佛祖統紀 6.19

English (machine translation) 6.19

Language: English

6.19.1

The Fourth Patriarch, Great Master Tiantai Zhizhe, Zhiyi, courtesy name De'an, was surnamed Chen. His family had lived in Yingchuan for generations. During the Jin dynasty, they fled disorders and settled in Huarong of Jingzhou (present-day Gong'an County of Jiangling Prefecture). His father, Qizu, served as an attendant gentleman in ordinary attendance during the reign of Emperor Yuan of the Liang, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yiyang. His mother, Lady Xu, dreamed of incense smoke of five colors twirling around and entering her bosom. She also once dreamed of swallowing a white rat, whereupon she felt a heaviness in her body. A diviner said: 'The white rat is a dragon in transformation.' On the night of his miraculous birth (the wuwu year, the fourth year of the Datong era of Emperor Wu of the Liang), divine light illuminated the house. The neighbors saw it from afar and took it for a fire; upon arriving, they knew that a son was born. All were amazed. Relatives from near and far were overjoyed and wished to set out tripods and platters for a celebration feast, but the fire extinguished and the soup grew cold, so that the affair could not be accomplished. At dawn, two monks knocked at the door and said: 'This boy is the repository of virtue; he will surely leave the household.' Having spoken, they vanished. The Master had eyebrows of eight colors (the Annals of Emperors and Kings records: 'Yao was born after fourteen months, and his eyebrows had eight colors') and eyes with double pupils (the Hanshu's appraisal of Xiang Yu states: 'Shun had double pupils'; [the characters] tong and tong are the same), bearing the auspicious signs of ancient emperors. His parents always hid and protected him, not letting others see him. While swaddled in infant blankets, whenever he lay down he joined his palms, and whenever he sat he always faced west. At the age of seven, he delighted in going to monasteries. Receiving oral instruction from a monk on the 'Universal Gateway' Chapter, he was able to recite it after a single hearing. At the age of seventeen, he met with the fall of Jiangling under Emperor Yuan (Emperor Yuan was originally enfeoffed as the Prince of Xiangdong, the seventh son of Emperor Wu. When Emperor Jianwen was harmed by Hou Jing, the Prince thereupon ascended the throne. He made Jiangling his capital for three years, and in the ninth month it was sacked by Western Wei. Calculating by historical calendars, he should have been seventeen years old. The Separate Biography's statement of fifteen is mistaken). His relatives were dispersed and displaced. Before the Buddha image at Changsha [Monastery], the Master vowed to become a śramaṇa (During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin, a five-colored light appeared north of the city of Jiangling. The śramaṇa Tanyi found the golden body and radiant marks of a Buddha at that spot, bearing an inscription in Brāhmī characters that read: 'Fashioned by King Aśoka.' He then welcomed it and enshrined it at Changsha Monastery; this is what is now called the Changsha Buddha image. The monastery is north of the city of Jiangling; the old view that it was in Changsha of Tānzhōu is mistaken. The Record of the Divine Resonance of Devas and Humans states: 'Changsha Monastery is on the north bank of Jingzhou,' which agrees with this statement). At night, he dreamed that an auspicious image extended a golden hand through the window and stroked his crown three times. From this, he deeply loathed the prison of the household life and longed to leave the home. His parents loved him dearly and did not grant him permission. He then carved sandalwood to produce images, and opened the canon to seek out sūtras. While bowing to the Buddha, he felt dazed as if in a dream, and saw a tall mountain overlooking the sea. On the mountain peak, a monk raised his hand to beckon him. In an instant, the monk extended his arm down to the foot of the mountain and received him into a monastery, where he saw the images he had carved. Weeping with sorrow, he stated his own vow: 'I pray to master the Dharma of the Buddhas of the three periods, and to preach it without impediment before thousands of treatise masters, so as to repay the four debts of kindness.' The monk again pointed to the images and told him: 'You shall dwell here, and you shall end your days here.' In that year, his parents passed away one after the other (According to the Jingzhou Stele: When the Master wished to travel about, his mother said: 'How will delicious foods be provided for your parents?' The Master aroused a compassionate mind and pointed to their thatch, which turned into rice, and water, which turned into oil. Even today, the Thatch-Ear Village and the Oil River still retain their names. According to this, the two accounts differ; this must have occurred previously when he sought to leave the household and his parents had not yet permitted him. It is now appended here). At the age of eighteen, he took leave of his elder brother and sought to depart (the first year of the Shaotai era of Emperor Jing of the Liang; the elder brother was Chen Zhen, the adjutant of central weapons). At that time, Wang Lin held Xiang (Hengzhou), and he went to follow him. Because of his past acquaintance with Marquis Chen, Lin provided him with Dharma implements. He left the household under his maternal uncle Faxu at Guoyuan Monastery in his native commandery (the Fuxing says: 'He went to his uncle at Guoyuan Monastery to leave the household'). At twenty, he proceeded to receive the full precepts (the second year of the Taiping era of the Liang; in the ninth month of this year, the throne was abdicated to Emperor Wu of the Chen). Initially, he studied the Vinaya under Huikuang and also mastered the Vaipulya teachings. He then proceeded to Mount Daxian (in the southern region of Hengzhou) to recite the Lotus, the Immeasurable Meanings, and the Samantabhadra Contemplation. Traversing two periods of seven days, he completely memorized the three texts and advanced to practice the Vaipulya [penance]. Excellent signs appeared before him: he saw the bodhimaṇḍa vast and adorned, while various sūtras and images were scattered about in disarray (this symbolizes the disorder among the various divisions of texts). His body was situated upon a high seat, his feet stepping on a corded chair; with his mouth he recited the Lotus, and with his hands he straightened the sūtras and images (this symbolizes using the purports of the Lotus to distinguish the pure from the mixed, bringing them to unity in orthodoxy). Having already mastered the Vinaya Piṭaka and constantly delighting in the joy of dhyāna, he felt dissatisfied with Xiangdong (Hengzhou), finding no one worthy of inquiry. In the first year of the Tianjia era of Emperor Wen of the Chen (the Fuxing's reading of Qianming is mistaken; he was twenty-three years old at the time), when Dhyāna Master Si was dwelling on Mount Dasu in Guangzhou, he went straight to prostrate to him. Master Si said: 'In the past on Vulture Peak we listened to the Lotus together. Chased by past conditions, you have come again now!' He immediately showed him the Samantabhadra bodhimaṇḍa and expounded the four peaceful and joyful practices for him (Nanyue composed the Meaning of the Peaceful and Joyful Practices, but its manuscript had long been lost. Xingjiao of Siming traveled about and reached Nanyue, where he obtained it from an ancient repository. He returned and showed it to Yuanbian; later, Beifeng and Xiaoshizhi were the first to carve the printing blocks and circulate it in the world). From dusk to dawn, he painstakingly investigated the mind as instructed. He cut cypress to replace incense; when the cypress was exhausted, he followed it with chestnut. He rolled up the bamboo screen to let in the moon; when the moon sank, he burned pine torches. After two periods of seven days, while reciting the sūtra, he reached the passage: 'This is true vigor; this is called the true Dharma offering to the Tathāgata.' His body and mind opened up clearly and entered into quiescent samādhi. Dhāraṇī arose from tranquility (The Miaole says: 'The samādhi and the dhāraṇī of the perfect gate are identical in essence and different in name: samādhi pertains to concentration, and dhāraṇī pertains to wisdom. Tranquility is concentration, namely, the preliminary expedients of the Lotus. Dhāraṇī is the emptiness-holding, the initial revolving dhāraṇī'). He illuminated the Lotus Sūtra as the bright noon sun shines down into a secluded valley (the sun at midday), and he penetrated the characteristics of all dharmas as a long wind roams across the great void. When he was about to report his realization to his master, Nanyue further unfolded and expounded it for him. All that had been awakened in his own mind and received in inquiry from his master advanced over four nights with an efficacy surpassing a hundred years. Nanyue sighed: 'Were it not for you, it would not have been realized; were it not for me, it could not have been recognized. The samādhi you have entered is the preliminary expedient of the Lotus Samādhi; the dhāraṇī you have brought forth is the initial revolving dhāraṇī (Entering the stages of the abodes is true cultivation; the ten faiths are the expedients. The word "preliminary" here refers precisely to the five grades of practice. The initial revolving dhāraṇī revolves provisionality into emptiness; the dhāraṇī of hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis revolves emptiness into provisionality; the expedient dhāraṇī of Dharma sounds is...)'

6.19.2

[The two contemplations of emptiness and conventionality serve as expedient means to enter the middle way. Dhāraṇī is translated as 'holding all' (dhāraṇa). Now, when we speak of the 'initial revolving' [dhāraṇī], it is the retention of emptiness. When the Great Master first entered samādhi, that was the preparatory expedient, which corresponds to the stage of contemplative practice of the five ranks. That which was initiated and retained was the revolving dhāraṇī, which corresponds to the stage of semblance [awakening] of the ten faiths. Relying upon and taking this samādhi as the cause, he was able to develop the retention of emptiness; this was a transition from the efficacy of the five ranks into the ten faiths. As for those in the past who claimed that one at the five ranks should not attain the initial revolving [dhāraṇī], they simply failed to consider that retention arises from stillness. The Xuanqian states: 'Therefore, the attainment of the dhāraṇī is due to the power of samādhi'—this is precisely the meaning. As for his stating at his death that he was only at the five ranks, he wished to convey a warning to his disciples that one's own practice is urgent; thus, adopting humble words, he declared himself to abide at the stage of contemplative practice. The Great Master reproached his disciples, saying: 'You are lazy in planting roots of goodness yet ask about another's merits. What benefit is there in telling you the truth?' This was indeed his meaning. One should know that whether in his fundamental ground or his trace manifestation, the Great Master cannot be fathomed. Was he at equal awakening or wondrous awakening? Liangsu praised him in this way; what need is there to debate it now?] 'Even if masters of the written word in their thousands and myriads were to interrogate your eloquence, they could not exhaust it. You should be foremost among those who preach the Dharma.' There was a Dhyāna Master Huimiao who said to his disciples, 'What I expound is the true lion's roar; what others preach is the howling of jackals.' The Master cited the scriptures and examined him with questions, and Miao yielded to him. At night [the Master] dreamed of a three-storied pavilion: he sat on the upper story while Miao stood below. A person with glaring eyes said to him, 'Why do you slight Miao? Why do you doubt the Dharma? You ought to question me.' The Master set several barriers of difficult questions, and the angry person was struck dumb. The Master thereupon admonished him, saying, 'Except for the true reality of all phenomena, everything else is the work of Māra.' When Nanyue produced a golden-lettered Prajñā[-pāramitā Sūtra], he instructed the Master to lecture in his place. Only with regard to the three samādhis and the wisdom of the three contemplations did [the Master] consult him; all the rest he judged for himself. Holding a ruyi sceptre in his hand, Nanyue came to the assembly and praised him, saying, 'It may be said that the Dharma has been entrusted to a minister of the Dharma, and the Dharma King has no more cares!' He further said to the Master, 'For a long time I have longed for Mount Nanyue, regretting that I had no one to entrust the Dharma to. You have roughly gained its portal. You must transmit the lamp and transform beings; do not become the final person who cuts off the lineage!' ('The final' refers to the end of the Dharma.) Having received these instructions, the Master was unable to accompany him to Nanyue. In the first year of the Guangda reign of the Chen dynasty, together with Faxi and others, twenty-seven in all, he first arrived in Jinling. (This was during the reign of the Deposed Emperor of Chen, when the Master was thirty years old. In Chu it was called Jinling; under the Jin it was Jiankang; it is now Jiankang Prefecture.) There was a man named Faji who boasted of his Dhyāna learning. Leaning back as he lay down, he asked, 'A person enters samādhi, hears the earth shake at Mount She, and knows that the monk Quan is refining impermanence. What kind of dhyāna is this?' (Mount She is seven li from Jiankang. The Venerable Quan was at Zhiguan Temple. 'Refining impermanence' comes from the Chanmiyao Jing. There are thirty-six contemplative portals; one enters emptiness and contemplates earth, water, fire, and wind, and in sequence ought to realise the four fruits.) [The Master] replied, 'A marginal samādhi is not deep; evils enter through the dark. If one grasps it or speaks of it, the samādhi is broken without hindrance.' Faji sprang up in alarm, apologised, and said, 'This old monk once attained this samādhi and told it to the Venerable Ze of Lingyao; because of this, I lost it forever.' Soon after, both court and commoners heard of his renown, and all came to request instruction. In the first year of the Dajian reign (under Emperor Xuan of Chen), the Specially Advanced Official Shen Junli invited him to reside at Waguan Temple. (Emperor Ai of Jin had bestowed the land of the official tile kilns upon the monk Huili to build a temple, which was named after it. It lies west of the city facing the river and is called Shengyuan Temple.) [There the Master] explained the title of the Lotus Sūtra. The emperor decreed the court to suspend its session for a day and commanded all the ministers to go and listen. At that time, Vice Director Xu Ling, Grand Master of the Palace Jin Wang Gu, Attendant Officer Kong Huan, Minister of the Department of State Affairs Mao Xi, Vice Director Zhou Hongzheng, and others all received the monastic precepts and together heard the wondrous tenets. Furthermore, throughout one summer retreat, he explained and expounded the great meaning. At that time, Jingshao of Baima Temple, Fashui of Dinglin Temple, Zhiling of Chanzhong Temple, and Fa'an of Fengcheng Temple—all foremost masters of Jinling—fully rendered the respect due to a teacher. From this time on, the Master regularly lectured on the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-upadeśa to the assembly and expounded the Sequential Gate of Dhyāna. (Fashen's private record in thirty fascicles, which Zhang'an edited into ten fascicles, namely the Gradual Calming and Contemplation on Dhyāna-pāramitā.) He also expounded the Six Wondrous Gates for Mao Xi. (That is the Indeterminate Calming and Contemplation.) The Master resided at Waguan for eight years in total. In the seventh year, he dismissed his disciples, saying, 'In my first year, of those who sat with me, forty people attained the Dharma. In the next year, of over a hundred people, fewer than ten attained the Dharma. Thereafter, disciples grew ever more numerous, but those who attained the Dharma grew fewer. I have heard that Mount Tiantai is secluded and superb, praised by men of old. I intend to cease worldly involvements on that ridge to unfold the aspiration of my life.' In the fourth month, summer, Emperor Xuan issued an edict to retain him and instruct living beings. Xu Ling wept and urged him not to go. The Master reluctantly stayed to pass the summer. In the ninth month, autumn, he finally entered Mount Tiantai. (The Fuxing states that he was thirty-eight years old this year.) He once stayed overnight at the Stone Bridge, where he saw an old monk who said, 'If you, Dhyāna Master, wish to build a temple, there are the foundations of the Crown Prince's Temple at the foot of the mountain, which can supply your needs. When the three states become one, (The 'three states' refers to Chen in the south, and Zhou and Qi in the north. 'Becoming one' refers to the Sui.) there will be a person of great power who will build this temple. (This points to the Crown Prince, the Prince of Jin.) If the temple is completed, the country will become pure.' At that time, the three realms stood like the feet of a tripod; although he heard these words, by what means could a temple be built? When he came out of the ravine, he saw the southern peak of Folong. (The preface to the Bailu notes that mountain travelers often saw Buddha images, hence it obtained this name.) He then lingered, his mind set upon this mountain. Before this, the miraculous monk Dingguang had lived in a hermitage there for thirty years. When the Master arrived, Guang said to him, 'Do you somewhat recall the time when I waved my hand to guide you?' The Master at once understood the subtle omen of his worshipping the image. At night, he heard the sound of bells and sounding stones in the sky. Guang said, 'This is a gaṇḍī gathering the monks—a sign that you will be able to dwell here. (Gaṇḍī is pronounced qiandi; here it means the sound of bamboo, wood, copper, or iron.) This place of golden ground, I already dwell in; you should dwell in the northern mountain of silver ground.' Thereupon he founded a monastery on the northern peak, planting pines and channelling streams, just as in his former dream. North of the temple was a distinct peak named Huading; he went there alone to practice dhūta. Suddenly, in the latter part of the night, a great wind and thunder shook the mountain; thousands of packs of chimi monsters, exceedingly terrifying in form, appeared. He settled his mind in emptiness and stillness, and they naturally retreated and dispersed. Then they took on the forms of his parents, teachers, and monks, now resting on his pillow, now embracing him, sobbing and shedding tears. He deeply contemplated true reality, fully understanding that they were fundamentally non-existent, and immediately they vanished again. Neither the adverse nor the pleasant conditions could move him. (These are all the forms manifested by the Māra of the Sons of Heaven. When various masters in this land practice...)

6.19.3

"[...] few are able to vanquish the māra of the Son of Heaven." When the morning star appeared, he saw a divine monk who said to him: "Subduing the foe and overcoming resentment may truly be counted as valor." (These two sentences come from the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa-sūtra.) He then expounded the Dharma for him. The Master asked: "What Dharma-door is it that the Great Sage has spoken? How should it be studied, and how should it be propagated?" He answered: "This is called the truth of the One Reality (eka-satya). Study it through prajñā, and propagate it through great compassion. From this day forward, in your own practice and in helping others, I shall accompany you like shadow and echo." In the eighth year, the Master stayed for the summer retreat at Folong. That year chanced to have a crop failure, and the community all came and went as they pleased. The Master, together with Huichuo, planted sesame and gathered acorns (jù is large sesame seeds; xiàng are acorn cups, the nuts of the ze tree), being content in poverty without grief. In the second month of the ninth year, the emperor issued an edict stating: "The Chan Master is a preeminent hero of the Buddha-dharma, venerated by the masters of our time. His instructions embrace both monks and laypeople; he is the hope of the state. It is fitting to allocate the tax revenues of Shifeng County (Tiantai was named Shifeng during the Six Dynasties period; tiáo is levied taxation) to supply the expenses of the community, and to exempt two households of commoners to provide firewood and water." Thereupon the community gathered once again. In the fifth month of the tenth year, Xu Ling, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, memorialized the court concerning the Master's founding of a monastery, and the name Xiuchan was bestowed upon it (Mao Xi, Minister of Personnel, wrote the seal script title; it is now called Daci). Yuan Zixiong of Chen Commandery and Yu Chong of Xinye went up the mountain, arriving just as he was lecturing on the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa. They concentrated their minds, observed the fast, and listened to the Dharma for consecutive days. Xiong saw that in front of the hall there was a lapis-lazuli mountain shining transparently; across the secluded stream on the northern side of the mountain stretched a rainbow bridge, and several tens of Indian monks, all holding incense burners in their hands, ascended the bridge and entered the hall. Xiong told this to Chong, but Chong said he did not see it. Xiong consequently resolved to rebuild the lecture hall. Tiantai bordered the sea, and the livelihood of the people was fishing. The Master used his own robes to exhort the people to ransom a weir to make it a pond for releasing living beings. At that time Ji Xu, Administrator of Linhai, invited him to lecture on the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra. When the fishermen heard the Dharma, they all came to love life and renounce killing. They gave up sixty-three fish weirs and dams along the rivers and streams, so that more than three hundred li all became Dharma ponds. Later, Xu returned to the capital, was implicated in an affair, and was imprisoned. As he was about to face execution, he thought of the Chan Master from afar, hoping he would extend salvation. That night, he dreamed of tens of millions of fish spitting bubbles to moisten one another. The next morning, an edict was issued pardoning Xu's offense (the release pond stele in the Bailu gives his name as Jishang'er, which is probably his style). When the Master finished lecturing on the sūtra, he took a boat out of the river mouth. Looking toward Mount Furong, with its peaks towering steeply and a solitary rock overhanging, the Master said: "Long ago I dreamed of journeying on the sea, and it was just like this." One day, auspicious clouds of five colors appeared, resembling a lunar halo, shading over the monastery from afar. A flock of sparrows chattered noisily and gathered flying under the eaves. The Master said: "The fish of the river have transformed into yellow sparrows and come to show their gratitude." In the first year of Zhide (under the Last Ruler of the Chen), the emperor ordered Xu Xiaoke, Libationer of the National University, to erect a stele and compose an inscription praising his merit and virtue (the text is recorded in the Bailu). In the second year, the Prince of Yongyang (Bozhi, the younger first cousin of the Last Ruler) was stationed at Dongyang (the Biezhuan says Ouyue, which is merely a general name for the whole circuit); he sent letters three times inviting the Master, who thereupon went. He personally performed the Fangdeng repentance, lecturing by day and meditating by night. The prince, his son Chen, and his family members all received the pure precepts. The Last Ruler asked his ministers: "Among the Buddhists of today, who is the most eminent?" Xu Ling replied: "The Chan virtue of the Chan Master of Waguan is lofty and surpassing; the Prince of Yongyang personally sits at his feet facing north. We pray that Your Majesty summon him back to the capital to broadly propagate the Great Dharma." In the first month of the third year, imperial envoys were sent three times consecutively, but the Master declined each time on grounds of illness (the three edicts are all preserved in the Bailu). In the third month, the emperor further decreed that the prefecture and commandery urge and invite him (the Bailu contains the edict to Dongyang; at that time the Great Master was still staying in Dongyang). The prince urged the Master, saying: "The sovereign has humbled himself in reverence; I pray that you visit him now. If a single word proves beneficial, the four classes of living beings will rely on it forever." The Master, having no choice, went. Arriving in Jinling, he temporarily stayed at Lingyao. In the fourth month, he was summoned to the Taiji Hall to open the title of the Da zhidu lun and the title of the Renwang bore jing, after which he returned to the monastery to proceed with the lectures. At that time, the hundred seats were on the left (the Dharma masters of the high seats) and the five noble ranks on the right (the five orders of nobility: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron). Huixuan, Huikuang, and Huibian were all commissioned by edict to raise difficult questions. The Son of Heaven attended the assembly to hear the Dharma, and all the civil and military officials showed the utmost reverence. At that time, many monks and nuns were idle without vocation, and it was debated at court that all those who failed the examination on the scriptures should be made to return to lay life. The Master admonished them, saying: "Devadatta recited ten thousand words a day, yet could not avoid falling into the deep; (the Zhidu lun states that Devadatta recited sixty thousand clusters of Dharma, yet together with King Ajātaśatru committed the five inexpiable offenses and fell alive into hell. This was a manifestation of great expedient means, but the Great Master cited this out of an intention to protect the Dharma through expedients;) Panthaka remembered only a single gāthā, yet attained the four fruits. (The Dharmapada Avadāna says that Panthaka was dim and obstructed, so the Buddha gave him a single gāthā: 'Guard the mouth, restrain the mind, let the body do no wrong; a practitioner like this will cross over the world.' Suddenly his mind opened and he became an arhat.) In serious discourse, how could cultivating the Way depend on extensive recitation?" The Last Ruler was greatly pleased and immediately stopped the scrutiny and dismissals. Because Lingyao was cramped, the Master wished to seek another quiet retreat. Suddenly he dreamed of a man whose entourage was solemn and dignified, who called himself Guanda and invited him to dwell at Sanqiao. The Master said: "Guanda was the Dharma name of Emperor Wu of the Liang; Sanqiao is the site of Guangzhai." When the Last Ruler heard this, he welcomed the Master to reside there. He also issued an edict saying: "Our state has traditionally held lectures on the Renwang jing twice a year. We look up to and entreat you to expound this sūtra once more in the Taiji Hall." That month, the emperor visited Guangzhai Monastery to give up his body in great donation, listened to the lecture on the Renwang jing, and personally made three prostrations. Empress Shen requested a Dharma name, and the Master answered with Haihui (Ocean of Wisdom). In the first month of the fourth year, the Crown Prince requested the Bodhisattva precepts; from the Crown Prince down, all received the precept rules (in the Nan shi his name is Shen; in the text requesting precepts in the Bailu, his name is Yuan; it is likely that on receiving the precepts, he changed to this name). In the first year of Zhemning, the Master lectured on the Lotus Sūtra at Guangzhai. At that time, Zhang'an attended the lectures (the title note of the Wenju states: 'At twenty-seven years of age, he heard and received it at Jinling; at sixty-nine, he added to and edited it at Danqiu'). In the first month of the second year, the Sui attacked the Chen, conquering the state, and all Jiangnan submitted to the Sui. Because of the warfare and chaos of the times, the Master took up his staff and went to Jing and Xiang (zhàng in the falling tone means to lean on; in the departing tone, it means the staff one leans on; here it has the sense of supporting oneself. Cè means a bamboo staff; in the Han dynasty Deng Yu leaned on his staff to follow Emperor Guangwu. Jingzhou is Hubei).

6.19.4

Xiangzhou was Hunan). He stopped en route at Penchen (a place name in modern Jiangzhou, [namely] Penpu). In a dream, an old monk said to him: 'Tao Kan’s auspicious image respectfully begs for your protection.' When he went to rest at Mount Lu, he saw the painted portraits of the two masters Huiyuan and Huiyong, and only then comprehended its miraculous nature. Soon after, Xunyang rebelled (namely, Jiangzhou), and the temple buildings were burned down; only this mountain was spared from intrusion. Thus the efficacy of protecting the image was all the more known (In the Jin, Tao Kan, as Inspector of Guangzhou, found a golden image of Mañjuśrī in the sea. He sent it to Hanxi Temple in Wuchang. When Kan returned to Jingzhou, he wished to take the image along on his boat, but the boat sank, so he returned it to its original temple. When Master Yuan built Donglin Temple, he held an incense burner toward that direction and prayed for it, whereupon it came floating gracefully through the air). In the tenth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui (590 CE), in the first month (in this year, the North and South were unified as a single legitimate dynastic line), Emperor Wen issued an imperial edict stating: 'The Emperor respectfully inquires of Chan Master Guangzhai: We hold deep reverence and faith in the Buddhist teaching. Formerly, Emperor Wu of the Zhou destroyed and abandoned the Buddha-dharma; We once made a vow and resolved to certainly sustain and uphold it. When We received the mandate from Heaven, We immediately revived it. You, Master, have already left behind the worldly net to cultivate yourself and transform others; We earnestly hope you will encourage and advance the monastic community, thereby glorifying the Great Way' (addressing him as Guangzhai retains his former title). At that time, Prince Xiaowang of Qin went out to garrison Yangzhou (Prince Jun of Qin, son of Emperor Wen and younger brother of the Prince of Jin. Li Xun said: 'The character of the region south of the Yangtze is light and uplifting (yang).' According to this meaning, the character yang should have the hand radical). He sent a letter inviting the Master. The Master said to the emissary: 'Though I wish to meet, I fear that conditions will ultimately be unsuited.' Soon afterward, strong winds raged for many ten-day periods, and rebel bandits arose in contention; both water and land routes were obstructed, so the journey ultimately could not be made. In the eleventh year (591 CE), the Prince of Jin became Commander-in-chief in his stead (the Prince of Jin, Yang Guang, replaced the Prince of Qin as Commander-in-chief of Yangzhou) and sent an envoy to receive him with honor. The Master said: 'I have a profound karmic bond with the Prince of Jin.' He immediately packed his robes, traveled downstream, and arrived within a few days. The Prince composed a text requesting the bestowal of the Bodhisattva Precepts. After declining three times without being excused, the Master made four vows: 'First, though I delight in Chan study, my practice does not match the Dharma; please do not deceive yourself regarding the Chan teaching. Second, my conduct is ignorant of court etiquette and my mouth is unpracticed in social pleasantries; please do not fault me on rules of deportment. Third, as one who transmits the lamp for the sake of the Dharma, please do not resent my comings and goings. Fourth, if thoughts of mountain valleys arise, please release me to live simply like birds feeding, so that I may finish out my remaining years.' Only upon these four wishes being granted did he accede to the gracious decree. The Prince, who was then earnestly seeking the pure precepts, accordingly granted his vows. On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month of that year, in the main hall of the Commander-in-chief's headquarters, a feast for a thousand monks was arranged, and the Dharma of the Bodhisattva Precepts was conferred. The Master said to the Prince: 'As Your Royal Highness has graciously bowed to follow the sacred prohibitions, your name shall be Zongchi (Dhāraṇī).' The Prince praised the Master, saying: 'The Great Master transmits the lamp of the Buddha-dharma; it is fitting that you be called Zhizhe (The Wise One)' (from the bestowal of precepts onward, all correspondence referred to the Prince as 'Disciple Zongchi'). After the conferral of precepts was concluded, he took up residence outside the city at Chanzhong Temple and wished to travel west immediately. The Prince firmly requested him to stay. The Master said: 'There was a prior clear agreement; how could it be breached?' The Prince then sent Liu Guyan to deliver a letter pleading with him to stay until the second month of the following year, agreeing to escort him to Qixia for departure. In the twelfth year (592 CE), in the second month, the Master submitted a letter to the Prince, requesting that he serve as the lay patron (dānapati) for the two temples at Donglin and the summit of Mount Lu. The Prince replied granting it. In the third month, when the Master was about to depart, the Prince again sent a letter asking him to reside at Mount She to pass the summer; the Master did not consent. The Prince ordered the officials to prepare provisions and dispatch an escort. The Master then arrived and stayed at Mount Lu. In the seventh month, the Prince sent an envoy to Mount Lu to pay respects and inquire after his health. In the eighth month, the Master went to Mount Heng to construct works of merit to repay his master's kindness. In the eleventh month, the Prince sent a letter to Tanzhou to receive him with honor. In the twelfth month, the Master reached Jingzhou, returning to his native soil to repay his place of origin; intending to establish a courtyard of blessings, he founded a monastery at Mount Yuquan in Dangyang (under the Sui, this area was entirely part of Jingzhou; during the Later Liang of the Zhu family, it was divided and the Jingmen Commandery was established) and renovated the Shizhu Temple. Monastics and laypeople who received precepts and listened to his lectures reached more than five thousand. When he first arrived at Dangyang and gazed upon the blues heaped up in the mountain scenery of Ju and Zhang, he wished to divine a site at Qingxi for a bodhimaṇḍa; disliking it as cramped and narrow, he went up to Jinlong. More than a hundred paces north of the pond stood a great tree, its luxuriant canopy hollowed inside like a hut. He then sat cross-legged at that spot and entered samādhi. One day, heaven and earth turned dark and gloomy, and wind and rain howled with fury; monsters of bizarre shapes underwent a thousand transformations in an instant. A giant serpent, more than ten zhang in length, opened its mouth toward him; dark demons deployed in battle array, shooting catapult stones and arrows like rain. After seven days, he showed no fear whatsoever. The Master pitied them, saying: 'What you are committing are the various karmas of birth and death; clinging greedily to lingering blessings, you feel no sorrow or remorse.' When he finished speaking, the apparitions and demons all vanished. That evening, the clouds parted and the moon shone brightly. He saw two men with majestic deportment like kings; the elder had a handsome beard and a robust figure, while the younger wore a cap and was remarkably handsome. Stepping forward to pay homage, the elder said: 'I am Guan Yu. In the chaos at the end of the Han, the nine provinces were torn asunder. Cao Cao lacked benevolence, and Sun Quan secured his own defense. I loyally served the Shu-Han, hoping to restore the imperial house. Circumstances thwarted my aims, and my ambition was unfulfilled. In death, my residual valor remained, and so I have reigned as king of this mountain. For what purpose has the Great Virtuous Sage Master deigned to turn his sacred footsteps here?' The Master said: 'I wish to establish a bodhimaṇḍa in this place to repay the kindness of the parents who gave me birth.' The spirit said: 'I pray that you take pity on my folly and especially deign to accept and gather me. A stage of thirty li from here is a mountain shaped like an overturned boat, with deep and fertile earth. This disciple, together with my son Ping (the First Sovereign of Shu appointed Guan Yu General of the Front; leading his forces to attack Cao Ren, he failed to conquer him. Sun Quan had already occupied Jiangling, so Guan Yu fled; Ma Zhong of Wu captured Guan Yu and his son Ping, and beheaded them at Zhangxiang. The Tangshu states that Guan Yu fathered the Palace Attendant Guan Xing, whose descendant Guan Bo served as Chancellor to Dezong), will build a temple, provide offerings, and protect the Buddha-dharma. May the Master dwell in peaceful contemplation for seven days to await its completion.' When the Master emerged from samādhi, he saw that the thousand-zhang deep pool had turned into flat ground, with radiant and magnificent halls whose craftsmanship dazzled the eyes; the divine labor and ghostly toil had proceeded with such rapidity. The Master led the assembly to move in, expounding the Dharma day and night. One day, the spirit said to the Master: 'Today, this disciple has had the privilege of hearing the world-transcending Dharma. I wish to wash my heart, change my thoughts, and request to receive the precepts, to serve forever as the foundation of bodhi.' The Master then held the censer and conferred upon him the five precepts. Thereupon, the spirit’s awe-inspiring virtue spread over a thousand li; people far and near looked up and prayed to him, none failing to show reverent respect. (When Zhizhe submitted the plan of Yuquan, he must have reported this miraculous event to the court, for the Prince of Jin's reply said: 'As for the construction of the temple at Dangyang, since the matter arose from divine intent, its principle exceeds expectation; an auspicious title shall forthwith be submitted in full.')

6.19.5

Zhang'an composed the Separate Biography, yet omitted mention of King Guan entirely, which is truly incomprehensible. If it were claimed that he had heard nothing of it, Zhang'an himself was present at Yuquan listening to the lectures. If it were claimed that he did not speak of the miraculous and anomalous, then when the Master dwelled in meditation on Huading Peak, the aggressive and seductive demons were certainly recounted. Furthermore, the deeds of the Guan family have possessed miraculous responses down to the present day; how could they have been omitted at that time? Now, relying on the Yuquan Stele to supply what was lacking, we illustrate our Patriarch's sacred virtue in this way. As for the narration of events in the Separate Biography, it still contains much superfluous language; now these are entirely deleted, aiming to preserve brevity and truthfulness. As for what other texts have not recorded, all are now collected and included here. Readers should be aware of this.) In the thirteenth year (593 CE), in the second month, the Prince of Jin went to court and halted on his journey at Shanzhou; he sent a letter to Jingzhou to welcome the Master. In the fourth month of summer, the Master expounded the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra at Yuquan (as Zhang'an said: 'Next, while in Jiangling, I received the Profound Meaning'). In the fifth month, he sent Zhisui to present a letter to the Prince of Jin, submitting a plan of the Yuquan monastery and requesting the composition of an inscription for Chan Master Heng, also offering a kāṣāya made of Wanchun tree bark (a tribute from a foreign land during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Liang). The Prince replied: 'Regarding the imperial wish to build a temple at Dangyang, since the matter arose from divine intent, its principle exceeds expectation (careful scrutiny of these two phrases reveals they refer precisely to King Guan building the temple); an auspicious title shall forthwith be submitted in full.' From spring to summer of that year, there was drought without rain, and all the common people said the dragon was angry. The Master went to the source of the water; muttering an incantation and waving his hand, wind and rain gathered together. The populace rejoiced greatly, and their songs of praise filled the roads. Wang Shiji, Commander-in-chief of Jingzhou, entered the mountain to pay homage, trembling and sweating uncontrollably; after withdrawing, he said to others: 'I have repeatedly experienced battle lines and grown bolder in the face of danger, yet never have I felt such terror as today' (the Book of Sui states that Wang Shiji later became Commander-in-chief of Liangzhou, plotted rebellion, and was executed). In the seventh month, the Prince submitted an imperial memorial regarding the founding of the temple, and it was bestowed the name Yuquan. In the eighth month, Chen Zixiu, a disciple from Jingzhou, submitted a formal letter requesting an exposition of the Lotus Sutra. In the fourteenth year (594 CE), in the fourth month of summer, the Master expounded the Great Calming and Contemplation at Yuquan. For the duration of one summer he unfolded and proclaimed it, with his mercy showering down at the two times (this is clear proof of the two daily lectures, morning and evening). In this year, he passed through Yuezhou; the Inspector Wang Xuanwu requested the conferral of the Mahāyāna Precepts, and the Scholar Tanjie requested an exposition of the Golden Light Sutra. The local custom was devoted exclusively to fishing and hunting, but upon hearing the Dharma they were transformed; thus, throughout the commandery's five counties, more than a thousand places completely abandoned the occupation of killing. In the spring of the fifteenth year (595 CE), the Prince of Jin, having stayed long in the capital, was about to return to his garrison and sent an envoy to welcome the Master. The Master sailed downstream to the east and halted at Chanzhong Temple in Yangzhou. In the sixth month, the Prince presented a letter seeking to study Chan and wisdom, which stated: 'Precepts serve as the foundation, which I reverently received in former years. Yet regarding the samādhi divisions and branches of Chan, which set aside distraction to return to tranquility, I do not know if I may receive your instruction.' The Master replied with a letter explaining his original intention: 'From long ago my heart has rested on Tiantai, and I have previously dwelt within the single gate of Chan meditation; I fear I would fall short of your profound reliance. May Your Highness turn your thoughts elsewhere and await another worthy person.' Three days later, the Prince replied again, stating: 'Formerly, during the Chen dynasty at the great gathering at Waguan, Master Rong had his horns broken first, and the two Qiongs had barely crossed tassels before they retreated (Huirong of Xiaozhuangyan Temple was defeated when responding to difficulties, which was like having his horns broken. The Book of Han says:

Linked texts (1)

佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese