佛祖統紀 26.10

26.10

Dharma Master Chengyuan: he first studied under Venerable Tang in Chengdu, and when he reached Jingzhou, he advanced his studies under Venerable Zhen of Yuquan. Venerable Zhen conferred Mount Heng upon the master, making him a leader of the teachings; those who followed and were transformed by him numbered in the tens of thousands. He had a disciple named Fazhao, who initially lived on Mount Lu. Entering the stage of right determination, he went to the Land of Peace and Bliss, where he saw someone in tattered clothes attending upon the Buddha. The Buddha said, 'This is Chengyuan of Mount Heng.' When he came out [of samādhi], he sought him out and found him to be an exact match; he then followed and studied under him, propagating the teachings throughout the realm. During the reign of Emperor Daizong, when Fazhao was National Preceptor, he spoke of his teacher's extraordinary virtue. The Son of Heaven faced south and bowed toward him; deeming that his Way could not be summoned, he named his dwelling the Pratyutpanna Bodhimaṇḍa in order to honor his status. The master originally lived beneath the crags southwest of the mountain. If people gave him food, he ate; if not, he ate earth and mud and grazed on grass and trees. The way he obtained clothing was similar. From the distant ends of the Southern Seas to Youdu in the north, people came to seek his Way. Some met him in the ravines: emaciated, with a grime-stained face, personally carrying firewood, looking like a servant; they treated him disrespectfully, only to discover he was the master. Whenever he converted people, he established them in the Middle Way and instructed them, using expedient means to allow them to arrive swiftly; thus he taught exclusive mindfulness. He inscribed it on streets and alleys, carved it in valleys and streams, writing grand exhortations to guide and assist those below. Without his seeking, the Way was complete; without his speaking, things were accomplished. People all carried cloth and silk, felled timber and quarried stone, and left them at his rock cave; he neither refused nor solicited them. Once the temple buildings were complete, by the reign of Emperor Dezong, an imperial edict was issued in commendation, establishing it as Mituo Monastery (Amitābha Monastery). On the nineteenth day of the seventh month in the eighteenth year of the Zhenyuan era, he passed away at the monastery at the age of ninety-one. Liu Zongyuan composed a stele inscription for him, which was carved at the monastery gate.