宋高僧傳 12
English (machine translation) 12
- Language
- English
12.1
Compiled under imperial decree by Śramaṇa Zanning and others, Grand Master Tonghui, recipient of the purple robe, of Tianshou Temple of the Left Street under the Song
12.2
Section Three on the Practice of Dhyāna, Part 5 (twenty primary biographies, with four attached)
12.3
Biography of Huanzhong of Mount Daci in Hangzhou under the Tang
12.4
Śramaṇa Huanzhong was surnamed Lu, a native of Puban in Hedong. He was endowed with extraordinary spiritual qualities and had a stature superior to ordinary mortals: his limbs were well-proportioned, the bone of his crown round and elevated; his voice was like the sound of a bell, and his skin like curdled fat. His erudition spanned all antiquity, and his rhetoric was copious and rich. At age twenty-five, he went up for the imperial examinations and passed in the first tier, but this did not satisfy his aspirations, and he thought to succeed again. Soon after, he suffered the mourning for his mother, so he built a hut by her grave. When the mourning period concluded, he went straight to Tongzi Temple in the Northern Capital and renounced the world (pravrajyā). Before two harvests were completed, he had perused all the scriptures. The following year, he ascended Mount Song to receive the precepts, and studied the vinaya section. Thoroughly versed in this, he suddenly yearned for the Mahāyāna, decisively went to Mount Baizhang, and profoundly grasped the profound import. Later he lived in reclusion at Changle Temple on the Southern Peak, thatching a cottage on the mountain peak. Grand Master of Remonstrance Lord Cui deeply respected his conduct, and thereupon specially erected an abbot's quarters. He waited for the sun to sink in the Yu Abyss, taking only one meal throughout the long day. However, lacking water, he went far with an emaciated pitcher to fetch it. Suddenly, in the depths of the night, a tiger roared beside his hut; when inspected the next morning, a gushing spring had cracked the ground and bubbled up, sufficient for his drawing needs. Later he went to Hangzhou; north of the Zhejiang River was a mountain called Daci. Before he had dwelled there long, patrons and the faithful arrived in succession. Soon it grew into an enormous monastery, and monks from the four directions gathered to pay respects like clouds. During the suppression of the teaching by Emperor Wuzong, Zhong wore plain robes and was invited by someone to reside at the villa of the Dai family. In the renshen year of Dazhong, Prefect Lord Liu was the first to order him to shave his head and dye his robes, restoring prosperity to the Chan forest. On the fifteenth day of the second month of the renwu year, he gave his final instructions, and died just as his voice ceased. At that time, it was growing hot and humid, but examination of his body showed not the slightest change, and the crown of his head was warm and moist. In winter, he was interred at the stupa site, living to eighty-three years of age, with a dharma age of fifty-four. There is a saying that the Tiger Run Spring on the mountain of Changle Temple suddenly dried up on the day Master Zhong passed away. How marvelous! It had existed solely to support his use. In the dingyou year of Qianfu, an imperial decree posthumously titled the Grand Master Xingkong ('Nature of Emptiness'), and named his stupa Dinghui ('Concentration and Wisdom'). Duan Chengshi, prefect of Jinyun, composed a eulogy for his portrait.
12.5
Biography of Huanpu of Mount Shao in Luoyang under the Tang
12.6
Śramaṇa Huanpu: it is not known where he was from. He was endowed with a pure and refined disposition, and his nature was modest and reserved. When dwelling among uncouth and rustic folk, he treated them with vast humility and deferential respect, and the breadth of his discernment was difficult to fathom. After receiving the full precepts (upasampadā), he reviewed and investigated the sūtras and treatises. Afterwards, carrying his staff, he traveled south to Liyang, where he met Jiashan and experienced mental resonance; whenever students presented questions, he would extend his hand to lead them back, not allowing a single mechanism of teaching to fail in opening and guiding them. If there were those whom he could not awaken, he exhorted them to read the scriptures and teachings, which was also akin to the remaining style of Shenxiu and Daji.
12.7
Biography of Rizhao of Angtou Peak on Mount Heng under the Tang
12.8
Śramaṇa Rizhao was surnamed Liu, a native of Qixia. His family was distinguished and prosperous for generations; in his youth he received family training and read the classics and records widely, extending also to the Zhuangzi and Laozi; his innate wisdom unfolded, and he thought to follow the sons of Śākya. He immediately went to Longxing / Daxingshan Temple in Chang'an under Dharma Master Tanguang to receive instruction and accept the precepts, transmitting and receiving scriptures and treatises, mastering all of them. He then traveled to Mount Song, inquiring into the formula of complete penetration, which he joyfully entered. Later he traveled to the Southern Peak and ascended Angtou Peak; its sheer, towering verdure inspired him with the resolve to spend the rest of his life there. He lived in a hermitage for twenty years; when Emperor Wuzong persecuted the teaching during the Huichang era, Zhao went deep into cliff caves, eating chestnuts and drinking from streams to prolong his breaths. When Emperor Xuanzong revived the Buddha-dharma in the Dazhong era, he led some sixty disciples back to the old site on Mount Angtou, weaving thatch roofs and constructing quarters. He resided there for another fifteen years, with students gathering like surging waves. He showed extinction during the Xiantong era, at the age of one hundred and eight. On the third day of the second month of the third year [of that era] he was enshrined in a stupa, and a stele was erected there. The world refers to his Chan teaching as 'Angtou Zhao', does it not?
12.9
Biography of Xuanjian of Deshan Monastery in Langzhou under the Tang
12.10
Śramaṇa Xuanjian was surnamed Zhou, a native of Jiannan. By nature he detested meat and pungent foods; in his youth he was eminent and keen, endowed from past lives with extraordinary character, and earnestly wished to transcend the mundane world. A great dragon does not crouch in a small courtyard; a swift osprey must soar into the layered clouds. Once he had removed fine ornaments, he took his place among the saṅgha. After receiving full ordination (upasampadā), he immediately probed the vinaya basket, and through constant study became thoroughly versed in both the nature and characteristics [of dharmas]. Hearing that the Chan path was flourishing greatly between the multiple lakes, he set his aspiration on wandering like the clouds, and paid a visit to Chan Master Longtan Xin, who was of the second generation of the lineage master Shitou. At first, Longtan lived alone in a single room, and Jian insisted on waiting upon him and serving him. One evening, Longtan handed a lit torch to Jian; Jian took it and walked several steps, then said: 'I have long heard of the Dragon Pool (Longtan), yet having arrived, neither dragon nor pool is to be seen!' Xin replied: 'You have truly arrived in person!' His capacity tallied with the teaching, and he stayed close to the abbot's quarters for more than thirty years. Later he resided in Liyang. After living there for a short time, the purge of Emperor Wuzong took place. In the Dazhong era, monastic customs were restored. At the beginning of the Xiantong era, upon the persistent invitation of Xue Yanwang, prefect of Wuling, he first took up residence at Deshan. His Way was fragrant, and Chan followers from all four seas converged like spokes at a hub. During the summer retreats and winter months, there were usually five hundred people in the hall. In his guidance and instruction, he was as inaccessible as the heavens and as deep as the sea, his bounds difficult to fathom. When Xuefeng came to consult him, Jian deeply approved and respected him. On the third day of the twelfth month in the yiyou year, the sixth year of Xiantong, he suddenly told his disciples: 'Grasping at emptiness and pursuing echoes—does this not exhaust your spirits? Once awakened from a dream, one realizes its unreality; what else is there?' Having spoken, he sat peacefully and transformed, aged eighty-four, with a saṅgha age of sixty-five. His body sat upright upon the platform, prominent and lifelike for seven days. Whenever people under heaven speak of the lightning-fast Chan path, they refer to the style of Deshan's gate. Today, his Dharma grandsons who flourish in Xiang, Deng, and Handong are proof of this.
12.11
Biography of Zanghuan of Qixin Temple in Mingzhou under the Tang
12.12
Shi Zanghuan, whose secular surname was Zhu, was a native of Huating in Suzhou. When his mother was pregnant and gave birth, an extraordinary fragrance was frequently smelled. As a child, he once fell into a well, and a divine person caught hold of him and brought him out. In his youth he went forth from the household and paid homage to Chan Master Daokuang. When he reached capping age, he went to Mount Song to receive the full precepts. His mother wept whenever she longed for him, and consequently lost sight in one eye; when he returned to visit her, her sight cleared that very day. When his mother died, he grieved with extreme emaciation, and at the hut by her grave auspicious omens appeared in abundance; such was his filial resonance, through which he became renowned. Soon after, he traveled in search of the Way, went again to Mount Wuxie, and met Great Master Lingmo. With a single word of analysis their aims coincided: their way of revealing and concealing was like that of the sun and moon. During the Huichang and Dazhong eras, [the Dharma] declined and then flourished again. Huan alone abode through it: sparks could not confuse him, fire could not burn him, and water could not wet him. When Changshou Temple was rebuilt in the Zhou-Luo region, he was ordained by imperial order to reside there. At that time, internal texts had been burned and Sanskrit pothi leaves reduced to ashes; he personally gathered the scattered fragments, which truly formed a Tripiṭaka. Soon after, Lord Yang of Nanhai took charge of the texts in Gusu and invited Huan to return to his old forest to establish a monastery. In the twelfth year of Dazhong, the patron Ren Jingqiu of Yinsui gave his residence to make a cloister and welcomed Huan to reside there. The bandit Qiu Fu of Shan led two thousand followers, bearing arms, and entered in broad daylight; Huan sat in meditation with closed eyes, his countenance unperturbed. The bandit horde was terrified and bowed their heads to beg forgiveness. After the bandits were quelled, the prefecture memorialized the throne to request changing the name plaque to Qixin Temple, in order to commend Huan's virtue. Whenever he made any movement, Chan practitioners always gathered, encircling the hall and crowding around his couch, standing wall-to-wall like gathered clouds. Huan's learning surged like a spring, and his discernment clearly distinguished the forks in the road. Those who brought challenging questions to dispel doubts, and scholars who attacked difficulties to probe the hidden, all saw their bitter mists lift at once and their hard ice melt as they sat; a single word penetrated spirit, shattering deep confusion forever. On the third day of the eighth month, in autumn of the seventh year of Xiantong, he manifested illness and announced his end, having lived seventy-seven years with fifty-seven saṅgha years. He previously ordered perfumed water and the shaving of his hair, saying to his disciples: 'I have seven days remaining.' When the term arrived, he passed away. His disciples wailed and yearned, and temporarily interred him at Tiantong Cliff. Three years had already passed when, one day, an extraordinary fragrance hung in the air, dense and strong near and far. The disciples said to one another: 'Formerly the Master charged us, saying, "After three years you must cremate my body"; now the extraordinary fragrance is like this.' They then opened the pagoda to inspect it, and he was dignified as in life. On the third day of the eighth month of that year, they cremated him according to the Western method and obtained several thousand grains of śarīra, which were red and emerald green in colour. In the thirteenth year, his disciple Jiexiu brought the śarīra and presented an account of his conduct to the palace to request a posthumous title. An imperial order was received in praise and lamentation, bestowing the posthumous name Xinjian and naming the pagoda Shoxiang. When Huan was at Changshou Temple in Luoyang, he said to the assembly: 'Formerly the monk Tancui of Mount Tiantong in Siming was my past life; a grave pagoda of his still exists there.' It was far away, and people had doubts, but when they investigated the facts, all were as he had said. Earlier, when Master Ren was about to welcome Huan, someone raised objections. He replied: 'When I first arranged this residence, an extraordinary monk bade me enlarge the gate, saying that after twenty years, a holy one would dwell in it.' When Huan arrived, it had indeed been twenty years. Moreover, when Huan was about to depart Gusu, he was detained by crowds of disciples; he gave them a palm-fibre fly-whisk, saying: 'I am here; why do you doubt?' Once he secretly departed, the assembly only then understood his profound meaning. He also ordered that at the northwest corner of the temple, five hundred mounds could be made to subdue it. Someone said: 'How can such labor be accomplished?' Huan said: 'Not so; it will do to make one mound and plant five cypress trees.' All his subtle words and profound meanings were of this kind. Prefect Cui Qi composed the pagoda stele, and Shaolang, the county defender of Jinhua, inscribed its plaque.
12.13
Tang: A Biography of Yixuan of Linji Cloister in Zhending Prefecture
12.14
Shi Yixuan, whose secular surname was Xing, was a native of Nanhua in Caozhou. He practiced and studied across various regions, not shunning hardships. Upon meeting Chan Master Yun of Mount Huangbo, tapping and pecking occurred at the very same instant, and he thoroughly penetrated. He then returned north to his native soil, condescending to comply with the request of the people of Zhao, and took up residence at Linji south of the city. Those who had ceased lecturing on scriptures and treatises all came close to his chamber; he demonstrated the mind-essence to people, in a manner quite similar to Deshan. On the tenth day of the fourth month in the bingxu year, the seventh year of Xiantong, he manifested extinction. By imperial order he was bestowed the posthumous title Great Master Huizhao, and his pagoda was called Chengxu. His spoken teachings circulated widely in the world; today Hengyang is called the Linji Chan school.
12.15
Tang: A Biography of Congjian of Guang'ai Temple in the Western Capital of Luoyang (Jianzong)
12.16
Shi Congjian, whose surname was Zhang, was originally a native of Nanyang; he moved his residence to Guangling, and was born in the Huaidian region. By nature untrammeled, his bearing was lofty and towering; among the village neighborhoods, he was feared and respected in his time. He met a physiognomist who said: 'You stand eight feet tall, with refined brows and bright eyes; on another day you will surely bear an honorable charge.' Jian said: 'My mind does not wish to serve in office; what use have I for an honorable charge?' The physiognomist said: 'The charge you will bear cannot be measured.' Beyond the age of establishing a household, he suddenly developed deep faith in Buddhist principles; thereupon he abandoned his wife and children, sought a monk, and shaved his head. No sooner had he mounted the platform of precepts than he guarded the mind-jewel with great care; through awakening to dhyāna, he suddenly comprehended the profound principle. Over several decades, those of like mind came from afar to ask questions. Jian pointed them out and corrected them one by one, enabling them to awaken. Soon after, he traveled to the Western Capital of Luoyang to hang his staff at Guang'ai Temple. At that time, Chan practitioners gathered like fish scales, serving him as filial sons serve their parents. When anyone in Luoyang invited Jian to offer food, they would always arrange a seat facing the Venerable Piṇḍola; his veneration by people was all of this kind. During the fifth year of Huichang, an edict ordered the abolition of Buddhist pagodas and shrines and commanded śramaṇas to return to their native places, so he was also caught up in the purge. Thereupon, in black cap and hemp clothes, he hid at the hot spring villa of the Huangfu family. On the ridge behind, tall trees stood dense and crowded, and a giant boulder was flat as a whetstone; in summer, Jian often went there to enter samādhi or mend his patchwork robes. Suddenly a storm of collapsing clouds and driving rain struck, with thunder and lightning striking the rock and fierce winds arriving together; all who were present fled in terror. Jian alone joyfully sat in full lotus posture, as if hearing nothing. When someone asked Jian about it, he said: 'Why make such a fuss over wicked beasts?' At the beginning of Dazhong, Emperor Xuanzong issued an edict to revive the Buddhist religion, and Jian returned to his old residence in the city of Luoyang. One day his son came from Guangling to visit him and happened to encounter Jian at the cloister gate; his dignified and awe-inspiring appearance was such that the son could no longer recognize him. The son then asked: 'Where does the Worthy of Great Virtue Congjian live?' Jian pointed to the southeast, saying he could be sought there. Once his son had gone, he shut his door and did not come out; his severing of the net of affection was like this. In the summer, the fifth month of the bingxu year, the seventh year of Xiantong, he suddenly went to the home of a patron to take leave, saying: 'Strive to establish merit; this poor monk will take a distant journey at the beginning of autumn, so I have come to inform you.' On the morning of the first day of the seventh month in autumn, having washed his hands and burned incense, he recollected Maitreya Tathāgata and then lay down on his right side. Calling his disciple Xuanzhang, he admonished him, saying: 'A human body is difficult to obtain and easy to lose; be quick! Have no mind regarding things; do not revolve in saṃsāra. The unproduced and unceasing Dharma is all present right now. Now my life has reached its limit; I take temporary leave of you.' That day he passed away without illness, at an age over eighty. Xuanzhang and others carried out his posthumous will, sending his corpse to the śītavana outside Jianchun Gate to offer to birds and beasts. After three days they inspected it again: his flesh and appearance were as in life, and nothing had approached it. They then covered it with pastries and cakes; overnight there were tracks of foxes and wolves, but they had only eaten what covered it, while his body remained dignified as before. They then deliberated to cremate him using the foreign method, collected the remaining ashes, and erected a white pagoda by the roadside. People placed even greater faith in him, and incense and lamps did not cease. Next, there was Shi Jianzong of Jingshan Cloister in Hangzhou, a native of Changcheng in Huzhou. His surname was Qian, and he was the grandson of Qian Hui, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. When his father Sheng was ill, Zong cut flesh from his own thigh to feed him, lying to him that it was 'the meat of another animal.' Soon after, the illness abated; his filial reputation was heard throughout his relatives and neighborhood, and he thereupon sought to leave the household. At that time, at Kaiyuan Temple in the prefecture, there was the Worthy of Great Virtue of the Capital's Precept Platform and Palace Chaplain Gaoxian; Xian was skilled in cursive and clerical script, and had once written in the imperial presence of Emperor Yizong, enjoying a very high and splendid reputation; Zong vowed to pay homage to him as his master. Later he went out to study, gaining a thorough understanding of the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa and the Viśeṣacintā-brahma-paripṛcchā-sūtra, and subsequently lectured on and studied them regularly. The venerable Xian also demonstrated his brush technique to him, so that he gradually attained his master's mantle. Suddenly he went to pay respects to Great Master Wukong of Yanguan; following the assembly in consultation, he penetrated directly to the mind-source. He then returned to his native place and encouraged people to cultivate merit. In the third year of Xiantong, the xinji year, he made a tour of famous mountains and thereupon settled at Mount Jing on the eastern peak of Tianmu. Clergy and laity turned their hearts to him, and he broadly propagated the Dharma teachings. Among his disciples, the most prominent were Xianqi of Mount Tiantong, Xingzhen of Mount Beishan who was imperially bestowed a purple robe, and Xingman of Mount Daci, all of whom branched out to transform living beings. On the fifth day of the intercalary third month in the bingxu year, the seventh year, he manifested extinction. His pagoda was moved below the Daji Rock. In the fifth year of Qianhua of the Liang, the King of Wuyue, Grand Father Qian, submitted a memorial requesting the posthumous title Great Master Wushang, and the ancestral lineage handed down his title as the Second Patriarch of Jingshan. At that time, Shen Xiu of Wuxing, who called himself Master Baiya, recorded his virtues in a eulogistic account.
12.17
Tang: A Biography of Liangjie of Mount Dong in Hongzhou
12.18
Shi Liangjie, whose secular surname was Yu, was a native of Zhuji in Kuaiji. In his youth he followed a master at a temple on Mount Wuxie. When he reached the age of twenty-one, he finally went to Mount Song to receive the full precepts. Immediately after, he traveled about and met Chan Master Nanquan, profoundly grasping the mystical tally. Next he went to Yunyan, and his doubts and obstructions suddenly ceased. At the end of Dazhong, he broadly practiced the Chan Dharma at Mount Xinfeng. Later he flourished in transforming Dongshan in Gao'an of Yuzhang, present-day Yunzhou. On the first morning of the third month in the jiyou year, the tenth year of Xiantong, Jie ordered his head shaved and robes donned, and had the bell struck, suddenly passing away. At that time his disciples wailed in sorrow; Jie suddenly opened his eyes, sat up, and said: 'One who has left the household has a mind that does not depend on things; this is true practice. One toils in life and rests in death; what is there to grieve over? To sink and perish in sentiment—is that not far too coarse and attached?' He summoned the prior monk and ordered him to prepare a vegetarian feast: 'When the feast is done, I shall depart!' Yet the assembly's hearts longed for him, so they postponed the day. By the seventh day, the food implements were finally ready, and Jie joined in the feast, saying to the assembly: 'This feast is called "Delusion".' This was to reproach them for lacking prajñā. When the monks chanted 'As you wish', he said: 'Monks should not act with such rashness; at the moment of departure, to stir up such clamour!' On the eighth day, after bathing, he sat upright and expired, having lived sixty-three years with forty-two dharma years. By imperial order, the Chan master was bestowed the posthumous title Wuben, and his pagoda was named Huijue.
12.19
The appraisal states: His staying on for several days is something that also occurred in antiquity. But as for one who comes and goes with freedom like Jie, in recent times he is the sole person.
12.20
Tang: A Biography of Zangyi of Suzhou
12.21
Śramaṇa Zangyi, secular surname Cheng, was a native of Xin'an in Quzhou. In his youth, his spirit was clear and vibrant, and his physical stature was towering. During the Yuanhe era, he informed his parents of his desire to renounce household life; his resolve could not be turned aside, so he went straight to Mount Yuelu in Changsha, where he approached Vinaya Master Lingzhi and asked to receive tonsure and the dyed robes. Master Zhi perceived that his firm aspiration was extraordinary, and so he accepted and ordained him. Having donned the Dharma robes, he soon received the full precepts (śīla) from Vinaya Master Zhizong at Kaiyuan Temple in Wuling; this was in the third year of the Changqing era. Through listening to the Vinaya models, he swiftly mastered the classifications of offenses and said to his fellow practitioners: 'The teachings are vast and varied, yet they possess an essential gate. For the urgency of this essential gate, nothing surpasses discarding the raft.' Thereupon he travelled everywhere to visit the masters of the Chan lineage. He encountered an eminent disciple of Mazu residing at Mount Longya, who recognized that Yi was a vessel of the Dharma. On a later day, he said to him: 'The aggregates and realms are not real; the birth of a Buddha is not me. What should the true origin of yours be called? And from whom did you obtain it?' Yi grasped the meaning at a single word; all paths converged as one. Longya said: 'My Dharma eye is not obscured.' Having attained what he sought, he found great peace and stillness, and returned to Mount Ke to escape the searches of the Huichang era. In the sixth year of the Dazhong era, the prefect, the venerable Cui Shou, esteemed him and constructed a separate Chan quarters at the prefectural Longxing Temple, inviting him to reside there. Several years later, he traveled north to Jiahe, where faithful lay followers took refuge in him and asked him to stay at the Zhide Monastery. He then went to Gusu; at that time, Lord Cui Jun was prefect of this commandery, and having long heard of Yi's fame, he invited him to reside at the Southern Chan Cloister. In the eighth year of the Xiantong era, the Surveillance Commissioner of Western Zhe, Lord Zhou Bao, ordered him to reside at Zhaoyin Temple. In the autumn of that year, he returned to Jiahe, where the faithful layman Lü Jing donated his villa to build the present-day Yong'an Cloister. During the Qianfu era, swarms of bandits caused turmoil, and the Chan community dispersed. Yi said: 'The bandits will never come here.' When the time came, the bandits marched by another route, and indeed no harm was done; his foreknowledge was of this kind. On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the fifth year, dark clouds filled the courtyard, pheasants called, and crows cawed; he sat peacefully and transformed. His disciples wailed and wept, and he revived, until the sixth year, in the middle of the third month, before noon, when he bade farewell to the assembly and passed away, at eighty-two years of age and fifty-six saṅgha years. At that time Danjiao composed a portrait eulogy for Yi. In the Qianning era, the monk Shenzan submitted a memorial requesting a posthumous title and pagoda name. The renowned scholar Wu Zhongyu inscribed the stele.
12.22
Tang Biography of Da'an of the Yishan Cloister in Fuzhou
12.23
Śramaṇa Da'an, surname Chen, was a native of Mincheng. Entering the Way in his youth, he suddenly wiped away the dust of defilement. In the twelfth year of the Yuanhe era, an imperial decree established a Tuṣita altar at Qianyuan Temple in Pucheng County of Jianzhou, where he fully completed the precepts. At that time, cassia seeds rained from heaven and cinnabar grass grew from the earth; Prefect Yuan Xi personally drafted a memorial reporting these auspicious omens to the throne, and an imperial decree was returned renaming the monastery Fengqi Temple and designating it the Efficacious Altar. An then traveled toward Hongjing, his road passing through Shangyuan, when he suddenly met an old man who said: 'If you go to Nanchang, you will surely attain something.' When he consulted masters of Vinaya studies, he heard two monks conversing at night and suddenly comprehended the purport of the three vehicles; he then entrusted what he had studied to his colleagues. Going to Linchuan, he saw Chan Master Huizang of Mount Shigong. When Zang expounded the teachings, he always raised a bow and crossbow to aim at students. Before An had even risen from his prostration, Zang called out: 'Watch the arrow!' An's expression remained undisturbed, and his answers did not miss the mark. Shigong then threw down the crossbow and said: 'After years of shooting, only now have I hit half a person.' An traveled to Mount Wutai, where he entered the Dragon Pond to bathe; though he immersed himself in the ripples for a long time, there was no anomalous tempest of torrential rain and hail, leaving onlookers in awe. Later he stopped at Mount Gui, paid homage to Chan Master Dayuan, and once more confirmed what he had previously realized as a definitive fruit. At that time, the Surveillance Commissioner of Yuzhang, the posthumously honored Grand Defender Lord Cui Zhenxiao—the younger uncle of Duke Wei—deeply accorded with the profound mechanism; he held An's Way in high esteem and sent a swift dispatch to summon him, whereupon his renown flourished all the more. In the fourteenth year of the Xiantong era, an imperial decree granted him the title Grand Master Yansheng and bestowed a set of purple robes. In the second year of the Zhonghe era, he manifested illness, and a great beam in the Dharma hall where he stayed snapped in two. On the twenty-second day of the tenth month of the third year, guimao, he passed away sitting upright in the abbot's quarters at Yishan, at ninety-one years of age and sixty-seven saṅgha years. A subsequent imperial decree conferred the posthumous title Grand Master Yuanzhi, and his pagoda was named Zhenzhen. An never spat upon the ground, did not stay in heated rooms, dressed according to whatever offerings were made, and bathed when rain fell from heaven. His dharma-inquiry disciple Huichang entered the capital passes to proclaim An's virtue, which led to the posthumous honours. Minister of State Sikong of Boling admired his past illustrious deeds and composed a text in praise of his virtue. The poet Zhou Pu deeply respected An and frequently entered the mountain to pay his respects.
12.24
Tang Biography of Qingzhu of Mount Shishuang in Changsha (Hongyin and Lingda)
12.25
Śramaṇa Qingzhu, secular surname Chen, was a native of Yusi Township in Xingan, Luling. Neither his grandfather nor his father served as officials, engaging instead in pure conversation and unrestrained living. When Zhu was only thirteen, he took the Chan elder Shaoluan as his teacher and shaved his hair at the West Mountain of Hongjing. At twenty-three, he went to Mount Song to receive the full precepts, and proceeded to Eastern Luoyang to study the Vinaya. Once he understood the proscriptions, he ultimately considered it a gradual teaching, and so he returned to the Southern Peak and entered Mount Dagui. Next he arrived at Yunyan, where he met Daowu; when questioned, Daowu understood his intent, and he spent two summer retreats there as a monk. Having obtained Mount Shishuang, he resolved to spend the rest of his days there. Daowu came in person to Mount Shishuang, daily serving him diligently, their exchanges recorded in a separate record. Zhu's appearance was archaic and his spirit authentic; none in the world could recognize him. When Dongshan had just passed away, he was suddenly surrounded by Chan companions from distant lands, so he entered deep into the uninhabited wilderness and thatched a hut to sit in quiet meditation. The assembly tracked him down, and when someone caught sight of him, they wept and collectively pleaded: 'Come forth for our sake! Where are you going?' From this point on, he was knocked upon day and night by wandering students; how could he not respond with the subtle sound? For twenty years like this, the senior elders in the hall sat continuously without lying down, towering like withered stumps; the world called them the 'Shishuang withered wood community.' What is called a monastery in the south renders dhyāna as a forest of merit, and as a model of pure discipline for the four directions, none surpassed them. In the fourth year of the Guangqi era, wushen, in the second month on the day jihai, he manifested illness and passed away at his mountain cloister, living to eighty-two years of age, with fifty-nine saṅgha years. On the fifteenth day of the third month, he was buried about two hundred paces to the northwest of the temple; his disciples erected a stupa resembling a topknot. On the first day of the fourth month in summer, the disciple Chune of Guanghua Temple, yearning for his past virtues and fearing that his fine renown might be lost, instructed Xuantai of the Southern Peak to compile his words and deeds. Disciples throughout the regions practiced his way in their respective areas. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title Grand Master Puhui, and his pagoda was named Faxiang. Next was Śramaṇa Hongyin of the Jingshan Cloister in Yuhang, secular surname Wu, a native of Wuxing. At the age of nineteen, he went to Kaiyuan Temple to take tonsure under Grand Master Wushang, dedicating himself to Buddhist affairs without neglecting the pitcher and towel. At twenty-two, he was sent to Huishan Temple on Mount Song to receive the complete Vinaya rules, where he was made to recite the Great Bhikṣu Precepts, completing his recitation in seven days, whereupon he studied the Vinaya. Soon he expounded and lectured on scriptures, considering himself to have accomplished extraordinary feats as a monk. When he returned to pay respects to his original teacher, the teacher said: 'Throughout the twelve hours of the day, how will you repay the four kindnesses and the three realms of existence?' Hearing this reproach, Yin was struck with distress and at a loss, forgetting to eat for three days. His original teacher then beckoned him forward, pulled him by the ear, and only then did he clarify his original duty. Thus traveling back and forth between the cloud-capped peaks and next Mount Gui, engaging in mutual sharpening at each, he flourished into a masterly craftsman. Soon after, during the Huichang era, he was caught in the general purge and secularized; while others wept or sighed in dismay, Yin was composed at ease. He said: 'A great man encountering such an ordeal—is it not destiny? Why engage in womanly and childish sentiment?' At that time, he met the faithful layman Luo Yan in Changsha, who invited him to his home to receive offerings. Because Yin upheld the rules of a white-robed bhikṣu without any violation, he lived there for two years like an honored guest. At the beginning of the Dazhong era, the decree banning the Dharma was rescinded, and he restored his monastic demeanor, returning to Xifeng Cloister in his native district. In the sixth year of the Xiantong era, he ascended Mount Jing to pay respects to his original teacher. The following year, Grand Master Wushang passed away, and the assembly asked Yin to succeed to his Dharma seat. At first there were only a hundred or so monks, but later they exceeded a thousand. At that time, the fourfold assembly resided together, solemn and free of fault. Emperor Xizong bestowed an inscribed plaque for the cloister reading 'Qianfu Protector of the State.' In the third year of the Zhonghe era, he was also granted a purple robe. In the second year of the Jingfu era, King Qian, Prince of Wuyue and Father of the Realm, memorialized the throne to grant him the title Grand Master Faji. On the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month of the fourth year of the Guanghua era, he bid farewell to the assembly and passed away. Assistant Magistrate Qi of Zhaoxi painted his portrait, King Wusu composed a portrait eulogy, and his Dharma-transmitting disciples were Master Ji of Qixian Temple on Mount Lu, Yizhi of Linchuan, and Lingda of Gongchen Cloister. Da broadly propagated the transformation of the Way in Liangzhe, and upon his death was posthumously titled Grand Master Guiji. Earlier, Yin possessed prophetic foresight. When King Wusu lived in home clothes at Mount Shijian and answered the levy to join the army, Yin took his hand upon first meeting, dismissed the attendants, and said to him: 'Take good care of yourself. One day when your noble status reaches the pinnacle, you must act as a patron for the Buddha's Dharma.' Later, having repeatedly accumulated military merits, he became Prefect of Hangzhou; thus he memorialized to grant Yin his masterly title, always prostrated when meeting him, and provided lavish donations far exceeding the customary measure. At Yin's passing, he conducted the funeral rites, mindful of those words spoken when he was in humble circumstances.
12.26
Tang Biography of Daoying of Mount Yunju in Hongzhou
12.27
Śramaṇa Daoying, surname Wang, was a native of Yutian in Jimen. Born extraordinary, his countenance was bright and clear. Even in his childhood, he was endowed with the spirit of Mount Kongtong. His longstanding inclination was to rise above worldly dust, striving to escape the gate of the burning house; wiping his eyes to seek a teacher, he was received as a pupil like gold to be refined. The teacher taught him scriptures and doctrines; having recited them thoroughly, he sought still further. After turning twenty-five, he finally received the full precepts at Yanshou Temple in Fanyang. He was instructed to study the śrāvaka Vinaya, but Ying sighed: 'Can a great man be bound by shackles!' Thereupon, wearing a patched robe and shaking his staff's rings, he gathered at Mount Cuiwei to inquire about the Way for three years. While sitting at ease, he suddenly saw two messengers in peculiar cap and dress, who urged Ying: 'Why do you not go south to consult good spiritual friends?' Soon after, a monk arrived from Yuzhang and lavishly praised the essential teachings of Chan Master Dongshan. Ying was deeply moved in his spirit and went directly to visit him. In this way Dongshan received him, and he was able to grasp the meaning. Dongshan once asked: 'I hear that Chan Master Huisi went to the land of Wa to become a king. Is that false or true?' He replied: 'If it were Master Si, he would not even become a Buddha, much less a king of a country.' From that point on, Dongshan sealed him with approval. At first he dwelt at Sanfeng, and later went to Yunju to expound the Dharma. At that time, at the close of the Tang, the Zhong clan held Hongjing and placed their deepest faith in him. Whenever they invited him to the prefectural city, they would cleanse the Ganzi Hall in advance to show him reverence. They memorialized Emperor Zhaozong to bestow a set of purple robes and a masterly title, but he paid no heed to them. The disciples he transformed through winter and summer numbered no fewer than a thousand. Those surrounding him were like sandalwood encircling an ox-head incense tree; the soaring garuḍa king does not flock with hedge quails. Offerings arrived from all directions, and from a thousand li away they followed him like the wind. For instance, Cheng Rui, the military commander of Jingnan, sent offerings that consistently amounted to tens of thousands. In the autumn of the first year of the Tianfu era, xinyou, he manifested illness, and on the third day of the first month of the following year, he transformed. King Zhong of Nanping in Yuzhang provided for his funeral and burial. At that time, Chan practitioners from various circuits followed their respective local customs; wherever the funerary coffin passed, they arrayed flower-trees, canopies, and flour-dough delicacies, calling it an altar offering. The magnificence of a single funeral ceremony never surpassed that occasion! How marvelous! Ying appeared in the world to deliver people for a full thirty years; the love he left behind can well be known.
12.28
Tang Biography of Youyuan of the Lianyun Cloister in Jinyun
12.29
Shi Youyuan's secular surname was Feng, and he was a native of Zitong in Dongchuan. In the years of his elementary studies, he went to Fugan Temple in Chengdu to serve the virtuous Lan Kaishe—who was in fact the teacher of Emperor Xuanzong. Attending him in entering and leaving [the palace], he was often inside the imperial quarters. One day he was summoned by an imperial decree, and the emperor wrote with a brush upon the back of his robe: "This boy has an affinity with We." From this, it became the appellation by which he was called. In the ninth year of Dazhong, he met Lord Bai Minzhong, who went out to garrison the Yizhou region and established an ordination platform; [Youyuan] immediately undertook the śīla at Jingzhong Temple. Afterwards, he listened to and studied the scriptures and vinaya in the capital for five dharma years. Later, clothed in coarse hemp cloth and holding the black-ink imperial rescript in hand, he journeyed throughout the realm. He visited Xiao Ma Shenzhao; among the Chan patriarchs of the monasteries of his time, there was none he did not pay homage to. He then resided at Mount Hua in Chuzhou, and later traveled south to Mount Wuyi, where the surveillance commissioner Li Hui built a meditation chamber for him. In the third year of Qianfu, he reached Mount Dasai in Longquan of Jinyun and established a monastery. Thereupon, he petitioned the Ministry of Rites to grant a plaque, naming it Long'an. By imperial decree, seven monks were ordained, and he resided there for eighteen years. Being peaceful yet able to move, he came to rest at Lianyun Cloister. Lu Yue, the commandery prefect, with sincere and faithful devotion, invited him to enter the detached cloister of Kaiyuan Temple in the prefecture, offering him the four requisites. On the eighth day of the fourth month in the dingmao year of Tianyou, he showed signs of illness. On the first day of the sixth month, he passed away in the official residence at the age of seventy-three, with a monastic age of fifty-two. His testamentary instructions entrusted Yang Xi, Director of the Military Commission and Minister of Works, to oversee the funeral affairs, and he was cremated in the south garden of the temple. When the fire died out, several hundred relics were scattered and gathered. Later, forty-nine relics and a jar of his remaining bones were collected and buried in a stone stūpa. In the yisi year, the third year of Kaiyun of the Jin dynasty, Vinaya Master Wentai composed the stūpa inscription.
12.30
Biography of Yicun of Guangfu Cloister on Mount Xuefeng in Fuzhou under the Tang
12.31
Shi Yicun was born into the Zeng family of Nan'an County in Quanzhou in the renyin year, the second year of Changqing. From his grandfather down, all befriended monks, were devoted to the Buddha, and were pure, cautious, and sincere. From birth, Yicun's nose rejected meat and blood. While cradled in arms, if he heard bells or stone chimes, or saw images of monks, his countenance was sure to be moved; for this reason, special affection was bestowed upon him at his parents' knees. At age nine he requested to leave home, but they refused in anger. At twelve he accompanied his father to visit Yujian Temple in Putian, where Vinaya Master Qingxuan possessed exalted and pure practice. He immediately bowed to him and said: "This is my teacher." Thereupon he stayed to be an attendant boy. At seventeen his hair was shorn. He came to visit Grand Master Hengzhao of Mount Furong, who saw him and marveled at him, so [Yicun] stayed at his place. When Emperor Xuanzong revived the Buddhist teachings, [Yicun's] practice was steeped in the worldly yet untainted, and he stepped forth eminently from the crowd. He traveled north through Wu, Chu, Liang, Song, Yan, and Qin, and after receiving the full ordination at Baosha Temple in Youzhou, he toured famous mountains and inquired of various Chan lineages, soaring majestically and drifting freely, like flying clouds and passing birds. Reaching Wuling, he met Deshan once; he merely said farewell and came out. The hundreds of disciples could not fathom him. Deshan said: "This man has no steps or stages; I have obtained him." In the ninth year of Xiantong, he returned to his old mountain at Furong. In that year, Grand Master Yuanzhi also led disciples from Mount Guishan to the place at Mount Yi where True Lord Wang had ascended to heaven. When his disciples—(having succeeded Deshan as master)—clustered together to knock at the gate, Yicun turned them away for a long time. Then there was Xingshi, who first conferred with Yicun, saying: "Our Way is majestic! The site where the Dharma gate gathers people cannot be established hastily; its ground ought to possess the splendid landscape of the 'laying down of gold.' Two hundred li west of the prefecture there is a mountain, encircling and controlling four counties, towering steeply ten thousand fathoms high, loftily propping up the round azure sky and looking down upon the surrounding green hills like small mounds. Strange rocks and ancient pines shelter tortoises and cranes; numinous pools and deep ravines conceal and reveal dragons and thunder. At the peak of the mountain, it snows before winter and is cold in high summer. Its trees are separately draped in climbing vines, lush and luxuriant, serving as their clothing, interlaced without revealing their forms; its marvelous shapes and rare scenes cannot be fully described. Even Mount Huotong and Mount Wuyi cannot surpass it. It is truly the divine elegance of Minyue, where ancient immortals have not yet dwelt; it truly awaits us. I pray that you go with me." In the seventh month of autumn, treading through clouds and stepping on moss, scaling heights and ascending into seclusion, as they were about to reach it, Yicun said: "This is truly my dwelling." That night, the deity of the mountain indeed showed numinous efficacy; the next day, the crags and valleys were bright and clear, with mists and clouds dancing. Once the cloud hermitage was established, month by month the structures grew grander; hence the Dharma wheel was set in motion in non-action, and the gate of emptiness was raised upon solid ground. Xingshi then requested to name the mountain Xuefeng (Snow Peak). Because of its winter snow and summer cold, taking the meanings of Vulture Peak and the Monkey River, this was the gengyin year. Coming to the yiwei year, Yicun was entrusted with the Way on account of the mountain, and the mountain became renowned on account of Yicun; the Buddhist disciples of the realm, whether from the central lands or afar, flocked there as if summoned. During the Qianfu era, Surveillance Commissioner Lord Wei of Jingzhao, and during the Zhonghe era, Minister of Works Lord Chen of Yingchuan, often thirsted for the ghee [of Dharma] yet were unable to go drink it; sending messengers back and forth to convey their earnest requests, Yicun entered the prefecture for them, complying with the people's wishes. At that time, a palace eunuch returned to the capital to report his mission, spoke of his Way, and described those among his companions who had surpassed the mundane and awakened to emptiness, asking to shed superficial splendor and come cast off worldly ties. When Emperor Xizong heard of it, the Hanlin Academician inquired of Chen Yanxiao, a native of Min, and obtained the true facts to memorialize. Thereupon the emperor bestowed the title Grand Master Zhenjue, and further sent a purple robe for Yanxiao to confer on him. Yicun received it as if not receiving it, and wore it as if not wearing it. Having resided there for many summers, on the first day of the xinhai year, he suddenly took up his staff and sandals. When his disciples questioned him, he did not answer; with followers like clouds following him, he drifted east to Danqiu and Siming. The following year, when Palace Attendant Wang first took control of Minyue, he washed his weapons in the Dharma rain and paid reverent homage to the Chan forest; admiring Yicun's Way, he constantly faced east and raised his hands to his head. Two years later, [Yicun] returned from Wu to Min, and [the ruler] showed him extraordinary reverence. Beyond making vows to the multitudes and nurturing the people, King Wang of Min greatly exalted his Way; whenever he fed monks or constructed monasteries, he was sure to consult him. For him, he expanded the halls, erected images, and cast bells to adorn his mountain, offering generous alms to supply his assembly. From time to time he would welcome and lodge him in the first-rank mansions east and west of the prefecture. Whenever he was about to set up the oil-cloth banners and listen to discussions of the Dharma, he would invariably linger for hours. For nearly twelve years, he was diligent and earnest; men of bear-like martial prowess thereby turned to become dānapatis, and those who took pleasure in fishing and hunting gave up their designs on fish and fowl. In the third month of spring in the wuchen year, he showed signs of illness. The King of Min sent for a physician; when the physician arrived and handed him medicinal pills, Yicun said: "I have no illness; I cannot deceive your skill." In the end he did not ingest them. Thereafter he wrote gāthās to leave to his Dharma heirs, and sent letters to bid farewell to the royal court. On the second day of the fifth month of summer, birds and beasts cried sorrowfully, and the clouded trees appeared sad and withered. At the eighteenth mark of that night, he entered extinction, at the worldly age of eighty-seven, with a monastic age of fifty-nine. On the fifteenth day of that month, he was entombed in a stūpa. On that day, running about in haste, the monks, nuns, gentry, and commoners of Min left the streets and alleys deserted. The King of Min wept profusely, saying: "The Master is leaving me; how sudden it is!" He sent his son Yanbing to offer sacrifices in person, and again hosted a feast for the monks. Yicun's proselytizing extended for more than forty years; the monks from the four quarters who vied to flock to his Dharma seat were countless, with no less than one thousand five hundred disciples surrounding his feet in summer and winter. The faster they ran, the farther they strayed; the more they debated, the more confused they became. Those who attained near perfection were: first, Shibei, who led an assembly at Xuansha (now Anguo); second, Kexiu, who led an assembly at Dongyan in Yuezhou; third, Zhifu, who led an assembly at Ehu in Xinzhou; fourth, Huileng, who led an assembly at Zhaoqing in Quanzhou; fifth, Shenyan, who resided at Mount Gushan in Fuzhou. Passing on the lamp to transform living beings, all received imperial commendations and were granted purple robes, with Xuansha being advanced to Grand Master Zongyi.
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- 宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese