釋氏稽古略 4.220

4.220

The Supreme Clerical Director Ŭich'ŏn was the fourth son of King Munjong Renxiao of the kingdom of Koryŏ. He renounced household life under the name Ŭich'ŏn. That winter he sailed across the sea, arriving in Mingzhou, and presented a memorial requesting permission to travel through the Central Realm and inquire into propriety. By imperial decree, Gentleman for Court Audiences Yang Jie (courtesy name Cigong) was assigned as his official host. Wherever he went—through the prefectures of the two Zhe circuits, Huainan, and Jingdong—he was welcomed and seen off with the rites of an envoy. He called on prominent masters of the Three Learnings far and wide. First arriving in Yin, he took Mingzhi Zhongli as his master and befriended Falin, requesting an afterword on the doctrinal teachings (Cao'an jiaoyuan yishi). He entered Mount Tiantai to pay homage at the pagoda of Zhiyi. Crossing the Zhe River, he went to Upper Zhuji Monastery in Hangzhou, where he served Ciban Congjian with the rites of a disciple and received the Tiantai doctrinal contemplation (Cishan guan jing shu zhu). Next, he visited Lingzhi to pay homage to Master of Great Wisdom Yuanzhao and receive the Vinaya Pitaka (Lingzhi xingye bei). He traveled through Huiyin (now Koryŏ Monastery), where he inquired into the Xianshou school's teachings from Jinshui Jingyuan (Huayan ge ji). Passing through Jinshan in Runzhou, he spread his great prostration mat according to Chan monastic rules to pay homage to Chan Master Foyin Liaoyuan. Liaoyuan remained seated to receive the prostration. The official host Yang Jie doubted the propriety of this. Foyin said, "When people of all surnames renounce household life, they share the same family name as sons of the Śākya clan. Ŭich'ŏn is merely a monk. Were I not to do this, how could I display the model of masters in the Central Realm?" When the court heard of this, they considered Liaoyuan to understand the larger principle (Foyin benzhuan). When Ŭich'ŏn traveled to the capital for an imperial audience, Director in the Ministry of Rites Su Shi was assigned to escort him. He visited and paid homage to Chan Master Huilin Yuanzhao Zongben, and the authorities accommodated and entertained him with great generosity (Yuanzhao chanshi benzhuan).