續高僧傳 5.22

5.22

釋僧旻。姓孫氏。家于吳郡之富春。有吳開國大皇帝其先也。幼孤養能言而樂道。七歲出家。住虎丘西山寺。為僧回弟子。從回受五經。一聞能記。精神洞出標群獨秀。每與同輩言謔及諸典禮。未嘗不慨慨然欲為己任。宋吏部郎吳郡張辯謂之曰。沙彌何姓家在何處。旻曰。貧道姓釋。家于此山。辯甚異之。特進張緒見而歎曰。松栢雖小已有陵雲之氣。由是顯譽。年十三隨回出都住白馬寺。寺僧多以轉讀唱導為業。旻風韻清遠了不厝意。年十六而回亡。哀容俯仰率由自至。喪禮畢移住莊嚴師仰曇景。景久居寺任。雅有風軌。大小和從。寺給僧足。旻安貧好學。與同寺法雲禪崗法開。稟學柔次達亮四公經論。夕則合帔而臥。晝則假衣而行。往返諮詢不避炎雪。其精力篤課如此。大明數論究統經律。原始要終望表知裏。內鑒諸己旁啟同志。前疑往結靡不氷泮。雖命世碩學有是非之辯。旻居中振發曾無擁滯。光緒既著風猷弘遠。齊文惠帝竟陵王子良。深相貴敬請遺連接。尚書令王儉。延請僧宗講涅槃經。旻扣問聯環言皆摧敵。儉曰。昔竺道生入長安。姚興於逍遙園見之。使難道融義。往復百翻言無不切。眾皆覩其風神服其英秀。今此旻法師超悟天體。性極照窮言必典詣。能使前無橫陣。便是過之遠矣。文宣嘗請柔次二法師。於普弘寺共講成實。大致通勝冠蓋成陰。旻於末席論議。詞旨清新致言宏邈。往復神應聽者傾屬。次公乃放麈尾而歎曰。老子受業於彭城。精思此之五聚。有十五番以為難窟。每恨不逢勍敵。必欲研盡。自至金陵累年始見竭於今日矣。且試思之晚講當答。及晚上講裁復數交詞義遂擁。次公動容顧四坐曰。後生可畏。斯言信矣。年二十六。永明十年始於興福寺講成實論。先輩法師高視當世排競下筵。其會如市山栖邑寺莫不掩扉畢集。衣冠士子四衢輻湊。坐皆重膝不謂為迮。言雖竟日無起疲倦。皆仰之如日月矣。希風慕德者不遠萬里相造。自晉宋相承凡論議者。多高談大語競相誇罩。及旻為師範。稜落秀上機變如神。言氣典正。座無洪聲之侶。重又性多謙讓。未常以理勝加人。處眾澄眸如入禪定。其為道俗所推如此。時人稱曰。折剖磐隱通古無例。條貫始終受者易悟。庶方蕩諸異論大同正法矣。於是名振日下。聽眾千餘。孜孜善誘曾無告倦。晉安太守彭城劉業。嘗謂旻曰。法師經論通博。何以立義多儒。答曰。宋世貴道生。開頓悟以通經。齊時重僧柔。影毘曇以講論。貧道謹依經文。文玄則玄。文儒則儒耳。時竟陵王世子蕭照胄。出守會稽。要旻共往。征虜別之。旻曰。吾止講席。相識未嘗修詣。承其得郡。便狼狽遠別。意所不欲。眾因是亦止。永元元年。勅僧局請三十僧。入華林園夏講。僧正擬旻為法主。旻止之。或曰何故。答曰。此乃內潤法師。不能外益學士。非謂講者。由是譽傳遐邇名動京師。瑯瑘王仲寶。吳人張思光。學冠當時清貞獨絕。並投分請交申以縞帶。年立之後頻事開解蔚為宗匠。九部五時若指諸掌。玄理伏難坦然夷易。故緇素結轍華俗邀延往復屯萃矣。時有令聞夙成負先來之風。耆年素望懷新舊之恥。設伏者比肩翹關者間出。旻隨方領會。弘量有餘。皆銜璧輿櫬響然風靡者一人而已。值齊曆橫流道屬昏詖。時寵小人世嫉君子。因避地徐部。仍受請入吳。法輪繼轉勝幢屢建。皆隨根獲潤有聲南北。皇梁膺運乃翻然自遠言從帝則。以天監五年遊于都輦。天子禮接下筵亟深睠悅。勅僧正慧超銜詔至房。欲屈與法寵法雲汝南周捨等。時入華林園講論道義。自茲已後優位日隆。六年制注般若經。以通大訓。朝貴皆思弘厥典。又請京邑五大法師。於五寺首講。以旻道居其右。迺眷帝情深見悅可。因請為家僧。四事供給。又勅於慧輪殿講勝鬘經。帝自臨聽。仍選才學道俗釋僧智僧晃臨川王記室東莞劉勰等三十人。同集上定林寺。抄一切經論以類相從。凡八十卷。皆令取衷於旻。十一年春忽感風疾後雖小間。心猶忘誤言語遲蹇。旻曰。自登座講說已二十年。如見此病例無平復。講事盡矣。乃修飾房內隔立道場日夜禮懺。後吳郡太守張充。吳興太守謝覽。各遣僚佐至都表上延請。有勅給船仗資糧發遣。二郡迎候舟檝滿川。京師學士雲隨霧合。中途守宰莫不郊迎。晉陵太守蔡樽。出侯門迎之歎曰。昔仲尼素王於周。今旻公又素王於梁矣。天監末年。下勅於莊嚴寺。建八座法輪。講者五僧以年臘相次。旻最處後。眾徒彌盛。莊嚴講堂。宋世祖所立。欒櫨增映延袤遐遠。至於是日不容聽眾。執事啟聞。有勅聽停講五日。悉移窓戶四出檐霤。又進給床五十張。猶為迫迮。桄桯摧折日有十數。得人之盛皆此類焉。旻因捨什物嚫施擬立大堂。慮未周用付庫生長傳付後僧。又於簡靜寺講十地經。堂宇先有五間。慮有迫迮又於堂前權起五間。合而為一。及至就講寺內悉滿。斯感化之來殆非意矣。少與齊人張融謝眺友善。天下才學通人莫不致禮。雖居重名不嘉榮勢。閑處一室簡通豪右。眾人多恨之。唯吳郡陸倕。博學自居。名位通顯早崇禮敬。旻亦密相器重。時為太子中庶。儐從到房。旻稱疾不見。倕欣然曰。此誠弟子所望也。人皆推倕之愛名德也。彌重旻之不趣於世。暨普通之後。先疾連發彌懷退靜。夜還虎丘人無知者。時蕭昂出守吳興。欲過山展禮。山主智遷先知以告旻。旻曰。吾山藪病人。無事見貴二千石。昔戴顒隱居北嶺。宋江夏王入山詣之。高臥牖下不與相見。吾雖德薄請附戴公之事矣。及蕭至旻從後門而遁。其年皇太子。遣通事舍人何思澄。銜命致禮。贈以几杖鑪奩褥席麈尾拂扇等。五年下勅延還移住開善。使所在備禮發遣。不得循常以稽天望。於路增劇未堪止寺。權停莊嚴因遂彌留以至大漸。良醫上藥備于寺內。中使參候相望馳道。以大通八年二月一日清旦。卒于寺房。春秋六十一。天子悲惜儲君嗟惋。勅以其月六日。窆於鍾山之開善墓所。喪事大小隨由備辦。隱士陳留阮孝緒。為著墓誌。弟子智學慧慶等。建立三碑。其二碑。皇太子湘東王。並為製文樹于墓側。徵士何胤。著文立於本寺。初旻嘗樂於禪默。乃依所立義試遍安心。旬日之間遂得入定。問諸禪師皆云。門戶雖殊造寂不異。又嘗於講日謂眾曰。昔彌天釋道安。每講於定坐後。常使都講等為含靈轉經三契。此事久廢。既是前修勝業。欲屈大眾各誦觀世音經一遍。於是合坐欣然遠近相習。爾後道俗捨物乞講前誦經。由此始也。時有靈根寺道超比丘。勤學自勵。願明解如旻。夢有人言。僧旻法師毘婆尸佛。已能講說。君始修習。云何可等。但自加功。不患不達。隨分得解。後大領悟。旻嘗造彌勒佛并諸供具。朝夕禮謁。乃夢見彌勒佛遣化菩薩送菩提樹與之。菩薩曰。菩提樹者。梁言道場樹也。弟子頗宣其言。旻聞而勗之曰。禮有六夢。正夢唯一。乃是好惡之先徵。故周立占夢之官。後代廢之。正以俗人澆薄亟多假託。吾前所夢乃心想耳。汝勿傳之。以莊嚴寺門及諸牆宇古製不工。又吳虎丘山西寺朽壞日久。並加繕改事盡弘麗。旻所造經像全不封附。須者便給。放生布施未嘗倦廢。弟子諮曰。和上所修功德誠多。未始建大齋會。恐福事未圓。旻曰。大齋乃有一時發起之益。吾寡乏人力難得盡理。又且米菜醬酢樵水湯灰踐踰澆炙。信傷害微蟲豈有數量。慮有此事故不敢為也。始復求寄王官官府有勢之家。使役雖多彌難盡意。近識觀之藉此開悟。智者窺人有求名之誚。要請法俗侵星早到。若不專至有乖素心。若現斯言猶涉譏笑。故吾不為也。旻美言笑善舉止。吐納膏油自生顧眄風飈滿室。凡所施為不為名利。勤注教勗形於言晤。先人後己常若不及。常有餘師言弟子不恭者。旻呼與相見為設飲食。方便誘喻遂成善士。生無左道卜筮。不妄同惑凡人。又不假託奇怪以誑近識。貴人君子皆景慕焉。營居負販者亦望風而畏敬。聞其名者偽夫正鄙夫立。所著論疏雜集。四聲指歸詩譜決疑等。百有餘卷流世。

Śramaṇa Sengmin had the secular surname Sun. His family was from Fuchun in Wu Commandery; Sun Quan, the Great Founding Emperor of the state of Wu, was his ancestor. Orphaned young, as soon as he could speak he took joy in the Way. At the age of seven he went forth from household life (pravrajyā) and resided at Xishan Monastery on Mount Huqiu as a disciple of Sengui. He received the Five Classics from [Sen]gui, and remembering them upon a single hearing, his intellect was profoundly manifest, standing out distinctly from the throng. Whenever he jested or spoke with his peers, or dealt with various rites and scriptures, he never failed to take it earnestly upon himself. Zhang Bian of Wu Commandery, a bureau director in the Ministry of Personnel under the Song dynasty, asked him: "Novice (śrāmaṇera), what is your surname, and where is your home?" Min said: "The poor monk's surname is Śākya, and my home is in these mountains." Bian found him extraordinary. Zhang Xu, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Special Status, saw him and sighed in admiration: "Though a pine or cypress be small, it already possesses an air that mounts to the clouds." Hence his reputation became prominent. At the age of thirteen, he accompanied [Sen]gui to the capital and resided at Baima Monastery. Most of the monks in that monastery made scriptural cantillation and preaching their vocation; Min had an aloof and lofty character and gave it no mind at all. When he was sixteen, [Sen]gui passed away; his expressions of grief, bending and looking up, were entirely spontaneous. When the mourning rites were concluded, he moved to Zhuangyan Monastery and looked up to Tanjing as his master. Jing had long held monastic responsibilities; his decorum and conduct were elegant, and both young and old harmoniously complied with him. Monastic provisions were ample for the monks. Min was content with poverty and fond of study; together with Fayun, and Fakai of Qiangang, both of the same monastery, he received instruction in the scriptures and treatises of the four masters [Seng]rou, [Tan]ci, [Seng]da, and [Bao]liang. At night they shared a quilt to sleep; by day they borrowed clothes to walk about. Going back and forth to consult and study, they did not avoid the heat or the snow: such were his diligence and intensive lessons. He fully understood the number-classifications and treatises, and thoroughly mastered the scriptures and Vinaya. Investigating things from beginning to end, he perceived the interior by looking at the exterior; reflecting internally upon himself, he gave peripheral guidance to like-minded companions. Former doubts and past knots of perplexity all melted like ice. Even when renowned masters of the age engaged in debates over right and wrong, Min would arouse and clarify matters from the middle without any obstruction. When his brilliant renown became manifest and his broad demeanor was widely known, Prince Wenhui and Xiao Ziliang, Prince of Jingling under the Qi dynasty, deeply revered him, sending invitations and gifts in succession. Wang Jian, Prefect of the Masters of Writing, invited Sengzong to expound the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. Min questioned him like interlocking links of a chain, his every word vanquishing opponents. Jian said: "Formerly, when Zhu Daosheng went into Chang'an, Yao Xing saw him at Xiaoyao Garden and had him interrogate Daorong's doctrinal positions. Back and forth through a hundred rounds, not a single word failed to be trenchant. The assembly all beheld his manner and submitted to his excellence. Now this Dharma Master Min has transcendent awakening of heavenly substance; his nature reaches the utmost profundity and his words inevitably strike the classic standard. That he can leave no opposing battle array intact far surpasses [Daosheng]." Prince Wenxuan once invited the two Dharma masters [Seng]rou and [Tan]ci to jointly expound the Harivarman's Tattvasiddhi-śāstra (*Chengshilun*) at Puhong Monastery. Greatly successful and superior, the dignitaries' caps and canopies cast continuous shade. Min debated from the lowest seat, his phrasing fresh and novel, his expressions expansive and sublime. His quick wits responded spontaneously back and forth, and the listeners hung on every word. Master Ci then lowered his chowry (*cāmara*) and sighed: "In Pengcheng this old man received instruction and painstakingly reflected on these Five Aggregates; I had fifteen points that I regarded as an unassailable stronghold, and I always regretted not encountering a formidable adversary when I sought to exhaustively investigate them. Since arriving in Jinling, after many years, I have finally seen it exhausted today. Let me ponder it, and I will answer during the evening lecture." When the evening lecture began, after barely a few exchanges, [Ci's] words and arguments were obstructed. Master Ci was visibly moved, looked around at the assembly, and said: "The young generation should be revered—how true these words are!" At the age of twenty-six, in the tenth year of the Yongming era, he began to expound the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra at Xingfu Monastery. Senior Dharma masters who held themselves high above their contemporaries pushed and vied to take seats below. The gathering was like a marketplace; whether living in mountain retreats or urban monasteries, all closed their doors and gathered entirely. Gentry clad in caps and robes converged like spokes at the hub from four crossroads; they sat knee to knee and did not consider it cramped. Though the lectures lasted the entire day, no one showed fatigue; all looked up to him like the sun and the moon. Those yearning for his wind and admiring his virtue came to him from ten thousand leagues away. Since the succession from the Jin to the Song dynasties, those who debated generally engaged in high talk and loud bluster, vying to outdo and overshadow each other. But when Min became a model teacher, his distinguished prominence rose high, his adaptability was like a spirit, and his manner of speech was classical and upright; among the seats there were none who raised clamorous voices. Moreover, by nature he was humble and deferential; he never used his superior reasoning to overpower others. When dwelling among the multitude, his clear gaze was as if entering dhyāna. Such was the reverence he commanded from both monastics and laity. Contemporary people praised him, saying: "His dissection of the rock-like obscurities has no precedent in antiquity. His presentation connects from beginning to end, so that recipients easily awaken. He hopes to sweep away all deviant teachings and unite them with the right Dharma." Thereupon his name shook the capital under the sun, and his audience numbered over a thousand. Untiring and skillful in guidance, he never showed weariness. Liu Ye of Pengcheng, Grand Protector of Jin'an, once asked Min: "The Dharma Master is broadly versed in scriptures and treatises; why are the positions you establish so often Confucian?" He replied: "In the Song era, Daosheng was esteemed, who opened sudden enlightenment to elucidate the scriptures. In the Qi period, Sengrou was revered, who relied on the Abhidharma to expound the treatises. The poor monk respectfully adheres to the scriptural text: where the text is profound, it is profound; where the text is Confucian, it is Confucian." At that time, Xiao Zhaozhou, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jingling, went out to govern Kuaiji and invited Min to go with him, while General Zhenglu came to bid farewell. Min said: "I reside only at the lecture platform; our acquaintance has never led to social calls. Hearing that he has gained a commandery, to hastily make a distant farewell is not what I wish." The crowd therefore also desisted. In the first year of the Yongyuan era, an imperial decree ordered the Office of Monastic Affairs to invite thirty monks into Hualin Garden for the summer lecture. The monastic controller intended Min to be the Dharma host, but Min declined. Someone asked why, and he replied: "This only enriches the Dharma master internally, but cannot benefit scholars externally; it is not what is called lecturing." From this his fame spread far and wide, shaking the capital. Wang Zhongbao of Langye and Zhang Siguang of Wu, whose learning topped the age and whose purity was unparalleled, offered their friendship and presented white-silk sashes to formalize their bonds. After establishing his career, he frequently gave expositions and became an eminent master. The nine genres and the five periods were as clear to him as pointing at the palm of his hand; profound principles and hidden difficulties became clear and unobstructed. Therefore, monastics and laymen crowded his carriage paths, and cultured and ordinary folks invited him, crowding together back and forth. At that time, there were those of established reputation who relied on their seniority, as well as elder monks of long standing who felt humiliated by the young surpassing the old; those laying snares rubbed shoulders, and champions of debate emerged by turns. Min adapted to all according to circumstances, possessing more than ample magnanimity; they all surrendered like those holding jade or carrying coffins, swept away like wind before him as the solitary victor. Encountering the turbulent decline of the Qi dynasty, the Way fell into darkness and deceit; favorites were petty men, and the world envied gentlemen. Hence he took refuge in Xuzhou, and then accepted invitations to enter Wu. The Dharma wheel continued to turn, and victory banners were repeatedly erected; all received nourishment according to their faculties, bringing him renown across the North and South. When the imperial Liang dynasty received the mandate, he readily came from afar to follow the imperial court. In the fifth year of the Tianjian era, he traveled to the capital. The Son of Heaven received him with ritual, descending from his throne, and deeply favored him. He decreed that the Monastic Controller Huichao take an imperial rescript to his chamber, desiring to invite him, together with Fachong, Fayun, Zhou She of Runan, and others, to occasionally enter Hualin Garden to expound and discuss the Way and righteousness. From then on, his favored position grew daily. In the sixth year, an imperial decree ordered a commentary to the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra to propagate the Great Teaching; the court nobles all wished to promote the canon. They also invited five great Dharma masters of the capital to give the premier lectures at five monasteries, with Min taking precedence for his Way. The Emperor regarded him with deep affection and approval, subsequently requesting him to be his family monk, supplying him with the four requisites. He was also decreed to expound the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra in the Huilun Hall, with the Emperor personally in attendance. There were also selected thirty talented and learned persons, monastics and laymen, including Śramaṇas Sengzhi and Senghuang, the Secretary to the Prince of Linchuan, and Liu Xie of Dongguan, to gather at Upper Dinglin Monastery and extract excerpts from all scriptures and treatises categorized by topic, total eighty fascicles, all instructed to take guidance from Min. In the spring of the eleventh year, he suddenly suffered from a wind ailment; though it abated slightly later, his mind still had lapses and his speech was halting. Min said: "Since ascending the seat to lecture, it has been twenty years. Seeing this illness, there is usually no recovery; my lecture career is finished." He then decorated his room, set up a secluded sanctuary, and performed repentance rites day and night. Later, Zhang Chong, Grand Protector of Wu Commandery, and Xie Lan, Grand Protector of Wuxing, each dispatched subordinates to the capital to submit memorials inviting him. An imperial decree granted boats, guards, and provisions to send him off. The two commanderies welcomed him with boats that filled the river; scholars from the capital gathered like clouds and mist. Along the route, governors and magistrates all welcomed him in the suburbs. Cai Zun, Grand Protector of Jinling, came out of his noble gate to receive him and sighed: "Formerly Zhongni (Confucius) was the uncrowned king in the Zhou; today Master Min is also an uncrowned king in the Liang!" In the late years of the Tianjian era, an imperial decree established eight seats of the Dharma wheel at Zhuangyan Monastery. Five monks lectured according to monastic seniority; Min was placed last, yet his audience was the most flourishing. The lecture hall of Zhuangyan Monastery had been built by Emperor Xiaowu of the Song; its brackets and beams added luster, and its expanse was vast. Yet on this day it could not contain the listeners. The stewards reported this, and an imperial decree permitted a five-day suspension of the lectures, entirely removing windows and doors, and extending eaves on four sides. Furthermore, fifty more couches were supplied, yet it was still cramped; crossbars were broken by the dozen daily. Such was the abundance of his followers in all places. Min then donated his belongings and offerings, planning to erect a great hall; fearing the funds were insufficient, he entrusted them to the treasury to generate interest and pass down to future monks. He also expounded the Daśabhūmika Sūtra at Jianjing Monastery; the hall originally had five bays, and fearing it would be cramped, five temporary bays were built in front of the hall to unite them as one. When the lecture commenced, the monastery was completely full: that his transformative impact reached this extent was hardly anticipated. In his youth he was close friends with Zhang Rong and Xie Tiao of the Qi dynasty; all the talented, learned, and thoroughly versed figures of the realm paid him respects. Although he held great fame, he took no pleasure in glory and power; dwelling leisurely in a single room, he rarely associated with the powerful nobility. Many people resented this; only Lu Chui of Wu Commandery, who prided himself on his vast erudition and whose fame and position were prominent, early on revered and honored him. Min also secretly esteemed him. When Lu was Junior Supervisor of the Household of the Crown Prince, he arrived at the chamber with a retinue; Min claimed illness and did not receive him. Chui was delighted and said: "This is truly what a disciple would expect!" Everyone praised Chui's love for virtue and fame, and even more respected Min for not courting the world. After the Putong era, his previous illness recurred repeatedly, and he wished even more to retire into quietude. He returned to Huqiu by night without anyone knowing. At that time Xiao Ang went out to govern Wuxing and wished to visit the mountain to pay respects. The mountain master Zhiqian learned of it beforehand and told Min. Min said: "I am a sick man of the mountain thickets; I have no business meeting a noble official of two thousand bushels. Formerly Dai Yong lived as a recluse on the Northern Ridge; when Prince Jiangxia of the Song entered the mountains to visit him, he reclined high beneath the window and did not meet him. Though my virtue is thin, I beg to follow the example of Master Dai." When Xiao arrived, Min escaped through the back gate. That year the Crown Prince dispatched Companion of the Transmission Bureau He Sicheng with a mission to pay respects, gifting him a table, staff, incense burner, vanity case, mats, cushions, chowries, and whisks. In the fifth year, an imperial decree invited him to return and reside at Kaishan Monastery, commanding the local authorities to send him off with full ritual without standard delays that might disappoint the imperial wish. Along the way his illness worsened, and unable to stay at the monastery, he stayed temporarily at Zhuangyan Monastery; thus his illness lingered until he became critically ill. Fine physicians and top medicines were provided in the monastery; palace messengers inquiring after him looked onto one another along the royal road. On the early morning of the first day of the second month in the eighth year of the Datong era, he passed away in his monastic chamber at the age of sixty-one. The Son of Heaven lamented and grieved, and the Crown Prince sighed in sorrow. An imperial decree ordered that on the sixth day of that month he be interred in the cemetery of Kaishan Monastery on Mount Zhong, all funeral arrangements large and small being prepared accordingly. The hermit Ruan Xiaoxu of Chenliu composed his epitaph. His disciples Zhixue, Huiqing, and others erected three stele monuments: the Crown Prince and the Prince of Xiangdong each composed texts for two of the stele erected beside the tomb; the summon-scholar He Yin composed the text for the one erected at his home monastery. Earlier, Min often found joy in dhyāna quietude; he thus tried to settle his mind comprehensively according to established tenets. Within ten days he entered samādhi. He inquired of various dhyāna masters, who all said: "Though the gates differ, arriving at stillness is no different." Once, on a lecture day, he told the congregation: "Formerly, Śramaṇa Dao'an, whose fame filled heaven, after his dhyāna sitting during every lecture, always had the precentor (*dujiang*) chant the scriptures three times for all sentient beings. This practice has long been abandoned. Since it is the superior karma of earlier masters, I would like to invite the great assembly to each recite the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra once." Thereupon the whole assembly was delighted, and near and far imitated the practice. Thereafter, both monastics and laity offered gifts requesting the recitation of scriptures before lectures; this began from him. At that time, Bhikṣu Daochao of Linggen Monastery diligently studied to spur himself on, wishing to have clear understanding like Min. In a dream someone said to him: "Dharma Master Sengmin was already able to expound the teachings under Vipaśyin Buddha, whereas you are only beginning to cultivate and study; how could you be equal? Just exert your own effort, and do not worry about not attaining; you will gain understanding according to your capacity." Later he had a great awakening. Min once made an image of Maitreya Buddha along with various offerings, worshiping morning and evening. He dreamt of Maitreya Buddha sending an emanation bodhisattva to give him a bodhi tree. The bodhisattva said: "The bodhi tree is called the *daochang* tree (tree of the site of awakening) in the Liang language." His disciples spread these words widely; Min heard and admonished them, saying: "The *Rites* record six kinds of dreams, but proper dreams are only one type, which are omens of good or bad. Therefore the Zhou dynasty established an officer for interpreting dreams, which later generations abolished precisely because worldly people are superficial and frequently concoct false pretenses. What I dreamt earlier was merely a thought of the mind; do not spread it." Because the gates and walls of Zhuangyan Monastery were of crude ancient construction, and Xishan Monastery on Mount Huqiu in Wu had long been decaying, he renovated both, making everything grand and magnificent. The scriptures and statues created by Min were never kept locked away; anyone in need was given them. He never grew weary or neglected the release of living beings and the giving of alms. A disciple consulted him: "The merit cultivated by the Upādhyāya is truly vast, yet you have never held a Great Vegetarian Feast (*dazhai*); we fear the works of merit are not complete." Min said: "A Great Vegetarian Feast has only the temporary benefit of inspiring people. I lack manpower and find it hard to manage everything properly. Furthermore, in the trampling, washing, and boiling of rice, vegetables, sauces, vinegar, firewood, water, hot broth, and ashes, truly countless tiny insects are harmed. Fearing such things, I dare not do it. Moreover, if one seeks patronage from officials and powerful families, though laborers are many, it is even harder to satisfy everyone's wishes. Those of shallow understanding use this to awaken, but the wise perceive that one is subject to the reproach of seeking fame. Inviting monastics and laity before dawn, if one is not wholeheartedly devoted, it violates one's original intention; to make these remarks might still incur ridicule, so I do not do it." Min had a pleasing manner of speech and laughter, and was refined in posture; his speech flowed like oil, naturally looking about, his spirit filling the room like a breeze. Whatever he did was not for fame or gain; his earnest admonitions were expressed in conversation. He put others first and himself last, always as if he were inadequate. When other teachers complained of their disciples being disrespectful, Min would summon them, provide them with food and drink, and skillfully guide them into becoming good persons. In his life he had no recourse to heterodox arts or divination, and did not carelessly follow the delusions of common people; nor did he invent marvels to deceive those of shallow knowledge. Noble gentlemen all looked up to and admired him; merchants and traders also looked toward his renown with awe and respect. Hearing his name, deceptive men became upright and base men were inspired. The commentaries, treatises, miscellaneous collections, *Guide to the Four Tones* (*Sisheng zhigui*), and *Resolutions on Doubt in the Register of Poetry* (*Shipu jueyi*) that he composed numbered over a hundred fascicles circulating in the world.