釋鑑稽古略續集 2.48

2.48

Dharma Master Nichuan: his taboo name was Zhishun, his courtesy name was Nichuan, and he was a son of the Chen clan of Rui'an. His grandparents diligently cultivated pure deeds (white karma), and after they died, lotus blossoms appeared between the gates and screens. His mother, of the Lou clan, made offerings to an image of the Great Master Zhizhe to pray for a son. One night she dreamed of a monk with a halo of light upon his crown, traveling upstream against the river current; he beckoned to the Lou woman and said, 'I shall become your son.' The Master was born with fine qualities already mature from the past. At the age of seven he went forth from the household and studied the Lotus Sūtra, chanting it through within three months. He became the successor to Master Jueyuan Xuan of Wuxiang Cloister. He relied upon Master Yue of Hengyun, investigating the principles of the three contemplations and the ten vehicles. Under Master Qing of Duhai he served as the monastic administrator. He participated in the assembly of Master Tieguan Shu and was able to grasp the essentials of the mind. After accumulating truth for a long time, his wondrous capacity was triggered. He also called upon Master Qianyan Chang. Returning to Shu for verification, they repeatedly debated and investigated with great effort, whereupon the transmission was at last completed. He first presided over Bao'en, next expanded Heshan, and furthermore founded a monastery at Guiyuan Temple. The imperial court bestowed a plaque upon the cloister and granted the Master the title 'Buddha-Nature Rounded Eloquence' together with a golden saṅghāṭī robe. When the Jingguang Pagoda of Wencheng fell into decay, the Master exerted all his strength to completely restore it. At the abandoned monastery of Dongchan, the Master brought about its completion. In managing all various matters, he had success and order. People said, 'Had our Master commanded the army, there would never be the disaster of defeat.' In the Thousand Buddha Cloister and Ten Thousand Buddha Pavilion, with a single arrangement by the Master, all was made gloriously renewed. In the early years of Hongwu, at the Zhongshan Dharma assembly, the Master was ranked among them, and later resided at Jingci [Monastery]. It coincided with the imperial court summoning monks possessing the Way to serve as consultants. The Master arrived in Nanjing for four months, wrote a verse, and passed away; it was the twentieth day of the eighth month of that year. Relics were countless, and were interred at Mount Jubao. There are the Wuhui yulu (Recorded Sayings of the Five Assemblies) and Shancai jie (Verses on Sudhana) circulating in the world.