釋鑑稽古略續集 3.7

3.7

The monk Daoyan was a native of Changzhou in Suzhou, named Yao Guangxiao. At first, he shaved his head to become a monk at Miaozhi Hermitage in Xiangcheng, with the Dharma name Daoyan and the courtesy name Sidao. At that time, at the Lingying Belvedere in Xiangcheng, there was the Daoist Wei Yingzhen, who read the classics, studied Daoist arts, and was also versed in military strategy. Daoyan took him as his master and fully mastered his arts, yet he concealed himself deeply so that no one knew. Later, he arrived at Jingkou and composed a poem on viewing the past, which read:
'Over the years, battle blood on parapets has dried; / Half the mist-wrapped flowers are already withered and died.
Close to the Five Prefectures Mountain, morning clouds roil in disarray; / Empty is the Ten Thousand Years Tower in the night moon's cold ray.
The river waters, tideless, reach into the Iron Urn; / Across open fields a path runs where Golden Altar fires burn.
Where now are the grand deeds of Xiao Yan's Liang? / Green grows Mount Beigu—my weary eyes look on long.'
His friend Zongle, seeing him shake his knees and chant at length, laughed and said, 'Can these be the words of a disciple of Śākya? Sidao, Sidao, you make light of the Southern Dynasties!' Later, Zongle recommended Daoyan to go to Yan, where he served as abbot of Qingshou Monastery in Beiping. Someone recommended Daoyan as an extraordinary talent in both civil and military affairs. The Prince of Yan summoned him for an audience and asked, 'Can you divine?' Daoyan, speaking in the Wu dialect, answered repeatedly, 'I can, I can!' He then opened his robe, produced five Taiping coins, presented them to the Prince, made an incantation, cast them repeatedly, and glancing sideways at the Prince, said, 'Is Your Highness not going to become Emperor?' The Prince rebuked him, 'Monk, do not speak absurdities!' Daoyan withdrew in trepidation. On another day, [the Prince] spoke frankly with him, and Daoyan's advice always matched his intentions. Daoyan then recommended the physiognomist Yuan Gong to settle the matter. Earlier, Daoyan had visited the monastery on Mount Song and met Gong, who physiognomised him saying, 'Can such a fat monk be like this? Your eyes are triangular and flashing white, your form like a sick tiger; your nature is bound to be fond of killing. In the future you will be of the sort of Liu Bingzhong.' Daoyan laughed heartily, and from this he grew confident. The Prince had also heard Gong's renown, and under the pretext of arresting deserting soldiers, he summoned Gong. When he arrived in Yan, an envoy drank with him in a tavern. The Prince changed his clothes and mingled among the bodyguards to enter the tavern as well. Upon seeing him, Gong immediately hastened forward, bowed before the Prince, and divined that he would in the future become the Son of Heaven of Great Peace. The Prince was overjoyed and lodged Gong in the quarters of the monk Daoxing. The world hands down two lines: 'Distinguishing the prime minister at the Buddhist monastery of Mount Song; / Recognizing the true ruler at the wine tavern of Chang'an.' This refers to this event. The Prince often spoke with Daoyan, and most matters were wondrous and secretive; the Prince valued him highly. Daoyan would at times inadvertently address the Prince informally as 'you', yet the Prince never reprimanded him. The plan for Pacifying the Distress truly originated with Daoyan. It is said that when the Prince of Yan spoke secretly with Daoyan about the inclination of the people's hearts, he replied, 'When it is what Heaven creates, why talk of the people's hearts?' From this point on, he took Daoyan as his military strategist.