Śramaṇa Zhinian. His secular surname was Chen, and he was a native of Xindu in Jizhou. His ancestors were descendants of the flourishing lineage of Shi [Chen] from Yingchuan. Because of official duties, they came to reside in Heshuo. Nian's resolve was as clear as ice, and his spirit was as serene as an aloof peak. He was exceptionally brilliant beyond compare, yet in contemplating his direction he was deliberate and prudent. When he reached the age of full ordination, he sought the Way in the capital of Ye. At that time, Dharma Master Daozhang thoroughly mastered the Dazhidulun and was regarded as the foremost authority among scholars. Nian then carried his book boxes and followed him, listening to the teachings for several years. Soon he gained renown at the very same assembly. He, together with Dan, Li, Xiu, and Ji, were the outstanding figures of that era, matching each other in virtue side by side. Yet he thought that if understanding did not fully fill his mind, his quest would only end when the coffin lid closed. He therefore wandered among various lecture halls, fully plumbing the profound and abstruse and seeking to exhaust what was subtle and hidden. He also went to Dharma Master Daochong to study the Daśabhūmikā-śāstra. Upon hearing the beginning, he already knew the end; hearing it once was like having surveyed it before. At that point, his teaching reigned supreme north of the Yellow River. He then heard a widespread report that in the Western Qin, Dharma Master Huisong of the kingdom of Gaochang had an all-encompassing understanding of the Hīnayāna and was known by contemporaries as the 'Confucius of Abhidharma'. His learning guided the realm, and crowds of followers trailed behind him like dust. Śramaṇas Daoyou, Zhihong, Huangjue, and Sanwei were all praised as fine timber within his assembly and exquisite jewels in the garden of wisdom. Nian turned his gaze toward them and followed [the master]; his renown surpassed that of [Dao]you. They were all broadly versed in the ultimate mysteries and fit to be relied upon by sentient beings. Thereupon Nian retraced his steps to his native region, intending to propagate the moisture of the Dharma. At that time, the regional inspector was Prince of Rencheng, Yan, the emperor's younger brother, whose heart was devoted to the school of emptiness. When Nian returned, he held a Dharma assembly for him, in which Nian and Dharma Master Sengqiong jointly promoted the transformation through the Way. They warmly unfolded their original dispositions and doubly expounded the two treatises: first expounding the Dazhidulun and later bringing forth the Samyuktābhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra. Those who contested and faced their sharp blades all lost heart. At that time, the śramaṇa Fajie, regional leader of the monastic community, was an outstanding scholar of the two rivers and an eminent monk of Yan and Wei. Seated among them, he said to Nian: 'Observing that in your youth you have such transcendent wisdom and realization, the great teaching will surely flourish through you, and your fame will endure undying.' From then on, he frequently propagated the two treatises for more than ten years. His learning and contemplation opened like the dawn clouds, and his forests of discourse condensed like mist. When the destiny of Qi changed calendars and Zhou destroyed the Buddhist scriptures, he fled to a coastal corner, blending with the dust in lay garments. He once again investigated the Hīnayāna treatises, frequently stirring his innate genius. Doubts and anxieties completely vanished, and he waited attentively for an era of clarity. Meeting the initial rise of the Sui dynasty, the sun of the Buddha returned once more. At the very beginning of the imperial search [for monastics], he was among the first to undergo pravrajyā. However, having held the teachings of Kātyāyana within himself, he had not yet had the leisure to expound them. In the fourth year of the Kaihuang reign era, he said to his fellow monk, Śramaṇa Zhizhan: 'I have plumbed the heights of the Hīnayāna and judge myself to be running neck and neck with the arhats. It is only because the time has not yet arrived that I temporarily fold my wings.' Zhan had long tasted the flavor of the Dharma; rejoicing that [Nian] had informed him, he conveyed the matter to Dharma Master Mingyan. Yan, an authority on the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra, had long esteemed Nian's renown, and together with his disciples Honggai and others—more than three hundred people—he personally came to invite him to unfold and illuminate the Abhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra. Nian then spread his sky-reaching wings and established world-surpassing achievements. In every gesture responding to capacity, he unfolded charts and broadly commented; on the conglomerations of names and phonemes and the consciousness of layered conditions, spanning from remote antiquity to the present, and from beginning to end, his more than one thousand major topics all served as guidelines. As for the original text of Kātyāyana, errors in transmission had lasted for long; in the chapter on karma (karmagandha), four sheets of paper were missing. Various masters in their expositions had never noticed the difference. Nian deduced from what came before and after, intuitively bridging the text; the rational coherence and textual joins all matched the original composition. At first, people did not realize this. Later, when a manuscript from Jiangzuo arrived and its remaining traces were compared, it showed not the slightest addition or subtraction compared to what Nian had supplied. People at the time regarded him as an unfathomable man. He composed a commentary and a broad compendium on Kātyāyana's Samyuktābhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra, each in nine fascicles, which circulated widely in the world. Those who received instruction from him numbered several hundred, such as Honggai of Jijun, Fayi of Zhaojun, Huaizheng of Zhangbin, Daoshen of Xiangguo, Huixiu of Weijun, Yuancan of Hejian, Shanzhu of Junyi, Huining of Runan, Daozhao of Gaocheng, Mingru of Luoshou, Yuanchang of Haidai, and Huicang of Shanggu. They blossomed together like orchids and chrysanthemums, treading in his footsteps to transmit his legacy. The region between the passes and the river was enriched and harmonized for more than twenty years. When King Liang of Han of the Sui dynasty was appointed governor of Jinyang, he announced administrative orders across Wei and Ji, searching out and selecting men of renowned virtue to assist in propagating the Dharma. Nian and more than four hundred disciples respectfully turned west toward Bingzhou to receive the king's offerings. Liang then built a secondary walled enclosure inside the palace grounds, erected a sacred pagoda, and constructed a separate monastery named the Neicheng Temple, inviting Nian to reside there; this was Kaiyi Temple. His solicitous inquiries were profound and frequent, and he extended extraordinary etiquette. He also ordered the Junior Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and Consultant Adjutant Wang Po to proclaim a decree, saying: 'We are both a son of the Emperor and the father of the people, governing this frontier domain. We have invited the Dharma Master and others to grace us with their presence from afar. The Way does not move in vain; it must rely on people for its propagation. We wish precisely to expound the Buddhist teachings so that the sun of wisdom may shine clearly and the countless multitudes may benefit from the power of the Dharma. A senior of superior enterprise should be chosen to proclaim the true Dharma at Daxingguo Temple.' Thereupon the assembly unanimously nominated Nian. Having taken part in these grand plans, he then broadly promulgated instructions: first raising the Great Treatise (Dazhidulun) and finally expounding the Hīnayāna. His eloquence flowed like a rushing torrent, and his voice resonated like a heavenly drum. The three vehicles galloped together, and the fourfold assembly filled the hall to overflowing. Among those who became famous were Huidan, Fajing, Faleng, Shili, Yuanjing, Fada, Zhiqi, Sengbiao, Sengcang, Jingguan, Baochao, Shensu, Daojie, and others—more than five hundred people in all. They made their names known across the nine regions and galloped in virtue across the five vehicles, thoroughly exhausting the internal and external and transforming their respective regions. They dissolved pettiness and jealousy within the lecture mats, and cut off dogmatic doubts at the limits of principle. In the second year of the Renshou reign era, Empress Xian passed away, and an imperial edict summoned the king to enter the court to assist. The king then gathered the monks and said: 'We now require one Dharma Master of the highest caliber of spiritual comprehension to accompany us into the court, in order to engage in debate in the capital and transmit our reputation among both clergy and laity.' The assembly all looked at one another, and none answered. The king said: 'As we see it now, Dharma Master Nian is fit for this choice.' So he traveled together with him. After arriving in the capital, they began lecturing at the Chanlin Temple, and the king personally acted as dānapati, providing for the Dharma offerings. Nian mounted the seat and roared like a lion; the four kinds of replies melted away all doubts like ice. His serene discourse slowly unfolded, and the hosts of uncertainties were imperceptibly dispersed. Because of this, his followers who admired his righteousness numbered in the thousands, filling the hall, so that this cave of doctrine and basket of scriptures shared the same path across the nine thoroughfares. For more than a hundred days, he grandly revealed what had never been heard before. The king then returned together with Nian to Bingzhou, where the scholarly assembly of Jinyang waited with longing for his arrival. The king again issued an order for him to teach at Baoji Temple. Across a thousand li in every direction, other lecture seats fell silent, and holding their texts and accepting his teachings, people hastened to the ranks of his steps. It coincided with the demise of Sui Gaozu [Emperor Wen]. The court and the provinces became mutually suspicious; the King of Han deployed forces along the borders and waged rebellion by sea and land. Taking advantage of the turmoil, Nian returned to his hometown and, together with Śramaṇa Mingkong and others, lectured on and promulgated the two treatises. Those who wished to inherit his legacy from the shores of the ocean flocked to him upon hearing the news. At the beginning of the Daye reign era, once the pestilential aura was purged, doctrinal scholars were summoned to fill the Huidi [Monastery]. Repeated edicts came to summon him, but he repeatedly declined and did not go. In the fourth year of the Daye reign era, he died in the region of Cangzhou at the age of seventy-four. The grand protector of Bohai, Grand Master of the Jinzi Imperial Feast, and Duke of Liyang, Song Yuanliang, along with various monastics and laypeople, mourned him as if they had lost a parent and built a stupa for him. Dharma Master Daoji of Fucheng Temple in Yizhou had an all-penetrating understanding and was an heir to his lineage; he therefore composed an account of his conduct, citing the past and present, preserving both its literary embellishment and substantial reality.

11.16

Śramaṇa Zhiju. His secular surname was Wu, and he was a native of Wujun. By nature he was solemn and reserved, adept at seizing opportunities, and possessed a handsome appearance, serving as an exemplar for the assembly. Furthermore, he was skilled in cursive and clerical scripts and especially fond of literature. Whenever he encountered renowned guests, he would compose verses and weave together refined prose; his expressions spread like horizontal brocade, and his vigorous thoughts fell like frost. Yet his monastic decorum and observance of the rules did not drift with the common crowd. At first, he listened to Master Lang of Xinghuang Temple lecture; he thoroughly explored the deep import and his learning surpassed the heroes of his time. His spiritual aura was lofty and prominent, standing out among others like a towering peak. His comportment was dignified and leisurely, his demeanor stately and upright. Even when resting in quiet solitude, he maintained his conduct without compromise. Someone secretly watched him during two months of traveling on foot; through desolate wilds, he gathered his robes and was never seen to turn back or wander off. Delighting in his scrupulousness, I record it here again. When lecturing on the Four Treatises and the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he thoroughly illuminated the hidden treasury and clearly discerned the central tenets. When he expounded them in Jinling, others lost their courage upon hearing of his reputation. His responsive eloquence was perfectly suited to the occasion. He became a great teacher east of the Zhejiang River, polishing previous generations of scholars, so that from the Cave of Yu they galloped westward, turning into accomplished vessels in great numbers. Later, at the Jianchu Temple in the old capital, he again lectured on the Three Treatises, with an audience that constantly numbered a hundred. The regional inspector of Jiangzhou, Duke of Wushan, Guo Yan, an able administrator of the Sui, when first taking office in the southern frontier, respectfully visited him, lowering his status to submit to the monastic rules. When Emperor Yang of Sui went to govern Yangyue, he selected outstanding talents. Since Ju's renown had pervaded Dong'ou and spread to Western Chu, he was summoned to reside at Huidi [Monastery] and treated as an exceptional figure. Upholding his resolve, he stood out from the crowd, and his words served as a model for the world; it was intended that his Way should expand in the imperial city and his learning enrich the Qin region. In the nineteenth year of the Kaihuang reign era, he was transferred to the region of Guanzhong and imperially commanded to reside at Riyan Temple in the capital. His provisions were supplied by the Prince of Jin; solicitous inquiries were abundant, and he was settled in magnificent quarters. He was matched with brilliant virtues—the outstanding figures of the time—all of whom had been scouted from across the realm. Ju stood out uniquely with fresh elegance, not mixing casually with the throng. He meditated deeply and searched the arcane, leaving no subtlety unexamined. Externally he pleaded illness, but internally he achieved extensive mastery. Striving in his vocation through the six periods of the day, he scrutinized the nine divisions of the canon. As soon as he felt dull, he would find inspiration in composing poetry. Whenever he had a brief moment of leisure, he perused historical and philosophical summaries. He composed a commentary on the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, explaining only the verses; he disdained and discarded the explications of Qingmu (Piṅgala). Whenever he lectured and discoursed, he clearly sketched out the principal tenets, gracefully exhibiting the style of Tanying; in the depth of doctrine and sharpness of prose, he possessed the capacity of Hongyan. At that time, there was a fellow disciple, Śramaṇa Jizang, whose learning originated likewise from Xinghuang [Temple]. His prestige matched Ju's, and his literary talent was boundless. Yet Ju actually surpassed him. Thus, whenever he lectured, he composed a new preface for each section, the phrasing differing every time. Eminent figures of the capital who partook of his teaching and tasted the Way were numerous. Yet he rarely associated intimately with outsiders; he applied his efforts to displaying his prose. Unless there was a formal gathering, people never saw his face. In the first month of the second year of the Daye reign era, he died in his monastic quarters at the age of seventy-two, and was buried south of the capital's suburbs. His disciples Huigan and Huize personally received his fine teachings, and when inquiring about difficulties, they found conclusive resolutions. Later, they propagated the transformation across both sides of the river, each leading an assembly of disciples numbering more than a hundred, transmitting and continuing the ancestral achievements without failing his legacy.

11.17

Śramaṇa Huihai had the secular surname Zhang and was a native of Yuxiang in Hedong. Having long accumulated the perfuming of what he had heard, he developed the power of wisdom early on. While still in his boyhood, his virtue resembled that of an elder; hence he dipped into Confucian teachings and explored the profound philosophical schools. Although he had not yet exhausted their chapters and verses, he grasped their general import, and thereupon said, "What can truly settle the mind and nourish the aspiration is only the Buddha-Dharma!" When he reached the age of fourteen, he had his hair shaved, donned the dyed robes, and became a disciple of the śramaṇa Master of the Dharma Tanyan, Great Controller of the Clergy. He directed his mind to ancestral masters and observed the transformative teachings of various teachers. At eighteen he was already lecturing on the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra; as for the Five Practices, the Ten Virtues, the Two Purities, and the Three Dots, he penetrated the meaning of the text and his eloquence was richly abundant. After receiving the full precepts, he became increasingly weary of clamor and vexation, withdrew his traces to mountains and forests, and exclusively venerated the practice of dhyāna. He resided at Mount Fudu in Hongnong. It coincided with the Zhou Emperor Wu's reckless violence, when the benevolent shrines were demolished. He thus hid himself to escape disaster, fleeing to Qi and entering Chen; his precept quality was never impaired, nor did he cast aside his Dharma robes. He also attended lectures on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha and thoroughly investigated its ultimate purports. When the Great Sui governed the realm, he then arrived in the capital. The Emperor's elder sister, Eldest Princess Chengan, had discernment of character; revering his virtuous reputation, she established a monastery for him, which he accepted and resided in—this is the present Jingfa Monastery. He assigned duties according to the four divisions of teachings and broadly promoted the three trainings; his disciples were numerous and their renown continues to this day. In his later years, he treasured the practice of concentration and disliked lecturing, maintaining silence in self-cultivation and attending solely to the Way; he did not rely on his fame or add embellishments through speech: the straightforward mind as the bodhimanda was embodied in this man! Prior to the Renshou era, Emperor Wen frequently issued imperial decrees distributing relics, and abnormal auspicious signs were regularly evoked, with praise continuously extended to him. Thus the Gan'ying zhuan states: Earlier, Hai built a pagoda at Hengyue Monastery in Dingzhou. To the left of the pagoda's foundation was a deep pool named Dragon Abyss; its water did not flow, remaining still and deep beside a steep bank. When [the relics] were about to be enshrined, it raised billows, bubbling and surging, flowing out across rivers and land. The village elders said that this water was unpredictable in flowing or drying up, but whenever a good deed concurred, it would surely flow forth and gush; such were the evoked responses. Later, he also escorted relics to Shishan Monastery in Xiongzhou. There was a person crippled and afflicted with a chronic disease for several decades; hearing that the relics had just arrived, he was carried over to pay homage and repent. His mind being deeply sincere, he suddenly recovered, returning home nimble and healthy. They had long suffered an extreme drought, with blowing dust filling the sky; this also evoked sweet rains, making the earth glistening as if coated with oil. The sun shone bright and the sky cleared, reviving tens of thousands. On the twenty-seventh day of the fifth month of the second year of the Daye era, he passed away in his own monastery at the age of fifty-seven. When his illness became critical, he commanded his disciples, saying: "I have heard that upper beams and lower roofs are the petty confines of living mortals, and outer and inner coffins are the entanglements of the world; they encumber the physical frame with shackles and hinder living beings with great affliction. How could one make courteous gestures toward noisy dust, or divine a grave site to be buried in burdensome ornamentation? One should honor a simple burial, following the former dust and bequeathing it to those of like kind." The disciples revered his virtuous exemplar, gathered his bones, and built a pagoda on a peak of Mount Zhongnan, which is the ridge in front of Zhixiang Monastery; they inscribed a stone to set up an epitaph at the pagoda site. Ever since Hai established the monastery, his concern was to protect and maintain it, diligently gathering the saṅgha community and welcoming guests; in lean years he rescued the needy, spreading his fame throughout the capital.

11.18

Śramaṇa Bianyi had the secular surname Ma and was a native of Qinghe in Beizhou. In his youth he left home; calm and quiet, he had few worldly affairs, possessing an expansive and generous aspiration, and was good at associating with others, becoming ever more earnestly respectful over time. His speech was devoid of sudden anger, vast with far-reaching tolerance. Initially he took refuge with the treatise master You, studying the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya-śāstra and penetrating its text and meaning. When he had just reached capping age, he took up lecturing; relying on the Dharma to transmit the Way, difficult questions arose in abundance, yet he analyzed them according to the queries without omitting a single thread. There was the śramaṇa Dansan, whose understanding surpassed ancient times and whose fame was heavy in that era; hearing that Yi was expounding the treatise, he came to challenge and debate him. Back and forth for ten rounds, [Dansan] had nothing further to offer. Yi said: "The force of the principle is not yet exhausted; why do you not debate it fully?" San said: "My challenging of people does not exceed ten questions. Now your answers are boundless in their momentum; what more could I say?" He immediately won astonishing praise across the two rivers and was regarded as foremost. At the end of the Northern Qi dynasty, the Northern Zhou destroyed the ford of the Way; he therefore traveled south to Jianye, where he transmitted and promoted the Hīnayāna treatises, his renown repeatedly rising and flourishing even more in the central lands. Sui Yangdi selected eminent and virtuous monks, ordering them to reside in Riyan Monastery; because Yi's scholarly achievements in doctrinal studies were manifest, he traveled to the capital region. People consulted Yi to resolve doubts, so that there was not a seat empty any day. Outstanding and virtuous figures of the capital such as Dangong, Daofu, Ze, and Jing all brought texts to consult and deliberate, exhausting their deep and hidden difficulties, yet none could exhaust what he held. Later, because the world encountered an enlightened era and the monastery had many elevated and prominent monks, five lectures were regularly held in one place, perpetually turning the Dharma wheel; Yi observed all of them in detail, finding the golden mean to promote the principles, while concealing his brightness and quieting his voice, never blaming former errors. Whenever someone's capacity failed or their exposition faltered, he would yield gracefully, gently withdrawing without displaying reprimand before others; hence the heroes respected his humble modesty, and his fragrant name spread even more than before. In the second year of the Renshou era, Prince Liang of Han under the Sui went from afar to welcome the Dharma Master Zhinian to the capital; the Prince wished to display his wisdom and skill, and thus established a Dharma assembly at Zhanlin Monastery, causing the elevated philosophers of the Three Commanderies to all suspend their lectures and study under him together. Yi took his seat in that hall to listen to his refined teachings; then, taking where his mind had stalled, he sealed and posed questions. For three consecutive days, [Zhinian] kept his words withheld and could not respond. Sitting upon his seat, Nian commanded, saying: "What you have just asked is indeed my own doubt as well; please take the lower seat so I may inquire of your thought in return." Yi had kept his countenance and virtue hidden, so that the world rarely revered him together, but when they saw his wisdom blossom beyond conception, the entire capital was awed in spirit and passed on the news; his appearances and concealments were all of this sort. When Emperor Yang was formerly in the Eastern Palace and Empress Xian passed away, he summoned over forty bhadantas of Riyan Monastery, all ancestral masters from the four seas and preeminent talents of the time; when Yi expounded the profound principles, he fully satisfied the imperial mind. Śramaṇa Daoyue was dedicated to the Abhidharmakośa, but without oral transmission from a master, he had nowhere to turn for understanding; whenever he had doubtful points, he brought them to have them resolved. Yue often sighed, saying: "In my broad propagation of the Abhidharma, if not for Yi, who could hold up its main cord?" Thus his extensive learning was praised by the heroic and eminent. At that time there were over thirty śramaṇas including Zhiju, Jizang, and Huicheng, all respected by Emperor Yang and dwelling together at Riyan; they requested Yi to explain the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya. Reflecting on not contending, he took the original seat. Facing the former masters, he did not dwell on textual commentary, but lifted the main guidelines to reveal the subtle essence, discoursing on the profound culmination without noticing the passage of time; he was esteemed by the worthy of the time to this extent. In the second year of the Daye era, he fell ill and died in his dwelling monastery at the age of sixty-six; he was buried south of the capital suburbs. Zheng Ting, Secretariat Drafter of the Eastern Palace, composed an inscription and eulogy for him. Earlier, in the second year of the Renshou era, Yi received an imperial decree to escort relics to Baorong Monastery in his native prefecture; upon arriving at the prefectural seat, they suddenly radiated light. The monastery monk Zhiyao already possessed nine relics; about to enter the bodhimanda, when they were counted, twelve more were gained, and they again emitted light. Depending on the mental conditions of people, their colors differed: blue, red, purple, and white were seen simultaneously with variation, or Buddha images and monk forms emerged layer upon layer; light was emitted several times a day. On the evening when they were about to be placed in the pagoda, a yellow and purple vapor arose from the foundation, four feet above the ground; during the night after it was leveled, great light was emitted once again, reaching up to the Milky Way and spreading down through the towns and cities. The entire prefecture bowed in homage, rejoicing in the auspicious omen. In the late spring of the fourth year, he also received an imperial decree to erect a pagoda at Liangjing Monastery on Dushan in Luzhou. Initially, when inspecting and establishing the ground with officials, as they reached this mountain, a large deer suddenly ran down from the mountain to welcome Yi, bounding back and forth with no fear at all. The place was high and open, but they lamented that water was scarce and difficult for the monks to draw. Originally there was a spring, which Dhyāna Master Sengcan had asked for by burning incense, whereupon it had gushed forth; after Can's death, the spring had been dried up for years. When they were preparing the installation, within a single night the parched spring gushed forth again, and monastics and laypeople rejoiced. When they erected the mast and raised the foundation, great light was emitted several times like fire and lightning, circling the bodhimanda and illuminating the city walls, which officials and citizens saw together, sighing in unison at such rarity.

11.19

Śramaṇa Mingshun had the surname Zhang and was a native of Qingzhou. In his youth he followed the Buddhist fold, comprehensively studying sūtras and treatises. He was particularly famous for the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, reciting in sequence over sixty fascicles of the text. Having a clear grasp of its great tenets, his reputation spread to the seacoast; his understanding and wisdom were connected like rings, and the world acclaimed him as a hero. Encountering the suppression of the Dharma, he cast himself southward and reached Jianye, residing without fixed abode and circulating among lecture seats. Later he crossed north of the river and stayed at Anle Monastery, where he occasionally expounded the storehouse of treatises and spoke freely on the king of sūtras; both the Great and Small Vehicles took him as a standard, and he was abundantly appreciated by the talents of the day. At that time, the śramaṇa Huicheng had eloquence that could contend with the Huai and Yang regions, his doctrinal summaries being methodical; he followed Shun to receive instruction on the Dazhidulun and settle its main tenets. Thus he propagated the Way for many years, his aspiration settled. Before long, he saw in a night dream the underworld officials questioning and holding him to account for his meritorious deeds. Shun replied: "I lectured on the Dazhidulun and recited over sixty fascicles of the original text." The underworld official said: "Lecturing and explaining is vain and empty; reciting sūtras is real. Your remaining lifespan is not yet exhausted; for now I release you to return." When he awoke, he stopped debate and lecture, exclusively attending to his personal practice. Later he was summoned by the Prince of Jin to enter the capital and reside at Riyan Monastery; his task of transmitting the lamp having ceased, he remained impoverished in his mind, only occasionally discoursing on profound principles to thoroughly overwhelm all evaluations. In the fourth year of Renshou, an imperial decree was issued to build a pagoda, ordering him to escort relics to Futian Monastery in Qizhou. The monastery was three li north of the prefecture on Guchui Mountain; whenever rain fell in darkness, the sounds of drums and horns would increase, hence its name. Bamboo groves were thick and secluded, with peaks layered in multiples; there was only one road that barely accommodated a cart. The monastery was situated in the deep forest, extremely peaceful and level; it was established by Emperor Gao of the Southern Qi. Three compounds adjoined one another, and the separate compound at the very summit was called the Dhyāna Dwelling, established by the śramaṇa Fajin of Zhaozhou; looking downward, one gazed upon clouds and mist, and at dawn and dusk one could see above the horizontal clouds an immortal monastery, which was so every day—truly an exceedingly rare and superior place! Shun surveyed the contours of the mountain, and found only this site to be exquisite; he therefore enshrined the spiritual pagoda within the secondary compound. Digging down three feet into the foundation, they found a small snake, over a foot long and adorned with the five colors. He then prayed: "If you are an auspicious sign, you may rest in the incense box." Following his words, it immediately entered; sent away, it returned again, and after staying three days, its whereabouts were lost. Going another zhang deeper, they obtained a square stone, ten feet wide, with five colors like brocade, its edges upright and square as if fashioned by man. Thereupon they placed the stone reliquary upon it and constructed the pagoda. In the second year of the Daye era, he passed away in the capital monastery at the age of sixty. His disciple Huixiang had a well-grounded reputation for wisdom, reverently continuing his heritage and spreading his fame throughout Jiangdu.

11.20

Śramaṇa Zhifan had the secular surname Feng and was a native of Tiao in Bohai. Later, because his grandfather was invested with an official tally of office, he came to reside in Liangxiang of Zhuo Commandery. Extraordinary from childhood, he showed exceptional talent and early on awakened in faith and converted. At the age of twelve he arrived in Hejian Commandery, where he met Dhyāna Master Lingjian, from whom he requested tonsure. Thereupon he traveled to study in the capital of Ye, receiving the transmissions of the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra, the Daśabhūmika, and other texts. He both tasted their profound purports and cultivated his true nature; his brilliant fame spread far and wide, and his fellow students turned to him as a master. At twenty-three, he personally acted as a guide and teacher. Later, bearing his monk's staff across the Xiao and Han gorges, he broadly transformed the metropolitan region. Over twenty-four years, his benefits to others were immensely plentiful; the Dharma assemblies he gathered were spread like stars across the imperial capital. In the sixteenth year of the Kaihuang era, the two prominent lands of Tianshui and Fufeng, hearing of Zhifan's religious practice, vied to submit memorials requesting him, and an imperial decree granted their request. Zhifan, letting the empty boat drift with the wind, rested his wings in Tianshui; his propagation of the Way was grand, and the faithful bowed like grass before the wind. In the final years of the Renshou era, he returned again to the imperial palaces of Wei, where he turned the Dharma wheel anew, and students followed like clouds. Unrolling scrolls and explicating texts, he always transmitted their inner doctrinal purports. In the final month of spring that year, he was decreed by the emperor to establish a pagoda at Baoxiang Temple in Yingzhou. Thereupon, in the flowing waters east of the pagoda, eight hairy turtles were found; inside the temple, in the pool east of the foundations, another eight were found. All were similar in size and no different from ordinary turtles, but their fur was green-blue and about three inches long. Across their backs rose five ridges; their luminescent appearance was extraordinary. When taken out of water the hair lay flat and only the green shells were visible; when placed in water the hair rose, distinctly standing upright. A full account of this was reported to the emperor. Because of this, his fame flourished in the capital of Chu and his reputation was known at the imperial palace. In the fifth year of the Daye era, he again answered an imperial decree ordering him to reside at Chanding Temple. Silencing external conditions and gathering his thoughts, he never slacked through heat or cold. On the fourth day of the second month in the ninth year, he passed away in his temple chamber at seventy-five years of age. By his testamentary instructions he gave away his body; his disciples carried out his will and brought him to Mount Zhongnan, gathering his remaining bones and sealing them inside a pagoda, on the outside of which an inscription was engraved. Even today it is honored and preserved.

11.21

Śramaṇa Jingyuan had the secular surname Zhao and was a native of Wugong in Jingzhao. His family had enjoyed flourishing glory for generations, with officials continuously succeeding one another. Disdaining such transient falsehood, he aspired to pure simplicity. At thirteen he went forth from home; his religious practice was broad and prominent, his meditation and wisdom profound. When Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou suppressed the Dharma, his adherence to the precepts remained intact. Lamenting that the sun of the Buddha had set, and seeking to emulate the ancient zeal of gouging out one's eyes, he cut out his own eyes to make an offering, thereby symbolizing the brilliance of the lamp of wisdom. His deep sincerity resonated with the unseen realm, and his wish was fulfilled. When Emperor Wen of the Sui reestablished the true Dharma, he re-entered the monastic ranks. His intellectual achievements were towering, and his retentive capacity was unmatched. From the Avataṃsaka, the Bodhisattvabhūmi, the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, to the Daśabhūmika, he never forgot anything after hearing it once, and could lecture upon it as soon as it met his ear. Having resolved all doubts, he was universally admired by his contemporaries. In walking he always looked straight ahead; in movement and stillness he was ever serene. In dwelling he reposed in dhyāna, anchoring himself in śamatha and vipaśyanā. Throughout his life, from beginning to end, he kept to a single bowl and patch-robed garments; whether sitting continuously or dwelling in the mountains, he only stopped when his physical strength gave out. Wherever there was a cause for suspicion or scandal, he drew back his feet and did not go; he never once visited nunneries or marketplaces. This conduct truly moved later generations and brought rigorous purity to the final age of the Dharma. Moreover, notions of right and wrong, strengths and weaknesses, rarely entered his mind. Providing for the monastic assembly, he took the lead in exemplifying standards. Hearing that Master Lingyu held unparalleled sway in the east, he went to consult him. Living in the Dharma hall through many months, wearing coarse and simple clothes, and sitting at the back row toward sunset, his eyes did not peruse texts nor did his mouth speak of doctrine. The disciples regarded him as an ignorant fellow and at first did not treat him as an equal. From his seat, Yu observed him several times and marveled at his caliber, but did not yet fully know his wisdom. He then summoned him into his private room to discuss profound principles. Jingyuan's spirit struck like thunder and his thoughts moved like a sharp blade. His replies were like echoes, and his body and mind like iron and stone. Yu greatly praised him, regarding him as one of his own kind. He thus forbade him to stay in the communal hall and invited him to dwell together in his private quarters, discussing the Way and discoursing on doctrine through whole days and nights. The two were thoroughly aligned in spirit, pouring out profound depths. Jingyuan said, 'Principles emerge unexpectedly and course through the spirit; I have broadly surveyed prominent gatherings, but found none worthy of being my master.' He then returned to Yu's place and fully explained his nature and aspirations. Later he cultivated his practice in the Guanzhong region, retreating into the seclusion of Mount Zhongnan, establishing a monastery, gathering disciples, and apportioning periods for spiritual practice. Eminent figures from the Three Capital Districts flocked to him; this is today's Zhixiang Temple. Later, when Yu was summoned to court by imperial decree, whenever he had leisure he went straight to Jingyuan's temple, where they took immense joy together as the shadows lengthened and shifted repeatedly. Furthermore, using donations from the emperor's faithful patronage, they relocated the mountain path. The original dwelling was cramped and near river valleys; intending to accommodate large assemblies of Dharma practitioners, it could not endure for long. Yu divined a site on the southwest hillside, declaring it an auspicious ground where not only would the mountain assembly continue unbroken, but provisions would also remain unfailing. Jingyuan followed his advice, which is the foundation of the current temple. From then until now, over fifty years, even in years of famine, the temple's provisions have never failed; just as Yu indicated, this was indeed his prescient foresight. Due to illness, Jingyuan died in his private room at Zhixiang at the age of sixty-eight, on the eighth day of the fourth month of the seventh year of the Daye era. Originally, Jingyuan kept a clay bowl, carrying it with him wherever he went from the time he received it to the end, never having it washed by others. Ten days before his death, it broke into five pieces. Holding it, he sighed and said, 'This bowl is my life; the conditions for my life have expired, and the five skandhas are dispersing.' He subsequently fell ill; this was the early manifestation of the sign of extinction, which later came to pass. When he was just about to abandon his life, a bell cracked and turned hoarse without reason; after three years, it returned to its original state. These were all auspicious omens manifested by his virtue moving both the unseen and visible realms, and were generally of this sort. His disciple Falin, having long respected his legacy and revered his fine tradition, built a pagoda for the Buddha's relics at the site where his remains were scattered, in order to assist his spiritual virtue, and erected an inscription to commemorate him.

11.22

Śramaṇa Daozong had the secular surname Sun and was a native of Jimo in Laizhou. In his youth, he followed Master Daozhuang of Daozang Temple in Qingzhou, mastering both sūtras and śāstras. Zhuang possessed illuminating intelligence and discerning wisdom; his standing soared like rivers and seas, and his fame spread throughout the north and south. He established the doctrines of the four kinds of ālayavijñāna, the nature of understanding perfumed by hearing, the fruit of Buddhahood, and so on, as detailed in his separate biography. Zong received instruction in the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra, the Daśabhūmika, the Bodhisattvabhūmi, the Tattvasiddhi, and the Abhidharma, becoming vastly erudite in both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. Later, he resided at Youde Temple in his home prefecture; the temple had been established by Zong, and its rooms, halls, and gardens were completely dedicated to sūtras and śāstras. His fame was vast and powerful, revered by both monks and laity. When he lectured on the Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra, heavenly flowers rained down, swirling around the lecture hall and drifting through the doorways; without falling to the ground, they vanished after a long time. The entire assembly was astonished, marvelling at this rare auspicious sign. Although Zong witnessed it directly, he did not find it strange at all; he carried on his lecture as before and never spoke of it again later. At that time, everyone submitted to his profound tolerance. Later, he resided at Huiri Temple, where eminent talents congregated, and he was esteemed as the most erudite. He frequently lectured on the Tattvasiddhi, leading and training younger students. The counterfeit Zheng regime revered him with abundant rites and inquiries; Shangqing and the eastern territories also admired his virtuous simplicity. He was summoned to the Western Capital to reside at Shengguang Temple, and was further invited into the Hongyi Palace. At Dharma gatherings that lasted through the night, lords and ministers all listened in submissive reverence; he expounded new and unique insights, inspiring the minds of the age. From then on, he continued uninterrupted in his rounds of lecturing. Although he held no major office, scholars looked up to him. In the sixth year of the Wude era, he died at his residence at the age of sixty-one. The Princely Court of Qin issued an order granting two hundred bolts of cloth, and gathered his remains to bury them at the south cliff of Zhixiang Temple on Mount Zhongnan.

11.23

Śramaṇa Pukuang had the secular surname Fan and was a native of Mei in Fufeng. He went forth from home at seven years of age, relying on Dhyāna Master Yuan as a śrāmaṇera. Dwelling in the mountains and eating cedar cones for fifteen years, he recited sūtras and teachings day and night. Upon receiving full ordination, he engaged in dhūta practices, begging for food among humanity and sheltering in forests and charnel grounds for over twenty years. Resolute, strict, and peerless, his speech and debate were swift, standing alone with innate talents. Later, wandering through villages and gathering remaining texts, he passed by a lecture hall and listened to the doctrines being expounded. Though he had previously had no instruction, upon hearing them he took them as standard models. He then conceived them in his heart and advanced his arguments at the high seat; his words were novel and astonishing, hard to counter, and all sighed at his sharp brilliance, none daring to precede him. He frequently discussed the triratna with Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou, analyzing principles and opening the spirit, gaining renown in court protocols. When the Buddha-Dharma was flourishing, he did not labor over listening to expositions, but went to Fanchuan to dwell in quiet dhūta seclusion. Sleeping at night in a cold charnel grove, a man asked for his head; Kuang drew a knife and was about to cut his throat, but the beggar stopped him. The man then asked for his ear, and he cut off his ear and gave it to him. In the Jiande era, when the two teachings were about to be destroyed, the fivefold community in Guanzhong was disturbed and unsettled. When Kuang heard of this, he personally went to the imperial court to expound the ultimate principle at length, but his words were not accepted. He withdrew to his private practice. At this time, monasteries and pagodas were ruined and cast down, leaving no place to commit one's life. Going far away, one's strength was exhausted and travel difficult; staying nearby, one's mind was vulnerable and easily compromised. Therefore, relying on secular status, he navigated within it. Although Emperor Wu destroyed the two teachings, his mind favored Daoist practices; he thus established the Tongdao Academy with three hundred scholars, selecting outstanding and eminent talents from both the Buddhist and Daoist traditions to fill the posts. Kuang was thoroughly versed in doctrines and principles and was unanimously recommended by all, serving as Academy Director to evaluate contemporary talents, leading the scholars. Before long, the Academy was abolished, and the scholars were appointed to government posts according to their abilities. Kuang lacked the strength to plow fields and had no store of provisions, so he held an office and received a stipend, serving as an assistant official in Qishan. Holding to his old vows, he did not taint his feelings with dyed secular garments; wearing coarse felt robes with haughty dignity, he shaved his head but kept his beard while serving in office, wearing a gauze cap with strings tied beneath his chin, adopting this as his standard attire. When judging and settling matters, his brush decided things like flowing water; when tasks involved tangled affairs, he would say, 'I am originally a man of the Way and unfamiliar with the secular net.' The court and society of the Zhou state all entrusted themselves to his dignified bearing. Seeing Kuang's broad erudition, they let him handle worldly matters as he saw fit. When the Sui dynasty was about to rise, Bodhisattva-monks were instituted; dressed like court officials, they did not shave their heads, with an establishment of one hundred and twenty members, all gathered from the previous elites whose horns of the Dharma remained undefiled by worldly dust. Kuang, known for his insight and fame, was chosen as one among them. Soon, this too was abolished. When the Great Dharma flourished again, all returned to the monastic order, residing together at Xingshan Temple. Daring and nimble, he was the leader of the assembly. Emperor Wen of the Sui bestowed the bell of the Tongdao Academy upon the Xuandu Daoist Temple; the yellow-turbaned Daoists moved it together to their place. Kuang led his fellow monks straight there to contest it. Having established the principle equitably, he cut off his ear again. At the sight of this, the Daoists scattered in dismay. The bell was thus hung at the State Temple, its sound shaking a hundred li. When Emperor Gao of the Sui passed away, the Chanding Temple was grandly constructed, and Kuang was summoned to dwell there. In the late Daye era, he was appointed to monastic administrative office. When the Great Tang dynasty commenced its mandate, he received a separate imperial edict; his long-accumulated fragrant virtues were visible every day. In the third month of the third year of the Wude era, he died at Cimen Temple at the age of seventy-three. In his testamentary instructions, he abandoned his body on the mountain path, requiring no burial mound. His disciples collected his remaining bones and erected a pagoda at the peak of Longchi on Mount Zhongnan, setting up an inscription to praise his virtue, which remains extant today.

11.24

Shi Baogong, surnamed Cui, was a native of Qingzhou. During the Yongjia era of the Jin dynasty, [his family] moved south and settled in Jianye. His father, Chaodao, was the inspector of their native province. At the age of eleven, [Baogong] went to Dharmabhāṇaka Jiong, who, wishing to test his mental acuity, had him recite the Guanyin [sūtra]. Within a single hour during the first watch of the night, he was already ordained, having felt that what he heard was as if a month had passed. Thereupon he was ordained into the monastic life (pravrajyā). Around the time Jiong died, [Baogong] dreamed that two snakes came out from his master's feet and entered his own. Startled awake, he felt his mind become broad and elegant, and his bodily appearance grew calm and composed. He then went to Dharmabhāṇaka Che of Kaishan [Temple] to hear and study the Chengshi lun (Tattvasiddhi-śāstra). Its doctrinal commentary was written in extremely fine script, resembling fly heads; yet he took in eight sheets of paper at a time without missing a single word. Among the congregation of five hundred, none did not yield precedence to him. After receiving full ordination, he followed Dhyāna Master Huixiao to cultivate the practice of concentration. He clearly comprehended the practices of contemplation and repeatedly received certification. He also listened to the Chengshi lun, thinking he would gain further awakening, but when he investigated what he had understood, it turned into doubts and obstacles instead. Thereupon he questioned various lecturing masters, but none could resolve them. Meeting Venerable Song of Gaochang who was expounding the Bodhisattvabhūmi (Dichi) and the Daśabhūmika (Shidi), he followed him to study. Before a full year had passed, all the major doctrines became clear. Of his former doubts, half were eliminated. He then took the Bodhisattvabhūmi as his basis and lectured specifically on the Lotus Sūtra, drawing together the essential tenets and attaining its profound meaning. At the beginning of the Zhide era of the Chen dynasty, Huibu of Mount She, having newly returned from Ye in the north, wished to open a dhyāna community; he earnestly invited [Baogong] to help establish the pure assembly. Baogong respected Bu's reputation for wisdom and accepted the appointment, establishing the monastic leadership and guiding the followers of the Dhyāna tradition. Thus, the tradition of Qixia Temple did not decline and is still praised and chanted down to this day. Baogong also heard and studied the Three Treatises under Bu, coming to skillfully understand their profound discourse, whereupon all his previous doubts completely vanished. When Bu died, he entrusted his disciples to [Baogong]. Having received this transmission, [Baogong] led and instructed them as before. His moral conduct was so austere and dignified that all who saw him stood in awe. In regulating monastic affairs, his merit lay in defending the Dharma (hufa). In the final years of Renshou, the Empress Dowager died. The Emperor built a Buddhist monastery and needed someone to supervise it; everyone attested to his reputation and reality and presented a memorial to the throne. An imperial edict was issued summoning him to become the director of the Zhanding Bodhimanda. He rectified the monastic order, and his purity and solemnity were widely known. Down to the end of the Sui dynasty, he constantly held this post. Prince Jian of Qi under the Sui dynasty revered his morality and took him as his master with full etiquette. After receiving the precepts, the prince offered five hundred sets of robes; [Baogong] accepted none of them and had them distributed to others. When the Tang dynasty first arose, he set his heart on mountains and streams, retiring from office to Wuzhen Temple in Lantian, intending to dwell among the forested peaks to end his days. Yet his leadership and discipline of the assembly shone with renown in the imperial capital. In the second year of Wude, an imperial edict summoned him back to inspect and oversee affairs as before, and Zhanding [Temple] was renamed Da Zhuangyan [Temple]. When the Ten Virtuous Ones (shide) were appointed to oversee the monks and nuns, the monks of the capital, intimidated by his majestic severity, did not dare recommend him. When Gaozu heard of this, he said: 'Dhyāna Master Gong's integrity and conduct are pure and serene; he is fit to be the supreme overseer. We alone nominate him.' Once he assumed this office, none could rival him. He ranked above the bhadantas and was exclusively in charge of judicial verdicts; his impartiality and thoroughness left the assembly without grievance. On the nineteenth day of the twelfth month in the fourth year of Wude, he passed away at Da Zhuangyan Temple at the age of eighty. In his youth when he entered the path, his resolve and strength exceeded the ordinary; he was not swayed by profit nor shaken by power. Sincere, solemn, and resolute, he possessed great principles. Once, while walking in the mountains, a tiger lay crouching in the road ahead; he walked straight past its side without a backward glance. In the middle of the Daye era, Xiaogan rose in rebellion, and a rival monk claimed [Baogong] was in league with him. At that time, he was sitting on the high seat in the hall establishing doctrinal propositions. Palace guards suddenly arrived and surrounded the steps and courtyard. The entire assembly was panic-stricken and on the verge of scattering from the session. Baogong said: 'I examine myself and find no guilt. Wait until the debate on doctrine is finished, and I will clarify it myself.' He continued the discussion with calm composure, showing not the slightest change in expression. Instances like this were numerous; here only one or two are briefly recorded. For this reason, his reputation was honored by the emperors of three dynasties: Chen, Sui, and Tang. He was buried in the southwest of the capital's suburbs. The inscription on his stele was composed by Xiao Deyan, Director of the Palace Library under the Tang.

First 24 of 28 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

續高僧傳 — 道宣, Classical Chinese