續高僧傳 20.79

20.79

釋道信。姓司馬。未詳何人。初七歲時經事一師。戒行不純。信每陳諫。以不見從密懷齋檢。經於五載而師不知。又有二僧莫知何來。入舒州𡷗公山靜修禪業。聞而往赴便蒙授法。隨逐依學遂經十年。師往羅浮不許相逐。但於後住必大弘益。國訪賢良許度出家。因此附名住吉州寺。被賊圍城七十餘日。城中乏水人皆困弊。信從外入井水還復。刺史叩頭。賊何時散。信曰。但念般若。乃令合城同時合聲。須臾外賊見城四角。大人力士威猛絕倫。思欲得見刺史。告曰。欲見大人可自入城。群賊即散。既見平定欲往衡岳。路次江洲。道俗留止廬山大林寺。雖經賊盜又經十年。蘄州道俗請度江北黃梅縣眾造寺。依然山行。遂見雙峯有好泉石。即住終志。當夜大有猛獸來繞。並為授歸戒。授已令去。自入山來三十餘載。諸州學道無遠不至。刺史崔義玄。聞而就禮。臨終語弟子弘忍。可為吾造塔。命將不久。又催急成。又問中未。答欲至中。眾人曰。和尚可不付囑耶。曰生來付囑不少。此語纔了奄爾便絕。于時山中五百餘人。並諸州道俗。忽見天地闇冥。遶住三里樹木葉白。房側梧桐樹曲枝向房。至今曲處皆枯。即永徽二年閏九月四日也。春秋七十有二。至三年弟子弘忍等。至塔開看端坐如舊。即移往本處。于今若存。

Shi Daoxin was surnamed Sima; it is not known what sort of lineage he came from. At first, when he was seven years old, he served a master whose vinaya conduct was not pure. Xin often remonstrated with him, but finding that his advice was not followed, he secretly observed the dietary precepts and monastic restraint. Five years passed without his master knowing. There were also two monks whose origins were unknown; they entered Mount Bocong in Shuzhou to cultivate dhyāna practice in quietude. Hearing of them, Xin went to join them and was granted the Dharma. Following them in study, ten years passed. When his master went to Mount Luofu, he would not permit Xin to follow, saying: 'Only by staying behind will you bring great benefit.' When the state sought out worthy and virtuous men to permit them ordination, Xin was able to register his name and reside in a temple in Jizhou. The city was besieged by bandits for more than seventy days; the city ran out of water and the people were exhausted. When Xin entered from outside, the well water was restored. The prefect bowed his head and asked: 'When will the bandits scatter?' Xin said: 'Simply recite the Prajñā[pāramitā].' He then instructed the whole city to chant together in unison. In a short while, the bandits outside saw towering, powerful giants of peerless might standing at the four corners of the city wall. Desiring to see the prefect, they announced: 'If we want to see the giants, we must enter the city ourselves.' The bandits then dispersed. Once peace was secured, he wished to go to Mount Heng. Passing through Jiangzhou on his journey, monastics and laypeople detained him at Dalin Temple on Mount Lu. Although they had experienced bandits and thieves, another ten years passed. The monastics and laypeople of Qizhou then invited him across to the north of the Yangtze, where the multitude of Huangmei County built a temple. Walking in the mountains as was his habit, he saw the fine springs and rocks of the Twin Peaks (Shuangfeng), and settled there to fulfill his life's aim. That night, many ferocious beasts came and circled around him; he administered the refuges and precepts to all of them, and sent them away once imparted. For over thirty years after he entered the mountain, seekers of the Way from various prefectures came from near and far without end. The prefect Cui Yixuan, hearing of his reputation, came in person to pay homage. When about to die, he told his disciple Hongren: 'Build a stūpa for me; my life will not last long.' He also urged him to finish it quickly. Later he asked: 'Is it noon yet?' Hongren replied: 'It is about to reach noon.' The assembly asked: 'Will the Upādhyāya not leave final instructions?' He said: 'Throughout my life, I have given no small amount of instructions!' As soon as these words ended, he suddenly passed away. At that time, over five hundred people in the mountain, together with monastics and laypeople from various prefectures, suddenly saw the sky and earth turn dark, and for three li around the dwelling, the leaves of the trees turned white. An old wutong tree beside his room bent its branches toward the chamber; to this day, the bent portions remain withered. This was on the fourth day of the intercalary ninth month of the second year of Yonghui. His age was seventy-two. In the third year, his disciple Hongren and others opened the stūpa to look; he sat upright just as before. They moved him to his original place, and his body is preserved there to this day.