佛祖統紀 22.8

22.8

Chan Master Sengchou was of the Sun clan of Julu. He received the practice of cessation and contemplation from Chan Master Daofang of Jingming Monastery; after focusing his mind for ten days, he attained absorption. Furthermore, he cultivated the four applications of mindfulness of the holy conduct in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. He spent five summer retreats eating only one meal a day. He once cultivated the contemplation of the corpse for nine days, and reported his attainment to the Tripiṭaka Master Guṇabhadra. Guṇabhadra said, "Among those east of the Pamir Mountains who practice meditation, you are the foremost!" He then went to Mount Wangwu to cultivate the former practices. Encountering two tigers fighting, the Master separated them with his monk's staff, and the tigers parted. The Palace Attendant Li Jiang sought to learn the essentials of meditation, so the Master explained cessation and contemplation in two scrolls for him. Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi summoned the Master from the mountain to preach the Dharma. The Master explained to him that the three realms are fundamentally empty and the myriad phenomena are like illusions, and that the glory of worldly appearances cannot be preserved for long. The Emperor's hair stood on end and he broke out in a sweat. He built Yunmen Monastery in the city of Ye to honor and serve him with respect. The Master remained seated in his room and never went out to see off or welcome anyone. Some disciples considered this improper and admonished him. The Master said, "When Piṇḍola went seven paces to greet a king, it caused the king to lose his kingdom. Although my virtue does not equal the ancients, the ceremonial form is the same. I dare not deceive myself; I only hope to bring blessings to the Emperor." Misled by words of his attendants, the Emperor thought the Master lacked respect and wished to personally go and harm him. The Master knew this beforehand through hidden insight. At dawn, he rode an oxcart twenty li to the valley entrance and stood reverently by the roadside with his hands folded. The Emperor was astonished and questioned him. The Master said, "My body's blood is not pure, and I feared it would defile the saṅghārāma." The Emperor felt ashamed and repentant, and said to his attendant minister Yang Zunyan, "How could one defame such a true person?" He wanted to carry the Master on his back to return to the monastery, but the Master bowed respectfully and declined. The Emperor said, "Even if this disciple carried the Master throughout the realm, it would not suffice to atone for my offense." Thus they returned to the palace in the same carriage. He asked what kind of person he had been in a previous life. The Master said, "You were once a rākṣasa king, which is why you still love killing." The Master recited a spell over a basin of water and had him look into it; he immediately saw the form of a rākṣasa. The Emperor also wished to see the supernatural marvels of the Buddha-Dharma. The Master threw his kāṣāya onto the ground and the Emperor sent men to lift it; even when increased to several dozen men, they could not move it. The Master had a novice monk pick it up, and he lifted it like a feather. The Emperor respected and believed him even more, and requested to receive the bodhisattva precepts. The Master remained in the palace for forty days before leaving. In the fourth month of the first year of Qianming, he displayed passing into stillness. An imperial decree ordered the construction of a stupa to enshrine his relics.