佛祖統紀 10.36

10.36

Chan Master Shenyong, styled Daogong, was a descendant of Cai Mo, Grand Commandant of the Jin dynasty. For generations his family resided in Zhuji of Yue. While in swaddling clothes, whenever he heard the chanting of sūtras, he would concentrate his mind and listen in stillness. At the age of thirteen, he entered the Way, relying on Master Jun of Fahua. In the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan, he was ordained by imperial decree. He studied the Four-Part Vinaya under Master Yan, who said, 'This boy will surely be a guiding compass for scholars.' Soon after, he went to rely on Zuoxi, studying the calming and contemplation and the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra. For five summer retreats, he expounded them, and the listeners were pleased and convinced. During the Tianbao era, he traveled to Chang'an and resided at Anguo Temple; nobles and officials came in continuous carriages to ask about the Way. Just as the An Lushan-Shi Siming rebellions arose one after another, he shook his ringed staff and returned to the east. Passing through the Xiang and Han regions, there was the Editorial Director Wei Zichun, of vast learning and unyielding spirit, who engaged in debate with him. Zichun suffered defeat, and the entire assembly was astonished and convinced. Fan Xian, Secretariat Drafter, sighed and said, 'The Master can be called a jewel beyond the dust (meaning like a lustrous gem untainted by dust) and a lion among disputants (meaning his exposition is like a lion's roar).' After returning to his hometown, he resided at Fahua Temple. From the Zhide to the Dali era, he was frequently invited by assemblies to ascend the platform to administer precepts. From south of Danyang to north of Jinhua, he was praised as an Acclaiming Master. He built a monastery at Jiao Mountain, which was granted an official name plaque. Early in the Dali era, the Daoist Wu Yun of the Central Sacred Peak wrote a treatise slandering Buddhism. The Surveillance Commissioner Chen Shaoyou requested [the Master] to settle the matter. The Master arranged a face-to-face debate with Wu Yun on orthodoxy and heterodoxy; no sooner had the banners and drums met than Wu was defeated. Thereupon, he composed the Treatise on Overturning Heterodoxy in three fascicles to refute the remaining faction. His disciples Zhi'ang, Lingche, Jinming, Huizhao, and others relied on him for many years; they all understood Chan and wisdom and were noted men of their time.