續高僧傳 3.8.4

3.8.4

The decree stated: 'Not only has the joy of the Dharma reached this point, but in this way Huijing's pivotal faculty [of eloquence] has awakened the three teachings to enlightenment.' He frequently entered the imperial palace to debate against the Daoists; as soon as he waved the fly-whisk of discourse, the entire audience was struck with awe and dread. Cai Huang and the others, who were the leading champions of the Daoist fold, repeatedly met with defeat, until their resolve and reputation were completely crushed. The Crown Prince, seeing that Huijing's keen spirit was insurmountable, requested that he assume office at Puguang Temple. He issued an edict saying: 'The elder of Jiguo Temple, Master of the Dharma Huijing, is renowned far and wide, and his religious practice is celebrated. In regulating the monastery, he will certainly bring great benefit. We request that he manage the affairs of the temple.' Huijing took propagation as his sole vocation and delighted in quietude. Although bestowed with this honorable appointment, his heart was not at ease; thus he firmly declined in detail, but permission was not granted. Hard-pressed by this imperial favor, he submitted a memorial of gratitude, saying: 'I humbly received the gracious order appointing Huijing abbot of Puguang Temple while remaining in charge of the elder's affairs at my home temple. Receiving the decree, I am alarmed and flustered, not knowing what to do. But Huijing has never measured his own mediocrity and shortcomings; from my youth I specialized in the sūtras and treatises, and by overtaxing my mind, I contracted a chronic ailment. Now that my years advance like an aging dog or horse, my decline worsens by the day. Depending on nourishment to preserve my life, I only occasionally expound the teachings. Polishing the dull and spurring the lame, I have received undeserved praise. As for holding the reins and maintaining order, I have never understood it; regulating the assembly of monks is something I have never been adept at. Your grace sends this mediocre and decrepit person to drag along and supervise those weighty affairs. Privately, I lament that if fish and deer exchange places, they lose the suitability of dryness and wetness; if square and round alter their substance, they go against the nature of things. Since my capacity falls short, the burden truly weighs upon my heart. Examining myself with fear and trembling, I have no time to rest. Yet Your Highness's gracious decree is so profound and generous that I dare not refuse. I respectfully express my gratitude, prostrating myself with increased trepidation.' The Crown Prince replied: 'Suddenly receiving your letter, I am deeply moved and comforted. Having read it over thrice, I feel delighted. I have heard that although the Tathāgata's traces arose in the human realm, his Dao encompassed the heavens beyond; his spiritual efficacy and marvelous power are inconceivable. In tranquil non-action, the path of words is cut off; in limpid, eternal abiding, the sphere of mental activity is extinguished. Yet, because sentient beings, submerged by defilements, drown in the river of craving, he could not but greatly rescue the overflowing currents to bring them to the other shore. Entering and leaving the three realms, ascending and descending through the six heavens, and actively operating across the ten directions was truly for this reason. As for the blessed land of the Deer Park and the spiritual mountain of Vulture Peak, he sprinkled sweet dew over the groves of dhyāna and turned the wheel of the Dharma in the pure realm, entrusting it to the bodhisattvas to deliver the common people; thereafter, he emitted light from his face and extinguished his shadow between the twin trees. Although the jewel-ship has sunk, the bequeathed teachings still survive, which is nothing other than the Tathāgata's Dharmakāya. However, it is humans who can broaden the Dao, not the Dao that broadens humans. Long ago there were Maitreya and Mañjuśrī, who personally received the spoken intentions; recently there were Fotudeng and Kumārajīva, who illuminated the scriptural teachings. That a worthy appears once in five hundred years is truly not spoken in vain; that one meets [such a master] once in a thousand leagues is scarcely an empty word. Formerly, while in the secular world, the Dharma Master came from an illustrious family; your flying tassels graced the Eastern Academy, and your jade ornaments sounded in the Imperial Academy. Thus you were able to bestow abundance upon your descendants and hand down fragrance to your nephews. Yet taking the three hundred poems of the Classic of Poetry, they do not transcend suffering and emptiness; the three thousand rules of the Minor Rituals cannot escape arising and ceasing. Therefore, you gave rise to great vows, dedicated yourself to bodhi, shaved off your youthful locks, and donned the three robes. As for the verses of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, the texts of extensive and concise expositions, the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya, the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya, the eight sections of the Prajñāpāramitā, the treatises of Vasubandhu and Asaṅga, and the discourses on the sentences and meanings of the Dharma doors—all these you have dissected in your breast, stirring up the clear and dispelling the turbid. When gracing the teaching seat and opening the Dharma assembly, your explanation of meanings is inspired, and all types of audiences understand simultaneously; pouring forth eloquence like a hanging torrent, you mobilize words like linked rings. The Jade Chicken was praised by Han officials, and the White Horse was lauded by the proud clerk. Comparing the present with the past, who were they to you? Therefore, we deferentially request the Dharma Master to serve as abbot of Puguang Temple and concurrently oversee the elder's affairs at Jiguo Temple. Furthermore, I have heard that if the intention to cultivate virtue for oneself alone is limited, then the principle of saving beings cannot be vast; if the notion of other and self is not forgotten, then feelings toward others and oneself cannot be open. Moreover, Puguang and Jiguo are both places of enlightenment (bodhimaṇḍas); what difference is there between an old dwelling and a new residence? The Dharma Master's letter says that if fish and deer exchange places, they lose the suitability of dryness and wetness; this was intended as modest speech, feigning precious oddity. Formerly we heard that Elder Jalavāhana was able to rescue ten thousand fish, and how could a huntsman in the wilderness harm a deer that took the three refuges? If only fish-traps and rabbit-snares are left unused, words and images will naturally be forgotten.' Huijing again replied in gratitude: 'Having once more received your gracious decree, the imperial favor is doubly profound, and my retrospective remorse and embarrassment deepen. Yet Huijing's scholarship is ashamed before the reflection of snow, and my understanding is embarrassed before the transmission of the lamp; having undeservedly received this honor, I have sat and obtained what exceeded my hopes. Moreover, you have deigned to bestow this divine calligraphy, disseminating this grand guidance. Its literary elegance matches the celestial luminaries, and its harmony accords with metals and stones. Furthermore, your kindness encompasses both the monastics and the laity, and your bounty extends to both the living and the dead; your encouragement to advance toward height and depth surpasses the mountains and the seas. Turning it over a hundred times, sorrow and joy alternate in my heart. I merely know to engrave it with gratitude, yet how could my meager words express it? With your frequent and kind condescension, I look upon myself with great shame. I respectfully report my gratitude, which only increases my trepidation.' Thereupon [the Crown Prince] again issued a decree to the assembly of Puguang Temple, saying: 'We have heard that the True Dharma vanished in the Western Regions, and the Semblance Teaching was spread to the Eastern Land. Past and present have succeeded one another over many years; yet Nanda, Kāśyapa, Aśvaghoṣa, and Nāgārjuna poured out [the Dharma] as from one vase to another, just like the passing of a lamp. Thus the marvelous import and subtle words have been handed down in writing to reveal the intention. Hence the thirty-two marks pervade humans and devas, and the twelve divisions of scriptures are expounded throughout the lands. Those who follow its road gallop high upon the four crossroads; those who lose its path transmigrate within the six destinies. As for the lair of principle, the gate of Dharma, the mysterious doctrine, and the secret treasury—unless one is of the utmost subtlety in the world, who could participate in this? The Emperor, using the divine way to establish teachings, brings benefit to all living beings. Therefore, he universally built benevolent shrines to carry on and elevate correct enlightenment; divining this supreme ground, he founded this monastery. He invited the famous monks of the Central Realm and summoned the leaders of the imperial city. Recluses of mountains and forests arrived on excursions holding their tin staffs; guests of the court lifted their robes and hastened to their seats. The doctrinal assemblies are grand, and the Dharma companions are numerous; this is truly a field of merit for the settlements and an abode of longevity for the common people. Furthermore, with clustered pillars and overlapping beams, jeweled pagodas and flower terraces, when the great bell is struck, it is not noisy; when pure Sanskrit chants are sung, it grows ever more tranquil. It is like Rocana Buddha sitting in the Dharma hall of Universal Light, where the spiritual marks are resplendent and the divine transformations echo. Comparing the present with the past, it coincides mysteriously; between the title and the vessel, how could an empty post be established? Yet the gathering of the monastic assembly must have regulations. Inquiring among the great assembly, we seldom encounter such a person. After days of searching and recommending, there was widespread agreement, all saying...'