宋高僧傳 27.49

27.49

釋誠慧，元禮之宗盟祖派，蔚州靈丘之故邑，父母深信，注意清涼。因瞻大聖之容，乃乞興邦之子。既而有孕，遂誕賢童。纔當丱年，器𠏉天假，自詣臺山，永為佛子。時真容殿釋法順覩其俊哲，化以苦空，勸捨俗衣，令披法服。暨登具足，尤習毘尼。自後孤遊谿谷，多處林泉。有王子寺僧湛崇等請居茲寺。慧主任之餘暇，內外典教靡捨斯須。供贍精嚴，非不勤恪，恒轉《華嚴經》，數盈百部。每至卷終，懇發願曰：「以我捧經之手，救彼苦惱之人。」而屬武皇與梁太祖日尋干戈，中原未定。武皇中流矢，創痛楚難任，思憶慧師，翹想焚香，痛苦乃息。遙飛雁帛，遠達雞園，命下重巒，迎歸丹闕。武皇躬拜，感謝慈悲，便號國師矣。後乞歸本寺，金峯顯耀，玉樹相依，九州之珍寶皆來，百寺之樓臺普建。莊宗即位，詔賜紫衣，次宣師號，慧堅不受。帝復宣，厥後再朝天闕，更極顯榮。受恩一月，却返五臺。同光三年乙酉歲十二月，囑累門人廷珪曰：「吾今化緣將畢，為吾進遺表，達于宸聽。宜各努力，理無相代。」言訖入丈室，右脇而終也。俗齡五十，僧臘三十。帝聞惻愴，遣高品監護喪筵，仍勅賜祭。三朝火燼，五色骨存，收取舍利而起塔焉。諡曰法雨，塔曰慈雲也。

Śramaṇa Chenghui was of the ancestral lineage of the [Tang] imperial family, native to the old settlement of Lingqiu in Yuzhou. His parents had deep faith and directed their minds toward Mount Qingliang. Because they gazed upon the visage of the Great Sage, they prayed for a son who would foster the state. Soon after, a pregnancy occurred, and an exceptional child was born. As soon as he reached the age of double topknots, with talents endowed by Heaven, he personally went to Mount Wutai to become a son of the Buddha forever. At that time, Śramaṇa Fashun of the True Countenance Hall beheld his sharp intelligence, instructed him in suffering and emptiness, urged him to cast off worldly clothes, and caused him to don the Dharma robes. When he received the full precepts, he especially studied the vinaya. From then on, he wandered alone in ravines and valleys, mostly dwelling among woods and springs. The monk Zhanchong and others of Wangzi Temple invited him to reside in this temple. In the spare moments from his monastic duties, Hui did not neglect the inner or outer scriptural teachings for even an instant. His provisions and offerings were meticulously kept, and he was never unfaithful or negligent. He constantly recited the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, the count exceeding a hundred full readings. Each time he reached the end of a fascicle, he would earnestly make this vow: "May this hand of mine that holds the sūtra save those suffering people." It happened that Emperor Wuhuang [Li Keyong] and Emperor Taizu of Liang [Zhu Wen] daily took up shields and spears, and the Central Plains were not yet pacified. Emperor Wuhuang was struck by a stray arrow, and the pain of the wound was difficult to bear. Recalling Master Hui, he focused his thoughts and burned incense, whereupon the pain ceased. He flew a goose-quill letter from afar, sending it all the way to the Jetavana grove, commanding him to descend the layered peaks and welcoming him to return to the vermilion palace. Emperor Wuhuang bowed in person, thanking his compassion, and thereupon named him Preceptor of the State. Later he begged to return to his original temple. The golden peaks shone brightly, and the jade trees stood together. The precious treasures of the nine provinces all arrived, and multi-storied halls and pavilions across a hundred temples were widely constructed. When Emperor Zhuangzong ascended the throne, an imperial decree bestowed a purple robe, followed by the proclamation of a master's title, which Hui firmly declined. The emperor proclaimed it again; later he once more had audience at the imperial palace, receiving extreme distinction and glory. After receiving this favor for one month, he returned to Mount Wutai. In the twelfth month of the yi-you year, the third year of Tongguang, he exhorted his disciple Tinggui, saying: "My transforming affinities are now nearing their end. Submit my dying memorial to reach the sovereign's ears. You should each make an effort, for in the principle of things, none can take another's place." Having spoken, he entered his ten-foot room and passed away lying on his right side. His worldly age was fifty, his saṅgha age thirty. Hearing of this, the emperor was grieved and dispatched a high-ranking official to oversee the funeral arrangements, further decreeing an imperial sacrifice. After three mornings, the fires were ashes; five-colored bones remained. They collected the relics and erected a stūpa. He was posthumously named Fayu ["Dharma Rain"], and his stūpa was named Ciyun ["Merciful Cloud"].