高僧傳 9

English (machine translation) 9

Language: English

9.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Huijiao of Jiaxiang Temple in Kuaiji under the Liang

9.3

1. Zhu Fotudeng
2. Shan Daokai
3. Zhu Fotiao
4. Jīvaka

Zhu Fotudeng was a man of the Western Regions, originally surnamed Bo. He underwent pravrajyā in his youth. Pure and truthful, he devoted himself to learning, reciting several million words of sūtras and being skilled in comprehending the meaning of the texts. Although he had not read the Confucian texts and histories of this land, when debating doubtful and difficult points with various scholars, he agreed with them as smoothly as two halves of a tally, and none could confound him. He said of himself: 'I twice went to Jibin to receive instructions from famous masters, and throughout the Western Regions all said I had attained the Way.' In the fourth year of the Yongjia reign era of Emperor Huai of Jin, he came to Luoyang with the resolve to propagate the Great Dharma. He was adept at reciting divine dhāraṇīs and could command ghosts and spirits. When he smeared his palm with sesame oil mixed with rouge, events a thousand li away were clearly seen in his palm as if face to face; he could also make those keeping pure fasts see them. Moreover, he could predict events by listening to the sound of bells, never failing to be verified. He wished to establish a temple in Luoyang, but Liu Yao invaded and raided the imperial precinct of Luoyang, throwing the capital into chaos, so Deng's intention to establish a temple came to nothing. He thereupon hid in the marshy wilds to observe the changes of the world.

9.6

At that time, Shi Le stationed his troops at Gebei, relying solely on slaughter to exert his authority, and the śramaṇas who met their deaths were very numerous. Deng took pity on the common people and wished to convert Le through the Way; thereupon, leaning on his staff, he went to the camp gate. Le's senior general Guo Heilüe had long revered the Dharma, and Deng went to lodge at Lüe's house. Lüe received the five precepts from him and paid him the courtesies due to a disciple. Later, when Lüe accompanied Le on military expeditions, he always foretold victory or defeat beforehand. Le became suspicious and asked: 'I have not noticed that you possess extraordinary wisdom and strategy, yet you always know the good or bad fortune of the army's movements. Why is this?' Lüe said: 'The general is endowed by heaven with divine martial prowess, aided by unseen spirits. There is a śramaṇa of extraordinary arts and wisdom who says that the general will gain control of China, and he has already served as my master. What I have reported previously came entirely from his words.' Le was delighted and said: 'He is a gift from heaven!' He summoned Deng and asked: 'What spiritual verifications does the Buddhist Way have?' Deng knew that Le did not comprehend profound principles and could only be convinced by miraculous arts. He therefore said: 'Although the supreme Way is far, it can be verified by near matters.' He then took an alms bowl, filled it with water, burned incense, and recited spells over it. In an instant, a blue padma sprouted, its brilliant color dazzling to the eye; Le was thereby convinced and won over. Deng then remonstrated: 'When a ruler's virtuous transformation spreads throughout the realm, the four divine creatures display omens. When governance falls into decay and the Way wanes, comets appear above. The constant heavenly phenomena are manifested, and auspiciousness or disaster follows upon conduct. These are the regular proofs of ancient and modern times, and the clear warnings between heaven and man.' Le was very pleased with this. Out of all those who were to be executed, eighty to ninety percent benefited from his intervention. Thereupon, the barbarians and Chinese of the central provinces almost all revered Buddhism. At that time, when there were chronic illnesses that no one in the world could cure, Deng treated them, and they were relieved and healed immediately. Those who received his secret aid and silent benefit could not be numbered.

9.7

When Le returned to the north of the Yellow River from Gebei, he passed through Fangtou. The people of Fangtou intended to raid the camp by night. Deng said to Heilüe: 'The bandits will arrive in a moment; you may inform the Duke.' It turned out just as he had said; being prepared, they were not defeated. Le wished to test Deng; at night, wearing helmet and armor and holding a sword, he sat down and sent someone to tell Deng: 'Night has come, and we do not know where the Senior General is.' When the messenger had just arrived and had not yet spoken, Deng asked him in anticipation: 'In ordinary times without bandits, why are you on guard at night?' Le respected him all the more. Later, due to anger, Le wished to harm the Daoist masters and also wished to persecute Deng. Deng thereupon avoided him by going to Heilüe's residence, telling his disciples: 'If the general's messenger comes to ask where I am, report that you do not know where I have gone.' The messenger soon arrived and could not find Deng. The messenger returned and reported to Le. Le said in alarm: 'I harbored ill intentions toward the holy man, and the holy man has abandoned me and left.' He did not sleep all night, longing to see Deng. Deng knew that Le was remorseful, and the next morning he visited Le. Le asked: 'Where did you go last night?' Deng said: 'You had anger in your heart, so yesterday I temporarily avoided you. Today your intention has changed, and that is why I dared to come.' Le laughed heartily and said: 'The man of the Way is mistaken!'

9.8

The water source of the moat of the city of Xiangguo lay five li northwest of the city, beneath the Tuanwan shrine; its water suddenly dried up. Le asked Deng how water could be brought. Deng said: 'Now we must command the dragon.' Le's style name was Shilong ('Generational Dragon'); thinking Deng was mocking him, he replied: 'It is precisely because the dragon cannot bring water that I am asking you.' Deng said: 'These are sincere words, not a jest. At the source of the spring, there must be a divine dragon dwelling. If we go now and command it, water can certainly be obtained.' He then went to the spring source with several disciples, including Fashou. The old site of the source had long been dry, cracked like carriage ruts. His followers harbored doubts, fearing that water would be difficult to obtain. Deng sat on a rope bed, burned benzoin incense, and made praṇidhānas of several hundred words. After three days of this, water began to trickle gently. A small dragon, about five or six inches long, emerged following the water. When the various Daoist masters saw it, they vied to go and look at it. Deng said: 'The dragon is venomous; do not go near it.' After a short while, a great rush of water arrived, and the moats and ditches were completely filled.

9.9

Deng sat leisurely and sighed, saying: 'In two days, a petty person will disturb this place.' Soon after, Xue He, a man of Xiangguo, had two sons who were both young and arrogant; they made light of and mocked a Xianbei slave. In anger, the slave drew a blade, stabbed and killed the younger brother, seized the elder brother inside a room, and pointed the sword at his heart. If anyone entered the room, he intended to strike. He said to He: 'Send me back to my country, and I will let your son live; otherwise, we will die together here.' People inside and outside were alarmed and astonished, and none failed to go and watch. Le then went in person to see it, and said to Xue He: 'Sending the slave away to save your son is indeed a good deed. But once this precedent is set, it will become a future harm. Be broad-minded for now; the state has standard laws.' He ordered men to capture the slave; the slave thereupon killed the boy and died.

9.10

When the Xianbei Duan Bo attacked Shi Le, his forces were exceedingly numerous. Le, in fear, questioned Deng. Deng said: "Yesterday the monastery bell rang, saying: 'Tomorrow at the morning meal, Duan Bo shall be captured.'" Le climbed the city wall to gaze at Bo's army, but could see neither its front nor its rear. Turning pale, he said: "When their army marches, the earth tilts. How could Bo possibly be captured? This is merely a word from your reverence to reassure me." He again sent Kui An to question Deng. Deng said: "Bo has already been captured." Just then, ambushing troops from north of the city emerged, encountered Bo, and seized him. Deng urged Le to pardon Bo and send him back to his native state. Le complied, and in the end gained his service.

9.11

At that time Liu Zai had already died, and Zai's paternal cousin Yao had usurped the false throne, proclaiming the initial year of Guangchu. In the eighth year of Guangchu, Yao sent his paternal cousin, the pseudo-Prince of Zhongshan, Yue, leading troops to attack Le. Le dispatched Shi Hu leading infantry and cavalry to resist him. They fought a great battle west of Luo[yang]; Yue was defeated and held the fortress of Shiliang, which Hu closely surrounded and guarded with sturdy palisades. Deng and his disciples went from the official monastery to the Middle Monastery. As he first entered the monastery gate, he sighed and said: "Liu Yue is to be pitied!" His disciple Fazuo asked the reason, and Deng said: "Yesterday at the hour of hai (9–11 p.m.), Yue was already captured." It turned out just as he said. When it came to the eleventh year of Guangchu, Yao himself led troops to attack Luoyang. Le wished to go in person to resist Yao, and all of his officials inside and outside [the court] without exception remonstrated against it. Le consulted Deng about this. Deng said: "The sound of the bells on the [stūpa's] wheel rings says: 'Xiù-zhī-tì-lì-gāng-pú-gǔ-qú-tū-dāng.' This is the Jie language. 'Xiù-zhī' means 'the army'; 'tì-lì-gāng' means 'goes out'; 'pú-gǔ' is Liu Yao's barbarian title; 'qú-tū-dāng' means 'shall capture'. This says that the army going out shall capture Yao." At that time, when Xu Guang heard this statement from Deng, he earnestly urged Le to go. Le then left his eldest son Shi Hong together with Deng to garrison Xiangguo, while he personally led the infantry and cavalry of the central army directly toward the city of Luoyang. The two battle lines had barely engaged when Yao's army collapsed in great defeat. Yao's horse sank in the water, and Shi Kan captured him alive and sent him to Le. At that time, Deng smeared something on his palm to gaze at it; he saw a great crowd, in the midst of which a man was bound, his neck tied with red silk at that very moment, and Deng informed Hong accordingly. At that exact time, Yao was indeed captured alive. After Yao was pacified, Le then usurped the title of Heavenly King of Zhao, conducting the affairs of an emperor, and changed the reign era to Jianping. This year was the fifth year of the Xianhe era of Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin.

9.12

After Le ascended the throne, his service to Deng became even more devoted. At that time Shi Cong was about to rebel. That year Deng warned Le, saying: "This year there are worms in the scallions; eating them will surely harm people. You may order the common people not to eat scallions." Le issued an edict throughout his territory that they must carefully refrain from eating scallions. When it came to the eighth month, Shi Cong indeed fled. Le respected [Deng] even more; whenever there was an affair, he always consulted him before acting, and granted him the title of "Great Master" (Da Heshang).

9.13

Shi Hu had a son named Bin, whom the late [ruler] Le loved very deeply; he suddenly died of a violent illness, and two days had already passed. Le said: "I have heard that when the Crown Prince of Guo died, Bian Que was able to bring him back to life. The Great Master is a divine man of the realm; we must hasten to inform him, and he will surely be able to bring about good fortune." Deng then took a willow branch and chanted over him; in an instant he was able to rise, and after a short while he recovered completely. Because of this, Le's young children were mostly raised within Buddhist monasteries. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month, Le personally went to the monastery to bathe the Buddha and make vows for his children.

9.14

In the fourth month of the fourth year of Jianping, the sky was calm and windless, yet a single bell on the stūpa rang by itself. Deng said to the assembly: "The sound of the bell says: 'There will be a great mourning in the state, within this very year.'" In the seventh month of this year, Le died. His son Hong succeeded to the throne.

9.15

A short time later, Hu deposed Hong and established himself, moving the capital to Ye and declaring the era Jian[wu]. Hu devoted his heart to serving Deng with even greater reverence than Le had shown. He issued an edict saying: "The Master is a great treasure of the realm. Honorable nobility cannot be conferred upon him, nor does he accept high stipends. Since glory and emoluments do not reach him, how can we honor his virtue? From this time forward, it is fitting that he be clothed in silk damask and brocade, and ride in an intricately carved carriage. On days of court assemblies, when the Master ascends the hall, all from the regular attendants down shall assist in raising his palanquin. The Crown Prince and all the dukes shall flank and support him as he ascends. When the master of ceremonies announces that the Great Master has arrived, all who are seated in the assembly shall rise, in order to make manifest his nobility." He also ordered the pseudo-Minister of Works, Li Nong: "Inquire after him personally morning and evening; the Crown Prince and all the dukes shall pay homage to him once every five days to express our reverence."

9.16

At that time Deng stayed in the Middle Monastery within the city of Ye, and sent his disciple Fachang north to Xiangguo. His disciple Fazuo was returning from Xiangguo, and they met beneath the city of Liangji where they stayed together overnight. Facing carriages, they conversed into the night, touching upon the Master; by dawn, each went his way. When Fazuo arrived, he had just entered to pay his respects to Deng. Deng smiled welcomingly and said: "Last night, when you and Fachang drew your carriages together, were you speaking together of your master? The ancients had a saying: 'Is it not reverence? Even in the dark, it does not alter. Is it not vigilance? Even when alone, it does not slacken.' Being in the dark and alone is the root of reverence and vigilance; did you not understand this?" Zuo was startled, ashamed, and repentant. Thereupon the people of the state often said to one another: "Do not give rise to an evil thought; the Master knows you." And wherever Deng was, none dared to spit or relieve themselves toward his direction.

9.17

At that time, Crown Prince Shi Sui had two sons in Xiangguo. Deng said to Sui: "Little A-mi will soon contract an illness; you should go and bring him here." Sui immediately dispatched a messenger to go and see, and indeed he was already ill. The imperial physician Yin Teng and a foreign monk claimed that they could cure him, but Deng told his disciple Faya: "Even if a sage were to appear again, he could not cure this illness, let alone these people!" Three days later, [the child] indeed died.

9.18

Shi Sui was reckless and drunken, and was plotting rebellion. He said to the palace eunuchs: "The Master has supernormal powers; if by chance he exposes my plot, when he comes tomorrow, we must get rid of him first." On the fifteenth of the month, as Deng was about to enter to pay court to Hu, he said to his disciple Senghui: "Last night a deva called to me, saying: 'If you enter tomorrow, on your return do not visit anyone.' If I should happen to visit anyone, you must stop me." Deng had always visited Sui whenever he entered. Sui knew Deng was entering and waited eagerly for him. When Deng was about to ascend the Southern Terrace, Senghui pulled his robe. Deng said: "The matter cannot be stopped." Before he had even settled into his seat, he got up. Sui tried firmly to detain him, but could not keep him, and his plot was thereby thwarted. Returning to the monastery, Deng sighed, saying: "The Crown Prince is creating rebellion; its shape is about to form. Wishing to speak of it, it is difficult to speak; wishing to endure it, it is difficult to endure." He then subtly admonished Hu on various occasions, but Hu never understood. Soon after, the matter came to light, and only then did he comprehend Deng's words.

9.19

Later, Guo Heilüe led troops to campaign against the Qiang of the northern mountains of Chang'an and fell into an ambush by the Qiang. At that time, Deng was seated in the hall, with his disciple Fachang by his side. Deng looked sorrowful, changed countenance, and said: "Lord Guo is in distress now." He called out: "Let the assembly of monks make vows!" Deng himself also made vows. After a brief moment, he said again: "If he exits toward the southeast, he will survive; in other directions, he will be trapped." He made vows again. After a short while, he said: "He has escaped." More than a month later, Heilüe returned and recounted how he had fallen into the Qiang encirclement; while galloping on horseback toward the southeast, he happened to meet one of his attendants who pushed a horse toward him, saying: "My lord, ride this horse, and I will ride yours; whether we make it or not is up to fate." Heilüe obtained his horse and thus managed to escape. When they verified the day and hour, it was the exact time Deng had been making vows.

9.20

The pseudo-Grand Commander, Shi Bin, Duke of Yan, had been appointed by Hu as Governor of Youzhou to garrison Ji; a multitude of villains gathered there, and he used them to run rampant with cruelty. Deng warned Hu, saying: "A deva said last night to quickly recall the horses; by autumn, Qi will become a rotting ulcer." Hu did not understand these words, but immediately ordered all quarters to collect the horses and send them back. That autumn, someone slandered Bin to Hu. Hu summoned Bin and gave him three hundred lashes, and killed his birth mother, Lady Qi. Hu bent his bow, notched an arrow, and seeing for himself that the punishment inflicted on Bin was light, Hu personally killed five hundred men. Deng remonstrated: "One's heart must not be given free rein, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. Propriety dictates not killing personally, lest it wound kindness. How can the Son of Heaven carry out punishment with his own hands?" Hu then stopped.

9.21

Later, when the Jin army went out along the Huai and Si rivers, and Fancheng in Longbei was encroached upon, all three borders reported emergencies, and the people were anxious and disturbed. Hu grew furious and said: "I have venerated the Buddha and made offerings to the Saṃgha, yet this has only brought foreign invaders; the Buddha has no spiritual power!" The next morning Deng entered early, and Hu questioned Deng about the matter. Deng thereupon remonstrated with Hu, saying: "In a past life, Your Majesty was once a great merchant leader. Arriving at a monastery in Jibin, you once made offerings at a great assembly, in which there were sixty arhats; this humble self of mine also participated in that gathering. At that time, a person who had attained the Way told me: 'When this host's life comes to an end, he will take the body of a chicken, and later become a king in the land of Jin.' Now that Your Majesty is king, is that not a fruit of merit? Military raids along the frontiers are regular occurrences for a state. Why resent and slander the Three Jewels and give rise to toxic thoughts in the night?" Hu then believed and understood, kneeling to apologize.

9.22

Hu once asked Deng: "What is the Buddhadharma?" Deng said: "The Buddhadharma is non-killing." [Hu said:] "I am the lord of all under heaven; without punishment and execution, there is no way to pacify the realm. Having transgressed the precept against taking life, even if I serve the Buddha, how can I attain merit?" Deng said: "An emperor serving the Buddha should do so in his heart, embodying reverence and compliance, elucidating and propagating the Three Jewels, not committing violence and cruelty, and not harming the innocent. As for the vicious, foolish, and depraved who cannot be transformed by moral influence, when they are guilty of crimes, they cannot but be executed; when they commit evil, they cannot but be punished. One should only kill those who should be killed, and punish those who should be punished. If one indulges in violence and cruelty, killing and harming those who are guiltless, then even if one exhausts one's wealth to serve the Dharma, it will not dispel calamities. May Your Majesty lessen your desires and cultivate compassion, extending it widely to all beings; then the Buddhist teachings will forever flourish, and your blessings will be long-lasting." Although Hu could not follow all of it, it brought no small benefit.

9.23

Hu's Ministers of the Secretariat, Zhang Li and Zhang Liang, were wealthy families who served the Buddha; each erected a large stūpa. Deng said to them: "Serving the Buddha lies in purity and freedom from desire, taking compassion and pity as one's heart. Although you dānapatis formally uphold the great Dharma, your greed and stinginess have not ceased; you hunt without limit, and amass wealth endlessly. You are just about to suffer retribution in this present life—what blessed fruit can you hope for?" Li and the other were both later executed and their houses destroyed.

9.24

At that time there was also a prolonged drought from the first month to the sixth month. Hu sent the Crown Prince to the west of Linzhang at Fukou to pray for rain, but after a long time none fell. Hu ordered Deng to go himself, and immediately two white dragons descended upon the site of the shrine. On that day there was heavy rain covering several thousand square li, and that year there was a great harvest. The Rong and Mo barbarians, who had previously not known the Dharma, heard of Deng's spiritual efficacy; they all bowed in worship from afar, and were transformed without words.

9.25

Deng once sent a disciple to the Western Regions to buy incense. After he departed, Deng told the other disciples: "In my palm, I see the disciple buying incense being robbed at a certain place and on the verge of death." Thereupon he burned incense, made vows, and protected him from afar. The disciple later returned and said: "On such a month, such a day, and at such a place, I was robbed by bandits and was on the verge of being killed, when suddenly I smelled an aroma, and the bandits took fright without cause, saying: 'Reinforcements have already arrived!' They abandoned me and fled."

9.26

Hu was repairing an old stūpa in Linzhang and was lacking dew-receiving basins. Deng said: "Inside the city of Linzi there is an ancient King Aśoka stūpa; beneath the ground are dew-receiving basins and Buddha statues, overgrown with lush trees above; they may be dug up and retrieved." He immediately drew a diagram and gave it to an envoy. Digging according to his words, they indeed obtained the basins and statues.

9.27

Hu constantly wished to campaign against Yan. Deng remonstrated: "Yan's fortune has not yet ended; it will be difficult to conquer easily." Hu repeatedly campaigned and suffered defeats, only then believing Deng's warning.

9.28

After Fotudeng's conversion of the people took effect, many of the populace revered the Buddha; they vied with one another in building temples and going forth into homelessness, so that the true and the false became mixed together, often giving rise to transgressions. Shi Hu issued an edict inquiring of the Secretariat: 'The Buddha is styled the World-Honoured One, whom the state venerates; should the common people of the lanes and villages who hold neither rank nor stipend be permitted to serve the Buddha or not? Moreover, śramaṇas ought all to be lofty, pure, upright, and steadfast, and able to advance vigorously in their practice, only after which they may become men of the Way. Nowadays, the śramaṇas are exceedingly numerous, and among them are those who commit treachery to evade corvée labor, many of whom are not the right sort of persons. Let them be screened, and let the false ones be thoroughly deliberated.' Wang Du, Assistant in the Palace Library of the Secretariat, memorialized: 'When the ruler offers the suburban sacrifice to Heaven and Earth and makes offerings to the hundred deities, this is recorded in the sacrificial canons, and the rites provide for seasonal offerings and feasts. The Buddha arose in the Western Regions; he is a foreign deity whose merit did not extend to the people, and he is not one who ought to be offered sacrifices by the Son of Heaven and all the Chinese. Formerly, when Emperor Ming of the Han was moved by a dream, that Way was first transmitted; but it was permitted only for men of the Western Regions to erect temples in the capital and cities to make offerings to their deity, while none of the Han people were permitted to go forth into homelessness. The Wei inherited the Han regulations and likewise observed the former precedent. Now the Great Zhao has received the Mandate, and should follow the ancient statutes. The regulations for Chinese and barbarians are different, and the spheres of humans and spirits are distinct. The outer is not the same as the inner, and sacrifices have distinct rites; the offerings of the desolate frontiers and of the Chinese should not be mixed together. The state may prohibit all Zhao people from going to temples to burn incense and bow in veneration, in order to comply with canonical rites. The ministers, dignitaries, and scholars, down to all the bondsmen, should all be forbidden likewise. Those who transgress shall be punished on a par with offering illicit sacrifices. Those Zhao people who have become śramaṇas should return to the dress of the four classes of commoners.' Wang Bo, illicit President of the Secretariat, agreed with Wang Du's memorial. Shi Hu issued an edict saying: 'Wang Du's deliberation states: "The Buddha is a foreign deity, not one whom the Son of Heaven and all the Chinese ought to revere." We were born in the borderlands, yet humbly met with the opportune turn of fortune to rule over all the Chinese lands. As for the sacrifices, We ought concurrently to follow Our native customs. The Buddha is a barbarian deity, and is precisely whom We ought to revere. Regulations proceed from above, to serve as a model for all generations; so long as the matter is without flaw, why be bound by previous dynasties? Let all the various barbarians of the Zhao who wish to abandon their illicit sacrifices and take joy in serving the Buddha be permitted to practice the Way.' Thereupon, those lax in the precepts were emboldened by this.

9.29

Formerly, large softshell turtles were never produced in the Yellow River; suddenly one was caught and presented to Shi Hu. When Fotudeng saw it, he sighed and said: 'Huan Wen will enter the River before long.' Wen's courtesy name was Yuanzi; later things turned out indeed as he had said.

9.30

At that time in Wei County there was a displaced person whose clan was unknown, who constantly wore a hempen jacket and cloth skirt, begging in the marketplace of Wei County. The people of the time called him Hempen Jacket. His speech was extraordinary, and his appearance was like someone mad; when he begged and received rice or grain, he would not eat it, but would scatter it on the thoroughfare, saying he was feeding the heavenly horses. Ji Ba, the Grand Administrator of Chaoxing, arrested him and sent him to Shi Hu. Prior to this, Fotudeng had said to Shi Hu: 'Two hundred li east of the capital, on a certain day of a certain month, an extraordinary person will be sent; do not kill him.' He arrived indeed on the expected date. Shi Hu spoke with him, and his words were entirely ordinary, except that he said: 'Your Majesty will end beneath a single-pillared hall.' Shi Hu did not understand these words and ordered him sent to Fotudeng. Hempen Jacket said to Fotudeng: 'Long ago we met in the Guanghe era, and suddenly here we are today. In the year of you or xu, the mysterious mandate will be received; the severed calendar will eventually reach its end. The metal will disintegrate and vanish into the earth; the border wastes cannot abide by it. To drive out and eliminate the traces of the fated span—nothing is more fine than to cease. The descendants and foliage are luxuriant, and what comes will amass for a time. At what time will the auspicious period arrive? Forever do I sigh over it.' Fotudeng said: 'The heavenly cycle revolves to its extremity; when obstruction comes, it will not withstand it. Nine woods and water will make for calamity; there is no art by which it may be pacified. Though the profound and wise remain in the world, none can restore what is destined to collapse. Long roaming in Jambudvīpa, one is endlessly perturbed by these troubles. Soon I shall ascend the cloud-surmounting abode, and meet within the spiritual roaming.' Fotudeng talked with Hempen Jacket all day, and no one could understand them. A eavesdropper caught only these few words, and upon calculating them, they seemed to discuss events hundreds of years hence. Shi Hu sent relay couriers on horseback to convey him back to his native county. Once outside the city, Hempen Jacket declined, saying he could walk on foot, and said: 'I have somewhere to stop by and cannot depart immediately; you may wait for me at the Hekou Bridge.' The messenger galloped off as instructed. Before reaching Hekou, Hempen Jacket was already on the bridge. Considering his pace, it was as if he were flying.

9.31

Fotudeng had a disciple named Daojin, whose learning encompassed both inner and outer texts, and who was held in high regard by Shi Hu; he once spoke about the matter of recluses. Shi Hu said to Daojin: 'There is a certain Yang Ke, who is a subject of Mine. I summoned him for more than ten years, yet he did not respect the royal command. When I went in person to see him, he lay there haughtily. Though I lack virtue, I reign over the myriad states; wherever the imperial carriage turns, Heaven boils and Earth surges. Though I cannot make trees and stones bow their knees, why should a mere commoner persist in haughtiness? Formerly, when the Grand Duke went to Qi, he first executed Hua Shi. The Grand Duke was a worthy sage; could he have been mistaken?' Daojin replied: 'Formerly Shun treated Puyi with generosity, and Yu visited Baocheng; Marquis Wen of Wei leaned on his carriage bar in respect for Duan Ganmu, and the Han praised Zhou Dang; Guan Ning did not answer the summons of the Cao family, and Huangfu Mi did not yield to the Jin dynasty. The two sages and four rulers all honored their integrity, wishing thereby to stimulate and admonish the greedy and contentious, so as to foster a lofty and pure moral wind. May Your Majesty emulate the virtue of Shun and Yu, and not imitate the Grand Duke's use of execution. Every move of a ruler must be recorded by the scribes; how can you let the history of the Zhao have no biography of recluses?' Shi Hu was pleased with his words and immediately sent Yang Ke back to his dwelling, assigning ten families to supply his needs. When Daojin returned, he recounted all of this to Fotudeng. Fotudeng smiled broadly and said: 'Your words were good, but Ke's life hangs by a thread.' Later, during a military rebellion in Qin Province, Ke's disciples mounted Ke upon an ox and fled westward. The barbarian troops gave chase and captured them, and all were killed.

9.32

Shi Hu once took a daytime nap and dreamed that a flock of sheep carrying fish came from the northeast. Upon awakening, he inquired of Fotudeng. Fotudeng said: 'It is an ill omen; will the Xianbei not take possession of the Central Plains!' The Murong clan indeed later established their capital there. Fotudeng also once ascended the Central Hall together with Shi Hu. Fotudeng suddenly said in alarm: 'Disaster, disaster! A fire is about to break out in You Province!' He then took wine and sprinkled it. After a long while, he smiled and said: 'The rescue has been effected.' Shi Hu sent someone to inspect You Province, and they reported: 'On that day, fire broke out from all four gates; a black cloud came from the southwest, and a sudden downpour extinguished it; the rain also smelled strongly of wine.' In the fourteenth year of Shi Hu's Jianwu era, in the seventh month, Shi Xuan and Shi Tao were plotting to kill one another. Xuan went to the monastery at that time and sat together with Fotudeng; a single bell of the stūpa sounded on its own. Fotudeng said to Xuan: 'Do you understand the sound of the bell? The bell says: "Hu child drops down."' Xuan's countenance changed and he said: 'What sort of words are these?' Fotudeng dissembled, saying: 'An old barbarian practicing the Way, unable to live in the mountains in silence, wearing double cushions and fine clothes—is this not "dropping down"?' Shi Tao arrived afterward. Fotudeng gazed at him intently for a long time. Tao was frightened and questioned Fotudeng, who said: 'I merely wonder at the stench of blood about your lordship, which is why I looked at you.' In the eighth month, Fotudeng had ten disciples maintain a fast in a separate chamber. At the time Fotudeng briefly entered the Eastern Chamber. Shi Hu and Queen Du paid their respects to Fotudeng. Fotudeng said: 'There are bandits under the flanks! Within ten days, between the stūpa to the west and this hall to the east, there will be bloodshed. Be careful not to travel eastward.' Queen Du said: 'Is the upādhyāya senile? Where are there any bandits?' Fotudeng immediately changed his words, saying: 'All that is received by the six sense organs are bandits. The old should naturally be senile, provided that the young are not muddled; then all will be well.' He spoke in allegories, no longer speaking explicitly. Two days later, Xuan indeed sent men to murder Tao in a Buddhist temple, intending to carry out high treason while Shi Hu attended the funeral. Because Shi Hu had been forewarned by Fotudeng, he escaped danger. When Xuan's plot was exposed and he was arrested, Fotudeng admonished Shi Hu, saying: 'Since he is Your Majesty's son, why inflict such a severe disaster? If Your Majesty can contain your anger and extend mercy, you will still have more than sixty years. If you must execute him, Xuan will become a comet sweeping down over the palace of Ye.' Shi Hu did not follow his advice; he pierced Xuan's chin with an iron chain, dragged him onto a pyre, and burned him. He arrested more than three hundred of Xuan's officials and subordinates, had them all torn apart by chariots and dismembered, and cast their remains into the Zhang River. Fotudeng then instructed his disciples to discontinue the fast in the separate chamber.

9.33

More than a month later, there was a demonic horse whose mane and tail both looked burned; it entered the Zhongyang Gate and exited the Xianyang Gate. It pointed its head east toward the Eastern Palace, but was unable to enter anywhere; it ran off toward the northeast and suddenly vanished. When Fotudeng heard of it, he sighed and said: 'The calamity has arrived!' In the eleventh month, Shi Hu held a great banquet for his ministers in the front hall of Taiwu Palace. Fotudeng chanted: 'O hall! O hall! The jujube thorns will become a grove, and will tear men's robes.' Shi Hu ordered the stones beneath the hall to be pried up and inspected, and indeed thorns were growing there. Fotudeng returned to the temple, looked at the Buddha image, and said: 'Alas, I am grieved that I cannot adorn it.' Speaking to himself, he said: 'Can I have three years?' He answered himself: 'No, no.' He asked again: 'Can I have two years, one year, a hundred days, or one month?' He answered himself: 'No.' Then he spoke no more. He returned to his chamber and said to his disciple Fazuo: 'In the wushen year, calamity and chaos will sprout; in the jiyou year, the Shi clan will be destroyed. Before the chaos arrives, I shall pass into transformation first.' He immediately sent someone to bid farewell to Shi Hu, saying: 'It is the law of things that they must change, and life cannot be preserved. My body of flame and illusion has reached its time of transformation. Having received your exceptional favor, I respectfully inform you in advance.' Shi Hu said in sorrow: 'We had not heard that the upādhyāya was ill, yet suddenly he announces his end!' He went out from the palace in person, visiting the monastery to comfort him. Fotudeng said to Shi Hu: 'Emerging into life and entering into death is the regular law of the Way. Long and short spans are determined by destiny and cannot be prolonged by human effort. What is valued in the Way is that conduct be complete; what is prized in virtue is that one never indolently slackens. If one's deeds and discipline are without defect, though one dies, it is as though one remains alive. To violate this and merely obtain prolongation is not my wish. What remains unfulfilled in my mind is that the state has set its heart upon Buddhist principles and reveres the Dharma without begrudging anything. You have raised temples and made them exalted, magnificent, and grand; matching such virtue, you ought to enjoy auspicious blessings. Yet your governance is fierce and harsh, your punishments excessive and cruel, openly contravening the sacred scriptures and secretly defying the prohibitions of the Dharma; if you do not reprove and reform yourself, in the end there will be no blessings or protection. If you humble your heart and alter your thoughts, bestowing benevolence upon these lower people, then the state's mandate will be prolonged, both the religious and the lay will rejoice and rely upon it, and when my life comes to its end, I shall pass away without remaining regret.' Shi Hu wept and sobbed, knowing that he would surely pass away, and immediately had an underground vault dug and a tomb prepared. On the eighth day of the twelfth month, he died at the palace temple in Ye. This year was the fourth year of the Yonghe era of Emperor Mu of Jin. Scholars and commoners wailed in grief, the entire state turning out for the funeral. His age was one hundred and seventeen. He was buried at Chaimo, west of Linzhang, which was the tomb Shi Hu had established.

9.34

Shortly thereafter, Liang Du rebelled; the following year Shi Hu died, Ran Min usurped power and carried out slaughters, and the descendants of the Shi clan were completely extinguished. Min's childhood name was Jinu (Thorn Slave), which was what Fotudeng had earlier referred to as 'jujube thorns becoming a grove.'

9.35

Beside Fotudeng's left breast there had formerly been an aperture, four to five inches in circumference, that opened straight through into his abdomen. At times his intestines would come out from it, or he would plug the hole with cotton wool. At night when he wished to read scriptures, he would pull out the cotton, and the entire room would be brightly illuminated. Moreover, on fast days he would always go to the water's edge, pull out his intestines to wash them, and then replace them inside.

9.36

Fotudeng was eight chi tall, with an elegant and composed bearing. He had a wondrous understanding of the profound sūtras and broad mastery of worldly treatises. When preaching and expounding, he would merely mark out the principal themes, so that the phrasing from beginning to end was made clearly evident. Moreover, his compassion was bestowed upon all living beings, rescuing those in peril and suffering. During the time when the two Shi rulers were fierce and violent, inflicting tyrannical and unprincipled cruelty, had it not been for their sharing the same era with Fotudeng, who can say what would have happened? Yet the common people received the benefits, making daily use of them without realizing it. Several dozen celebrated monks, including Fotiao and Subhūti, all came from Tianzhu and Kangju. Not daunted by a journey of tens of thousands [of li], they traversed the drifting sands on foot to visit Fotudeng and receive instruction. Shi Dao'an from Fanqiao and Zhu Faya from Zhongshan both crossed passes and rivers to hear Fotudeng expound [the scriptures]. All wondrously attained the refined principles and delved into the profound and subtle. Fotudeng himself recounted that his birthplace was more than ninety thousand li from Ye, and that he had forsaken household life and entered the Way a hundred and nine years earlier. Wine never passed his teeth; he did not eat after midday; he never took a step contrary to the precepts; and he was free of desires and seeking. Several hundred people continually followed him to receive instruction, and from first to last his disciples numbered nearly ten thousand. In the provinces and commanderies through which he passed, he founded eight hundred and ninety-three Buddhist monasteries; the flourishment of his propagation of the Dharma was unprecedented.

9.37

Earlier, when [Shi] Hu prepared Fotudeng for burial, he placed the monk's lifetime staff and begging bowl inside the coffin. Later, when Ran Min usurped the throne, the coffin was opened, but only the bowl and staff were found, and the corpse was seen no more. Some said that in the month Fotudeng died, someone saw him in the drifting sands. Hu suspected that he was not dead and opened the coffin, but did not find the corpse. Later, when Murong Jun made Ye his capital and resided in Shi Hu's palace, he repeatedly dreamt that Hu bit his arm, and thought Shi Hu was causing a haunting. He then offered a reward to search for Hu's corpse, and dug it up at the Dongming Hostel; the corpse was stiff and undecayed. Jun stamped on it and cursed, saying, 'Dead barbarian! How dare you terrify a living Son of Heaven? You built palaces, yet your sons plotted against you; how much more so an outsider?' He whipped and defiled it, then cast it into the Zhang River. The corpse leaned against a bridge pillar and did not move away. Wang Meng, a general of Qin, then retrieved and buried it; this was what the hemp jacket had meant by 'the pavilion with a single pillar.' Later, when Fu Jian attacked Ye, Jun's son Wei was captured by Jian's grand general Guo Shenhu. This was indeed the fulfillment of the earlier dream.

9.38

Tian Rong's Zhao ji states: 'Several years before he died, Fotudeng personally constructed his tomb.' Since Fotudeng already knew that the tomb would certainly be opened and that his corpse would not remain inside, how could he have prepared it beforehand? It is likely an error by Rong.

9.39

Fotudeng is also called Fotudeng (佛圖磴) or Fotudeng (佛圖撜) or Fotudeng (佛圖澄); these are merely differences in transcribing the Sanskrit sound.

9.40

Shan Daokai 2

9.41

Shan Daokai, surnamed Meng, was a native of Dunhuang. From his youth he cherished seclusion, and chanted sūtras amounting to more than four hundred thousand words. He abstained from grains and fed on cypress seeds. When cypress seeds were difficult to obtain, he also ingested pine resin, and later ingested fine gravel. He swallowed several stones at a time, once every few days, occasionally eating some ginger or pepper; he did this for seven years. Thereafter he was not afraid of cold or heat, feeling warm in winter and cool in summer, and did not lie down day or night. He made a pact with ten fellow students to ingest these foods; after ten years, some died and some gave up, and only Daokai maintained his resolve intact. The grand administrator of Fuling sent horses to welcome Daokai, but Daokai declined, saying he could walk on foot, and arrived early in a single day over a journey of three hundred li. Spirits of the mountains and trees sometimes manifested strange forms to test him, but he showed no fear at all. In the twelfth year of the Jianwu era of Shi Hu, he came from Xiping, traveling seven hundred li in a single day. When he reached Nan'an, he ordained a boy as a novice monk, aged fourteen, who received the teachings and whose practice and ability matched Daokai's.

9.42

At that time, the Grand Astrologer memorialized Hu, saying, 'The Immortal Star has appeared; an eminent scholar will enter our borders.' Hu issued a general decree to the provinces and commanderies that if there were any extraordinary person, it should be reported. In the eleventh month, winter of that year, the regional inspector of Qinzhou submitted a memorial escorting Daokai [to the capital]. At first he stayed in the shrine of Falin to the west of Ye, and later moved to the Zhaode Temple in Linzhang. Inside his room he constructed a two-story pavilion, some eight or nine chi high. At the top he wove sedge into a meditation chamber, the size of a ten-hu basket, in which he constantly sat. Hu provided him with lavish provisions, but Daokai bestowed them all as charity. At that time, many who delighted in immortality came to inquire, but Daokai did not answer them at all; instead, he spoke a verse, saying: / 'Pitying all suffering, / I renounced household life to benefit the world. / Benefiting the world requires learning clarity; / Learning clarity can sever evil. / In distant mountains grain is hard to find, / So I adopted this practice of abstaining from food. / I am not seeking immortal companions; / Please do not spread such rumors.'

9.43

Daokai was able to cure eye ailments. At that time, Duke of Qin Shi Tao went to Daokai to treat his eyes. Applying the medicine caused a little pain, which Tao dreaded very much, but in the end he obtained its efficacy. Fotudeng said, 'This Daoist observes the rise and fall of the state; if he departs, there will be a great calamity.' In the first year of the Taining era of Shi Hu, Daokai and his disciples went south, crossing to Xuchang. Hu's sons and nephews slaughtered one another, and the capital of Ye fell into great chaos. In the third year of the Shengping era of the Jin, he came to Jianye, and soon after reached Nanhai, later entering Mount Luofu. Living alone in a thatched hut, he remained serenely detached from worldly matters. At the age of more than a hundred years, he died at his mountain abode. He instructed his disciples to place his corpse in a stone cave, and the disciples moved it into a stone chamber.

9.44

There was a certain Kang Hong who, formerly in the north, heard Daokai's disciples relate that when Daokai was in the mountains, divine immortals frequently came and went; thus he revered him from afar. When he later served on duty in Nanhai, he met him in person, deferentially looking up to him and receiving his teachings fully. He then composed a biography and eulogy for him, saying:

9.45

'How serene was this man, / drifting free, cut off from the dust! / Outwardly he observed the model of the Hīnayāna, / inwardly he realized the body of emptiness. / As celestial signs shone bright, / his lofty steps arrived here. / Feeding on the essence of fungi, / he roamed along cliffs and shores.'

9.46

In the first year of the Xingning era of the Jin, Yuan Hong of Chen commandery, serving as the grand administrator of Nanhai, climbed Mount Luofu together with his younger brother Yingshu and the śramaṇa Zhi Fafang. Reaching the entrance of the stone chamber, they saw that Daokai's remains as well as the incense burners and earthenware were still present. Hong said, 'The Dharma master's practice and conduct surpassed the ordinary; it must be truly like a cicada sloughing its shell.' He then composed a eulogy, saying:

9.47

'Excellence in things summons the rare; / virtue does not stand alone. / From far away the secluded man / gazed at the cliffs and entered in joy. / Soaring divine immortals / roamed and gathered here. / Slippers left behind in the forest, / matched once in a thousand years.'

9.48

Later, the śramaṇas Sengjing and Daojian both wished to climb Luofu, but in the end did not reach the summit.

9.49

Zhu Fotiao 3

9.50

Zhu Fotiao: his clan and lineage are not known; some say he was a native of Tianzhu. He served Fotudeng as his teacher and lived at Changshan Temple for many years. His conduct was simple and unadorned, and he did not show forth ornamented speech; people of the time all esteemed him for this. In Changshan there were two brothers who honored the Dharma, living a hundred li from the temple. The elder brother's wife fell gravely ill, and she was brought by cart to the vicinity of the temple to be near medical care. Since the elder brother took Fotiao as his teacher, he spent morning and day in the temple consulting on the practice of the Way. One day, Fotiao suddenly went to their home. The younger brother asked in detail about his sister-in-law's illness, and inquired whether his brother was at peace. Fotiao said, 'The sick woman is somewhat better, and your brother is as usual.' After Fotiao left, the younger brother also spurred his horse and went along. When he mentioned that Fotiao had come that morning, the elder brother said in astonishment, 'The Upādhyāya did not leave the temple at all this morning; how could you have seen him?' The brothers contended in questioning Fotiao about it. Fotiao smiled without answering, and all marveled at him.

9.51

Fotiao would sometimes enter the mountains alone for half a year or a whole year, carrying a few sheng of dried cooked rice, and when he returned there was always some left. Someone once followed Fotiao walking through the mountains for several tens of li. At dusk heavy snow fell, and Fotiao entered a stone cave—a tiger's lair—to lodge. When the tiger returned, it lay down together [with him] in front of the cave. Fotiao said to the tiger, 'I have taken your place; how shameful is that?' The tiger then flattened its ears and went down the mountain. The follower was terrified. Later, Fotiao set the date of his own passing, and people from near and far all arrived. He spoke to them all, saying, 'Heaven and earth endure long, yet they still collapse and decay; how much less can humans and things seek to exist forever? If you can wash away the three defilements and concentrate your minds on true purity, even though bodily numbers diverge, we will surely share the same accord.' The assembly all wept and earnestly pleaded with him [to stay]. Fotiao said, 'Life and death are destiny; how can one plead against them?' Fotiao then returned to his room, sat upright, covered his head with his robe, and suddenly passed away.

First 51 of 64 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

高僧傳 — 慧皎, Classical Chinese