續高僧傳 22.13

22.13

Śramaṇa Huijin's secular surname was Wu, and he was a native of Jiangdu in Yangzhou. When his mother was pregnant with him, she at once shed all sensual desires; pungent and foul mundane tastes she looked upon with total indifference. Those who understood thought this was brought about by the child, just as with Śāriputra. When he reached seven years of age, his heart yearned for the monastic order; seeing a śramaṇa on the road, he followed after him and forgot to return home. His parents rejoiced in his faith, and thus permitted him to rely on Dharmabhāṇaka Rong to enter the monastic life. His filial respect and carefulness were natural, not needing his master's admonitions; following him in attendance and veneration, he never once transgressed. Whenever he traveled with Rong to various monasteries, he never dared wander off; he would spread a mat on the ground beneath Rong's bed and lie prostrate there. Instances like this were more than one. Listening to Rong expound the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, his great awakening surpassed his peers of that time. When he took his turn to lecture on it, those who sighed in admiration were numerous; his conversation was refined and elegant, wonderfully attuned to the dispositions of others. During the Renshou reign period, he was summoned alongside Rong to enter the Chanding Monastery. After receiving the full precepts, he devoted himself solely to the Vinaya rituals. He listened to Vinayadhara Zun lecture on it a total of twenty times; he also listened to Vinayadhara Shou a comparable number of times. Humble and yielding by nature, when he established a thesis he would not dispute; he only set forth the Vinaya aspects when expounding the Mahāyānasaṃgraha. At the time, he was regarded as someone who relied on the Mahāyāna to propagate behavioral standards. Toward the end of the Daye reign era, there were many alarms along the suburban fortifications. The community of Chanding unanimously deferred to Jin as someone capable of resisting enemies. Thereupon, people and livestock from various quarters were assembled together at the single estate of Kunzhi, and many watchtowers were erected for defense. Jin issued the orders alone, and no one dared face his vanguard. At that time, the bandit hordes of Sizhu marched boldly through the countryside with drums beating; wherever they went they destroyed and extinguished everything, with none able to resist them. When their troops approached the estate, their intention was to slaughter and plunder. Jin mounted a tower to look out, and saw only banners unfurled for ten li. He then gathered up the bows and swords, bound his own servants' hands behind their backs, laid out a great feast, and opened the granaries wide. He personally went forward into their battle lines to greet and question the army commanders, led them into the estate, and ordered them to take their seats. Seeing the grand display, their faces broke into smiles, and they grasped Jin's hand, saying: "A stouthearted man of the Way!" After eating their fill, they prepared to return, taking only ten oxen intended to reward the soldiers. When they had been led halfway down the road, Jin asked for them back again; mindful of their earlier hospitality, they returned all of them. For this reason, at the beginning of the Yining era, though all other estates were overrun, Chanding alone remained intact as before. He was thus someone who deeply understood critical exigencies and thoroughly mastered allowable and forbidden [actions]—the only one of his kind. In addition, he was exceptionally skilled in craft; there was nothing he applied himself to that was not acceptable. Whether in ornament and color decoration, or painting and building splendors, or tailoring clothes and making implements, or directing people and goods—the community numbered four hundred, yet they all entrusted matters to his talent. As for his chanting and reciting of the Prātimokṣa Sūtra, his clear voice was fluid and moving; even those who were habitually indolent came to sit and listen when they heard Jin recite the precepts, pricking up their ears and sitting erect, fearful only that his voice would cease. At the beginning of the Zhenguan era, he served as the elder (sthavira) of Yunhua Monastery, constantly propagating the Mahāyānasaṃgraha and opening up the Vinaya section. Later, an imperial decree summoned him into Puguang Monastery; he regulated the monastic ranks so that both seniors and juniors were pure and harmonious. In the winter of the eighth year, he passed away at this monastery, at the age of fifty-odd years. At that time, there were also the śramaṇas Mande, Shanzhi, Zhenyi, and Jingdao, who studied the same subjects as Jin and followed him in seeking the doctrine. De's wisdom and awakening were endowed by Heaven, and his speech and discourse were expansive and unimpeded; Zhi had broad understanding of profound subtleties, and his heart delighted in defending the Dharma; Yi was meritorious in guiding and preaching, though his propagation met many obstacles; Dao embraced plain simplicity to nurture himself, and his nature was preserved in the scriptures and histories. Most of them passed away; Yi alone survived, propagating and expounding [the teachings] in the imperial capital.