續高僧傳 12.30

12.30

Śramaṇa Huijue, whose secular surname was Fan, was a native of Qi. His expansive capacity and penetrating discernment were rarely matched by his peers. Moreover, his personal deportment was preeminent and lofty; his brows and eyes had the brilliance of peaks; his robes were fresh and clean; he was seven feet tall; and his demeanor was warm, generous, relaxed, and harmonious—resonant and stately. When he walked along the road, none failed to stop their steps, greet him with their gaze, and watch him as he passed. Such was the way his deportment moved people. He was thoroughly versed in the Avataṃsaka and the Daśabhūmika; his lecture series followed one after another, setting a standard for Qi and Mount Tai. His glorious renown became known far and wide, and his disciples formed a veritable tradition. When the great Sui received the abdication and caused the Semblance Dharma to flourish, Emperor Wen—having in the Northern Zhou held supreme military command and personally walked the sword’s edge—had once suffered a military setback and fled for safety to the southern marsh of Bingzhou. Later, during the days of his soaring dragon [ascent to the throne], he recalled that old land; in the first year of Kaihuang, he established Wude Monastery on that place of former anxiety. The ground had been muddy and wet, so it was completely paved with stone; only then was the foundation raised throughout the entire monastery precinct. Its surrounding walls numbered in the thousands of cubits, and the galleries and halls were in nine tiers; numinous pagodas spread like clouds, and magnificent pavilions were scattered like stars. Because of Jue's renown for understanding, he was summoned to reside there. When he extensively expounded the Dharma gates, he mostly took the Avataṃsaka as foremost. When disciples received comprehension or requested further instruction, his overarching principles followed the Four Tenets. Later, he was invited to Gaoyang to serve as an authoritative lecturer. The audience numbered more than a thousand, filling the halls to overflowing, yet newcomers arrived continuously. He then suspended his lectures, intending to wait until a larger hall was available before continuing his guidance. Thereupon, a donor immediately built a thousand-person lecture hall for him, completing the structure in a brief moment—finished before a month had passed. When he ascended the Dharma seat, the audience was led in to capacity. Jue's majestic bearing was grand and refined, his appearance seemingly divine. His discourse rose and fell with poise; he brought forth profound subtleties and explained them with calm, thorough mastery, leaving the listeners awestruck and reverent. He was truly a generous measure of expansive doctrine! He authored commentaries on the Avataṃsaka, the Daśabhūmika, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, and other texts, together with thirteen fascicles of thematic essays. Their language and substance were expansive and stately, with well-ordered structure and concise synthesis. The illustrious and virtuous monks of Qi and Wei all chanted and practiced them. In the third year of Wude, it happened that the Xianyun invaded southward. Jue had a slight illness, and he announced to his disciples: "I shall depart." His attendants said, "Now the bandits are approaching the city, and the roads are blocked; where will you go?" He answered, "The path of life and death is long; departure or staying knows no fixed day. Tomorrow I shall part from you." He then ordered that his personal resources be used to provide a meal for the monastic assembly, and bade farewell to everyone. Throughout the night he remained in right mindfulness, his spiritual essence tranquil and clear. Just as the morning light appeared, he suddenly passed away, at eighty-nine years of age. From the beginning, Jue's nature of insightful understanding had long been harbored in his breast. In his meritorious deeds that gathered living beings, those who rejoiced were numerous. Whenever there were construction works, he personally assisted in their cultivation and repair; thus the monastery's foundations were all due to his encouragement. Furthermore, having heard that planting orchards and donating them was a meritorious deed for rebirth in the Pure Land, he did not consider a thousand li too far and fetched jujubes from Qingzhou, planting them at Kaiyi Monastery in Bingzhou. Arranged in rows of a thousand trees, they provided offerings to the five groups [of monastics]. Day by day they showed luxuriant beauty—how magnificent was this enterprise! At that time there were two monks in the monastery both named Zhida, who were disciples of Master Huiyuan and well versed in contemporary studies. In the beginning of Wude they displayed their excellence in the capital. There was also Minggan, who was close to their rank. Together they transmitted the lamp, their fragrant memory never ending.