佛祖統紀 37.67

37.67

In the second month of the ninth year, an edict stated: "Chan Master [Zhi]yi is a hero of the Buddha-dharma, the ancestral master revered by the times. His instruction embraces both the religious and the secular; he is the hope of the state. It is fitting to allocate the taxes of Shifeng County to supply the expenses of the assembly." In the battle of the Huai and Fei rivers, military transports were interrupted, so an imperial decree ordered the local monks to perform that labor. Vinaya Master Zhiwen submitted a memorial saying: "When a gentleman governs a state, he must rely on ritual and righteousness. If Your Majesty truly knows the fault of Yuwen's abolition (Emperor Wu of Zhou had the surname Yuwen), how could it be fitting to use the supreme field of merit for the affairs of common servants? Not only will enemies despise and disparage us, but there is also fear that the state will suffer calamity." The emperor was greatly moved to regret and urgently put an end to it; all those who had proposed and taken charge of the labor service at that time were subjected to severe punishment. On the twenty-second day of the sixth month, Great Chan Master [Hui]si of Mount Nanyue chanted the Buddha's name and passed away while sitting.