佛祖統紀 9

English (machine translation) 9

Language: English

9.1

Compiled by the monk Zhipan of Donghu in Siming during the Jingding era of the Song

9.2

Hereditary Houses of the Collateral Branches of the Various Patriarchs, Part 5, Section 1

9.3

Hereditary House of the Collateral Branch of Nanyue

(Second Generation) Chan Master Sengzhao of Nanyue / Chan Master Dashan of Nanyue / Chan Master Huicheng of Zhijiang / Chan Master Huichao of Langu / Chan Master Huiyao of Baqiu / Chan Master Huiyong of Yunfeng / Chan Master Huiwei of Jiangling / Chan Master Zhiguan of Zhongshan / Chan Master Huiming of Xiancheng / Chan Master Xuanguang of Silla / Chan Master Huicui of Zhijiang (the following two persons appear in the Nanyue Annals) / Chan Master Lingbian of Nanyue / Pure Dweller Fang He of Nanyue / Liu Huabao, Governor of Yingzhou (the following three persons appear in the Nanyue Annals) / Ba Zili, of the five hundred households of Guangzhou / Prefectural Lord of Nanyue / The twenty-eight persons of the portrait hall (see Master Guang's biography) / The four hundred of high karmic attainment (the following appear in Master Shan's biography) / The three thousand of firm faith. / (Third Generation) Chan Master Huimin of Nanjian (the following four persons were successors to Master Guang) / One person who entered the hall to receive prediction / One person of the fire-light samādhi / One person of the water-light samādhi / Chen Zhengye, Magistrate of Hengyang (see Master Shan's biography)

9.5

Hereditary House of the Collateral Branch of the Wise One [Zhiyi]

9.6

(Second Generation) Chan Master Zhenguan of Tianzhu / Chan Master Faxi of Waguan / Chan Master Zhiyue of Guoqing / Chan Master Fashen of Waguan / Chan Master Puming of Guoqing / Chan Master Zhizao of Guoqing / Chan Master Zhixi of Folong / Chan Master Fayan of Guoqing / Chan Master Zhikai of Mount Lu / Chan Master Dazhi of Mount Lu / Chan Master Daoyue of Yuquan / Chan Master Dengguan of Tiantai / Chan Master Banruo of Huading / Chan Master Lizong of Kuaiji / Chan Master Faxiang of Qixia / Chan Master Xingjian of Yuquan / Chan Master Huiwei of Guoqing / Chan Master Fajun of Bijian / Chan Master Huijiang of Xinghuang / Chan Master Huichou of Nanyue / Chan Master Debao of Dangyang / Chan Master Daren of Jiangshan / Chan Master Huibian of Folong / Chan Master Daoshi of Yuquan / Chan Master Huitao of Tiantai / Chan Master Huipu of Tiantai / Chan Master Fasheng of Yuquan / Chan Master Falun of Yuquan (the following three appear in the same annals) / Chan Master Zhiguo of Kuaiji / Chan Master Falin of Zhongnan / Chan Master Zhiji of Guoqing / Chan Master Jingshao of Baima / Chan Master Fasui of Dinglin (the following eleven persons appear in the Tiantai Annals) / Chan Master Zhiling of Chanzhong / Chan Master Fa'an of Fengcheng / Chan Master Fayan of Yuquan / Chan Master Daoxiu of Guoqing / Chan Master Tanjie of Yueyang / Chan Master Yisui of Yuquan / Chan Master Shijian of Guoqing / Chan Master Rulang of Guoqing / Chan Master Huichuo of Folong / Chan Master Fayan of Tianxiang / Chan Master Sengzhen of Huiri / Chan Master Facai of Yuquan (the following four persons appear in the Bailu) / Chan Master Facan of Yuquan / Chan Master Daohui of Yuquan / Chan Master Daozhen of Shizhu / The Young Emperor of Chen (Tiantai Annals) / Crown Prince of Chen / Prince of Yongyang of Chen / Emperor Yang of Sui (Tiantai Annals) / King Guan of Yuquan (Tiantai Annals) / Adjutant for the Central Guard Chen Zhen / Grand Master of the Palace Jiang Tianmei / Shen Junli, Specially Promoted with the Same Dignities as the Three Ministers of the Opening of an Office / Xu Ling, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs / Wang Gu, Grand Master of the Splendid Happiness / Liu Guyan, Specially Promoted with the Same Dignities as the Three Ministers of the Opening of an Office / Mao Xi, Minister of the Five Weapons / The Literatus Liang Fangmao / Wu Mingche, Specially Promoted with the Same Dignities as the Three Ministers of the Opening of an Office (the following two persons appear in the Tiantai Annals) / Wang Xuanwu, Governor of Yuezhou / Kong Huan, Palace Attendant (the following two persons appear in Shen Bo) / Zhou Hongzheng, Vice Director / Those who entered the gate numbered by the thousands (Inscription for the Chanlin Monastery by Mr. Liang)

9.7

The main line of the various patriarchs was set forth earlier in order to clarify the orthodox transmission. As for collateral Dharma heirs, from Chan Master Zhao of Nanyue downward, all were sufficient to illuminate the Dharma's fortune, strongly uphold the ancestral gate, guide future capacities, and ward off external affronts. Gathering the essentials of their words and deeds, and examining the karmic ties between masters and disciples, I have composed the Hereditary Houses of the Collateral Branches of the Successive Patriarchs. Hereditary House of the Collateral Branch of Nanyue (Second Generation):

9.8

Chan Master Sengzhao, hearing of Nanyue's wonderfully virtuous contemplation of mind, went specially to pay homage to him. Whatever was pointed out and taught to him, he comprehended and understood completely. Later, by order of Nanyue, he practiced the Lotus Samādhi to dissolve former obstacles. When his wondrous practice was nearly perfected, he saw the great being Samantabhadra riding the white elephant king and emitting light to bear witness, and he was also moved to have Avalokiteśvara expound the Dharma for him. Thereupon, he suddenly awakened to the profound import and obtained unhindered eloquence. Within the assembly, the Master was foremost in ascetic practice and dhyāna meditation. He once used a pinch of salt from the assembly to make food and drink for a fast, considering it of no concern since the amount used was negligible. Later, while practicing the Fangdeng repentance, he suddenly saw a vision arise; calculating three years, it had increased to several tens of bushels. He urgently sold his robes to buy salt and repay the assembly, and only then did the vision vanish. When Nanyue entered quiescence, the Master led the assembly to practice the path just as in former times.

9.9

Chan Master Dashan dwelt in the forests and wilds in his youth, constantly reciting the Lotus Sūtra. Later, visiting Nanyue, he opened his contemplative wisdom; personally practicing the Lotus Samādhi, his entry into it was the deepest. He frequently lectured on the Treatise [on the Great Prajñāpāramitā] in the mountains, commanding the admiration of the assembly. Grand Commander-in-Chief Wu Mingche asked Nanyue: "How many people possess true virtue in the meditation gates of the Lotus?" Nanyue replied: "Three thousand of firm faith, and four hundred of high karmic attainment. Sengzhao's attainment of concentration is the deepest, and Zhiyi's preaching of the Dharma is unhindered; the one who combines both is Dashan." Later, he passed away while sitting cross-legged in the meditation hall. Within seven days, flowers constantly rained from heaven, and extraordinary fragrance condensed. Chen Zhengye, Magistrate of Hengyang, hearing of the greatness of the Master's virtue and path, went frequently to pay respect; being shown the essentials of the Dharma, his heart rejoiced. Later, meeting Regional Director Zheng Senggao, he repeatedly praised the Master's virtue. Once, while hunting together, they surrounded a herd of deer. [Zheng] said to Zhengye: "You constantly praise Chan Master Shan as possessing the power of the samādhi of loving-kindness. Today, what can he do about these deer?" Zhengye then led his attendants to chant in unison: "Homage to Chan Master Dashan!" In that instant, the deer leaped through the air and escaped. Senggao was awestruck and won over. (When the five hundred wrestlers in the Nirvāṇa Sūtra could not lift the stone, the Buddha tossed it into empty space to quell the wrestlers' haughtiness. In reality, he did not lift the stone at that time; one should know that it was the power of the root of goodness of loving-kindness that caused this to be seen.)

9.10

Chan Master Huicheng, of the Duan clan, was a native of Liyang. Initially, he studied at the Shizhu Monastery, reciting over twenty fascicles of the Lotus, Vimalakīrti, and Suvikrāntavikramin scriptures as his daily regular practice. After receiving full ordination, he traveled to Jianye to study the Harivarman's Satyasiddhiśāstra; after a single hearing over ten years, the text and principle were almost exhausted. Just as he was about to return to his home district, he heard of the greatness of Nanyue's teaching and conversion, and immediately went to rely on him. Nanyue, considering that the Master was generating understanding based merely on text, provoked him by saying: "Your lifetime of learning cannot even warm my hands; is it not a pity to waste your efforts in vain?" Receiving the Dharma instruction, the Master was indignant, took his commentaries and treatises, and burned them all. Sitting in dhyāna with open eyes, he went from night until daybreak; this continued for five years. Nanyue ordered him to enter the Fangdeng, Avalokiteśvara, Lotus, and Pratyutpanna samādhis, experiencing and testing the various practices to dissolve former obstacles. Practicing this for three years, he attained the samādhi of understanding the languages of all sentient beings. Those who sit in dhyāna with closed eyes, although their contemplative path is clear, may lose it upon opening their eyes. Nanyue praised him, saying: "Zhiyi first manifested samādhi and later verified dhāraṇī. Huicheng has now also attained it; the practice and understanding of these two sons are indeed equal!" Subsequently, he founded the Lan Monastery in Zhijiang (a county name) in Jingzhou. The main hall lacked a large beam. Suddenly, in the sixth month, the river swelled. He dreamt that there was wood suitable for the beam; going to the river to inspect it, it was indeed so. The faithful devotee Duan Hong was the patron of the vihāra. Suddenly, his breath ceased, and he summoned the Master to the residence. Hong then awoke, saying: "At first, I was captured and brought to the king's place. I saw the Master ascend the hall and say: 'This man and I are establishing meritorious works together which are not yet completed; please pardon him.' The king arose, bowed to his feet, and granted it." The Last Ruler of the Chen heard the Master's renown and summoned him, but he resolutely refused to go. Later, he further commanded Jiang Zong to go and receive him, admonishing him: "If the Master does not consent, you need not trouble to return." The emissary wept tears like rain, entreating him forcefully to board the boat. The Master sprang into the water and stood in the middle of the river. The emissary pleaded again: "If you do not deign to go, Zong and the others will have no place to pulverize our bodies." The Master pitied his intent, and followed him to the palace. The Emperor bowed in person to request the precepts, and bestowed upon his residence the name Chanhui Monastery. Vinaya Master Chang once visited, and slept in the same room with the Master. At night, he flicked a louse to the ground. In the morning, as he was about to bid farewell, the Master said: "Last night, a dānapati was frozen, which was truly pitiable." Chang was deeply ashamed, and made it an eternal admonition. One day, the Master told his disciples: "Quickly pave the hall's steps with brick; I shall lecture on the Nirvāṇa." When the work was completed and the lecture established, it happened that the Wise One arrived from Yuquan. They discussed the profound principle together; after a long while, he entered concentration and manifested cessation.

9.11

Dhyāna Master Huichao was of the Shen family of Danyang. He entered the Way in his youth and chanted the Lotus [Sūtra]. Hearing that Dhyāna Master Si of Guangzhou brilliantly understood the threefold contemplation, he went together with Dhyāna Master Ming of Xiancheng on Tiantai to request instruction. Master Si praised him before the assembly, saying: 'Chao's spiritual storehouse is that of one who has attained forbearance.' Later, he entered Songgao, took herbal medicines, and sat in meditation. Yang Yong, the Crown Prince of the Sui, summoned renowned and virtuous [monks] to assemble in the capital. Because the master's practice was outstanding, he was detained alone to receive offerings. Dharma Master Jingye lived in seclusion in Langu; admiring the master's lofty Way, he went in person to invite and welcome him. They stayed together for eight years, greatly advancing in the three wisdoms. At the beginning of the Daye reign era, he was repeatedly summoned by imperial edict into the palace to preach the Dharma. Several tigers were always in the master's dwelling and were put to service. In his daily life he chanted sūtras; over fifty-odd years, he reached nearly ten thousand rolls. Renowned masters of the capital, such as Huiyin and Baogong, all came to his residence to seek instruction. Later, falling ill, he showed his disciples, saying: 'Not delighting in birth and not grieving at death are my ordinary state. The pure right contemplation of supreme emptiness is my support.' He then sat upright facing west and entered samādhi. His bequeathed instructions were to expose his remains beneath a pine tree to give as an offering to birds and beasts. His disciples followed his instructions. After more than a month, his facial complexion had not changed, and at night rosy rays of light emanated from his body. At that time, Prince Shimin of Qin (Emperor Taizong of the Tang) heard of this and sent someone thither to inspect it, sighing deeply at such a rare occurrence. The assembly then built a stupa and enshrined his intact body.

9.12

Dhyāna Master Huiyao was of the Qi family, a native of Xiangyang. At first he attended Nanyue for several years, fully attaining the subtlety of the contemplation of mind. Nanyue verified him, saying: 'Your attainment in the contemplation of the principle of the real mark is already profound. You should follow wherever you go to teach and transform, so as to fulfill your original aspiration.' When Nanyue entered extinction, the master went to Baqiu and sighed, saying: 'The meditation methods are rarely heard in this place; they ought to be expounded.' Dhyāna Master Daoyi invited him to reside at Daoyin Temple. He dedicated himself to serene meditation and did not engage in worldly affairs; for fourteen years he never stepped outside the gate. One day he said to others: 'I do not wish to trouble the assembly; I want to go to Neihua Temple to live in seclusion.' The assembly tried to retain him, but he did not comply. After three years, he manifested illness, and saw Nanyue and Xiancheng coming to welcome him, saying: 'You may travel together with us to the Pure Land.' He then sat cross-legged and entered quiescence. His intact body was buried at Neihua.

9.13

Dhyāna Master Huiyong received the ritual practice of the Lotus Samādhi from Nanyue. Having practiced it for a long time, he achieved realization and entry. He then concealed his traces at Yunfeng, having no contact with the world. For over sixty years, he devoted his mind entirely to dhyāna concentration. In the moments when he emerged from concentration, his mind had no other concerns; he only chanted the Lotus [Sūtra]. Later, he also realized the fire-light samādhi. It is unknown where he ended his days.

9.14

Dhyāna Master Huiwei was a native of Jiangling. Relying on Nanyue, he practiced the Lotus Samādhi and attained the dhāraṇī of understanding the languages of all sentient beings; whenever he heard the sounds of humans, beasts, or birds, he was sure to know their meaning. Later, he also manifested and realized supernatural powers, flying through the sky and treading upon water as if walking on flat ground.

9.15

Dhyāna Master Zhiguan attended Nanyue early on and cultivated the Lotus Samādhi, attaining a very profound realization. He lived in seclusion at Mount Zhong and never crossed its threshold. Emperor Yang repeatedly issued edicts, so he reluctantly went once. The Emperor inquired about the essentials of the Dharma and venerated him as National Preceptor.

9.16

Dhyāna Master Huiming was a native of Xiancheng on Tiantai. He came to attend Nanyue. Hearing him explain the threefold contemplation, he deeply awakened to the abstruse purport; he attained unhindered eloquence and preached the Dharma like a torrent. When about to pass away, he admonished his disciples to be diligent in pure conduct. The assembly suddenly saw Amitābha Buddha and the Mahāsattva come to welcome him; he thereupon followed the Buddha, ascended into the sky toward the west, and departed.

9.17

Dhyāna Master Xuanguang was a native of Silla in the Eastern Sea. Crossing the vast ocean from afar to seek the Dharma in China, he first visited Nanyue, who transmitted to him the gate of the peaceful and joyful practices of the Lotus [Sūtra]. He received and diligently practiced them, and shortly realized the Lotus Samādhi. Nanyue said to him: 'When you return to your native country, you should use skillful means to transform and deliver [sentient beings], like a potter wasp carrying off a caterpillar to make it its own.' (The *Odes* says: 'The caterpillar has young; the potter wasp carries them away. Teach and instruct your children, so they may be good like them.' Yangzi says: 'When the caterpillar's young once encounter the potter wasp, it invokes them, saying: "Be like me, be like me!" The caterpillar is the green insect on mulberry trees; the potter wasp is the slender-waisted wasp.') The master then bowed and took leave of Nanyue, returning with his staff to the region south of the Yangtze. Meeting an ocean vessel from his home country, he was able to take passage. Just as they reached the high seas, he suddenly beheld colorful clouds dazzling the eyes, elegant music filling the sky, and crimson tallies and rainbow banners calling out as they approached. A voice in the sky said: 'The Heavenly Emperor summons Dhyāna Master Xuanguang of Silla.' The master cupped his hands in modesty and declined. Thereupon he saw blue-robed youths reverently come forward. In a short while, he entered a great palace and saw feathered guards lined up, aquatic creatures densely intermingling with ghosts and spirits. They all looked up in reverence and said: 'The Heavenly Emperor has descended to our Dragon Palace to invite the Dharma Master to expound the Dharma-door you have realized; our group will benefit not a little!' Having ascended the hall, he was invited to mount a high dais. The Heavenly Emperor questioned him, and the master expounded the sūtra for him, concluding after seven days. The Emperor bid farewell to him in person. The vessel he had boarded before was bobbing along without having advanced. When the master boarded the ship again, the boatmen said that only half a day had elapsed. (Vasubandhu ascended to Tuṣita and circled Maitreya's seat once; when he reported back to Asaṅga, six months had already passed. This shows that the time in heavenly realms is always long. Now, Master Guang's preaching of the Dharma in the Dragon Palace for seven days took only half a day when he returned to the ocean vessel. This is proof that day and night in the Dragon Palace are always short. Or, if one wishes to compare it to the 'Emergence from the Earth' chapter where sixty minor kalpas seemed like a mealtime: according to the *Commentary and Subcommentary*, sixty kalpas is not unreal; under the influence of the Buddha's spiritual power, they forgot that it was long. Thus we know that since the Dragon Palace here is neither a Buddha land nor under a Buddha's spiritual power, it should be regarded as the Dragon Palace itself feeling it was seven days while the boatmen felt it was half a day, each holding to subjective perceptions and taking them as real. Just as Jingxi said that the sixty kalpas like a mealtime was merely subjective perception, not actually short.) After the master returned to his country, he built a thatched hut at Mount Ong in Ungju and gathered an assembly to preach the Dharma. Over time, it became a precious monastery. The assembly who received the Way all attained awakening. One person ascended the hall and received a prophecy (The *Sentence-by-Sentence Commentary* says: 'Receiving a prediction is also called receiving a prophecy. *Shou* has the meaning of obtaining; *bie* means clear distinction.'); one person entered the fire-light samādhi; and two persons entered the water-light samādhi. In the memorial hall of Nanyue, twenty-eight persons were depicted in portraits, and the master was one of them.

9.18

The pure-living layman Fang He constantly stayed at the Prajñā Terrace on Nanyue, performing menial service for the community of monks. Secretly cultivating dhyāna contemplation, he attained realization and also gained supernatural powers; whenever he stretched his arm, it was over ten feet long.

9.19

Dharma Heir of Dhyāna Master Guang of Silla (Third Generation)

9.20

Dhyāna Master Huimin was a native of Hedong. He left household life at age nine, and after a month he had completely mastered chanting the *Wondrous Sūtra*. At age fifteen, he requested the Dharma from Dhyāna Master Guang; senior scholars praised him for being eminent and brilliant. After another fifteen years, he returned to Haiyan in Jiahe to preside over Guangxing Temple and lectured on the Lotus [Sūtra]. The assembly heard the devas in the sky snapping their fingers, and an extraordinary fragrance filled the hall. Later, he stayed at Tongxuan Temple, gathering disciples to practice the Way. For seventeen years his feet never crossed the threshold. At the end of the Sui, when the realm fell apart, there was famine in Wu and the fourfold assembly fled the turmoil; only the master stood fast until death in dhyāna and chanting. At the beginning of the Tang dynasty, he moved to Nanjian Temple (in Jiankang). There were two rabbits and a young tiger that lived together with him in mutual affection. One day, the assembly heard extraordinary fragrance and heavenly music, and vied with one another to question the master. The master said: 'I shall pass away the day after tomorrow. Residing in this world is like a floating cloud; one must seek deliverance early.' When the time came, he indeed passed away in accordance with transformation.

9.21

Collateral Lineages of the Great Dhyāna Master Zhizhe (Second Generation)

9.22

Dhyāna Master Zhenguan, courtesy name Shengda, was of the Fan family of Qiantang. His mother chanted the chapters on Bhaiṣajyarāja and Avalokiteśvara to pray for an heir, whereupon she gave birth to the master. His tongue bore purple markings, and his hands had unusual signs. In his youth, he was intelligent and well-versed in the classics and histories. Meeting an expert physiognomist, the latter said to him: 'In your youth you will become a great vessel; why linger in the worldly net?' When the master first wished to leave home, his parents did not permit it. In a dream, a deva told them: 'Your son is a hero of the Dharma; how can you cage him?' From this, his parents complied with his aspiration. When he first read the *Satyasiddhi* and *Daśādhyāya*, having opened only one fascicle, a spirit spoke to him in a dream: 'You are a Mahāyāna Dharma vessel; do not abide in the lesser path.' Prince Bozhe of Yongyang under the Chen had long served the master; he sent an emissary to escort the master to visit Zhizhe, delivering a letter as a presentation gift. Zhizhe, being similar in age, treated him as a brother. Their lofty discussions on quiescence and illumination harmonized like metal and stone. People of the time had a saying: 'Qiantang has Zhenguan, who equals half the realm.' When Dhyāna Master Daren saw him, he sighed and said: 'The Way of Nāgārjuna is about to rise in the east!' At that time, when the court lost its military discipline in the campaign against Zhou (in the tenth year of the Dajian era of Emperor Xuan of the Chen, Wu Mingche was ordered to campaign north against Zhou; his army was defeated and he was captured by the people of Zhou), there were discussions to inspect unregistered monks and order them to cease practicing the Way. The master sent a letter to the Left Supervisor of the Masters of Writing Xu Ling, and the matter was dropped. During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Sui, imperial decrees with condolences were sent thrice. When Prince Xiao of Qin served as Commander-in-Chief of Weiyang, he extended invitations twice; the master declined both on grounds of illness. Together with Dhyāna Master Dao'an, he practiced dhūta austerities in Mount Lingyin. In the fourteenth year of the Kaihuang era, the commandery suffered a great drought; the regional inspector Liu Jing'an invited him to lecture on the *Sāgara-nāgarāja-sūtra*. Just as the introductory chapter on the king's meaning was concluded, torrential rain poured down. In the fifteenth year, he first established a monastery named South Tianzhu. He constantly lectured on the Lotus [Sūtra] as his essential work; embracing, reciting, chanting, and copying it in person, the five kinds of Dharma master were fully complete in him. Whenever he washed himself, stray drops falling to the ground would not wet it. An old man came daily to listen to the sūtra; the master invited him in and questioned him, and he replied: 'Your disciple is the dragon king of this mountain.' The master said: 'There has been a prolonged drought; why do you not send down rain?' The old man said: 'The mountain folk were ignorant and excavated across the mountain's veins. The dragons are unsettled, which caused this. If the master can confer the precepts upon the dragons and encourage them toward the Way, rain can be brought about at once.' The master agreed, performed the ritual, summoned the dragons, and conferred the bodhisattva precepts upon them. Rain fell immediately. That night, a figure in a tall hat and vermilion robes bowed in thanks. The master asked: 'Why has there been much drought in recent years?' The dragon said: 'People lack right faith and perform many evil deeds; therefore evil devas cause the earth's fertility to sink into the deep soil. Even though the five grains develop, eating them does not nourish the flesh; droughts are irregular and indeed have their cause.' In the fourth month in the summer of the seventh year of the Daye era, Li Zishen, the commandery marshal, invited him to Zhanshan Temple to lecture on the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*. On the day he left the mountain, he personally marked his burial site with his hand. When the lecture reached the chapter on 'Manifesting Illness', he dreamed of three people paying homage and saying: 'The Śuddhāvāsa heaven has sent us to welcome the Dhyāna Master.' On the sixth day of the sixth month, he first took to his bed with illness. He dreamed that he shared a chariot with Tiantai and flanked the Buddha returning to the mountain. After waking, he sighed: 'Formerly, I was to pass away at sixty-two, but through the power of lecturing on the Lotus [Sūtra] I obtained a twelve-year extension. Now I am seventy-four, and have received this sign again; my time to be born [in the Pure Land] is certain!' He then assembled the community and admonished them: 'If you wish to escape birth and death and wish to possess the Buddha's teachings, you must uphold the precepts, cultivate the study of concentration and wisdom, and widely propagate the right Dharma; do not let your lives pass in vain.' On the first day of the seventh month, the assembly heard the sounds of music in the sky; he then sat cross-legged and manifested extinction. Clerics and laity presenting offerings arrived by the thousands daily. On the twenty-sixth day, his countenance was dignified and his eyebrow hairs had grown longer. He was then moved from Zhanshan and buried at the site he had marked. The fourfold assembly extended for a yojana; parasols of incense formed a canopy, and banners and streamers covered the fields. Such was the influence of his moral virtue! (The master was the founding patriarch of Ling Mountain in Tianzhu. Zhang'an once composed a separate biography, the text of which is no longer extant. In the era of Ciyun, his stupa was renovated and six poems were composed as a record. Its preface states in brief: 'Nowadays the earth gate opened of itself, leaving no relics behind; it is unknown whether his intact body followed Prabhūtaratna to attest to the sūtra, or followed the pattern of Foliang in transforming and passing away.')

9.23

Chan Master Faxi studied vigorously without weariness. He visited seventeen good friends and attained great awakening. When he reached the age of sixty, he first met Zhiyi at Mount Dasu. Hearing the sound of the Dharma once, he immediately obtained deep realization. Thereupon he gave up all his former disciples and dedicated himself solely to meditation and wisdom. In the first year of the Guangda era of the Chen dynasty, he followed Zhiyi with twenty-seven fellow students to Jinling to carry out teaching tours. The Minister Mao Xi teased him, saying, 'The revered master is still young, so why is the disciple so old?' (At the time, Zhiyi was thirty years old.) The Master replied, 'What I serve is virtue; how could one speak of his years?' He asked again, 'In what does his virtue consist?' He answered, 'His skillful preaching of the Dharma makes him a Pūrṇa of later generations; his subduing of Māra and attainment of the Way makes him an Upagupta of today.' Mao Xi was pleased with his response and frequently praised him in the court ranks. While the Master was practicing the Vaipulya Samādhi, a pheasant came to demand his life. A spirit king rebuked it, saying, 'The Chan master is destined for the Pure Land and will attain the Way in this very life. How could he repay your life?' Later, at Waguan Monastery, he sat cross-legged and entered absorption, passing away without rising from his seat.

9.24

Chan Master Zhiyue was of the Zheng clan from Nanyang. His father arranged a marriage for him, but the Master firmly refused and immediately left home. Wandering abroad, he arrived in Jinling and met Zhiyi. Facing north, he received instruction from him. There were none among the five gateways and six wondrous doors that he did not master deeply. He recited the Lotus Sūtra up to ten thousand times. When Zhiyi returned to Mount Tiantai in his later years, he entrusted the fourfold assembly to him. For twenty years, he guided them skillfully and patiently; his capacity for virtue was broad and spacious, and students gave their hearts to him. Wherever he dwelled, the water in his pitcher would fill by itself. From the time the Prince of Jin built the monastery until he ascended the imperial throne, whenever the mountain sent a monastic envoy to submit a letter offering congratulations, the Master's name was always placed first. His Majesty humbled himself and showed him increasing reverence, no differently than when Zhiyi was alive. Every time he received alms and offerings, he used them for meritorious deeds and never hoarded anything. On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month in the twelfth year of the Daye era, he bade farewell to the assembly and passed away lying on his right side. The wind became mournful, the clouds grew somber, the earth shook, and the mountains crumbled. The heavens rained down wondrous flowers, and the entire region was plunged into darkness.

9.25

Chan Master Fashen initially resided at Dazhuangyan Monastery in Jinling. Receiving the Three Contemplations from Zhiyi, he had an open and deep realization. Through concentration, he developed retentive power and could remember whatever he heard once. In the third year of the Dajian era of the Chen dynasty, when Zhiyi was teaching the Sequential Gates of Chan at Waguan, the Master privately recorded it during the lectures into thirty scrolls. Before he could edit it, he unfortunately passed away. Later, Zhang'an edited and established it into ten scrolls, which is the Sequential Calming and Insight on the Perfection of Meditation.

9.26

Chan Master Puming was of the Zhu clan from Kuaiji. In his youth, he possessed extraordinary aspirations; he once gathered sand to build pagodas and cut down wormwood to make halls. A monk on almsround saw him and said, 'Young master, you have good roots; you may go to Tiantai to leave home. There is a bodhisattva of initial reliance there who manifests his body to expound the Dharma.' In the fourteenth year of the Dajian era of the Chen dynasty, he came to Tiantai just as Zhiyi was lecturing. When the assembly had just dispersed, he bowed at his feet and took refuge. Zhiyi smiled and said, 'By the power of vows from past lives, we meet again today.' Thereupon he served him diligently and applied himself exclusively to the practice of Chan methods. He practiced the Vaipulya, Prajñā, and various other samādhis, and recited the entire Lotus Sūtra by heart. Later, he accompanied Zhiyi to stay at Mount Lu. At Tao Kan's Pavilion of the Auspicious Image, he practiced the Invocation of Avalokiteśvara Samādhi; in the dead of winter, his body was not clad in padded cloth. While he was circumambulating and practicing the Way, he saw an extraordinary monk who said to him, 'Your name Fajing is not an auspicious title; you should change it to Puming. This word "Ming" (illumination) means being able to clearly illuminate the three periods of time.' When Zhiyi heard this, he said, 'Since it is a mysterious revelation, you should adopt the new name.' When Zhiyi resided at Yuquan, he ordered the casting of a great bell for Folong, encouraging the monastics and laity of Jiangling to strive together to manage it. By chance, a blind person came to inspect it; the Master knew this sign was unlucky, and when the mold was opened, it was indeed defective. They then doubled the labor and cast it again, warning that anyone with physical imperfections should not approach; its sound could be heard seventy li away. When he dwelled at Guoqing, fetching water was difficult; he pointed at a rock and said, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if this rock yielded water?' A spring immediately surged forth, supplying a thousand people daily. He once cast a sixteen-foot image of Vairocana, which inspired an extraordinary man to donate gold to assist him. The lecture hall of Guoqing was cramped and small, and the Master wished to expand it, but Zhang'an urged him not to alter it. Soon after, Zhou Xiaojie, the Area Commander of Kuazhou (Wenzhou was Kuazhou during the Chen and Sui dynasties), donated cedar pillars that arrived floating across the sea. While at Chicheng, Zhang'an suddenly saw the Master's body more than a hundred feet tall, towering above the forest canopy, with several dozen attendants flanking him. He said to Zhang'an, 'Do not stubbornly remonstrate; what I am undertaking will surely succeed.' Zhang'an, deeply moved by this spiritual wonder, faced the forest, joined his palms in respect, and said, 'I shall defer to the benevolent master's plans.' On the day the hall was begun, the mountain spirit was moved to arrive in invisible form with a roar like thunder, breaking trees and bending branches along a path about a pace wide, extending down from Folong to the monastery; at dusk, it returned with the same sound as when it first arrived. Neighboring rooms heard the Master speaking with it, mostly urging the spirit to do good. Once the hall was completed, he suddenly covered himself with ragged robes, bid farewell to the assembly, and quietly passed away while sitting. After two nights, his left hand bent three fingers. The Master did not accumulate personal wealth; using the offerings he received, he made ten gilt-bronze images and read through the Great Canon twice. Whenever he performed acts of benefit, as soon as he directed his mind, gold and silks would arrive spontaneously.

9.27

Chan Master Zhizao was of the Zhang clan from Linhai. His father Huai served the Chen as an Adjutant of the Central Troops. When he was seventeen, both his parents passed away. After the mourning period, he fell ill, and long medical treatment proved ineffective. Thereupon, struggling against his sickness, he went out into the courtyard, lay down facing the moon, and single-mindedly concentrated on Candraprabha Bodhisattva. He focused his thought for ten days. In the night, he dreamed of someone applying their mouth to his body and inhaling; after three nights like this, his illness was cured. Consequently, he went to Anjing Monastery to leave home. Hearing that Zhiyi was an excellent guide for the world, he immediately went to request instruction and practiced the Lotus Samādhi. In the first watch of the night on the fourteenth day, having finished his confession, he went to his seat intending to sit down, when he saw a nine-headed dragon rise from the ground into empty space. Zhiyi explained, 'This signifies that sentient beings of the nine destinies, upon hearing the Lotus Sūtra, are about to break through the ground of ignorance and enter the emptiness of Dharma-nature.' He once went to Baolin Monastery to perform repentance. During the first watch of the night, someone came and shook the door leaf. The Master asked who it was, and the reply was, 'I am just watching the lamp.' Chan Master Youcheng heard this and said, 'This hall has evil ghosts; this sound is a ghost.' He then informed the Prince of Yongyang, who dispatched ten men bearing weapons to guard him. The Master thanked him and dismissed them, saying, 'Life depends only on karma.' That night, the ghost entered the hall, pounding on the walls and striking the pillars, all around from east to west. The Master walked the Way, practiced Chan, and chanted calmly without fear. For three weeks, matters were constantly like this. As the practice was nearing completion, he saw a youth dressed in blue praising him, 'Excellent!' Having spoken, he disappeared. Later, traveling to Kuaiji, his route took him through Shan County to beg for food. The host mistakenly served him poisonous mushrooms. After eating, he went forward on his journey. All the members of the host's family who ate them suffered vomiting, diarrhea, and collapse. A neighbor pursued the Master for ten li to tell him. The Master smiled and said, 'Fortunately, this poor monk is unaffected.' In the first year of the Daye era, Emperor Yang went on an imperial tour to Yangzhou. The Master, upon imperial decree, went from Guoqing to the traveling palace. He was granted an audience in the inner palace, where he was offered a seat and consoled. The Imperial Receptionist Lu Zhengfang was sent to escort him back to the mountain. A vegetarian feast for a thousand monks was held for Zhiyi, and one hundred people were ordained. The Master had audiences with the court eight times in total, and the sovereign always treated him with extraordinary courtesy. In the twelfth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty, he passed away sitting upright without illness, at the age of eighty-three.

9.28

Chan Master Zhixi was of the Chen clan from Yingchuan. His ancestors had served as officials and settled in Yue. At the age of twenty, he went to Zhiyi to receive tonsure. He received the essentials of Chan and investigated his mind day and night without showing any sign of fatigue. When Zhiyi passed away, he received orders to reside at Folong. At that time, those in the assembly practicing samādhi were quite numerous, and the halls were expanded with rigorous and orderly regulations. Only the incense terrace had not yet been erected; facing Xianglu Peak there were many tamarisk and cypress trees, which the Master wished to fell and use. The assembly suspected that spirits occupied them. In a night dream, a spirit sent a document offering the timber, whereupon he sent people to fell them. Fayun, a member of the monastery assembly, wished to go to the summit of the peak to sit in Chan. The Master stopped him, saying, 'Your power in the Way is weak, and the mountain spirit is fierce and violent; you should not go.' Fayun did not heed him. Having stayed for only one night, the spirit manifested its form and drove him back. Earlier, Zhiyi had encouraged the residents along the river to give up their fish-weirs and dams to serve as life-release ponds; before many years had passed, they resumed fishing. The Master and Zhang'an bowed to Zhiyi's pagoda, burned incense, and made prayer-vows. A fisherman saw a monk standing on the weir; thinking it was someone who had fallen into the water, he took a boat to rescue him, but the monk suddenly vanished. When the residents witnessed this sign, they ceased fishing. At that time, herds of beasts cried mournfully and flocks of birds hovered and gathered, not stopping for many days. The bronze bell of the Eastern Mountain suddenly sounded, shaking the mountain valley. The Master said, 'This is summoning me.' He then bathed in scented water, sat cross-legged holding a ruyi scepter, and expounded the Dharma for a long time, after which he became completely silent. Just as the assembly was wailing and weeping, he opened his eyes again and admonished them, saying, 'Whatever has birth must have cessation; why is this worthy of grief?' Someone asked where he would be born, and he said, 'According to the verification of my dreams, it should be in Tuṣita. The palace is blue-green, situated in the northwest of heaven.' (The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states that Tuṣita Heaven always delights in the color blue-green, and uses the blue-green samādhi to destroy the existence of this heaven.) 'I saw my late master; those attending on his left and right were all seated on jeweled thrones. Only one throne was empty, and when I inquired the reason, the reply was: "Six years from now, Master Ding will ascend this throne to expound the Dharma."' The Master often went to King Aśoka's reliquary pagoda to make eighty-four thousand prostrations. He felt a purple pattern print upon his hand, square, regular, bright, and translucent. When near death, he told his disciples, 'The assembly of sages has sealed me; I am now going to be born in the inner courtyard.' Suddenly, the sound of string and wind instruments was heard, and he passed away sitting cross-legged. It was the eighteenth day of the twelfth month in the first year of the Zhenguan era.

9.29

Chan Master Fayan was of the Zhang clan from Qinghe. In the seventh year of the Dajian era of the Chen dynasty, he attended on Zhiyi at Tiantai and received the purport of dhyāna. He sat silently in the forest and did not reside in buildings; he often entered absorption for seven days before arising. Zhiyi confirmed him, saying, 'What you describe is the mark of the second contemplation among the contemplations of the eight liberations.' Mountain spirits repeatedly disturbed and tested him, but he remained tranquil and unmoved, dedicating himself exclusively to the cultivation of Chan methods. For more than thirty years, he constantly sat and never lay down. On the last day of the second month in the seventh year of the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, he passed away sitting cross-legged at Guoqing.

9.30

Chan Master Zhikai was of the Xiahou clan from Yuzhang. He was thoroughly versed in the Three Treatises and renowned in his time. When he met Zhiyi, he received the Chan methods and experienced deep awakening. In his later years, he entered Mount Lu and built Dalin Hermitage, focusing his intent on the practice of Chan, so that none could measure his realization. For more than twenty years, his shadow never entered the mundane world. When Emperor Wen of the Sui summoned him to the capital, he declined on grounds of illness and did not go. The Governor of Yuzhang Commandery requested him to lecture on the Lotus Sūtra; he firmly refused, saying, 'I should finish my life in my mountain dwelling.' Soon after, when monastics and laity pleaded incessantly, he reluctantly went for their sake; before the lecturing was finished, he indeed died at the monastery of the prefectural seat. Only then did people realize his foreknowledge. At that time, the summer heat was intense, yet he sat upright as if alive; a wondrous fragrance filled the city and ceased only after several days. The assembly escorted his meditation coffin back to be buried at Mount Lu.

9.31

Chan Master Dazhi was of the Gu clan from Kuaiji. He left home under Zhiyi; because his aspirations were noble and untrammeled, Zhiyi gave him this name. Whenever he recited the Lotus Sūtra, his voice was clear and melodious, making listeners forget their fatigue. Having received the essentials of Chan, he practiced dhūta austerities on Ganlu Peak of Mount Lu. When he threw himself before fierce tigers, the tigers always avoided him and left. When mountain grains occasionally ran out, he would forget food all day long, or just sustain his life with a little cake and fruit. For seven years like this, his meditation and recitation never ceased. In his later years, he dwelled at Fulin. When it happened during the Daye era that Buddhism was being suppressed, the Master dressed in plain white mourning clothes and wept before the Buddha's image for three days, vowing to sacrifice his body to clarify the true path. He then went to the Eastern Capital and submitted a memorial saying, 'I pray Your Majesty will make the Three Jewels flourish; this poor monk will surely burn his arm to repay the state.' The emperor granted permission. Thereupon he gathered the sevenfold assembly and held a great vegetarian feast. Having fasted from grain for three days, he mounted a high scaffold, wrapped his arm in cloth, poured wax over it to make a torch, and lit it with fire. The radiance illuminated the cliffs and wilderness; none who saw it were not heartbroken. The Master's countenance remained unchanged; praising the Buddha, chanting sūtras, and expounding the Dharma for the assembly, his voice never ceased. When the burning was finished, he descended from the scaffold, entered absorption for seven days, and passed away sitting cross-legged. He composed seventy sheets of vow texts; on New Year's Eve, when the assemblies gathered at the various monasteries of Mount Lu, they recited this text and were choked with grief.

9.32

Dhyāna Master Daoyue was from the Zhang clan of Zhaoqiu. At the age of twelve, he went to Yuquan to rely on the Master of Wisdom (Zhiyi) and renounce the household life. He recited the Great Prajñā[-pāramitā Sūtra] and the Lotus Sūtra as his daily regular devotion. At that time, when the monastery was first founded, there were no bells or chimes; the master obtained a strange stone at the springhead and hung it up. Whenever he finished reciting a scroll of scripture, he struck it, and the resonant timbre was pure and piercing, solemnizing all who heard it. Beings of the dark unseen realms repeatedly had auspicious responses. Once he suffered from dropsy, his belly swollen tight like a drum; he simply recollected prajñā and sought a superior response. One night, the abdominal fluid gushed out and flowed away, and the great swelling vanished. At the end of the Sui, the fierce rebel Zhu Can led his gang into the mountains. The master sat upright and unmoving, saying: 'I am a śramaṇa. To this floating, illusory bodily form, you may apply your bare blades as you please.' Marveling at him, the bandits dared not violate him. The master clothed his body in hemp and ate only one meal a day. He constantly divided half of it to nourish birds and beasts; sometimes they hovered and flocked upon his room, sometimes they came into his palm at his beckoning. Permeated by kindness and compassion, he was free of clinging and without fear. Though his garments were tattered and ruined, they were utterly free of fleas and lice; he often begged lice from his neighbors to nurture them, urging them not to kill. He dwelt in the mountains for fifty years, his conduct constant and unvarying. Nearing the end, he bade farewell to others beforehand, then sat upright with palms joined and passed away. Later, someone saw a monk kneeling and raising an alms bowl above Qingxi, who called himself Master Prajñā; this was because the master constantly recited this scripture, and people had called him by that name.

9.33

Dhyāna Master Dengguan was from the Sun clan of Fuyang. He received the mind contemplation from the Master of Wisdom. Dwelling at Tiantai, he constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra. In the winter of the ninth year of Zhenguan, Faren Monastery in Yuhang invited the master to lecture. On the New Year’s Day of the following year, a figure in royal robes arrived, calling himself the spirit of the Gaoting Shrine. Coming to pay homage to the master, he said: 'Yesterday the Dhyāna Master passed through the temple courtyard; as your disciple was just then on circuit, I was unable to welcome you. Today I have specially come from afar solely to seek the precepts.' The master at once asked for a censer, burned incense, and conferred the Great Bodhisattva Precepts upon him, after which he bowed in gratitude and withdrew. In the middle of the night of the following day, the master bathed, changed his robes, sat cross-legged facing west, and recited the revered titles of the Three Holy Ones and the title of the Master of Wisdom, each more than a hundred times. He also expounded the Dharma gate of the threefold contemplation for Dharma Master Hui, adding: 'This I personally received from the Great Master's oral teaching.' Having finished speaking, he passed away.

9.34

Dhyāna Master Bore (Prajñā) was a native of Gaoli (Koguryŏ). In the sixteenth year of Kaihuang, he came to visit Folong to seek the meditation teaching; before long, he attained realization. The Master of Wisdom said to him: 'You have affinities here; you should abide in leisure in a quiet place and practice the wondrous discipline. Huading Peak is six or seven li from here; it is where I formerly practiced dhūta austerities. If you dwell there and advance in the Way, there will certainly be profound benefit.' The master then complied with the luminous instruction; he sat in quiet meditation for sixteen years without ever descending the mountain. Suddenly one day, he went up to the upper monastery of Folong, attended by three companions, who in a moment were gone. Next, he arrived at the lower monastery of Guoqing to bid farewell to his companions in the Way. After staying for several days, he transformed and passed away without illness. When the casket was carried out of the monastery gate, he opened his eyes to show his farewell; upon reaching the mountain, he closed his eyes as before.

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese