此真人何可毀謗。欲負師還寺。師磬折不受。帝曰。弟子負師遍天下未足謝愆。遂同輦還宮。問弟子前身何人。師曰。曾作羅剎王今猶好殺。祝盆水使視之即見羅剎形。又欲見佛法靈異。師投袈裟於地。帝遣人舉之。增至數十人不能動。師令沙彌取之。如舉一羽。帝益敬信。請受菩薩戒。留禁中四旬而出。乾明元年四月示寂。勅建塔以藏舍利。

Chan Master Sengchou was of the Sun clan of Julu. He received the practice of cessation and contemplation from Chan Master Daofang of Jingming Monastery; after focusing his mind for ten days, he attained absorption. Furthermore, he cultivated the four applications of mindfulness of the holy conduct in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. He spent five summer retreats eating only one meal a day. He once cultivated the contemplation of the corpse for nine days, and reported his attainment to the Tripiṭaka Master Guṇabhadra. Guṇabhadra said, "Among those east of the Pamir Mountains who practice meditation, you are the foremost!" He then went to Mount Wangwu to cultivate the former practices. Encountering two tigers fighting, the Master separated them with his monk's staff, and the tigers parted. The Palace Attendant Li Jiang sought to learn the essentials of meditation, so the Master explained cessation and contemplation in two scrolls for him. Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi summoned the Master from the mountain to preach the Dharma. The Master explained to him that the three realms are fundamentally empty and the myriad phenomena are like illusions, and that the glory of worldly appearances cannot be preserved for long. The Emperor's hair stood on end and he broke out in a sweat. He built Yunmen Monastery in the city of Ye to honor and serve him with respect. The Master remained seated in his room and never went out to see off or welcome anyone. Some disciples considered this improper and admonished him. The Master said, "When Piṇḍola went seven paces to greet a king, it caused the king to lose his kingdom. Although my virtue does not equal the ancients, the ceremonial form is the same. I dare not deceive myself; I only hope to bring blessings to the Emperor." Misled by words of his attendants, the Emperor thought the Master lacked respect and wished to personally go and harm him. The Master knew this beforehand through hidden insight. At dawn, he rode an oxcart twenty li to the valley entrance and stood reverently by the roadside with his hands folded. The Emperor was astonished and questioned him. The Master said, "My body's blood is not pure, and I feared it would defile the saṅghārāma." The Emperor felt ashamed and repentant, and said to his attendant minister Yang Zunyan, "How could one defame such a true person?" He wanted to carry the Master on his back to return to the monastery, but the Master bowed respectfully and declined. The Emperor said, "Even if this disciple carried the Master throughout the realm, it would not suffice to atone for my offense." Thus they returned to the palace in the same carriage. He asked what kind of person he had been in a previous life. The Master said, "You were once a rākṣasa king, which is why you still love killing." The Master recited a spell over a basin of water and had him look into it; he immediately saw the form of a rākṣasa. The Emperor also wished to see the supernatural marvels of the Buddha-Dharma. The Master threw his kāṣāya onto the ground and the Emperor sent men to lift it; even when increased to several dozen men, they could not move it. The Master had a novice monk pick it up, and he lifted it like a feather. The Emperor respected and believed him even more, and requested to receive the bodhisattva precepts. The Master remained in the palace for forty days before leaving. In the fourth month of the first year of Qianming, he displayed passing into stillness. An imperial decree ordered the construction of a stupa to enshrine his relics.