續高僧傳 6.27

6.27

Shi Huishao was surnamed Chen; his ancestors were originally descendants of Taiqiu of Yingchuan. Fleeing disorder, he resided in the rural hamlets of Danyang. By nature quiet, vacant, and of few desires, he was resolute and spoke little. Bereaved of his father in childhood, he was raised by his elder brother, and his utmost fraternal affection was renowned in the village. At the age of twelve, weary of the world, he renounced household life (pravrajyā). Having received full ordination, he traveled to the capital, Yangzhou. He listened to Master Min of Zhuangyan Monastery lecture and explain the Satyasiddhi-śāstra. After hearing it only twice, his notes were nearly complete. He said to his fellow student Huifeng, 'I have been bathed in the Dao for only a short time, yet I already understand its tenets. Why is this? Is it not that the doctrines I heard were shallow, or was it brought about by good instruction?' He then tried attending the lectures of Dharma Master Zang of Kaishan Monastery, whereupon he felt that the principles were as profound as the words. He then exerted all his mind in delving into and looking up to them. That night he had a dream in which he went to Kaishan Monastery and gathered several bushels of plums; eager to eat them, he first grasped the branches and leaves. Upon awakening, he understood and said, 'I should indeed learn from him; I will certainly tread the deepest ultimate.' Soon afterward Master Zang passed away, and Master Chao of Longguang Monastery followed in his footsteps to transmit the tradition. Huishao turned to listen to him. Since he lacked a copy of the treatise, the rules did not permit him to stay. He had only a single cape, and it was severe winter; he took it off and used it to pay for copying the treatise. Enduring the cold with chattering teeth, he was only then able to participate in hearing the text and meaning. In addition, he was gifted with independent insight, excelling far above the assembly. He argued that the truth of cessation (nirodha-satya) is fundamentally existent, and used gross and subtle aspects to analyze the mind. At the time, people considered his deep analysis to possess divine insight. When the King of Wuling under the Liang went out to govern Yong and Shu, hearing that many there engaged in doctrinal studies, he deemed that only someone of grand understanding and immense prestige could explain and proclaim the teachings. The candidates recommended by the assembly's deliberations were not to his liking. The King said, 'I recall in past years at a Dharma assembly there was a northern monk, Dharma Master Shao, who alone is suited for this choice. If we could obtain him to go with us, I expect he will be able to stimulate the frontier region.' He thereupon invited him to Shu. In various monasteries, his lectures, debates, and spiritual guidance flowed like a river. When his exposition at Longyuan Monastery was nearly finished, as he sat quietly in his room, he had a vision of a deity wearing blue clothes and a small cloth cap, who paid respects and said, 'May the Dharma Master always propagate the Dharma here; I will protect you.' Having spoken, the deity vanished. Thereupon he gave successive lecture sessions, clarifying and resolving complex and tangled knots. Formerly in the capital of Yangzhou, he had often suffered from a qi illness, his anxious thoughts constantly stirring. But after arriving in Shu to lecture, all his ailments vanished. Those who knew regarded this as the protection of the monastery's deity. At that time, three or four Dharma assemblies were always held simultaneously in Chengdu, the Dharma drums beating together in rivalry to throw open the abstruse gates. Yet Shao's audience was so magnificent that none surpassed it. Moreover, he led the assembly of listeners to chant the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, each person chanting one fascicle to make up a complete set; several times each year they gathered to chant them in order. If there were errors or lapses of memory, or if someone fell asleep during the lecture and missed something, he would take the punishment upon himself in their stead. Apologizing to the assembly, he said, 'This is because my instruction was not clear.' Thus he used his own person to exhort others; his diligence reached this degree. When the King of Wuling administered Shu, whenever he composed treatises on the Mahāyāna and the Tripiṭaka, śramaṇas such as Baotuan, Baogai, and Zhikong—all peaks among the younger generation—participated in the compilation. When the fascicles were completed, the King rewarded them with a hundred thousand cash. Shao immediately distributed it at Longyuan Monastery to provide for the students. The King repeatedly instructed him to take charge as the Chief of Monks (Sengdu), but he firmly declined and would not accept. By nature he did not ride horses. Even when eminent nobles invited him to lecture and he encountered mud and rain, he would always lean on a staff, wear a bamboo hat, tread on straw sandals, and proceed to the assembly. From his youth he ate purely and did not touch rare delicacies. Later, when he contracted a seasonal illness, a medicine was compounded with pig fat; he refused and would not take it. At improper times, liquids and drinks were entirely cut off from his daily routine. Those inquiring after his illness looked up to see that his expression was cheerful and delighted, and his prostrations and recitations never ceased. Thinking he had slightly recovered, they were told by him, 'Now there is no place in me that does not ache, like a broken cart traveling on the road, always on the verge of collapsing. I am merely forcing myself to endure. I only regret that the venerable image I was constructing is not yet finished; I am about to depart.' He entrusted both monastics and laity to adorn and complete it on his behalf. Then he bathed, shaved his head, trimmed his nails, bowed in worship, and rinsed his mouth. Sitting in the Mahā Hall of Longyuan Monastery, he suddenly passed away at the age of fifty-four, on the third day of the seventh month in the seventh year of the Tianjian era. At that time, a resident of Chengdu named Ying Shifeng ceased breathing on account of illness, yet his chest remained warm. After five days he finally awoke, saying that he had been summoned to King Yama's place. He heard an order issued: 'Welcome Dharma Master Shao!' In an instant the Master arrived. The King descended from the dais, joined his palms, and made prostrations without saying a word, only drawing on a document the words 'Great Governance.' Shao then went outside and sat under a tree along an open road. He saw a youth holding a fresh kaṣāya in a lacquered willow winnowing basket, asking Shao to wear it. Several tens of monks came to welcome him; Feng recognized only the two Dhyāna Masters Zhi and Ci. With banners and flowers lining the path, they soared away into the air. Furthermore, on the night of his demise, a nun from Anpu Monastery, who had long been unconscious from illness, woke up later and said that she had escorted Dharma Master Shao and five hundred monks as they climbed a seven-jewel ladder to the lecture hall in the heavenly palace. Its ground was like crystal, the couches and mats splendidly arranged; there were also chowries and small tables, and lotus blossoms covered the floor. Shao took his seat and preached; after a short while he rose, sending those who had escorted him away and bidding them return. The dark signs and visionary perceptions attending his life and death were of this kind.