續高僧傳 26.52

26.52

Śramaṇa Mingcan, whose secular surname was Wei, was a native of Yishui in Juzhou. At age ten, he underwent pravrajyā, and at twenty, he received full ordination. Along the way, he read widely and became fully versed in the sūtras and histories. Endowed with a mild and gentle nature, he never displayed anger. Before three summer retreats had passed, he frequently expounded the Chengshi lun and the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. When encountering the proscription of the teachings, he withdrew into seclusion to avoid the worldly realm among forests and marshes, relying again on his former studies to deeply investigate the profoundest subtleties. When Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou first established the Zhihu Monastery, Huiyuan led his companions up to it; Can then turned to him, taking refuge as his disciple in various doctrinal traditions, and before long attained deep comprehension. He then expounded them to the world. His lecturing disciples numbered in the hundreds, and his mental calculations were clear and luminous; revealing what was hidden and resolving doubts, he was skilled at handling difficult questions. His refined reflections welled up vigorously without ever subsiding. In addition, people were happily moved upon hearing of or seeing the blessings and virtue that covered him. An imperial decree summoned him into the capital to reside at Daxingshan Monastery. In the first year of the Renshou era [601], he was summoned to convey relics to Qixia Monastery in Jiangzhou, which is present-day Sheshan Monastery. Its foundation's spiritual marvels are detailed in earlier biographies. Can's mind was set on transmitting the Dharma, and he searched for it wherever he went. Thereupon, south of the Yangtze, he obtained over one hundred fascicles of sūtras, all of which had been omitted in earlier catalogues or were missing texts. Wherever he obtained these beneficial works, he had them copied everywhere. In his later years, he resided at Dazhanting Monastery, making the propagation of the Dharma his primary duty. In the pleasant seasons of spring and autumn, he frequently went to Lantian to climb mountains and overlook the waters, delighting in having found his true nature. He died in the early Tang.