續高僧傳 20.56

20.56

釋惠仙。姓趙。河東蒲坂人。幼懷出俗。緣故淹留。年登不惑方果前願。既出家後隨方問津。雖多涉獵。然以華嚴涅槃二部。為始卒之極教也。迄於暮齒耽味逾深。謂人曰。斯之二寶全如意珠。無忽忘而暫捨也。所以執卷自隨有若雙翼。或有言晤披而廣之。住處衝要九衢都會。百疾相投萬禍憑救。而仙慈善根力無假多方。但令念佛無往不濟。由是蒙祐遐邇傾心。寺有大像製過十丈。年載既久埃塵是生。棟宇頹落珠璣披散。遂控告士俗更締構之。雖淹星律大造云就。爾後年漸遲暮。夢僧告曰。卿次冬間必當遷化。可早運行應得延期。便如常業不以為慮。至九月中微覺不愈。知終在近。告侍人曰。吾出家有年。屢受菩薩戒。今者更欲受之。召諸大德並不赴命。乃曰。大德但自調耳。何名度人。又曰。但取戒本讀誦訖。自慶潛然而止。入夜有異天仙星布前後。高談廣述乍隱乍顯。合寺聞見。或見佛像來入房者。日次將午。忽起坐合掌召眾人曰。大限雖多小期一念。並好住。願與諸眾為歷劫因緣。遂臥氣絕。年七十五。即永徽六年十一月十七日也。道俗哀之雲布原野。寺有亘禪師。頴脫當時有聲京洛。行彌勒願生在四天。覩仙行業感徵。告眾曰。必見慈氏矣。若乖斯者。何能禎應若是乎。

Śramaṇa Huixian, whose secular surname was Zhao, was a native of Puban in Hedong. In his youth he cherished the aspiration to leave worldly life, but was detained by circumstances; only upon reaching the age of forty was his earlier wish realized. After leaving home, he sought instruction across various regions; though he studied widely, he regarded the Avataṃsaka and the Mahāparinirvāṇa as the ultimate teachings from beginning to end. Even in his declining years, his relish for them grew ever deeper; he said to others, 'These two treasures are entirely like wish-fulfilling gems; one must never forget or part with them even for a moment.' For this reason, he carried the scrolls with him as though they were a pair of wings. Whenever he conversed with others, he would open and expound upon them. His dwelling was at an important crossroads, a metropolis of nine thoroughfares; hundreds of ailments flocked to him and myriad calamities sought relief through him. Yet through the power of Xian's compassionate roots of goodness, there was no need for manifold methods; he simply had them recollect the Buddha, and there was nothing that was not saved. Consequently, distant and near alike received his protection and turned their hearts to him. The monastery had a large statue over ten fathoms tall; with the passage of many years, dust had accumulated, the beams and eaves were collapsing, and its pearls and jewels were scattered. He thereupon appealed to scholars and commoners to rebuild it; though several years passed, the grand construction was finally brought to completion. Thereafter, as his years grew late, he dreamed of a monk who told him, 'Next winter you must certainly pass away. You may practice early to obtain an extension of your lifespan.' Yet he continued his usual practice without concern. By the middle of the ninth month, he felt slightly unwell, knowing his end was near. He said to his attendants, 'I have been a monk for many years and have repeatedly received the Bodhisattva Precepts; now I wish to receive them once more.' He summoned various venerable monks, but none responded to the call. Thereupon he said, 'The venerable monks merely discipline themselves; how can that be called saving others?' He also said, 'Just bring the prātimokṣa text and recite it.' When the recitation was finished, he rejoiced quietly within himself and ceased. When night fell, rare celestial spirits appeared like scattered stars all around, conversing loftily and explaining extensively, appearing and disappearing; the entire monastery heard and saw them. Some saw a Buddha image entering his room. As the sun approached noon, he suddenly sat up, joined his palms, and called to the assembly, saying, 'Though the great limit has many spans, the final moment is but a single thought. Live well, all of you; I vow to form karmic bonds with this assembly across kalpas.' He then lay down and ceased breathing. He was seventy-five years old, on the seventeenth day of the eleventh month in the sixth year of the Yonghui era. Monastics and laypeople grieved for him, gathering across the fields like clouds. In the monastery was Dhyāna Master Gen, an outstanding figure of his time renowned in the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang, who practiced the vow of Maitreya to be reborn in the Four Heavens. Witnessing the signs moved by Xian's practice, he told the assembly, 'He will certainly see Maitreya! If this were not so, how could there be auspicious responses such as these?'