宋高僧傳 18.18

18.18

釋慧安，姓衛氏，荊州支江人也。其貌端雅，紺䰂青目，降神乃隋開皇初年也。安受性寬裕，不染俗塵，修學法門，無不該貫。文帝十七年，勅條括天下私度僧尼，勘安，云本無名姓，亡入山谷。大業中，開通濟渠，追集夫丁，飢殍相望。安巡乞多鉢食，救其病乏，存濟者眾。煬帝聞之，詔安，遂潛入太和山。至帝幸江都，海內擾攘，乃杖錫登衡嶽寺，行頭陀法。貞觀中，至蘄州，禮忍大師。麟德元年，遊終南山石壁而止。時所居原谷之間，早霜傷苗稼，安居處獨無。四十里外皆苦青女之災矣。天皇大帝聞而召焉，安不奉詔。永淳二年至滑臺，草亭居止，中坐繩床，四方坦露。勅造寺以處之，號招提是也。如是却還家鄉玉泉寺，時神秀禪師新歸寂，咸請住持。安弗從命。天后聖曆二年四月，告門人學眾曰：「各歸閉戶。」至三更，有神人至，扈衛森森，和鈴鉠鉠，風雨偕至。其神旋繞其院數遭，安與之語，丁寧教誡，再拜而去。或問其故，曰：「吾為嵩山神受菩薩戒也。」天后甞問安甲子，對曰：「不記也。」曰：「何不記耶？」乃曰：「生死之身如循環乎？環無起盡，何用記為？而又此心流注，中間無閒，見漚起滅者，亦妄想耳。從初識至動相滅時，亦只如此，何年月可記耶？」天后稽顙焉。聞安闕井，勅為鑿焉。安曰：「此下有赤祥，慎其傷物。」將及泉，見蝦䗫金色，蠢然出沮洳間，合其懸記。帝倍加欽重。殆中宗神龍二年九月，勅令中官賜紫袈裟并絹，度弟子二七人。復詔安并靜禪師入中禁受供施。三年，賜摩納一副，便辭歸少林寺。至景龍三年三月三日，囑門人曰：「吾死已，將屍向林間，待野火自焚之。勿違吾願！」俄爾萬迴和尚來見，安猖狂執手，言論移刻，旁侍傾耳都不體會。至八日，閉戶，偃身而寂。春秋一百三十許歲，起開皇二年，至景龍三年故也。火焚屍畢，收舍利八十粒，內五粒紅紫色進內，餘散施隨力造塔。先天二年門人建浮圖焉。

Śramaṇa Huian was surnamed Wei and was a native of Zhijiang in Jingzhou. His appearance was dignified and elegant, with dark-blue curly hair and blue eyes, and his descent of the spirit took place in the early Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty. By nature Huian was magnanimous and lenient, unstained by worldly dust, and in studying the Dharma gates there was nothing he did not master thoroughly. In the seventeenth year of Emperor Wen, an imperial decree ordered an investigation into monks and nuns throughout the realm who had taken ordination without official license. When Huian was interrogated, he said he originally had no name or surname, and fled into the mountain valleys. During the Daye era, when the Tongji Canal was excavated and laborers were rounded up, the starved dead looked upon one another. Huian went about begging and collected many bowlfuls of food to rescue those who were ill and exhausted, saving a multitude of people. When Emperor Yang heard of this, he summoned Huian by imperial decree, whereupon Huian secretly entered Mount Taihe. When the emperor visited Jiangdu and the realm fell into turmoil, Huian took up his monk's staff, ascended the temple on Mount Heng, and practiced the dhūta austerities. During the Zhenguan era, he went to Qizhou and paid homage to Master [Hong]ren. In the first year of the Linde era, he wandered to the stone cliffs of Mount Zhongnan and settled there. At that time, in the plateau and valley where he resided, an early frost damaged the sprouts and crops, yet Huian's dwelling alone was untouched. Beyond forty li, all suffered the disaster of the Frost Goddess. Emperor Tianhuang heard of this and summoned him, but Huian did not obey the summons. In the second year of the Yongchun era, he arrived at Huatai, dwelling in a grass pavilion; he sat on a corded chair in the middle, open to all four directions. An imperial decree ordered a temple built to house him, which was called Zhaoti [Temple]. After this he returned to his home region to Yuquan Temple. At that time Dhyāna Master Shenxiu had recently passed away, and all requested Huian to assume the abbacy. Huian did not comply with the request. In the fourth month of the second year of the Shengli era under the Empress Dowager [Wu Zetian], he told his disciples and students: 'Each of you return and close your doors.' At the third watch, a spirit being arrived with dense escorts and guards, carriage bells tinkling, accompanied by wind and rain. The spirit circumambulated his courtyard several times; Huian spoke with him, giving earnest instructions and admonitions, whereupon the spirit bowed twice and departed. When someone asked the reason, Huian said: 'I conferred the bodhisattva precepts upon the spirit of Mount Song.' The Empress Dowager once asked Huian his age, to which he replied: 'I do not remember.' She asked: 'Why do you not remember?' He then said: 'Does this body of birth and death not cycle like a ring? A ring has neither beginning nor end; what use is there in remembering? Moreover, this mind flows continuously without intermission; seeing bubbles arise and perish is also mere false ideation. From the first consciousness to the moment when active marks cease, it is just like this. What year or month could be remembered?' The Empress Dowager bowed her forehead to the ground before him. Hearing that Huian lacked a well, she ordered one dug for him. Huian said: 'Beneath this lies an auspicious creature of red; take care not to harm it.' Just as they reached the water source, they saw a golden toad sluggishly emerge from the mud, matching his advance prophecy. The emperor respected him all the more. In the ninth month of the second year of the Shenlong era under Emperor Zhongzong, an imperial decree ordered a palace eunuch to bestow a purple kāṣāya along with silks, and permitted the ordination of twice seven (fourteen) disciples. Again he summoned Huian along with Dhyāna Master Jing to enter the inner palace to receive offerings. In the third year, he was granted a monk's robe (māna), whereupon he took his leave and returned to Shaolin Temple. On the third day of the third month of the third year of the Jinglong era, he instructed his disciples: 'After I die, carry my corpse into the forest and wait for a wild fire to incinerate it on its own. Do not go against my wish!' Soon thereafter Venerable Wanhui came to see him; Huian grasped his hand with wild abandon, and they conversed for quite a while, but the attendants by his side listened intently without understanding a word. On the eighth day, he shut his doors, reclined his body, and passed away. His age was about one hundred and thirty, beginning in the second year of the Kaihuang era and ending in the third year of the Jinglong era. After the cremation of the corpse was completed, eighty grains of relics were collected; five grains of reddish-purple were presented to the palace, while the rest were distributed so that stūpas could be built according to people's means. In the second year of the Xiantian era, his disciples erected a stūpa for him.