釋鑑稽古略續集 2.79

2.79

東溟法師　諱慧日。號東溟。天台人。族姓賈。依平山等公出家。從子庭訢公習台衡之學。子庭為之剖析。無不盡其玄奧。至上竺禮竹屋淨公。偈頌屢屢招拔同伍。淨公喜曰。翹翹蒼松挺出於荊榛之上者是子也。後於越溪座下首眾。以表儀四眾。創建下竺靈山教寺。宏敞上竺觀音教寺。帝師嘉師行業。賜以金斕法服。并署妙應普濟之號。洪武初年。召赴天界禪林升座說法。眾皆聳聽。所度弟子甚眾。師眉長一寸餘。其白勝雪。人皆以白眉和尚稱之。是年七月。夢青蓮華清芳襲人。曰吾生淨土之祥也。壽八十九。葬於妙應塔院。

Dharma Master Dongming, taboo name Huiri, art name Dongming, was a native of Tiantai. His clan name was Jia. He left home under Master Pingshan Deng, and studied the Tiantai doctrine under Master Ziting Xin. Ziting analyzed it for him, completely exhausting its profound subtleties. He went to Upper Zhusheng to pay respects to Master Jing of Zhuwu; his verses repeatedly surpassed his peers. Master Jing said with pleasure, "The towering green pine standing out above the brambles is this boy." Later, he became head of the assembly under Yuexi, serving as a model for the fourfold assembly. He founded the Lower Zhusheng Lingshan Teaching Monastery and expanded the Upper Zhusheng Guanyin Teaching Monastery. The Imperial Preceptor praised the Master's conduct and practice, bestowed upon him a gold-brocade Dharma robe, and conferred the title Miaoying Puji. In the early years of Hongwu, he was summoned to Tianjie Zen Grove to ascend the seat and preach the Dharma; the assembly all listened in awe. The disciples he ordained were very numerous. The Master's eyebrows were over an inch long and whiter than snow, so people all called him the White-Eyebrowed Monk. In the seventh month of this year, he dreamt of a blue lotus flower whose pure fragrance was intoxicating, and said, "This is an auspicious sign that I will be born in the Pure Land." His age was eighty-nine. He was buried at the Miaoying Pagoda Courtyard.