續高僧傳 26.48

26.48

Shi Daomi had the surname Zhou and was a native of Xiangzhou. He initially took refuge with the Tripiṭaka Master Yaśas, studying esoteric arts under him as his master. He also broadly studied the Mahāyāna in Ye, so that once his intellect was opened, his comprehension of the principles was extensive. In Western brahma linguistic expression, he followed in the footsteps of the illustrious predecessors; his extraordinary skills and superior talents were well known in the Northern Qi era. When the Sui dynasty arose and revived the Dharma, translation was prioritized, and an imperial decree summoned him to enter the capital and reside at Daxingshan Temple. Having completed the Path of teacher and disciple, he further promoted Sanskrit learning, adhering closely to the fundamental texts of the Dharma and giving careful attention to their transmission and preservation. When the Renshou pagodas were instituted and men of virtue and prestige were selected, an imperial decree soon summoned him to escort relics to Daxingguo Temple in Tongzhou. This temple was the place where Emperor Wen had been born; the site was originally the grounds of Prajñā Nunnery. On the thirteenth day of the sixth month in the seventh year of the Datong era of the Later Wei, the emperor had been born in this nunnery. At that time, a crimson light illuminated the room and overflowed beyond the doors, and a purple vapor filled the courtyard resembling towers and pavilions, its color dyeing people's garments. Those inside and outside were startled into silence. Because the weather was sweltering hot, a wet nurse approached and fanned him; the child became so cold that he almost died, incapacitated and unable to cry. There was a miraculous nun named Zhixian, a daughter of the Liu family of Puban in Hedong. She had taken pravrajyā in her youth and possessed pure moral conduct. Her upādhyāya once lost track of her, and fearing she had fallen into a well, found her in the Buddha hall, upright in seated meditation; she was seven years old at the time, and thereafter took dhyāna contemplation as her practice. When the emperor was born, she arrived without any summons and said to Taizu, 'The boy is protected by the heavenly Buddhas, so do not worry.' The nun then gave the emperor the name Nārāyaṇa, saying that he was like a vajra that could not be broken. She also said, 'This child’s place of origin is not of the ordinary sort, whereas a secular household is impure and mingled; I shall raise him myself.' Taizu then divided off a part of his residence to make it a temple, opened a small door on the inside, and entrusted the child to the nun, not daring even to inquire after his name. Later, the imperial mother came to hold him, but suddenly saw him transform into a dragon; she dropped him to the ground in terror. The nun said, 'Why did you recklessly touch my child? This will cause him to gain the empire late.' When he reached the age of seven, she told the emperor, 'You shall become exceedingly noble, arriving from the eastern land. The Buddhadharma will face destruction, but through you it will be revived.' Now this nun was calm and of few words, yet whenever she spoke of success or failure, good fortune or bad, it never failed to be verified. At first she raised the emperor in the nunnery, and only when he was thirteen did he return home. For over thirty years she scarcely stepped out of the gate. When the Northern Zhou destroyed the two teachings, the nun hid within the imperial house, wearing the monastic robes beneath her clothing, her moral conduct remaining unchanged. The emperor later indeed entered from the east of the mountains to become the Son of Heaven and revive the Buddhadharma, entirely as the nun had foretold. After ascending the throne, whenever he looked upon his ministers, he fondly recalled his ācārya, speaking of her continually. He also said, 'My rise is due to the Buddhadharma, and I am fond of eating hemp and beans; in a previous life I seem to have come from among the monks. Because of being in the nunnery in my youth, to this day I delight in hearing the sound of bells.' He then ordered the court historian Wang Shao to compose a biography for the nun. The forty-five prefectures through which he had passed while hidden as a dragon were all simultaneously ordered to construct Daxingguo Temples, and so Prajñā Nunnery was renamed as one of them. In the first year of the Renshou era, the emperor and the palace consorts simultaneously experienced a miraculous resonance of relics, which all emitted brilliant light; when tested upon an anvil with a hammer, they remained completely undamaged. They were then distributed among the prefectures and regions, and successively more than one hundred pagodas were erected. Under every pagoda, the miraculous nun was depicted, and many spiritual portents occurred. Thus the inscription read: 'In such-and-such year and month, the Bodhisattva Precept-holding Disciple of the Buddha, Emperor Jian of the Great Sui, respectfully addresses the disciples of all the Three Jewels of the ten directions and the three times: Having received the blessed protection of the Three Jewels to become the ruler and father of the common people, I desire to establish Bodhi together with the populace. Now, therefore, I distribute the relics for worship in the various prefectures, wishing to enable all universally to cultivate wholesome karma and together attain the wondrous fruit. Furthermore, for the sake of these disciples, throughout the unseen and manifest of the dharma realm, in the three paths and eight difficulties, we repent and perform circumambulation. We respectfully invite the ever-abiding Three Jewels of the ten directions, praying that you arouse compassion, accept the supplication of disciples such as us, descend to the bodhimanda, and bear witness to these disciples as we confess and repent on behalf of all sentient beings...' The text is voluminous and not recorded here. Because of his renown for comprehensive learning, Daomi was sent to this temple. When the pagoda was initially being interred, a radiant light filled the courtyard, yellow and white intermingled with streaks of red vapor, revolving brilliantly clear, and only disappearing after a long time. Clergy and laity, within and without, all witnessed it together. The temple had four gates, each with a stele erected before it. The halls, pagodas, corridors, and his birthplace were adorned with magnificence, shining through the cities and towns. At the end of the Renshou era, an imperial decree again sent him to Jin'an Temple on Mount Huanghu in Zhengzhou. Digging the foundation down to water, they discovered a golden statue about a foot high, of exceptional design. Just as the pagoda was being interred, wild birds flew in flocks, wheeling above the pagoda, dispersing only after the affair was concluded. Furthermore, three golden blossoms were seen soaring into the air for a long time before sinking down into the base. From within the foundation, a firefly-like luminescence was emitted, which subsequently grew broader and orbited the pagoda three times. The temple had originally been elevated and naturally lacked spring water; by the time they needed to fetch water below, overnight, five paces from the pagoda, a leaping spring gushed forth on its own, like an artesian well, extensively recorded by Wang Shao. When the Daye era began, following the court to Luoyang, a scripture translation hall was established within Shanglin Park, and he was engaged in translation there. He eventually died there; the various scriptures he produced are as recorded in the catalogue of the Fei clan.