續高僧傳 26.77

26.77

Śramaṇa Zhiqui was a native of Jizhou. Loving the Nirvāṇa, he purely maintained his moral conduct. Not prizing glory or favor, he was content and sought nothing. Residing at Hongji Monastery, he shut his doors to cultivate his practice. The monastic community submitted to his wisdom and virtue, revering and honoring him. Whenever an eminent banquet took place, people praised his fame and actuality, but Zhiqui paid it no heed. Withdrawing into seclusion to cultivate himself, he acted as if he heard and saw nothing. During the Renshou years, when stupas were being widely established across the four quarters, an imperial decree summoned Zhiqui to convey a relic to Kaijue Monastery in Weizhou. When he first reached the administrative seat, a great light shone forth, purple and white displaying each other, and five colors suddenly bursting out. There was a nun named Zhikuang who had suffered from cold consumption for many years; making vows while bowing, she saw a red light fill the room, thereupon vomited foul matter, and her affliction was instantly cured. Those with severe illnesses, hearing of this joyous occasion, prostrated on their pillows and made vows, and they too were illuminated by the light, recovering to their normal state before coming to the stupa site; such instances were so numerous they cannot be fully written down. Furthermore, Yang Dayan had previously suffered in both eyes, being completely blind; led to the carriage, he prayed for grace, and immediately saw the relic as clearly and purely as before; such cases were likewise numerous. On the eighth day of the fourth month, after the relic was interred beneath the stupa, clouds arrived from the northwest and rained flowers upon the stupa, swirling like snow with a color like gold, spreading across the entire monastery. Clergy and laity gathered them, and they resembled golden flowers. A black dog appeared without anyone knowing where it came from; it walked straight into the sanctuary, circumambulating and moving along the path. Daily after noon, if given cakes it would not eat them, but if given water it drank; only when the fast was broken would it eat congee if offered. The pack of dogs in the monastery was unusually fierce and aggressive, yet as soon as they saw this dog, they bowed their heads in fearful respect, not daring even to look askance. The stone stele erected at the stupa site was three and a half feet thick; suddenly it emitted radiance resembling lapis lazuli, so that looking through it at objects, everything could be seen clearly. Six elephants were also seen appearing together inside the stone stele. By the end of the fifth month, there were seven transformations of forms within the stele, sometimes becoming Buddha images, holy monks, or the twin śāla trees, the multiple auspicious signs being manifold. All this was reported to the court. In his later years, Qui moved his tracks to the Zhongnan Mountains, dwelling in leisure and dhyāna stillness. Climbing up into the rocky wilderness, he departed and never returned.