續高僧傳 28
English (machine translation) 28
- Language
- English
28.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Daoxuan of Ximing Monastery in the Great Tang.
28.2
Section Eight: Cantillation and Recitation. Fourteen principal biographies, seven supplementary biographies.
28.3
1. Biography of Śramaṇa Zhizhan of Xiancao Monastery on Rentou Mountain of the Eastern Peak, Wei.
28.4
2. Biography of Śramaṇa Fajian of Wuceng Monastery in Yizhou, Wei.
28.5
3. Biography of Śramaṇa Huigong of Zhaoti Monastery in Yizhou.
28.6
4. Biography of Śramaṇa Fatai of Dingbi Mountain in Longshan, Meizhou.
28.7
5. Biography of Śramaṇa Huichao of Wuzhen Monastery in Lan Valley of Zhongnan Mountain, Tang.
28.8
6. Biography of Śramaṇa Huixian of Dana Mountain Monastery in Baekje.
28.9
7. Biography of Śramaṇa Daoji of Fucheng Monastery in Yizhou, Tang (with Hongyuan, Sengsi, and Zhiye).
28.10
8. Biography of Śramaṇa Baoqiong of Fushou Monastery in Yizhou, Tang.
28.11
9. Biography of Śramaṇa Shanhui of Jinliang Monastery on Lishan, Tang.
28.12
10. Biography of Śramaṇa Facheng of Wuzhen Monastery on Zhongnan Mountain, Tang.
28.13
11. Biography of Śramaṇa Kongzang of Huichang Monastery in the Capital, Tang.
28.14
12. Biography of Śramaṇa Huiquan of Da Zhuangyan Monastery in the Capital, Tang (with Zhizheng and Song Gong).
28.15
13. Biography of Śramaṇa Yisu of Liquan in Yongzhou, Tang (with Xuanxiu and Shi Dan).
28.16
14. Biography of Śramaṇa Baoxiang of Luohan Monastery in the Capital, Tang (with Fada).
28.17
Shi Zhizhan was a native of Shanren in Qizhou. He was a disciple of Master Lang's great-grand-disciple. He established a practice that was pure and earnest, engaging in few affairs, speaking little, and taking the benevolent rescue [of beings] as his task. Whenever he walked among flocks of birds and beasts, the groups would not scatter in panic. He lived at Xiancao Temple in a deep valley of Rentou Mountain; the temple was established by Guṇavarman of the Song dynasty. He took the cantillation and recitation of the Lotus Sūtra as his constant practice. When his final days drew near, the śramaṇa Baozhi reported to Emperor Wu of Liang: "A man from Shanren County in the north who lives at the present Xiancao Temple and is a holy monk who has attained the fruit of stream-enterer enters nirvāṇa today." When the monastics and laypeople of the Yang capital heard this announcement by Zhi, they all bowed in worship from afar. Thus, when Zhan died, he was tranquil, free from lingering afflictions, and passed away upright. Each of his two hands extended one finger. A monk from Western India explained: "If one has attained the second fruit, he extends two fingers; this proves that Zhan attained the first fruit." His remains were gathered and buried at Rentou Mountain, and a stūpa was erected to enshrine them, coated with lime and plaster; birds and wild beasts did not dare encroach upon or soil it, and it still survives today. There was also a monk of Wuhou Temple in Fanyang whose name has been lost. He constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra. When he first died, he was provisionally interred beneath a dike; when his grave was relocated later, his skeletal remains were all dried up, yet only his tongue was undecayed. In Yongzhou, there was also a monk who recited the Lotus Sūtra and lived in seclusion at Bailu Mountain; he moved a boy to come constantly and supply his needs. When he died, his corpse was placed beneath a cliff; the rest of his remains dried and rotted, but his tongue alone was as before. In the reign of Emperor Wucheng of the Qi dynasty, near the eastern side of Kanshan in Bingzhou, someone dug the ground and saw a patch of earth whose color was yellow and white, differing from the surroundings. Soon he discovered an object shaped like two lips, within which was a tongue of fresh scarlet-red color. The matter was reported to the throne. The Emperor asked the monks, but none could explain it. The Śramaṇa Controller Fashang reported to the throne: "This is the retribution of one who upheld the Lotus Sūtra, having the six sense-faculties uncorrupted; is this not the verification of having recited it a full thousand times?" Thereupon he ordered High Secretariat Drafter Gao Zhen, saying: "You are a person of sincere faith. Go see it yourself; there will surely be a spiritual wonder. It should be relocated to a pure place and an offering-feast held in reverence." Zhen received the imperial order and arrived there. He gathered all the śramaṇas who upheld the Lotus Sūtra, took up incense burners, observed pure abstinences, circumambulated, and incanted: "The era of the Bodhisattva's nirvāṇa is already far in the past; if the propagation of the semblance Dharma is upheld without error, we pray that you manifest a divine response." As soon as his voice sounded, these lips and tongue stirred at once; though no sound reached them, it seemed as if they were cantillating and reciting. None of those who witnessed it together did not have their hair stand on end. Zhen reported the condition to the throne. An imperial decree was issued to dispatch a stone casket to store it and relocate it to a mountain chamber. Furthermore, in the Northern Dai of the Northern Wei, there was Dhyāna Master Cheng, who upheld the Lotus Sūtra with diligent and untiring effort. When his life ended, his consciousness was entrusted to the Ji family of Hedong as their fifth son. Born able to speak, he related of his own accord that in a past life he had not wished to dwell in the secular world. His father served as the regional inspector of Beisizhou; accompanying him to his post, [the boy] then went to the Qidi Temple in Zhongshan, soon found his former disciples, and told them: "Do you still remember crossing the water with me to Langshan? Dhyāna Master Cheng was my very self. The spirit altar in my room can be quickly removed." His parents feared he would enter monastic life and immediately arranged a marriage for him. After that, he forgot the affairs of his past life; yet he constantly generated aversion [to the world] and lived quietly in upright serenity. Furthermore, in the early years of Taihe, a eunuch of the Dai capital lamented that having suffered castration, he did not measure up to ordinary humankind. He petitioned requesting to enter the mountains to practice the Way; an imperial decree granted it. He then carried a copy of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, cantillating, reciting, bowing, and repenting without cease day and night. He returned to the mountain at the beginning of summer; by the end of the sixth month, his beard and sideburns were completely grown, restoring his masculine appearance. He returned and memorialized the circumstances to the throne. Emperor Gaozu had long possessed sincere veneration; seeing this suddenly, his amazement grew beyond ordinary days. Thereupon in the state of Great Dai, the single scripture of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra became increasingly flourishing because of this. These accounts are all found in Hou Junsu's Records of Manifest Wonders.
28.18
Shi Fajian was a native of Luo County in Guanghan, with the secular surname Zhu. He had recited a thousand fascicles of sūtras. Still having much leisure, he strolled and associated with common folk without appearing different from them. Suddenly, he would shut his doors and not emerge for consecutive days, taking no food. One heard only the recitation of sūtras; however, he hummed and intoned in a low voice, so that the sound did not carry outside. Someone leaned against the wall to eavesdrop, straining to catch the sound, and heard only a fine and steady murmuring, like waves spewed by a hidden current. Occasionally he would go out, and [then] he followed the King of Wuling, Xiao Ji, eastward. [The King] ordered his younger brother Xiao Gui to guard Yizhou. The Wei dispatched General Yuchi Jiong to invade Shu. When Gui surrendered, the eminent monks of great renown within the city were all detained. At night, there was suddenly a bright light. Jiong sent men to trace the light and found that the other monks were all asleep, and only Fajian sat upright reciting sūtras, with light issuing from his mouth. When Jiong heard of this, he went in person to Jian's place, made prostrations, and sat listening until dawn. Jiong asked, "What sūtra was the Dharma master reciting last night?" He replied, "The lower case of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, ten fascicles." Jiong asked, "Why not recite from the beginning?" He replied, "This poor monk's turn in recitation had simply reached this point." Jiong asked, "How much can the Dharma master recite?" He replied, "This poor monk made a vow to recite the entire canon, but my mind is prone to indolence, and so far I have only memorized a thousand fascicles." Jiong was startled and suspicious, not believing him. Wishing to test him, he said, "I would trouble you to recite the entirety once; it should not cause you great exhaustion, should it?" Jian responded, "Cantillating and reciting the canonical scriptures is a śramaṇa's constant work; how could I shrink from hardship?" Thereupon a high seat was set up, and the monks were all ordered to hold the written texts to follow along and listen. Fajian ascended the seat and recited for them; at times it was like a rapid torrent pouring into a steep gorge, his intake and release of syllables and his breathing at times resembled a pure breeze entering tall pines. Those who were intelligent could barely catch the lingering cadence; those whose minds were distracted and dissipated merely looked in vain at his dust and tracks. For seven days and seven nights, the count already reached a thousand [fascicles], yet he still did not stop. Jiong stood up, apologized, and said: "This disciple's troops cannot linger long; please permit us to take our leave here." The monks were consequently all released. When Jiong departed, he sighed and said: "Since the Tathāgata's extinction, Ānanda has been called the foremost in retaining all; could he have surpassed this? That Shu should possess such a person is indeed why it has always remained peaceful and happy. Extraordinary, truly extraordinary!" Jian died at the age of eighty.
28.19
Shi Huigong was a native of Chengdu in Yizhou, with the secular surname Zhou. During the abolition of the Buddha's Dharma at the end of the Zhou dynasty, he made a pact with Huiyuan of the same monastery to study diligently. Yuan went straight to Chang'an to listen and gather knowledge, while Gong went far off to Jing and Yang to seek the Way. In the capital, Yuan studied and mastered the Abhidharma treatises, Katyāyana, the Kośa, the Bodhisattvabhūmi, the Satyasiddhi, the Vibhāṣā, and the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, becoming thoroughly proficient in all of them. He returned to Yizhou to lecture, standing out far above the crowd; both monastics and laypeople revered him, and donation gifts accumulated in abundance. Later, Gong returned from the regions south of the Yangtze River. The two were delighted to meet again and recounted their separation of more than thirty years. Spending several nights together talking and conversing, Yuan's words gushed like a spring, while Gong spoke not a word in the end. [Yuan] asked Gong: "Having been separated for so long, we can meet now today; what words can describe the joy of this reunion? Yet I only feel that you, benevolent one, have nothing to say; could it be that you have attained nothing?" Gong replied, "Being dull and inferior by nature, I understand nothing at all." Yuan said, "If you understand nothing at all, could you not have recited even a single scripture?" Gong replied, "I can recite only the one fascicle of the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra." Yuan said with a stern countenance: "The Avalokiteśvara Sūtra can be recited even by young children; why trouble a great man like you? Moreover, you, benevolent one, left household life as a child and established a vow with Yuan, hoping to realize the fruits of the Way. How could it be that for more than thirty years you have recited only one fascicle of a scripture as thin as a finger? Is this not the doing of dullness and indolence? I request to break off our friendship; may you, Dharma master, leave quickly, and do not add to Yuan's vexation." Gong said, "Although the scripture scroll is small, it was spoken by the Buddha's mouth. Those who revere it obtain limitless merit; those who treat it with contempt obtain limitless guilt. I humbly pray you pause your anger for a moment; I shall recite it once for you, Dharma master, and then part with you forever." Yuan laughed heartily and said: "The Avalokiteśvara Sūtra is the 'Universal Gate Chapter' of the Lotus Sūtra; Yuan has already lectured on it more than a hundred times. How can you now intend to trouble my ears?" Gong said, "The secular texts say: 'Man can broaden the Way; it is not the Way that broadens man.' Simply listen to the Buddha's words with utmost sincerity; how could you reject the Dharma on account of the person?" He then established an altar in front of the courtyard, set up a high seat in the center of the altar, circumambulated the altar several times, made prostrations, and ascended the high seat. Having no alternative, Yuan sat down on a barbarian stool below to listen. As soon as Gong raised his voice to intone the title of the scripture, an extraordinary fragrance wafted and filled the room. When he entered the main text, music was made in the heavens and four kinds of flowers rained down; the music was clear and resonant, vibrating through the sky, and the flowers drifted down, filling the ground. When the scripture was finished, he descended from the seat and performed the dispersal-of-the-seat chant on his own; only when it concluded did the flowers and music cease. Huiyuan touched his feet in prostration, tears streaming down together, and apologized, saying: "Huiyuan is a foul, filthy dead corpse; how dare I walk beneath the sun of heaven? I beg you to stay briefly and grant me your instruction." Gong said, "This is not what Gong can do; it is merely the power of all the Buddhas." That very day, he dusted his robes, made a long bow, and departed along the current. When people later inquired after him, no one ever knew where he had gone. The monastery has long since fallen into oblivion.
28.20
Shi Fatai was a native of Longshan County in Meizhou, with the secular surname Lü. At first, he was a Daoist master for more than ten years; midway, he suddenly awakened of himself, turning his mind toward correct enlightenment, and thereupon shaved his head. He began to recite the Lotus Sūtra, and soon became fluent in it. He then diligently transcribed a copy of the Lotus Sūtra, which frequently manifested miraculous omens. Wishing to take it to Yizhou for mounting, he had a man carry it on a shoulder-pole: on one end, a basket held two thousand copper coins, with the scripture bundled and placed atop the coins; on the other end were clothes. When the porter walked to a place called Zuo Bridge, the bridge suddenly broke. Tai was behind him, and the man carrying the load plunged into the water. The man was able to float out, but the load sank and was not to be seen. Tai beat his chest on the bank and wailed aloud, saying: "Are not money and clothes trivial matters? How could I bear to let the scripture drown!" He immediately shouted aloud: "If someone can fish it out for me, I will reward him with two strings of cash!" At that time, a man heard this, stripped off his clothes, and dived into the water; after searching several times, coming out and going in, he retrieved the money and the bundle of clothes, but did not get the scripture. Tai wept even more bitterly, pacing up and down the bank. Gazing at a small islet, he saw a bundle there and ordered someone to retrieve it; it was indeed the scripture. Borne aloft by grass and trees, it had no wet spots whatsoever. Tai was overjoyed and immediately offered the two thousand coins to the man who had dredged the river, saying, [though the man replied:] "The Dharma master wailed more bitterly than for the death of his parents; therefore I searched urgently for you, not out of greed for the disciple's money. Although I am a hired laborer, I also understand karmic recompense. Please take this money to cover the cost of the mounting." Having spoken, he slipped away; when [Tai] wished to speak with him further, he was already far away. Tai reached Chengdu and had it mounted, using sandalwood for the rollers, with wrappers, ribbons, cases, and caskets. He brought it back to his home temple to enshrine in a separate place; night after night there was an extraordinary fragrance. Tai diligently recited and maintained it, once every night. At that time, Dharma Master Biao was lecturing at that temple; wishing to read at night, he constantly resented that Tai's noise disturbed his mind. Intending to go ask him to lower his voice slightly, he then saw that in front of Tai was a great assembly of people, all kneeling on both knees with palms joined. Biao retreated, dripping with sweat, and immediately moved his dwelling. Tai died at the age of eighty.
28.21
Śramaṇa Huichao, whose secular surname was Fan, was a native of Jianyuan in Danyang. By nature warm and magnanimous, he harbored benevolence in his disposition. From an early age he felt weary of worldly life. After entering the monastic life, he chanted the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra. Hearing that Dhyāna Master Huisi of Mount Dasu in Guangzhou had uniquely awakened to the One Vehicle and clearly understood the three contemplations, he—together with Zhizhe of Tiantai and Master Ming of Xiancheng—resolutely sought him in secluded regions, requesting his instruction for years. His conduct was superior and his wisdom profound, excelling the virtuous contemporaries of his day. Huisi said to the assembly: 'Huichao's mind-store is that of one who has attained forbearance.' When [Huisi] traveled to the peaks of Hengshan, [Huichao] again traveled with him and stayed to chant the sūtras, residing there while many years elapsed. After the Sui pacified and unified the realm at its inception, he went north to Mount Songgao, taking medicinal herbs and practicing dhyāna sitting, hoping to live out his old age there. Yang Yong, the Sui Crown Prince, summoned renowned and virtuous monks to assemble in the imperial capital. Because Huichao's practice and conduct were exceptional, he was specially retained and provided for. Yet he remained reverent, prudent, focused, and composed, heedless of worldly splendor. When Yong was deposed, he was not implicated in the slightest. Later he moved to Dingshui [Monastery], where his virtuous reputation resonated loftily. Monks and laity took refuge in him and looked up to his disciplinary standards. It happened that Dharmabhāṇaka Jingye chose to dwell at Wuzhen Monastery in Lantian Valley; admiring Huichao's virtue, he went in person to invite him. Together they lived in seclusion for eight years, redoubling their diligence in the three wisdoms. When the Daye era began its reign and the Chanding Monastery was newly founded, an imperial edict was issued inviting him to enter and practice circumambulation. He repeatedly declined on grounds of illness, and was later permitted to return to the mountains. His virtue moved people's hearts, and he greatly guided and aided them. The noble lineages and all the officials and commoners of the county without exception bowed and offered their utmost sincerity, asking him to transmit fragrant virtue, and together they began the construction of a saṅghārāma and provided a continuous supply of grains. At the inception of the Great Tang, he was honored and respected even more than before. Renowned monks of the capital such as Huiyin and Baogong, admiring his secluded life, all went to stay with him. Resting beneath pines and reclining on rocks, they discussed and analyzed the principles of the Way. All said: 'This is truly the joy of the essential path of release.' Later he lay ill for a brief while. When his disciples knelt and inquired, he replied: 'This is my normal state. I do not rejoice in long life, nor do I grieve over death at dusk.' He then sat upright facing west and said: 'The pure, wise contemplation of the emptiness of the supreme truth.' Speaking thus as if entering samādhi, he suddenly passed away. His age was seventy-seven, on the sixth day of the twelfth month in the fifth year of the Wude era [622 CE]. His remains were exposed upon the pine rocks for more than a month, yet his complexion did not change. The Supreme General of the Tiance heard of this, proclaimed it extraordinary, and sent someone to inspect it; he sat upright with hands clasped as if still alive. From the age of nine when Huichao entered the Way, he chanted the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra for more than fifty years, over ten thousand times. His spiritual resonances and miraculous portents were beyond recount. His disciple Facheng and others built a white stūpa for him on the northern peak of the monastery.
28.22
Śramaṇa Huixian was a native of the kingdom of Baekje. He entered the monastic life in his youth, applying his mind with bitter diligence and concentration, making the cantillation of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra his lifelong practice. When he prayed for blessings or made vows, most were fulfilled. Hearing lectures on the Three Treatises, he attended and received them; once the Dharma tinged his spirit, his understanding increased all the more. At first he resided at Xiude Monastery in the northern part of his native country: when there was an assembly he would lecture, and when there was none he would engage in clear cantillation. People from all around heard of his reputation and gathered at the mountain with clamorous bustle. He then departed for Mount Dana in the south. The mountain was exceedingly deep and perilous, with layered precipices and steep crags; even if people sought to visit, the climb was arduous and hazardous. Huixian sat in quietude therein, maintaining his dedicated practice as before. He eventually passed away there. His fellow students carried his corpse and placed it in a stone cave. Tigers devoured his body and bones entirely, leaving only his cranium and tongue. After three weeks, his tongue grew even redder, softer and more supple than usual; only after that did it turn purple and as hard as stone. Monks and laity found it extraordinary and revered it, interring both inside a stone stūpa. He was then fifty-eight years of age, in the first year of the Zhenguan era [627 CE].
28.23
Śramaṇa Daoji was a man of Shu. He resided at Fucheng Monastery in Yizhou. Chanting and mastering the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra was his constant daily practice. Whenever he expounded it, he would invariably wash away all bodily impurities, put on clean robes, ascend the Dharma seat, and only then open the text. He was by nature profound, circumspect, benevolent, and compassionate, taking charge of general duties. Whenever there were people with ulcerous illnesses whose flesh was rotting, their stench was thick and stifling; all the others covered their noses, yet Daoji served them without any hesitation in body or mind. He would share food bowls with them or mend and wash their clothes. When someone questioned him, Daoji said: 'Clean and foul are merely the mind's likes and dislikes. How could I let my thoughts be swayed by them? I merely use this to temper and train myself.' All admired his conduct, but lamented their own inability to match it. In the fifth month of the first year of the Zhenguan era [627 CE], he passed away at the monastery where he resided, at the age of over seventy. Though it was midsummer, his body did not decay or emit foul odor. After a period of a hundred days, he remained seated in the full lotus posture as at first. None failed to sigh in admiration. They thereupon coated him with lacquer and cloth and raised reverence toward him. In Ba, Shu, and the capital, the monks who received and chanted the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra were not few. There were also the śramaṇas Hongyuan and Seng'en, both of whom chanted the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, and monks and laity turned to them. Hongyuan's aspirations were earnest and sincere, his feelings having cast aside fame and profit; summoned to Huichang [Monastery], he was provided for with abundant respect. Seng'en's mind of the Way was pure and solemn, his integrity moving others; he was revered for his virtue at both Hongfu and Chanding [monasteries], yet he maintained himself in humble modesty, rarely known to the ignorant world. At that time, at Hongfu Monastery, there was a śramaṇa named Zhiye, whose ancestral lineage was from Jiangbiao. Summoned to court during the Sui dynasty, he took deep joy in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra and constantly transcribed it. Whatever external donations he received he used to hire scribes; he produced over two thousand copies from first to last. He constantly exhorted himself to copy five sheets daily. Though his years entered their autumn, he never slackened in this work. Now, in general charge of monastic affairs, he is even more diligent in his constant practice, being over seventy years of age.
28.24
Śramaṇa Baoqiong, of the Ma family, was a native of Mianzhu in Yizhou. He entered the monastic life in his youth, pure, upright, frugal, and simple. He cantillated the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra once every two days as his constant practice. Traveling through cities and Luoyang, he possessed no other methods, merely encouraging faith and reverence for the Buddha's Dharma. Later he moved to the prefectural seat and resided at Fushou Monastery, urging and inspiring the city neighborhoods, making associations of the faithful (yiyi) the priority. Whenever an association was formed, it invariably had thirty members, chanting the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā together, each person responsible for one fascicle. Monthly vegetarian assemblies were held where each chanted in turn. Such associations of the faithful came to number more than a thousand. Those from far and wide who heard of it all came to pay allegiance. Baoqiong seized the opportunity to instruct and transform them, and they submitted upon hearing his fame. Yet he held himself in humility and weakness, putting others first and prizing virtue. When walking in meditation along crowded thoroughfares, he would step aside to yield way. When replying to questions, his voice was pleasing, modest, and respectful. This was his true disposition, not flattery of the times. The contiguous districts of his home county, such as Shifang, were all Daoist commoners who especially did not venerate the Buddha. When monks sought lodging, none would give them alms, so that among young and old, many did not even recognize the image of a śramaṇa. Although it was Baoqiong's native place, customs were hard to alter; he tried to enlighten them in vain, as none could accept it. Once, when the various clans of the Li family were holding a Daoist assembly, they invited Baoqiong to attend. Arriving late, he sat down without paying homage. Everyone declared that failing to pay homage to the Heavenly Worthy was contrary to propriety. Baoqiong said: 'The paths of heterodoxy and orthodoxy are distinct, and what we serve is different. I do not even pay homage to gods; how much less to Lord Lao!' The assembly's arguments raged, and they treated him quite insultingly. Baoqiong said: 'If I pay homage where homage is not due, I fear it will bring disgrace.' He then made one prostration, and the Daoist statues along with their seats shook unsteadily. He made another prostration, and together with their pedestals they tumbled and smashed to the ground. The Daoist commoners looked at one another, thought it was blown by the wind, and rushed to set them upright. Baoqiong said: 'This was done by me; do not place blame elsewhere.' At first they did not believe him, but once the statues were re-erected he bowed again, and they collapsed as before. The entire assembly was terrified; raising their palms, they bowed to Baoqiong and immediately converted in faith, receiving the precepts from him. The Daoist factions in neighboring counties also expressed astonishment and all returned to venerating the Dharma. As the Buddhist transformation had just begun, he bestowed the Bodhisattva Precepts on all of them. The county magistrate, Gao Yuan, who had always possessed sincere reverence, followed his influence to propagate guidance; he further summoned monks to the prefectural monastery to lecture widely, so that the entire region developed a thirst for the teaching, which flourished from then on. In the eighth year of the Zhenguan era [634 CE], Baoqiong passed away at his dwelling.
28.25
Śramaṇa Shanhui, whose secular surname was Gou, was a native of Wen in Henei. Widely versed in the various classics, he mastered their literary principles; even as far as the nine chapters of mathematics, the calendar, and the waxing and waning of the seven luminaries, he grasped them all in his mind as easily as pointing to his palm. He then contemplated deeply that worldly pursuits ultimately sink one into the mire, whereupon he doffed his secular robes, removed his hairpin, and first entered the monastic ranks. Initially he stayed at Pengcheng Monastery in Xuzhou, chanting the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra and listening to lectures on the Mahāyānasaṃgraha. At that time, banditry broke out and war and famine struck simultaneously, yet Shanhui endured hunger and urged himself on, upholding the Dharma without slackening; his washing of filth and guarding of purity were even more rigorous than in ordinary days. However, because the border region was deficient in learning, written texts contained errors, and discussions over pronunciations and glosses were contentious. Although colloquial speech was understood from time to time, Shanhui's intention was set on elegance and correctness; yet when he made inquiries of the enlightened, his former doubts remained. Thus, at the end of the Daye era, carrying his staff, he traveled west; he repeatedly encountered bands of robbers and his clothes were almost entirely stripped, leaving only ragged cloth to cover himself, yet he still held a broken pitcher for his constant ritual purity. Upon reaching the mountain pass, he lacked travel documents, so with right mindfulness he walked straight forward through the gate. At that time, inside and outside [the gate] weapons were arrayed, yet none obstructed him. In the first month of winter, the tenth month, he first arrived at the capital, just as Śramaṇa Jizang was lecturing on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra. Deeply suited to his original aspiration, he relied on him and received instruction. His appearance and clothing were wretched, so the assembly would not admit him. He then swept the snow, sat on the ground in a single skirt, and listened attentively. As soon as the reciter chanted, he tilted his ear to the phrasing to verify the text of the sūtra. When Jizang expounded, he received the instruction with a courageous heart, hoping to master the principles. Because his mind was set on attaining both [text and meaning], he had no time to worry about enduring the cold, smiling and beaming with joy like a merchant who had acquired a jewel. Throughout the winter he remained like this, and the assembly only then came to praise him. When questioned on the phrasing and purport, he had not forgotten the slightest bit. Because they listened to the Dharma together, Śramaṇa Faxi of Chanding Monastery took off his own clothes to receive him and led him into his room. Their wise contemplation was unadulterated; Shanhui took Xi as his teacher, and both fostered renowned standards. In the early years of the Wude era, he accompanied him to reside at Jinliang Monastery in Lantian. The locals were originally of the Lirong, obstinate and refractory toward one another; through his guidance and transformation, nine out of ten households were reformed. By nature he loved the outstanding and worthy, and delighted in inviting them. For more than a hundred li from west to east, wherever there were renowned groves and scenic sites, he built dhyāna lodgings, so that those fleeing turmoil relied on them to live in peace. In the first month of the ninth year of the Zhenguan era [635 CE], he passed away at Liangquan Aranya on the southern slope of Mount Li, at the age of forty-nine. Earlier, when Shanhui cast aside secular classics and entered this profound model, his speech never touched upon worldly matters and he focused his mind on the work of the Way, speaking little, moderating his food, maintaining the Vinaya, and harboring benevolence. Welcoming and accommodating travelers, he held the scriptural teachings in high esteem. If there was a text he had never seen, he would certainly examine it in person; if he encountered essential practices, he would chant and uphold them for days on end, making them the foundation of his habituation.
28.26
At that time, there was Śramaṇa Huida of Taiyuan, who also chanted the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra more than five thousand times. In walking, sitting, and deportment, his voice never ceased. He cared especially for living creatures; looking straight ahead with lowered eyes, if there were insects on the ground, he would invariably turn his body to avoid them, not daring to step over them. When asked, he replied: 'They and I are impermanent in birth and death; who knows if they will not achieve right awakening before me? How could I lightly disregard them?' In the fourth month of the eighth year of the Zhenguan era [634 CE], he passed away seated in the full lotus posture. People thought he had entered samādhi, and kept him for five nights; since he seemed to have passed away, yet was not foul or putrid, they placed his entire couch inside a cave.
28.27
Shi Facheng, whose secular surname was Fan, was a native of Wannian in Yongzhou. Leaving home in his childhood, he stayed at Wangxiao Monastery in Lantian and served the śramaṇa Senghe. He too was esteemed by the local clan, who venerated him as a sage. Once someone wished to harm him and went to his chamber by night, only to see fierce flames leaping up within the doorway and rising above the curtains; he thereupon retreated in repentance. Senghe’s nature was to drink only pure spring water, as he was cleanly and immaculate. Someone once played a trick on him by secretly sinking sheep bones in the water. Senghe had no prior knowledge of this, but upon drinking it he immediately vomited. Such were his hidden sympathies and latent perception. Facheng received and wore his instructions, exhorting himself to expound the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra as his constant duty. He also visited Dhyāna Master Xiang of Chanlin Monastery to inquire about meditative practice. His virtue was flourishing and honored by his contemporaries; his learning was superior, and the multitude looked up to him. Later, he resided at Yunhua Monastery to oversee the affairs of the saṅgha. Emperor Wen of the Sui revered his virtue and requested him to abide by the monastic disciplinary regulations; Facheng presented a memorial firmly declining, speaking humbly so as to stand on equal terms, and thereupon shouldered his book box and made a long journey. He traveled through famous peaks in pursuit of superior friends, and all undertook the aspiration for the Way. Having seen Master Chao living in seclusion and quietude, he pledged a bond in his mind to dwell in retirement in the Lan Valley. The site was narrow and cramped, barely holding a single bed, and as he circumambulated back and forth he feared tumbling into the deep ravine. He thereupon cleared away the overgrown paths, opened the forest, parted the clouds, and aligned with the sunlight, building a dwelling thatched with cogon grass, with jar-rimmed windows and sparse eaves. The circumstances and his inclinations matched each other, and he rejoiced in their accord: this is what is now known as Wuzhen Monastery. With an ardent mind, he practiced the Lotus samādhi, bathing inside and out and being warm and respectful morning and evening. In a dream, he was inspired by Samantabhadra urging him to transcribe the Great Teaching. Facheng said, 'The Great Teaching is the Mahāyāna; the wisdom of the Buddhas is what is called prajñā.' Thereupon he entered pure circumambulation and generously rewarded craftsmen to transcribe the Prajñāpāramitā in eight sections, adorning and completing it with fragrant stands and jeweled rollers. Furthermore, on the ridge south of the monastery, he built an Avataṃsaka Hall, leveling hills, filling valleys, and arranging beams and open eaves. It faced layered peaks in front and overlooked the Xie Valley on the right, inhaling and exhaling clouds and mist and looking down upon thunder. I once traveled there; it is truly a marvelous sight. Moreover, he exerted his dedicated mind to transcribe, receive, and uphold [the scripture]. Zhang Jing, a Scholar of the Institute for the Propagation of Literature, was renowned at the time as a master of the brush, with few who surpassed him. Facheng thereupon invited him to the mountain lodge, had him receive the fasting precepts, and bade him cultivate purity: holding fragrant juice in his mouth and wearing new garments on his body. However, Jing’s usual pace for copying sūtras did not exceed fifty [sheets]. Facheng considered that he was fond of wealth, and so paid him five hundred [coins] for every two sheets. Jing, lured by the gain, exerted all his effort to copy it. Throughout the entire scripture, Facheng constantly burned incense and made offerings daily before his desk. Between strokes and dots, his mind was engaged and his eyes beheld them, with scarcely anything overlooked. Thus, through his resolute concentration, on occasion an extraordinary bird of a coloration rare in the world was moved to appear: it flew into the hall, pacing and flapping its wings, coming down to the scriptural desk and then going up onto the incense burner. Calming its demeanor, it stayed and watched, naturally tame and familiar. After a long while, it soared away. The following year, when the scripture was completed and a celebration was about to be held, the bird flew in again, tame and docile as before, its chirping plaintive and clear. In the early years of the Zhenguan era, when a thousand Buddhas were painted, the bird flew in once more and climbed onto the back of the master craftsman. Later, when a vegetarian feast was prepared to celebrate the scriptures and images, the sun approached noon, and everyone wondered why it had not arrived. Facheng looked up at the mountain peak and said, 'Since the bird has not arrived, it must be that I have no spiritual resonance. Could it be that mixed impurities in our conduct brought about this sign?' No sooner had he spoken than it suddenly flew in, circled around chirping, plunged into the fragrant water, vigorously bathed, and departed after midday. Previous events such as this cannot all be recounted. He was skilled in calligraphy by nature and praised by his native district; the verses from scriptures carved into the mountain paths and cliff sides were all written by his brush. When he was hand-copying the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra out in the open courtyard, he had to leave on some business and did not have time to put it away. It happened that heavy rain poured down, and waves surged through the ditches and ravines. Running to check on it, he found the desk and sūtra completely dry, while all around water was flowing. Once, while reclining against a fallen pine tree, he fell down a sheer cascade; before reaching the ravine below, without realizing it, he was already standing on the high bank, without a single hair harmed. Moreover, by the side of Qingni Ward, there was an ancient Buddha niche that had been buried during the Zhou dynasty and had not yet been unearthed. Facheng saw in a night dream that there were many revered figures in that spot. Upon waking, he went to excavate it and precisely found the ancient niche and statues; through the accumulation of months and years, they were completely peeled and damaged. He attended to repairing them, and both monastics and laity praised it as good. All these were the merits of hidden methods, brought to light by Facheng. On the final day of the summer retreat in the fourteenth year of the Zhenguan era, he suddenly contracted an incidental illness. Knowing that he would soon depart this world, he vowed to be born in Tuṣita. He asked for water to bathe, and having finished, he asked for a funeral bier, inspecting it himself and not permitting it to be splendid or lavish. Exactly at the end of the month, as the signs of dawn were about to appear, he said for no apparent reason, 'If you wish to come, just enter; there is no need for string music and song.' Turning to his attendants, he said, 'I have heard that all conditioned things are impermanent, rising and ceasing without staying; the rebirth in the nine grades—these words are verified now. There is a boy who has long been waiting outside the gate to welcome me. I am now leaving this world. As for you, the Buddha has pure precepts; do not let them be breached, lest you later regret it.' Having spoken, light issued from his mouth, illuminating the area within the pillars, and an extraordinary fragrance was smelt arriving. They saw only that he sat upright in solemn contemplation, not realizing that his spirit had already departed. He was seventy-eight years of age. As for Facheng’s recitation practice: during one summer retreat, he would complete five hundred recitations of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra; on other days he would chant it alongside his other practices, still managing two recitations. Even if guests arrived with whom he had to speak, unless he had finished chanting a fascicle, he would not say a word about other matters. By rough estimate, his diligent efforts over ten years exceeded ten thousand recitations.
28.28
Shi Kongzang, whose secular surname was Wang, had ancestors from Jinyang and now resided in Xinfeng in Yongzhou. When his mother first conceived him, she naturally refrained from alcohol, meat, and the five pungent roots. Because of his resemblance to Śāriputra while yet amid the dust of the world, people secretly marveled at him. After he was born and raised, his spiritual insight showed itself daily, and his aspirations were lofty and far-reaching. He read and chanted scriptures and treatises, his mind set on delivering beings. When he reached the age of nineteen, he wished to leave home as the Buddha did. Considering that he was an only son and that his parents would obstruct him, he stretched his body out on the ground before his father for seven days without rising. Fearing he would die, his father finally yielded to his wish. He immediately took leave and went into Mount Fu'er in Lantian to shave his head in secret. At first, he took six pecks of flour intended as provisions for a month, eating two pints a day, yet it was not exhausted in three years. Repeatedly he moved divine cauldrons to arrive naturally. Because of this, he intensified his meditation and recitation, unceasing day and night. Later, he relied on Dharma Master Pan and lived at Longchi Monastery. Reverently cherishing the scriptures and treatises, he recited ten thousand words daily, totaling more than three hundred fascicles over time. He thoroughly investigated the three treatises and the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra to their depths. At the beginning of the Daye era, because Kongzang’s fame had spread far and was heard of by monastics and laity, an imperial decree was issued summoning him to enter and reside at Chanding Monastery. When the Tang dynasty arose and repaired and promoted Dharma temples, an imperial decree established Huichang Monastery in Jincheng Ward, inviting ten bhadantas and ordaining fifty monks to dwell and uphold it permanently. Because Kongzang’s practice and virtue had long been evident, they also invited him to reside there. The provisions and offerings were ever more abundant, and his glory was continually splendid. Yet by nature he delighted in mountains and rivers, his aspiration set on pure spaciousness. Every mid-spring, he roamed the forests and hills. Traveling to Yuquan, he conceived the desire to spend his remaining years there. He dwelt there for a decade; the multitudes gathered like a mountain. He guided and instructed without weariness, opening minds ever more broadly. Later, due to a severe drought, the mountain spring dried up over time, and all the monks of the monastery sighed in alarm. Kongzang then prayed with utmost sincerity, and the spring immediately restored its flow. Monastics and laity far and near were moved with joy. Moreover, his broad conduct was as steadfast as a mountain, and his capacity was as calm as deep waters. He was untroubled by worldly glory or profit and took no heed of favor or disgrace; in delivering sentient beings, he did not neglect an inch of time. He then extracted essential Mahāyāna sentences from various scriptures to make scroll manuscripts: on individual sheets he copied five scriptures or three scriptures, and in rolls of twenty or fifty, totaling ten fascicles. Every time he lectured and opened discussions, it greatly advanced their learning; when he heard the teachings, he grasped both the letter and the meaning, with nothing confused or forgotten. During the summer, he regularly practiced the vaipulya repentance method, and bowed once daily to the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa. He constantly sat without lying down for nearly thirty years. His zealous devotion and focused concentration were difficult for others to emulate. On the twelfth day of the fifth month in the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan era, he passed away at Huichang Monastery at the age of seventy-four. His body was abandoned by the side of Longchi Monastery, where his bones were collected and a stupa was erected. Looking at the wealth of his reading and recitation, few could equal it throughout antiquity. When examining his skull, both ear canals were clear and open, there were double holes at the crown, and the eye sockets contained apertures, three in each. His disciples, remembering his eternal departure, erected a stele in Huichang Monastery, with an inscription written by Yu Zhining, Grand Master for Golden and Purple Radiance and Minister of the Guards.
28.29
Shi Huiquan, surnamed Xiao, was the nephew of Duke Song [Xiao] Yu, currently Specially Advanced. His father served the Sui as Duke of Liang, and his grandfather was Emperor Ming of Liang. His temperament was broad and simple, and his aspirations were serene and pure. His paternal aunt was the empress of Emperor Yang of the Sui. From his youth into adulthood, he constantly stayed in the palaces. He longed for and delighted in transcendence of the world, but had no way to realize it on his own. When he reached adulthood, the emperor gave him the daughter of King Xiao of Qin as his wife, which was not his wish. With no alternative, he occasionally engaged in conjugal relations. Only after his wife passed away was he able to fulfill his longstanding wish, taking the tonsure in Zheng’s Eastern Capital. At the beginning of the Wude era, he returned to the capital and took up residence in Zhuangyan Monastery. He broadly listened to various scriptural sections, taking the Mahāyānasaṃgraha as his primary focus. He was quite adept at composing poetry and was especially skilled in cursive and clerical script; whatever his brush touched served as a model, so the inscriptions of scripture titles and monastery plaques were all revered by others. His elder brother Xiao Jun held the post of Middle Secretary of the Eastern Palace, and his literary talents were relied upon by the court. Every spring and autumn, holding hands they went to the crags and peaks, composing poems as inspiration struck and joining lines with the same rhymes; at the time, people considered them a formidable pair of brothers. Moreover, his younger brother Zhizheng left home and lived with him; he was the son of Duke Song’s elder brother, the Chief Minister of the Court of the National Granaries. Casting aside the pursuit of glory and rank, he rejoiced in cherishing the path's enterprise, diligently training himself without distinguishing between dusk and dawn. Zhizheng passed away in succession after his elder brother Huiquan. Because their family had for generations believed in and revered the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, both the high and low of the clan had fully memorized it; thus, the Xiao clan’s Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra was praised by both monastics and laity for its abundance. The Specially Advanced compiled a commentary, gathering together more than ten traditions, selecting their finest points, harmonizing them with his own thoughts, and establishing it in a number of fascicles, which he constantly expounded himself. From time to time, he would summon famous monks of the capital to point out flaws, or assemble nearly twenty monastic and lay kin, bestowing timely gifts with the four requisites without slackening. Thus, wherever his emoluments reached, his only concern was to succor and relieve others. The Chief Minister by inclination prioritized reading and chanting; from the beginning of his life to its end, his recitations exceeded ten thousand times, and he hired people to copy sūtras totaling a thousand sets. Every day when attending court, he always made his usher hold the scripture in front; when there was a slight lull in public affairs, he would immediately proceed to chant and read it, so that the courtiers looked up to him as peerless. Since the teaching of Śākya spread eastward, its lingering flavor has reached far, yet those who uphold, read, and chant it like this have been rare in the world. The Xiao household may truly serve as a model for the entire realm.
28.30
Shi Yisu: It is not known where he was from. When the Tang dynasty first began its rule, he traveled to and stayed at the Yanglu household in Meiquan Township, south of Liquan County in Yongzhou. They constantly made offerings to him. Pure, frugal, and possessing few desires, he made the chanting of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra his sole practice, reciting it day and night in succession several thousand times. In the beginning of the Zhenguan era, nearing the end of his life due to illness, he left instructions to his friend Huikuo, saying: "Lately, although I have been reciting the scripture, my wish was to produce a spiritual sign so as to engender the good roots of faith and devotion among the ignorant populace. After my body dies, do not enclose it in a coffin; bury my exposed remains. After ten years, you may dig them up. If the faculty of the tongue has completely rotted, know that I had no genuine upholding [of the scripture]; if it still remains intact, you must inform the clergy and laity to erect a stūpa for me to display this spiritual response." When he finished speaking, he passed away. They then buried him according to his instructions. In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era, Kuo and various acquaintances went to the tomb and excavated it. The flesh of his body had completely dissolved, and only his tongue had not decayed. The men and women of the whole county all revered him, and those who recited and upheld [the scripture] doubled their usual devotion. They then placed his tongue in a reliquary box and built a brick stūpa for it on the southern bank of the Gangu [River], north of Yanglu Village. Those who knew of it venerated him all the more, and faith, reverence, chanting, and recitation grew even greater. Furthermore, there was Shi Hedan of the Shi Village, south of the Fushui [River] in Fenggu Township, southwest of the capital. In his youth, he harbored virtuous thoughts, constantly reciting the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra and practicing the comfortable practices. Compassion was in his heart, and he did not ride on livestock. With an unburdened and restrained mind, he gained a minor official post as a clerk. Walking back and forth between the capital ministries, he maintained the demeanor of chanting. He was still afraid that if he met acquaintances on the road, exchanging conventional pleasantries would disrupt his recitation. Therefore, whenever he walked, he invariably took small pathways and side tracks, lowering his breath, keeping a pleasant countenance, and continuing his contemplative focus, never showing fatigue. When he died, a miraculous fragrance was perceived, filling the village lanes. Relatives and strangers alike marveled at it, and they buried him. Ten years later, his wife passed away, and when they exhumed his corpse, the faculty of his tongue was fresh and bright, while the rest was entirely decayed. They then clearly marked and buried it separately.
First 30 of 36 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 續高僧傳 — 道宣, Classical Chinese