佛祖統紀 39

English (machine translation) 39

Language: English

39.1

Compiled by the monk Zhipan of Donghu in Siming during the Xianchun era of the Song

39.2

Treatise on the Prosperity and Decline of the Dharma, No. 17, Part 6

39.4

Emperor Wen (Yang Jian, who received the abdication of the Zhou)

First year of Kaihuang. When the Emperor initially received the abdication, the monk Tanyan had an audience with him and urged the revival and restoration of the Buddha-Dharma. Thereupon the Emperor issued an edict: the monasteries abandoned during the Zhou dynasty were all to be repaired and rebuilt, the people within the borders were permitted to leave household life as they wished, and households were further ordered to contribute money to erect scriptures and images. Because of this, among the populace, Buddhist scriptures exceeded the texts of the Six Arts. Earlier, the nun Zhixian of Bore Monastery in Tongzhou was adept in dhyāna contemplation and could foretell people's fortunes and misfortunes, all of which proved true. When Emperor Wen was first born in the monastery, the nun said to Taizu, 'This child is protected by the Buddhas and devas.' She thus named him Nārāyaṇa (which means 'clasp-chain athlete'). Taizu entrusted Xian with raising and caring for him. One day the imperial mother came to hold him; seeing the child take the form of a dragon, she was startled and dropped him to the ground. The nun cried out in dismay, 'Startling my child will cause him to attain the empire late!' When he grew up, she secretly told him, 'The Semblance Teaching is about to be destroyed; all ghosts and spirits are facing west. You shall attain great nobility. When the Buddha-Dharma is temporarily abolished, it will rely on you to be revived.' When Emperor Wu of the Zhou abolished the teaching, this nun ultimately concealed herself in the Emperor's household. An edict was issued to build a monastery on the battlefield of Xiangzhou for the soldiers who died in service, to dedicate merit to them. An imperial decree ordered Master Sengmeng to reside at Daxingshan Monastery as the Grand Controller of the Sui State. The monk Zhiying and others of the Southern dynasty state of Chen returned from Western India, bringing two hundred and sixty Sanskrit texts, and went to the palace gates to present them. The Emperor summoned them for an audience, consoled them, and bestowed upon them silk and money.

39.6

Third year. An edict was issued that throughout the empire, no living beings were to be killed during the first, fifth, and ninth months, as well as on the six fasting days. Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang (Gaozu, who was first enfeoffed in Tang), donated his residence in Chang'an to the monk Tanchong, and the Emperor composed the name Qingchan Monastery for it. The monk Huiying of Hailing bowed to the three thousand Buddhas during the six periods of the day, delivering the people from the hardships of famine and suffering. One day, while he was expounding the Lotus Sūtra, a spirit with an entourage arrived, identifying himself as the Great Spirit of the Five Destinies, and requested to receive the precepts, saying that he was going on an inspection tour of the Eastern Sea. Ying prepared food for him and conferred the precepts upon him, whereupon he departed.

39.7

Fourth year. Vinaya Master Lingzang had originally been a friend in commoner's clothing with the Emperor. When the Emperor ascended the throne, he built Daxingshan Monastery for him to reside in, and ordered the Left and Right Vice Directors of the Department of State Affairs to pay respects and inquire about his well-being twice a month. Once, Lingzang accompanied the imperial retinue to Luozhou, and the crowd of people taking refuge in him was immense. The Emperor wrote a decree with his own hand saying, 'Your disciple is the Son of Heaven of laymen; the Vinaya Master is the Son of Heaven of men of the Way. Whoever wishes to renounce the lay life is left entirely to the Master to ordain.' Because of this, the people he ordained reached several tens of thousands. When someone doubted this, the Emperor said, 'The Vinaya Master transforms people to do good; We prohibit people from doing evil. The purpose is one and the same.'

39.8

Fifth year. An edict ordered Dharma Master Fajing to confer the bodhisattva precepts in the Daxing Hall.

39.9

Sixth year. There was a severe drought. An edict ordered Dharma Master Tanyan to ascend the imperial throne facing south in the main palace hall to confer the Dharma. The Emperor and all his ministers sat on the ground and received the Eightfold Fasting Precepts. Soon, clouds arose, and heavy rain poured down.

39.10

Seventh year. An edict appointed Dharma Master Tanqian as the Grand Controller of Monks of the Zhaoxuan Temple.

39.11

Eighth year. Dharma Master Tanyan passed away. The Emperor suspended imperial audiences and ordered princes and dukes down to attend the mourning. The Palace Attendant Xue Daoheng read a eulogy saying: 'The Sage Sovereign initiated the era, and the Semblance Dharma arose once more. Eminently among the black-robed sangha, he stood as the chief. The Emperor humbled the solemn majesty of the imperial throne to perform the courteous etiquette of master and disciple. The Three Jewels relied on him for broad propagation; the two truths were expounded and clarified through him. His virtue in guiding people toward goodness served as a means to assist the state in practicing benevolence. Who would have thought the pillar of the Dharma would suddenly tilt, and the boat of compassion would abruptly capsize? Not only are the fourfold assembly overwhelmed with grief, but the One Man [the Emperor] is surely deeply sorrowed.' Du Qi of the capital district died suddenly and went to the underworld. The king examined his name and said, 'It is an error.' He asked Qi if he recognized Emperor Wu of the Zhou. He replied that he had served as the Judicial Officer of the Left Martial Guard and was often in the palace hall. The king looked to an officer to lead him to a large iron chamber. Peering through the window, he saw a man with an emaciated body of iron color, wearing iron cangues and fetters. Qi saw him, wept, and said, 'Great Master, what suffering is this?' He replied, 'I believed Wei Yuansong and destroyed the Buddha-Dharma, hence I suffer this punishment.' Qi said, 'I was summoned by mistake and must return. Does the Great Master have any words?' He said, 'If you return, report to the Son of Heaven of the Great Sui that in the past, he and I shared the granaries and storehouses. Because I destroyed the Dharma, I suffer great torment; I hope he will create merit for me to rescue me.' When Qi returned, he reported the matter, and the Emperor ordered everyone in the empire to contribute one coin to cultivate merit on behalf of Emperor Wu. (Found in the Tang Biographies of Eminent Monks; the Fayuan zhulin records it as Zhao Wenchang entering the underworld. Perhaps both events occurred at that time, and both may serve as evidence.)

39.12

Ninth year. Li Shiqian had a refined fondness for Buddhist studies and was also skilled in metaphysical discussions. A guest asked about the merits and demerits of the three teachings. Shiqian said, 'The Buddha is the sun, Daoism is the moon, and Confucianism is the five planets.' At that time, it was considered the ultimate discourse. (The Amitāyus Sūtra states: 'I only wish that the sun of the Buddha would teach me to contemplate the pure realm of karma.')

39.13

Tenth year (in this year, the Sui extinguished the Chen and first assumed legitimate succession). In the first month, an edict stated: 'Chan Master Yi of Guangzhai: in the past when Emperor Wu of the Zhou destroyed the teaching, We once resolved that We must protect and uphold it. When We received the mandate from Heaven, We immediately revived and restored it. You, Master, have already left behind the worldly net to cultivate yourself and transform others; you must surely encourage and advance the monastic order to glorify the Great Way.' An imperial decree allowed officials, literati, and commoners who wished to leave household life to do so. In this year, ordained monks reached five hundred thousand.

39.14

Eleventh year. An edict summoned Dharma Master Lingyu of Xiangzhou to the capital to serve as State Controller. Yu submitted three memorials declining the appointment. The Emperor tried to retain him, but could not, and said to the Vice Director Su Wei, 'We know Master Yu is upright and unyielding.' Thereupon, the Emperor bestowed generous gifts upon him and sent him back to the mountains, personally inscribing 'Lingquan' as the name of his monastery. In the eleventh month, King Guang of Jin (Emperor Wen's second son), Commander-in-Chief of Yangzhou, welcomed Chan Master Yi. When he arrived at the garrison, the Prince arranged an assembly of a thousand monks to receive the bodhisattva precepts, conferring upon the Master the title 'Zhizhe' (Wise One).

39.15

A commentary states: 'People in the world say that Emperor Yang received the precepts and studied wisdom, yet he murdered his father and usurped the throne. Why did Zhizhe not have the foresight to see this in advance?' However, if one draws upon the matter of King Ajātaśatru to make a comparative judgment, this doubt will naturally dissolve. Thus, the Commentary on the Contemplation Sūtra explains it with two meanings: First, the matter belongs to previous causes, arising from past enmity that led them to become father and son; hence Ajātaśatru is translated here as 'Enemy Before Birth.' Second, it was the manifestation of rebellion through great expedient means, which is not comparable to the vile rebellions of the common world. Thus the Buddha said that King Ajātaśatru had in the past resolved upon bodhi under Vipaśyin Buddha, and had never fallen into hell (as stated in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra). Furthermore, the Buddha bestowed a prediction upon him that in the future he would become a Buddha named Pure Body (Prediction Bestowed on King Ajātaśatru Sūtra). Again, the Chuiyu ji states that King Ajātaśatru sought repentance before receiving the retribution, causing immeasurable people to give rise to the bodhi-mind. If one can reflect deeply on the meaning of such texts, one will know that Zhizhe's insight into Emperor Yang was profound indeed. Hence Zhizhe himself said, 'Between Prince Jin and me, there is a profound karmic bond.' Now, observing his actions: at first he protected Mount Lu and presided over Yuquan, and in the end he founded Guoqing and protected the tomb mound; moreover, during the ten years Zhāng'ān compiled the texts, the Prince sent offerings. Comparing them in this way, Emperor Yang's deeds should also possess these two meanings: previous causes and the manifestation of rebellion. Gushan said, 'When a bodhisattva abides in the Śūraṅgama Samādhi, he may manifest unprincipled conduct so as to serve as a mirror for a hundred kings' (the matter is seen in the Basic Annals of Zhizhe).

39.16

Xin Yanzhi, Regional Inspector of Luzhou, erected a fifteen-story stupa. A man of the prefecture named Zhang Yuan died suddenly, but revived and said, 'My spirit wandered to heaven and saw a hall of extreme loftiness and beauty. A heavenly being said, "Fortuitously, the Regional Inspector has great merit; this hall was made to await him."'”

39.17

Twelfth year. The Second Patriarch, Chan Master Huike, had previously transmitted the Dharma to Sengcan in Shuzhou; in this year he went to Zhengjiu Monastery in Guancheng to preach the Dharma. Dharma Master He had earlier been lecturing on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra in that monastery, and his disciples gradually slipped away to listen to Huike's preaching. Unable to bear his indignation, He slandered Huike to the district magistrate, framing him with unlawful crimes. The Master calmly complied and passed away at the age of one hundred and seven. He had earlier said to Can, 'I have past karmic encumbrances; today I must repay them.' In the twelfth month, Chan Master Zhizhe arrived at Mount Yuquan in Jingzhou and sat peacefully in dhyāna for seven days. He moved the spirit power of Lord Guan and his son to lay the foundation and build a monastery, begging to receive the five precepts. The Master entered and resided at Yuquan; those among the monastics and laity who received the precepts and listened to his lectures reached five thousand people. (Guan Yu was a general of the First Sovereign of Shu; details appear in the Basic Annals of Zhizhe.)

39.18

Thirteenth year. The Emperor visited Qizhou and hunted in the Southern Mountains (the character is pronounced sou; winter hunting is called sou). Chasing a beast into an ancient kiln, he suddenly lost track of it and saw only a kiln full of damaged Buddha images. The monk Tanqian said, 'Recently, when Emperor Wu of the Zhou destroyed the Dharma, many sacred images were abandoned in ditches and valleys.' The Emperor thereupon issued an edict that wherever there were broken bodies or abandoned images of the Buddha, the local officials were to inspect and send them to monasteries to be adorned and restored. In the fourth month, Zhizhe expounded the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra at Yuquan; Dharma Master Zhang'an Guanding was in attendance listening. In the seventh month, the monastery plaque of Yuquan was bestowed upon Zhizhe.

39.19

Fourteenth year. An edict ordered the construction of Chanding Monastery, appointing Dharma Master Tanqian to assemble one hundred and twenty men of eminent virtue from throughout the realm to reside there. Zhizhe expounded the Mohe zhiguan (Great Calming and Contemplation) at Yuquan to an audience of a thousand people; Zhāng'ān was in attendance listening. In winter, the tenth month, Zhizhe passed through Yuezhou and conferred the precepts upon Regional Inspector Wang Xuanwu. The monk Tanjie and others requested him to lecture on the Golden Light Sūtra; the populace heard the Dharma and was transformed, so that across one commandery and five counties, at more than one thousand sites, all abandoned fishing and hunting.

39.20

Fifteenth year. Dharma Master Zhenguan (a disciple of Zhizhe) built Tianzhu Monastery on Mount Hulin in Hangzhou (during the Tang dynasty, Hu was changed to Wu). In the second month, the King of Jin sent an envoy to welcome Zhizhe to Chanzhong Monastery in Yangzhou, where Zhizhe presented his commentary, the Jingming yishu. In the ninth month, he took his leave and returned to Tiantai. Jñānagupta of Northern India translated thirty-three works, including the Buddhacarita (Fo benxing jing), at Daxingshan Monastery, with the translation scholar Fei Changfang and others recording the text.

39.21

In the sixteenth year, Shi Daoxiang of Lingyan Monastery in Qizhou died suddenly. Reaching the netherworld, he saw Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, who was about to inspect the hells for monks. There was a placard reading: 'The monastic assembly sent Fahiong to the capital to request an inscribed plaque for Lingyan Monastery, taking one hundred bolts of silk and two donkeys. Arriving at the capital, he met an usher-in-waiting who was a donor to Lingyan. For his sake, [the usher] submitted a memorial and obtained the plaque without spending a single copper. Hiong thought to himself: "This plaque was obtained because of me, so thirty bolts of silk ought to be expended [on me]." He then bought silk cloth, incense, medicine, and other goods, privately appropriating them for his personal use. He should enter the Hell of Crushing Beams.' When Hiong heard this, he immediately confessed his guilt and made restitution. Another placard read: 'Someone stole an apricot tree from the monastic grove and cut it into comb-making material. The monastery monk Daoguo picked up a remnant piece of wood that could still be made into a comb, worth eighty coppers. He should fall into the Hell of Burning Fire.' When Guo heard this related, he immediately accepted [the guilt] and returned it. Yet another placard read: 'The novice Daohong made wontons for the assembly and first stole a bowlful to eat. He should fall into the Hell of Iron Pellets.' Hong suffered from mouth ulcers for several years, so he provided an offering for the assembly. Over thirty people were like this. Within seven days, Daoxiang died thirteen times. Seeing the Bodhisattva point out the marks of their sins, he told them to these individuals, who then each made restitution, and the placards in hell vanished accordingly (Record of the Mirror of Monks).

39.22

In the seventeenth year, Fei Changfang, scholar of the translation bureau, presented the Record of the Three Jewels of the Kaihuang Era in fifteen fascicles. Changfang had formerly been a monk; when Emperor Wu of the Zhou purged the sangha, he returned to lay life. When the Sui arose, he entered to assist in the translation of scriptures. / In the tenth month, the Prince of Jin sent an emissary to welcome the Great Teacher Zhiyi. Arriving at Shicheng, the master claimed he was ill, saying to his disciple Zhiyue: 'The Great Prince wished me to come, and I did not break my word. I know my life ends here, so there is no need to proceed.' Thereupon, lying on his right side facing west, he devoted his mindfulness to Amitābha. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, having preached the Dharma to the assembly, he entered samādhi. His disciples escorted his sacred coffin back to Folong and entombed it on the southwest peak.

39.23

In the eighteenth year, the monastic emissaries Guanding and Puming, disciples of the late Great Teacher Zhiyi, took his posthumous letter and the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti to Yangzhou. The Prince replied by letter: 'Regarding the construction of the monastery on Mount Tiantai as entrusted, I have now dispatched Administrator Wang Hong to strictly follow your designs.'

39.24

In the twentieth year, the Prince of Jin was made Crown Prince. An edict was issued throughout the prominent feudatories of the empire stating that anyone who damaged statues of the Buddha or of the Heavenly Worthy would be tried for supreme treason and lack of the Way.

39.25

In the first year of the Renshou era, an edict ordered the prominent feudatories throughout the empire to build sacred stūpas, dispatching monks such as Jingye and Zhenyu to distribute relics to be enshrined in one hundred and eleven stūpas across the commanderies. The traces of miraculous omens are seen throughout the Biographies of Eminent Monks (compiled by Nanshan, Tang Biographies of Eminent Monks). / The South Indian Tripiṭaka Master Dharmagupta (translated as 'Secret of the Dharma') and the North Indian Jñānagupta (translated as 'Supreme Virtue') retranslated the Lotus Sūtra into eight fascicles at Daxingshan Monastery, entitled The Added-Chapter [Lotus Sūtra]. / In the tenth month, the Tiantai monastic emissaries Guanding and Zhizao went to the capital and presented a memorial thanking the Crown Prince for constructing the monastery.

39.26

In the second year, the West Indian monk Jātisena came and memorialized, saying: 'In India a stone stele was obtained stating that in the eastern realm of Cīnasthāna there is a country named the Great Sui, its city named Daxing, and its king named Firm Will, who will establish the Three Jewels.' / In the third year, Wang Tong of Longmen in Luoyang went to the palace to present the Twelve Strategies for Great Peace. The Emperor was unable to employ them. He returned to teach between the He and Fen Rivers, continuing the Six Classics to demonstrate his purpose. The Master said: 'I continued the Book of Documents to preserve the reality of the Han and Jin, because the Han unified the world, cleared away the remnants of corruption, and made a fresh start with the people, beginning with Gaozu of Han and ending with Emperor Wu of Jin' (one hundred and fifty chapters in all).

39.27

'I compiled the Classic of the Origin (Yuanjing) to resolve the doubts between North and South, because there have been no rewards and punishments in the realm for three hundred years. Therefore, beginning with Emperor Hui of the Jin and concluding with the Kaihuang era of the Sui, I lodged praise and blame to take the place of rewards and punishments.' (Because the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals encompasses the Five Beginnings, it is now separately named the Yuanjing, in fifty chapters. The Yuanjing records years by writing 'the sovereign's spring, first month,' beginning with Emperor Hui of Jin down to the Eastern Jin; the Song is succeeded by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei; in the first year of the Yuanhe era, because he was able to move the capital to Luoyang, he gained the Central Domain, continuing down to the Northern Zhou and Sui, so these are all called orthodox successions, whereas Qi, Liang, and Chen are equated with the four barbarian tribes. The Northern and Southern Histories refer to each other as barbarians and captives; now the orthodox succession is clarified to resolve these doubts.) 'I continued the Classic of Poetry to discern the customs of the six dynasties of Jin, Song, Later Wei, Qi, Zhou, and Sui' (three hundred and sixty poems in all). 'I rectified Rites and Music to signal the errors of later kings' (Treatise on Rites in twenty-five chapters, Treatise on Music in twenty chapters; where later kings did not accord with the Duke of Zhou's creations, he discussed and rectified them). 'I expounded the Way of the Changes to extend the intent of the former kings' (Expounding the Changes in seventy chapters, elaborating upon the intent of Confucius's Ten Wings). The world called these the Six Classics of Master Wang. (Ruan Yi's preface to the Zhongshuo states that gentlemen such as Fang [Xuanling] and Du [Ruhui] could not reach the excellence of their master, so the continued classics did not flourish.) Though summoned three times by the imperial court, he did not go, and died at home. His disciples gave him the posthumous title Master Wenzhong. Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Wen Yanbo, Dou Wei, Du Yan, Wen D'aya, Chen Shuda, and Wang Gui all faced north and received the Way from him, becoming worldly ministers and chancellors. His disciple Xue Shou and others collected his dialogues and named them Zhongshuo (Explanations of the Mean). Its words fully encompass the Way of the Three Powers and the Five Constants, and the boundary between Heaven, humanity, nature, and destiny. (Ruan Yi's preface says: 'Great is the meaning of the Mean! In the Changes it is the second and fifth lines; in the Spring and Autumn Annals it is the balance; in the Documents it is the Sovereign Ultimate; in the Rites it is the Golden Mean.') Master Wenzhong said: 'That the Poetry and Documents flourished yet the Qin dynasty perished was not the fault of Zhongni (Confucius). That abstruse metaphysics expanded yet the Jin house was thrown into chaos was not the fault of Laozi and Zhuangzi. That fasting and precepts were cultivated yet the state of Liang fell was not the fault of Śākya.' Someone asked about the Buddha; the Master said: 'He was a sage.' He asked: 'What of his teaching?' He said: 'It is a teaching of the West; in governing a state it is rigid.' When the Master read the Righteous Deliberations, he said: 'The Three Teachings can herein become one.' (The Master's grandfather, Duke Xian, authored the Righteous Deliberations on the Sovereign Ultimate, asserting that in the Great Plan, the meaning of the Fifth Sovereign Ultimate values the Middle Way; humanity stands in the center of Heaven and Earth, so one knows that though the teachings are three, humanity is one.) Someone asked about the Way of longevity and divine immortals; the Master said: 'If benevolence and righteousness are not cultivated, and filial piety and fraternal duty are not established, what is the use of longevity?'

39.28

Emperor Yang (Guang, the second son of Emperor Wen. According to posthumous title rules, 'opposing Heaven and abusing the people' is called Yang. In the Zuo Tradition there is Duke Yang of Lu. The Sui gave the Last Lord of Chen the posthumous title Yang; now he is also given the posthumous title Yang, as if by retribution. Guangyun reads it with the fanqie yu + shang; it means violent).

39.29

In the ninth month of the first year of the Daye era, the Emperor visited Yangzhou. The Tiantai monastic emissary Zhizao went to the imperial traveling lodge and was ushered in for an audience at the Great Ivory Hall, where an edict was issued to grant a name for the Tiantai monastery. Zhizao memorialized: 'Formerly, in the Chen dynasty, there was Chan Master Dingguang. After his spirit departed, [Zhiyi] dreamt that his spirit said: "You wish to build a monastery, but the time is not yet ripe. When the three realms become one, a person of great power and influence will build the monastery for you. If the monastery is completed, the country will become peaceful (qing); it should be named Guoqing Monastery." The Emperor said: 'This is an auspicious omen from our late master,' and immediately used it as the name. Thereupon he sent the usher-in-waiting Lu Zhengfang to install the monastery's plaque, and ordered Liu Guyan, director of the Palace Library, to compose a stele for Zhiyi and erect it at the monastery gate. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, his death anniversary, a vegetarian feast for a thousand monks was held. The officials checked the register and found that the number of one thousand was full, yet at the time of the feast when receiving the dakṣiṇā, the count exceeded by one person. (In Sanskrit dakṣiṇā, translated here as "bestowing wealth"; those today who mistakenly write the character jin are in error.) Everyone said that Zhiyi had manifested a transformation body to come and receive the state offering. In the afternoon of that day, the imperial envoys and the great assembly opened and inspected the sacred coffin, finding only an empty couch and bare hangings. (Tradition relates that one day when the revolving repository wheel at Yuquan Monastery was pushed, Prince Guan possessed someone and spoke: 'My master's physical body is here; you must not operate the flying wheel above it.' From this it was known that Prince Guan's divine power had moved and hidden it here from Tiantai.)

39.30

In the second year, an edict ordered monks and Daoist priests to pay homage to the sovereign. Monk Mingzhan and others defied the edict and refused to comply. The Emperor questioned them, and [Mingzhan] answered: 'If Your Majesty orders us to follow regulations and renounce our robes, we would not dare disobey. But if you recognize that the Great Dharma should be revered, then beneath the Dharma robes monks have no canon for paying homage to the secular.' The Emperor fell silent and stopped. / The Third Patriarch, Chan Master Sengcan, passed away. The master initially visited Chan Master Huike as a layman. After receiving the transmission of the Dharma and the robe, during the Zhou purge of the teachings, he moved back and forth at Mount Sikong for over ten years. At the beginning of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, he resided at Mount Wangong (舒州 Shuzhou), transmitted the Dharma to the novice Daoxin, and traveled freely through the Jiangnan region. In this year he returned to his old abode, and having preached the Dharma to the assembly, passed away standing upright. A stūpa was erected for him at Shangu Monastery. / Monk Daoming of Xiangzhou passed away. Xuanxu, a monk from the same room, was walking in the wilderness at dusk when he suddenly saw a sanghārāma and went to take lodging there. He met Daoming, who appeared no different from during his lifetime. Daoming led Xu to his room. Xu privately wondered at this. Late at night, Ming arose and said to Xu: 'This is no ordinary place; be careful not to go to the hall.' After he left, Xu went secretly to see. The karmadāna chanted to distribute the congee, which all turned into the color of blood. When the congee had been served to all the monks, their entire bodies burst into flame, lasting for about the duration of a meal. When the karmadāna struck the mallet for quiet, the marks of suffering ceased. Xu returned to his lodging in fear. When Ming arrived, Xu asked him about it. He replied: 'This is a hell. Because I took a bundle of the monks' firewood to boil dye and forgot to reimburse them, I have to burn my feet for one year to receive retribution.' Lifting his robe, [Xu] saw that everything below his knees was scorched black. Ming then said: 'If you would kindly buy one hundred bundles of firewood for me to restore to the sangha's permanent property and transcribe a copy of the Lotus Sūtra, I can be freed from this suffering.' Xu agreed. Returning to the monastery, he prepared these according to his words. When he went back to search for the monastery, there was only silence and nothing to be seen (Record of the Mirror of Monks).

39.31

In the first month of the third year, an edict ordered all commanderies and prefectures throughout the empire to practice the Way for seven days, ordaining a total of one thousand monks. His Majesty personally composed a vow: 'The Bodhisattva-precept disciple, Emperor Yang Zongchi, bows his head in homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions. I pray that through the merit of ordaining people into the homeless life, we may universally cleanse the sinful defilements from the Summit of Existence to the Avīci Hell (the heavenly palaces and the hells), and together attain bodhi,' and so forth.

39.32

The fourth year.

39.33

In the fifth year, an edict ordered that all monks throughout the empire who lacked virtue and learning be made to return to lay life. Monasteries were to be retained according to the quota of monks, and the rest were all to be dismantled. Chan Master Dazhi of Fulin on Mount Lu (a disciple of Zhiyi) wore plain white clothes and wept before the Buddha for three days, vowing to sacrifice his body to illuminate the Way. He then went to the Eastern Capital and submitted a memorial saying: 'I pray that Your Majesty cause the Three Jewels to prosper; this poor monk will burn his arm to repay the country's benevolence.' The Emperor respected him and granted permission. Thereupon, wrapping himself in cloth and wax, he mounted a high platform and sat upright, setting himself on fire. After the burning, he entered absorption, and after seven days passed away seated in the lotus posture. From then on, the edict was issued but not enforced.

39.34

In the ninth year, an edict renamed all monasteries throughout the empire as 'bodhimaṇḍas' (daochang). / The Emperor visited Weiyang and summoned the thaumaturge monk Faxi for an audience. One day [Faxi] circled the palace demanding a sheep's head. The Emperor was displeased by this and handed him over to the Minister of Justice, keeping him under strict guard. Yet officials saw him begging in the marketplace daily. His Majesty ordered an investigation; they found only a kāṣāya covering golden chain-links of bone. An edict ordered his image to be sculpted in scented clay. That night, the clay image rose and walked, talking and laughing as of old. His Majesty was amazed by this and issued an edict releasing him from confinement. Not long after, he manifested illness and passed away, being buried at Xiangshan. Several years later, travelers returning from the southern sea saw the master entirely unharmed. Opening his tomb to check, there was only an empty coffin. When Emperor Yang was assassinated at Jiangdu, people finally realized the prior omen of demanding the sheep's head.

39.35

Emperor Gong (You, son of Emperor Yang).

39.36

In the first year of the Yining era, the Fifth Patriarch, Chan Master Zhang'an Guanding, expounded the essential import of cessation and contemplation (zhiguan) for Chan Master Zhiwei at Guoqing Monastery on Mount Tiantai.

39.37

Tang (capital Chang'an).

39.38

Gaozu (Li Yuan, who received the abdication of the Sui).

39.39

In the first year of Wude, an edict ordered the carving of three life-sized sandalwood Buddha statues for [the imperial ancestors] from Taizu down. Because the śramaṇa Jinghui had once prophesied that the Emperor would receive the heavenly mandate, Shengye Monastery was established for him. Because the śramaṇa Tanxian had provided porridge to relieve the starving multitude at the end of the Sui, Cibei Monastery was established for him. Because the righteous army had risen in Taiyuan, Taiyuan Monastery was established. A decree was also issued to establish Yixing Monastery in Bingzhou to commend the merits of the region where the righteous uprising began.

39.40

In the second year, an edict decreed that in accordance with Buddhist rules, executions, butchering, and fishing were prohibited during the first, fifth, and ninth months, as well as on the ten vegetarian days of each month, to serve forever as a national statute.

39.41

The third year.

39.42

In the fourth year, Shi Zhiyan had initially served the Sui as Palace Commander of the Valiant Cavalry (Huben Zhonglangjiang). He always hung a water-strainer on the tip of his bow so as not to drink water containing insects. At this time, he abandoned his official post and entered Mount Wan to study the Way. He saw an extraordinary monk over a ten-foot rod in height, who said to him, 'You have already gone forth as a monk for eighty-one lifetimes.' His military comrade Lüqiu Yin came to the mountain to seek him out. Seeing the steep, craggy cliffs and hearing the sorrowful cries of birds and beasts, he said to the master, 'Commander, have you gone mad? Why do you live here?' Zhiyan replied, 'My madness is about to sober up; your madness is just breaking out.' His comrade sighed in lamentation and withdrew.

39.43

In the sixth year, Record Keeper Li of Huoze County died. [While alive], he had often gone to Dharma Master Yu's place to listen to the explanation of the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa and discuss it with others. The master asked him, 'Now as I lecture on this sūtra, what kind of people are moved to listen?' He replied, 'From above people's heads upwards are spirits and gods; reaching higher up, celestial beings in layered ranks fill [the space]. However, when the celestial beings smell the master's breath of wine, they all turn their faces away while listening.' Master Yu immediately repented and drank no more. The ghost added, 'It is not only this assembly alone that moves the celestial beings; wherever there is a Dharma rite, there are none that do not descend.' An imperial order appointed the śramaṇa Xuanzang, master of the Tripiṭaka, to reside at Dazhuangyan Monastery.

39.44

In the seventh year, the Emperor visited the National University for the seasonal sacrifice to Confucius. He ordered Erudite Xu Kuang to lecture on the Classic of Filial Piety, the śramaṇa Huicheng to lecture on the Heart Sūtra, and the Daoist Liu Jinshan to lecture on Laozi. Erudite Lu Deming (original name Yuanlang), following each subject, established their meanings and comprehensively analyzed their essentials. The Emperor said with pleasure, 'The three speakers are truly eloquent, yet Deming with a single stroke covers them all.'

39.45

In the eighth year, Fu Yi, Director of the Astrological Bureau, submitted a memorial, stating, 'The Buddha was in the Western Regions; his speech was bizarre and his land remote. The Han translations of barbarian books indulged in fraudulent pretenses, causing the disloyal and unfilial to shave their heads and merely bow to sovereigns and parents, idling their hands and stealing food, and changing their garments to evade taxes and corvée. Now, life and death, longevity and premature demise proceed from nature; punishment, virtue, authority, and blessings pertain to the human sovereign. Yet foolish monks use deceit and craft, all claiming these come from the Buddha, usurping the authority of the human sovereign and monopolizing the power of Creation. That this harms governance is truly lamentable!' The memorial was presented, but received no response.

39.46

Kai'an states: Fu Yi was of the disposition of a petty person. When he suddenly submitted a memorial slandering the Buddha and defaming the teaching, all the court ministers at the time rejected it; only Gaozu, weak in faith, was misled by his words. Now looking at Fu Yi's memorial and the edict on purging [the clergy], they amounted to nothing more than claiming [monks] idle their hands, steal food, and illicitly evade corvée and labor. Alas! To study the holy path to seek transcendence from the world, to spread compassionate transformation to assist in ordering all under heaven, to illuminate the retribution of good and evil to warn the unenlightened masses, and to fathom the principles of nature and life to realize true cultivation—these are the great effects of those who study the Buddha. How could they conflict with the stream of Confucianism, when both advance together? How could one judge them with the lowliness of corvée laborers and conscripts! Someone might say, 'Most people who study the Buddha come from farming backgrounds; to turn them back and stop them is precisely to strengthen agrarian customs.' Not so. When the sons of farming households today achieve ranks in the civil service examinations, can they be stopped? Moreover, the Buddhist way is broadly accommodating, regardless of whether one is foolish or wise. If one points to the mediocre and vulgar among them to obscure all the virtuous and eminent, it is like Zihou reproaching Tuizhi for being angry at the exterior while violating the interior—this is knowing the stone while being unaware of the jade within it. Today, many are called Confucians yet have the disposition of petty people; we have not heard that because practitioners are unvirtuous one should immediately wish to abolish the teachings of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius. Thus, that there are mediocre and vulgar people among the clergy is due to the inadequacy of individual talent, not the fault of the Buddhist way.

39.47

In the ninth year, Fu Yi submitted seven memorials requesting the abolition of the Buddhadharma. The Emperor referred his memorials to the ministers for mixed deliberation. The high officials all said, 'The Buddhadharma has flourished through successive dynasties, promoting goodness, checking evil, and invisibly aiding the state; by principle it should not be discarded.' Chancellor Xiao Yu (son of Emperor Ming of the Later Liang) said, 'The Buddha is a sage, yet Yi denounces him. One who denounces a sage is lawless and should be punished.' Yi replied, 'Among the great human relations, none surpasses sovereign and father. The Buddha, as an heir apparent, rebelled against his father, and as a commoner defied the Son of Heaven. Xiao Yu was not born from a hollow mulberry tree, yet he follows a fatherless teaching. One who rejects filial piety has no love for his kin; this applies to Yu.' Yu joined his palms and said to him, 'Hell is prepared precisely for such a man!' One day the Emperor asked the ministers, 'Fu Yi repeatedly says the Buddhist teaching is useless; what do you think?' Pei Ji, Vice Director of the Left, said, 'When Your Majesty formerly raised the righteous army, your intent relied upon the Three Jewels, and your vow to ascend to the throne pledged to open the mystery-gate. Now the realm has returned to benevolence and possesses the wealth of the four seas; if you wish to accept Yi's words, would this not impair past virtue and manifest present fault?' The Emperor again promulgated the memorial to the monks, asking how going forth as a monk benefits the state. The śramaṇa Falin composed the Treatises on Destroying the Heterodox (Poxie lun), asserting that the Buddhist teaching penetrates the source of the myriad phenomena, whereas Confucius and Laozi established words only for governance within the temporal realm. All who go forth uphold their resolve, clarify the Way, promote goodness, and generate blessings, enlightening the ignorant and benefiting the state in no small measure. At that time, Yu Shinan, Recording Secretary in the Prince of Qin's Headquarters, wrote a preface praising it. Dharma Master Minggai composed the Decisive Counter-Treatise (Juedui lun), rebuking Yi on eight points for slandering the Buddha and monks. Li Shizheng, Master of Ceremonies in the Prince of Qin's Headquarters, composed the Treatise on Inner Virtue (Neide lun), stating: 'The breadth with which it encourages goodness and advances virtue is beyond the reach of the Six Classics; the depth with which it warns against evil and guards against calamities cannot be matched by the Nine Streams. Only in plumbing the spiritual and comprehending transformation are its words so immense as to be astonishing; in removing delusion and severing defilement, its path is so pure and lofty as to be difficult to tread. Useful developments did not arise in high antiquity; the sages initiated practices in later generations. Hence ridgepoles and eaves replaced dwelling in tree-nests, and written characters replaced the governance of knotted cords. The fare of drinking blood and eating raw fur was used first yet not prized; the efficacy of cooking by fire and eating grain, though invented later, is not defective. How could it be that the Classics of Poetry and Documents, having spread early, should be exalted, while the palm-leaf sūtras, having arrived late, should be discarded? Furthermore, the condition of unending birth and death and the doctrine of imperishable retribution are what the Śākya clan has clarified, but what Huang-Lao has not understood.' Furthermore, Huicheng composed the Treatise on Discerning Rectitude (Bianzheng lun) with Ten Analogies and Nine Admonitions, refuting the Daoists' errors of the 'Ten Heterodoxies and Nine Delusions'. The Emperor examined the treatises of the various śramaṇas and realized that Yi was praising Daoism and slandering Buddhism; thereupon he intended to purge both teachings together. In the fifth month, an edict was issued: because śramaṇas and Daoists illicitly evaded corvée, failed to observe the monastic precepts, and because their monasteries and abbeys adjoined marketplaces and mixed with butchers and winemakers, this was not how instruction should be handed down. Those monks and Daoists whose precept-conduct was deficient were all ordered to leave the clergy. Those who were diligent and refined in practice were all to reside in major monasteries and abbeys, supplied with clothing and food. In the capital, three monasteries and one abbey were retained; each prefecture was to retain one each; all the rest were abolished. In the sixth month, on the gengshen day, Crown Prince Jiancheng and King Yuanji of Qi plotted harm against the Prince of Qin. The Prince of Qin, Shimin, attacked and killed them. The Prince of Qin was made Crown Prince. On the guihai day, a great amnesty was granted across the realm, and the previous edict on purging monks and Daoists was suspended. In the eighth month, an edict abdicated the throne to the Crown Prince. After ascending the throne, he once asked Fu Yi, 'The Buddhist Way is subtle and profound, and its holy traces worthy of emulation; moreover, the matters of retribution are manifest. Why is it that you alone do not realize its principles?' Yi replied, 'The Buddha was merely a cunning and crafty fellow from the West, of no benefit to the state. It is not that I fail to realize it; I despise it and do not study it.' The Emperor deeply detested his words. Later, Fu Yi contracted a foul illness; his whole body rotted and festered, and he died wailing. Feng Changming, Director of the Palace Administration, dreamed that he went to the underworld and saw many of the deceased. He asked, 'Fu Yi slandered the Buddha and died of a foul illness; what retribution does he suffer now?' The reply was: 'We have already heard he was handed over to Yuezhou to be in Nili.' People of discernment at the time said this meant the Nili Hell (Record of Bitter Retributions).

39.48

Taizong (Shimin, second son of Gaozu).

39.49

In the first month of the first year of Zhenguan, an edict ordered virtuous śramaṇas of the capital to enter the inner palace to practice the Way for seven days. Three thousand monks and nuns were ordained throughout the empire. An edict converted the imperial family's old residence, the Tongyi Palace, into Xingsheng Monastery. An edict ordered the śramaṇa Guangzhi to translate five texts, including the Ratnaketu Sūtra, at Daxingshan Monastery, with Vice Director of the Left Fang Xuanling and others supervising.

39.50

In the third month of the second year, an edict stated: 'Since We first raised the righteous army, those personally executed and cut down by Our own hand amount to nearly a thousand persons. Let vegetarian feasts be established and the Way be practiced in all cases, exhausting all sincerity in bowing and repenting, in the hope that the distress of the three evil destinies may thereby be escaped.'

39.51

The Narrator states: Some say that Taizong personally slaughtered people and was truly a cruel man. Little do they know that the Sui was unprincipled, and Heaven was about to raise up the Tang. Taizong was caught in the midst of military campaigns; encountering those who obstructed transformation and harmed governance directly before his eyes, had he not swiftly cut them down, it would have hindered strategic operations. Obeying Heaven's mandate to eradicate brutal bandits is not to be compared with Jie and Zhou murdering the innocent, whose guilt and evil reached full measure. Once the realm was settled, his benevolent heart naturally remained. Knowing only that the Buddhadharma could bring salvation, he established vegetarian feasts, performed repentance, and extended kindness to the nether regions; this was how he plucked [souls] out of deep suffering and fulfilled living beings. He was truly a benevolent and forgiving sovereign!

39.52

In the fifth month, an imperial order decreed that on the death anniversaries of previous reigns, vegetarian feasts and the offering of incense should be held at Zhangjing Monastery, to serve forever as a fixed rule. In the seventh month, an edict ordered monks and Daoists of the capital and various commanderies to recite sūtras and practice the Way for seven days and seven nights, praying for blessings for the people so as to secure the autumn harvest. Every year in the first month and seventh month, this was to be taken as the standard model.

39.53

In the first month of the third year, an edict ordered the śramaṇas of the capital to practice the Way and recite the Benevolent Kings Sūtra on the twenty-seventh day of each month, praying for blessings for the state, with the government providing the vegetarian offerings. In the third month, Chan Master Shijing of Mizhou was summoned to the capital by edict to pray for rain. The master observed a vegetarian retreat and sat in meditation; this moved a white rainbow to appear in the northwestern sky by day, and heavy rain brought complete relief. In the eighth month, the śramaṇa Xuanzang submitted a memorial requesting permission to go to India to seek sūtras. In the twelfth month, an edict stated: 'The Sui lost the Way, and the nine regions boiled over. We personally commanded the main armies and executed this bright punishment. Wherever armies engaged in battle since the righteous uprising, for all righteous soldiers and ferocious rebels who perished in battle array, let monasteries be built in each place to invite and accommodate superior companions, establishing fields of merit to save their souls (Laozi says 'carrying the bodily soul'; the commentary says 'hun and po'. The Mount Lu Collection says 'the dharma of the mind is the bodily soul of the divine spirit') in order to fulfill Our intent of pity and compassion.' (All the above appears in the Old Tang History; Ouyang [Xiu's] New History deleted and omitted them). In the first month of the fourth year, a sixteen-foot embroidered statue of Śākyamuni Buddha from the upper palace was rescued, enshrined in Shengguang Monastery, and a vegetarian feast for a thousand monks was provided. In the fifth month, the monasteries built on the battlefields were completed. Ministers were commanded to compose the stele inscriptions: for defeating Liu Wuzhou at Fenzhou, Hongji Monastery was established, composed by Li Baiyao; for defeating Song Laosheng at Juzhou, Puji Monastery was established, composed by Xu Jingzong; for defeating Xue Ju at Binzhou, Zhaoren Monastery was established, composed by Zhu Zishe; for defeating Song Jingang at Jinzhou, Ciyun Monastery was established, composed by Chu Suiliang; for defeating Wang Shichong at Mount Mang, Zhaojue Monastery was established, composed by Yu Shinan; for defeating Dou Jiande at Fanshui, Dengci Monastery was established, composed by Yan Shigu; for defeating Liu Heita at Luozhou, Zhaofu Monastery was established, composed by Cen Wenben. In that year there was a great bumper harvest under heaven; a dou of rice cost three cash; outside doors were not locked; travelers did not carry provisions; and only twenty-nine people were sentenced to death. All under heaven was in great order. The Emperor said to the ministers, 'This is Wei Zheng advising Us to practice benevolence and righteousness; its efficacy is now realized.' Recalling that when he first pacified the realm he had slain more than a thousand persons with his own hand and that they had not met this era of great peace, he immediately donated imperial garments to the monasteries and ordered the monks to perform repentance. (These matters appear in the Old History; Ouyang [Xiu's] New History deleted them all).

39.54

Kāi'ān said: What a ruler does must be written down; hence it is called history. History is that which records the traces of success and failure of the time. Therefore, an evil act such as regicide must be written down, and a scandal such as incestuous relations with one's father's concubines must be written down. How could one fail to record it merely because it is scandalous or evil? Thus we know that when historians do not suppress the good and evil deeds of their times, only then can it be considered authentic history. Anciently, when Fan Ye wrote the Book of the Later Han, he first discussed the Buddhist teachings in the 'Traditions on the Western Regions'. When Chen Shou wrote the Records of the Three Kingdoms, he neglected and did not record it. When Emperor Taizong of Tang compiled the Book of Jin, he occasionally drew upon the eminent conduct of monks. Wei Shou wrote the 'Treatise on Buddhism and Daoism' in the History of the Northern Dynasties, and Li Yanshou composed the biography of Gu Huan in the History of the Southern Dynasties. Whenever emperors, kings, ministers, or high officials defamed or praised Buddhism and Daoism, there was none that was not fully recorded. As for the bias, correctness, superiority, and inferiority of the two teachings, neither then nor today has there ever been a failure to understand clearly where they belong. When Mr. Ouyang compiled the Tang History and the History of the Five Dynasties, he deleted matters concerning Buddhism and Daoism. Now the Tang History is the official history of the Tang dynasty, not Ouyang's private book! Even supposing [certain matters] were not worthy of being taken as models, discussing them would have been permissible; how could he delete them entirely according to his personal dislikes? From this we know that one who lacks comprehensive understanding is unfit to assume the responsibility of compiling history. Generally, the acceptance or rejection of the Buddha's teaching is largely dependent on human likes and dislikes. Han [Yu], Ouyang [Xiu], and Sima [Guang] at first disliked Buddhism. Whenever an occasion arose and they made statements, they would inevitably criticize it. But when Tuizhi (Han Yu) inquired about the Way from Dadian, when Yongshu (Ouyang Xiu) heard the Dharma from Yuantong, and when Junshi (Sima Guang) expanded on the words of Wenzhongzi and composed the 'Chan Eulogies', saying, 'His words are a teacher for a hundred generations; his actions are a model for all under heaven; being a worthy and a great sage, this is called a Buddha or bodhisattva' (six stanzas of Chan Eulogies appear in Lord Sima's Collected Works)—these three worthies disliked it at the beginning and liked it in the end. It is regrettable that they heard the Way so late, and their earlier pronouncements could not be retracted. Alas! If the acceptance and rejection of the Buddha's teaching indeed depend on human likes and dislikes, can one not be discerning?

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese