佛祖統紀 26.7

26.7

法師慧遠。姓賈氏雁門樓煩人。幼而好學。年十三隨舅令狐氏遊學許洛。博綜六經尤善莊老。宿儒先進莫不服其深致。二十一欲渡江從學范寧。適石虎暴死南路梗塞。有志不遂。時沙門釋道安。建剎於太行常山。一面盡敬以為真吾師也。初聞安師講般若經。豁然開悟。歎曰九流異議皆糠秕耳（秕音比穀不成）遂與母弟慧持投簪受業。精思諷誦以夜繼晝。因求直道場。沙門曇翼（此自是北人。非廬山入社者）每給燈燭之費。安師聞之曰。道士誠知人。師神明英越志與理冥。至二十四大善講貫。有客聞說實相義。往復問難彌增疑昧。師為引莊子之說以相比類。惑者釋然。安師因許令不廢外典。常臨眾歎曰。使道流東國者其在遠乎。後隨安師南遊襄陽。值秦將苻丕為寇。乃分張徒屬各隨所往。耆德臨岐皆蒙誨益。唯師不聞一言。即跪請曰。獨無訓勅懼非人類。安師曰。如汝者復何所慮。師乃與弟子數十人。南適荊州居上明寺。念舊與同門慧永約結屋於羅浮。太元六年（晉孝武帝）至尋陽。見廬山閒曠可以息心。乃立精舍。以去水猶遠舉杖扣地曰。若此可居當作朽壤抽泉。言畢清流涌出。尋陽亢旱。師詣池側讀海龍王經。忽有神蛇從池而出。須臾大雨。歲竟有秋。因名龍泉精舍。永師先居廬山西林。欲邀同止。而師學侶浸眾。永乃謂刺史桓伊曰。遠公方當弘道。而貧道所棲隘不可處。時師夢山神告曰。此山足可棲神。願毋他往。其夕大雨雷震。詰旦林麓廣闢素沙布地。楩柟文梓充布地上。不知所自至。伊大敬感乃為建剎。名其殿曰神運。以在永師舍東故號東林。時太元十一年也。此山儀形九疊峻聳天絕。而所居盡林壑之美。背負鑪峯旁帶瀑布。清流環階白雲生棟（廬山記。匡裕先生。殷周之際受道於仙人。即岩成館。人稱神仙之廬。因名廬山。尋陽記。山高三千三百六十丈。周二百五十里。其山九疊川亦九派。郡國志。疊障九層包藏仙迹）別營禪室最居靜深。凡在瞻履神清氣肅。師聞天竺佛影是佛昔化毒龍瑞迹。欣感於懷。後因耶舍律士敘述光相。乃背山臨流營築龕室。淡采圖寫望如煙霧。復製五銘刻於石。江州太守孟懷玉。別駕王喬之。常侍張野。晉安太守殷隱。黃門毛修之。主簿殷蔚。參軍王穆夜。孝廉范悅之。隱士宗炳等。咸賦銘贊（見廬山集）先是尋陽陶侃刺廣州。漁人見海中有神光。網之。得金像文殊。誌云阿育王所造。後商人於海東獲一圓光。持以就像。若彌縫然。侃以送武昌寒溪。主僧僧珍常往夏口。夜夢寺火而此像室獨有神護。馳還。寺果焚。像室果存。及侃移督江州。迎像將還。至舟而溺。荊楚為之謠曰。陶惟劍雄。像以神標。雲翔泥宿。邈何遙遙。可以誠至。難以力招。及寺成。師至江上虔禱之。像忽浮出。遂迎至神運殿。造重閣以奉之。因製文殊瑞像讚。嘗謂諸教三昧其名甚眾。功高易進念佛為先。既而謹律息心之士。絕塵清信之賓。不期而至者。慧永（同師安公先居西林）慧持（遠師同母弟）道生曇順（並羅什門弟）僧叡曇恒道昺曇詵道敬（並遠師門人）佛馱耶舍（此云覺明罽賓國人）佛馱跋陀羅（此云覺賢迦維衛國人）名儒劉程之（號遺民）張野周續之張詮宗炳雷次宗等。結社念佛。世號十八賢。復率眾至百二十三人。同修淨土之業。造西方三聖像建齋立誓。令劉遺民著發願文。而王喬之等。復為念佛三昧詩以見志。師神貌嚴肅。瞻仰者則心戰。沙門有持如意致獻者。不敢陳白。竊留座隅而去。法師慧義。強正少可。謂師弟子慧寶曰。諸君膚淺。故於遠公望風推服。甞至山值師講法華。欲致難輒內悸流汗出。謂慧寶曰。此公言貌誠可敬服。殷仲堪任荊州。入山展敬。與師俱臨北㵎松下。共談易道終日忘倦。仲堪歎白。師智識深明實難庶幾。師亦曰。君之才辯如此流泉（後人名其處曰聰明泉）司徒王謐。護軍王默。並欽慕風德遙致敬禮（王謐有書往反）盧循據江州。入山詣師。師少與循父嘏同為書生。及見循歡然道舊。其徒諫曰。循為國寇。得不為人疑。師曰。我佛法中情無取舍。識者自能察之。此何足懼。及宋武進討。循設帳桑尾。左右曰。遠公素王廬山。與循交厚。宋武曰。遠公世表之人何可疑也。乃遣使馳書遺以錢帛。有行者來侍師善驅蛇。蛇為盡去。因號辟蛇行者。有一虎往來。時見行迹未甞傷人。人號遊山虎。師與社眾每遊憩上方峯頂。患去水遠。他日有虎跪其石。水為之出。因號虎跑泉。又於一峯製涅槃疏。因名擲筆峯。初是大教流行江東。經卷未備。禪法無聞。律藏多闕。師乃令弟子法淨法領等遠越葱嶺。曠歲來還皆獲梵本。昔安公在關中請曇摩難提出阿毘曇心。其人未善晉言頗多疑滯。後僧伽提婆至。即請重譯及三法度論。於是二論乃興。師即製序以貽學者。聞鳩摩羅什入關。遣書通好。什答書曰。傳繹來貺粗聞風德。經言。末代東方有護法菩薩。欽哉。仁者善弘其道。曇摩流支入秦。師遣弟子曇邕請於關中出十誦律流傳晉國。西土諸僧咸稱漢地有大乘開士。每東嚮致禮獻心廬岳。及佛馱跋陀羅至。師即請出禪數諸經。於是禪戒經典出自廬山幾至百卷。先是此土未有泥洹常住之說。但言壽命長遠。師曰。佛是至極。至極則無變。無變之理豈有窮耶。乃著法性論十四篇。羅什見而歎曰。邊方未見經。便闇與理合。秦主欽風以大智度論新譯。致書求序。師以其文繁廣。乃抄其要為二十卷。而為之序（羅什譯智論凡百卷）桓玄征殷仲堪。要師出虎溪。稱疾不往。玄將入山。左右曰。昔殷仲堪禮敬於遠。請公勿屈。玄曰。仲堪死人耳。及玄見師不覺屈膝。所懷問難不復敢發。及語至征討師即不答。玄後以震主之威勸令登仕。師正辭以答。玄不能強。既而欲沙汰眾僧。下教僚屬曰。沙門之徒有能申述經誥禁行修整者。始可以宣寄大化。其有違於此者。悉當罷黜。唯廬山道德所居。不在搜簡之列。師因致書廣立條制。玄悉從之。初庾氷輔政以沙門應敬王者。何充奏不應禮。及玄在姑熟。復申氷議。師答書曰。袈裟非朝宗之服。鉢盂非廊廟之器。塵外之容不應致敬王者。乃著沙門不敬王者論五篇。一明在家者有天屬之愛奉主之禮。二明出家以求志變俗以達道。豈得與世典同其禮敬。三明求宗不順化。宗謂泥洹不變。以化盡為宅（泥洹即涅槃翻不生不滅）不順化者。其生可滅。其神可冥。冥神絕境謂之泥洹。而不隨順於生生化化流動無窮之境。斯所以不事王侯高尚其事。豈復有所禮敬者哉。四明體極不兼應。謂歷代君王體極之主。但務方內而不可並御於方外。故曰不兼應。天地之道功盡於運化。帝王之德理極於順通。與夫獨絕之教不變之宗。優劣明矣。若夫如來之道則無所不應矣。五明形盡神不滅。謂火之傳於薪。猶神之傳於形。火之傳異薪。猶神之傳異形。方生方死往來無窮。但悟徹者反本。惑理者逐物耳。有頃玄篡位。即下書曰。佛法宏誕所未能了。初推奉主之情。故令興敬。今事既在己宜盡謙光。諸道人勿復致禮也。桓玄西奔。安帝自江陵還京師。輔國何無忌勸師候迎。師稱疾不行。帝遣使勞問。師上書謝病。帝復下詔慰答。師甞講喪服經（當是禮記小記大記四制等篇）雷次宗宗炳等。並執卷承旨。次宗後著義疏。首稱雷氏。宗炳寄書責之曰。昔與足下面受於釋和上。今便稱雷氏耶（陸德明毛詩音義云。周續之與雷次宗。同受詩義於遠法師。亦此類也）釋惠要患山中無刻漏。乃於水上立十二葉芙蓉。因波隨轉分定晝夜。以為行道之節。謂之蓮華漏。僧澈善篇牘。甞至山南攀松而嘯。和風遠集眾鳥悲鳴。超然有自得之趣。退諮於師曰。律禁管絃歌舞。若一吟一咲可得為乎。師曰。苟以亂意皆為非法。澈唯而止。師居山三十年。迹不入俗。唯以淨土克勤於念。初十一年澄心繫想。三覩聖相沈厚不言。後十九年七月晦夕。於般若臺之東龕方從定起。見阿彌陀佛身滿虛空。圓光之中有諸化佛觀音勢至左右侍立。又見水流光明。分十四支流注上下演說苦空無常無我之音。佛告之曰。我以本願力。故來安慰汝。汝後七日當生我國。又見佛馱耶舍慧持（義熙八年先逝）慧永（義熙十年先逝）劉遺氏（義熙六年先逝）在佛之側前揖師曰。師志在先何來之晚。師語法淨惠寶曰。吾始居此十一年中三見佛相。今復見之吾生淨土必矣。又曰。七日之期斯為漸矣。即寢疾製遺誡曰。吾昔以知命之年託業此山。自審有必盡之期。便欲絕迹外緣以求其志。良由性弱於斷。遂令同趣相引時賢過眷。情以類感。不覺形與運頹。今年已八十三矣。仰尋違離之誨。俯慨自負之心。徒令此生虛謝。以悼往疾之深。今於至時。露骸松林之下。即嶺為墳。與土木同狀。此乃古人之禮。汝等勿違。苟神理不昧庶達其誠。大哀世尊亦當祐之以道。門徒號慟若喪父母。師以世情難割乃制七日展哀。至期始順寂。即義熙十二年八月六日也。弟子不忍露屍。與尋陽太守阮侃。奉全軀舉葬於西嶺。累石為塔。謝靈運立碑以銘遺德。張野作序自稱門人。宗炳復立碑於寺門以表德業。師將終耆德請以豉酒治病。師曰。律無通文請飲米汁。師曰。日過中矣。又請飲蜜和水。乃令披律尋文。卷未半而終。所著經論諸序銘贊詩記凡十卷。號廬山集（刻梓在越府）自佛圖澄道安師遠法師曇順僧叡。五世為國師云。唐宣宗大中二年。追諡辯覺大師。昇元三年追諡正覺（南唐李先主年號。即晉高祖天福四年也）大宋太宗太平興國三年追諡圓悟大師凝寂之塔。

Dharma Master Huiyuan, surnamed Jia, was a native of Loufan in Yanmen. From his youth he was fond of learning; at the age of thirteen, he accompanied his maternal uncle, of the Linghu clan, to study in Xuchang and Luoyang. He comprehensively integrated the Six Classics and was especially proficient in the Laozi and Zhuangzi; senior scholars and elders all deferred to the profundity of his understanding. At twenty-one, wishing to cross the Yangzi to study under Fan Ning, he was blocked by the southern roads being cut off following the sudden death of Shi Hu, so his ambition went unfulfilled. At that time, the śramaṇa Shi Dao'an was founding monasteries in Changshan in the Taihang Mountains. Once Huiyuan met him, he showed complete reverence, taking Dao'an as his true teacher. When he first heard Master Dao'an lecture on the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he experienced an abrupt awakening and sighed: 'The varied doctrines of the nine schools of thought are all mere chaff!' He then discarded his official hairpin together with his younger brother Huiqi, received ordination, and devoted himself to study, reflecting deeply and chanting day and night without interruption. Desiring to serve the monastery, the śramaṇa Tanyi (a northerner, not one of the members of the White Lotus Society on Mount Lu) frequently provided him with money for lamps and candles. Hearing of this, Master Dao'an remarked: 'The gentleman truly knows men.' Huiyuan's intellect was brilliant and extraordinary, his mind attuned to Principle. By twenty-four, he was exceptionally adept at lecturing and expounding. A visitor, having heard him explain the meaning of true reality, raised repeated objections, only becoming more perplexed; the Master then cited the words of Zhuangzi for comparison, whereupon the questioner's doubts dissolved. Dao'an consequently granted him permission not to abandon secular texts, and often sighed before the assembly: 'If the Way is to flow into the Eastern Realm, will it not rest on Huiyuan?' Later he accompanied Master Dao'an south to Xiangyang. When the Qin general Fu Pi launched an invasion, Dao'an divided his disciples to let each go where they would. As the elder monks faced parting, all received parting instruction and benefit, but the Master alone did not hear a word. Kneeling, he pleaded: 'Am I alone given no admonition? I fear I am not counted among human beings.' Master Dao'an said: 'With someone like you, what is there to worry about?' Huiyuan then went south with several dozen disciples to Jingzhou, staying at Shangming Temple. Recalling his old pact with his fellow disciple Huiyong to build dwellings on Mount Luofu, he reached Xunyang in the sixth year of Taiyuan (under Emperor Xiaowu of Jin). Seeing Mount Lu secluded and vast, ideal for settling the mind, he established a hermitage. Because it was far from water, he raised his staff, tapped the ground, and said: 'If this place can be dwelled in, let fresh water gush from the crumbling earth.' As soon as he finished speaking, a clear stream welled up. Later, Xunyang suffered a severe drought; the Master went beside the pool and read the Ocean Dragon King Sūtra (Sāgara-nāgarāja-paripṛcchā). Suddenly, a divine serpent emerged from the pool, and in a moment heavy rain fell, resulting in a bountiful autumn harvest. Hence it was named Longquan Hermitage (Dragon Spring Hermitage). Huiyong had earlier dwelt at Xilin on Mount Lu and wished to invite Huiyuan to stay together with him, but the Master's followers were becoming numerous. Yong then said to the regional inspector Huan Yi: 'The venerable Yuan is about to propagate the Way, but my humble dwelling is cramped and cannot accommodate him.' At that time, the Master dreamt that the mountain deity told him: 'This mountain is ample to shelter your spirit; please do not go elsewhere.' That night there were heavy rains and thunder; by dawn, the forested foothills were widely cleared, covered with white sand, and large timber like camphor and catalpa lay strewn over the ground, though none knew whence it came. Deeply moved with reverence, Huan Yi built a monastery for him, naming the hall 'Shenyun' (Divinely Transported). Because it stood east of Huiyong's quarters, it was called Donglin (Eastern Grove). This was the eleventh year of the Taiyuan era. This mountain has nine tiered ridges, soaring precipitously into the sky, and its dwelling enjoys the utmost beauty of woods and ravines: leaning against Furnace Peak, flanked by waterfalls, clear streams encircling the steps, and white clouds rising from the rafters. (The Lu Shan ji states: Master Kuang Yu, at the turn of Yin and Zhou, received the Way from an immortal and turned the cliff into a dwelling, which people called the Hermitage of the Immortals; hence it was named Mount Lu. The Xunyang ji states: The mountain is 3,360 zhang high and 250 li in circumference; it has nine tiers and nine branching rivers. The Junguo zhi states: Nine layers of craggy barriers enclose immortal traces.) Separately, he built meditation cells in the quietest, deepest recesses; whoever visited felt mental clarity and solemn awe. Hearing that the Buddha's shadow in India was an auspicious trace left when the Buddha formerly converted a poisonous dragon, the Master felt joyous reverence. Later, when the Vinaya Master Yaśas described its radiant features, Huiyuan backed against the mountain facing the stream and built a grotto shrine, applying pale colors to paint the likeness so that it appeared like mist. He also composed five inscriptions carved on stone. The Grand Protector of Jiangzhou, Meng Huaiyu; Vice Governor Wang Qiaozhi; Attendant-in-Ordinary Zhang Ye; Grand Protector of Jin'an, Yin Yin; Yellow Gate Attendant Mao Xiuzhi; Recorder Yin Wei; Adjutant Wang Muye; Filial and Incorrupt Nominee Fan Yuezhi; Recluse Zong Bing, and others all composed inscriptions and eulogies (see the Mount Lu Collection). Earlier, when Tao Kan of Xunyang was regional inspector of Guangzhou, a fisherman saw a divine light in the sea; casting his net, he obtained a golden image of Mañjuśrī, whose inscription said it was made by King Aśoka. Later, a merchant found a circular halo east of the sea and brought it to fit onto the statue, which joined as if perfectly matched. Kan sent it to Hanxi in Wuchang. The abbot, monk Sengzhen, once went to Xiakou; at night he dreamt the temple was on fire, but this image room was guarded by a spirit. He galloped back, and the temple was indeed burned, while the image room alone survived. When Kan was transferred to govern Jiangzhou, he went to welcome the image to take it with him, but on reaching the boat it sank into the water. The folk of Jing and Chu made a song about it: 'Tao relies only on martial prowess, while the image displays divine wonder. Flying among clouds, lodging in mud—how far away and unreachable! It may be brought by sincerity, but can hardly be summoned by force.' When the temple was completed, the Master went to the river to offer sincere prayers; the image suddenly floated up, whereupon it was received into the Shenyun Hall and a two-story pavilion was built to enshrine it. He then composed a eulogy on the auspicious image of Mañjuśrī. Huiyuan once stated that among the samādhis of the various teachings, although their names are many, mindfulness of the Buddha takes precedence as being high in efficacy and easy of progress. Soon, those who observed the discipline to still their minds, and pure laymen detached from dust, arrived unsummoned: Huiyong (who shared the same teacher Dao'an and lived at Xilin), Huiqi (Yuan's brother by the same mother), Daosheng and Tanshun (both disciples of Kumārajīva), Sengrui, Tanhang, Daobing, Tanxun, and Daojing (all disciples of Huiyuan), Buddhayasás (called Jueming in Chinese, from Jibin), Buddhabhadra (called Juexian in Chinese, from Kapilavastu), renowned scholars Liu Chengzhi (styled Yimin), Zhang Ye, Zhou Xuzhi, Zhang Quan, Zong Bing, Lei Cizong, and others. They formed a society for Buddha-mindfulness, known to the world as the Eighteen Sages. Furthermore, leading a congregation of 123 persons, they jointly cultivated the Pure Land practice, fashioned images of the Three Sages of the West, established vegetarian feasts, and swore vows, commissioning Liu Yimin to compose the text of the vow, while Wang Qiaozhi and others composed poems on the Buddha-mindfulness Samādhi to express their aspiration. The Master's appearance was solemn and awe-inspiring; those who gazed upon him trembled in heart. Once, a śramaṇa holding a ruyi scepter came to present it, but dared not speak, quietly leaving it in a corner of the seat before departing. Dharma Master Huiyi was unyielding and seldom impressed; he said to Huiyuan's disciple Huibao: 'You gentlemen are shallow, which is why you submit to Master Yuan's reputation from afar.' Once he went to the mountain just as the Master was lecturing on the Lotus Sūtra; intending to raise difficult questions, he immediately trembled inside and broke into sweat, remarking to Huibao: 'This master's speech and demeanor are truly worthy of reverent submission.' When Yin Zhongkan was governor of Jingzhou, he entered the mountain to pay respects; accompanied by the Master beside the northern ravine beneath the pines, they conversed on the Book of Changes all day without fatigue. Zhongkan sighed: 'The Master's wisdom and insight are profound and bright; it is truly difficult to approach him.' The Master also said: 'Your eloquence is like this flowing spring.' (Later people named the place Congming Spring, 'Spring of Intelligence'.) Minister over the Masses Wang Mi and Army Protector Wang Mo both admired his virtuous character and sent homage from afar (Wang Mi exchanged letters with him). When Lu Xun held Jiangzhou, he entered the mountain to visit the Master. In his youth, the Master had been a fellow student with Xun's father, Xia; on seeing Xun, he cheerfully spoke of old times. His disciples remonstrated: 'Xun is an enemy of the state; will this not cause suspicion?' The Master replied: 'In our Buddha-Dharma, the mind has no grasping or rejection; those with discernment will perceive this of themselves. What is there to fear?' When Emperor Wu of Song advanced to subdue Lu Xun, Xun set up camp at Sangwei. The emperor's attendants said: 'Master Yuan has long held high standing on Mount Lu and is on close terms with Lu Xun.' Emperor Wu of Song said: 'Master Yuan is a man beyond this world; how could he be suspected?' He then dispatched a messenger with a letter and gifts of money and silk. A practitioner came to attend on the Master who was skilled at expelling snakes, and the snakes completely disappeared; thus he was called the Snake-Expelling Practitioner. There was also a tiger that came and went, its tracks often seen, but it never harmed anyone; people called it the Mountain-Roaming Tiger. Whenever the Master and his community strolled to rest on the upper peak, they were troubled by its distance from water; later, a tiger knelt at a boulder and water sprang forth from it, which was consequently named Hupao Spring (Tiger Crouching Spring). On another peak, he composed a commentary on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, hence named Zhibi Peak (Pen-Casting Peak). Initially, when the Great Teaching spread east of the Yangzi, sūtra texts were incomplete, meditation methods unheard of, and the Vinaya Piṭaka largely lacking. The Master sent his disciples Fajing, Faling, and others across the Congling Mountains; after many years they returned, having obtained Sanskrit texts. Formerly, when Master Dao'an was in Guanzhong, he had requested Dharmānandi to produce the Abhidharmahṛdaya, but as the translator was not proficient in Chinese, many doubts remained. Later, when Saṃghadeva arrived, Huiyuan requested him to retranslate it as well as the Tridharmakakhaṇḍa-śāstra; from this, the two treatises flourished, and the Master composed prefaces to impart them to learners. Hearing that Kumārajīva had entered Guanzhong, he sent a letter to establish ties. Kumārajīva replied: 'Having received your letter via transmission, I have learned of your virtuous manner. The sūtra says: 'In the latter age, there is a bodhisattva protecting the Dharma in the East.' How admirable! O benevolent one, propagate this Way well.' When Dharmaruci entered Qin, the Master sent his disciple Tanyong to request him to produce the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya in Guanzhong to circulate it in the Jin state. Monks from the Western regions all said that the land of Han had a Mahāyāna great being, and they frequently bowed eastwards and sent their devotion to Mount Lu. When Buddhabhadra arrived, the Master requested him to translate various sūtras on meditation and doctrinal enumeration. Thereupon, sūtras on meditation and precepts emerged from Mount Lu amounting to nearly a hundred fascicles. Previously, this land had no teaching on the permanence of nirvāṇa, speaking only of longevity. The Master said: 'The Buddha is the ultimate; being the ultimate, he undergoes no change. Can the principle of changelessness have an end?' He then composed the Treatise on Dharma-Nature in fourteen chapters. When Kumārajīva saw it, he praised it: 'Though in a distant land without having seen the sūtras, his understanding darkly harmonizes with Principle.' The Qin ruler, admiring Huiyuan's reputation and having recently translated the Da zhidu lun (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa), sent a letter asking for a preface. Deeming its text extensive and verbose, the Master extracted its essentials into twenty fascicles and composed a preface for it (Kumārajīva's translation of the Treatise was originally one hundred fascicles). When Huan Xuan went to campaign against Yin Zhongkan, he invited the Master to come out across Tiger Creek, but Huiyuan pleaded illness and did not go. When Xuan was about to enter the mountain, his attendants said: 'Formerly Yin Zhongkan paid homage to Huiyuan; we request that you not humble yourself.' Xuan said: 'Zhongkan was a dead man.' Yet upon seeing the Master, Xuan unwittingly bent his knees, and the difficult questions he had harbored he dared not utter. When Xuan mentioned his military campaigns, the Master did not answer. Later, wielding his power that intimidated the ruler, Xuan urged him to accept official post, but the Master replied with righteous words, so Xuan could not force him. Soon Xuan wished to purge the monastic community, issuing an order to his subordinates: 'Only those śramaṇas capable of explaining the scriptures and maintaining disciplined practice may be entrusted with promoting the great transformation; all who violate this shall be defrocked. Mount Lu alone, as the dwelling of virtue, is excluded from scrutiny.' The Master thereupon sent a letter comprehensively laying down regulatory codes, all of which Xuan accepted. Earlier, when Yu Bing governed, he held that śramaṇas ought to pay homage to the ruler, while He Chong submitted a memorial stating they should not. When Huan Xuan resided in Gushu, he revived Bing's argument. The Master sent a reply saying: 'The kāṣāya is not court attire; the alms-bowl is not a vessel for imperial halls. Those of appearance beyond the dust should not pay homage to a ruler.' He then authored the Treatise on Śramaṇas Not Paying Homage to Rulers in five sections: First, clarifying that householders possess natural familial affection and the ritual duty of serving a sovereign. Second, clarifying that home-leavers transform custom to attain the Way in pursuit of their aspiration; how could they share the same rituals of homage with worldly codes? Third, clarifying that seeking the ultimate goal does not conform to mundane transformation: the ultimate goal means unalterable nirvāṇa, taking the cessation of changes as one's abode (nirvāṇa is translated as non-arising and non-ceasing). Not conforming to transformation means that physical birth can be extinguished and the spirit can merge into quietude; merging the spirit and transcending objects is called nirvāṇa, not following along with the ceaseless, flowing realms of birth and change. This is why they do not serve kings and lords, holding their enterprise noble; how could they offer ritual homage? Fourth, clarifying that those who embody the ultimate do not respond simultaneously to all realms: successive sovereigns, as masters who embody the ultimate, only manage worldly matters within the realm, but cannot govern affairs beyond it; hence it is said they do not respond to both simultaneously. The way of Heaven and Earth exhausts its merit in rotation and transformation; the virtue of rulers reaches its ultimate in smooth order. Compared to the peerless teaching and unaltering principle, the difference in superiority is clear. As for the Way of the Tathāgata, there is nothing to which it does not respond. Fifth, clarifying that when form is exhausted, the spirit is not extinguished: just as fire transfers from one piece of firewood to another, so does the spirit transfer from one form to another. Fire transferring to different firewood is like the spirit transferring to different bodies; arising and dying, coming and going without end. Only those who awaken return to the origin, while those confused by principle chase after things. Shortly thereafter, Xuan usurped the throne and issued a decree: 'The Buddha-Dharma is vast and profound, beyond my comprehension. Formerly, emphasizing loyalty to the ruler, I ordered homage to be paid. Now that affairs rest with me, I ought to exhibit modesty and radiance; let none of the monks pay homage any longer.' When Huan Xuan fled west, Emperor An returned to the capital from Jiangling. General Supporting the State He Wuji urged the Master to go and welcome the emperor, but the Master pleaded illness and did not go. The emperor sent an envoy with comforting greetings; the Master submitted a memorial declining on account of illness, and the emperor issued an imperial decree in consoling reply. The Master once lectured on the Mourning Dress Sūtra (likely the Xiaoji, Daji, Sishi, and other chapters of the Book of Rites); Lei Cizong and Zong Bing held the texts and received his instructions. Later, when Cizong authored a commentary, he entitled it at the head with 'Master Lei'. Zong Bing sent him a letter rebuking him: 'Formerly you and I received oral instruction directly from the Buddhist master; how can you now call it Master Lei's?' (Lu Deming's Maoshi Yinyi states: 'Zhou Xuzhi and Lei Cizong both received the meaning of the Odes from Master Huiyuan', which is of this sort.) The monk Huiyao, troubled by the lack of a clepsydra in the mountain, floated a twelve-petaled lotus upon the water; turning with the ripples, it determined day and night to set intervals for walking the Way, which was called the Lotus Clepsydra. The monk Sengche was skilled in literature; once he went south of the mountain, climbed a pine tree, and whistled, whereupon a gentle breeze gathered and birds sang dolefully, giving him a transcendent sense of contentment. Returning, he asked the Master: 'The Vinaya forbids musical strings and dance; can one hum and smile?' The Master said: 'Whatever distracts the mind is unwholesome.' Che agreed and ceased. The Master lived in the mountain for thirty years, his footsteps never entering secular society; he applied himself diligently only to Buddha-mindfulness for the Pure Land. In the first eleven years, clearing his mind and focusing his thoughts, he three times beheld holy visions, but kept them quietly to himself. Later, on the last evening of the seventh month in the nineteenth year, having just arisen from meditation in the eastern shrine of the Prajñā Platform, he saw the body of Amitābha Buddha filling empty space; within the circular halo were various transformation Buddhas, with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta flanking him on either side. He also saw light-bearing streams of water dividing into fourteen currents flowing up and down, expounding the sounds of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. The Buddha spoke to him, saying: 'By the power of my fundamental vow, I have come to comfort you; seven days hence, you shall be born in my land.' He also saw Buddhayasás, Huiqi (who had passed away earlier in the eighth year of Yixi), Huiyong (who had passed away earlier in the tenth year of Yixi), and Liu Yimin (who had passed away earlier in the sixth year of Yixi) beside the Buddha; they stepped forward, bowed to the Master, and said: 'Master, your vow was made earlier; why do you arrive so late?' The Master told Fajing and Huibao: 'In the first eleven years of my dwelling here, I saw the Buddha's form three times. Now seeing it again, my rebirth in the Pure Land is certain.' He also said: 'The seven-day term is approaching.' Falling ill, he composed a final admonition: 'Formerly, at the age of knowing my destiny (fifty), I committed myself to this mountain. Judging that my time must come to an end, I wished to sever external ties to pursue my aspiration. Yet because my nature was weak in severing bonds, companions drew me along and worthy contemporaries showed excessive affection; emotions were stirred by kind, and unawares my body decayed with time. Now I am already eighty-three years old. Looking up, I remember the instructions from which I have departed; looking down, I lament my self-reproach, having vainly let this life pass, grieving deeply for past faults. Now that the time has arrived, let my bones be exposed beneath the pine forest, the ridge itself serving as my grave, blending with earth and trees; this was the ritual of ancients, so do not disobey. If the spiritual principle is not obscured, may my sincerity reach it; the Great Compassionate World-Honored One will surely assist me with the Way.' The disciples wailed as if mourning their parents. Because worldly sentiment is hard to sever, the Master permitted seven days to express grief, passing away only when the time arrived: the sixth day of the eighth month in the twelfth year of Yixi. Disciples, unable to bear leaving his body exposed, joined with Grand Protector Ruan Kan of Xunyang to bury his whole body on the Western Ridge, heaping stones to make a stūpa. Xie Lingyun erected a stele inscribing his bequeathed virtue; Zhang Ye wrote the preface, calling himself a disciple; and Zong Bing also erected a stele at the temple gate to display his virtuous deeds. When the Master was near his end, elders requested that fermented bean wine be used to treat his illness; the Master said: 'The Vinaya contains no permissive text.' They asked him to drink rice water; the Master said: 'The sun has passed noon.' They then asked him to drink honey mixed with water; he ordered them to unroll the Vinaya to find a passage, but before the scroll was half-read, he passed away. His prefaces, inscriptions, eulogies, poems, and records on various sūtras and treatises totaled ten fascicles, called the Mount Lu Collection (printed on woodblocks in Yue Prefecture). From Fotudeng, Master Dao'an, Master Yuan, Tanshun, to Sengrui, five generations were revered as National Preceptors. In the second year of Dazhong under Xuanzong of the Tang, he was posthumously granted the title 'Great Master Bianjue'; in the third year of Shengyuan, he was posthumously granted 'Zhengjue' (the reign era of the First Ruler Li of the Southern Tang, which corresponds to the fourth year of Tianfu under Emperor Gaozu of the Later Jin); in the third year of Taiping Xingguo under Emperor Taizong of the Great Song, he was posthumously granted the title 'Great Master Yuanwu' and his stūpa named 'Tower of Congealed Tranquility'.