釋氏稽古略 4.386

4.386

Chan Master Chijue, named Daochong, was born into the Gou family of Changjiang in Wuxin. In the third year of the Shaoxi era of Emperor Guangzong, he emerged from the Gorges to study under Chan Master Songyuan Yue at Jianfu in Raozhou. It happened that Songyuan elevated a head monk, and Venerable Sheng of Caoxi assumed the abbacy at Miaoguo; hearing his introductory Dharma words, Daochong had an awakening. He traveled to all the monasteries, everywhere sharing half the seat. By this year, the twelfth year of Jiading, he advanced from head monk of Jingshan to assume the abbacy of Tianning in Jiaxing, becoming the Dharma heir of Caoyuan Sheng, and then transferred to Jiangshan. In the third year of the Jiaxi era of Emperor Lizong, he relocated to Xuefeng. After only half a year, he was summoned by imperial decree to transfer to Tiantong. At the tiger seat of Yuwang, he concurrently served as abbot, preaching the Dharma at both mountains. In the fourth year of the Chunyou era, he received an imperial decree to reside at Lingyin. Retiring, he returned to Jinling, and the court granted him Huqiu to care for him in his old age. In the sixth month of the eighth year of Chunyou, he was summoned by decree to reside at Yuwang; the envoy returned three times, but he did not set out. In the second month of the following year, he opened the mountain at Fahua in Wu. In the eighth month, he was summoned by decree to reside at Jingshan in Lin'an Prefecture. On the thirteenth day of the fifth month in the tenth year of Chunyou, he entered quiescence at the age of eighty-two, with sixty-one summer retreats as a monk. His relic bones were buried in the mountains of Jinling (Inscriptions from the Tomb Stele).