釋鑑稽古略續集 2.33

2.33

Chan Master Jie'an, whose taboo name was Fuliang, courtesy name was Yongzhen, and sobriquet was Jie'an, was a native of Wuxian, a tenth-generation descendant of Master Fan Wenzheng. His father was Bohe, and his mother was Lady Zheng. From childhood, the master possessed signs of transcendence of the dust. At fifteen, he shaved his head and took the full precepts under Shoumi of Yingfu Cloister. Sighing with deep feeling, he said, "Studying the Buddha is to illuminate the mind; if not through a master, the mind cannot be illuminated. Can one face a wall all day?" He served the venerable Ze of Beichan to study Tiantai doctrinal contemplation. Urged by Shizhan Biao, he saw the venerable Xiaoyin Su to investigate the great purport of the Chan school. Next, he engaged in sharp exchanges back and forth with the venerable Ying of Shishi. He came into the world to preach the Dharma at Zisheng Monastery in Jiaxing, expanding and embellishing its halls and buildings. He moved to Tianzhang and then to Central Tianzhu, and those turning toward him grew daily. Finally, he rebuilt the ancient monastery of Lingyin and concluded his life there. He passed away on the sixteenth day of the first month of that year. His worldly age was fifty-five; his monastic seniority was forty. Following cremation, his teeth were firm and pure, and his tongue root was red and moist, both remaining unconsumed, and the relics filled a sheng measure.