釋氏稽古略 4.330

4.330

In the Song, the scribe in the assembly of Chan Master Letan Caotang Qing in Longxing was named Xiuyang, a native of Southern Min. When Chan Master Fori Gao received the imperial decree to move from Hengzhou to Meiyang, Xiuyang accompanied him as an attendant. The commandery prefect, Court Gentleman for Consultation Xie, said to his subordinates regarding Fori: "The one whom the imperial court has interned, a so-called elder, is merely a single monk. Let him dwell in the vacant ground to the east of the Military Commission." Soon, the monks and practitioners arriving daily numbered several hundreds. They took up shovels and pickaxes to level the foundations, and transported bamboo and timber to construct the huts. Obedient to his directions and commands, none dared to be slack. Although the prefect heard of their diligent service like this, he still did not know what sort of man he really was. Thereupon he invited one or two to an audience to observe their capabilities. Xiuyang happened to receive the order, and thereupon conversed with him at ease for the entire day, his discourse brilliant and inspiring, evaluating antiquity and discussing the present, finding their source at every turn. The prefect further investigated among their ranks whether there were others possessing exceptional talents. Xiuyang then informed him that there were those who bore mastery of the great sūtras and treatises, those who were broadly versed in literature and history, those whose poetry was lofty and exquisite, and those whose brushwork and calligraphy were free and elegant: "That they have not yet achieved complete clarity is solely for the sake of the Buddhas and Patriarchs' great cause of the one great matter. For this reason, undaunted by hardship and peril, they have followed in attendance, and to be able to rely on your benevolent governance is indeed the greatest good fortune." The prefect was astonished and realized that his followers were all men who forgot their own bodies for the sake of the Dharma. From this point, his respect for Chan Master Fori increased day by day. He sent his son Chuncui to seek a shortcut to entering the Way, and Fori instructed him with eight pieces of Dharma talk, which are preserved in his recorded sayings (Yunwo jitan).