佛祖統紀 49.25

49.25

The Great Hero, awakening the world, bequeathed subtle words, / Encompassing the sun and moon, pervading heaven and earth. / Zhiyi’s genius and eloquence exhausted the primal origin of transformation, / Seasonally expounding them to dispel confusion and darkness. / Though the Buddha's teachings are as numerous as sands of the Ganges, / All enter the Tiantai gate of cessation and contemplation. / Fazhi arose from afar to spread pure fragrance, / With firm resolve, true spirit, and an appearance mild and warm. / Keen and awakened in his youth, in old age even more diligent, / Whether performing repentance or lecturing, he forgot dusk and dawn. / Reviving the teachings and contemplation, he truly surpassed the crowd; / Freely ranging in discourse, subtle and reaching the spiritual. / His surviving writings shine brightly and can be examined; / His diction is pure, his principle correct, and his way untroubled. / Near and far, disciples daily hastened to him, / Hoping this correct awakening would eradicate Pāpīyas. / The way of the Buddhas and Patriarchs became ever more revered; / If a stream is to run clear, one must dredge the source; / If leaves are to be lush, one must nourish the root. / His conduct lofty and his name weighty, he was heard in the capital; / The Son of Heaven dispatched emissaries from the inner palace. / The worthy and noble, imperial relatives, indeed rejoiced, / Conferring official robes and bestowing titles to repay heavenly grace. / Knowing the body changes and vanishes like floating clouds, / He bravely vowed to abandon it, willingly hastening to burn. / His former wish unfulfilled, he continued to cultivate and perfume. / Sentient beings' cravings follow greed and anger, / Revolving through the three evil destinies like a greased wheel. / If one can suddenly awaken to the causes of retribution and bestowal, / Guilt and merit, suffering and joy, branch off and divide. / Speaking is originally non-speaking—who is such a man? / The Master's mind was lucid, dedicated from long ago. / If words can forget contemplation, how can it not be true? / Though the body is said to have perished, how could it not survive? / In Jiangsu and Zhejiang, his descendants flourish; / May this text be viewed for myriad generations.