續高僧傳 25.129

25.129

丹陽通闍梨者。住天保寺。唐貞觀末。年已八十。氣力休健。儀容率素。常服納衣。衣厚一寸。線如指大。以用紩納。極清潔誦法華經。市中乞食所得不異流俗。得錢財修補寺舍。其寺大堂梁時所立。朱砂污灑塗之極厚。唐初善禪師。鍍大銅像須水銀就梁。刮取所用充足餘趾猶赤。是知昔人為福竭於所貴。不以為辭。如不用者。昔物何在。其寺基郭。補修所須。云有古鎮國金可取治護。乃於寺北四十步。依言掘得十斤。用盡得三十斤。便曰。地下大有。更取殺人。於是便止。後輒自營土窟於寺北擬終事。時未之驗也。不久告僧云。尋常命終須有付囑。引諸財物指訂囑授。極有分明。經三日而神氣爽健。而云將去。忽不知所在便就窟視之。門已塞開一小孔。在土撮臥。氣已終矣。年九十餘。

Master of Ācāra Tong of Danyang resided at Tianbao Monastery. In the late Zhenguan era of the Tang, he was already eighty years old. His strength and health were sound, and his bearing and appearance were unadorned and plain. He always wore a patched robe, an inch thick, sewn and patched using thread as thick as a finger. He was extremely pure and clean, and recited the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra. What he obtained by begging for food in the marketplace was no different from worldly folk. The money and wealth he obtained were used to repair and maintain the monastery's buildings. The large hall of this monastery had been erected during the Liang dynasty, and was extremely thickly coated with cinnabar washes. At the beginning of the Tang, Dhyāna Master Shan needed mercury to gild a large bronze image, so he approached the beam, scraping and taking what he needed until it was sufficient, yet the remaining ground was still red. From this one knows that the ancients, in creating merit, exhausted what they held precious without begrudging it. If they had not used it, where would those ancient things be now? As for what was needed to repair the monastery's foundation walls, it was said that there was ancient state-protecting gold that could be taken to manage and maintain it. Thereupon, forty paces north of the monastery, following the words, they dug up ten catties; when that was used up, they obtained thirty catties. He then said: 'There is a great deal beneath the earth, but taking more will kill people.' Thereupon they ceased. Later, he personally prepared an earthen cave north of the monastery, intending it for his final passing, though at the time this was not yet verified. Before long, he told the monks: 'When life ends in the ordinary course, there must be instructions.' He brought forth various items of property, specifying and bequeathing them with utter clarity. After three days, his vitality was clear and sound, but he said he was about to depart. Suddenly no one knew where he was, so they went to the cave to look. The entrance was already blocked, leaving only a small opening. He was lying on a heap of earth, his breath already ended. He was over ninety years old.