釋鑑稽古略續集 1.147

1.147

Prelector Miaowen: Left household life at the age of nine, received the full precepts at eighteen. He relied on the Great Virtuous monk Monk Yuan to study the round and sudden teaching. When he first ascended the lion throne, he gave free rein to unhindered eloquence, like a gorge overturning or a river rushing. Yet in ordinary living he was simple and silent, never uttering careless words; his self-cultivation was empty and humble, having no desire for haste and making no rash advances—largely of this kind. At forty-eight, he resided at Yunquan in Ji. Diligent, frugal, and economical, the elderly cherished his virtue and the young were strictly disciplined by his instruction; thus the assembly was harmonious and the monastery was well-governed. The granary had surplus grain to relieve the starving people, and the people of Ji praised him. Shizu granted him an audience and looked back to tell his attendant ministers: "This is a monk of blessed virtue." An imperial decree ordered him to reside at Da Baoji Monastery in the capital. From then on, his scriptural seat of the Dharma flourished all the more; Nature and Characteristics teachings progressed side by side, and monastics and laypeople were universally delivered. At that time, lecture seats throughout the land were noisy and divided, sticking firmly to nominal characteristics and stalling on divergent paths; the Master alone broadly propagated the Vaipulya teachings and revitalized them with the Perfect School, enabling those who clung to old ways to penetrate beyond silence, and causing dragon-elephants to tread vigorously and vie to drive the One Vehicle. When over eighty years of age, he exclusively cultivated the mindfulness-of-buddha samādhi. On the designated day of this month of this year, he formed a mudrā and passed away.