佛祖統紀 37.8

37.8

Sixth year. The Emperor personally annotated the Larger Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, and ordered Dharma Master Fayun of Guangzhai to explain it for the hundred officials. Tenth year. The sandalwood image of Śākyamuni from Central Tianzhu arrived. The Emperor led the hundred officials to welcome it into the Taiji Hall, established a vegetarian feast to ordain people, granted a great amnesty, and prohibited killing; all bows and swords were reshaped into the form of lotus stupas. Earlier, eighty men, including Hao Qian and Xie Wenhua, had gone west in response to the imperial decree to seek the statue. When they reached the country of Śrāvastī (translated as 'civilised and abundant,' belonging to Central Tianzhu), they requested the statue from the king. The king said, 'This true image of Central Tianzhu cannot be sent to a peripheral region.' He then ordered thirty-two artisans to carve purple sandalwood again, each man portraying one mark. They began work at the mao hour, and by the wu hour it was already completed; its uṣṇīṣa emitted light and rained down fragrant rain. Qian carried the image on his back to return east and crossed the great ocean; he often heard the sound of armor behind him. Suddenly an extraordinary monk bowed to the image and said, 'The divine king Viśāla is protecting the image until it reaches there to broadly perform Buddhist works.' Having spoken, he disappeared. Later, Emperor Yuan constructed Daming Temple north of the city of Jingzhou to enshrine the image. ○ An edict ordered Dharma Master Sengmin to enter the palace and lecture on the Śrīmālādevī-sūtra; the ministers all assembled. Liu Ye asked, 'The Dharma Master has more than enough Buddhist learning; why do you mostly expound Confucian tenets?' Min said, 'Formerly Master Daosheng penetrated the scriptures through sudden enlightenment, and Master Sengci developed treatises based on the Abhidharma. As for this poor monk, I by no means limit myself by Confucianism or Buddhism, but merely follow wherever the literal meaning points.' A monk named Daochao admired Min's lecturing enterprise and vowed to equal him. In a dream, a celestial deity told him, 'Master Min already proclaimed the Dharma transformation during the time of Vipaśyin Buddha; as you are newly aspired, how could you be compared to him?' ○ He Yin entered Dinglin Temple on Mount Zhong, listened to the inner scriptures, and mastered their tenets. Later he lived in seclusion at Yunmen Temple on Mount Ruoye. His two elder brothers, Qiu and Dian, both followed him in seclusion; Dian was called 'Great Mountain' and Yin 'Lesser Mountain'; they were also called the 'Three Worthies of the He Family.' ○ Xie Ju was adept in profound principles and Buddhist doctrines; as governor of Jinling, he exchanged lectures on scriptures and treatises with scholarly monks. The summoned scholar He Yin came out from Wuqiu to attend (Huqiu was retroactively renamed to avoid the taboo of the name Hu, the grandfather of Emperor Gaozu of Tang). ○ When Dharma Master Yun of Guangzhai lectured on the Lotus Sūtra, he moved heavenly flowers to fill the sky and fall like fluttering snow. Because of a severe drought, the Emperor questioned Master Zhi; Zhi said, 'Yun (clouds) can bring rain.' The Emperor therefore invited him to lecture on the Lotus Sūtra; when he reached the passage 'its moisture pervades everywhere,' a great downpour ensued. Yuan Ang, unequal in honor, had a monk whom he constantly supported at home, who made a vow wishing to attain wisdom and understanding like the master. He dreamt of a monk who said to him, 'Dharma Master Yun already lectured on this scripture during the time of Dīpaṃkara Buddha; how could you match him in haste?' ○ The Sovereign assembled the various monks, composed an essay, and made a vow to permanently cut off wine and meat. Its summary says, 'From this day forth, if disciple Xiao Yan drinks wine, indulges in laxity, or eats sentient beings down to milk, honey, butter, and cheese, may all ghosts and spirits first severely punish disciple and send him to hell; when all sentient beings achieve Buddhahood, may I still remain in Avīci. If monks and nuns drink wine and eat meat, they should also be punished in like manner.' At that time he again assembled 1,448 monks and nuns in Hualin Hall and invited Dharma Master Yun to lecture on the passage in the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra on eating meat severing the seed of great compassion. The Sovereign personally sat on the ground and listened together with the assembly.