續高僧傳 12.28

12.28

Śramaṇa Baoxi was a native of Beizhou. He was a disciple of Dharmabhāṇaka Sengxiu, a Master of the Tripiṭaka from Yongzhou. Xiu was intelligent, clear-sighted, and spiritually transcendent; toward the end of Qi, his reputation spread far across the eastern land. When the Zhou pacified Qi, he lived in reclusion in his home prefecture. When Tianyuan ascended the throne, he newly revived the Buddhadharma; Xiu initially answered the imperial summons as a bodhisattva-monk, residing at Zhihu together with Zun, Yuan, and others. In the seventh year of Kaihuang, he was summoned into the imperial capital to reside at Xingshan Temple. At eighteen, Xi took refuge and made reciting sūtras his vocation. Later, when listening to sūtras and treatises, he took the Da zhidu lun as his primary focus; his reputation spread through Guandong, matching the prominent figures of the time. Following Xiu into the capital, he took instructing and exhorting as his duty. In the sixteenth year of Kaihuang, an imperial edict appointed him head of the Da zhidu lun congregation, lecturing and converting through the four seasons at Tongfa Temple, where people gathered from afar. When stūpas were built during the Renshou era, an imperial edict also ordered him to escort relics to Songyue Temple in Songzhou. Initially, dark clouds and fog gathered for seven days in murkiness; Xi then held up an incense burner and made a vow, wishing that when the time was reached to enshrine the relics, the sunlight might be seen. Presently, when the appointed time arrived, the sky opened with brilliant light, and the sun stood at high noon. His aspiration having been fulfilled, they proceeded with the enshrinement. Later, he also escorted relics to Fan'ai Temple in Xingzhou; suddenly, above the reliquary, images of various buddhas and bodhisattvas appeared along with rays of light, filling all four directions beyond description. Only after two days did the light begin to fade, yet the images remained visible. When the moment of enshrinement arrived, a reclining image was seen, with red light leaping up. Rejoicing in this resonance, Xi had it painted and worshipped. When Emperor Wen passed away and the Da Chanding [Temple] was established, Xi was summoned and supported there on account of his widespread renown. Toward the end of the Wude era, he passed away at his resident temple at the age of eighty. He had disciples named Tangong and Minghong, both skilled in the Da zhidu lun. Gong had been quick-witted and eloquent from his youth, famous for his doctrinal insights, and repeatedly lectured on sūtras and treatises to the acclaim of the capital. In defending the Dharma and assisting the saṅgha, he closely preserved the sacred words. In the early years of Zhenguan, an imperial summons appointed him prior of Jifa Temple, superintending monastic affairs and passing down his fragrant legacy. Later he was summoned into Hongfu Temple and also ordered to oversee the duties of Puguang Temple; because his virtue was required by the times, his postings alternated without fixed term, and he died at his post. Hong also inherited his master's legacy through his distinguished reputation at that time, and was summoned into Puguang Temple; while periodically propagating the Dharma, he specialized in providing bath offerings, washing the monks twice a month, following in the footsteps of Master Dao'an and turning his mind toward Maitreya.