佛祖統紀 15
English (machine translation) 15
- Language
- English
15.1
Composed by Śramaṇa Zhipan of Donghu in Siming, Song dynasty, Jingding era
15.2
Biographies of the Various Masters, Part 6-5
15.3
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Li of Mingzhi (Fourth generation under Guangzhi)
15.4
Dharma Master Chengzhao Juexian
Dharma Master Huizhao Falin
Dharma Master Yuancheng Zhiqian
Dharma Master Siming Fawei (Mingzhi Hui)
Dharma Master Dinghui Jieran
Auxiliary Academician Chao Shuozhi
Imperial Diarist, Duke Zhongsu Chen Guan
15.5
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Yuan of Caotang
15.6
Dharma Master Xi'an Daoyuan
15.7
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Hui of Anguo (Fourth generation under Shenzhao)
15.8
Dharma Master Zhiyong Liaoran
Dharma Master Zhenjiao Zhixian
Head Monk Fanzhang of Bailian
15.9
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Qing of Bailian
15.10
Dharma Master Tiantai Jingshen
15.11
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Fan of Beichan
15.12
Dharma Master Beichan Huishen
Dharma Master Feiying Zhichen
Dharma Master Dingshan Ziwen
Dharma Master Tongzhao Huiming
Dharma Master Chaoguo Huidao
15.13
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Ying of Dezang
15.14
Dharma Master Beiguan Sijing
15.15
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Bi of Shou'an
15.16
Dharma Master Jiaozang Youquan
15.17
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Qing of Chexi (Fourth generation under Nanping)
15.18
Dharma Master Zhu'an Keguang
Dharma Master Mu'an Youpeng
Dharma Master Xiangfu Daoxin
15.19
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Yu of Huijue
15.20
Dharma Master Qingxiu Fajiu
Dharma Master Chengjue Shenhuan
Dharma Master Jiaming Ruzhan
Dharma Master Miyin Xiuhui (Biography in Huijue)
Dharma Master Huijie Tanying (Biography in Chexi)
Dharma Master Huizhao Daolun
Dharma Master Beichan Farong
Dharma Master Beichan Wenjun
Dharma Master Yuanjue Jinggui
15.21
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Ci of Yuanjue
15.22
Dharma Master Fazhao Zhongjiao
Dharma Master Shenhui Minqi
Head Monk Wen of Nengren
Practitioner Neng of Nengren
15.23
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Jing of Puming
15.24
Dharma Master Yuantong Sifan
Dharma Master Puyuan Shanqi
15.25
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Ru of Tianzhu
15.26
Dharma Master Chongxian Huaizhi
Dharma Master Xuanmi Huixian
Dharma Master Yinyuan Puzheng
Dharma Master Fadeng Daozun
Dharma Master Yuyao Xingcheng
15.27
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Min of Fayun
15.28
Bureau of Military Affairs Official Jiang Zhiqi
15.29
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Yun of Fozhi
15.30
Dharma Master Fazhao Jingtong
15.31
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Jian of Fozhao
15.32
Dharma Master Shenbian Juening
Dharma Master Dengci Huixu
15.33
Dharma heirs of Dharma Master Fanci Pu
15.34
Dharma Master Yuanzhao Fanguang
Dharma Host of Dongling, Zhiqin
15.35
Dharma heirs of Dharma Master Xianzhang Min
15.36
Dharma Master Yuqing Daocun
15.37
Dharma heirs of Dharma Master Qingbian Zhai
15.38
Dharma Master Jingde Fayun
Dharma Master of the Upper Monastic Quarter, Faqing (biography in [that of] Qingbian)
15.39
Dharma heirs of Dharma Master Mingzhi Li
15.40
Dharma Master Juexian was surnamed Chen, from Cixi in Siming, and was styled Chengzhao. At the age of seven, upon receiving the scriptures, he could recite them after a single reading. He initially received instruction under Mingzhi. Having obtained his transmission, he further sought instruction from Cibian and Qingbian, and his attainment grew ever deeper. At the beginning of the Jingkang era, he took charge of Baolin in Fenghua. It happened that the county suffered a drought, and he was requested to lecture on the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra; when the roll was concluded, it rained for three days. Thereupon, he encouraged the townspeople to erect a dhāraṇī pillar of the Suvarṇaprabhāsa and recite ten thousand fascicles of the scripture to serve as a protection for the county borders. He moved to take charge of Yanqing, where he vastly propagated the teachings of the school. After a long time, he returned again to Baolin, building a chamber called Miaolian (Wondrous Lotus). He again recited a full ten thousand fascicles, maintained the Pure Land Buddha-name through forty-eight [recitations of the] canon, and selected notable sayings from scriptures and commentaries to aid contemplation and practice, entitling [the collection] Xinyao (Mind Essentials). On the fourteenth day of the first month in the sixteenth year of the Shaoxing era, he expounded the Dharma, sat peacefully, and passed away. A stūpa was built for him beside his sleeping quarters. On another day, the sound of chanting scriptures was heard at night; tracing its origin, it came from within the stūpa. Later, when Yuetang resided at Nanhu, he considered that the master had the merit of transmitting and maintaining [the lineage] at Yanqing, yet his stūpa lay amid wild weeds; he thereupon ordered it moved to the ancestral burial mound. When the earth was opened, they saw that the pegs and ropes had not decayed, and his bones were like bronze (shuan [pegs]: fan-切 for shān and yuán, meaning wooden pegs).
15.41
Dharma Master Falin was granted the title Huizhao. Early on he became a foremost disciple of Mingzhi, frequently occupying the head seat; his religious practice and literary compositions were admired and respected by all. When Ŭich'ŏn of Goryeo arrived, he first went to Nanhu, where he took Mingzhi as his master and befriended Huizhao. He requested a colophon for the doctrinal vehicles he had received to take back to his home country. The master took up his brush and composed it instantly, in the style of ancient histories; Ŭich'ŏn praised and admired it endlessly (the text appears in the Mingwen Guangjiao zhi). The commandery appointed him to preside over Sanxue, where the splendor of his lecturing was second only to Nanhu. He once said to his disciples, 'I have often exhorted people with two precepts: before age thirty, one must not chant Amitābha; after age seventy, one may not uphold the disaster-dispelling dhāraṇī. This means the young do not know how to advance, and the old do not know when to stop.' The people of the time agreed with him.
15.42
Dharma Master Zhiqian was granted the title Yuancheng. He studied under Mingzhi. In the gengchen year of the Shaoxing era, he took charge of Baoyun. Constantly mindful that Baoyun was the master who transmitted the way for Siming, and that ever since his remains were moved to Wushi his traces had gradually fallen into obscurity, he vigorously searched and investigated until he found the stone stūpa inscription composed by Dharma Master Zheng, which he recarved at Wushi Hermitage. He also opened a hall at the temple and set up an image to display to later generations.
15.43
Dharma Master Jieran was a native of Yin in Siming. He received his training at Yanshou on Mount Fuquan. When Mingzhi resided at Nanhu, he followed him in study and attained awakening to the purport of object and contemplation. At the beginning of the Yuanfeng era, he exclusively cultivated the pure karma for three years. When the period was completed, he said to his fellow cultivators Huiguan, Zhongzhang, and Zongyue: 'The Buddha-mindfulness samādhi is the essential method for rebirth [in the Pure Land].' He then burned three of his fingers and vowed to build a Sixteen Contemplations Hall, within which was established a Hall of the Three Sages of the West, surrounded by lotus ponds. When the work was accomplished, he again burned three fingers to repay the Buddha's benevolence. Thereupon, those who cultivated contemplation had a place to rely upon.
15.44
On the seventh day of the first month in the fourth year of the Jianyan era, the Jin invaders attacked Mingzhou. The monastic assembly scattered and fled, but the master alone would not leave. The invaders arrived suddenly and rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear death?' The master said, 'Throughout my poor life, I vowed to construct this Contemplation Hall. Now I am old; I cannot bear to abandon it to seek survival.' The chieftain of the invaders regarded him as noble and said to him, 'Return to the northern lands for me, and make a contemplation hall on this scale and model.' Thereupon, they coerced the master to depart. Later people grieved and longed for him, so they took the day of his departure as his memorial day (tradition says the fifth day of the first month, but according to this dynasty's Tongjian, it was the seventh day), and venerated him as the Venerable Dinghui, erecting an image to accompany [the deities] in a corner of the contemplation chamber. (Zhipan received his training at Fuquan. Dinghui belongs to the Caotang lineage and possessed extremely lofty conduct; he is separated from Zhipan by five generations.)
15.45
Chao Shuozhi, styled Yidao, took the self-chosen style Jingyu. His official rank reached Auxiliary Academician. He was the great-great-grandson of Duke Wenyuan, Jiong. While supervising the Mingzhou Shipyard, he frequently went to Nanhu to visit Mingzhi. Hearing the exposition of the contemplation of the three thousand [realms in a single thought-moment], he gladly resolved to learn and master its purport. In his later years, he recited the Lotus Sūtra daily, calling himself 'the Tiantai doctrinal monk,' or 'the Old Lotus of the Wei River.' When Mingzhi passed away, he composed a stele inscription and evaluated him, which was praised at the time as a masterwork (the stele appears in the Mingwen Guangjiao zhi).
15.46
Chen Guan, styled Yingzhong, was a native of Nanjian, and styled himself Liaoweng. In his youth he passed the first-tier jinshi examination and reached the office of Remonstrator. When his parents died, he dwelled in a hut by their grave for three years; heaven rained down amṛta, and lingzhi mushrooms grew on the tumulus. He once paid close attention to the Chan school and had considerable awakening and inspiration, and contemplated the Avataṃsaka to understand the purport of the dharmadhātu. Because he submitted a memorial criticizing Prime Minister Zhang Dun, he was demoted to Siming. He met daily with Mingzhi, and on one occasion asked about the core purport of Tiantai. Mingzhi brought up the inconceivable realm of the Zhiguan, showing him the meaning that innate nature overrides cultivation and accomplishes unconditioned practice. The lord said, 'Now I know that this school's innate nature is originally fully accomplished.' He further asked, 'How should this present physical body be contemplated?' Mingzhi said, 'Phenomena originally are unproduced; now, therefore, they are undying.' The lord said, 'Worldly people say, "His dying is like returning home"; they do not realize that "like returning home" means losing one's home.' From then on, he profoundly grasped the wondrous harmony of realm and wisdom. He composed the Verse on the Existence Gate of Three Thousand to present to Mingzhi, and Mingzhi approved of it (the text appears in the Mingwen Guangjiao zhi). In his later years, he devoted his mind to returning to the West, and composed for Mingzhi the Record of the Contemplation Hall Pure Land Cloister, expounding the purport of the Pure Land of Tranquil Light. The school affirmed his exposition (inscribed in stone at the Nanhu Contemplation Hall). After the lord was demoted, his sons all remained commoners, yet he never harbored resentment. In the winter of the sixth year of the Xuanhe era, without illness, he bid farewell to his family and passed away. During the Shaoxing era, he was posthumously granted the title Grand Master of Remonstrance, with the posthumous name Zhongsusu.
15.47
The commentary states: As for the way of Zhizhe, it is vast, great, and completely comprehensive. For his disciples to honor and believe in it themselves is not enough to make others believe in it; only when renowned scholars and literati believe in and study it does his way become truly credible. In the time of Zhizhe, there were Xu Ling and Liu Guyan; in the time of Jingxi, there were Liang Su and Li Hua; in the time of Ciyun, there were Wang Wenmu and Ma Liang; in the time of Mingzhi, there were Chao Yidao and Chen Yingzhong. These several gentlemen not only knew the way, but could also compose writings to praise it. The way of Zhizhe thereby became ever more radiant.
15.48
Dharma heirs of Dharma Master Caotang Yuan
15.49
Dharma Master Daoyuan was a native of Yongjia and styled himself Xi'an. Having long relied on Fuzong, he thoroughly mastered the way of contemplation. He resided at Yongming by West Lake, where his lecturing had great method. He once considered that regarding the purport of separation and combination of cultivation and innate nature, although the Zhiyao had shown its subtlety, later people were confused by divergent interpretations. The master gathered the various texts and established two principles. First, according to the three aspects of cultivation and the three of innate nature, and pairing cultivation and nature to treat three aspects, to clarify separation and combination. Second, according to the nine aspects of cultivation and the nine of innate nature, and pairing cultivation and nature to treat three aspects, to clarify separation and combination. As for the first—the three of cultivation and three of innate nature—it is as the Gate of Non-Duality states: 'Nature refers to the three obstacles; therefore it possesses three. Cultivation is accomplished from nature; its accomplishment as three is natural.' It also says: 'Since a single thought-moment as causal mind possesses the three tracks, this cause accomplishing the fruit is called the three nirvāṇas.' Moreover, the Jinpi says: 'Inherently there are three kinds; the three principles are originally pervasive. Realizing nature to accomplish cultivation, the three of cultivation are also pervasive.' These all clarify separation and combination through the six dharmas of nature's three and cultivation's three. As for pairing cultivation and nature to treat three aspects: taking cultivation as that which pairs and nature as that which is paired, as the Gate of Non-Duality states: 'To pair with nature and clarify cultivation, they are combined as two.' Thus cultivation is two and nature is one, clarifying combination through three dharmas. As for the second principle—the nine of cultivation: it is as the Gate of Non-Duality states: 'Thus, although cultivation possesses nine, the dharmakāya, prajñā, and vimokṣa each possess three.' This refers to treating nine dharmas within cultivation itself to clarify separation. However, although the three within the dharmakāya originally belong to innate nature, the Zhiyao judges: 'Although they include the three of nature, they are all what is manifested, hence all belong to cultivation.' As for the nine of innate nature: as the Guangming ju explains the golden drum, it possesses the three dharmas of roundness, voidness, and sound, which is precisely one realm and three truths. Furthermore, within roundness, voidness, and sound, each inherently possesses beauty, greatness, and the like—totalling three—thus there are nine dharmas; having attained the drum's essence, this is discussed within the virtue of innate nature and has not yet touched upon the arising of cultivation. This refers to treating nine dharmas within innate nature itself to clarify separation. As for pairing cultivation and nature to treat nine: as the Niepan shu clarifies, essence, theme, and function each have three meanings: essence has propriety, foundation, and arrival; theme has root, essential, and auxiliary; function has fundamental, proper, and sovereign. This clarifies separation according to the six of cultivation and three of nature (and so forth). When the master manifested his decease, it was during the height of summer. The casket was kept for ten days without his complexion changing; white milk welled up and flowed forth, with a fragrance like lotus flowers. People took the milk and could apply it to their faces. When he was about to be buried, the procession passed a hermitage along the road; the pall-ropes snapped and would not advance, while an extraordinary fragrance pervaded the hermitage. Replacing the ropes, the bier became so heavy it could not be lifted. The hermitage master had harbored a slight resentment in the past; he thereupon repented and apologized, saying, 'Having committed a minor offense in the past, I have received this admonition.' He then joined the assembly in carrying it, and it proceeded. Three years after the burial, a great wind suddenly snapped trees and destroyed his stūpa; the entire casket was filled with relics, as if heaven were making his virtue manifest.
15.50
Dharma heirs of Dharma Master Anguo Hui (fourth generation under Shenzhao)
15.51
Dharma Master Liaoran came from the Xue clan of Linhai. His mother prayed before a stone statue at Shanbing Temple and dreamed that she arrived at a Buddha hall, where she saw a monk holding a lotus flower and bidding her to eat it, saying to her, 'When you bear a son, he must become a monastic.' Thirteen months later, she became pregnant. When he was four years old, his mother thought to herself: 'If he becomes a monastic, who will be the heir?' A divine being rebuked her in a dream, saying, 'Why do you fail your former promise?' She thereupon consented. At sixteen, he took full ordination. He studied doctrine and contemplation under Anguo, and his insightful understanding burst forth swiftly. He once dreamed that he sat on a flat boulder floating upon a great ocean, gazing at the Great Being seated amidst a bamboo grove upon a mountain. The master said, 'All my life I have held your venerable name, and now I have been granted sight of you.' He then stood erect and spoke a hundred verses in praise; upon waking, he remembered half of them. From this time onward, his eloquence burst forth suddenly. He attended Anguo and moved to Bailian, and before long went to visit Mingzhi. Mingzhi asked, 'The ten dharma-realms in the Huayan, the three worlds in the Dazhidulun, and the ten suchnesses in the Lotus Sutra: the textual meanings of these three places together make up the three thousand. Why did Jingxi say that pointing specifically to the marvelous object comes from the Lotus Sutra?' The master said, 'The Huayan and the Dazhidulun are dead dharma-gates; the ten suchnesses of the Lotus Sutra are a living dharma-gate.' Mingzhi nodded in approval. At that time, Chao Shuozhi once visited Mingzhi, and consequently discussed this Way with the master, treating him like a fellow classmate. Daoru, a lecturer from Siming, had a resolute manner of speech and was known at the time as 'the Tiger'; whenever he engaged in difficult questioning with the master, he was inevitably brought to submission. Mingzhi recommended the master to lead Guangyan. The master said, 'I must not turn my back on what I have received,' and ultimately became Anguo's dharma heir. In the sixth year, he moved to Bailian, residing on the mountain for twenty-four years, where students constantly numbered five to six hundred. In the wuwu year of Shaoxing, Ninghai established a great assembly and invited the master to preach the Dharma. A messenger came holding a dispatch, saying, 'The Tuṣita Heaven requests the master to preach the Dharma.' The master said, 'The Dharma assembly here has not yet dispersed.' The messenger said, 'The official warrant cannot be delayed; you must go first.' Next, he struck out the master's name and departed. In the fifth month of the xinyou year of Shaoxing, he dreamed of two dragons disporting in the sky, one of which transformed into a divine being, who drew a letter from his sleeve and said, 'The master shall depart in seven days.' The master gave his assent. Once awake, he gathered the assembly and preached the Dharma, and furthermore wrote in large letters: 'Through the power of mindfulness of the Buddha, I have attained return to the Ultimate Bliss. Let all who are among my disciples apply themselves diligently to study.' He then bathed, changed his clothes, and together with the assembly chanted the Amitābha Sūtra. When they reached 'the Western World,' he passed away. Practitioners at Nengren heard the sounds of heavenly music, and auspicious light touched the sky. The assembly said that the master's retribution body resided in the Pure Land, but he had first answered the invitation from Tuṣita. In the eighth month, he was buried on the eastern ridge, and was granted the name 'Zhiyong' [Wisdom-Gushing]. When the commandery prayed for rain at Yuxi, the assembly suffered from the steepness of the road; the master incanted the dragon and made it move. That night a great storm of wind and rain arose, and at dawn the pool was seen situated in the level and flat area he had indicated. He authored the Zongyuan ji in five scrolls, the Shi Nanyue zhiguan shuyao in two scrolls, the Shi shi bu'ermen, and the Huxi ji in eight scrolls.
15.52
Dharma Master Zhixian came from the Li clan of Xianju and was styled Zhenjiao. In his youth, he took no delight in the secular world, often saying, 'How could worldly glory and wealth relieve me of a lifetime of pure aspirations?' He thereupon donned monastic robes and travelled to study, arriving at Tianzhu, where he attained the way of contemplation under Head Monk Mingyi. Returning to his home region, he relied on Master Hui of Bailian, and in listening to Zhi Guan, he attained great illumination. After a long time, he succeeded to his seat. His continuous mindfulness was focused solely on the Pure Land. Someone said, 'The Lotus Samādhi is one land is all lands, one body is all bodies, one Buddha is all Buddhas. Why not rely on cessation and contemplation to cultivate the Lotus Samādhi as the cause for rebirth?' The master said, 'Jingxi said that in the "Chapter on the Discrimination of Merits," directly contemplating this land as fully endowed with the four lands, this Buddha body is therefore the three Buddha bodies, and this great assembly is therefore all assemblies. Because delusions are not yet severed, the peaceful practices are a portion of the practice of the co-dwelling pure land; therefore, without leaving the defiled co-dwelling [land], one sees the pure co-dwelling [land].' The questioner asked, 'There are many kinds of co-dwelling lands; why must it be the Ultimate Bliss?' The master said, 'Because the teachings explain it extensively; because past karmic affinity with it is deep; because it causes one to focus singularly; and because it gathers sentient beings.' When the master was observing the rains retreat, he felt slightly unwell. He went to take his leave of the commandery and county officials, returned to the monastery, shut the gates, and cut off guests. The assembly asked to summon a physician, but he had them present him with generous parting gifts and send him away. He then turned his bed toward the west, set up an image of Amitābha, and requested the practitioners to recite the sutra. When the scroll came to an end, he transformed. At that time, at Nengren, the sound of chanting the Buddha's name was heard boiling up into the sky, and celestial music filled the ears. A stūpa was erected in the northeast corner of the courtyard.
15.53
Head Monk Fanzhang studied under Dharma Master Hui and thoroughly mastered his purport. He repeatedly occupied the chief seat at Bailian, expounding and chanting with method, so that students revered him. He was modest and retiring, refusing to assume public office, and people esteemed his high character. He wrote a commentary on the Yuanjue jing in one scroll, which was praised at the time for being concise and correct.
15.54
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Lord Beichan Fan
15.55
Dharma Master Huishen visited lecturing seats everywhere in his youth. When he saw Beichan, he thoroughly awakened to the way of contemplation. Later, when the King of the Dharma entered quiescence, the master followed in his footsteps and conducted transformation. In the aftermath of the military devastation of the Jianyan era, he exerted all his efforts in construction and finally restored the old system. Leading his disciples and preaching the Dharma, he never neglected his duties for a single day on account of affairs. When he was about to construct the main hall, the assembly urged him to visit affluent families. The master said, 'Rather than going out the door to solicit donors, it is better to close the door and pray to the gods.' Moved by his sincere intention, donors arrived on their own. The master occupied the principal seat for twenty-nine years. There was a monk named Shanju who served as administrator and acted in the same manner. Pure, frugal, and hardworking, his support and assistance were principled. When someone gave him money, he would wrap it around his waist or hold it in his wrist, personally carrying it back, lest spending money on porterage diminish the donor's merit.
15.56
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Dezang Ying
15.57
Dharma Master Sijing came from the Yu clan of Qiantang. He received the Lotus Sutra from Master Ying. Having awakened to its purport, he further investigated deeply the contemplations of the Pure Land, dedicating his mind exclusively to mindfulness of the Buddha and undertaking daily recitations of the Guan jing. At the beginning of the Daguan era, he founded a hermitage at the northern gate of the commandery city, naming it Miaoxing. Leading his disciples to beg for food, he resolved to feed a million monks; in less than twenty years, this was exceeded eightfold. He constructed ten Lotus Treasure-houses, their design being ingenious and masterly, the finest revolving repositories in the realm. He was especially skilled at painting Buddhas; whenever he wielded his brush, he would first enter a quiet room to engage in mindfulness of the Buddha and contemplation. One day, while painting a sixteen-foot image, he saw the light of the Buddha for a long while, and the entire assembly gazed and prostrated. At that time, the master was suddenly enlightened to the wonders of brushwork. Thereupon, the world all called him 'Yu Amitābha.' He once chiseled the stone at the Northern Mountains of the West Lake to make an image of Maitreya, exposing half of the torso on the cliff. Those of discernment believed that on the day when deep valleys become hills, there would surely be someone who would follow and complete the entire body, just like the statue of the Three Lives Stone. At the beginning of the Xuanhe era, bandits arose in Qingxi and assaulted Qiantang. The master spoke to the ringleader, offering his own body in exchange for the lives of the entire city. The bandits regarded him as righteous, and their baleful blades were sheathed. In the winter of the gengshen year of Shaoxing, he sat upright contemplating the Buddha for seven days without pause. Suddenly, he rose, burned incense to make offerings to the Buddha, returned to his seat, crossed his legs, and transformed. For ten days, the top of his head remained warm and his face and body were radiant and rosy; those who saw him thought he was still alive. He was buried to the right of the Dharma hall.
15.58
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Chexi Qing (Fourth generation under Nanping)
15.59
Dharma Master Keguang was styled Yiweng and came from the Qi clan of Huating. At age sixteen, he received full ordination. He relied on Nanping Jingwei. When the master heard that Chexi's renown resounded throughout Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he carried his book-box and followed him. One day, hearing him chant, 'Prajñā is tranquil and solitary,' he suddenly had an awakening, as if drinking a cup of qi-descending decoction. Yu Huijue was appointed to Hengshan; the master accompanied him, reading the Zhiyao. When he came to the passage, 'If one does not consider it real, the iron bed is not painful and transformation is not migration,' he sighed and said, 'Words and letters are merely chaff!' At the beginning of the Jianyan era, he presided over Shousheng in Jiahe, then moved to Dezang in Danghu, residing in the Yueshi Hall, where he composed supplementary annotations to the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. Because Xiangfu Yan fell ill for two years, the master returned to the Nanlin of Danghu due to illness. His single room was stark and deserted, which others found unbearable, yet he said, 'The pines in the wind and the moon on the mountain—these are my inexhaustible robes and bowl.' In the seventh year of Qiandao, Grand Councilor Wei Qi went out to govern Gusu and invited the master to preside over Beichan. Arriving at the gate on the Double Ninth day, he pointed to the seat and said: 'In my breast, an inch of ash is already cold; / Upon my head, a thousand strands of snow have not yet thawed. / An old step should only go on level ground; / Why, I wonder, must I climb high once more?' Lord Wei clapped in admiration without pause. When he received the Dharma words left by him, he expressed gratitude, saying, 'In those days, I was devoted to this Way; I dared not disappoint the Bamboo Hermitage.' In the seventh year of Chunxi, the imperial prince, Prince of Wei (named Kai, posthumously styled Prince Huixian, the second son of Emperor Xiaozong), governed Siming and, acting upon the recommendation of the late Yuetang's testament, invited him to preside over Yanqing. At that time, he was already eighty-nine years old. Upon reaching the temporary capital, he heard that the prince had passed away. While at Tianzhu, the master had accepted the invitation, saying, 'The prince's decree is as if he were alive; how could I decline?' He thereupon proceeded to Nanhu; when the assembly saw his sparse baggage, there was none who did not sigh in admiration. In less than two years, he returned again to the Bamboo Hermitage of Danghu. On the nineteenth day of the second month of the ninth year, he passed away without illness at the age of ninety-one. When he was cremated, his tongue remained intact, and his relics were beyond counting. A stūpa was erected at the Contemplation Hall of Dezang. The master had resided five times at Danghu, each time retiring to the Bamboo Hermitage, and thus took it as his appellation. When Dahui Zonggao was traveling and transforming from Jingshan, he visited Danghu and conversed with him all day, revering him and saying, 'He is an old dragon in the ocean of doctrine.' When the master saw Buddha images placed in living quarters, he would admonish: 'Your conduct is disrespectful and you speak unprofitable words. The reverence of burning incense for a brief moment does not compensate for a whole day of frivolous irreverence.' He authored the Lengyan shuoti jijie with supplementary annotations in four scrolls, supplementary annotations to the Lanpen [jing] in two scrolls, the Jingang tonglun and its Shishuo each in one scroll, the Yuanjue shoujian, the Zhu'an lu each in one scroll, and the Shanjia yiyuan in two scrolls.
15.60
Dharma Master Youpeng was a native of Jinhua. He gave himself the style Mu'an. He could recite nearly half of our school's canonical writings from memory. He first studied under Yuanjue [Fazhi] of Ciyun, and then went to call upon Chexi [Baoxiang], inquiring day and night until he mastered his teachings completely. When he presided over Xiantan and lectured on the *Great Calming and Contemplation*, Master Chi of Tianyi came to the boundary for almsgathering (the Sanskrit *piṇḍapāta* means here 'begging for food'). Entering the monastery, he took a seat and listened. When the lecture reached the comprehensive refutation of phenomena—where the nine types of *dhyāna* are refuted across the board, none serving as the gate into the Path for practitioners of the Perfect and Sudden [vehicle]—Chi was stunned and said: 'This is an exposition I have never heard before!' He made bows and departed. A daughter-in-law of the Xue family in the lake region died young and was unable to gain liberation. Her household fed a thousand monks and recited the *Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra*, inviting the Master to expound the scripture's essentials. The deceased woman possessed someone and said: 'I thank my father- and mother-in-law for the single scroll of scripture, through which I have now attained liberation.' The father-in-law asked: 'A thousand monks recited it together; why do you speak of a single scroll?' She replied: 'It was the one recited by Dharma Master Peng. When the Master recited it, he was not interrupted by worldly talk, and moreover his understanding of the meaning made it superior.' He moved to Nengren, and his lectures on the Path flourished daily. In his later years, he presided over Yanqing. When he first ascended the hall-seat, he expressed his thanks, saying: '“Is it not a delight to have friends coming from distant quarters?”' None who heard this failed to rejoice in their hearts. In the abbot's quarters, he hung a plaque over a room inscribed 'Six Classics Hall'. A single table was set inside, but there were no texts on it whatsoever. Scholars and officials found his claim absurd; a crowd of them came to the monastery intending to refute him. The Master had an attendant tell them beforehand: 'In what manner do you gentlemen wish to meet? If as guest and host, we shall sit facing each other to discuss and deliberate. If to request instruction, you shall stand in attendance and pose questions. If to raise objections, you must allow me to put three questions first.' All said: 'We beg to follow the etiquette of guest and host.' Once engaged in dialogue, he cited quotations without end, whereupon they realized that the Six Classics were indeed stored in his breast. Whenever he lectured, he did not look at the texts beforehand. He once said: 'I have lectured seven times on the *Great Calming and Contemplation*, yet during the section on actual practice I never uttered a single word [from the notes].' He also said: 'If one wished to pose an objection the size of a scrap of paper against the Great Treatises, it could not be done. This is what is meant by the nature of words being detached, all being liberation.' Therefore, in the garden of teachings today, there are practically no lists of doctrinal tenets; only the oral explanations of the *Ten Non-dual Gates* reveal a small fraction of them. Someone asked: 'Only with the ten objects and the ten vehicles is the method of contemplation complete; why then did Jingxi say that it is called cultivating contemplation without waiting to contemplate the objects?' The Master said: 'Tell him: phenomena are completely subsumed into principle!' Another asked: 'In the Perfect and Sudden Teaching, are the aggregates posited or not?' The Master shouted aloud: 'The heavy burden of the aggregates and sense-bases is always right before you; why still ask whether they are posited or not?' One day, while lecturing on the epithet 'Tamer of Men' (śāstā devamanuṣyāṇām), several literati arrived. The Master said: 'If we discuss what makes a hero in Confucianism: a loyal minister serving his lord regardless of his own life; a valiant soldier rushing into danger without fearing death; establishing great affairs in the world and achieving illustrious fame for a hundred generations, without being seduced and drowned by sights, sounds, fame, or profit—all these are called heroes. If in our teaching: the three contemplations in one mind serve as the boat, and the five repentances at the six periods of the day serve as the oars and sculls; conquering all Māras, overcoming non-Buddhists, and not being entrapped by the birth and death of mortal existence and changeful transformation—only this is called a hero.' The literati were awed and submitted to him. The Master governed the community with sternness and simplicity. When his attendants occasionally wished him to address the hall and discipline the assembly, the Master said: 'There is a reason why I do not repeatedly lecture the assembly. Have you not heard the saying: “Frequent thunder loses its dread”?' On the third day of the twelfth month of the fourth year of the Qiandao reign era, seated in the Qingyu Pavilion, he requested practitioners to recite the *Amitāyurdhyāna-sūtra*. When they reached the contemplation of the true Dharma-body, he assembled the great multitude to recite the Buddha's name. Leaving behind a verse, he passed away seated. He was buried in the ancestral stupa of Chongfa. Those who received his Dharma were very numerous, including Xian'an Fachang, Yuexi Fahui, and others. The Master relied on his formidable memory and kept no outlines or notes. He once said to his fellow student Zhu'an: 'Under heaven there is only one and a half lecturers. You, my elder brother, are just the half.' When asked why only half, the Master said: 'You should not have had those few extra slips of paper!' While at Xiantan, Zhu'an came to visit. When taking the seat to lecture, the Master finished reading the major outline, immediately rolled up the portfolio, and said: 'With the ancestral master in the assembly, I dare not quibble over words.' Such was his deference in observing proper respect toward venerable elders.
15.61
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Huijue [Fa]yu
15.62
Dharma Master Fajiu was of the Shao clan from Yuyao. He received his training at Longquan. At the age of fifteen, he passed the examination on the *Lotus Sūtra* and was ordained. He first relied on Zhiyong at Guangyan, and later went to follow Huijue. When Huijue went to Tianzhu, the Master followed him, studying day and night until he finally accomplished his training. When Dahui was residing at Jingshan, the Master went to consult him on the essentials of the mind. Whenever Dahui had the Master explain the purport of the objects and contemplation, he would invariably click his tongue in admiration. An Investigating Censor named Wang had a daughter who died young; through spirit-possession she repeatedly requested an eminent monk to be invited to recite the *Lotus Sūtra*. Dahui had the Master go. Just as he ascended the seat to expound the scripture, the Censor suddenly had an awakening. That night, his deceased daughter appeared to her father in a dream and said: 'Relying on the power of the Dharma Master's exposition of the scripture, I have already obtained rebirth.' The Censor thereupon composed the *Record of Resonant Response to the One Vehicle*. Dahui said to the Master one day: 'People are sparse in the garden of teachings; you should strive to propagate it widely to glorify the ancestral path.' The Master then returned. Soon after, the Luo family of Cixi invited him to the Yuanzhan Hermitage. Scholars gathered from all four directions, all revering the Master's method. In the thirteenth year of the Shaoxing reign era, the commandery appointed him to preside over Qingsxiu. The springs were clear and the rocks clean; both the people and the environment were superior. He was constantly distressed by the many faults of the junior monks living in individual cells, so he opened a communal hall and laid out connected beds with cattail mats in the manner of the Chan groves. Leading the community by his own example, none dared to be indolent. His responsive eloquence in preaching the Dharma possessed the style of Dahui. Some who failed to comprehend him claimed that the Master was discussing Chan in the garden of doctrinal teachings. To the left of the monastery was the Lion Cliff; he founded a hall there named Fearlessness. Daily he resided within it reciting the seven scriptures including the *Lotus Sūtra* and the *Śūraṅgama-sūtra*, not ceasing for nineteen years. One day, he suddenly notified the assembly and passed away without illness. A stupa was built to the west of the monastery. Xuexi Xiyan composed the inscription for him. His disciple Miaoyun succeeded him in the seat.
15.63
Dharma Master Shenhuan was a native of Anji in Hu[zhou]. Early on he studied under Huijue and was praised at the time as outstanding. During the Shaoxing reign era, he presided over Jiewu in Sixi. Where previous masters of the doctrinal school had left doctrinal points incomplete, he debated and clarified them all, producing one hundred treatises; the world called them 'Huan's Hundred Treatises'. He once argued that the ranks of the various deities were not correct, so he searched the canon and composed *Biographies of the Deities*. His preface states: 'According to the *Hundred Records*, the seat of the Deva of Merit (Puṇyā / Lakṣmī) is placed to the left of the Buddha. If the bodhimaṇḍa is spacious, the Great Eloquent One (Mahāsarasvatī) and the Four Heavenly Kings are also placed on the right. From this we know that worldly people arranging either twelve, sixteen, or eighteen are all guided by the chapter on ghosts and spirits; increases or decreases are unrestricted. Now, determining the noble and base is indeed difficult. Take Hārītī, who is a rākṣasī: how could she stand in the same rank with Mahābrahmā? There is a daughter named Puṇyā and a son named Saṃjñeya. Today, placing Puṇyā at the top, followed by Brahmā and Śakra, and afterwards listing Saṃjñeya and Hārītī—is this not an inversion of order? Therefore, examining the Great Canon, I have composed the *Biographies of the Deities*, explaining them according to their ranks. For deities have host and guest, male and female, fundamental and trace, overt and concealed. Mahābrahmā is the host of the three realms; Śakra is the host of Trāyastriṃśa; the Four Heavenly Kings are the hosts of the eight classes. As for Puṇyā and Mahāsarasvatī, they are merely guests residing there. Puṇyā resides in the northern heavens; Mahāsarasvatī resides in mountains and waters; originally neither possesses dominion. This is what is meant by host and guest. Puṇyā, Mahāsarasvatī, the tree spirits, the earth spirits, and Hārītī are all female; the rest are male bodies. This is what is meant by male and female. The Vajradhara Guhyakapada and his five hundred followers are all fundamentally great bodhisattvas; their current manifestations in divine forms are traces. This is what is meant by fundamental and trace. Mahāsarasvatī, facing the Buddha, expounds the true Dharma; though her rank is that of a secret guest and her body is displayed as female, her words and deeds are overt. Or some merely serve as shadow-attendants without engaging in expounding; though their expedient authority rules as king and they manifest a male form, their words and deeds are concealed. This is what is meant by overt and concealed. Knowing these four principles, one may speak with others about deities.' When Zhu'an saw this, he remarked: 'In roughly a few hundred words, it encompasses practically everything.' (The original text of the *Biographies of the Deities* has not been seen; Zhipan once composed a ritual hymn of praise for the various deities that precisely adopted Master Huan's theories; see the *Treatise on Glorifying the Dharma Gate* for details.) He once composed a two-scroll commentary on the *Sūtra of Complete Enlightenment* and a one-scroll *Record of Peace and Bliss*.
15.64
Dharma Master Ruzhan was of the Jiao clan from Yongjia. When his mother dreamed of a precious stupa, she gave birth to him. In his youth, he passed the scriptural examination and was ordained. He first called upon Master Qin of Dongling and Master Hui of Puci, but his studies were not yet complete. He then went with Yangjian, Yuankong, and Xiangrong to Chexi to rely on Master Qing. At that time, the assembly was already numerous and had no room; they had only a small room the size of a peck, yet they did not consider it cramped. In the intense summer heat, they buried a large jar and filled it with cool spring water, and the four friends sat facing away from the jar around it to take in its freshness. After several years like this, the assembly jokingly called it the 'Hall of the Five Plagues'. Later, he consulted Huijue at Hengshan, immersing his mind day and night until he mastered all the subtleties of the teachings and contemplation. He first presided over Shousheng in Chexi. In the intervals of lecturing, his daily practice was reciting one complete *Lotus Sūtra* and twenty thousand recitations of the Buddha's name. There was someone seeking to be a monastery administrator; because he lacked the capacity, he was not employed. Harboring resentment, he entered the room at night concealing a blade, only to see the room filled with official guests. He entered again the next night, but it was pitch black and he lost his way. Going yet another evening, he managed to enter the room, but saw more than ten people all bearing the Master's appearance. The man fled in shame and fear. In ordinary times, the Master slept little. In the summer months, he would sit among the wild grass, reciting the *Lotus Sūtra* by mouth, exposing his body to feed mosquitoes. A disciple said: 'The Master is advanced in years; you should rest from such asceticism.' The Master said: 'How could crawling and flying creatures ever attain the marvelous vehicle? I merely hope that by eating my blood and hearing my scripture, a karmic link may be formed.' Later generations consequently marked the spot as the 'Platform for Feeding Mosquitoes'. In his late years, he resigned from affairs and lived in leisure in a small hermitage, daily perfuming his pure karma. In the seventh month of the *gengshen* year of the Shaoxing reign era, sitting upright reciting the Buddha's name and forming a mudrā, he passed away. Cremation yielded five-colored relics. He authored the *Record of Pure Karma* commenting on the commentary to the *Amitāyurdhyāna-sūtra*, the *Record of Protecting the Country* commenting on the commentary to the *Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra*, and also composed the *Collected Expositions on the Diamond Sūtra* and the *Collection on Conventional Designations*. At the beginning of the Jianyan reign era, he composed *Differences in the Assembly of Śrāvakas*. At the end, he inscribed: 'The Xiongnu have left Hangzhou and entered Xiuzhou. War and fire follow the dikes; looting and plundering arise like bees. Life hangs in the balance; I jot this down merely to record contemporary events.' People considered this similar to Zhang'an composing the *Profound Meaning of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra* while bandits ran rampant.
15.65
The commentary states: When Fazhi commented on the *Amitāyurdhyāna-sūtra* and the *Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra*, contemporaries of his school and disciples under his direct instruction, such as Jingjue of Gushan, embellished words to argue against him, yet none could prevail in the end. This can still be explained as 'overtly opposing while covertly assisting'. But as for Jiaming [Ruzhan], with his lofty natural endowment and fine virtuous deeds, being a fourth-generation Dharma descendant of Siming [Fazhi] after the revival of the teachings and contemplations, instead of thinking of glorifying and assisting his ancestor's achievements, he actually engaged in deletions and revisions, having the heart to write the records on *Pure Karma* and *Protecting the Country*. Holding a lance in broad daylight, turning against the school and ruining the patriarch, he cast himself down into the company of the Off-mountain faction. How lamentable!
15.66
Dharma Heirs of Dharma Master Yuanjue [Fa]ci
15.67
Dharma Master Zhongjiao was of the Zhang clan from Cixi in Siming. He was bestowed the title Fazhao. When his mother dreamed of the moon falling into her bosom, she gave birth to him. He received his training at Yongming. He first relied on Mingzhi of Nanhu, and soon after went to call upon Yuanjue at Tianzhu. Over time, he mastered the profound secrets of the Dharma. At the beginning of the Jingkang reign era, the seat at Nengren became vacant. The commandery prefect Liu Guang asked Zhiyong to recommend someone he knew, and the Master answered the call. As soon as his perfect voice sounded, students gathered from all four directions. Because gruel and cooked rice were insufficient, he reclaimed twenty *qing* of coastal fields, whereupon provisions for the kitchen became abundant. In the summer of the *yimou* year of the Shaoxing reign era, there was a drought. Because the dragon pool had previously received the precepts from Zhiyi, the prefect dispatched subordinates to invite the Master to visit the pool and administer the precepts. That very day, abundant rain fell. On account of old age, he retired to the Zangmi Hermitage. In the *yichou* year of the Shaoxing reign era, he bathed, changed into fresh robes, wrote a verse to bid farewell to the assembly, and passed away sitting upright facing west.
15.68
Practitioner Master Neng was a native of Jiahe. In his youth he studied at Nengren. He entered the repentance hall for forty years; through the six periods [of the day and night] he practiced the Way, never neglecting it even when ill. Only by not eating for several days did his illnesses naturally heal. The fame of 'the Practitioner' was thus heard throughout Jiangnan and Zhe. When he was already old, he read the texts as if he were a beginner. Caobian teased him, saying, 'Have you not yet forgotten the fish trap?' The Master said, 'What fish trap is there to forget?' Bian was deeply ashamed. Once during the summer heat, while drying his clothes, he sighed, 'A heroic, generous man has on the contrary become like a servant.' Thereupon he gave away all his superfluous possessions, keeping only a single tattered wadded robe. In summer he folded it and bound it with a ridgepole. In summer days he entered the forest to give himself to the mosquitoes. One day he met two tigers and gave his body over to them; the tigers lowered their heads and walked away. The mountain spirit provided offerings to one region and often had contact with him. When the kitchen had shortages, the administrative monk came to report it, but [the Master] vigorously waved him off. The next morning, donations arrived of themselves; all said, 'Last night the Practitioner went from door to door informing us.' Only then did they know that the mountain spirit, on the Master's behalf, had gone. When Yuanjue received the appointment to Nengren, the Master and Head Monk Wen burned their fingers in petition [for him to come]. When he arrived, day and night they sought instruction and attained great awakening.
15.69
Dharma Heir of Dharma Master Puming Jing
15.70
Dharma Master Sifan was from the Zhan family of Linping in Hangzhou. He was granted the title Yuantong. He relied upon Puming of Jingshe to study teaching and contemplation, thoroughly mastering their purports. In time he was promoted to head of the hall. When Puming moved to Juewu, the Master accompanied him. When [Puming] again moved to Upper Tianzhu, he said to the Master, 'There is no one to replace you in the seat at Juewu.' He practiced the Way for ten years, greatly promoting the path of the Dharma. Later he retired to Guiyun Hermitage on West Mountain, shutting his doors to compose writings. He once used sutras, commentaries, and recorded sayings to assess and compare the purports of Chan and the scriptural teachings, entitling it *Huizong* (Reconciliation of the Tenets). Vice Minister Chao Gongwu hit upon an accord with it at first sight and wrote a preface for it, saying, 'I heard the words of my paternal uncle, Mr. Jingyu (Chao Shuozhi, whose style was Jingyu): "East and west of the Zhe River there is the Tiantai learning. Those who master its teachings will have none of the flaws of Chan or the scriptural teachings, and can serve as eyes for humans and devas. Young man, remember this!" Three Jupiter cycles have passed since I heard this. Now seeing what is set forth in *Huizong*, does it not truly accord with the words of my paternal uncle Jingyu?' Throughout his life, by the power of the Dharma of precepts, the Master often met sages and worthies in dreams. Whenever he conducted expiations and prayers against calamities or exorcised demons and baleful spirits, as soon as he spoke the precepts for them, there was none that did not respond in communion. In the fifth month of the fourth year of Qiandao, an astrologer said to the Master, 'On the full moon of the sixth month, will the Master not pass away?' The Master smiled and said, 'How could the creator of things constrain me? You say I will die in the sixth month; I shall depart in the eighth month.' When the time came, he bathed, changed his clothes, sat cross-legged in the niche, called the assembly to recite the Buddha's name, closed his eyes, and transformed. A stūpa was erected for him in the abbot's quarters.
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- 佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese