佛祖歷代通載 20

English (machine translation) 20

Language: English

20.1

Compiled by Nianchang of Huating, Abbot of Da Zhongxiangfu Chan Monastery in Jiaxing Circuit.

Southern Song (surname Zhao; capital at Hangzhou). Buqing says: (Following the southward crossing were Gaozong, Xiaozong, Guangzong, Ningzong, Lizong, Duzong, and the young lords: seven lineages, lasting one hundred and thirty-four years).

20.3

(1. Dingwei) Emperor Gaozong (Gou). (His mother was Consort Wei. Emperor Huizong dreamed that King Qian Wusu of Wuyue entered his chamber, and soon thereafter the Emperor was born. He was enfeoffed as Prince of Kang. At the beginning of Jingkang, he served as an envoy to Woliubu's army. That winter, Woliubu came again. Gaozong received an imperial decree to serve as envoy again, with Geng Nanzhong accompanying him. Reaching Xiangzhou, the people blocked the road and begged him not to go. Reaching Cizhou, the garrison official Zong Ze and the people of Ci also stopped him. The governor of Xiangzhou also sent a wax-sealed letter saying that the Jurchens were sending cavalry to search for the Prince of Kang's whereabouts. He then returned to Xiangzhou and posted notices summoning troops to aid the king. An imperial decree appointed the Prince of Kang as Grand Marshal, with Wang Boyan and Zong Ze as vice-marshals, ordering them to lead troops swiftly to guard the throne. The Prince followed Boyan's advice, departed Xiangzhou through the northern gate, crossed the Yellow River, and reached Daming. Hearing that the capital had fallen, he asked to advance toward the capital, but Boyan disagreed, urging the Prince to move his forces to Dongping to place himself in safety. Nanzhong also agreed, so they moved east. The governor of Hejian, Huang Qianshan, also arrived leading troops, and they advanced to encamp at Jizhou. Scouts reported that Zhang Bangchang had been enthroned by the Jurchens and that the two emperors had traveled north. Bangchang welcomed Empress Dowager Meng of the Yuanyou era to oversee court affairs. Both civil and military officials urged Bangchang to step down; he wrote an autograph letter welcoming the Prince of Kang to the throne, announcing to court and country: ‘The Han house suffered misfortune after ten generations, yet it was fitting for Guangwu to bring about the restoration; Duke Xian of Jin had nine sons, yet Chong'er alone survived.’ He dispatched envoys to present memorials and to deliver Empress Meng's letter. Bangchang then arrived, prostrating himself on the ground, weeping bitterly, and requesting death. An envoy fleeing from Hebei arrived and presented an autograph letter from Daojun (Huizong), saying: ‘You may take the throne immediately and come rescue your parents.’ The Prince wept bitterly, bowed, and received it. He then hastened to Yingtian and ascended the throne.)

20.4

The reign era was changed to the first year of Jianyan.

20.5

The fifth year of Tianhui of the Jin state.

20.6

(Gengxu) From the first month, His Majesty went to Jiangxin in Wenzhou, changing the temple plaque to Longxiang, and naming the eastern pavilion Yūri (‘Bathing the Sun’). The imperial calligraphy shone brilliantly. Lin Lingsu's former residence was transformed into the Zifu Teaching Monastery. Qin Hui returned from the Jin, following Tala's intentions to focus strictly on peace negotiations. In the twelfth month, the Jurchens invested Liu Yu as Emperor, naming his state Qi and changing the reign era to Fuchang.

20.7

(Xinhai) The first year of Shaoxing. Zhang Jun, jealous of talent, executed Qu Duan, and all the lands of Shaanxi were lost.

20.8

The Jin state welcomed the auspicious sandalwood image to Yanjing, held a Water and Land Retreat for seven days and nights, and enshrined it at Minzhong Monastery for worship, where it remained for twelve years.

20.9

(Yimao) Emperor Xizong of Jin ascended the throne. (Named Dan, formerly named Hela, legitimate grandson of Taizu and son of Zongjun. He ruled for fourteen years before being assassinated by Wanyan Liang.)

20.10

(2) The first year of Dade of Western Xia.

20.11

Dharma Master Sudhīśrī was a man of Western India. He made a special journey to pay homage to Mañjuśrī at Wutai Shan. He was skilled in dhāraṇīs, had penetrative mastery of benefit, and possessed many wondrous miracles. The Emperor respected him all the more. At that time, the Daoist Master Xiao was also an eminent scholar; all his technical challenges and questions were subdued by the Master, whereupon he prostrated himself. After the Master passed away, Duke Tangkuo, Prime Minister of the Jin state, eulogized his portrait: “Seeming yet true (or: ‘How wondrous, the lion!’), Sudhīśrī came traveling from Western India, one hundred and eight years of age. A snow-white beard covered his cheeks, and jade-green radiance overflowed from his arms. Internally concealing true compassion, externally manifesting a terrifying form. During the reign of Emperor Minzong, there were continuous overcast skies without clearing; summoned specially to ascend the altar, his spells brought dragons down to earth. His ochre-colored kāṣāya was personally sewn by the empress and consorts; treasures from the imperial repository were donated to ordain monks and erect monasteries. People half-believed and half-doubted. Did Buddhapāla borrow this path to come again to worship across the Five Peaks? Wearing the five-Buddha crown, how did he differ from Mañjuśrī? His full, moon-like face was unblemished by worldly flush; the Master Xiao gazed from afar and knelt in reverence.”

20.12

(3) On the fifth day of the eighth month in the fifth year of Shaoxing, Chan Master Yuanwu entered stillness. His taboo name was Keqin, and his courtesy name was Wuzhuo. He was a son of the Luo family of Chongning in Pengzhou. Relying on Miaoji Cloister, he took tonsure and received the full ordination under Zisheng. He traveled to Chengdu to study the sūtras and treatises under Great Master Yuanming Minxing, penetrating their arcana, yet he considered them insufficient to rely on. He visited Master Sheng of Zhaojue to inquire into the mind-dharma. After a long time, he left the passes and met Master Zhenru Zhe, having considerable awakening. At that time, Hall Director Qing was widely praised by the assembly as thoroughly seasoned in inquiry, being especially skilled in the essential tenets of the Dongshan lineage; the Master followed him and grasped all its essentials. He once visited Donglin Zhaojue; after a short time, he said to Qing, ‘Donglin is merely plain and steady.’ He went to see Practitioner of the Way Wuzu Fayan of Taiping. Relying on his heroic eloquence, the Master contended with him. Yan said, ‘Can this withstand birth and death? On another day in the Hall of Nirvāṇa when the solitary light shines alone, examine it for yourself!’ Because they did not harmonize, he took his leave. Arriving at Dinghui in Suzhou, he fell critically ill and nearly died. He then reflected that what he had investigated in the past yielded no confirmation, and only old Yan had not deceived him. When the illness abated, he packed his bags that very day and returned. Yan was delighted at his return and permitted him to be his attendant. It happened that Transport Commissioner Mr. Chen entered the mountain to ask about the Dharma. Yan recited a slightly romantic poem: ‘Frequently she calls for Xiaoyu, though there is really nothing amiss; / She only wants her sweetheart to recognize her voice.’ Standing by in attendance, the Master suddenly experienced great awakening, and immediately reported it to Yan. Yan questioned him, and the Master said, ‘Today I have truly lost the opportunity before my eyes.’ Yan rejoiced and said, ‘With you in our lineage, from now on I can sleep on high pillows.’ The Master then spoke of this matter to Foguo Fojian Qin, who did not believe it. The Master said, ‘In the past it was said, “In Goryeo they strike iron, and the sparks burst out.” When I first pointed my finger, I thought it was merely an expedient setup; only today do I know it is truly so.’ Qin was stunned and had no reply. At that time, Chan Master Foyan was still young; the Master stimulated him at every turn. Both masters later achieved great breakthroughs. Because of this, under Yan’s gate, the ‘Two Qins and One Yuan’ enjoyed immense renown, and the monasteries called them the Three Paragons. When Yan moved to Wuzu, the Master managed monastery affairs. As they were constructing the eastern kitchen, there was a fine tree in the courtyard. Yan said, ‘Even if the tree obstructs, it must not be cut down.’ The Master chopped it down anyway. Yan flew into a fury, raising his staff to chase the Master. As the Master ran to avoid him, he suddenly had a sharp realization and said, ‘This is just the dynamic functioning of Linji!’ Thereupon he caught the staff and said, ‘Old thief, I recognize you!’ Yan laughed heartily and walked away. From then on, Yan ordered him to share the seat and preach the Dharma. At the beginning of Chongning, because of his mother's old age, he returned to Shu and appeared in the world at Zhaojue. After a long time, he stepped down. In Jingzhou, he met Prime Minister Zhang Wujin and discussed the essentials of the Avataṃsaka; his words were elegant and graceful, the profound tenets thoroughly connected. Unconsciously, Wujin moved forward on his mat. The Master asked, ‘How does this true realm compare to the tenets of our Chan school?’ Wujin said, ‘They should not differ.’ The Master said, ‘What connection could there be?’ Wujin was displeased. The Master slowly said, ‘An ancient said: “Not seeing a single thing is only half the presentation; one must also know the season of the full presentation.” Only if you penetrate completely will you see the dynamic functioning of Deshan and Linji.’ Wujin suddenly awakened and said, ‘I once doubted Xuedou’s phrase about the great smithy refining fine gold; only now do I know that there is no handhold upon him.’ The Master once had a verse: ‘Directly beneath the crown of the head, a thunderbolt crashes; / Piercing the needle into the fatal core cures the incurable affliction.’ It happened to accord with the Prime Minister's understanding. Wujin rejoiced and said, ‘I always feared that the ancestral way was gradually declining; now I have met Guan Yiwu among those of monastic robes.’ The Prefect of Lizhou invited him to reside at Jiashan. Soon after, he moved to Daolin in Xiangxi. Initially, Master Zhou of Tanshan, wishing to meet the Master through Recommendation Director Liu Zhiruo, judged him only by appearances and did not treat him with much courtesy. But upon seeing him open the hall and provide supreme and ungraspable expositions, his reverence deepened. Toward the end of Zhenghe, there was...

20.13

[Zhang Wujin] decreed his transfer to Mount Jiang in Jinling, where the path of the Dharma flourished greatly. A monk asked, "What is the fundamental ground of reality?" The master said, "Why not understand it before asking?" The monk said, "How is one to understand it before asking?" The master said, "It has followed right along." The monk stepped forward and said, "Such a felicitous opportunity is hard to encounter; I beg to borrow another question." The master said, "Forgetting what came before, losing what comes after." The monk stepped forward and said, "If one discusses this matter, it is like sparks from struck flint; but what about before we met each other?" The master said, "Even three thousand miles away, one still meets him." The monk said, "In that case, outside of sounds and forms I meet with the Master." The master replied, "Piercing through the nostrils!" The monk asked, "A loyal minister does not fear death, and thus can establish great fame in the world; a brave warrior does not care for his life, and thus can establish great affairs in the world. I do not know, what about the patch-robed monk?" The master said, "Awe shaking the entire realm would not be beyond his portion." The monk said, "In that case, he sits cutting off the ten directions, standing like a wall a thousand fathoms high." The master said, "Watch out for the arrow!" The monk asked, "Not falling into cause and effect, not being blind to cause and effect: are they the same or different?" The master said, "Two iron-hard vajra hoops." The monk said, "What about Guishan shaking the gate three times?" The master said, "He is not a fellow traveler; an intimate friend would not bring it up." He once addressed the assembly, saying: "'So, so'—both are bright; 'not so, not so'—both are dark. Within 'not so' there is nevertheless 'so': within the dark, brightness is hidden. Within 'so' there is nevertheless 'not so': within brightness, darkness is hidden. Just like taking away the seat together with all these many establishments—thus striking the hand and blunting the blade—tell me, what is this called? Arriving here, it is high without anything above, deep without anything below; horizontally it exhausts the bounds of empty space, centrally it goes to the utmost infinitesimal dust mote. Clean and naked, bare and unhindered: it is a bottomless alms bowl, a shadowless staff. In front of Mount Xiong'er, below the peak of Shaolin, for nine years the old foreigner coldly guarded this useless furniture. Amidst deep snow, directly bringing emotions to be forgotten, thoughts to be dismissed, principles exhausted, and views eliminated—only then did one person take charge. Tell me: both bright, both dark; both releasing, both gathering—is this an establishment or the ordinary? Not being like any of this—is it the ultimate point yet? And what is the ultimate point? Cleaving open Mount Hua to connect with heaven's splendour; releasing the Yellow River to surge along the bottom." In the Xuanhe era, an imperial decree ordered him to reside at Tianning in the Eastern Capital. When the Supreme Emperor was still in the Kang residence, he repeatedly invited the master to proclaim the teaching. The master had a verse that said: / "Most simple and most easy, / Most supreme and most noble. / Coming and going over the crowns of a thousand sages, / Unfathomable within the world and beyond the world." / However, at that time Qinzong was in the Eastern Palace; the master's words to the Supreme Emperor were an advance prophecy of his attaining the supreme throne. In the first year of the Jianyan era, Prime Minister Li Boji memorialised to appoint him abbot of Mount Jin. When the imperial carriage visited Weiyang, an imperial decree summoned him to an audience and inquired about the essential path of the Western Regions. The master replied, "Your Majesty governs the realm with a mind of filial devotion; the Dharma of the Western Regions unifies the myriad distinctions with the one mind. Although the ultimate and the conventional differ, the one mind has never had any separation." The Supreme Emperor was greatly delighted and bestowed on him the title Chan Master Yuanwu. The master requested Mount Yunju to retire in his old age, and the court provided lavishly for his travel. The year after arriving at Yunju, he returned once again to Shu. Grand Preceptor Wang Boshao welcomed him to reside at Zhaojue. On the fifth day of the eighth month of the fifth year of the Shaoxing era, he manifested illness. When his end approached, an attendant held a brush and requested a verse. The master wrote: / "Already thoroughly penetrated without effort, / There is no need to leave behind a verse. / Merely demonstrating response to conditions: / Take care! Take care!" / He threw down the brush and passed away. His worldly age was seventy-three; he had sat for fifty-five summers. He was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Zhenjue, and his stūpa was named Jizhao.

20.14

(Bingchen [1136 CE]) In the fifth month, the exemption tax on adult males was collected. (Ominous news of Huizong arrived: he passed away in the fourth month of the yimao year [1135 CE]).

20.15

(4) Chan Master Long of Huqiu in Pingjiang entered quiescence. His taboo name was Shaolong, a native of Hanshan County in Hezhou. At his birth he was remarkably intelligent. At nine years old, he left home (pravrajyā) relying on the Fohui Cloister of the county. Six years later, he shaved his hair and received full ordination (upasampadā). Another five years later, he packed his bags and took up his staff, having lofty aspirations toward all four quarters. First he visited Chan Master Jingzhao of Changlu; in his questioning and investigations, he had some intuitive insight. Once, reading the recorded sayings of Chan Master Yuanwu Qin, he stroked the volume and sighed, saying, "Thinking of sourness produces saliva; although it cannot yet drench the bowels and moisten the stomach, it still brings joy and relief. I only regret not having heard his voice in person." Thereupon, wishing to visit him, he reached Baofeng and had an audience with Chan Master Zhandang Zhun. Zhun said, "What is the affair of itinerant traveling?" The master exposed his chest, showed it to him, and said, "Examine it, Venerable Monk!" Zhun immediately struck him. The master held him back and said, "Do not apply blind caning and heedless blows!" Zhun laughed heartily. He therefore stayed for over a year, and then went to Huanglong to visit Sixin. Sixin asked, "What kind of monk are you?" The master said, "An itinerant monk." Sixin said, "What rustic monk are you, traveling on what donkey's legs or horse's legs?" The master said, "What is the barbarian of Guangnan saying? Why not speak louder?" Sixin was pleased and said, "You indeed have the air of a patch-robed monk!" The master then gave a shout. He withdrew, joined the hall, and passed one summer. Sixin held him in great esteem, frequently sighing, "A person who has returned!" Sixin's dynamic sharp wit issued forth unstoppably, swallowing flames throughout the various quarters; none but those of the highest capacity could withstand it. Yet he praised the master greatly, so that the assembly all looked on with awe. Later, heading toward Jiashan to see Yuanwu, on Mount Longya he met Chan Master Mi, the Dharma heir of Letan Qian. They were on very close terms; whenever they examined the past and present, reaching a point of mutual resonance, they would clap their hands and laugh aloud, or appear as if feigning madness. Commentators called them the Guishan and Yangshan, or Hanshan and Shide, of today. After a long time he took his leave, and finally reached Jiashan just when Yuanwu was moving to Daolin. The master followed him there. One day he entered the abbot's room. Yuanwu quoted the scripture, saying, "'When seeing seeing, seeing is not seeing. Seeing is still apart from seeing; seeing cannot reach it.'" He raised his fist and said, "Do you still see?" The master said, "I see." Yuanwu said, "Placing a head on top of a head." At this, the master had an awakening. Yuanwu said again, "What do you see?" The master said, "The density of the bamboo does not obstruct the flowing water." Yuanwu approved him. From this time on, he accompanied Yuanwu like a shadow for another twenty years; with chisel and axe he searched out and fully obtained Yuanwu's secrets. Because both of his parents' hair had turned white, the master returned to lodge in his home prefecture at Baoshan Monastery, emulating the ancient precedent of Queen Māyā and the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. Next, he accepted an invitation to reside at Kaisheng Monastery to the west of the city, and the fourfold assembly gathered in reverence and took refuge in him. During the disturbances of the Jianyan era, bandits arose along the Huai River, so he crossed to the south. The scholars and commoners of Xuancheng, who had long admired the master's fame, built a hermitage for him beneath Tongfeng. It happened that the abbotship of Zhangjiao was vacant, and Prefect Minister Li Guang invited the master to reside there. The transformation through his path grew even more flourishing. After four years, he moved to Huqiu. At that time, because the times were not yet peaceful, Yuanwu took a boat through the gorges and returned to Shu. His former fellow students gathered like spokes to a hub and rushed like rivers; for a time, the younger generation looked toward the mountain and hurried there. Whenever the master ascended the seat, he would leisurely demonstrate and reveal, impartially offering a single flavour; responding according to each person's capacity, all had their desires fulfilled. Thus the path of Yuanwu was once again broadly propagated in the southeast; the various quarters said that Yuanwu was still present. Having resided there for three years, he fell slightly ill. He announced to the assembly, "Zongda, the head monk, should succeed to the affairs of the monastery." The assembly requested this of the prefecture, which consented. Having done so, he asked for a brush and boldly wrote a gāthā, saying: / "There is no Dharma that can be preached: / This is called preaching the Dharma. / Therefore, in the Buddha Dharma, / There are no surplus words. / Take care!" / He threw down the brush and passed away in a seated posture. It was indeed on the eighth day, yihai, in the fifth month, jiawu, of the sixth year of the Shaoxing era, a bingchen year [1136 CE]. A stūpa was erected on the south side of the mountain. In all, he lived in the world for sixty years and sat for forty-five summers.

20.16

(Dingsi [1137 CE]) The Jin abolished Liu Yu; the Qi state was extinguished.

20.17

(Wuwu [1138 CE]) (Qin Hui became Right Prime Minister. Yan Dunfu withdrew with a troubled expression, saying, "A treacherous man has become minister!") Jin began the first year of Tianjuan.

20.18

(Jiwei [1139 CE]) An imperial decree ordered the various commanderies and prefectures to establish Bao'en Guangxiao temples to maintain incense and fire for Huizong.

20.19

(Gengshen [1140 CE]) Western Xia: (Emperor Renzong, Tuoba Renxiao, the son of Qianshun, was enthroned; the reign title was changed to Daqing).

20.20

(Xinyou [1141 CE]) In this year, Qin Hui and Zhang Jun conspired to murder Yue Fei and Yue Yun. (Zhang Jiucheng ascended Mount Jingshan just as Dahui ascended the seat; there were words regarding the "divine arm crossbow." Qin Hui, holding the reins of state, deemed it a mockery of the imperial court and banished the master to Hengyang.) Jin changed its reign title to Huangtong.

20.21

(Renxu [1142 CE]) The boundary demarcations for fields and grain taxes were implemented. Empress Dowager Wei returned from the Jin. The issuance of ordination certificates for Buddhist and Daoist monastics was suspended.

20.22

The Jin state: On the birthday of Crown Prince Yingdao, an imperial decree ordered Master Haihui to establish the Great Chuqing Monastery beside the palace in the Upper Capital, universally ordaining one million monks and nuns, and granting a great amnesty throughout the realm.

20.23

(Guihai [1143 CE]) The Jin issued an imperial decree ordering the two Chan Masters Haihui and Qinghui to reside at Chuqing Monastery, and welcomed the auspicious image to the Jiqing Pavilion of the monastery for veneration.

20.24

The Fanyi mingyi [ji] was compiled by Fayun of Jingde in Pingjiang; Zhou Dunyi of Jingxi wrote the preface.

20.25

(Jiazi, 64 [1144 CE]) Western Xia: The first year of Yuanqing.

20.26

(Yichou [1145 CE]) In Jin, Haihui passed away. The emperor together with the empress personally attended to his relics. Stūpas were erected in five places. He was specially granted the posthumous title Great Chan Master Fojue Youguo (Awakened by Buddha, Protecting the State).

20.27

(Bingyin [1146 CE]) In the first month, an imperial decree ordered the destruction of illicit shrines. Qin Hui surveyed and registered boundaries in Liangzhe, Sichuan, and other regions.

20.28

The Jin again bestowed upon Qinghui the title Great Master Fozhi Huguo (Buddha's Wisdom, Guarding the State), raised him to the seat of National Preceptor, and specially granted him a golden brocade great robe along with precious and rare items for his use. Such reverence and respect were unprecedented in antiquity; the emperor and empress personally performed the ritual of touching his feet and bestowed them upon him.

20.29

(5. Dingmao [1147 CE]) The Jin state negotiated peace with the Mongol state. The Mongol state called itself the ancestral Yuan Emperor.

20.30

(Wuchen [1148 CE]) Chan Master Fozhi Duanyu entered quiescence. The master was a descendant of the Qian family of Wuyue, and an heir of Yuanwu. He first resided at Danxia in Dengzhou, moved to Huqiu, and next to Jingshan. He dwelled in a hermitage at Xiufeng on Mount Xihua. By imperial decree he resided at Baoning in Jiankang, moved to Wanshou, and then moved to Xichan on Mount Shoushan in Yansha, Min. Commanded by an imperial decree, he filled the vacancy at Lingyin, and in autumn went to Yuwang in Mingzhou. Among his Dharma heirs was Shui'an Yiyi of Jingci.

20.31

(Jiyi [1149 CE]) In the Jin state, Wanyan Liang was enthroned, a grandson of Taizu (originally named Bolie; he assassinated the ruler to set himself on the throne, moved the capital to Yan, and later campaigned south, encamping at Bian; when he reached the Yangtze River, he was assassinated by various tribal chieftains at Guishan Temple). The reign title was changed to Tiande.

20.32

Western Xia changed its reign title to Tiansheng.

20.33

(6) In the nineteenth year of the Shaoxing reign period, Chan Master Mu'an Zhong passed away. His name was Fazhong, surnamed Yao, a native of Yinxian in Siming. His mother dreamt of an unusual monk asking to lodge with her, whereupon she became pregnant. When he was born, purple bands encircled his body. From childhood, he was inherently composed and quiet. He asked permission from both parents to enter the monastic life, and relied on Daoying of the Chongjiao Cloister in his home commandery to receive instruction in scriptural studies. At age nineteen, he was tested on his studies and ordained. He immediately joined lecture halls to investigate the doctrinal tenets of the Tiantai school. Entering deeply into the subtleties of the commentaries, he was rather proud of himself. One day, he displayed his learning to a Chan practitioner, who broke his arguments down and confounded him. Consequently, he developed doubts regarding the Chan school. He went to Chan Master Jiao of Tiantong to seek resolution. When Jiao spoke, seeing that the Master's capacity remained dormant, Jiao had him go south to make inquiries and visit Xuefeng in Min. He spoke with Chan Master Xu, but again there was no accord. Hearing that Chan Master Foyan Yuan was residing at Longmen in Huaixi, he departed from Shu and traveled at double speed to reach him. Even in hurried moments, he never forgot to examine where he had not yet attained. Strolling by a watermill, he suddenly caught sight of a signboard inscribed: 'The wheel of the Dharma turns constantly.' At this, the doubts blocking the Master's breast thawed like melting ice. He then uttered a gāthā, saying: / 'Turning the great wheel of the Dharma, / Everything before the eyes is enveloped. / Should you ask further what it is like? / The water pushes the millstone.' / He then drew a circle and presented it to Foyan. Foyan said: 'What is the matter within it?' The Master said: 'The water beneath the mountain stream flows constantly.' Foyan said: 'What is it ultimately?' The Master said: 'The water pushes the millstone.' Foyan said: 'Return to the hall and rest. Under no circumstances are you to bring this up again. Five days from now, come, and I will say a phrase to you.' The Master said: 'Even this one phrase is unnecessary.' Foyan beamed with a smile for him. The Master then made prostrations. Soon he took leave of Foyan, crossed the Jiujiang, and climbed Mount Lu. Sleeping in the open and resting in the grass, snakes and tigers were his neighbors. Wherever the mountains broadened and the waters ran slow, if his heart resonated, he would reside there. Once, as dusk grew dark beside the road, there was a withered tree several fathoms around. Surviving after a wild fire, a few feet of it still remained, hollow within and clean. The Master sat upright and motionless inside it for over ten days. Those who came from near and far to see him were very numerous. Not wishing to display anything extraordinary, the Master left a gāthā recording it, saying: / 'Who took the fire of the true emptiness of samādhi, / And burned down this single log of firewood of afflictions? / Only the great root remains fundamentally unmoved; / No longer are there branches and leaves to shake in the wind and dust.' / He then went to call upon Chan Master Zhantang Zhun at Letan. His exchanges were sharp and swift, and Zhun regarded him as extraordinary. At that time, the Huanglong dharma assembly was at its height, and summer retreats were instituted with limits placed on those coming to join. Yet Sixin's spiritual demeanor and moral majesty were such that few dared to cross his blade. Once, the Master took up a sword, entered his room at night, and said: 'I have heard that the venerable preceptor has no fear of birth and death; is this true?' Sixin made to respond; the Master brandished the sword toward him. Sixin stretched out his neck; the Master threw the sword to the ground, danced, and withdrew. Proceeding to the west of Xiang, he became close to Yuanwu at Daolin, who regarded him as a great vessel. Afterwards, he wandered freely around the Heng mountains, favoring the right side of the chariot tracks on Lingyan, where strange rocks looked like a crouching ox. The Master thatched a hut beside them, naming it Mu'an ('Hut for Herding'), and remained there for over twenty years. Leaving behind his bodily form, he went at ease, sometimes spending successive nights without sleep, or multiple days forgetting to eat. His hair grew long and he did not cut it; his robes became ragged and he did not replace them. Chan practitioners throughout the realm respectfully referred to him as Master of the Path Zhong. Patch-robed monks from all directions did not consider looking upon his face to be an insufficient reward. At the time, there were no scholar-officials who did not rejoice in admiration upon hearing of his repute. Privy Councillor Lord Liu Zhonggu, stationed in Changsha, invited the Master to head the Falun Monastery to fulfill the public's wishes. The Master shook his head and paid no heed. Lord Liu then left the abbot's seat at Shengye vacant, wishing in his heart to welcome and install him, and sent notices to the Chan communities to urge and invite him. When the Master heard of this, he fled by night. They tracked his footprints to Dingming Hermitage, struck the drums in the hall, and installed the Master upon the seat. Clergy and laity bowed in lines, not stopping for hours. The Master sighed deeply and uttered a gāthā: / 'Alas, you yellow-faced old fellow, / You entrusted the Dharma to the ruler's ministers! / For a carefree guest beneath the forest trees, / An official summons presses a man to death.' / He said: 'In the past I heard these words; today I see this very thing.' He descended from the seat, dragged his staff, and hurried to Shengye to assume the duties of abbot. Supervising Secretary Lord Feng Jichuan composed the dedication text for opening the hall, which read: 'At Foyan's millstone he awakened to the constant turning of the Dharma wheel; within Sixin's chamber he brandished the sword of wisdom.' This served at the time as the true record of the Master. After the Master answered the needs of the world, he took carrying the burden of the school of the ancestors as his personal duty, and was never begrudging about whether he stayed or left. Thus from Shengye he moved sequentially to the five monasteries of Nanmu, Yungai, Gong'an, and Dahui. Later, accepting the invitation of the preceptor Li Jifu of Yuzhang, he resided at Huanglong. Grand Defender Lord Xing Xiaoyang donated gold to construct a longevity stūpa for him at Xiangyuan, to the east of the monastery. Just as the work was completed, a white light ascended from the mountain behind the abbot's quarters, and flocks of magpies flew about, chattering. The Master looked at it, smiled, and said: 'I am about to depart.' Calling for a brush, he wrote a gāthā: / 'Sixty-six years / Wandering in a dream and illusion; / With a loud song I return, / Letting go my hands into the vast expanse of sky.' / Having finished writing, he said again to the assembly: 'My funeral affairs may follow the model left by Chan Master Lingyuan Qing.' Having spoken these words, he closed his eyes and entered quiescence.

20.34

(Gengwu) Jin abolished the ordination of Buddhist and Daoist monastics.

20.35

(Xinwei) In the ninth month, the Emperor said to the grand ministers: 'Because monks are not ordained, the permanent property of monasteries has largely become abandoned. Let the Ministry of Revenue allocate it to support the government schools.' (From the Song History.) / It has been two thousand one hundred years since the Bhagavān demonstrated his decease.

20.36

(7) Empress Dowager Wei (mother of Emperor Gaozong) built the Chongxian Xianxiao Chan Monastery at Gaoting Mountain in Hangzhou. She summoned Chan Master Zhenxie Qingliao to open the mountain as the first generation [abbot]. Before long, he demonstrated quiescence. A stūpa was erected for him in the monastery. The Master was from the Yong family of Zuomian, and was a dharma heir of Danxia Chun. He once wrote the Record of the Inexhaustible Lamp, which said: / 'More than three hundred years have passed since Dongping broke the mirror; over four hundred years have elapsed since Longtan blew out the lamp. Later generations of descendants, confused about the correct eye, think that the mirror is broken and the lamp extinguished, unaware that walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, great light radiates forth—the lamp has never been extinguished! Seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing emptily reflect myriad forms—the mirror has never been broken! Though the lamp has no visible form, it can illuminate the long night of birth and death; though the mirror has no stand, it can discern the demonic delusions of birth and death. The mirror and the lamp: each light is eternally quiescent; illumination and reflection: every illusion is as such. Illuminating without end, it is called the inexhaustible lamp; reflecting without end, it is called the inexhaustible mirror. In daily use, it is never obscure, shining clearly between mind and eyes. Yet sentient beings are deluded and unaware of it; therefore there are the teachings of the sūtras, which open illusory-like expedients, establish illusory-like bodhimaṇḍas, and deliver illusory-like sentient beings to perform illusory-like Buddha-activities. For example, if one lamp is lit in the middle and ten mirrors are placed outside in the east, south, west, north, above, below, and the four intermediate quarters: using the ten mirrors to symbolize the ten dharma-realms, and the single lamp to illustrate the one true mind. With the one true mind, principle cannot be divided; with the ten dharma-realms, phenomena possess myriad forms. Thus, outside of principle there are no phenomena; outside of the mirrors there is no lamp. Although within each mirror there are inexhaustible lamps, the inexhaustible lamps are only the one lamp. Within each phenomenon there is inexhaustible principle, and the inexhaustible principle is only the one principle. Because the one principle can bring about differentiated phenomena, phenomena are mutually unhindered. Because the one lamp completely illuminates the differentiated mirrors, the mirrors interpenetrate. A single mirror does not move, yet it can pervade, contain, absorb, and enter. A single phenomenon is not destroyed, yet it is that and this, one and many. Host and guest integrate thoroughly, layer upon layer without end. / How lamentable that sentient beings dwell amid all dusts, yet do not know that each and every dust is Vairocana's inexhaustible oceanic realm! Samantabhadra manifests a single pore, yet they do not know that each and every pore contains the samādhi-form body of sentient beings. Thus, in their daily activities, all sentient beings emerge and submerge within Samantabhadra's pores, inside Vairocana's radiance, and amid Maitreya's towers; they come and go on the blade of Mañjuśrī's sword. In thought after thought, they appear in the world together with all Buddhas, realize bodhi, turn the wheel of the Dharma, and enter extinction. Like mirror to mirror, like lamp to lamp, all at once universally integrated and unimpeded—truly this is called the inconceivable gate of liberation! None but sentient beings of great mind could reach this realm.' / Someone asked: 'Is the seeing, hearing, perceiving, and knowing of daily activities right now ultimately the lamp, or not the lamp? Is it the mirror, or not the mirror?' He answered: / 'Mirror and lamp, lamp and mirror, are fundamentally without difference; / The great earth, mountains, and rivers are flowers in the eyes. / Yellow leaves flutter, filling the courtyard; / Upon whose house does the sound of the fulling mallet fall?'

20.37

In this year, Gushan Temple was changed into the Four Sages Daoist Abbey of Yanxiang. The stūpa of Dharma Master Yuan was relocated and buried on the Mannaopo of Beishan. / Dahui was transferred to Meiyang.

20.38

(Guiyou) Jin changed [the reign era] to Zhenyuan. In the first month, lamps were displayed. / (The clerk Wang Zhongfu initiated the Quanzhen teaching; Tan, Ma, Qiu, and Liu harmonized with him; it still survives today.)

20.39

(Jiaxu) In the Song, ever since Qin Gui monopolized state power, all scholar-officials of renowned reputation were banished to distant regions. Vile, spiritless, and degraded persons who matched his words even once would immediately ascend to high office in the government, yet they only occupied a single hall, called 'attendants in bowing.' If they uttered even a slight remark, they were denounced and dismissed, no different from slaves. All were stripped of their official titles and had their imperial privileges withheld, being treated like common functionaries.

20.40

(8. Yihai) Yunwo jitan and Luohu yelu were completed. In the tenth month, Śramaṇa Xiaoying of Ganshan, courtesy name Zhongwen, a dharma heir of Chan Master Dahui Gao, compiled them.

20.41

(Bingzi) In the sixth month, a meteor fell by daylight. / Jin changed [its reign title] to the first year of Zhenglong. / (An imperial edict restored Dahui's monastic status and made him abbot of Mount Ayuwang.)

20.42

(Dingchou) In the eighth month, an imperial edict recalled the surplus monastic ordination certificates issued across the circuits. The Emperor said: 'As for the Buddha-Dharma, I have never intended to extinguish it; I merely fear that if monastic followers become numerous, those who do not till the soil will be many.' (From the Song History.)

20.43

[27th year of Shaoxing (Dingchou, 1157 CE)] (9) Chan Master Zhengjue, "Hongzhi", of Tiantong in Mingzhou passed away in the tenth month. His surname was Li, his mother was née Zhao, and he was a native of Xizhou. On the evening of the master's birth, light issued from the house, and everyone marvelled at it. At age seven, he could recite several thousand words of texts daily and was versed in the Five Classics. His father, Zongdao, had him enter monastic life. He received tonsure under Benzong at Jingming Temple in the same commandery and received the full precepts under Zhiqiong at Ciyun Temple in Jinzhou. At age eighteen, he set out to travel on foot to various quarters. Taking leave of his grandfather, he said, "If I do not elucidate the Great Matter, I vow never to return!" When he arrived between Jin and Jiang, someone tried to thwart the master because he had no official travel permit. The magistrate of the district, seeing that the master was exceptionally talented, showed him the folding fan he was holding and said, "Offer a turning word for me." The master immediately took up a brush and wrote a verse upon it. Greatly pleased, the magistrate requested a permit for him so he could travel. He crossed the Yellow River to Luoyang and paid respects to Cheng of Kumu in Ruzhou. At that time, Danxia Zichun's reputation in the Way was at its height, so he went to him. He asked, "What is oneself before the empty kalpa?" Jue said, "The frog at the bottom of the well swallows the moon; / At midnight, it borrows not the night-shining screen." Danxia said, "Not yet; say it again." Jue hesitated. Danxia gave him a blow with the whisk and said, "And you still say you borrow not!" Jue suddenly had an awakening and bowed. Danxia said, "Why do you not utter a phrase?" Jue said, "Today I have lost money and suffered punishment." Danxia said, "I have no time to strike you; be off for now!" He was twenty-three years of age at the time. When Danxia retired to Dacheng in Tangzhou, he also followed him there. In the second year of Xuanhe, Danxia moved to Dahong and made him secretary for three years. When he was promoted to head seat, Jinsu Zhi, Xuedou Zong, Baofu Wu, and Fengshan Zhao all followed him as students. He also shared the seat under the assembly of Yuantong Zhao the "Icchantika". When Zhenxie resided at Changlu, he invited him to occupy the head seat. At that time, the assembly exceeded one thousand seven hundred. Seeing him take up the whisk and offer instruction, they all submitted to him. He became abbot at Puzhao in Sizhou, succeeding to the Dharma of Danxia. Previously, half of the temple had been partitioned off as a Shenxiao Daoist Palace, and furthermore, both Huai regions had suffered successive famines so that the kitchen was empty. What was needed for the two meals had to be mixed with beans and wheat. Once he arrived, he ordered that pure nonglutinous rice be used. The monastic storekeeper demurred that supplies were inadequate, but soon afterwards alms offerings piled up in abundance. When Emperor Huizong made an imperial tour to the south, Jue led the assembly to pay respects. Seeing more than a thousand monks of the temple crowding the left side of the road with their deportment disciplined and solemn, the Emperor marveled at it. An imperial decree summoned him to receive the imperial words in person and restored the half of the former temple to them. Early in the Jianyan era, he resided at Taiping in Shu, and then moved to Yuantong Nengren in Jiang. Relinquishing his duties, he traveled to Yunju to pay respects to Yuanwu. It happened that the abbot's seat at Changlu became vacant, and the great assembly insisted on having the master. Yuanwu, together with the Prince of Anding Commandery, urged him to accept. Not long after he entered the temple, the great bandit Li Zai was plundering the borders and led his band into the temple. The assembly was terrified and dispersed, but the master sat calmly in the hall and transformed them with wholesome words. Li Zai and the others bowed their heads in respectful submission, waved away their troops, presented gold to provide for the assembly, and the entire region relied on this to be preserved in peace. In the third year of Jianyan, he crossed the Zhejiang River to Mingzhou to pay homage at Potalaka. His road went past Tiantong, which happened to lack an abbot. When the assembly saw the master arrive, they secretly reported to the commandery commander; at first he declined, but afterwards consented. Soon afterwards, the Jurchen invaders raided the borders, and the monks were distressed and scattered. The master alone awaited their coming. When the invaders arrived, he climbed the ridge to watch; appearing to see something, they thereupon withdrew their troops and retreated without harming a single autumn hair. People sighed and considered it divine assistance. In the ninth month, he received an imperial decree to reside at Lingyin; when he was about to depart, the fourfold assembly wept in yearning, and hundreds of birds mourned. In the tenth month, an imperial decree directed him to return once more to Tiantong. In all, it was nearly thirty years, and of the monastery's several thousand rooms, none were not renewed. In the autumn of the twenty-seventh year of Shaoxing, the ninth month, he took leave of the commandery commander and various donors. On the seventh day of that month, he returned to the mountain and fed the guests as usual. On the chen-si hours of the eighth day, he asked for a bath, changed clothes, and sat upright. He asked for a brush and wrote a letter to Dahui, entrusting him with the arrangements after his passing. He also wrote a verse: 'Dream-illusions, empty flowers— / Sixty-seven years. / A white bird dissolves in the mist; / Autumn waters join the sky.' He threw down the brush and passed away. By imperial decree, he was posthumously granted the title Chan Master Hongzhi, and his stupa was named Miaoguang.

20.44

(Wuyin [1158 CE]) In the sixth month, a star fell by day. In the eighth month, an earthquake occurred. ○ (An imperial decree ordered Dahui of Yuwang to reside at Jingshan once more.)

20.45

(Yimao [1159 CE]) In the seventh month, Academician Li Tao presented the *Table of All Officials of the Imperial Dynasty* (History of Song).

20.46

(Gengchen [1160 CE]) Paper money (huizi) was first issued. ○ In the twelfth month, Emperor Qinzong passed away in Wuguocheng.

20.47

(Xinshi [1161 CE]) An imperial decree again issued ordination certificates to purchase military provisions.

20.48

Emperor Shizong of Jin ascended the throne (personal name Yong, originally named Bao; enfeoffed as Prince of Chu; grandson of Taizu. After King Hailing, Digunai, broke the treaty and invaded the south, he left the emperor to guard the capital; the emperor thereupon declared himself ruler and established his capital at Yanjing. The emperor was benevolent, generous, compassionate, and frugal, and had no fondness for war. The realm was peaceful and well-governed. He was on the throne for twenty-nine years, and people called him the 'Lesser Yao and Shun'). The era was changed to Dading.

20.49

(10) It was one thousand one hundred years since the Great Teaching spread eastward.

20.50

(Renwu [1162 CE]) Emperor Xiaozong, Shengshen, ascended the throne. His original name was Bocong, a seventh-generation descendant of Taizu. His mother was née Zhang. He was born in Xiuzhou, accompanied by the auspicious omen of auspicious grain. He was on the throne for twenty-seven years and lived to the age of sixty-eight.

20.51

The state of Jin moved its capital to Yanjing. Imperial construction of Daqingshou Temple was completed. An imperial decree invited Chan Master Xuanming, Yigong, to become the first generation founder. By imperial order, the imperial prince, the Prince of Yan, offered incense and bestowed twenty thousand strings of cash and twenty qing of fertile fields.

20.52

(11. Guiwei [1163 CE]) The era was changed to Longxing, the first year. On the thirteenth day of the sixth month of this year, Chan Master Ying'an Tanhua of Tiantong passed away. His surname was Jiang, and he was a native of Huangmei in Qi. He was extraordinary and outstanding from birth, with prominent and striking features. Even as a child, he wearied of worldly affairs and possessed the firm resolve to ford and deliver all living beings across. At age seventeen, he left home at Dongchan in his district. The following year, he became a fully ordained monk. The year after that, he took his staff and traveled to various quarters, first calling upon Master Sui of Shuinan in Suizhou, tasting the flavor of the Dharma. He then went up to Yunju; upon seeing him, Chan Master Yuanwu consoled and encouraged him, vigorously urging and prompting him. For the sake of the Dharma, he undertook arduous labor and difficult tasks, hurrying about only fearing to lag behind. When Yuanwu went into Shu, he directed him to visit Long of Zhangjiao in Xuan. Long was Yuanwu's son. When Long moved to Huqiu, the master served as his advance messenger. In less than half a year, he thoroughly penetrated the Great Dharma and immediately understood how Yuanwu instructed people. Before long, he took polite leave and traveled through the various quarters. He first shared the seat at Lianyun in Chu. The prefect of Chu thereupon invited the master to assume the abbacy at Miaoyan. Subsequently, he resided at Mingguo in Qu, Dezhang in Qi, Bao'en and Jianfu in Rao, Baolin and Bao'en in Wu, Donglin in Jiang, Jiangshan in Jiankang, and Wanshou in Pingjiang; he twice resided at Guizong in Nankang, and finally resided at the present Tiantong. In all cases, clergy and laity admired him and jointly selected him. Wherever he was, he threw open the gate of great generosity, lowering his hands to guide those not yet awakened; people from near and far flocked to him like water rushing into a ravine. When it came to general addresses, small convocations, questions and answers, examinations and debates, the master was always relaxed and leisurely, exhausting every skillful means; his functioning and eloquence in the room—taking up, letting go, killing, and giving life—were especially celebrated as clear and wonderful. When the master first had an awakening, he traveled together with Ci'an, known at the time as 'Original Cloth Bag.' Repeating and condensing, their understanding grew deeper and more profound by the day. When he followed Ci'an to Huguo, they got along with great joy. When Ci'an passed away, his intention was not without entrusting the master; yet when the master opened the hall and succeeded to the Dharma, he did not forget Huqiu. In this, he was different from those of recent times who are dazzled by fame, led astray by gain and sustenance, and burn incense without acknowledging the source of what they received. In his abbacies, he responded to matters neutrally and accepted circumstances emptily. Even when managing and establishing minor things and petty affairs, he invariably made eternal plans and was never negligent. If the slightest hair was not to his liking, he would abruptly take his leave, and none could dissuade him. He once said of himself, 'A patch-robed monk should consider his straw sandals as his residence; how could he go so far as to cling to a burrow like an adder or a snake?' He exhorted and spurred the disciples, not permitting any indolence, and led by personal example in everything. When he was about to manifest illness, he still hung out the placard to conduct room interviews until the middle of the night; other days were mostly like this. When he was nearing his end, someone requested a verse for departing the world. The master said, 'I have often laughed at what those in various quarters do; should I do it myself?' He settled the affairs of the monastery without omitting the slightest detail, calmly sat cross-legged, and passed away. His worldly age was sixty-one, and his monastic age was forty-three.

First 52 of 145 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

佛祖歷代通載 — Classical Chinese