佛祖統紀 42

English (machine translation) 42

Language: English

42.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Zhipan of Donghu in Siming under the Song dynasty in the Xianchun era.

42.2

Treatise on the Prosperity and Decline of the Dharma, Seventeen, Part Nine.

42.3

Emperor Muzong (Heng, the third son of Xianzong)

In the first year of Changqing, the Emperor personally composed an eulogy for the Vinaya Master of Nanshan, which stated: 'In each era there is an awakened person who acts as the envoy of the Tathāgata. / Dragons and ghosts submit; devas and humans attend upon him. / His voice flies across the Five Indias; his words astonish ten thousand leagues. / As the golden crow sinks in the west, the sun of the Buddha rises in the east. / Bowing our heads, we take refuge in the founder of the Vinaya school.' (To this day, the Vinaya school uses this eulogy on the day of his memorial observance.) ○ The Military Commissioner of Youzhou, Liu Zong, submitted a memorial requesting permission to leave household life. The Emperor did not grant it. Zong thereupon handed over his seal of office to his deputy; he then shaved his own hair to become a monk, turning his private residence into a monastery. The Emperor then complied with his wish, enfeoffing him as Great Awakened Master, granting him a monastic seniority of fifty years, and naming the monastery Bao'en. ○ Pei Du, the Military Commissioner of Hedong, memorialized that auspicious clouds had appeared at Foguang Monastery on Mount Wutai, and that the Great Being Mañjuśrī rode a lion in the sky with ten thousand followers. The Emperor dispatched an envoy to make offerings to the ten thousand bodhisattvas. On that day, auspicious clouds appeared again at the monastery. An imperial decree ordered Śramaṇa Weiying of Longxing Monastery to serve as Academician Awaiting Orders in the Hanlin Academy and Monastic Controller of the Two Streets.

42.5

In the second year, Chan Master Wuye of Fenyang (who had studied under Mazu)—whenever learners posed a question to him, he would invariably answer: "Do not have deluded thoughts." Emperor Xianzong repeatedly sent envoys to summon him, but he declined on grounds of illness each time. When the Emperor ascended the throne, he wished to pay him homage and gaze upon him; at this time, he dispatched Lingfu of the Two Streets carrying an imperial edict to welcome and invite him. The Master smiled and said to the assembly: "I shall depart by another path." In the middle of the night, he gathered the assembly, preached the Dharma, sat upright, and passed away. By imperial decree, he was posthumously granted the title State Preceptor Dada. ○ White Juyi, as Secretariat Drafter, was in charge of Hangzhou; he went to inquire about the Way with Chan Master Niaoke. The Master said: "Do no evil; perform all good." Juyi said: "Even a three-year-old child can say this!" The Master said: "Though a three-year-old child can say it, an eighty-year-old elder cannot practice it." Juyi submitted to his words, made obeisance, and withdrew. (The Master's name was Daolin; he studied under Chan Master Qin of Mount Jingshan).

42.6

In the fourth year, the Śramaṇa Huijiao carved the Lotus Sūtra on the stone cliff of Gushan at the West Lake in Hangzhou. The Prefect Bai Juyi and nine others aided his endeavor. The Grand Councilor Yuan Zhen composed a record for it, which stated: "The profound marvels of the Buddha's Dharma are for monks to explain to me; it is not for me to explain to monks." ○ Bai Juyi arrived at Mount Lu and visited Chan Master Chang of Guizong, happening upon the Master plastering a wall. [The Master] asked: "Are you a Confucian gentleman or a petty Confucian?" Juyi said: "A Confucian gentleman." The Master struck with his plaster trowel once; Juyi then passed over some plaster. The Master took it and used it immediately. After a long pause, he said: "Could you be that quick and clever Vice Minister Bai?" Juyi said: "I dare not claim to be." The Master said: "You only have the ability to pass plaster." ○ Secretariat Director Wang Zhixing requested to erect a universal ordination platform in Sizhou, asking that ordinations of monks be permitted on the imperial birthday. An imperial rescript granted approval. Li Deyu, Surveillance Commissioner of Western Zhe, submitted a memorial arguing that those ordained were beyond count, causing the Jiang-Huai region to lose hundreds of thousands of able-bodied men. The Emperor did not accept [his remonstrance].

42.7

Emperor Jingzong (Zhan, eldest son of Muzong)

42.8

In the first year of Baoli, an imperial decree ordered the Two Streets to establish universal ordination platforms: Anguo Monastery on the Left Street and Xingfu Monastery on the Right Street. Liu Gui, Commander of the Middle Palace Guards, was appointed Commissioner of Merit and Virtue for the Left and Right Streets. Those possessing vinaya conduct were selected as Venerables. It was ordered that male postulants who could recite 150 sheets of sūtra from memory and female postulants who could recite 100 sheets be permitted to have their hair shaved and receive ordination.

42.9

In the second year, an imperial decree summoned more than four hundred śramaṇas and Daoist priests to debate and hold a feast in the Daming Palace. ○ The Emperor visited Xingfu Monastery to watch the Śramaṇa Wenxu expound the sūtras; the Emperor praised him. ○ Bai Juyi composed the Record of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra Society, stating: "Śramaṇa Nancao of Longxing Monastery in Hangzhou, moved by Master Daofeng of Lingyin expounding the Chapter on the Avataṃsaka World, made a vow to urge one hundred thousand monastics and laypeople to uphold one copy of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra; these one hundred thousand people would each urge a thousand others to chant one fascicle of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Every year, in all four seasons, the assembly gathered for a communal vegetarian feast. Cao held incense, knelt, and addressed the Buddha, saying: 'I vow that in future lives, within the Avataṃsaka-treasury world, above the Great Ocean of Fragrant Water, amid the precious lotus and golden wheel, before Vairocana Buddha, I may be together with these one hundred thousand people.' Thereupon he raised funds from the assembly to purchase one thousand qing of fields to supply the feasts. He came to ask me for a record, saying: 'You are one of the one hundred thousand people.'"

42.10

Emperor Wenzong (Ang, second son of Muzong)

42.11

In the first year of Dahe, in the tenth month, on the imperial birthday, a decree summoned Bai Juyi, Director of the Palace Library, Great Master Yilin of Anguo Monastery who Guides the Imperial Carriage, and Yang Hongyuan, Daoist priest of Shangqing Palace, to discuss the three teachings in the Linde Hall. (The Letian Wenji fully contains their dialogues.) ○ Śramaṇa Great Master Shanxin studied under Mazu and awakened to the cardinal meaning of the Buddha's Dharma. Later, he went to Mount Wutai to cultivate the unhindered offering. After a long time, he saw an old man who said to him: "Your great karmic affinity lies in Suihong." Following the instruction, the Master went to Mount Dahong. It happened that local residents were sacrificing living animals to pray for rain at the dragon pool of the mountain. The Master stopped them, saying: "Do not kill animals for sacrifice; I shall pray for you." He then climbed the mountain and sat in peaceful meditation; sweet rain poured down abundantly. A certain Zhang Wuling and his son led the multitude to give thanks and built a bodhimaṇḍa for him. In this year, he suddenly announced to the assembly: "Various kinds of offerings are not as good as offering one's own body." He then used a sharp blade to cut off his left and right feet and placed them on a table; white milk gushed forth. His disciples wailed and snatched the blade away. Without rising from his seat, the Master entered nirvāṇa. The Zhang father and son stood in attendance to his left and right, and suddenly shed their bodies and transformed. People were awed by these spiritual signs, referring to them as the Great Saint and the Second Saint. Military Commissioner Cui of Shannan sent officials to arrange offerings and applied gold paste to his body. Hearing of this, the Emperor bestowed upon his dwelling the name Youji Cloister. From then on, whenever various commanderies prayed there, the spiritual response came like an echo.

42.12

In the second year, Shen Chuanshi, Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangxi, requested permission to erect a universal ordination platform in Hongzhou to ordain monks on the imperial birthday. The imperial response stated: "Ordaining monks has been temporarily suspended due to state affairs. The imperial decree had already been issued, yet Chuanshi violated the prohibition; his petition should be penalized with a fine of one month's salary to show disapproval."

42.13

In the third year, Śramaṇa Qinghuang and others carved eight works, including the Lotus Sūtra, on the stone cliff at Fahua Cloister in Gusu. Commandery Prefect Bai Juyi composed a record for it.

42.14

In the fourth year, the Bureau of Sacrifices requested that monks and nuns throughout the realm who were not formally ordained be permitted to register their names with the Department of State Affairs to receive certificates. At that time, seven hundred thousand people submitted their registrations. ○ Great Master Yilin, who Guides the Imperial Carriage, memorialized requesting the repair of the Ci'en Pagoda. On the day the tomb was opened, an extraordinary fragrance assailed the people. The true body lay on its side upon a brick platform, possessing forty teeth, with a countenance as if alive; golden moss two inches thick covered the bricks, resembling auspicious fungus. ○ Master Xiu expounded the contemplation and cessation (śamatha-vipaśyanā) dharma gate for Master Wuwai at Chanlin Monastery on Mount Tiantai.

42.15

In the fifth year, an imperial decree ordered commanderies and prefectures throughout the realm to compile registers of monks and nuns.

42.16

In the twelfth month of the eighth year, Chan Master Puyuan of Nanquan in Chizhou passed away (see [the entry on] Mazu). The master had resided at Nanquan for thirty years. Surveillance Commissioner Lu Gen invited him to enter the commandery and rendered him the rites of a disciple. Gen said, "This disciple also has a slight understanding of the Buddha Dharma." The master said, "Grand Master, what do you do throughout the twelve periods of the day?" Gen said, "Not a single thread hangs on me." The master said, "You are still a fellow standing below the steps." Lu Gen saw people playing double-sixes, picked up a die, and said, "Like this, or not like this? How is it when one simply follows such a roll of the dice?" The master picked it up and said, "Rotten bones, spotted eighteen." Gen said, "Master Zhao was truly extraordinary; he could state that 'Heaven and earth share the same root, the myriad things are of one body.'" The master pointed to a peony blossom in front of the courtyard and said, "When people see this single flower, it is just like a dream." Chan Master Weiyan of Yaoshan in Lizhou passed away. He was posthumously granted the title Great Master Hongdao (see [the entry on] Shitou).

42.17

In the ninth year, auspicious clouds appeared over the Buddha's Relic Pagoda at Famen Temple on Mount Qi. In the fourth month, Hanlin Academician Li Xun requested that the ritual arena in the Changsheng Hall be abolished and that fraudulent and bogus monks and nuns be purged. That night, a great wind arose around the sacred images in the Imperial Palace; all four owl-tail ridge-end ornaments of the Hanyuan Hall were shaken loose and fell. It uprooted three trees in front of the hall and damaged several dozen Jinwu guardhouses, interior and exterior watchtowers, and city gates. The western walls of the Guanghua Gate were all ruined. The scholar-officials and commoners were terrified. Deeming that Li Xun's request had contravened Heaven's will, the Emperor urgently issued an edict halting the previous purge and reinstating the ceremonial images in the Imperial Palace; only then did the wind cease (Five Elements Treatise of the Old History). In the seventh month, Li Xun requested that monks and nuns throughout the realm be tested on their scriptural studies, and that those who failed to meet the standard be laicized. In the eleventh month, Li Xun was condemned for plotting to execute the eunuchs and was beheaded at Lake Kunming. An edict excused monks and nuns from taking the scriptural examination. In the eighth month, an imperial order summoned the Śramaṇa Zongmi (titled Guifeng, a collateral sixth-generation successor of the Sixth Patriarch) into the inner palace to inquire about the Buddha Dharma, bestowing upon him a purple square robe.

42.18

In the first month of the first year of the Kaicheng reign, the Monastic Registrar of the Left Street, Palace Disputant of the Three Teachings, Imperial Escort Master, and Dharma Master Wuda Duanfu passed away lying on his right side; after cremation, three hundred grains of relics were obtained. The master had led the pure assembly as an exemplar for eleven years; over a thousand disciples transmitted his teachings. Pei Xiu, Compiler of the Historiography Institute, composed the stela inscription. An imperial decree appointed the Śramaṇa Yunduan as Monastic Registrar of the Left and Right Streets. The Emperor once said to his close ministers, "Are there those in the realm who render no benefit to moral edification yet feed like vermin on the state? You gentlemen may speak of them fully." Someone replied, "Ever since our ancestral emperors, Buddhism has been widely promoted, and the black-robed clergy have grown increasingly numerous; these are indeed vermin." The Emperor immediately issued an edict commanding that monks inside and outside the capital cease lecturing on Buddhist scriptures. It happened that when the Palace Food Service was preparing the imperial cuisine and boiling chicken eggs, they suddenly heard a very faint sound from within the cauldron; listening closely, it was the cluster of eggs crying out to Guanshiyin Bodhisattva in extreme sorrow and pain. The culinary overseer reported this. The Emperor sent officials to verify it, and it was indeed so. The Emperor sighed and said, "I did not know the supernatural power of the Buddha's path could be like this!" He decreed that from this day forward, chicken eggs were not to be used. On another day, while eating clams, there was one that could not be pried open. He burned incense and prayed over it, and in a moment it transformed into the form of the Mahāsattva. The Emperor summoned Chan Master Weizheng of Mount Zhongnan to question him. The master said, "Phenomena do not respond in vain; this is surely to broaden Your Majesty's faith. The sutra says: 'To those who should be saved by this body, she immediately manifests this body and preaches the Dharma for them.'" The Emperor said, "The Mahāsattva has manifested, but I have not heard the preaching of the Dharma." The master said, "When Your Majesty beholds this, do you deem it ordinary or extraordinary? Do you believe it or not believe it?" The Emperor said, "How could I not believe such a rare event?" The master said, "She has already finished preaching the Dharma." The Emperor was greatly pleased, and at once decreed that temples throughout the realm erect images of Guanyin. An imperial order directed the master to dwell at Shengshou Temple. When Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, [the master] went into seclusion on Mount Zhongnan. When people asked him the reason, he replied, "I am only fleeing enmity" (a collateral line of the Fifth Patriarch).

42.19

In the third month of the third year, National Preceptor Qingliang Chengguan entered into rest. The Emperor suspended court audiences for three days. Important ministers donned white mourning garments, and an imperial order decreed his burial in a stone chamber on Mount Zhongnan. The master had lived through nine reigns and served as the preceptor to seven emperors. He was nine chi four cun tall, with arms that hung down past his knees. His talent was such that he could compose with two brushes simultaneously, writing ten thousand words daily. When resting, he did not remove his monastic robes; throughout his life, he ate only one meal a day. Prime Minister Pei Xiu received the imperial decree to compose his stela.

42.20

In the fourth year, the Secretariat memorialized requesting that, on the Emperor's birthday, the prime ministers and all officials be ordered to visit temples to host vegetarian feasts for a thousand monks. An imperial edict granted permission. At that time, renowned monks gathered together, and the scholar-officials and commoners watched freely, none failing to bow in reverence.

42.21

In the first month of the fifth year, Chan Master Zongmi of Guifeng passed away. Prime Minister Pei Xiu composed the stela.

42.22

Emperor Wuzong (named Yan, fifth son of Emperor Muzong).

42.23

In the third year of the Huichang reign, the Emperor wished to eradicate the Buddhist religion. He issued an edict ordering the Left and Right Streets to compile an account of what signs and responses had occurred during times of prosperity and decline since the appearance of the Buddha. Dharma Treasure Master Xuanchang compiled and submitted the *Chart of the Five Fortunes of the Three Jewels*. An imperial decree ordered that all Manichaean monasteries throughout the realm be abolished. Seventy Manichaean nuns in the capital were all killed. Those among the Uighurs were exiled to various circuits, and more than half of them perished.

42.24

In the first month of the fourth year, the Emperor, disliking that the prohibition of slaughter during vegetarian months originated from the Buddhist teachings, decreed that henceforth slaughter would only be prohibited on New Year's Day, the Three Origins Days, and days of national mourning.

42.25

In the first month of the fifth year, Zhao Guizhen requested a debate with the Buddhists. An edict summoned monks and Daoists to assemble in the Linde Hall. The Emperor personally handed down the *Laozi* to debate the meaning of "governing a great state is like cooking small fish." Dharma Master Zhixuan mounted the debate seat, broadly setting forth the roots of an emperor's way of governance and moral edification; his eloquence was robust and rigorous, and the Daoists could not defeat him. He then said to the Emperor, "The ascension to immortality and transformation into feathered immortals are matters of commoners in mountain forests cultivating their personal virtue, not matters to which an emperor should apply his mind." The Emperor's countenance showed displeasure, and he banished him back to his native place. The Emperor built the Wangxian Terrace in the southern suburbs. Relying on his imperial favor, Guizhen disparaged and undermined the Buddha's path, claiming that it was not what China ought to revere and should be eradicated. The ministers all said that Guizhen was treacherous and perverse, and should not be trusted. Seeing that he had incurred public criticism, Guizhen then recommended Deng Yuanchao and others from Luofu, joining their forces to firmly plot the destruction of the Buddha Dharma. In the fourth month, an edict ordered an inspection and tally of the number of temples, monks, and nuns throughout the realm. In the fifth month, it was decreed that in the Left and Right Streets of the two capitals, four temples each were to be preserved, with thirty monks each. Throughout the circuits and commanderies of the realm, one temple each was to be preserved: upper temples with twenty people, middle temples with ten people, and lower temples with five people. In the eighth month, an edict set a deadline for the various temples to be demolished. Across the realm, 4,600 monasteries and 40,000 hermitages were seized. The building materials from the temples were used to repair official buildings and postal relay stations; gold and silver images were turned over to the Ministry of Revenue; iron images were cast into agricultural implements; and bronze images, bells, and sounding stones were cast into coins. Millions of qing of fertile land and 150,000 slaves were confiscated. Monks and nuns returned to secular life numbered 260,500. Over two thousand Zoroastrian and fire-worshiping priests were also forced to return to lay life. Prime Minister Li Deyu led the civil and military officials in submitting a memorial of congratulations. Many monks of Mount Wutai fled to Youzhou. Li Deyu said to the memorial envoy, "Return and report to your commissioner not to allow wandering monks to cross into the borders." Military Commissioner Zhang Zhongwu obeyed his order. Wei Bo, Director of the Bureau of Receptions, said to Deyu, "The method of the purge should not be excessive." Enraged, Deyu demoted Bo to Administrative Assistant of Wuling.

42.26

In the sixth year, a man in Chang'an was walking at night past the tomb of King Mu of Zhou. He saw someone descending from the sky in red robes, holding a court tablet, and crying out, "Where is the tomb magistrate?" Two officers emerged from the tomb and said, "Here." The red-robed figure said, "When will the envoy recording the Soul of the Lord of the Western Sea arrive?" The officers said, "Estimating the journey, in about eighteen days." The red-robed figure said, "Why is he delayed like this?" The officers said, "Because Li Yan destroyed the Buddhist teachings, his lifespan has been curtailed and he is stripped of his throne; his soul is to be recorded together with that of the Lord of the Western Sea." As the bells of merchants arriving from the east sounded, the red-robed figure and the two officers suddenly vanished. A few days later, the Emperor indeed fell ill and died (Taiping guangji). Lu Zhen, Mentor to the Crown Prince, had a son who had once been a monk and was appointed Adjutant in the Prince of Guang's retinue due to the purge. One night he dreamed that his former master came to his home. Lu said to him, "This petty and trivial office is not my wish; I constantly think of donning the black robes again, but know not on what day." The master said, "The restoration is imminent; you should keep your resolve firm." Presently, he saw banners and ten thousand horsemen shouting as they approached, saying, "We welcome the Prince of Guang to become the Son of Heaven" (Comprehensive Record). In the fifth month, an imperial decree appointed Yang Qinyi as Commissioner of Merit and Virtue for the Left and Right Streets, ordering that eight temples be added to each of the two streets, and that the monks and nuns ordained be issued certificates by the Bureau of Sacrifices as before. It was decreed that on the death anniversaries of successive sage emperors, [officials] were to visit Buddhist temples to offer incense just as in the old regulations. Because the Daoists had deluded and disrupted the previous reign and destroyed the Buddhist teachings, an imperial decree directed Commissioner of Merit and Virtue Yang Qinyi to arrest Zhao Guizhen, Liu Yuanqing, Deng Yuanchao, and others—twelve men in all—and execute them together at the imperial court, displaying their severed heads and corpses.

42.27

Emperor Xuanzong (named Chen, thirteenth son of Emperor Xianzong).

42.28

In the third month of the first year of the Dazhong reign, an edict stated that the mergers and closures of temples in the final years of the Huichang era had been excessive in reform; regarding sacred sites on numinous mountains, if there were senior renowned monks able to repair and restore them, the authorities concerned were not to prohibit them. Li Deyu had monopolized power for a long time; the Emperor detested him and demoted him to Marshal of Chaozhou, and shortly thereafter demoted him again to Census Officer of Yazhou, where he died of a virulent illness. Earlier, there was a monk who had insight into past lives, who told Deyu, "Your Excellency will travel ten thousand li to the south. In your lifetime you are destined to eat ten thousand sheep; now you have consumed nine thousand five hundred. Until the sheep are exhausted, there is still a day of return." Deyu said, "I once dreamed of traveling in the Jin Mountains, where as far as the eye could see the mountains were covered with sheep. A shepherd said, 'These are what Your Excellency will consume in your lifetime.'" Ten days later, Li Ji, Military Commissioner of Zhenwu, sent a gift of four hundred sheep. The monk said, "The ten thousand sheep are nearly complete; Your Excellency will likely not return." Later he indeed died in Zhuya.

42.29

The narrative states: Since ancient times, when rulers have destroyed Buddhism, there have inevitably been ministers and assistants who helped accomplish the deed. Thus Emperor Taiwu of the Wei had Cui Hao, Emperor Wu of the Zhou had Zhang Bin and Wei Yuansong, and Emperor Wuzong of the Tang had Li Deyu and Zhao Guizhen. In the end, they caused the Great Dharma to suffer disgrace, and ruler and minister alike suffered evil retribution—what a mutual tragedy! As for carrying out a purge, such as Huan Xuan during the Jin dynasty, Fu Yi during the Tang dynasty, Yao Chong under Emperor Minghuang, and Li Xun under Emperor Wenzong, they were all constrained by contemporary circumstances, and once carried out their measures were soon halted; thus the brief and minor hardships they caused were not as cruel as the calamities brought about by the 'Three Wus'. Now, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou naturally possessed an inclination to destroy Buddhism, but did not find such assistants; Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu naturally possessed an inclination to reject Buddhism, but did not meet with such rulers. Had Shizong obtained a Cui Hao, his systematic execution of śramaṇas would have surpassed the cruelty of Taiwu; had Han and Ouyang met the Three Wus, their destruction of images and extermination of monks would not have been less cruel than that of Cui and Li. Cui Hao was cut in two at the waist, and Deyu died in exile; their ignominious ends were certainly recompense enough. Luzhi stated that when Tuizhi met Dadian, his anti-Buddhist sentiment was frustrated; Zuxiu stated that when Yongshu met Yuantong, his rejection of Buddhism melted away within. That Han and Ouyang were both able to secure good fortunes in the end was likewise due to the spiritual power and virtue of good spiritual mentors who turned them around.

42.30

Yang Hangong, Commander of the Left Imperial Guard, petitioned on the basis of his meritorious service in planning the succession to restore the Buddhist religion, and begged that the Dharma master Zhixuan be sought out. Thereupon [Zhixuan] returned to the sangha and took up residence at Baoying Monastery. On the occasion of the Shouchang Festival, he expounded the praises and was appointed Chief of the Three Teachings. Using his old residence, the Emperor founded Fagan Monastery and commanded the Master to dwell there. Bai Juyi died and was posthumously awarded the title of Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. In his later years, Juyi esteemed Buddhism, going whole months without eating meat. He donated his residence to make Xiangshan Monastery and called himself the Layman of Xiangshan. He once wrote a verse of praise, saying: 'Throughout the worlds of the ten directions, above the heavens and beneath the heavens, I now know fully: there is none like the Buddha. Majestic and grand, the teacher of gods and humans; therefore I bow to his feet, praise him, and take refuge.' In the early Huichang era, a passenger boat met with a storm and drifted to a great mountain. A Daoist said, 'This is Mount Penglai.' One courtyard was locked very securely; [the Daoist] said, 'This is where Bai Letian is to reside; he is still in the Central Kingdom and has not yet arrived.' Letian heard of this and composed a poem, saying: 'I study true emptiness, not immortality; I fear this talk of yours is an empty rumor. The mountain in the sea is not where I return; if I return, I must return to the Tuṣita Heaven.' Letian once made a vow, saying: 'I encouraged one hundred and forty-eight people to unite with a single resolve, forming an Association for Ascending to Rebirth. Walking, we recite the name of the Compassionate One; sitting, we visualize the form of the Compassionate One. We vow that in a future life we will certainly be born in Tuṣita.' In his later years, afflicted with wind-paralysis, he ordered an artisan to paint a depiction of the Western Pure Land, which he worshipped day and night, praising it thus: 'The pure land of the World of Ultimate Bliss has no evil destinies or multitude of sufferings. May those who, like myself, are old and sick, be born together in the abode of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life.' One evening, while reciting the Buddha's name, he suddenly passed away.

42.31

In the second year, an imperial decree ordered that monasteries be built and Vaipulya ordination platforms erected in the Upper Capital, the Eastern Capital, Jing, Yang, Bian, Yi, and other prefectures, to readminister the ordination precepts to monks and nuns who were being re-ordained. Five monasteries were built on Mount Wutai, each ordaining fifty monks.

42.32

The Commentary states: According to the *Brief History of the Sangha*, taking the Mahāyāna Vaipulya [precepts] does not depend on lacking faculties or having deficient conditions; so long as one generates the great aspiration, all are able to receive them. When the monks and nuns were laicized during the Huichang suppression, how could they have been without faults? They were first made to repent their offenses and then elevate their precept rank. Had it not been for the Vaipulya [precepts], how could they have been permitted to receive them again?

42.33

Pei Xiu, the Prefect of Xuanzhou, stated: 'Across the empire, Buddhist and Daoist monasteries are mostly overrun and trampled by officials and transient guests. From now on, they must not reside or lodge in monasteries; violators shall be severely punished.' This was sanctioned by imperial decree. The śramaṇa Xiuhei of Anguo Monastery answered imperial summons through his poetic talent. He once begged the Emperor for a purple robe. The Emperor said, 'I am not stingy toward you; it is only that your physiognomic signs are deficient.' When it was granted, he died suddenly that very night.

42.34

In the third year, on a fast day in the first month, eight thousand clerics and laypeople of Siming made offerings to the Buddha's relic stūpa at King Aśoka Monastery. It brought about a shower of heavenly flowers resembling the color of snow, which melted upon reaching the hand. When night fell, it emitted five-colored radiance. The great assembly leaped with joy. In the following year, a monk from Silla stole the stūpa by night and carried it in his hands; he circled around the pavilion unable to leave the spot, and was discovered by the community. An imperial decree appointed the śramaṇa Lingyan as the Monastic Controller of the Left and Right Streets. On the Shouchang Imperial Birthday, an imperial decree ordered the Policy Advisor Li Yisun and the Dharma master Zhixuan to discourse on the Three Teachings together with Daoists in the Linde Hall. Xuan memorialized that the empire's abandoned monasteries should be restored on a large scale. The Emperor had always respected the Master's virtue, and ordered his portrait to be painted and placed in the imperial palace.

42.35

In the fourth year, the courtyard of Chan Master Qi'an of Yanguan in Hangzhou was granted the name Qifeng Monastery by imperial decree. Earlier, when the Emperor was the Prince of Guang, Emperor Wuzong harbored jealousy toward him and confined him to the rear garden, intending to have him killed. The eunuch Qiu Shiliang falsely claimed that the Prince of Guang had died falling from a horse, whereupon [the prince] escaped and fled. He arrived in the assembly of Chan Master Xiangyan Xian, shaved his head, and became a novice. They traveled together to Mount Lu. Master Xian inscribed a poem on a waterfall: 'Piercing clouds and penetrating rock, it spares no toil; / Only from afar is it known that its source is high.' As Xian paused in thought, the novice continued it: 'How could mountain brooks and ravines retain it? / In the end it returns to the great ocean to raise billows.' Xian only then realized he was no ordinary man. Later he arrived at Haichang in Yanguan and met Chan Master Qi'an, calling himself Youguang. An marveled at him and at once appointed him as scribe. At that time, Chan Master Huangbo Yun was the chief seat. One day, [the prince] saw [Huangbo] bowing to the Buddha; Guang questioned him, saying, 'One does not seek through the Buddha; why make use of bowing?' Yun gave him a slap. He asked again, 'If one does not seek through the Buddha, why constantly do such a thing?' Yun slapped him again. Guang said, 'How excessively coarse!' Yun slapped him once more, saying, 'What coarseness or fineness is there to talk about here?' One day Master An said to him, 'The time has arrived; do not linger coiled in the mud.' He then entrusted him with the Buddhadharma. Before long, Emperor Wuzong passed away, and the hundred officials welcomed the Prince to ascend the throne. Repeatedly he sent emissaries to summon An with the rites of a teacher, but An firmly declined. Upon his passing, he was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Wukong. The Emperor conferred upon Huangbo the title 'Chan Master of Coarse Conduct.' Pei Xiu memorialized to have it changed to 'Duanji' (Xuedou's verse on Huangbo says: 'The Emperor of the Dazhong era once brushed against him lightly, / And thrice directly suffered his brandishing of claws and fangs'—this refers to this). The State of Japan dispatched the śramaṇa Jōgyō to enter the Central Kingdom to seek the esoteric teachings of Śākya.

42.36

In the fifth year, an imperial decree ordered that during national days of mourning when offering incense throughout the prefectures and commanderies of the realm, alcohol and meat must not be carried into monasteries. Hongbian of Jianfu Monastery in the capital was summoned to an audience. The Emperor asked, 'What is sudden seeing? What is called gradual cultivation?' He answered, 'Suddenly understanding one's own nature makes one a peer of the Buddha. Yet because there are beginningless defiling habits, one relies on gradual cultivation as an antidote to cause one to initiate functioning in accord with one's nature. It is like a person eating: one does not become full from a single mouthful.' The Emperor was pleased, and bestowed on him the title Chan Master Yuanzhi. In the sixth month, the capital scholar Sun Qiao submitted a memorial, saying, 'The common men plow and the women weave, yet cannot keep themselves warm and fed, whereas the hordes of monks sit peacefully in ornate halls with an abundance of fine food. On average, ten households cannot support one monk. Emperor Wuzong was indignant at this and returned 270,000 monks to lay life; only then could the 2.7 million people of the empire obtain relief. Even if Your Majesty cannot eliminate accumulated abuses as Wuzong did, how can you revive them after they have already been abandoned? I request that an edict be issued: those monks who have not yet been restored should not be restored, and those monasteries that have not yet been repaired should not be repaired.' The Emperor was angered and did not accept it. In the ninth month, a woman of Wuzhou named Zeng Zhiyuan opened the stūpa of the Great Being of Shuanglin, finding that the joints from the skull to the feet were linked like a chain, and his teeth were intact. She welcomed [the relics] out of the stūpa, made offerings for forty-nine days, and placed them back inside the stūpa.

42.37

In the sixth year, an edict ordered the reconstruction of Donglin Monastery on Mount Lu, posthumously granting Dharma Master Yuan the title 'Bianjue.' When the monastery was destroyed during the Huichang era, two monks carried a statue of Mañjuśrī on their backs and hid it at the summit of Jinxiu Valley. By this time, the monastery had been restored, but they searched for it without success. The two monks suspected each other, thinking it had been concealed away. Suddenly they saw an auspicious sign of a circular halo surging forth in the sky. From then on, radiant signs were frequently seen at the Buddha's Hand Rock and Heavenly Pool on the mountain peak. It is said that Heavenly Pool is exceedingly lofty and steep, thirty li away from Donglin. At night, sacred lamps in the air were seen arriving from afar: at first a single torch was bright, and in a moment it grew to hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands of lamps; or the Great Being Mañjuśrī was seen amidst the clouds, appearing and disappearing without constancy. Those who bowed and prayed with utmost sincerity were certain to see the sacred appearance. The chief ministers said, 'If the ordination of monks is not rigorous, the rules of the precepts will fall into decay; if the building of monasteries is without limit, the waste of wealth will be excessive. We request that henceforth construction be permitted only at celebrated sites and famous mountains; in restoring former shrines and ordaining monks and nuns, let the vinaya masters of the respective prefectures carefully select those possessing the nature for the Way.' This was sanctioned by imperial decree.

42.38

In the seventh year, Chan Master Lingyou of Mount Gui in Tanzhou manifested cessation. He was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Dayuan (see under Baizhang).

42.39

In the eighth year, an imperial decree appointed Bianzhang, Chief of the Three Teachings, as the Monastic Controller of the Left Street, and the śramaṇa Sengche as the Monastic Controller of the Right Street. The śramaṇa Shuyan of Yuelu Monastery in Tanzhou went to Taiyuan to seek the Great Canon. Lu Jun, Military Commissioner of Hedong and Sikong, and Vice Commissioner Wei Zhou donated the scriptures to him. Li Jie, Patrol Officer of the Military Command, composed a record for it, saying: 'Men of Confucian learning take pleasure in rejecting the teachings of the Śākya clan. Their argument invariably says: "During the eras of Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius, there was no Śākya. The rise of the Śākya clan originated in the Han, flowed through the Jin, and flooded across the Song, Wei, Qi, Liang, Chen, Sui, and Tang. This is what declining ages revere; it should be swept away entirely so that it cannot flourish." The words of these critics are crude. Let me speak of it with refinement. Formerly, there was a man whose flesh was plump and complexion harmonious, whose spirit was clear and vitality vigorous; serenely he preserved his balance, and physicians and prayers were of no use to him. (The graph for 'crude' [粗] is pronounced cāng-hú; 'plump' [腯] is pronounced tū, meaning fat.) There was another man who suffered from wind-damp ailment; his back was bent and his feet were lame, his ears deaf and his eyes closed. Thereupon needling and hot compresses were applied, and exorcisms and sacrifices were performed. Why were these two men so contrary to each other? It is simply the difference between being sick and not being sick. (The graph for 'lame' [躄] is pronounced bì, meaning unable to walk. The graph for 'deaf' [聵] is pronounced wǔ-guài, meaning deaf. The graph for 'closed eyes' [瞑] is pronounced mò-dìng, meaning eyes closed.) Alas! The world before the Three Dynasties was healthy; the world at the end of the Three Dynasties was sick. Before the Three Dynasties, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu spread virtue and righteousness, while the Duke of Zhou and Confucius upheld the canons and teachings. Though the influence of the Way was slight, it still permeated gradually; therefore deceit did not overcome trustworthiness, and evil knew to shun goodness. When it came to the end of the Three Dynasties, custom greatly collapsed, and deceit and force took advantage of one another. Abolishing the well-field system, they aimed only at annexation; coveting land and residences, they engaged daily in warfare. Traitors and villains thereupon gave rein to their desires, and worthy gentlemen could not find a place for themselves. Therefore high and low bore mutual hatred, stirring up resentful customs. The teachings of the Śākya clan dwell in purity and restrain themselves with gentleness, so that resentments and disputes can be quelled. Speaking in terms of cause and effect and assigning poverty and prominence as one's lot, the noble and the base can find peace. When resentments and disputes are quelled, arms and brigands will not arise; when the noble and the base are at peace, ruler, minister, and common people have their distinction. This is the way by which the Buddha, the Sage, rescues a declining age. Without the Śākya clan, how else could it be saved? Now critics do not blame the customs of a declining age for being difficult to alter, but instead fault the followers of the Śākya clan for being useless. This is like not pitying a sick man, but rather reviling the doctor and the supplicant for who they are! They do not consider that the Śākya clan's saving of the world and carrying out transformation is of immense benefit; instead, they despise the splendor of their palatial walls and the multitude of their followers, seizing upon the base and undisciplined among them as a pretext, wanting to discard them all uniformly. This is seeing the branches while abandoning the root. In the final years of the Huichang era, Emperor Wuzong severely suppressed the Śākya clan, clothing their disciples in turbans and dismantling their residences. Those whose forms were in clay and wood were drowned in water; those whose words were on paper and silk were cast into fire. He dispatched censors riding courier horses throughout the realm to investigate and penalize any who dared conceal them. Thereupon the empire's famed monasteries and authentic abodes were swept away as if clean. At the beginning of our current Son of Heaven's reign, he vindicated the Śākya clan as not deserving abolition, and swiftly issued edicts to restore it. Yet south of the lakes, the distant people feared the law, and executing the court's strict decrees, they burned and dismantled scriptures and images until virtually none remained. Hence, although the enlightened mandate has now been promulgated, none can obtain their canonical texts. Daolin Monastery is a scenic resort west of the Xiang River. Only the monk Shuyan said: "Taiyuan Prefecture is the old capital of our state, where Buddhist shrines are most numerous. The Great Commander, Sikong Lord Lu, is a humane man of the world. If I only go to seek the surviving writings, perhaps they can be obtained." Having paid his respects at the military gate, the Lord indeed granted it. He dispatched messengers in all four directions to seek lost texts; within less than a month, they obtained 5,048 volumes of the Sūtras, Vinaya, and Abhidharma, and carried them back in carriages. Ah! The way the Śākya clan rescues the world has already been spoken of. Formerly, had our enlightened sovereign not deeply perceived the source of principle, how could its Way be practiced once more? Had the Sikong Lord not been able to venerate the Great Dharma, how could its writings be completely preserved again? Had the śramaṇa Shuyan not deeply understood the turning of the Dharma, how could he, undaunted by distance, have sought them out to fulfill this great celebration? Upholding the Holy Sovereign's command, he revived the school of the Śākya clan, extending its benefit to future generations. Its merit and efficacy cannot be spoken of exhaustively; how could there not be a record of it?'

42.40

The Commentary states: This text establishes arguments and constructs principles that are sufficient to instruct those in the world who do not understand Buddhism. Had Tuizhi seen it, he would not even have had time to feel ashamed and submit. Zihou's preface for Haochu merely said that it accords with the *Changes* and the *Analects*, yet was unable to speak so clearly of the merit of saving the world. If so, then this record almost surpasses it! Li Jie's name was obscure, and he is unheard of in the history of the Tang.

42.41

In the ninth year, Chan Master Xiyun of Mount Huangbo in Hongzhou manifested nirvana. He was posthumously named Chan Master Duanji. The Master obtained the Dharma from Baizhang. When Chancellor Pei Xiu governed Xin'an, he invited the Master to the commandery, inquired about the Chan Dharma, and observed the etiquette of a disciple. Based on what he heard, he composed the Essentials of the Transmission of Mind, which circulated throughout the world (fourth generation under Nanyue).

42.42

In the tenth year, it was decreed that monks ordained each year must be selected according to their original teaching from among the three trainings of morality, samādhi, and wisdom, choosing those possessing the nature of the Way and versed in the Dharma gates to be ordained. Other miscellaneous arts were all prohibited.

42.43

In the twelfth year, an imperial decree ordered temples throughout the realm to repair the stupas of the various patriarchs. / The Japanese monk Egaku, having paid homage at Mount Wutai, obtained an image of Guanyin. Traveling through Siming, he was about to return to his homeland. When his boat passed Mount Putuo, it became stuck on a rock and could not proceed. The assembly grew apprehensive, and he prayed to it: 'If the circumstances for this venerable image in the Eastern Sea are not yet ripe, please remain on this mountain.' The boat then floated free. Egaku, grieving with longing, could not bear to leave; he therefore built a hut by the sea to worship it (now beside the mountain there is a Silla general). People of Yin heard of it and invited the image back to enshrine it at Kaiyuan Temple (now some call it Wutai Temple, and also Guanyin Who Refuses to Leave). Later, there was an extraordinary monk who brought fine wood to the temple, carved [a copy] modeled upon its design, closed the doors, and applied his craftsmanship. After a full month, the image was complete, but the monk's whereabouts were suddenly lost. It was then welcomed to Mount Putuo. The mountain lies within the great sea, six hundred li by water southeast of the walled city of Yin; it is precisely what the Avataṃsaka refers to as the solitary and sheer place on the southern coast, where there is a mountain named Potalaka in which Guanyin Bodhisattva dwells. It is also what the Great Compassion Sūtra calls Mount Potalaka, the palace of Avalokiteśvara, the place where the Great Compassion mind-seal was spoken in the presence of Śākyamuni Buddha. On this mountain is the Chaoyin Cave, where the ocean tide surges in and out, booming day and night. In front of the cave is a stone bridge; those paying homage come here and pray devoutly. Some see the Great Being sitting at ease; some see Sudhana bending and rising to welcome them; some only see a pure vase of green jade; and some only see a kalaviṅka fluttering and dancing. Six or seven li from the cave is a great monastery (araṇya), where court envoys and merchants from the various countries of the Eastern Sea come and go; all who pay reverence and submit their sincerity obtain deliverance (from Cao'an lu).

42.44

In the thirteenth year, the Emperor ingested a Daoist elixir, and an ulcer broke out on his back. In the eighth month, the Emperor died.

42.45

The commentary states: Emperor Wuzong destroyed Buddhism, believed in Daoism, ingested elixirs, developed an ulcer on his back, and died; the world was just taking this as a warning. Emperor Xuanzong had fled enmity by becoming a monk, and ultimately ascended the precious throne. Resentful of the Huichang suppression, he executed and exiled Li and Zhao, and erected Fangdeng ordination platforms to make the monks and nuns receive the ordination precepts again; his intentions were earnest indeed. Yet in his final years, he once more employed Daoist robes, ingested golden elixirs, and an ulcer broke out on his back. His fault lay in fondness for seeking longevity without grasping the principle of the impermanence of worldly appearances. Therefore, he ultimately walked into disaster and was ridiculed by later generations.

42.46

Yizong (Cui, the eldest son of Xuanzong)

42.47

In the third year of Xiantong, it was decreed that four temples in the Two Streets should each erect ordination platforms to ordain monks. Within the forbidden precinct, the Emperor established lecture seats, personally chanting sūtra titles and copying Sanskrit texts by hand. He frequently visited various temples to make donations.

42.48

In the sixth year, Chan Master Xuanjian of Mount Deshan in Langzhou manifested nirvana. He was posthumously named Chan Master Jianxing (see Longtan, fifth generation of Qingyuan).

42.49

In the seventh year, Chan Master Yixuan of Linji manifested nirvana. He was posthumously named Chan Master Huizhao. Students call it the Linji school (see Huangbo, fourth generation of Nanyue).

42.50

In the first month of the eighth year, Chan Master Quanzhen of Mount Xiang in Yongzhou manifested nirvana sitting upright. The Master was a man of Chen. Wandering abroad, he arrived at Mount Xiang and founded a Buddhist temple called Jingtu. Chan assemblies from the four quarters gathered like clouds to receive his teaching. At the beginning of the Huichang era, he suddenly said to his disciples: 'Monks will face calamity; you should change your robes and caps.' Overnight, his beard and hair both grew long. Donning purple mist robes, he called them 'Robes of Immeasurable Life'; wearing a blue sky cap, he called it 'Dharma Cap of True Emptiness.' Soon after, Emperor Wuzong indeed eradicated the Buddhists. When Emperor Xuanzong restored the Buddha-Dharma, the Master never again removed his [secular] robes and caps. The world called this a manifestation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life.

42.51

In the tenth year, Chan Master Liangjie of Mount Dong in Ruizhou manifested nirvana. He was posthumously named Chan Master Wuben (see Yunyan, fifth generation of Qingyuan). / An imperial decree posthumously bestowed the title of Chengzhao upon Vinaya Master Daoxuan of Nanshan.

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese