釋氏稽古略 4.216

4.216

Chan Master Yuantong of Fayun Monastery in Bianjing was named Faxiu. He was born into the Xin clan of Longcheng in Qinzhou. Following Venerable Lu of Yingqian Monastery, he studied the scriptures, and thus was referred to as of the Lu clan. At age nineteen he became a fully ordained monk. He lectured on the great scriptures, parsing chapters and dissecting sentences with such sharp acumen that none could confront him; he was renowned in the two capitals. He thought it strange that Guifeng [Zongmi] had studied Chan, and only revered Chan Master Tianbo Yuan of the Northern Capital. Yuan was elegantly called Yuan of the Avataṃsaka. [Faxiu] regretted that Yuan did not lecture, saying: "The scriptural teachings exhaust the Buddha's intent; someone like Lord Yuan should not distance himself from the teachings. Chan is not the Buddha's intent; someone like Guifeng should not study Chan. As for the World-Honoured One privately transmitting the Dharma outside the scriptures to Mahākāśyapa, I do not believe it." He said to his colleagues: "I will travel south to penetrate their dens, capture their sort, and wipe them out, resting only when I have requited the Buddha's kindness." First he arrived at Huguo in Suizhou and read the stele of Chan Master Jingguo. A monk had asked Baoci, "What is the Buddha-nature?" Ci said, "Who lacks it?" He also asked Jingguo, and Guo said, "Who has it?" The monk thereby had an awakening. Xiu laughed heartily and said, "How could one dare speak of Buddha-nature in terms of having or lacking it? Furthermore, how could one awaken because of that?" He left and reached Tiefo in Wuwei Military Prefecture, where he visited Chan Master Huai. Huai had an impoverished appearance, sat erect with his nasal mucus dripping down to wet his robes; Xiu made light of him. Huai asked, "What scripture does the lecturer expound?" Xiu said, "The Avataṃsaka." Huai asked, "What does the Avataṃsaka take as its fundamental tenet?" Xiu said, "The Dharma realm is its fundamental tenet." Huai asked, "What does the Dharma realm take as its fundamental tenet?" Xiu said, "The mind is its fundamental tenet." Huai asked, "What does the mind take as its fundamental tenet?" Xiu did not know how to reply. Huai said: "A hair's breadth of difference, and heaven and earth are far apart!" Xiu withdrew, at a loss, awestruck and respectfully submitting. He wished to remain by his side to receive the Dharma day and night; after a long time he finally attained awakening. When Chan Master Huai moved to reside at Zhalin in Chiyang, and then relocated to Wu and to Guangjiao and Jingde, Xiu followed him to all of them. Xiu first resided at Mount Simian in Huaxi; proceeding to Xixian, Mount Jiang, and Changlu, his assembly constantly numbered a thousand. By this time, in the seventh year of Yuanfeng, an imperial decree ordered him to reside at Fayun Monastery in the capital as its first patriarch. On the day of opening the hall, the Emperor dispatched a palace commissioner to offer incense, bestowed a monk's robe of felt cloth, and transmitted an imperial decree indicating that it represented Our personal presence. The Emperor's younger brother, the Prince of Jing, paid his respects beneath the seat. In the eighth month of the fifth year of Yuanyou under Zhezong, he manifested illness. An imperial decree sent a physician to examine him; the master waved him away. He then changed his robes and uttered a verse: "When coming, not a thing; when going, empty. / North, south, east, west—it is all the same. / Having resided at six places, I was of no help." He then paused for a long time. The monastery supervisor Huidang stepped forward and said, "Why does the Venerable not utter the final sentence?" The master said, "Take care, take care!" Having spoken, he passed away. His age was sixty-four, and he had sat forty-five summer retreats. The master was a dharma heir of Chan Master Tianyi Yihuai; Huai was an heir of Xuedou Xian; Xian was an heir of Zhimen Zuo; Zuo was an heir of Xianglin Yuan; Yuan was an heir of Chan Master Yunmen Yan (Xudeng lu). During the Yuanfeng era, Privy Councillor Lord Jiang Yingshu was a worldly friend of the master. Although the Lord ordinarily investigated the Mind School, he was also bogged down in the scriptural vehicles. He once composed an Exegesis of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra in thirty essays and was quite proud of his views. While transporting grain on the Huai River, he arrived at Changlu to visit Xiu, and wrote on the wall of the abbot's quarters: "In merely three days I completed the Exegesis of the Avataṃsaka. I have great karmic affinity with the Buddha-Dharma. In days to come, this place should be compared to the eastern border of the City of Awakening; only those who possess the Buddha-eye will know this." Xiu at that time refuted him, saying: "Why do you speak so lightly, my Lord? The Avataṃsaka is the Perfect and Sudden Great Vehicle, realized through direct perception (pratyakṣa). Now your speaking of comparing it to the eastern border of the City of Awakening is inference (anumāna), not the Perfect and Sudden School. Furthermore, you say 'in days to come.' Yet the One True Dharma Realm has neither past nor present; hence it is said that the past and present of the ten time periods never shift from this present thought from beginning to end. If you speak of 'in days to come,' how could today not be it? Moreover, you say that only those possessing the Buddha-eye will know. However, the scripture says: 'The impartial true Dharma realm has neither Buddha nor sentient beings.' When sentiments of ordinary and holy are exhausted, other and self are both forgotten; how could there be a distinction between foolish and wise? If one must wait for the Buddha-eye, how could the divine eye and the human eye fail to know it?" The Lord thereupon repented and apologized. When Xiu was about to pass into extinction, the Lord offered a sacrifice accompanied by a text, which said: "Among friends outside the world, there were only I and the master. / Remembering our past meeting, a single word struck in accord. / When the master came to Changlu, I was transporting grain along the Huai and Yi; / Arm in arm again, we laughed and talked with delight. / I discussed the Avataṃsaka, and the master appraised it; / Trapping the tiger in the snare of circumstances, casting aside conventional paths. / Why did you abandon me, departing before me? / Offering vegetarian fare with utmost sincerity, may you partake of it!" (Luohu lu).