釋鑑稽古略續集 1.241

1.241

絕宗禪師　諱善繼。諡文明海慧。諸暨婁氏子。母王氏夢神僧授白芙蕖而生。依山陰靈祕寺思恭和尚祝髮。從天竺大山恢公。習天台教。次謁湛堂問答慶快。湛堂謂眾曰。法輪轉於他日。將有望於斯子矣。居第一座玉崗潤公亦居師第一。出住良渚講金光明經。夢四明法智謂曰。爾所講經與吾符合。自是益加精進。甞示眾曰。止觀一部即法華三昧之筌𨁃。一乘十觀即法華三昧之正體。汝等須行解並馳正助兼運。則圓位可登。而不負祖師命宗之意也。後專修淨業。繫念彌陀晝夜不輟。一日忽告眾曰。佛祖弘化。貴乎時節因緣。緣與時違。化將焉托。吾將歸矣。端坐而逝。是年七月二十二日也。壽七十二。荼毘舌根不壞。塔於靈祕之西。得法上首玘大璞云。

Chan Master Juezong: taboo name Shanji, posthumously titled Wenming Haihui ("Civilized Brightness, Ocean of Wisdom"). He was a son of the Lou family of Zhuji. His mother, Lady Wang, gave birth to him after dreaming that a divine monk handed her a white lotus. He shaved his hair under Venerable Sigong of Lingmi Monastery in Shanyin. From Venerable Hui of Mount Dashan at Tianzhu, he studied the Tiantai teachings. Next he visited Zhandang; their question-and-answer exchanges brought great joy. Zhandang told the assembly: "When the wheel of Dharma turns in future days, hope will lie in this young man!" While serving as the head monk, Venerable Run of Yugang also appointed him to the first seat. Going forth to reside at Liangzhu, he lectured on the Golden Light Sūtra (Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra). He dreamed that Fazhi of Siming said to him: "The sūtras you lecture upon accord with my own view." From then on he applied himself with even greater diligence. He once instructed the assembly, saying: "The single work of Cessation and Contemplation is the snare and fish trap of the Lotus Samādhi; the One Vehicle's Ten Contemplations are the true essence of the Lotus Samādhi. You must run practice and understanding side by side, employing both the primary and auxiliary methods; then the perfect rank can be attained, without failing the ancestral master's intention in establishing the school." Later he practiced Pure Land exclusively, fixing his thoughts on Amitābha day and night without ceasing. One day he suddenly announced to the assembly: "The propagation of the Buddhas and patriarchs values timing and conditions. When conditions run contrary to the times, upon what can teaching rely? I am about to return." He sat upright and passed away on the twenty-second day of the seventh month of this year, at the age of seventy-two. After cremation, his tongue remained unconsumed. His stūpa was erected to the west of Lingmi Monastery. His principal Dharma heir was Qi Dapu.