佛祖統紀 6.19.4

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.')