高僧傳 10
English (machine translation) 10
- Language
- English
10.1
Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Huijiao of Jiaxiang Temple in Kuaiji under the Liang
10.2
Gandhāra [monk, Qiandule] 1
Harighāṭa [Haluojie] 2
Zhu Fahui 3
An Huize 4
Master She 5
Shi Tanhuo 6
Shi Zong 7
Beidu 8
Shi Tanshi 9
Shi Falang 10
Shao Shuo 11
Shi Hui'an 12
Shi Fakui 13
Shi Senghui 14
Shi Huitong 15
Shi Baozhi 16
10.3
Qiandule was originally a man of the Western Regions who had come to Luoyang for many years. Although the assembly respected his conduct and bearing, in the end none could fathom him. Later he said to the community of monks: "Southeast of Luoyang is Mount Panchi, where there is an ancient temple site whose foundations still remain; we may rebuild it together." The assembly did not believe him, but went along to inspect it. Entering the mountain, they arrived at a spot that was flat on all four sides. Qiandule pointed and said: "This is the monastery's foundation." They dug it up at once and indeed uncovered the stone foundation beneath the temple. Later he pointed out the sites of the lecture hall and the monks' quarters, and every word proved true. The assembly was amazed and sighed in admiration; thereupon they rebuilt it together, making Qiandule the abbot of the temple.
10.4
The temple was more than one hundred li from the city of Luoyang. Every morning he went to various monasteries in Luoyang to attend midday meals, and at dusk he would beg a bowl of oil and return to the temple to light the lamps. This was his routine, never failing. There was a swift runner who wanted to follow Qiandule to observe his speed; running until sweat poured, he constantly struggled to keep up. Qiandule had him hold the corner of his kāṣāya; hearing only the sound of fierce wind, the man no longer felt weary and arrived at the temple in an instant. It was later unknown where Qiandule ended his days.
10.5
Haluojie was originally a man from Fanyang. He left household life at an early age and recited two million words of sūtras. By nature he was empty and profound; he maintained the monastic precepts, was skilled in deportment, and had a handsome appearance. He practiced the dhūta austerities extensively, sleeping alone in mountains and wilderness. In the ninth year of the Taikang era of Emperor Wu of the Jin, he came briefly to Luoyang. At that time an epidemic was raging, and the dead followed one after another. Jie treated them with incantations, curing eight or nine out of ten. In the first year of the Yuankang era of Emperor Hui of the Jin, he went west and stayed in a stone cave on Mount Louzhi to practice dhyāna. Because this cave was far from water, people of the time wished to dig a gully for him. Jie said: "There is no need to trouble yourselves." He then rose, kicked the western stone wall of the cave with his left foot, and his toes sank into the wall. When he withdrew his foot, water gushed from it—pure, fragrant, soft, and sweet—flowing ceaselessly through the four seasons. Those who came to drink it all had their hunger and thirst quenched and their diseases cured.
10.6
In the eighth year of the Yuankang era, he passed away sitting upright. His disciples cremated (jhāpita) him according to the customs of the Western Countries. The fire blazed for days on end, yet the corpse remained seated in the flames and would not turn to ashes, so they moved it back inside the stone cave. Later, Zhu Ding, styled Anshi, a man of the Western Regions, went to that country during the Xianhe era of the Jin and viewed it in person; the corpse was sitting erect and dignified, after more than thirty years. Ding later came to the capital and recounted this to the clergy and laity.
10.7
Zhu Fahui was originally a native of Guanzhong. Upright, straightforward, and strict in observing the precepts, he entered Mount Songgao and took Fotumi as his teacher. In the first year of the Jianyuan era of Emperor Kang of the Jin, he arrived in Xiangyang and stayed at Yang Shuzi Temple. He did not accept private invitations; whenever he went begging for food, he always carried a corded chair with him, setting it down to sit whenever he came to an open road. If he encountered rain, he covered himself with an oiled cape. When the rain stopped, only the corded chair was visible, and no one knew where Hui was. Before people had ceased inquiring, Hui was already on the chair. He would often tell his disciple Fazhao: "In a past life you broke a chicken's leg; the retribution will soon arrive." Shortly afterward, Zhao was thrown down by someone and became permanently lame in his leg. Later he said to his disciples: "In Xinyao there is an old man about to die; I wish to deliver him." He then walked along the boundaries of the fields, and indeed saw an old man leading an ox to plow the field. Hui begged the old man for the ox; the old man would not give it. Hui stepped forward and seized the ox's muzzle himself. The old man, terrified by his miraculous manner, thereupon gave it to him. Hui led the ox, uttered an aspiration, turned around after seven paces, and returned the ox to the old man. The old man died a few days later.
10.8
Later, the General Who Pacifies the West, Yu Zhigong, was garrisoned at Xiangyang. Having never revered the Dharma, and hearing of Hui's extraordinary deeds, he was deeply envious of him. Hui foresaw this and informed his disciples, saying: "My past retribution will soon arrive; I admonish and urge my companions to diligently cultivate merit and goodness." Two days later, he was indeed arrested and executed at the age of fifty-eight. Facing death, he said to the crowd: "Three days after my death, there will be a torrential rain from the heavens." When the time came, rain poured down in a deluge; the water at the city gate reached ten feet deep, residents were washed away, and many died.
10.9
At that time there was Fan Cai, a native of Langzhong in Baxi. Initially a śramaṇa, he sold fortunes in the markets of Hedong, walking barefoot in ragged clothes, wearing the same outfit in winter and summer; his predictions were often remarkably accurate. Later, he abandoned the Way, took up secular ways, and was said to practice the teachings of Zhang Ling.
10.10
An Huize's clan is unknown. In his youth he had no fixed habits and stood out as an extraordinary person, being skilled in regular script and fine conversation. During the Yongjia era of the Jin, epidemics spread across the realm; Ze prayed day and night with sincerity, wishing that the heavenly deities would bestow medicine to heal the myriad people. One day, going out of the temple gate, he saw two stones shaped like jars. Ze suspected they were extraordinary objects, so he took them and inspected them; inside there was indeed divine water. Any sick person who drank it was healed. Later he stayed at the Dashi Temple in Luoyang, where he copied a complete copy of the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in fine calligraphy on yellow silk by hand, condensing it into a single scroll. The characters were as small as little beans, yet distinct and legible; in all there were over ten copies. He gave one copy to the wife of Zhou Zhongzhi of Runan, Lady Humu, for worship. When Lady Humu crossed the Yangtze River, she carried the sūtra with her. Later, caught in a conflagration, she was unable to retrieve the sūtra in the panic, and wept with grief and distress. After the fire was extinguished, she found it amid the ashes; the front roller and the colors were completely undamaged. Those who saw and heard of this at the time all turned from heterodoxy and took up faith. This sūtra is now kept by the head nun of the Jianjing Convent in the capital.
10.11
At that time in Luoyang there was also Kang Huichi, who was likewise said to be miraculous and spiritually transcendent.
10.12
Master She was a native of the Western Regions. With an empty and quiet mind, he practiced breath ingestion, abstained from the five grains, and could walk five hundred li a day. When he spoke of future events, his predictions were as clear as pointing to the palm of one's hand. In the twelfth year of the Jianyuan era of Fu Jian, he arrived in Chang'an. He was able to summon divine dragons using secret incantations. Whenever there was a drought, Jian would often ask him to conjure dragons; shortly thereafter, a dragon would descend into his bowl, and torrential rain would fall from the sky. Jian and his ministers went in person to the bowl to view it, and all marveled at its wondrousness. Jian venerated him as the protector spirit of the state, and both scholars and commoners threw themselves down to touch his feet; from then on there was no longer any worry of scorching drought. In the twelfth month of the sixteenth year, he died without illness, and Jian wept for him with deep sorrow. Seven days after his death, Jian, mindful of his miraculous powers, tried opening the coffin to look, but found no sign of his corpse; only the shrouding coverlet remained. In the seventeenth year, no rain fell from the first month until the sixth month. Jian reduced his meals and removed musical suspensions to invite harmonious qi, and rain fell in the seventh month. Jian said to the Palace Secretariat Zhu Rong: "Had Master She been here, would We have scorched our heart gazing at the Milky Way like this? Was this master not a great sage?" Rong said: "His arts were deep and mysterious, truly a marvel unprecedented in ancient times."
10.13
Shi Tanhuo's origin is unknown. Eating vegetarian food and practicing austerities, he always lived among graves and beneath trees, dedicating himself to transforming living beings through miraculous powers. At that time, Tufa Lilugu of the Xianbei tribe in Hexi had usurped power in Xiping, calling himself king and naming his reign era Jianhe. In the eleventh month of the second year of Jianhe, Huo arrived in Xiping from Henan, carrying a khakkhara. He had people kneel before it, saying: "This is the eye of prajñā; worshipping it enables one to attain the Way." When people presented him with clothing and articles, he took them and threw them to the ground, or cast them into the river. After a short while, the clothing returned to its original owners, completely unstained. He walked as swiftly as the wind; even robust men pursuing him were continually exhausted and unable to catch up. When he spoke of life, death, nobility, or lowliness, he was never off by a fraction. When someone hid his khakkhara, Huo closed his eyes for a short while and instantly knew its location; all marveled at his wondrous powers, yet none could ever fathom him. Thus, those who served the Buddha on account of him were very numerous. Lilugu had a younger brother named Noutan, who was falsely titled General of Chariots and Cavalry and whose power dominated the illegitimate state. By nature suspicious and jealous, he harmed many people. Huo would often tell Noutan: "You must cultivate good and practice the Way, building a bridge for future lives." Noutan said: "Since the days of my ancestors, I have reverently served heaven and earth, famous mountains, and great rivers. If I suddenly venerate the Buddha now, I fear I would violate the intentions of my forebears. If you can go without eating for seven days with your complexion unchanged, showing that the Buddha's Way is truly divine, I shall venerate it." He then had guards confine him for seven days, yet Huo showed no sign of hunger or thirst. Noutan sent the śramaṇa Zhixing to secretly give cakes to Huo; Huo said: "Whom have I ever deceived? Would I deceive the king of a state?" Noutan marveled greatly at him and revered him with deep respect; because of this, he converted to faith, curtailed killing, and fostered compassion. The people of the state, having received his protection, all called him the Great Master. When he walked through the streets and alleys, the common people came out to welcome him and pay him homage. Noutan had a daughter who was critically ill, and he asked Huo to save her life. Huo said: "Life and death are fated; even sages cannot alter them. How could I prolong her lifespan? I can only know whether it will be early or late." Noutan pleaded persistently. At that time the rear gate of the palace was shut; Huo said: "Quickly open the rear gate! If opened in time, she lives; if not, she dies." Noutan ordered it opened, but before it could be opened in time, she passed away.
10.14
In the third year of the Yixi era of the Jin, Noutan was defeated by Bobo. The land of Liang was thrown into warfare and turmoil, and it is unknown where he went.
10.15
Shi Zong's origins are unknown. He always wore hemp robes, sometimes layering them into a patched monk's cassock, so people of his day called him the "Hemp-robed Daoist." His body had many sores and scabs, and his temperament was fickle. He was often at the Baitu Dike in Guangling, hiring himself out to work the dike and singing aloud, pulling the haul-ropes to cheer himself, and immediately giving away his earnings to others. He had no fixed dwelling, sometimes hiding away and sometimes showing himself. At that time, Tan Qi of Gaoping was magistrate of Jiangdu; hearing of him, Tan Qi summoned him. Shi Zong's responses were quick and nimble, unhampered and unhindered; widely versed in antiquity, he spoke with eloquence on both the profound and the Confucian. He then composed a poem, which said: / "Possessing desires, one suffers from insufficiency; / Free of desires, one is also free of sorrow. / Yet nothing compares to the pure and vacant one, / Girt with a rope and clad in a dark cloak. / Floating and drifting through this world, / Bobbing along like an unmoored boat. / Now about to end all worldly burdens, / He lodges his mind, for the time being, in the hills." / Tan Qi knew he was no ordinary man and sent him back to where he lived. Tan Qi gifted him thirty bolts of cloth, all of which Shi Zong gave away to beggars.
10.16
Later, there was a man of the Way whose name was unknown; he always carried a staff and a box with him. Once, as dusk fell, he went to visit the magistrate of Haiyan and said, "I wish to make a journey of several days, and would like to borrow someone for a short while; could you spare one?" The magistrate said, "Take whomever you please." He then chose the boy who tended geese and ducks, whose appearance and clothes were the ugliest, and took him along. In an instant, they arrived atop a mountain. On the mountain stood a house, and inside were three men of the Way, who happily conversed upon meeting; the boy could not understand their speech. At midday, when the boy grew exhausted, the man of the Way asked the host for food for him, obtaining a small bowl of food shaped like cooked mugwort; eating it, the boy's hunger ceased. Toward nightfall, the man of the Way took his leave to return. From inside the house, someone was heard asking, "Do you know where Shi Zong is? When will his banishment come to an end?" The man of the Way said, "He is on the Baitu Dike in Guangling, north of the river in Xuzhou. By my reckoning, his banishment should also be coming to an end." The person in the house then wrote a letter, saying, "Give this to him on my behalf." The man of the Way handed the letter to the boy. By dawn, they reached the county seat, and he met the magistrate, saying, "I wish to stay here for a few days." The magistrate said, "Very well." When asked what was in his box, he answered, "Only letters and documents."
10.17
The man of the Way regularly slept in the magistrate's hall, placing the box and staff at the head of the bed. The magistrate ordered a night watchman to steal it in the night, wishing to see it. The man of the Way already knew this; at dusk he would hang the box and staff high up and sleep right beneath them, so they could never be reached. Later, taking his leave of the magistrate, he said, "I wished to stay a little while, but you always want to steal from people, so I will simply leave." The magistrate called the boy from before and asked what he had experienced recently. The boy said that the man of the Way had had him hold the staff and drifted off through the air, only hearing the sound of waves beneath his feet. He also related that the letter sent by the person in the mountains was still in his belt. The magistrate opened it to read, but could understand nothing of it. He copied it and resealed the original. He ordered someone to take the boy to Baitu Dike and deliver it to Shi Zong. Shi Zong opened the letter in great astonishment, saying, "Where did you get a letter from the men of the Way on Penglai?" Later, Shi Zong traveled south to Wu and Kuaiji. Once, passing a fishing weir, he saw fishermen catching fish in great numbers; Shi Zong bathed upstream, and all the fish scattered. His covert rescue of living creatures was like this.
10.18
Later he rested at the Great Temple of Longshan in Shangyu. He was skilled in discussing the Zhuangzi and Laozi and had thoroughly mastered the Analects and Classic of Filial Piety, yet he concealed his brilliance and hid his tracks, so the world knew nothing of him. Xie Shao, Wei Maizhi, Fangzhi, and others of Kuaiji, all profound scholars of deep learning, took him as their teacher. Later, monks lodging with him heard Shi Zong speaking with someone at night, recounting matters of Penglai at some length; by dawn, no one knew where Shi Zong had gone. In Tao Yuanming's Record of Meeting Three Extraordinary Dharma Masters at Baitu Dike, he was one of them. Some say that a merchant traveling by sea saw a śramaṇa on an isolated isle, who asked him to deliver a letter to Shi Zong. He placed the letter in the boat; when his companions tried to read it, the letter adhered to the boat and would not come free. When they reached Baitu Dike, the letter flew up and went to Shi Zong, who caught it and carried it away.
10.19
Beidu's name is unknown. He often crossed water riding a wooden cup, hence his name ("Cup Crosser"). He was first seen in Jizhou. He did not cultivate minor rules of conduct, but his divine powers were preeminent; the world could not fathom his origins. Once, lodging at a family home in the north, there was a golden image in the house, which Beidu stole and carried off. The master of the house noticed and gave chase; seeing Beidu walking slowly, he galloped on horseback after him, but could not catch him. Reaching Mengjin River, Beidu floated his wooden cup on the water and crossed the river on it, without need of wind or oars, light and swift as if flying. Soon he crossed to the other bank and reached the capital. When seen at that time, he appeared to be around forty years old, girt with a rope and dressed in rags that barely covered his body. His speech came and went unpredictably, and his joy and anger were uneven. Sometimes he would break the thick ice in severe freezing cold to bathe, or go up onto his bed wearing clogs, or enter the market walking barefoot. He carried only a single reed basket, with nothing else.
10.20
He would go unexpectedly to the quarters of the man of the Way Fayi at Yanxian Temple, and Fayi accommodated him in a separate room. Later he wished to go to the Yanbu River and approached a ferry on the riverbank. People spoke of Beidu, but the boatman was unwilling to take him aboard. He then stepped into his cup with both feet, gazing about and chanting verse; the cup drifted along on its own, crossing straight over to the northern bank. Traveling toward Guangling, he encountered a village home of the Li family where an eightfold poṣadha fast was being held. Not knowing them beforehand, he went straight into the fasting hall and sat down, placing his reed basket in the courtyard. Seeing his shabby appearance, the assembly had no reverent thoughts toward him. Seeing the reed basket blocking the way, Master Li wished to move it to the side of the wall, but several men could not lift or budge it. When Beidu finished eating, he picked it up and walked off, laughing and saying, "The Li family of the Four Heavenly Kings." At that time, a servant boy peeked into the basket and saw four small boys, each several inches tall, with upright features and clean, spotless clothing. They then gave chase, but did not know where he went. Three days later, he was seen sitting under a thick tree on the western border. Master Li knelt and bowed, inviting him to return to his home to make offerings to him for days and months. Beidu did not keep the fast strictly: he drank wine and ate meat, even eating pungent vegetables and raw fish, no different from worldly people. When common people offered him food, he would sometimes accept it and sometimes not.
10.21
Liu Xingbo of the state of Pei, inspector of Yanzhou, sent an envoy to invite him. He came carrying his basket. Xingbo ordered people to lift it and inspect it, but more than ten men could not raise it. Xingbo looked for himself, and saw only a tattered patched cassock and a wooden cup. Later he returned to the Li family for another thirty-odd days. One early morning, he suddenly said, "I want a kāṣāya; have it ready by midday." Master Li immediately made arrangements, but by midday it was not yet finished. Beidu said he was going out for a short while, and did not return by nightfall. The entire region smelled an extraordinary fragrance and suspected something miraculous. Searching for Beidu everywhere, they found him under the northern crags, lying dead upon a tattered kāṣāya spread on the ground. In front of his head and behind his feet, lotuses grew. The flowers were extremely fresh and fragrant, but withered in a single night. The townsfolk buried him together. Several days later, someone coming from the north said he had seen Beidu carrying his reed basket, traveling toward Pengcheng. They opened the coffin together, and saw only boots and sandals.
10.22
Having arrived in Pengcheng, he met a layman named Huang Xin, who had deep faith in the Buddhadharma; upon seeing Beidu, he bowed and invited him to his home. His family was extremely poor, having only barley rice. Beidu ate it happily and with contentment. After staying for only half a year, he suddenly said to Xin, "You should find thirty-six reed baskets; I have use for them." Xin replied, "Here we can find at most ten; being poor, I have no way to buy them, so I fear they cannot all be provided." Beidu said, "Just search for them; they should be in the house." Xin immediately searched thoroughly, and indeed obtained thirty-six baskets, lining them up in the courtyard. Although they had the number, many were broken and ruined. By the time Xin looked closely at them one by one, they were all newly complete. Beidu sealed them tightly, and then told Xin to open them; Xin then saw they were all filled with coins and silks, worth about a million cash. Those who understood said that Beidu had divided his body into other lands, and the donations he received were redirected to give to Xin, which Xin received and used entirely to generate merit. After about a year, Beidu took his leave to depart. Xin prepared provisions for him. The next morning, he saw the provisions were all intact, and did not know where Beidu had gone.
10.23
After about a month, he arrived at the capital again. At that time, at Chaogou, there was Zhu Wenshu, who had revered the Dharma from his youth. Beidu often went to his home. Wenshu said to Beidu, "If your disciple should cast off this body and sink into suffering, I pray you will rescue me. If I am in a good place, I pray to become your Dharma companion." Beidu did not reply. Wenshu rejoiced and said, "In the Buddhadharma, silence is already consent."
10.24
Later he traveled east into Wu Commandery. On the road he saw an angler and approached him to beg for a fish. The angler gave him a rotten one. Beidu turned it over and over in his hands and threw it back into the water, where it swam away. He also saw a net fisherman and again begged for a fish from him. The fisherman grew angry, cursed him, and would not give any. Beidu then picked up two pebbles and threw them into the water; soon, two water buffaloes fought within his net. After the net was ripped and destroyed, the buffaloes were seen no more, and Beidu had also vanished. Traveling as far as the Song River, he turned a parasol upside down in the water and crossed to the bank riding it. Passing through Kuaiji and Shan County, he ascended Mount Tiantai, and after several months returned to the capital.
10.25
At that time, there was a foreign man of the Way named Saṅghazha, lodging at the Changgan Temple in the capital. A visiting monk named Sengwu lodged in the same room with Zha; through a crack in the window, he saw Zha take the temple pillar-spire, lift it into the clouds, and then bring it down. Sengwu did not dare speak, but felt deep reverent awe. At that time, there was a man surnamed Zhang named Nu, whose origins were unknown. He was rarely seen eating, yet was always plump and healthy, wearing single-layer hemp clothing throughout winter and summer. Walking along the road, Zha saw Zhang Nu and smiled with joy. Zha said, "In the east I saw Cai Tun, in the south I visited Master Ma, in the north I met Wang Nian, and now, as I was going to see Beidu, I meet you, sir!" Zhang Nu then inscribed a poem on a locust tree and sang: / "Within the dim and vast Great Image, / The radiant light shines manifestly bright. / For what cause do confused and benighted mortals / Give rein to delusion and invite their own calamity? / To the place of joy, few journey; / The paths of suffering are like an emptied pouch. / Without the integrity of pine and cypress, / How can one withstand the wind and frost? / At ease, taking part beyond the purple mists, / My long song rises out of the azure sky. / The clear spirit beyond form / Ought to manifest in lands where there are conditions. / The Year Star assisted the Han ruler; / The radiant planets aided the Shang king. / I am neither of these two immortals, / Concealing my tracks across the nine realms. / I also see worldly mortals, / Bringing bitter grief wherever my eyes fall. / I briefly sing to contemplate those with mind; / How could this fully display my inner feelings?"
10.26
Zha said, "Earlier, I saw you, sir, in meditative contemplation in a hidden gorge, sitting for a hundred years in a single session. Great compassion perfumed your mind, as you quietly meditated on withered bones." He also inscribed a eulogy, saying: / "Endless are the affairs of the world, / Multiplying loss and gain. / Causing desires to defile the spirit, / Gratuitously giving rise to pleasure. / Only this wise man / Had deep awakening and foresight. / Seeing form as floating foam, / Beholding reflections like fleeting lightning. / Stumbling over fame and glory, / Despising ornate caps and robes. / Seeing forms, he realized emptiness; / Fondling things, he mourned mutation. / Abandoning turmoil, severing existence, / Cutting habits and eliminating attachments. / Bending green boughs for shade, / Using white cogongrass as a mat. / Bordering the fields, eating hemp, / Nigh to cliffs, drinking repeatedly. / Wisdom and concentration join to illuminate; / The wondrously true is his kin. / Loving-kindness and compassion increase; / His profound contemplation knows no weariness." / When their words ended, each went his way. Thereafter, for months and days, these two men were seen no more. Chroniclers say that they were going to take Sengwu with them to the Southern Peak, but did not make it. Zhang Nu met with Beidu, and they conversed at great length in terms that people could not understand. Beidu still stayed in the capital for a short time, traveling and residing without fixed abode; when invited, he would sometimes go and sometimes not.
10.27
At that time in Nanzhou, there was a Chen family who were fairly well-off. Beidu went to their house and was treated with great hospitality. Hearing that there was another Beidu in the capital, the five men of the Chen family—father and sons—could not believe it, so they went down to the capital to observe him. He was indeed identical in appearance to the Beidu at their home. Chen set out for him a box of honeyed ginger, as well as a knife, frankincense, a towel, and other items. Beidu immediately ate all the honeyed ginger; the other objects remained right before his knees. The five father and sons, fearing that this might be the Beidu from their own home, left two younger brothers behind in the capital to keep watch, while the remaining three returned home. The Beidu at their house was as before, with the incense, knife, and other items also before his knees, only he had not eaten the honeyed ginger, which was the sole difference. He then said to Chen, "The knife is dull; you may sharpen it for me." When the two younger brothers returned from the capital, they said that the other Beidu had already moved to Lingjiu Temple. The Beidu at their home suddenly asked for two sheets of yellow paper to write a letter. The writing did not form proper characters, and he pressed their backs together. Chen asked, "What sort of contract or document is the Venerable One writing?" Beidu did not reply, and in the end no one could fathom its meaning.
10.28
At that time, Zhu Lingqi, a man of Wujun, was returning from an embassy to Gaoli when he encountered a storm that drove his ship off course; after nine days, it reached the shore of an islet. On the islet was a mountain, exceedingly lofty and vast. Entering the mountain to gather firewood, they saw a human path. Lingqi then led several men along the path to beg for food. After walking more than ten li, they heard the sound of a chime stone and scented incense smoke, whereupon they chanted the Buddha's name together and bowed in reverence. In an instant they saw a monastery, brilliantly adorned, largely embellished with the seven precious substances. They saw a dozen or so monks, all of whom were stone figures, unmoving and unshaken; together they bowed in reverence. Having walked back a few paces, they heard the sound of chanting and preaching; returning to look again, they were still stone figures. Lingqi and the others said to one another, "These are holy monks; being sinners, we are unable to see them." Thereupon, with utmost sincerity, they repented together. Going forward again, they then saw living persons, who prepared a meal for Lingqi and his companions. The taste of the food was merely vegetables, yet its delicious aroma was unlike anything of this world. When the meal was finished, they knocked their heads on the ground and bowed, begging to return swiftly to their homeland. One monk said, "This place is more than two hundred thousand li from the capital. But if you maintain a sincere mind, you need not worry that it will not be swift." He then asked Lingqi, "Do you know the Daoist monk Beidu?" Lingqi replied, "I know him very well." The monk then pointed to the north wall, where a bag hung with a monk's staff and an alms bowl, saying, "This belongs to Beidu. Now, by your means, I send him the bowl." He also wrote a letter and placed it inside a box. There was also a green bamboo staff, and he said, "Simply cast this staff into the water before the vessel, close the boat, and sit quietly. Requiring no effort on your part, it will surely bring you there swiftly." Thereupon they took their leave. He ordered a novice to see them to the gate, saying, "Go along this path; after seven li you will reach the vessel; you need not follow the earlier road." Turning west as instructed, they walked about seven li and reached the vessel; they then proceeded exactly as instructed. They only heard the vessel passing over the tops of mountain trees and saw no water at all. After three days, they arrived at the Huai River at Shitou and stopped, and the bamboo staff was no longer to be seen. As the vessel entered the Huai River and reached Zhuque Gate, they saw Beidu straddling the railing of a large ship, striking it with a stick and saying, "Horse, horse, why won't you go?" The onlookers were very numerous. Lingqi and the others bowed to him from afar aboard their vessel. Beidu then came down to their vessel himself to take the letter and the bowl. Opening the letter to look at it, not a single person could read the characters. Beidu laughed heartily and said, "They want me to return, eh?" Taking the bowl, he tossed it into the clouds and caught it as it came back down, saying, "I haven't seen this bowl for four thousand years."
10.29
Beidu mostly stayed with Fayidai at Yanxian Temple. At that time, people considered this bowl a miraculous object and vied to go see it. Another account says: "Lingqi's vessel drifted to a remote mountain, where he met a monk who came and said, 'I am Beidu's principal disciple. In the past, while holding my master's bowl, I died at Zhicheng Temple. Now, by your means, I return the bowl to my master. Merely have one person hold the bowl at the prow of the vessel and one person hold the helm straight, and you will arrive safely and peacefully of your own accord.' Lingqi followed his instructions, and indeed they were completely saved."
10.30
On the day when he straddled the railing, the Beidu in Nanzhou had gone out early that morning and did not return by evening. The next morning, the Chen family saw six characters written in green on the door leaves: 'Gate of blessing and virtue; a transcendent being descends.' The characters were barely legible, and the Beidu of their household thereupon vanished without a trace.
10.31
The Beidu in the capital still went back and forth between the mountains and the city, performing many magical incantations. At that time, a maidservant of Yu Chang stole some items and fled. Pursuers were sent in all four directions but failed to capture her, so they asked Beidu. Beidu said, "She is already dead, in an empty tomb by the river at Jincheng." Going to look, it was indeed as he had said.
10.32
Kong Ningzi was serving as a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate at the time. Falling ill with dysentery at his office, he sent a messenger to invite Beidu. When Beidu finished chanting incantations, he said, "It is difficult to cure. I see four ghosts, all of whom have suffered wounds and amputations." Ningzi wept and said, "In the past, when Sun En rebelled, our family was destroyed by soldiers; both my parents and my uncle suffered agonizing cruelty." Ningzi indeed died.
10.33
Furthermore, the wife of Qi Xie, Madame Humu, fell ill, and various treatments proved ineffective. Later, they invited monks to hold a vegetarian feast; among those seated at the feast was the Daoist monk Sengcong, who urged them to invite Beidu. Once Beidu arrived, with a single incantation the sick woman was immediately cured. Qi Xie submitted and served him as his master, and accordingly wrote a biography of him recording his divine marvels from the beginning, which in broad outline was the same as above.
10.34
In the ninth month of the third year of the Yuanjia reign era, taking leave of Xie to go to the capital, he left ten thousand cash worth of goods with Xie, asking him to organize a vegetarian feast, and thereupon parted and departed. Traveling as far as Lake Chishan, he fell ill with dysentery and died. Xie then organized the vegetarian feast for him, collected the corpse, and buried it back at Mount Fuzhou in Jianye. In the fourth year, there was a man of Wuxing named Shao Xin, who was exceedingly devoted to the Dharma. Stricken with a cold-damage illness, no one dared look after him, so he wept sorrowfully and mindfulness of Avalokiteśvara. Suddenly he saw a monk arrive, who said he was a disciple of Beidu. He said to him, "Do not worry; my master will soon come to see you." Shao Xin replied, "Master Beidu is already dead; how could he possibly come?" The monk said, "What difficulty is there in his coming?" He then took about a boxful of powdered medicine from the end of his sash and gave it to him to take, and the illness was immediately cured.
10.35
There was also Du Seng'ai, who lived beneath Nangang, who had formerly served Beidu. His son became critically ill, and he thought with regret of not having obtained Beidu's practiced divine incantations. The next morning he suddenly saw Beidu arrive, speaking just as usual. He immediately recited an incantation for him, and the sick boy was cured.
10.36
On the eighth day of the third month of the fifth year, Beidu came again to Qi Xie's home. Lü Daohui, Wenren Danzhi, Du Tianqi, Shuiqiu Xi, and others all saw him together; filled with great amazement, they at once rose and bowed in reverence to Beidu. Beidu said to the crowd, "This year will bring great misfortune; you should diligently cultivate wholesome karma. The monk Fayi possesses great virtue; you may go to him to repair and re-establish the old monastery so as to ward off calamity and disaster." In a short while, they heard a monk calling Beidu from above. Beidu then took his leave, saying, "This poor monk must head to the region between Jiao and Guang, and will not come again." Qi Xie and the others bowed and saw him off with deep sincerity, and after this he vanished without a trace. In recent times it has also been said that people occasionally see him, but since the facts have not been verified, there is nothing that can be transmitted.
10.37
Shi Tanshi was a man from Guanzhong. From the time of his pravrajyā onward, he performed many miraculous deeds. At the end of the Da Yuan reign era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin, carrying several dozen collections of sūtras and vinaya, he went to Liaodong to propagate the teachings. Manifestly conferring the Three Vehicles and establishing them in the refuges and precepts, this was indeed the beginning of Gaogouli hearing the Path. In the early years of the Yixi reign era, he returned to Guanzhong to guide and instruct the Three Adjuncts. Shi's feet were whiter than his face; though he walked barefoot through mud and water, they were never stained with dirt, so everyone in the world called him the White-Footed Upādhyāya.
10.38
At that time, there was a man of Chang'an named Wang Hu. His uncle had been dead for several years when he suddenly manifested his form, returned, and led Hu all around the narakas, showing him various karmic retributions. When Hu took his leave to return, his uncle said to Hu, "Now that you know cause and effect, you must only serve the White-Footed Āraṇyaka." Hu searched all the monks, and only found that Shi's feet were whiter than his face, and thereupon served him.
10.39
At the end of the Jin, Helian Bobo of the Xiongnu of Shuofang invaded and captured Guanzhong, slaughtering countless people. At that time, Shi was also caught in the slaughter, but blades could not wound him. Bobo marveled at him and issued a universal pardon for all śramaṇas, killing none of them.
10.40
Shi thereupon hid away in mountains and marshes, cultivating dhūta practices. Later, Tuoba Tao again conquered Chang'an, wielding power over the Guan and Luo regions. At that time, there was Cui Hao of Boling, who in his youth had studied heterodox ways and harbored suspicion and jealousy toward the Buddhist teaching. Since he held high office in the illegitimate court and enjoyed Tao's trust and reliance, he and the Heavenly Master Kou told Tao that the Buddhist teaching was of no benefit and harmful to the people's interests, urging him to abolish it. Tao, deluded by their words, in the seventh year of the illegitimate Taiping reign era, proceeded to destroy the Buddhadharma. He dispatched troops in divisions to burn and loot monasteries, and ordered all monks and nuns within his domain to leave the monastic order. As for any who fled, he sent men to pursue and arrest them, and when captured they were invariably beheaded. Within the entire realm, there were no longer any śramaṇas. Shi alone remained sequestered in deep seclusion, where troops could not reach.
10.41
Toward the end of the Taiping era, Shi knew that the time for Tao's conversion was drawing near, and on the day of the New Year's court assembly, he suddenly arrived at the palace gates leaning on his staff. An official memorialized, "There is a Daoist monk whose feet are whiter than his face, who entered through the gate." Tao ordered that he be dealt with according to military law, but repeated executions failed to injure him. When this was hastily reported to Tao, Tao was furious; taking his own sword, he struck him himself, but the body suffered no harm at all, only showing a mark like a cloth thread where the sword had touched. At that time, tigers were kept in cages in the Northern Garden, and Tao ordered that Shi be fed to them. The tigers all crouched down and never dared approach him. When they tried bringing the Heavenly Master near the cage, the tigers roared each time. Tao then realized that the Buddha's transformation was exalted and lofty, beyond the reach of the teachings of Huang-Lao. He at once invited Shi up to the palace hall, bowed his head at his feet, and repented his faults and errors. Shi preached the Dharma for him, clearly expounding cause and effect. Tao felt great shame and dread, and subsequently contracted a virulent pestilence. The two men, Cui and Kou, next fell ill with foul diseases. Tao held them responsible for the offense, whereupon he executed both their families, completely exterminating their lineages. He issued an edict throughout the realm to revive the correct teaching. Shortly thereafter Tao died, and his grandson Jun succeeded to the throne, whereupon he began to greatly propagate the Buddhadharma, which has flourished down to the present day. Where Shi ended his days is unknown.
10.42
Shi Falang was a man of Gaochang. From his youth, his ascetic practices were rigorous and arduous, and there were many auspicious omens; he concealed his brilliance and stored up virtue, so that no one could fathom the stage he had reached. Lang's master, Shi Fajin, was also an eminent śramaṇa. Jin once sat alone behind closed doors when he suddenly saw Lang before him and asked where he had come from. Lang replied, "I entered through the keyhole." He said, "I have arrived together with monks from afar; as noon approaches, please prepare a meal for them." Jin immediately prepared a meal for them; he heard only the sound of spoons and bowls, but never saw anyone. Formerly, Huiyuan of Mount Lu had given Jin a kāṣāya, which Jin now offered as a donation. Lang said, "The assembly of monks has already departed; they will take it another day." Later, someone tending the kitchen came to Jin to fetch the robe, and Jin gave it to him. When he asked the regular kitchen attendants, they all said they had not taken it; only then did he realize that a holy being of old had manifested an expedient form to take it. When the Wei caitiffs destroyed the Buddhadharma, Lang went west to Kucha. The king of Kucha made a pact with the great dhyāna master of that country: "If one who has attained the Way arrives, you must tell me, and I will make offerings to him." When Lang arrived, the master informed the king, and the king received him with the courtesies due a holy man. Later he died in Kucha. On the day his corpse was cremated, springs gushed forth from his two eyebrows, shooting straight up into the sky. The multitude marveled at this rare occurrence, collected his bones, and erected a stūpa. Later, people from the Western Regions came to the northern lands and fully recounted this matter.
10.43
At that time in Liangzhou, there was also the śramaṇa Zhizheng, who was likewise chaste, austere, and possessed of extraordinary conduct, and was served by the Di ruler Yang Nandang. Later, he entered a stone cave in the Hanxia Mountains and did not return.
10.44
Shao Shuo had the original surname Shao and the personal name Shuo, and was a native of Shikang. He had no fixed dwelling and was bewildered as if mad, having a large mouth and coarse, unsightly facial features. Young children liked to pursue and tease him. Sometimes he entered taverns and drank deeply with others. Yet by nature he loved the Buddhadharma; whenever he saw images, he never failed to bow in veneration, utter praises, and weep with poignant emotion. Shuo originally had three sons and two daughters; his eldest son, Huisheng, had also renounced the household. At the beginning of the Song dynasty, Shuo also renounced the household to enter the path, calling himself Master Shuo. When coming and going, he did not distinguish day from night. Traveling through the various counties of the Yi region and going among the Man tribes, he made jokes according to circumstance, adapting them to encourage good deeds. When he went to someone's house and slept on the ground, someone in that house was sure to die. When he begged someone for a fine mat, a young child was sure to perish; the people of the time all took these as omens. On the eighth day of the fourth month, when images were paraded in Chengdu, Shuo crawled on the ground in the crowd imitating the shape of a lion. That day, other commanderies and counties also reported seeing Shuo assume the shape of a lion, and they then realized he was bilocating.
10.45
Regional Inspector Xiao Huikai, Liu Mengming, and others all revered and served him. Mengming dressed two concubines in men's garments and tested Shuo, saying: 'Could these two be given to you, master, as attendants?' Shuo was fond of rhymed speech, so he said to Mengming: 'Rather beg for wine to moisten the throat, / Than end one's years with a false-faced bloke.' Later, one morning, he suddenly went to visit Mengming wearing a plain cloth cap. Shortly thereafter, Mengming died. Prior to this, Mengming's Aide-de-Camp Shen Zhongyu had revised the regulations on whipping and flogging, making the ordinary penal code harsher. Shuo said to Yu: 'The howling of heaven and earth began from this; if you abolish the whipping regulations, you will become Regional Inspector.' Yu believed him and abolished them. When Mengming died, Zhongyu indeed took charge of provincial affairs.
10.46
On the first day of the ninth month in the first year of the Yuanhui reign of the Song (473 CE), he died at Tongyun Temple on Mount Min. When close to death, he said to the man of the Way Fajin: 'You may expose my corpse, but hasten to tie the sandals to my feet.' Afterwards they complied with his instructions, taking the corpse out and placing it behind the temple. After two days, it was nowhere to be found. Soon, a person came from Pi County and visited Jin, saying: 'Yesterday I saw Master Shuo in the marketplace wearing a sandal on one foot, speaking idly: "The young lad was clumsy and lost one of my sandals."' Jin was startled and questioned a novice. The novice answered: 'Recently, when carrying the corpse out, I was terrified; one sandal on the right foot could not be tied securely, and so I lost it.' His traces were deceptive and extraordinary, beyond comprehension. In the end, it was never known how he ended his life.
10.47
Shi Hui'an—it is not known where he came from. In his youth he was captured and enslaved to a man of Jingzhou; he performed his corvée diligently and attentively, and his master loved him dearly. At the age of eighteen, he was permitted to renounce the household and resided at Pipa Temple in Jiangling. His appearance was coarse and ordinary, and people rather looked down on him. When he was a novice, as the monks were seated in rows, he was regularly made to serve water. An always held an empty jar from top to bottom, yet the water never ran out. The people at the time all thought it miraculous. When he received the full precepts, he gradually displayed spiritual signs. Once, on the evening of the end of the month, he went up to the hall for the upoṣadha together with his fellow-student Huiji. The hall door was not yet open, so An took Ji's finger and entered through a crack in the wall, and they exited in the same manner. Ji was exceedingly terrified and dared not speak. Later, he sat with Ji beneath a pagoda and said to Ji: 'I shall journey far, and now take my leave of you.' Shortly thereafter, heavenly beings, instrumental music, and fragrant flowers were seen filling the sky. Ji could only be astonished and terrified, and was unable to speak at all. An also said to him: 'Take care never to speak rashly of my previous deeds and traces; speaking of them will surely bring blame. Only in the southwest there is a white-robed layman, a newly resolved bodhisattva; you may tell it all to him.' Thereupon he took his leave, and accompanied a merchant into the Xiang and Chuan regions. Midway he fell gravely ill with dysentery and said to the boatmaster: 'My life must surely come to an end; just carry me out and place me on the riverbank, with no need for a coffin. After my breath ceases, give me at once as dāna to insects and birds.' The merchant followed his words, carrying him out to lie by the bank. At night, flames were seen emerging from his body. The merchant, startled and frightened, went to observe him, and his breath had already ceased. When the merchant traveled as far as Xiangdong, he saw that An had already arrived before him, and soon after, it was unknown where he went.
10.48
Later, Ji reached Zhiqi Temple and went to the hermit Liu Qiu of Nanyang, recounting the matter in full. Qiu at once stood up, bowed toward him from afar, and said to Ji: 'This was an attained person who entered the fire-radiance samādhi.'
10.49
At that time in Shu there were also the monks Senglan and Fawei, both of whom had extraordinary traces; the people of the time also suspected they had attained the holy fruit.
10.50
Shi Fakui was originally surnamed Ruan and was a native of Yuqian in Wuxing. In his youth he renounced the household and became a disciple of Fakai of Zhiyuan Temple in the capital. Kai had long possessed scholarly merit and was particularly well-versed in the classics and histories; Wang Huan and Wang Su of Langya both studied under him. By nature Kui was reverent and silent, spoke little, maintained himself with simplicity, and did not meddle in worldly affairs. He chanted one copy of the Lotus Sūtra. In the temple was the elder Dharma Master Cansheng, aged and ailing; Kui took him as his mentor and took utmost care of him. When Sheng died, he carried out the funeral and burial according to the Dharma. Whenever he received payments at vegetarian feasts, he gathered them to make a sandalwood image. When the image was completed, he hosted a great assembly himself.
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Linked texts (1)
- 高僧傳 — 慧皎, Classical Chinese