佛祖統紀 17.38

17.38

Wu Keji, styled Fuzhi, gave himself the appellation Kai'an. He was a descendant of the Military Commissioner of Jian'an. His great-grandfather traveled widely to study and consequently took up residence in Pujiang of Wu. As a youth, he was intelligent and penetrating, grasping everything in his studies. He once read the *Rites of Zhou* and sighed deeply, believing that the enfeoffment and well-field systems could be restored. During the Chunxi era, having attained first place in four examinations and awaiting appointment, he sighed: 'Hitting the mark in the target, yet piercing the brow—the deed conflicts with the times.' He then retired into seclusion at Zuoxi. Suddenly suffering from an eye ailment, someone urged him to pray to [the Bodhisattva of] Perfect Penetration (Avalokiteśvara). He promptly said: 'Not altering in the face of peril—this is the true gentleman.' Someone informed him of the imperial physician Zhu answering Duke Du Qi: 'Having never read Buddhist texts, how can you know they do not match Confucius and Mencius? Try reciting the Bodhisattva's name.' His eye disease was thoroughly cured. Thereupon he came to believe deeply. Reading the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* up to 'Space is born within the mind like a wisp of cloud dotting the great pure [sky],' he had a sudden awakening, as if having ignorance removed. Seeing Shangu's (Huang Tingjian's) poem praising the *Zongjing lu*, which has the lines: 'From this time, Yongming's hundred scrolls / When retiring from official meals, a single burner of incense,' he consequently read both cases [of it]. Baoji Shi said: 'This work has no compass or square; it is not as good as studying *Śamatha-vipaśyanā* to gain awakening to the two words "object" and "contemplation" so as to use them as armrest and staff.' He digested its flavor, and after a while indeed had an awakening. He thus said: 'How ultimate is the discourse on the compass and square! The so-called "supreme square to square that under Heaven which is not square, supreme roundness to round that under Heaven which is not round." If those who understand take the two books and investigate them, then the presence or absence of a compass and square will naturally be seen.' He once composed a commentary on the *Lotus Sūtra*, saying of himself that he was ashamed to be ranked equally with Zaobo (Li Tongxuan), remarking that the latter propagated scriptures that combined the coarse, while he himself explicated the uniquely wonderful scripture. In the winter of the seventh year of Jiading, he died at Baoshan. In his testamentary instructions, he requested cremation according to the monastic rites. His age was seventy-five. His writings include the *Lotus Sūtra Key* (*Fahua shujian*), *Outlines of the Śūraṅgama Collected Exegesis* (*Lengyan jijie ke*), and *Great Outlines of the Four Teachings and Śamatha-vipaśyanā* (*Sijiaoyi zhiguan da ke*). In his later years, he compiled the *Orthodox Lineage of the Buddhist Order* (*Shimen zhengtong*); dying before it was completed, Liangzhu Zongjian continued and completed it. Originally, his family dreamed that Zhan Jiaming sought lodging; later, in learning the teachings, his discussions mostly coincided in secret, and moreover, he loved Zhan's old friends, so he was said to be his rebirth. (Here are missing the records of the two Dharma masters, such as Bao and Fatong.)