佛祖統紀 48

English (machine translation) 48

Language: English

48.1

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

48.2

Treatise on the Prosperity and Decline of the Dharma, Section 17, Part 15.

48.3

Emperor Ningzong (Son of Guangzong; mother Empress Ciyi, née Li; his birthday on the nineteenth day of the tenth month was the Ruiqing Festival; buried at Yongmao Mausoleum).

In the third year of Qingyuan, the Jingmen Military Command transmitted the memorial of Zhao Shanying, Gentleman of Loyal Wing: 'The Jingde Chan Monastery on Mount Yuquan in Dangyang County was the bodhimaṇḍa opened by Chan Master Zhiyi of the Sui. The Shu General, Prince Guan, took Zhiyi as his master, and prayers to him have repeatedly been answered. I beg that a title be added to him.' An imperial decree was proclaimed granting the title Master Linghui.

48.5

In the second year of Jiatai, Shen Zhiyuan, a 'Daoist commoner' of the Baiyun Hermitage on the Southern Mountain of Yuhang, petitioned for the grant of an imperial plaque. Officials of the ministry memorialised: 'These "Daoist commoners" are idle vagrants and unruly elements who eat vegetables and serve demons—they are what is called treacherous folk. They form factions among themselves in groups of tens and hundreds, using heretical teachings to deafen and blind the foolish rabble. Sometimes under the pretext of repairing roads and building bridges, or emulating the recitation of scriptures and burning of incense to assemble gatherings, they gather by night and disperse at dawn without separation of men and women. Wherever they go, they each have ringleaders to command them. When legal disputes arise, they pool their plots and combine their strength, lavishly bribing yamen clerks, intent on prevailing. Under false pretences of construction they enrich their own pockets, establishing private hermitages as dens for absconders and outlaws. Zhiyuan is a ringleader among these false people, misleading the multitude with deviant ways; judged by the laws of the realm, his guilt exceeds execution. When Zhang Jun was military commander of the capital, he adjudicated repeatedly upon their mutual lawsuits with neighbouring monasteries, deciding that the private hermitages of these Daoists should be dismantled in accordance with previous decrees. Now Zhiyuan dares again to recklessly knock at the heavenly gate, making sport of and insulting the court, which is an outrage beyond measure. In ancient times, those who propagated the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice initially feigned allegiance to Huang-Lao, dispatching disciples to travel in all directions and deceive one another; later, hundreds of thousands of them rose simultaneously on the same day, whereupon the House of Han declined. If such people are not restrained now, what limits will there be to what they might do? We propose that an order be sent down to Lin'an Prefecture to sentence Zhiyuan and the others to severe penal exile, and to confiscate their property and estates as a warning to those who transmit and practice demonic teachings and disregard the established statutes. If powerful families harbour them, claim their properties as their own, and provide cover to occupy them, let the censors name them in memorials.' An imperial decree granted approval.

48.6

The narrator states: Having examined the Yijian zhi, it says: 'Eating vegetables and serving demons is especially rampant in Sanshan. Their leaders wear purple hats and broad robes; their women wear black crowns and white attire, calling themselves the Mingjiao (Luminous Religion) Society. The Buddha they serve is clad in white, citing the scripture's phrase: "spoke to the Buddha, saying, 'World-Honoured One'" (reading "white" as an adjective). Drawing from the Diamond Sūtra's "one Buddha, two Buddhas, three, four, five Buddhas," they consider him the Fifth Buddha, also named Mamo-ni (Mani). Taking from the Scripture of the Conversion of the Barbarians, [it states that he] rode the pneuma of the Dao of natural luminous radiance, flew into the Jade Realm of Xina in the country of Sulin, and was born into the jade palace as a crown prince who left the household and was named Mamo-ni, in order to attest for himself. Their scripture is titled The Two Principles and the Three Moments. The two principles are light and dark; the three moments are the past, future, and present. When the Daoist Canon was compiled during the Dazhong Xiangfu era, a wealthy man, Lin Shichang, bribed the officials in charge to have it incorporated into the canon and deposited in the Mingdao Palace in Bozhou. They also falsely attributed a poem to Bai Letian, which runs: "Quietly perusing the Chronicle of Sulin, / The Way of Mani is truly wondrous. / The two principles unfold in silent stillness; / The five Buddhas succeed in brightness. / Sun and moon are relied upon for reverence; / Heaven and earth are acknowledged as what gave them birth. / If we speak of the aspiration to pure vegetarian observance, / It is fitting that their name be ranked equally with the sons of the Śākya clan." These eight lines were affixed to the head of the scripture. Those who practice it eat one meal at midday, bury their dead naked, and perform worship at the seven periods—these are in fact vestigial customs of the Yellow Turbans.' (I once examined Letian's Changqing ji, and there is no poem about Sulin. Letian understood Buddhism; how could he have composed such uncanonical words?)

48.7

In the fourth year of Jiading, in the leap second month, Grand Councilor Qian Xiangzu passed away at his village residence in Tiantai. When Xiangzu governed Jinling, he had asked about the Way from Quan Wuyong of Baoning. Later, in his native prefecture, he built ten reception cloisters, all named after the Pure Land and Sukhāvatī. He established the Zhi Hermitage and quarters for eminent monks as places to discourse on the Way. After resigning as Senior Grand Councilor and returning home, he cultivated pure karma all the more diligently. In this month, he contracted a slight illness. When a monk inquired about his condition, he replied: 'I do not crave life, nor do I fear death; I will not be reborn in heaven, nor among humans. I shall only be reborn in the Pure Land.' Having spoken, he sat cross-legged and passed away. At that time, celestial drums resounded and a wondrous fragrance wafted intensely. Before he expired, the men and women of the commandery simultaneously dreamed of a voice in the sky saying: 'Grand Councilor Qian is to be reborn in the lotus palace of the West as the Bodhisattva Ciji (Compassionate Succour).'

48.8

Emperor Lizong (In the fourteenth year of Jiading, by imperial decree, Zhao Yuju, an eleventh-generation descendant of Taizu, was granted the name Guicheng and established as Imperial Younger Brother, Prince Jinghui of Yi. Seventeen years later, he was enfeoffed as Duke of Chengguo. Receiving the testamentary decree, he ascended the imperial throne. The fifth day of the first month was the Tianji Festival).

48.9

In the second year of Baoqing, by imperial decree, Tianshen Wanshou Yuanjue Temple was changed to the Tiantai teaching, with Dharma Master Shizan appointed as abbot.

48.10

In the eleventh month of the sixth year of Chunyou, Vinaya Master Wensi of Mingqing Monastery in Lin'an memorialised that the Precept Commentary, Karma Commentary, and Administrative Notes of Vinaya Master Chengzhao of Nanshan, together with the various sub-commentaries on the three works composed by Vinaya Master Dazhi, totaling seventy-three fascicles, should be included in the Tripiṭaka. An imperial decree granted approval. Following the ministries' instructions, it was handed down to the scripture-carving workshops of the various commanderies to be engraved on woodblocks and promulgated.

48.11

In the third month of the tenth year of Chunyou, officials memorialised: 'The state extends courteous favour to meritorious founding ministers, intimates, nobles, and imperial relatives by permitting them to petition for temple plaques for tomb-guarding temples. This was meant for those who built their own buildings and acquired their own lands to support and offer memorial services for their ancestors; thus they were granted a plaque. Therefore, an edict was issued in the Daguan era prohibiting close ministers from earmarking temples that already held an imperial plaque to serve as meritorious tomb-guarding shrines; and in the New Statutes of the Shaoxing Era, it was registered in the prime statutes that earmarking temples with plaques was forbidden. When meritorious ministers and imperial relatives have merit-cloister shrines, it only means the conferral of a plaque and exemption from requisition levies and the like, permitting them to invite monks from their own families to act as abbots; it was never intended that the state's temples with plaques be handed over to them. In recent years, as soon as scholar-officials enter the administration, they harbor greedy designs, earmarking renowned monasteries and converting them into merit-cloisters to usurp their agricultural estates, just like establishing an estate of their own. Their unruly sons and younger brothers often accept bribes from incompetent monks to appoint them as abbots. Rice, salt, firewood, and charcoal are constantly supplied and delivered; a single temple is made to support an entire family, bringing profound disgrace upon their ancestors! Furthermore, the households of the grand councilors and ministers are numerous everywhere; if one person occupies several temples, then few of the state's renowned monasteries will remain. As soon as the government makes a levy, it must inevitably be apportioned evenly across civilian households—how could this not cause great harm to the people? Your foolish servant hopes that an enlightened decree will strictly reaffirm the old regulations: all temples with imperial plaques that have been earmarked and occupied should be recovered and corrected, and monks should still be appointed through official offices, so as to cut off the abuses of private families colluding with temples and taking bribes.' An imperial decree granted approval.

48.12

The Tiantai śramaṇa Silian sent a letter to Duke Du Qingxian, saying: 'The Buddha entrusted the rulers and ministers of the state to protect and uphold the Buddha-Dharma, yet among those who conversely destroy the Buddha-Dharma, there is one matter of the utmost gravity. The court established laws permitting ministers to build temples with their own family wealth for their ancestors and petition for plaques, in order to offer merits for the deceased ancestors. But today, unenlightened people do not act this way. Out of regard for the precious bodies of their ancestors, they cannot bear to spend money to purchase mountain land; having already seized the land of a monastic cloister for a tomb, they further wish to shadow-occupy several temples, claiming them as merit-cloisters, and taking possession of all items within the temples. Today they requisition rice, tomorrow tea and bamboo shoots; the next day firewood and charcoal, and the next timber and bamboo; they even expect monthly offerings of delicacies from water and land! Whenever a monk dies, they inevitably seize his belongings and turn them over to their private treasury. I have heard the words of high nobles of our time saying: "In the merit-cloister I petitioned for, every single needle and blade of grass is my family's property!" How lamentable! They truly do not know that the permanent property of the saṃgha and the belongings of deceased monks belong entirely to the Three Jewels. Those who usurp them, whether master or servant, will inevitably incur bitter retribution. In laying to rest the physical remains of their ancestors, how could this fail to bequeath evil retribution in the three destinies? Alas! Seizing a saṃghārāma is deceiving the sovereign; burying a father on monastic land is plunging the father into ruin; committing unlawful acts oneself is harming oneself; teaching unlawful acts to sons and younger brothers is burdening others. One who deceives the sovereign is disloyal; one who ruins a father is unfilial; one who harms oneself is unwise; one who burdens others is unbenevolent. To act as a human in this manner—what kind of person is this really? Today, the practice of following this precedent to usurp renowned sanctuaries has spread to nearly every commandery. Once a monastery belongs to a merit-cloister, mediocre and foolish persons are put in charge of it; when they barely have time to exhaust their efforts in catering and flattering, how could they prepare pure offerings to settle the broad assembly? For this reason, those seeking teachers and inquiring into the Way wander back and forth between north and south, only able to sigh over the deplorable state of current affairs. Your humble servant's foolish hope is that the Grand Councilor will clearly examine these accumulated abuses and verify them against the old statutes. For all households of councilors and ministers—with the exception of Daci Mountain and seven other mountains in Siming, where the Shi family built them themselves and petitioned for plaques in accordance with regulations—as for all others who have occupied and seized old temples that already possessed plaques, let special orders be given to the Censorate and Ministries to establish an office, issuing directives to the commanderies to conduct truthful investigations, and recover them entirely. Abbots should be appointed by certificates issued by the subordinate prefectures and commanderies. Furthermore, rectify previously usurped mountain forests and buildings, restoring them to each temple. If any sons or younger brothers dare to collude with abbots and commit encroachments as before, allow common folk to secretly report them to the Censorate and Ministries to arrest the managing agents and inflict tattoo-branding punishment, issue orders to the abbots and compel them to defrock. To purify and reform the Dharma gates and make clear the court's statutes truly depends on the Grand Councilor's power of execution, without being swayed by public gossip. And so forth.'

48.13

In the first year of Duanping, Dharma Master Shouyu of Lingshan memorialised that Great Master Fazhi of Yanqing in Siming had revived the doctrinal teachings and contemplations of the Tiantai school, and that his commentaries and records, comprising more than two hundred fascicles, should be entered into the Tripiṭaka and promulgated. An imperial decree granted approval.

48.14

In the third year of Duanping, Śramaṇa Haiyin of Siming revised and edited Master Lu Shishou's Precious Pearl Collection, and continued the collection of those with verified efficacy in pure karma, entitling it Biographies of Rebirth in the Pure Land in twelve fascicles. (Zhipan condensed it into the Treatise on the Establishment of the Pure Land Teaching, in three fascicles in total, which was incorporated into this Comprehensive Record as the most concise and essential version).

48.15

Comprehensive Record of the Buddhas and Patriarchs, Fascicle Forty-Eight (End)

48.16

Dharma Master Shizan founded the mountain monastery and propagated the Tiantai doctrinal teachings and contemplation.

48.17

In the first year of Duanping, Dharma Master Shouyu of Lingshan memorialised that Patriarch Fazhi of Yanqing in Siming had revived the Tiantai doctrinal teachings and contemplation, and that the commentaries and records he authored, comprising more than two hundred fascicles, should be entered into the Tripiṭaka and promulgated. An imperial decree granted approval.

48.18

In the third year, Śramaṇa Haiyin of Siming revised and edited Master Lu Shishou's Precious Pearl Collection, and continued the collection of those with verified efficacy in pure karma, entitling it Biographies of Rebirth in the Pure Land in twelve fascicles. (Zhipan condensed it into the Treatise on the Establishment of the Pure Land Teaching, in three fascicles in total, incorporated into this Comprehensive Record as the most detailed yet concise version).

48.19

In the first year of Jiaxi, Empress Dowager Wang passed away. Chan Master Shifan of Jingshan was summoned for an audience in the Xiuzheng Hall, granted a golden brocade kāṣāya, and summoned to ascend the seat and preach the Dharma in the Ciming Hall; the Emperor listened behind a lowered curtain. He was granted the title 'Fojian' (Mirror of Buddha). When Emperor Gongsheng Renlie passed away, Shifan was again summoned to ascend the seat. Shortly thereafter, he petitioned to return to the mountain forests, and was additionally granted the title 'Yuanzhao' (Perfect Illumination). In the first year of Chunyou, the Emperor dreamed of the Great Being Avalokiteśvara sitting amidst bamboo and rocks; upon awakening, he ordered an image to be drawn and carved onto stone. The imperial encomium ran: 'His divine powers are most wondrous, / Appearing and disappearing unfathomably. / His merits are boundless, / How swift is his response to resonance! / In seasonal harmony and bountiful years, / He protects our populace. / With warfare laid to rest and punishments shelved, / He brings peace to this royal realm.' He also wrote the four large characters 'Guangda Linggan' (Vast and Miraculous Resonance) to be added above the sacred title of Avalokiteśvara. He further transcribed one fascicle of the Heart Sūtra. He bestowed his imperial calligraphy of the Preface to the Holy Teaching together with a jade hand-censer upon Dharma Master Tong'an Xian of Upper Tianzhu, and appointed him as Chief Recorder of Monks for the Left and Right Streets. When the Pavilion of the Five Hundred Arhats at Upper Tianzhu was renovated, the Emperor wrote the four large characters 'Chao Zhu You Hai' (Surpassing the Ocean of All Existences) to bestow upon it.

48.20

In the second year of the Shaoding reign period, an imperial decree was issued summoning the abbot of Upper Tianzhu for an expiatory ritual. Monks proceeded to the South Water Gate to be granted an audience, but Bai Ting was on leave. Zhijue, who held the post of head monk, received the decree to enter in his stead and bring the affair to a successful conclusion. The imperial voice commended him, and exceedingly generous gifts were bestowed. An imperial decree ordered Master Fazhao to reside at Lower Tianzhu; soon after, he was transferred to Upper Tianzhu, appointed Inspector of Rectitude for the Right Street, and bestowed the title Master Foguang. He was advanced to Central Rectifier of the Left Street and bestowed a golden brocade kāṣāya. He was summoned for an audience at the Yigui Pavilion and answered the throne entirely to the imperial pleasure. At that time, the Jeqing Temple had newly been completed, and an imperial decree ordered Fazhao to be its founding abbot; he declined with all his might, recommending Master Cheng of Nanfeng, abbot of the Bailian Cloister, to take his place. In the following year, the venerable Cheng passed into quiescence. An imperial decree appointed Foguang to concurrently hold the abbotship and promoted him to Chief Clerical Registrar of the Left and Right Streets. The emperor wrote in his own hand two large characters, "Hui Yan" ("Darkened Cliff"), and bestowed them upon him. Furthermore, on the Tianji Festival, he was summoned for an audience in the Yanhe Hall to lecture on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra; the emperor wrote in large script "Lingshan Tang" ("Vulture Peak Hall") to bestow on him. When the Crown Prince's palace was completed, he was ushered into the Fugu Hall to lecture on the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, was concurrently bestowed a purple golden brocade robe, and was offered a vegetarian feast in the Minghua Hall.

48.21

In the fifth year, an imperial decree appointed Wenguo of Yunjian to reside at Lower Tianzhu Temple. An envoy from the inner palace was dispatched bearing imperial toilet articles and bestowing a statue of Amitāyus Buddha, for which a pavilion was built. They reverently installed the imperial calligraphy, which boldly inscribed its horizontal plaque so that it shone brilliant against the clouds and the Milky Way. At that time, the abbot's seat at Upper Tianzhu was vacant; the Metropolitan Prefect and Academician of the Duanming Hall, Zhao Yuquan, presented a petition stating that there was no one who could replace Wenguo, and an imperial decree approved it. That year there was a drought, and they invited the Mahāsattva Guanyin out to Mingqing Temple. The Master entered to offer thanks, and the imperial carriage visited the temple to pray. The words the Master addressed to the throne were concise and incisive, fitting well with the imperial mind. As the imperial carriage returned, rain fell. Thereupon he was immediately granted the title of Clerical Registrar of the Left Street and bestowed the title of Great Master Fohui.

48.22

In the eleventh month of the sixth year of the Chunyou reign period, Vinaya Master Wensi of Mingqing Temple in Lin'an memorialized the throne concerning the Vinaya Commentary, Karmavācanā Commentary, and Manual of Affairs by Vinaya Master Chengzhao of Nanshan, together with the various subcommentaries on the three works composed by Vinaya Master Dazhi, totaling seventy-three fascicles, requesting that they be appended to the great Tripiṭaka. The imperial decree approved it, and subsequent orders were sent down by the ministry to the sutra printing houses of the various prefectures to carve the printing blocks and circulate them.

48.23

In the seventh year, Fazhao of Upper Tianzhu was bestowed six purple robes for his disciples, two ordinations of monks, and ten certificates of shrine maintenance.

48.24

In the eighth year, Noble Consort Jia was buried to the south of Mount Jiqing at Xiaomai Ridge. A temple was constructed and named Chong'en Yanfu. Chan Master Xiaoweng of Mount Ayuwang received an imperial decree to reside at Jingde Lingyin Chan Temple. A second imperial decree transferred him to Jingci; he did not proceed, and then passed into quiescence.

48.25

In the ninth year, the Mahāsattva Guanyin at Upper Tianzhu was freshly recolored, adorned with necklaces of the seven jewels, and additionally bestowed gold coin.

48.26

In the tenth year, the court officials submitted a memorial: "Our state extends exceptional courtesy to founding ministers, close relatives, and imperial in-laws, permitting them to petition for temple plaques for ancestral graves. This was meant for cases where they built the halls themselves and purchased the fields themselves, desiring thereby to aid and commend their deceased ancestors, and therefore plaques were granted to them. Thus, an imperial decree during the Daguan reign period forbade close ministers from aiming for temples that already possessed plaques, making it a statutory law. Whenever meritorious ministers and imperial in-laws have merit cloisters, it only means the granting of a plaque, exemption from levies and taxes, and the like, allowing them to invite monks on their own to serve as abbots; it was never intended that existing temples with state-bestowed plaques be handed over to them. In recent years, as soon as scholar-officials enter the executive administration, they hatch schemes of self-interest and set their sights on famous monasteries, converting them into merit cloisters and seizing their lands as if establishing personal estates. Their degenerate scions accept bribes from mediocre monks to install them as abbots; rice, salt, firewood, and charcoal are requisitioned and delivered at all times, supporting a whole family with a single temple. How greatly this defiles and disgraces their ancestors! Furthermore, executive officials' families are numerous everywhere; if one person occupies several temples, then few of the famous monasteries of the state will remain. Once the government has tax demands, these will inevitably be distributed among ordinary households; how does this not heavily harm the people? We foolish ministers desire that an imperial decree be issued to enforce the old regulations strictly: all temples with imperial plaques that have been pointed out and occupied should be recovered and set right, and monks should still be invited through official authorities, hoping thereby to eradicate the abuse of private families colluding with temples and receiving bribes." The decree approved it. Silian, a Tiantai monk, sent a letter to Du Qingxian (Du Fan), saying: "The Buddha entrusted kings and great ministers to protect and maintain the Buddha-Dharma. Yet among those who conversely destroy the Buddha-Dharma, there is one matter that is most crucial. When the court established the law permitting ministers to build temples with their own family wealth for their ancestors and petition for plaques, it was to transfer merit to the deceased. Nowadays, the benighted who do this act otherwise: considering the noble physical remains of their ancestors, they cannot bear to spend money to purchase a mountain, and having already seized a saṃghārāma's land for a tomb, they further wish to shadow-occupy several temples under the name of 'merit cloisters.' They appropriate every single item in the temple for themselves: today sending for rice, tomorrow for tea and bamboo shoots, the next day for firewood and charcoal, for bamboo and lumber, and even monthly demanding delicacies of water and land. As soon as a monk passes away, they are sure to conceal and confiscate his belongings, returning them to their private treasuries. I once heard the contemporary grandees say: 'Once it has been claimed as a merit cloister, every single needle and blade of grass is the property of my family.' How lamentable! In truth, they do not know that the permanent property of the temple and the assets of deceased monks all belong to the Three Jewels. Those who usurp and plunder them, whether masters or servants, will inevitably incur bitter retribution. In laying to rest the bodily remains of their ancestors, would this not bequeath the evil retribution of the three wretched realms? Alas! Usurping a saṃghārāma deceives the sovereign; burying a father in monastic ground ensnares the father; engaging in lawlessness harms oneself; and teaching scions lawlessness brings ruin to others. One who deceives the sovereign is unloyal; one who ensnares his father is unfilial; one who harms himself is unwise; one who brings ruin to others is unbenevolent. To act as a human being in this way—what kind of person is this, truly? Today, those who follow this evil precedent and seize famous and excellent bodhimaṇḍas have spread throughout almost all prefectures. Once a temple becomes a merit cloister, mediocre and blundering sorts are installed in it; barely having time to flatter and fawn upon their patrons with all their might, how could they prepare pure offerings to settle the great assembly? For this reason, those who seek teachers and inquire about the Path wander aimlessly back and forth between north and south, only able to lament that the affairs of the times are not as they should be. The humble and foolish wish of this person is that the Grand Chancellor clearly examine these accumulated abuses and inspect and follow the old laws: for the families of grand chancellors and vice chancellors, except for the seven mountains of Daci in Siming where the Shi clan built them themselves and petitioned for plaques in conformity with the standards, as for all other old temples with imperial plaques that have been usurped, specially order the censorate and ministries to establish an office to dispatch orders to all prefectures to submit truthful and detailed reports, confiscate them all back, and have all letters of appointment for abbots issued through the relevant prefectures and commands. Furthermore, rectify the mountains, forests, and buildings that were previously occupied, returning them to each temple. If there are scions who dare to collude with abbots and occupy property as before, permit ordinary people to secretly report them to the censorate and ministries to arrest the managing retainers and brand them as criminals, and proclaim orders that the abbots be forced to defrock. To purify and order the gates of the Dharma and to clarify and enforce the dynastic statutes truly rests upon the vigor of Your Excellency the Grand Chancellor's execution; let it not be shaken by popular chatter, and that will be well."

48.27

In the eleventh year, an imperial decree summoned Master Foguang Fazhao. He was granted an audience at the Yigui Pavilion, accompanied by a thousand followers. The senior leader Huijian performed the Blazing Radiance Repentance Ritual to pray and avert calamity for the imperial princess, Princess Yanchang. Vegetarian food, silk, and cinnabar elixirs were bestowed.

48.28

In the first year of the Baoyou reign period, the merit temple of Empress Xie was completed. The plaque was ordered to be inscribed "Jiade Yanshou" ("Praise of Virtue and Longevity"). The head monk, Great Master Baojian Shiju, responded to the imperial summons, was appointed Inspector of Rectitude for the Right Street, became the founding abbot, and broadly propagated the Tiantai teachings and contemplation. In the third month, twenty ordination certificates and four hundred shi of rice were bestowed to repair the Guanyin Hall at Upper Tianzhu.

48.29

In the second year, on the Tianji Festival, the emperor presided at the Yanhe Hall and ordered Master Foguang to lecture on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. The imperial mind was immensely delighted, saying: "This is indeed different!" The emperor asked about the samādhi of non-contention. The Master said: "Vasubandhu's treatise explains: 'Non-contention means absence of desire; where there is desire, there is contention.' Subhūti did not merely attain the samādhi of non-contention, but was also the foremost and supreme leader among all who attained the samādhi of non-contention." It was appropriate that [the emperor] personally composed a record for the Guanyin Hall and inscribed it on stone in the imperial hand.

48.30

In the fourth year of the Jingding reign period, an imperial decree appointed Master Zuyin to reside at Upper Tianzhu and appointed him Inspector of Rectitude for the Right Street; he retired and returned to Jingde Teaching Temple. Another decree appointed Master Miaoxian to reside at Upper Tianzhu, appointing him Clerical Registrar of the Left and Right Streets. In the fifth year, an imperial decree summoned Master Guyuan Qing into the inner bodhimaṇḍa, where his repentance and prayers proved efficacious; he was bestowed the title Great Master Xiangying. He again lectured on the Lotus Sūtra at the Funing Hall and was bestowed a purple robe.

48.31

In the sixth year, an imperial decree ordered the construction of two pavilions for sutras and a bell at Upper Tianzhu.

48.32

Emperor Duzong (initially named Mengqi. Son of Zhao Yurui, Prince of Fu. Emperor Lizong had many sons but none survived, so Mengqi was raised in the palace and had his name changed to Wu, and then to Ji. He was made imperial prince and enfiefed as Prince of Zhong. Later he was established as the crown prince and named Xuan. He ascended the imperial throne).

48.33

In the first year of the Xianchun reign period, an imperial decree appointed Chan Master Xutang Zhiyu of Jingci to reside at Jingshan. In the ninth month, an imperial decree ordered Master Foguang Zhao to reside again at Upper Tianzhu. As the paintings in the Dharma hall were newly finished, it was fitting that the late emperor's imperial calligraphy of "Baiyun" ("White Clouds") be displayed and reported to the throne. An imperial decree appointed Chan Master Xuzhou Pudu of Middle Tianzhu to reside at Jingde Lingyin Temple. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the guiyou year of the Xianchun reign period, Master Foguang Zhao showed his quiescence. By imperial decree, the Tianyan Stūpa Cloister was bestowed upon him, with the posthumous title Great Master Putong, and his stūpa was named Ciying.

48.34

Young Emperor (taboo name Xian. Son of Emperor Duzong. His mother was Empress Quan. Empress Dowager Xie administered state affairs from behind the curtain).

48.35

In the bingzi year of the Deyou reign period, the army of the Great Yuan pressed upon Lin'an. The residents of the three palaces were taken and moved to the north. Empress Dowager Xie arrived in Yanjing; in the seventh year she passed away and was enfiefed as Lady of Shouchun Commandery. Empress Quan became a nun at Zhengzhi Temple. The Young Emperor was enfiefed as Duke of Ying. The entire state submitted and surrendered.

48.36

Yuan

48.37

Emperor Shizu, Sage Virtue, Divine Achievement, Cultured and Martial (taboo name Qubilai. Clan name Borjigin. A person of the Mongol tribes. Fourth son of Ruizong. In the gengshen year, he ascended the imperial throne).

48.38

In the first year of the Zhongtong reign period, a great amnesty was proclaimed, and monks and nuns were universally ordained. In the twelfth month, the Indian monk 'Phags-pa was made Imperial Preceptor and bestowed a jade seal, placing him in control of Buddhist affairs. In the second year, the Kaiping Superior Prefecture was established on Longgang north of the Dongliang River in Huanzhou. First, two Buddhist monasteries were built in the northwest and northeast quarters of the city: one was named Da Qianyuan Temple, and the other Longguang Huayan Temple.

48.39

In the eleventh month of the third year, a great Buddhist ceremony was performed at Min tian Temple for seven days and seven nights. In the first year of the Zhiyuan reign period, a jiazi year, the capital was established at Yan. An assembly was held to ordain monks. An imperial decree ordered the State Preceptor Bami Rao 'Phags-pa to ascend the seat and transmit the esoteric precepts. In the eighth month, the monk Zicong was ordered to participate in discussing the affairs of the Bureau of Military Affairs. An imperial decree instructed Zicong to resume his surname Liu, change his personal name to Bingzhong, and appointed him Grand Protection and participant in the affairs of the Secretariat. The edict read: "By the power of the Eternal Heaven, the imperial decree of the Emperor: We proclaim to you, Liu Bingzhong. Your disposition is unyielding and upright; your learning is rich and refined. Although you hid your traces in the gate of emptiness, you have always immersed your mind in the sage way. When We resided in Our princely manor, you were truly Our guest and companion. We have known your lofty righteousness for over twenty years, traveling to distant lands over several tens of thousands of li. Now that We have inherited the throne, We rely on your plans for tranquility. If names are not rectified first, how can the multitude be satisfied? You should step down from your monastic position and concurrently direct the mechanisms of administration. You may be specially conferred the titles of Grand Master for Splendid Happiness, Grand Protection, and participant in the affairs of the Secretariat. Strive, sir, to assist Our person, take the lead among your subordinates, observe morning and evening diligence or negligence, and examine the correctness of discussions. Let all actions be subject to your adjudication. We await the sight of your accomplished deeds to display further favors. Comply with this."

48.40

In the second year, an imperial decree instructed the General Administrative Office that monks who were proficient in the five great divisions of the scriptures should be selected, and those with virtue and practice should be appointed as officials such as prefectural clerical registrars, directors, and assistant directors. Furthermore, academies for lecturing on the three teachings and assemblies for the three kinds of Chan were established in each circuit.

48.41

In the first month of the third year, monks and Daoists were commanded to pray for blessings at the temples and shrines of the Central Capital. The monk Sengji was appointed Director-General, residing at Qingshou Temple.

48.42

In the fourth year, an imperial decree promulgated the newly created Mongolian script throughout the realm. Earlier, the emperor had commanded Imperial Preceptor 'Phags-pa to create a new Mongolian script. Its characters numbered only a little over a thousand, with forty-one letters. For those that were combined and linked to form characters, there were the rules of rhyme articulation; for those formed by combining two, three, or four sounds, there were the rules of phonetic rhyme; and the essential principle was to rely on harmonious sounds. At this point, an imperial decree promulgated it.

48.43

In the eleventh month of the sixth year, a Buddhist ceremony was conducted at the Imperial Ancestral Temple for seven days and seven nights.

48.44

In the seventh year, an imperial edict invited the Vajra Master Dampa to become abbot of Renwang Temple. In the twelfth month, the Great Renwang Temple for the Protection of the State was built at Gaoliang River. An imperial order was issued revising and standardizing the colors of monastic robes.

48.45

In the eighth year, in the fifth month, a Buddhist service was conducted on Qionghua Island. In the eleventh month, the state title of Great Yuan was established, taking its meaning from the phrase 'Great indeed is the originating Qian' in the Book of Changes to signify the virtue of conferring the beginning [of all things].

48.46

In the ninth year, the monks of the capital were assembled to chant the Great Canon in nine assemblies.

48.47

In the fourteenth year, the Dasheng Wan'an Temple was built. In the second month, an imperial edict appointed the monks Yuan Jixiang and Lianzhen Jiajiawa jointly as general supervisors of Jiangnan in charge of the Buddhist teaching. Monastic taxes and levies were abolished, and disturbing monastery precincts was forbidden.

48.48

In the fifteenth year, on the first day of the first month, a gathering was arranged to feed the monks, and a great amnesty was granted. Five elders, including Yuquan, received imperial grace and were ordained.

48.49

In the seventeenth year, the Great Yuan Imperial Preceptor Phags-pa manifested nirvāṇa. The Hanlin Academician Wang Pan and others, receiving imperial orders, composed his biography, which read: 'Beneath August Heaven, above the One Man; Opener of the Teaching and Propagator of Culture, Assister of Governance, Great Sage of Supreme Virtue, Universally Enlightened True Wisdom, Protector of the State, Wish-Fulfilling Great Precious Dharma King, Buddha-son of the Western Heavens, Imperial Preceptor of the Great Yuan, Paṇḍita Imperial Preceptor Phags-pa was a man of the state of Tubo. The various auspicious omens at his birth are fully detailed in his family genealogy. Formerly, Tubo had the State Preceptor Chandaśikṣitā, who possessed great spiritual power and passed it down through successive generations; the kings of that country honored him as master for seventeen generations until Sakya [Pandita], who was the master's uncle. He then paid homage to his uncle as his master. Esoteric verses of one or two thousand words he could recite upon glancing over them once. At the age of seven he expounded the Dharma; his eloquence and breadth were vast and unimpeded, yet he was still not satisfied. He again inquired everywhere of famous elders, penetrating the profound and searching out the hidden, fully mastering the Three Baskets. In the guichou year, when the master was fifteen, Emperor Shizu's dragon-virtue was concealed in the deep. The master, knowing that the True Mandate had its repository, rode swiftly and directly to the royal mansion. Emperor Shizu's inner palace and the Crown Prince all received the precepts from him and paid him extraordinary respect. In the wuwu year, when the master was twenty, Buddhists and Daoists collated the Scripture of the Conversion of the Barbarians; the Daoists could not answer and abandoned their learning themselves, at which the Emperor was greatly pleased. In the gengshen year, when the master was twenty-two, Shizu ascended the throne, established the Zhongtong reign era, honored him as State Preceptor, bestowed a jade seal upon him, appointed him Dharma King of the Central Plains, and put him in charge of the religious sects under heaven. Taking leave of the Emperor to return west, he was summoned back before a month had passed. In the gengwu year, when the master was thirty-two—in the seventh year of Zhiyuan—an imperial edict ordered the creation of the national script of the Great Yuan; the master devised the strokes alone, and when it was completed, it matched the imperial will; it was promptly promulgated throughout the ministries, provinces, commanderies, and counties for official compliance, becoming the institutional standard of a whole dynasty. He was elevated to the title of Imperial Preceptor Great Precious Dharma King, was granted another jade seal, and was placed in charge of the Buddhist teachings of all realms. Soon after, he again returned west. In the jiaxu year, when the master was thirty-six—in the sixteenth year of Zhiyuan—the Emperor sent a special envoy to summon him. At the close of the year he reached the capital. Princes, dukes, grand councilors, scholar-officials, and commoners went out one stage from the city, erected a great aromatic altar, arranged a great pure offering, and with fragrant flowers, banners, parasols, grand music, and celestial sounds, lined up in obeisance to welcome him. The streets and lanes he passed through were all hung with five-colored decorations flanking both sides; the myriad multitude looked up in homage as if a Buddha had appeared in the world. At that time, the imperial army crossed the Yangtze River as if flying, ultimately accomplishing unification; although brought about by a sage ruler and worthy ministers, it was also through the power of the master's unseen assistance. He expounded the Treatise Clarifying the Knowable on the receptacle world and other matters for Crown Prince Zhenjin. Soon thereafter he again firmly declined office to return west; the Emperor earnestly sought to detain him, but could not. In the gengchen year, when the master was forty-two—on the twenty-second day of the eleventh month of the seventeenth year of Zhiyuan—he manifested nirvāṇa. When the Emperor heard of it, his grief and shock were beyond measure. Cherishing his former virtue, he built a great stūpa in the capital to enshrine his true-body relics, the tiers of gold and azure rising without peer.'

48.50

In the eighteenth year, a special imperial decree was received: 'The two schools of Buddhists and Daoists debated, [revealing that] except for the Daodejing, which contains the genuine scriptural tenets of Laozi, all the rest were fabricated by later people, being deceitful talk largely defaming the Buddhist teaching and plagiarizing Buddhist sayings. Furthermore, they collected books on yin-yang, medicine, and the various philosophers, frequently altering the names and titles, so that the transmissions and commentaries became erroneous, losing their original authenticity. They fabricated talismans and spells, falsely asserting that wearing them would double a merchant's profits, bring harmony to husbands and wives like mandarin ducks, multiply offspring, grant long life to men and chastity to women, deceiving and misleading the myriad people in more than one way, and seeking to satisfy greed for wealth and seduce wives and daughters. There are those who instruct people in fraudulent absurdities: that wearing a talisman on the arm will make a man a ruler or minister and a woman an empress or consort, that entering water one will not drown, entering fire one will not burn, and that swords and spears cannot harm one. When Heavenly Master Zhang, Real Man Qi, Real Man Li, and Real Man Du were ordered to test this in fire, they all begged for mercy, pled for their lives, admitted their falsehoods, and dared not undergo the test. It is now deliberated that, except for Laozi's Daodejing, wherever along the circuits there are deceitful Daoist canonical texts and printing blocks, they shall all be incinerated. If there are those who cherish Buddhist sutras, they may become monks; those unwilling to be monks may take wives and return to commoner status. If the local authorities do not enforce this and fail to confiscate them, they shall be held equally guilty with those who conceal them.'

48.51

In the twenty-second year, an imperial stele commemorating the burning of the spurious Daoist canon across the circuits was commissioned. Hanlin Academy officials Tang Fang, Yang Wenyu, Wang Gou, Li Qian, Yan Fu, Li Zhu, and Wang Pan composed it by imperial command. On the renzi day of the tenth month, the civil and military officials were assembled at Minzhong Temple to burn the spurious Daoist scriptures and miscellaneous books; envoys were dispatched to the various circuits to ensure compliance. Hanlin Direct Academician, Drafter, and Co-Compiler of the National History Zhang Bochun was ordered to compose a preface to the case for the Zhiyuan Record of Debating the Spurious. At that time, Master Yongfu, Yang Lianzhenjia, General Overseer of the Buddhist Teaching in Jiangnan, greatly promoted the sacred transformation for three full years and restored thirty-six Buddhist temples.

48.52

In the twenty-fifth year, on the nineteenth day of the first month, Yang Lianzhenjia, General Overseer of the Buddhist Teaching in Jianghuai, assembled the various mountains of the three schools of Teaching, Chan, and Vinaya of Jiangnan to Yanjing to inquire about the Dharma. The Chan school cited the Yunmen gongan, with which the Emperor was displeased. Dharma Master Yunmeng Ze expounded the Dharma to the imperial satisfaction; the Emperor ordered the doctrinal monks to wear red kāṣāyas and stand on the right side. Thereupon he bestowed a vegetarian feast at the Xiangdian, conferred a red brocade robe woven with gold, and granted him the title of Great Master of Buddha-Wisdom and Profound Eloquence; that the Teaching took precedence over Chan originated from this. The Emperor once asked the Imperial Preceptor: 'What merit is there in building temples and erecting pagodas?' The master said: 'The blessed shade covers the trichiliocosm.' Because of this, Renwang Temple was built. One day, when the Imperial Preceptor finished eating, the sky rained golden flowers. The Emperor asked: 'Why is there this auspicious omen?' The master said: 'Your Majesty's heart-flower has blossomed within; the sky rains golden flowers in praise.' The Emperor asked the Shu monk Yuanyi: 'Why are the followers of Confucius and Laozi so few, while the followers of the Tathāgata are so numerous?' Yi said: 'In wealth, one finds a thousand mouths too few; in poverty, one regrets having even one body.' The Emperor established a grand assembly for bestowing the precepts, and light shone everywhere. The Emperor asked the Imperial Preceptor: 'Where does the light come from?' The master said: 'The sympathetic resonance of the Path intersects, and the Buddha-light responds and appears.' The Emperor summoned ten eminent monks to the inner palace to receive offerings. The Emperor sat upright without moving; the Venerables remained silent. The Emperor said: 'This is genuine merit.' Furthermore, in the leisure moments of his myriad affairs, he personally held prayer beads, chanted his daily lessons, and made food offerings, saying to his ministers: 'I govern all under heaven with the non-dual true mind of original enlightenment. It is just like watching a gyrfalcon taking a swan: the mind is non-dual. Therefore, since I have possessed all under heaven, the two taxes on monastic agricultural estates have all been remitted, allowing the dark-robed assembly to practice the Way with peace of mind.' In the more than one hundred fascicles of the Shizu Veritable Records, every word and phrase takes the propagation of the teaching as his personal responsibility.

48.53

In the twenty-eighth year, the Bureau of Tibetan and Buddhist Affairs reported 42,318 temples and 213,148 monks and nuns throughout the empire. The Emperor was on the throne for thirty-five years and lived to be eighty. In the national language he is called Sechen Emperor.

48.54

Emperor Chengzong, Qinming Guangxiao (taboo name Temür; grandson of Shizu, third son of Yuzong Zhenjin; ascended the throne on the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the jiawu year; in the national language, Öljeitü Emperor).

48.55

In the first year of Yuanzhen, a great amnesty was granted. In that year, an edict summoned the Venerable Yuetang Yin to the palace. His responses in audience matched the imperial will; he was granted the title Chan Master Tonghui along with a gold-embroidered Dharma robe. Dharma Master Zantang Cheng of Upper Tianzhu entered the Superior Capital for an imperial audience and was granted meals in the palace. He spoke of restoring Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantai; the Bureau of Tibetan and Buddhist Affairs memorialized the request, and an imperial rescript granting protection was issued, ordering Dharma Master Hong to take charge of it and rectify its lineage.

48.56

In the first year of Dade, Lintao Temple was built. Shizu had once wished to build a Buddhist temple at the supreme site of Mount Wutai, but had not accomplished it; the Emperor continued his intention and built the temple, granting it the name Wanshou Youguo Temple and ordering the State Preceptor of True Enlightenment, Wencai, to preside over it.

48.57

In the third year, Chan Master Hongji, General Overseer of the Buddhist Teaching in Jiangzhe and monk of Putuo, Ningyi, was ordered to carry an imperial edict as envoy to Japan.

48.58

In that year, in the summer, in the fifth month, the Offices of the General Overseers of the Buddhist Teaching in the various circuits of Jiangnan were abolished.

48.59

In the ninth year, Lianzhen Jancang died. Funeral gifts were conferred: five hundred ounces of gold, one thousand ounces of silver, ten thousand bolts of silk fabrics, and three thousand ingots of paper currency; a stūpa temple was also built for him.

48.60

In the tenth year, bingwu, in the spring, the General Clerical Directorate of the White Cloud Sect of Jiangnan was abolished; its lay followers were dismissed and returned to the administration of prefectures and counties, and its monks returned to their respective temples.

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese