佛祖統紀 11
English (machine translation) 11
- Language
- English
11.1
Composed by the Śramaṇa Zhipan of Donghu in Siming during the Jingding era of the Song
11.2
Biographies of the Various Masters, Sixth, Part One
11.3
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Shi of Tianzhu
11.4
(Second Generation)
Dharma Master Wenchang of Miaoguo
Dharma Master Zushao of Mingzhi
Faxi
Dharma Master Qingjian
Repentance Master Siyong of Zhenjing
Dharma Master Farun of Baoqing
Dharma Master Benrong of Tianzhu
Attendant Siwu of Tianzhu
Prime Minister Wang Qinruo
Grand Counselor Hu Ze
Director of the Bureau of Operations Cui Yucai
Vice Minister Ma Liang
(Third Generation)
Dharma Master Tianshou of Miaoguo (Heir of Master Chang)
Dharma Master Huibian of Haiyue (Heir among five persons under Mingzhi)
Dharma Master Siyi of Jinghui
Dharma Master Yuanjing of Biancai
Dharma Master Zaisheng of Shenzhi
Dharma Master Jubai of Guanghui
(Fourth Generation)
Dharma Master Congya of Fabao (Heir among two persons under Haiyue)
Dharma Master Zhishen of Cixing
Dharma Master Dexian of Yuanying (Heir among five persons under Jinghui)
Dharma Master Zhongyuan of Shenzhi
Dharma Master Yongkan of Cijue
Dharma Master Huiri of Jizhao
Dharma Master Sishang of Yuanwu
Dharma Master Ruoyu of Fajian (Heir among two persons under Biancai)
Dharma Master Zezhang of Lingshan
(Fifth Generation)
Dharma Master Rugao of Zhiyuan (Heir of Fabao)
Dharma Master Huiguan of Ciming (Heir of Shenzhi)
Dharma Master Zilin of Cishou (Heir of Cijue)
11.5
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Ji of Xingguo
11.6
(Second Generation)
Dharma Master Lingxiang of Xingguo
Dharma Master Wuchi of Fuyuan
11.7
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Xiao of Qiantang
11.8
(Second Generation)
Dharma Master Yucheng of Faxian
(Third Generation)
Dharma Master Shouren of Doushuai
11.9
When Fazhi of Siming arose, scholars under heaven bowed before his wind. Those who inherited his enterprise and magnified his lineage were the three houses of Guangzhi, Shenzhao, and Nanping; having transmission, they clarified the Buddha's intention and demonstrated the family method. Using this to extensively hand down an inexhaustible plan for the revitalization of the teaching and contemplation, down to the present day it has been relied upon. This is the reason why these biographies of the various masters were composed. As for the single house of Ciyun, after masters such as Chang and Shao, nothing was heard of them after five generations. Now, in fully arranging the biographies, that we place Ciyun's branch first is in order to follow its succession and not let it become mixed and disorderly among the descendants of the three houses of Siming.
11.10
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Shi of Tianzhu
11.11
Dharma Master Wenchang was a native of Yongjia. Having long relied on Ciyun, he fully mastered his Way. At that time, the assembly esteemed him at the forefront. He further went to Nanhu to see Fazhi, and his attainment reached even further. Soon afterward, he returned to his home region and became the first generation of Miaoguo. When the *Miaozong [chao]* was newly completed, [Fazhi] sent him a transcribed copy, entrusting him to lecture on and teach it, and admonishing him, saying: 'If there are any differences, you may note them down and send them here.' Among Ciyun's disciples who were authorized to lecture, there were more than twenty persons; the Master was the foremost among them. (Seen in Ciyun's *Record of Conduct and Practice* and Siming's *Letter to Master Ju*.)
11.12
Dharma Master Zushao was of the Liu family of Tiantai, and was bestowed the title Mingzhi. At nineteen he thoroughly understood the Lotus Sūtra, was ordained, entered Dongye to study under Ciyun, and attained his profound essentials. Soon afterward, he attended the Master when he moved to Lingshan, occupying the first seat. When Ciyun was about to live in the thatched cottage, he said to the Master, 'You should go take Benru's place at Nengren, and cause him to come succeed to this mountain.' The Master immediately put on straw sandals and joyfully set out. When he reached the riverbank, [Ciyun] called him back, saying: 'I was merely testing you. You should ultimately dwell on this mountain.' Having received this command, the Master completely adhered to the established regulations. Outside of lecturing and instructing, practicing the four kinds of samādhi was his daily task. When buildings were incomplete, he put his strength into managing them. One day he told the assembly: 'I received Ciyun's entrustment; now I am old, and I too will soon have the business of the eastern ridge. Huibian is my chief disciple; may he skillfully succeed me!' He then entered the thatched cottage to enjoy quiet retirement. Before long, he manifested illness, sat cross-legged, and passed away. His age was seventy-two, with fifty-two Dharma years. Formerly at Dongye, the Master practiced the Brightness Samādhi for one hundred days and nights. When the period was just halfway through, he suddenly saw banners and pennants filling the space before him. The leader shouted: 'Dabian Zuntian (Deva of Great Eloquence)!' The Master bowed, and the deva said: 'Where the Master dwells, he transmits the Mahāyāna and benefits the multitude of beings.' Having finished speaking, he disappeared. Once when traveling to the capital by way of Huai and Si, he dreamed of a monk stroking his crown and saying: 'I am the Upādhyāya Mañjuśrī. I reveal to you the five meanings of non-arising.' When he awoke, his five viscera were clear and open, as if he had tasted ice and snow. He also dreamed of entering an ancient temple, where he saw a monk seated upright who said to him: 'I will explain the truth of supreme meaning for you.' Upon hearing it, it was like amṛta being poured on the crown of his head; he immediately saw both circumstantial and direct [retributions] to be like shadows of clouds. Someone asked: 'For what reason are people joyful upon seeing the Upādhyāya?' He replied: 'I always view people as if they were Buddhas.'
11.13
Dharma Master Qingjian was a native of Yunjian, and was bestowed the title Chanhui. He composed the preface for Ciyun's *Chishengguang niansong yigui*. It briefly says: 'The Venerable Ciyun propagated the teaching gate of the Blazing Radiance (Chishengguang). I, the disciple Qingjian, from the surviving manuscripts of the methods for practicing the four kinds of samādhi that I received, [found that] only that of the Blazing Radiance had not been widely disseminated. Thereupon, following its original five chapters, I supplemented the beginning and end, and added two [sections] on demonstrating the method and resolving doubts, making seven categories in all.'
11.14
Repentance Master Siyong was named Zhenjing. He entered the Way at Shengguo in Xiu[zhou]. Having long been close to Ciyun, he diligently practiced pure conduct. The assembly at the time held him in high esteem, saying he was fully comparable to his master, and also called him 'Repentance Master'. (Below this, the Basic Annals lost two persons.)
11.15
Attendant Siwu was a native of Qiantang. He attended Ciyun's lectures for the longest time, and therefore was able to deeply penetrate the path of contemplation. He was skilled in upholding dhāraṇī methods, empowering water to heal people's illnesses, so that those seeking help crowded like a market. Whenever he recited his daily lessons, his body and the statues he revered both produced relics. In the third year of the Tiansheng era, Ciyun wished to request the inclusion of Master Zhiyi's doctrinal scrolls into the Tripiṭaka canon. Lord Wang Wenmu was about to present the request to court. Siwu said: 'This is an extraordinary matter; this humble one shall assist it.' He then painted an image of the Thousand-Armed Great Compassionate One, recited the dhāraṇī, and made a vow, saying: 'If the matter indeed succeeds, I shall burn my body in recompense.' It happened that Lord Wang passed away, but Siwu recited the dhāraṇī with even greater diligence. The next year imperial permission was granted. The Master was overjoyed; he gathered firewood to make a tower, and informed Ciyun to request a spark of fire. Ciyun took up red charcoal from the brazier and gave it to him; [Siwu] stretched forth his hands to receive it, showing no sign of difficulty at all. He then entered the tower of firewood. After the fire subsided, his kāṣāya covered his body just as when he was alive. Ciyun then added fragrant wood and performed dhāraṇī prayers to burn it; it transformed along with the flames. The five-colored relics were beyond count. Even after three years, those who sought them still obtained them. Ciyun composed a praise for him, engraved on stone, which said:
'Wu was our disciple;
He bore the Dharma and gave up his body.
Its blazing flames were glorious,
His joy was serene.
When the fire was about to die down,
He remained upright as if cross-legged.
When the bones later broke into pieces,
They shone like rounded pearls.
Truly in antiquity such must have existed,
Yet today there are none like him.
In his prime at thirty,
Truly he was a great hero!'
(Below this, the Basic Annals lost four high officials.)
11.16
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Mingzhi Shao
11.17
Dharma Master Huibian, styled Neweng, was of the Fu family of Huating and had the sobriquet Haiyue. He studied under Puzhao. Early on, he went traveling to study at Tianzhu. When he reached Hejian, an old man wearing an official cap and sash crossed over the ridge, bowed in welcome, entered the gate, and vanished. Mingzhi saw him once and regarded him as most extraordinary; thereupon he devoted his whole mind to studying the teachings and contemplation. When Mingzhi was growing old, he ordered him to take the first seat to lecture on his behalf. One night he dreamed that Zhāng'ān struck his mouth with a golden probe, saying, 'If you diligently instruct others, you will attain eloquence and wisdom.' He once suffered from a spleen disease; he dreamed that a heavenly deity held water in a golden dish, made him close his eyes, and drew out his intestines to wash them. Eight years later, Mingzhi had him succeed to the abbot's seat. The Hanlin academician Shen Gou governed Hangzhou with an awesome severity; most who saw him were terrified and lost their composure. The Master was calm and composed as usual. Gou marveled at him and appointed him Metropolitan Controller of Monks (Dūsēngzhèng). Su Zizhan, who was then Vice-Prefect, presented him with a preface saying, 'The flourishing of Buddhist monks in Qiantang is truly the foremost in the empire. Men of moral virtue, talent, and wisdom dwell mingled with the foolish, mediocre, cunning, and hypocritical; it is said to be difficult to bring order to them. Therefore, outside of the Controllers of Monks and Vice-Controllers, an additional post of Metropolitan Controller of Monks was established. The labors of registers, documents, dockets, and rushing about to welcome and see off guests are solely assigned to the Vice-Controllers and below, while the Metropolitan Master directs the essential outlines; in truth, he is only to serve as a model for the multitude through his conduct and understanding.' Once the Master assumed office, whenever a temple vacancy arose within his jurisdiction, he set aside a day to convene the various monasteries and the talents under his seat, opening an examination hall on the doctrine. He set up bramble barricades and sealed the names, examining ten questions. Those who passed five were selected; those who achieved fewer than three were downgraded. Thereafter, candidates filled vacancies in sequence according to the grades of the monasteries. Because of this, all the mountains looked up to him and took him as a model. He lectured for twenty-five years, with students often numbering a thousand. At night a thief entered his room; he took off his robe and gave it to him, telling him to leave by a side path. In his late years he grew weary of social obligations, and taking six items with him, retired to a thatched cottage (the robe, bowl, sitting mat, paper blanket, fly-whisk, and hand-censer made the six). When there was a great drought in Wu and Yue, prayers were offered to the Guanyin image at Tianzhu, but for long there was no response. The Master, being ill at the time, was taking a midday nap and dreamed of an old man in white clothes and a black cap who told him, 'Tomorrow at noon it will surely rain.' It came to pass precisely as scheduled. Near and far were moved by the Master's sincerity. On the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the sixth year of Xining, he arose at dawn, washed, bid farewell to the assembly, joined his palms, sat cross-legged, and passed away. Earlier, the Master's dying instructions were that the shrine-casket should not be closed until Dongpo arrived. On the fourth day Dongpo arrived, and saw him sitting cross-legged as if alive, the crown of his head still warm. Dongpo paid his deepest respects and withdrew.
11.18
The Dongpo ji states: 'Twenty-one years after the Master passed away, I was exiled to Huizhou. The Master's younger dharma-brother Siyi urged Canliao to ask for a eulogy. I thus wrote a preface to it saying, "When I was in Hangzhou, I dreamed I reached West Lake. There was a great hall with a plaque reading 'Maitreya's Descent.' My late friends Haiyue, Biancai, and their company were all practicing the Path therein. I thereupon composed three quatrains to mourn him, saying: 'Seeking former traces, I reluctantly wet my clothes, / When originally there was no birth, how could death be attained? / Tonight the moon over Master Sheng's lecture hall, / Fills the courtyard as of old, cold as frost.'" (The first of three). Later, Canliao went to the Ying River to visit Ziyou, saying, 'Since Biancai received an inscription from the Master on account of Zizhan, should Haiyue alone be without an inscription?' Ziyou also wrote an inscription for his stupa.
11.19
Dharma Master Siyi was styled Hefu, of the Ling family of Wukang in Huzhou. He passed first in the examination on the Lotus Sūtra and was ordained. He studied under Mingzhi, gaining awakening with each thing he heard. Mingzhi would often draw back the curtain and present ten questions, all of which the Master answered in full accord with the purport. When Mingzhi retired to the thatched cottage, the assembly escorted him into the room. After they dispersed, the Master still attended at his right. Zhi said, 'What did you just see?' He answered, 'I saw the great assembly bow and withdraw.' Zhi said, 'I have shown you future significance: you shall dwell on this mountain and glorify the great teaching, and later, later you too shall come to dwell in this room.' The Master practiced the four kinds of samādhi in succession. Suddenly a flesh wen grew on his neck. At night he dreamed that Guṇadevatā fed him a peach, and his ailment immediately disappeared. In the fourth year of Xining, he was granted the purple robe and the title Jinghui. When Grand Councilor Su Song commanded Hangzhou, he invited him to reside at Tianzhu, where he greatly revitalized the way of the Dharma. He resided on the mountain for twenty-three years and retired to the thatched cottage, all just as Mingzhi had predicted. In the middle of the night on the eighteenth day of the second month of the third year of Yuanyou, he sat cross-legged, bid farewell to the assembly, and passed away. The great assembly chanted for a long time, when he suddenly spoke again, saying, 'Attending the Great Being Guanyin, as I walked I saw a śramaṇa of golden color, tall of body with drooping arms, who told me, "The conditions of your retribution are not yet exhausted. After seven days I shall send someone to welcome you."' On the twenty-fifth day, he again sat cross-legged and transformed. On the day the shrine-casket was buried, red clouds hung down like a guiding banner, fading into the west.
11.20
Dharma Master Yuanjing, styled Wuxiang, was of the Xu family and a native of Yuqian in Hangzhou. A traveler passing by his house said, 'An auspicious vapor rises up; an extraordinary boy will be born.' After his birth, the flesh on his left shoulder rose like the cord of a kāṣāya, disappearing only after eighty-one days. His granduncle marveled at this and said, 'He was a śramaṇa in a previous life and must be made to serve the Buddha. Eighty-one must be his lifespan!' When the Master passed away, it indeed corresponded to this number. At age ten he went forth from home; whenever he saw a lecture seat he would say, 'I wish to ascend this and expound the Dharma to deliver people.' At eighteen he studied under Ciyun, and within a few years was ranked among the highest disciples. Later, hearing Mingzhi lecture on the five expedient conditions of Calming and Contemplation, which say, 'As the Vimalakīrti states: "Giving a single meal to all beings, offering it to the Buddhas, sages, and worthies, only then may one eat." This is one expedient,' the Master had an awakening and said, 'Only now do I know that forms, fragrances, tastes, and tangibles inherently possess the supreme ultimate truth!' Tears fell like rain. From then on, whatever he encountered was nothing other than the Dharma realm. He lectured on others' behalf for fifteen years. Lü Zhen, the Prefect of Hangzhou, invited him to reside at the Great Compassion Pavilion. He strictly maintained the monastic precepts, and his disciples held him in awe and love. Zhen requested for him the gift of a purple robe and the title Biancai. In the seventh year [of Jiayou of Emperor Renzong], the Hanlin academician Shen Gou pacified Hangzhou; considering that Upper Tianzhu was originally a bodhimaṇḍa of Guanyin where sounds were used for Buddhist works and was not a residence for dhyāna, he invited the Master to reside there. He cut through the mountain, added rooms, and broadly gathered students; the flourishing of the garden of teachings was foremost in the Two Zhe circuits. In the third year of Xining of Emperor Shenzong, the Prefect of Hangzhou, Zu Wuze, was imprisoned in Zuili (pronounced Zui; a place name, now Xiuzhou). Because he had cast a bell, the Master was also summoned for interrogation, but fortunately was released. He stayed at the Zhenru Hermitage, where, modeled on the Golden Probe, he set up questions and answers to write the Treatise on the Integration of Phenomenon and Principle, clarifying the wonders of the Patriarch's intent. In the first year of Yuanfeng, someone who coveted the abundant donations of the monastery relied on authority to seize it; the assembly also scattered. After a year, that person's downfall was reported to the court, which again placed the Master in charge, and the assembly gathered greatly once more. Lord Zhao Qingxian was a friend beyond the world to the Master and composed a eulogy for him saying, 'When the Master left Tianzhu, the mountain was desolate and the ghosts wept; / When the Master returned to Tianzhu, the bodhimaṇḍa regained its radiance.' (Dongpo sent a poem saying, 'The man of the Way went forth from the mountain; the mountain colors were like dead ashes. / The white clouds did not know how to smile; the green pines had lingering grief. / Suddenly hearing of the man of the Way's return, the birds sang and the mountain face opened up,' etc.) In the third year, he again resigned and departed, residing at Longjing on the Southern Mountain. Gentry and commoners vied to build rooms for him, and it became a monastery. In the sixth year, Prefect Deng Bowen invited him to reside at Nanping. The following year, he returned again to Longjing. At that time the seat at Lingshan was vacant; because it was the bodhimaṇḍa of his ancestral master Ciyun, the Master yielded to the assembly's request. After more than a month, he saw in dhyāna-concentration a deity in golden armor who knelt before him and said, 'Dharma Master, you have no past affinity here; you should not stay long.' Having received this unseen announcement, he returned to Longjing. In the fourth year of Yuanyou, when Su Shi governed Hangzhou, he once asked the Master, 'How many people on the Northern Mountain possess practice like yours, Master?' The Master said, 'Śramaṇas mostly possess hidden practice; they cannot all be known.' When Dongpo's son Dai was four years old, he could not walk; he asked the Master to shave his head and rub his crown, and within a few days he could walk well. (Dongpo's poem says, 'The Master came and rubbed his crown; / He rose and ran, overtaking a fleeing deer.') When about to show his passing, he entered the Fangyuan Hermitage (recorded by Qin Guan, inscribed by Mi Fu), sat peacefully, turned away guests, and stopped speaking and eating. He summoned Canliao and told him (Canliao was Daoqian), 'My pure karma is about to be completed. If there are no obstacles for seven days, my wish will be fulfilled.' On the seventh day he produced a verse to announce to the assembly, lay down on his right side in the auspicious posture, and peacefully entered quiescence. It was the last day of the ninth month of the sixth year of Yuanyou. When the stupa was completed, his disciple Huaichu went to Ruyin to request an inscription from Dongpo; Dongpo instructed Ziyou to compose the inscription for it. The Master lectured without distinction of day or night. He once said, 'Ghosts and spirits who lack majesty and virtue cannot come by day; in the quiet of the night, perhaps they can hear.' He burned his fingers as an offering to the Buddha, three on the left and two on the right. When someone wished to imitate him, the Master stopped him, saying, 'Only one like me may do so.' He cultivated the pure karma of the Western Land without ceasing for an instant. Sometimes he prayed to the Great Being asking for a display of light, and light would appear accordingly. When the śramaṇa Xizhong was eating across from him, he saw light between the Master's eyebrows; he immediately got up, gathered it, and obtained several grains of relics. Later people often found them in his sleeping quarters. Tao Tuan, the magistrate of Jiaxing, had a son who suffered from demonic affliction; the Master prayed for him and he was immediately healed. Lady Chen of Zhuji had long suffered from mental illness and was oblivious to people; the Master alerted her with subtle words, and she awoke with awareness. The commoner Scholar Li had long practiced dhyāna contemplation and was eloquent but lacked practice; he wished to go forth under the Master. Dongpo interceded for him, but before he spoke his name, the Master firmly refused and did not grant it, as if possessing foreknowledge. A wild monk from Xiuzhou called 'Turnhead' deluded the crowds with heterodox ways, proclaiming that he wished to build a great pagoda to plant blessings for the people of Wu; donors gathered like clouds. Because the Master could not be deceived, he was afraid to enter Hangzhou. He first sent an envoy wishing to donate one hundred thousand coins to provide a meal for the monks. The Master replied, 'I understand that pure wealth intended for building a pagoda is being used to feed monks. The teachings contain explicit texts forbidding interchangeable use.' The wild man was deeply ashamed and ceased. (Dongpo's condolence essay said in brief: 'When I first came to Hangzhou, I still saw the five masters. In lecturing there were Bian and Zhen; in Chan there were Lian and Song. Twenty years later, only this old man remained. Now he too has gone; whom will the youth revere?')
11.21
Jing'an says: Great in the Way and revered in virtue, lofty in wisdom and abundant in eloquence, he acted as a great Dharma leader and was revered by the world. Yet regarding the conditions of emerging into the world, retirement, eating, and drinking, he still did not attain complete ease. He resided at Upper Tianzhu for nearly twenty years, but dwelt at Lingshan for barely a month. Thus, regarding the doctrine of forming karmic affinities, even great worthies cannot entirely escape it.
11.22
Dharma Master Zaisheng was a native of Kuaiji, styled Shenzhi. He studied for a long time under Mingzhi; his contemporaries praised his excellence in preaching. Prior to this, when King Qian Wusu commanded Hangzhou, he once suffered from an eye ailment. At night he dreamed of an immortal in plain clothes who said he came from Yongjia. The next morning, a monk from Yongjia submitted a petition wishing to present an image of Guanyin, saying he had obtained it from the ocean tide; when various mountains tried to welcome it, they could not lift it. Thereupon it manifested in a dream wishing to return to Yuecheng. Wusu immediately prepared full regalia to welcome it; upon seeing the image, his eyes immediately regained their sight. He then founded a hermitage named Xingfu to venerate it. The seated image was six feet tall, with a wondrous and imposing Sanskrit countenance; viewing it from afar amid the lamps at night, it seemed like a living person. During the Yuanyou era, when the Master came to reside at Xingfu, Lord Qingxian was the commander. There was a great drought and pestilence, and long prayers were without response. He thereupon dismissed the various sacrifices and asked the Master to welcome the image into the prefectural office. After one night of sincere prayer, sweet rain poured down, and the pestilence also subsided. The Lord submitted a memorial to the court, which granted the Master the title Shenzhi and named the hermitage Yuantong. (Below this, one person is missing from the basic annals).
11.23
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Haiyue Bian
11.24
Dharma Master Congya was a native of Qiantang, granted the title Fabao. He first studied under Haiyue and thoroughly mastered Calming and Contemplation. He then said to himself, 'When words are pure but conduct is defiled, it is rebuked by the worthies and sages.' He thereupon entered Tianwang Hermitage on Southern Mountain and recited the Lotus Sūtra up to five tripiṭakas (speaking of tripiṭakas, five thousand and forty-eight is taken as the count).
11.25
the Diamond Prajñā four piṭakas, the Amitābha Sūtra ten piṭakas; prostrated before relic stūpas ten times (saying “times” takes eighty-four thousand prostrations as the count); bowed to Śākyamuni three hundred thousand times; bowed to Amitābha one million times; recited the Buddha’s name fifty million times; and performed bowing to each character of the Lotus Sūtra with three bows per character three times through. In his mind he aspired to the Pure Land, and throughout his life he never sat with his back to the west. The surveillance commissioner Yang Jie of Wuwei composed thirty stanzas of Hymns on the Land of Peace and Bliss to praise him. One of them says: “The Pure Land pervades worlds [as numerous as] sands; / Why labor only to point to the west? / If one can but enter through unity, / Every place is bodhi.” The Master wished to broadly transform the worldly, and so at his tonsure temple, Jingzhu Monastery, he painted the nine grades and three ranks, carving those hymns into stone. Those who viewed them were all moved and transformed. One day, free of illness, he passed away sitting cross-legged. There were auspicious portents of heavenly music resounding in the sky and strange fragrances filling the room.
11.26
Dharma Master Zhishen, bestowed with the name Cixing, was of the Shen family of Jiahe. At first he relied on Haiyue to study the doctrine and contemplation. Having completed his studies, he returned to his tonsure temple, Chongfu West Temple, opening a communal hall to provide for traveling monks. He established the Repentance Assembly of the Light Period. For twenty years he was consistent as on a single day, focusing solely on the Pure Land and exhorting people to recite the Buddha’s name. Those who were transformed were beyond counting. In the sixth month of the yihai year of Zhenghe [1115], he died sitting. His casket was kept for seven days, yet his complexion did not change. On the day of his cremation, an extraordinary fragrance struck people. When they gathered the relics and bones, all of them were taken.
11.27
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Jinghui Yi
11.28
Dharma Master Dexian was a native of Lin’an, bestowed with the name Yuanying. When he was a child, a physiognomist said, “In the future he will face an official misfortune; only by becoming a monk can he avoid it.” His father believed this and sent him to rely on his paternal uncle, Haiyue. Haiyue reprimanded him, saying: “Only after generations of fathers and grandsons succeeding one another has our family enterprise been established. Do you wish to come here to become the master?” The Master then left. When his hair was shaved, he went again to Tianzhu to visit Jinghui, and came to understand thoroughly the path of teaching and contemplation. After a long time, he came to occupy the first seat. A layman visited Jinghui and said: “An unmarried maiden in my house is troubled by a possessing spirit, suddenly weeping and suddenly crying out. I pray the Master will compassionately save her.” Jinghui said: “My head monk can cure this.” The layman went to ask him. The Master then ordered a couch to be set up in the upper room where the maiden lived. When he arrived, he went to the couch and slept. After a short while, he finally left. The maiden reported to her father: “Just now I was favored with the Dharma Master’s awakening me; now it is gone forever.” From then on her mental faculties became calm and settled. When Jinghui retired to live in Caotang, the Master succeeded to his seat, which indeed matched Haiyue’s prediction of his becoming the master. After residing there for five years, he died without illness. He said to his disciples: “During my life I avoided disaster through the power of the Way; after my death I fear I cannot escape it.” When his disciples made an image of him to place in the Patriarchal Hall, they used iron to protect its neck. During the Jianyan era, the Jin Jurchen prince Zhenzhu led troops to invade Zhejiang. Entering Tianzhu, he ascended to the Patriarchal Hall; all the images moved aside from their seats and bowed, but only the Master’s image remained unmoved. The prince was enraged and ordered it to be decapitated, but because there was iron on its neck it could not be damaged. He then ordered firewood to be piled up to fill the gate and set on fire to burn it. When the firewood was consumed, the building remained as before. The Jurchens were greatly startled, praised and bowed to it, and withdrew.
11.29
Dharma Master Zhongyuan was named Shenzhi. Taking the precepts in his youthful years, he studied the doctrine under Jinghui at Tianzhu. When he succeeded as head of his ancestral seat, the style of the Way flourished greatly. After six years, about to retire to Caotang, he invited the head monk Yongkan to succeed him, and said to him: “The furnishings in the head monk’s quarters should all be left for posterity; what is used in the abbot’s quarters is also sufficient of itself.” The Master carried only the three robes, one bowl, an incense case, a whisk, a niṣīdana, a paper blanket, and bathing utensils; people called these the “seven things kept on one's person.” Passing through Caotang and observing the head monk's quarters, there was only a single paper blanket and nothing else. No one failed to hold in high esteem the conduct of the two masters.
11.30
Dharma Master Yongkan, bestowed with the name Cijue, was aloof and uniquely upright. Ordinarily, he never set foot in nunneries. Studying under Jinghui, he closely modeled himself after his way. Later he succeeded Shenzhi, residing at Tianzhu for twenty-one years. Scholars from the four seas looked up to him as the leader of the tradition. He once instructed the assembly, saying: “To understand the Way yet be unable to practice it is like seeing rice yet being unwilling to eat it; in the end one is a starving person.” On another day he also said to the assembly: “Why do you all stubbornly endure starvation?” The assembly felt ashamed at his words. Scholars of that time followed one another in advancing forward; he was said to be an outstanding hero of the world.
11.31
Dharma Master Huiri, bestowed with the name Jizhao, studied under Jinghui and attained his purport. Deeply versed in the Tripiṭaka, he rejoiced in practicing dhyāna. With an open mind he received people without distinguishing between the foolish and the wise. Even when someone insulted him, his expression never changed. People all praised him as having attained the [patience of] the Great Forbearing Buddha. Succeeding Cijue, he resided at Tianzhu for over ten years, lecturing on the Way with vigor, bringing glory to the undertakings of his predecessors.
11.32
Dharma Master Sishang early on followed Jinghui and exhaustively penetrated his path. In the first year of Zhenghe [1111], he was decreed to reside at Upper Tianzhu and was bestowed the name Yuanwu. His lectures were concise and clear, looked up to by scholars. He once said: “Our tradition is doctrinal study. If one does not broadly master Confucian texts yet engages in lecturing, I fear he will not exhaust their principles. If the principles are not exhausted, where does the meaning reside? To grasp the meaning and forget the words—that is for those whose learning is already accomplished. If a beginner sets their mind toward learning, they must first seek the textual meaning, and that will do.”
11.33
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Biancai Jing
11.34
Dharma Master Ruoyu was a native of Haiyan, of the Ma family, and bestowed with the name Fajian. He studied the doctrine under Biancai, and was reputed to have matured early. The commandery invited him to head Xingjiao Monastery at Nanping, but he did not accept. Serving Biancai's staff and shoes, he lived in retirement at Longjing for six years. Later, at Xiantan in Huzhou, he built a communal hall for hospitality, erected a large pavilion, made images of the Western [Paradise], and gathered Dharma companions to recite the Buddha’s name, often amounting to several hundred people. Over thirty years, many who participated in the assemblies were graced with the auspicious sign of the Buddha receiving them. In the ninth month of the bingwu year of Jingkang [1126], he said to his disciples: “In a dream a spirit told me: ‘Your fellow student Zezhang has attained the Samādhi of Samantabhadra's Conduct and Vows and has already been reborn in the Pure Land. He is waiting for you there; how can you linger?’ ” He then ordered the assembly to recite the Contemplation Sūtra; just as they finished, he said: “The holy appearance has manifested before me; I shall go!” He then left a verse saying: “In the sky, a netted canopy of a thousand flowers; / In a dream, the seven-jeweled lotus pond. / Treading securely upon the path of returning west, / There is not a single speck of doubt remaining.” Cremation yielded several hundred relics, which were enshrined in a stūpa in the eastern corridor. When he first entered the Way, he dreamed of a woman in white who gave him seventy-two divining sticks; later his life span indeed matched that number. (Below this, the basic annals omitted one person: Rūgao was after Zilin.)
11.35
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Cijue Kan
11.36
Dharma Master Zilin was bestowed the name Cishou. In his youth he studied under Cijue and deeply awakened to the perfect purport. He also visited Chan Master Fozhi Yu to re-examine the essentials of mind. At that time, Tianzhu was requested by Empress Dowager Cifu to perform meritorious services, and the Master received the imperial decree to reside on the mountain. For twenty-eight years, whenever he lectured, he only brought up the essential tenets. When companions of the Chan tradition who had heard of his reputation came, all submitted to his eloquence. Chan Master Dahui Gao visited him and conversed vigorously with him, unaware of the arrival of dawn. He said to the Master: “People of today only know that the Elder Master possesses doctrine; Jingshan, however, acknowledges that the Elder Master possesses Chan.” He inscribed his portrait, saying: “He has awakened to the dhāraṇī-turn samādhi, / And attained great sovereignty over all phenomena. / Upon the tip of his tongue the ocean waves billow; / The supreme truth is never contravened.” In the spring of the first year of Qiandao of Emperor Xiaozong [1165], the emperor summoned the Master to inquire about the Way. The Emperor said: “We wish to read sūtras; which should be taken as the essential?” The Master said: “The Diamond and the Perfect Enlightenment are the most essential paths.” The Emperor said: “What about practicing Chan?” The Master said: “Chan must be awakened to by oneself.” The Emperor said: “What is to be taken as the practice?” The Master said: “When body and mind are clear and tranquil, after a long time one will naturally accord with it.” The Emperor was pleased. Later, when summoned and asked about men of the Way in the present age, the Master answered with Huiguang of Upper Tianzhu, and the Emperor gladly accepted it. One day he said to his disciples: “I was head monk for eighteen years and recited one copy of the Lotus Sūtra every day as my daily practice. Whenever I was in dhyāna or dreaming, I would see Samantabhadra. Since becoming abbot, I have no longer seen him in dreams. I truly know that leading disciples causes harm to oneself; those words are indeed true.” He then withdrew to Caotang for half a year. Suddenly he wrote a verse, sat cross-legged, and passed away. His casket was kept for more than ten days, during a time of continuous snow, yet his body was always warm. (Below this, Lingxiang is omitted.)
11.37
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Fabao Ya
11.38
Dharma Master Rugao was a native of Qiantang. He studied under Fabao. Dharma Master Fuli of the Tang had posed a verse to scholars, saying: “The true nature of phenomena is fundamentally pure; / Whence do deluded thoughts arise? / If from the true delusion is born, / Where does this delusion cease? / If there is no beginning, there is no end; / If there is an end, there should be a beginning. / Without beginning and without end, / I constantly harbor confusion over this principle. / I pray you will disclose the profound mystery, / And analyze it so that I may transcend birth and death.” The Master considered this question to have two meanings. The first four lines ask: If the true phenomena are fundamentally pure, whence is delusion born? Once delusion has arisen, how is delusion stopped so that it can be identical to the true? This covers the meaning of delusion arising from the true and the reversal of delusion to return to the true. The next four lines ask about the existence or non-existence of beginning and end: Since it is called beginningless, how can there be an end? If there is no end, how can there be a beginning? The last two lines request an answer. From antiquity, Master She, Qingliang, and Guifeng each had verses in reply, but what Hong Juefan recorded (in the Forest Record) claimed that none of them matched the intent of the question. When he asked whence delusion arises if true phenomena are fundamentally pure, they now merely say that one is confused about the true and unaware; who could not give such an answer? The Master therefore gave a different reply, saying: “The true does not abide by its own nature; / When illumination divides, subject and object arise. / Perfumed by defilement and purity in accordance with conditions, / Only upon returning to the nature can it cease. / The true and the deluded are identical in one substance; / Therefore it is said there is neither end nor beginning. / Delusion and awakening are distinguished by mental feelings; / Beginning and end are an apparent principle. / Penetrating this source of the true and the deluded, / Who would again undergo birth and death?” Those with understanding considered that this reply was finally able to exhaust the question’s intent. The Master’s work on doctrinal meaning was titled Zhiyuan ji (Collection Pointing to the Source; his own preface states it was composed in the twelfth year of Shaoxing [1142]).
11.39
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Xingguo Ji
11.40
Dharma Master Wuchi was a native of Cixi. He received his training under Xingguo. He was ordained after passing the examination by reciting the Lotus Sūtra. He transmitted the teachings of Master Ji and thoroughly mastered their profound purports. Whenever he was made to lecture on his behalf, he fully displayed his teacher’s style. To the west of the county seat, the woods and springs of Yong’an were particularly fine, and the assembly invited him to revive what had fallen into ruin. After eighteen years, the halls, pavilions, and images were completely provided for. At the beginning of the Baoyuan era, Emperor Renzong heard of it at court and bestowed the name Fuyuan. He settled the community and lectured on the Way, flourishing into a great Dharma assembly. As a person he was lenient and harmonious, receiving guests with extra courtesy. He was elegantly fond of pure conversation, never tiring all day long. In his dwelling he planted many fine fruits, built embankments, and managed the fields, so that in years of bad harvests there was no shortage. Both the Dharma and food were provided, and people all rejoiced to rely on him. (In the Siming jiaoxing lu there are three letters sent to Chi’s nephew, the master of Mount Yong’an; this refers to him. The matter is seen in the Fuyuan kaishan ji. In this, the basic annals omitted two people. This fascicle has thirty-three people in total; the basic annals only record twenty-three people, omitting ten.)
11.41
Comprehensive Record of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, Fascicle 11 (End)
Linked texts (1)
- 佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese