佛祖統紀 6.19.2

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...)