宋高僧傳 13

English (machine translation) 13

Language: English

13.1

Compiled by Imperial Order by the Grand Master Tonghui, Recipient of the Purple Robe, the Śramaṇa Zanning and others, of Tianyi Temple on the Left Street under the Song

13.2

Practicing Dhyāna, Section Three, Part Six (Seventeen Main Biographies, Six Appended) Tang Biography of Yuanshao of Fengchan Temple in the Present Eastern Capital

Śramaṇa Yuanshao, whose secular surname was Sun, had ancestors from Fuyang. His grandfather served as an official in Southern Yan, and the family consequently became natives of Baima in Huatai. When his age reached the stage of knowing the jade ring, he was naturally eminent and extraordinary. When neighborhood children played games, he remained calm and tranquil; when his peers followed along, he was serene and quiet. When he reached eighteen, he finally fulfilled his aspiration to leave secular life, serving Dhyāna Master Zhengjue of Mingfu Temple as his teacher. Jue saw him and marveled at him; instructing his disciples, he gave praise solely to Shao, saying: 'He is truly a grand vessel of the gate of emptiness!' When he reached the age of twenty-two, he received full ordination from Vinaya Master Tanxiangdeng in Xiangzhou. He immediately sought teachers and inquired into the Way, emulating the patriarchs in plumbing the profound. Beyond his two robes and one bowl, he possessed absolutely nothing else. His lifelong wish was solely the vow of standing in the snow and transmitting the robe in the Chan tradition. Traversing the three Xiang rivers, the Five Ridges, the two regions of Shu, and the two capitals, wherever there was a monastery, he went and paid homage without exception. Having explored the utmost subtleties and suddenly enlightened to the workings of the mind, he hung up his staff at Yimen, which was Shuinan Temple at Cangyuan, now known as Kaibao. In the tenth year of Dazhong, he happened to meet the Tang prime minister, Lord Pei Xiu, who, having ceased harmonizing the cauldron of state, had come to govern the outskirts of Wei. Like minds seek each other out, and with one word they accorded with the Way; Pei immediately bade him reside at what is now the Eastern Upper Cloister. As Shao was about to assemble Chan followers, he was troubled by the cramped space; he therefore opened up the west of the Upper Cloister, reducing the upper to expand the lower. At that time, lay patrons gathered in abundance, and in no time a grand cloister was completed. Those who came clad in patched robes numbered more than two hundred, sprawling across the steep ridges of Mount Yimen. Shao was the fifth-generation Dharma grandson of the Seventh Patriarch, Dhyāna Master Shenhui of Heze. He expounded his teaching of non-thought and revealed the true mind, fathoming the esoteric transmission of Bodhidharma and reaching the profound import of Nanneng [Huineng]. At that time, the assembly of students came in dense crowds. Meeting Grand Marshal and Prime Minister Lord Wang Duo, the Duke of Jin, Wang Duo, seeing that Shao's cultivation of the Way resonated supernaturally and that divine beings manifested efficacy—sweet dew descending from the dark sky and auspicious signs glistening upon the green cypresses—memorialized Emperor Xizong to bestow the cloister plaque reading 'Shuanglin' and the master title 'Faji'. A separate imperial decree ordered the ordination of seven attendants for him. During that period, the Dharma assemblies flourished, and gentry and commoners turned their hearts to him; for nearly forty years, those he transformed could be counted in the tens of thousands, and his ordained disciples numbered more than five hundred. On the fourth day of the seventh month in the second year of Qianning, the yimao year, he said to the assembly: 'Hasten, hasten to resolve your own liberation; your original purpose was to escape birth and death. If you do not comprehend the profound import, when will you attain release? My daylight draws close to Mount Yanzi; these are my final words.' He passed away in silence in the abbot's quarters. His secular age was eighty-five, and his dharma age was sixty-three. Imperial permission was granted to erect a pagoda in the southwest corner of his cloister. After five years, on the second day of the second month, the pagoda was reopened; his hair had grown half an inch, and his countenance was as if alive. They made offerings of incense and flowers for seven days, and people from near and far came to gaze and pay homage, praising it as rare and extraordinary. Thereafter, they performed the cremation; from within the flames, a five-colored divine light arose far above, and they collected over a hundred relics (śarīra). The fourfold assembly sifted through the ashes according to their wishes and gathered nearly a thousand relics, warm and lustrous like pure jade, brilliant and round like pearls—proving the fumigation of the fivefold dharmakāya, and not merely the accumulation of a single lifetime. The fourfold assembly reverently looked up to them and enshrined them back into the pagoda; this was the wuwu year of Emperor Zhaozong. Prime minister Yuan Xiangxian of Suiyang was administering the Jun outskirts. Disciples such as Hui'ai and others, hoping to fulfill their debt of Dharma-milk, drew up a petition requesting the conferral of a posthumous title. In the third year of Qianhua under the Later Liang, the guiyou year, Taizu issued a decree changing the master's name to Dingjue, and the pagoda was named Linghua. In the ninth month of the fourth year of Zhenming, when Hui'ai and others wished to commemorate the master's virtue with a stele, an imperial decree granted permission; the text was written by Duke Wang Zan, the Prefect of Kaifeng.

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Tang: Biography of Fapu of Mount Huanggang in Qizhou (Xiujing)

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Śramaṇa Fapu, whose secular surname was Pan, was a native of Lujiang. His appearance was ancient and his spirit broad; wrapping himself in tattered patched robes, he observed all quarters. During the Yuanhe era, seeing the exceptional beauty of Mount Huanggang, its steep and jagged peaks, and its luxuriant, dense forests, with a flat and lofty stone terrace in their midst, he set down his bag and hung up his staff, spreading rushes to sit among them. After a long while, he constructed a thatch-roofed hut leaning against a tree, just large enough to shelter his body. Before long, someone arrived via a small trail and, seeing Pu, was astonished and asked: 'For what reason did you come here?' He replied: 'I was walking at the foot of the mountain and saw purple mist soaring above the peak, winding delightfully, and thought that this mountain must contain something extraordinary; that is why I came.' Staring closely at Pu, he hesitated and then left. Practitioners at the foot of the mountain heard of it and sought him out. Within a few years, students of Chan suddenly numbered more than a hundred. Pu turned them away, saying: 'This old monk lives alone and has nothing to benefit others; nor do you gentlemen lack anything.' Consequently, there were many hermitages scattered like stars. His disciple Guangyan and others constructed a grand cloister; Chan guests gathered like birds, and those who transmitted his Dharma were countless. One day, he gathered the assembly and took leave, saying: 'My end has come. You all must abide well and take care!' Sitting cross-legged on a rope-chair, he passed away. His body did not decay or decompose, and later they lacquered it with fragrant clay. During the Qianfu era, they re-erected a stele and eulogy for him. Next is Śramaṇa Xiujing of Huayan Temple in the capital of Luoyang, whose origin is unknown. At the time when the Chan style of Dongshan was flourishing, Jing went to call upon him, resolving his doubts so that it was like thunder returning to its original position. He returned north to Luoyi to expound the Dharma. Once, while attending a feast in the imperial palace, all the celebrated dignitaries held scriptures and chanted aloud, but Jing and his disciples sat in silence. The emperor issued an inquiry: 'Why do you not recite the scriptures?' His response came like an echo, all in couplets, delighting the imperial mind. Soon after, he returned to Pingyang and manifested passing away. His relics were collected, and stupas were erected in four places. An imperial decree conferred the posthumous title Grand Master Baozhi, and his pagoda was named Wuwei.

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Liang: Biography of Zhixian of Mount Xiangyan in Dengzhou (Datong)

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Śramaṇa Zhixian was a native of Qingzhou. His stature was seven feet tall; he was broadly learned with a strong memory, possessing talent and strategy. His relatives and clansmen observed his character and said to him: 'If you apply yourself to study, you will later become a fine vessel to assist the times.' Soon after, he took leave of his family and left secular life. Afterward, his aspiration for the Dharma was firm, and he traveled south to pay homage at the great assembly of Chan Master Dayuan of Mount Guishan, where everyone regarded Xian as brilliant and sharp. One day, Guishan called him for an interview, and he was at a complete loss. He consigned all the essential sayings of various masters to the ashes at once, saying: 'Painted rice-cakes cannot satisfy hunger!' He then looked toward the vestige of National Preceptor Zhong of Nanyang and took up residence there. Once, while clearing weeds and trees, a shard struck a piece of tile; he burst out laughing, secretly having an awakening. He composed a verse and sang it, and from this his teaching flourished greatly. After his passing, an imperial decree conferred the posthumous title Grand Master Xideng, and his pagoda was named Yanfu. Next is Śramaṇa Datong of Mount Touzi in Tongcheng, Shuzhou, whose secular surname was Liu and who was a native of Huaining in Shuzhou. In his youth, his nature was upright, and he had a mature bearing. He left secular life under Chan Master Baotang Man in Luoyang. He initially practiced the contemplation of ānāpāna, and when his practice was nearly complete, he sought the nature-ocean of the Avataṃsaka. Again shouldering his staff, he paid respects at the Dharma assembly of Mount Cuiwei; together with Yuantong of Funiu, he was stimulated and sought instruction, thereby greatly clarifying the patriarchal intent. From this, he wandered freely all over, and returning to his native land, hid at Mount Touzi, building a thatched hut where he dwelled to pursue his aspiration. During the Zhonghe era, the rebel Huang Chao overturned the metropolitan region, and the world was in turmoil. Some bandits carrying blades asked Tong: 'Why do you live here?' He answered them with the Buddhadharma. The chieftain, upon hearing it, prostrated in reverence, stripped off his clothing to offer it to him, and went down the mountain. On the sixth day of the fourth month in the fourth year of Qianhua under the Later Liang, the jiaxu year, he sat cross-legged and passed away at the age of ninety-six, with a dharma age of forty-six. In all, he resided on and transformed this mountain for over thirty years.

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Liang: Biography of Guangren of Mount Shushan in Fuzhou (Benren, Judun)

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Śramaṇa Guangren was of unknown origin. He was short and slight in stature, but from youth his spirit rose above worldly things, and his mental acuity was completely beyond the ordinary. Early on, he studied under Dongshan, deeply entering the profound and mysterious; his eloquence also exceeded that of others. He once questioned Chan Master Xiangyan, whose answer had a slight flaw. Guangren said: 'I came having piled callus upon callus—was it all for nothing?' He spat on the ground and left. Later he resided on Mount Shushan in Linchuan; monks in patched robes hurried to seek his guidance. He produced considerable discourse and composed the Commentary and Verses on the Four Great Elements and the Discourse on the Elder in the Avataṃsaka, which circulated in the world. When he finally entered his niche, a white deer had already come before the spirit altar, bent its knees, and stood up; the assembly at the time took it to be paying condolences. Next is Śramaṇa Benren of Baishui Cloister in Yunzhou, whose origin is unknown. He attained the mind-ground at the Dharma seat of Dongshan. Ren rarely spoke of the Way, yet people from the four directions flocked to him like shadows following a form; even when turned away, they returned. He complied with the invitation of the people of Danyang, but stayed for only a short time. During the Tianfu era, he went to the Baishui Cloister in Gao'an, Hongjing, to gather disciples. When he was about to enter extinction, he first went everywhere bidding farewell, and then gathered the assembly, burned incense, and said: 'When the incense smoke ends, that is the time of my nirvāṇa.' As he had said, he sat upright and passed away. Next is Śramaṇa Judun of Mount Longya, whose secular surname was Guo, a native of Nancheng in Linchuan. At about age fourteen, alerted to the impermanence of the world, he maintained a tranquil mind. Announcing to his parents, he went to seek pravrajyā at Mantian Temple in Luling. After receiving full ordination on Mount Song, he thought of selecting a worthy master, and thus attended the Chan assembly of Cuiwei; lost and not returning, he did not know where to turn. Hearing that the words of Dongshan were lofty and his standards rigorous, he personally went to him. Dun stepped forward slightly and asked: 'What is the patriarchal intent?' Dongshan answered: 'When the waters of Dong stream flow backward, I will explain it for you.' Thereupon, upon hearing these words, he realized the subtle mystery. He rested concealed among the assembly, diligently cloaking his radiance for seven or eight years; though the times did not recognize him, in the long run he broke through. The King of Chu, Lord Ma of the Tiance Prefecture, had long heard of his renown and venerated him as a filial and fraternal household honors an elder brother. He therefore invited him to reside at the Miaoji Chan Cloister on Mount Longya, where a flock of disciples regularly gathered to the number of five hundred. A memorial was submitted, and an imperial decree bestowed a purple robe along with the master title Zhengkong, which was early in the Zhenming era of the Liang. Below the regional lord, it was known as the 'Chan Cave'; those who peeped into his room and gained entry followed one after another. In the eighth month of the third year of Longde, the guiyou year, he fell gravely ill, and on the thirteenth day of the ninth month he returned to silence. Dun's propagation in the world lasted nearly forty-odd years; his sayings are detailed in a separate record.

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Liang: Biography of Shibei of Xuansha Cloister in Fuzhou

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Shi Shibei's secular surname was Xie, and he was a native of Min. In his youth, though simple-minded, he was shrewd, and he was exceedingly fond of angling, often drifting in a small boat on the Nantai River to amuse himself. His boat was as if empty, and his peers could not fathom him. One day, the aspiration to transcend the worldly dust suddenly arose in him: he cast away his fishing line, abandoned his boat, and ascended Mount Furong to undergo pravrajyā; this was in the early years of the Xiantong reign era. Later, he received the complete precepts (upasampadā) at Kaiyuan Temple in Yuzhang. Returning to his native place, whenever there was physical labor at the monastery, he never failed to take the lead. He patched his cloth cassock with hemp and mended his straw sandals with reeds; he reduced his rations when he ate; and his speech and silence were constant. Everyone stood in awe of him. His magnanimity was vast and profound, beyond the measure of even the clever calculations of Ji Yan and Sang Hongyang. Bei's fellow student and elder Dharma-brother was Master Cun of Xuefeng. Meeting time and again, Cun praised and approved him greatly, and thus referred to him as "Ascetic Bei" (Bei Toutuo). One day, he teased him, saying, "Why does the ascetic not go on an itinerant pilgrimage?" Bei replied, "Bodhidharma did not come to the Eastern Land; the Second Patriarch did not go to the Western Heavens." Cun regarded him with deep respect. When Xuefeng was first cleared and founded, Bei contributed much effort. When the Wang clan first held the territory of Min, they memorialized the throne to bestow on him a purple robe and the title Grand Master Zongyi. On the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh month in the second year of Kaiping, a wuchen year (908 CE), he manifested illness and died at the age of seventy-four, with a saṅgha age of forty-four. King Zhongyi of Minyue of the Wang clan erected a pagoda for him. Bei preached and transformed others for thirty years; his dhyāna companions numbered some seven hundred, and those who attained his Dharma were numerous, with Guichen regarded as the foremost. Down to the present day, among the monasteries on the left and right of Zhejiang, this lineage is widely transmitted and its Dharma heirs have flourished. In establishing [teachings], he passed through the initial portal of the Mahāyāna, and among students in the region south of the Yangtze, none failed to bend like grass before the wind.

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Biography of Cunshou of Mount Qiyan in Hezhong Prefecture under the Liang

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Shi Cunshou's origins are unknown. His pure exemplary manner and superior model were such that no one could match him even for an instant. Ceasing his study of sūtras and treatises, his courage surpassed his peers. He went to inquire about the vinaya from Chan Master Shishuang and decisively resolved his former doubts. Like an untethered empty boat, he became an uncarved stump among the withered-wood assembly. Later he returned to Puban, where monastics and laypeople alike gave him their allegiance. At that time, Youqian, Prince of Ji, had received his fief as a regional bulwark; being fond of the curious and partial to the extraordinary, whenever he heard of a person's single good quality, he would treat them with generous courtesy. The prince summoned him to the administrative residence, where they discussed the Way and talked of the profound; without realizing it, the prince moved forward on his mat, his reverence and admiration increasing greatly. Subsequently, he made Cunshou his Bodhisattva Precept Master and showered him with frequent offerings. Cunshou ordained some four hundred disciples and about a hundred nuns. In daily life, Shou spoke rarely, but his words invariably benefited beings. Expressions of joy or anger were never seen on his face; beholding him was like looking upon a solitary pine defying the snow. At his death, his age was ninety-three; he sat cross-legged, and after one month, his beard and hair regrew, so he was shaved again and placed in a pagoda. Around the pavilion of the pagoda, a tiger would frequently circumambulate, leaving many paw-prints. By imperial decree, he was posthumously titled Grand Master Zhenji.

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Biography of Shiyan of Ruiyan Cloister in Taizhou under the Liang

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Shi Shiyan's secular surname was Xu, and he was a native of Minyue. Having early awakened to worldly entanglements, he suddenly sought to transcend the mundane, conformed to the restraints of the precepts, and soon wished to travel in all directions. He met Chan Master Yantou and grasped his teaching without doubt. At first he took pleasure in keeping completely silent, as if unable to speak. Later, strongly urged by his acquaintances, he consented to reside at the Ruiyanshan Cloister in Taizhou. At that time, Daofu went to visit and question him; Shiyan's responses were as swift as an echo, and the venerable Fu was spiritually subdued. Later, when the two assemblies [of monks and nuns] dwelt together, Yan's majestic virtue was as stern as severe frost. In correcting monks and nuns, he allowed no error or discrepancy; hence, when people south of the Yangtze spoke of regulating the assembly with discipline, Ruiyan was deemed foremost. Once, three monks of austere Central Asian appearance, whose eyes darted like flashing lightning, stood side by side with even feet and paid homage. Yan asked, "Where have you come from?" They replied, "We have come from India (Tianzhu)." "When did you set out?" They said, "We set out this morning and have just arrived." Yan said, "Are you not fatigued?" They replied, "For the sake of the Dharma, we forget fatigue." Looking closely at them, none of their feet touched the ground. Yan had them enter the hall and placed them in the seats of honor; the next morning, they suddenly vanished. It was said they were realized beings of the pratyekabuddha fruition, though their stage remained unknown. From time to time, unfathomable persons entered his Dharma assemblies—not merely once. When Yan was an itinerant student, he was called Senior Monastic Little Yan. King Wusu of Liangzhe of the Qian clan repeatedly summoned him before he was willing to make an appearance, and in the end he insisted on departing. The monastery granary was always full. Once, a village matriarch came to pay homage. Yan said, "Cease your bowing and kneeling; it would be better to return home swiftly and save the lives of scores or hundreds of creatures, which will bring great benefit." The old woman hurried home, where her daughter-in-law had just returned carrying a bamboo vessel with field snails she had gathered. The old woman took them and released them at the water's edge. Moreover, several households invited him to noon-meals, and each saw Yan come to eat on the very same day. When he finally underwent cremation (jhāpita), a giant snake climbed to the treetop and cast itself into the mass of flames. When the firewood was consumed, relics (śarīra) flew about in dispersion, or drifted down like rain upon the grass and trees whenever the wind blew. His supernatural anomalies were exceedingly numerous, fully detailed in separate records.

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Biography of Benji of Mount Cao in Fuzhou under the Liang

13.17

Shi Benji's surname was Huang, and he was a native of Putian in Quanzhou. In that district, during the late Tang, many gentry scholars resided as sojourners, and the Confucian style flourished so vigorously that it was called the "Lesser Jixia." In his youth, Ji was influenced by the culture of Lu and mostly applied himself strenuously to learning; from then on, his purity and essence coalesced uniquely, and his nature of the Way developed naturally. When he was only nineteen, his parents finally permitted him to undergo pravrajyā. He entered Mount Lingshi in Fuzhou. At age twenty-five, he attained the complete precepts, and in all his conduct, he seemed like an aged bhikṣu. At the beginning of the Xiantong reign era, the Chan tradition was flourishing, its wind rising from Dawei; as for Shitou and Yaoshan, their fame had temporarily subsided. It happened that Dongshan took pity on beings and exalted Shitou's lineage; Benji went back and forth to seek instruction, his discipleship resembling that of the Zhu and Si rivers. Among the assembly, Ji appeared foolish and spoke as if haltingly. Later, he was invited to dwell at Mount Cao in Linchuan, where those who came to question him filled the hall and packed the rooms. His responses were uninterruptedly piercing, serving especially as a standard for patched-robe ascetics; he therefore arranged the Five Ranks to assess and evaluate spiritual realms, exhaustively defining their boundaries. Furthermore, he commented on the "Poems in Dialogue with Hanshanzi," which circulated throughout the realm; this was because Ji had long cultivated excellence in civil examination learning, and his writing was vigorous and elegant, so that he was called richly endowed with Dharma talent. Soon after, he manifested illness and died on the mountain at the age of sixty-two, with a saṅgha age of thirty-seven. His disciples placed him in a sarcophagus, interred him, and erected a pagoda. Later, Xuantai of Nanyue composed the pagoda inscription.

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Biography of Guichen of the Luohan Cloister in Zhangzhou under the Later Tang

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Shi Guichen's secular surname was Li, and he was a native of Changshan. As soon as he became a young child, he earnestly sought to depart from the mundane, eating only one vegetarian meal a day and regulating his breath all day long. His resolve was singularly firm, earning the respect of his local community. His parents were bound by affection and could not let him go, while his kin were entangled in sentiment and found it hard to part. Once he reached capping age (twenty), he followed in the footsteps of the Prince leaping over the city walls; seeking a master, he found an equal to the tiger-tamer, serving Grand Master Wuxiang of Wansui Temple in his home prefecture. Upon first ascending the precept platform, he routinely studied the vinaya; after he climbed the dais to proclaim the prātimokṣa for the assembly, could one of great aspiration be confined to a minor path? He then admonished himself, saying, "Restraining the body through precepts on keeping and breaking is not liberation. Fabricating interpretations based on the letter—how could that awaken sagehood?" Thereupon, he vowed to seek out the Southern School, traveling nearly ten thousand li. First he called upon Yunju, and later visited the two assemblies of Xuefeng and Xuansha, inquiring with diligence and reverence. Truly, because the conditions for inheritance lay there, he received the core teaching from Grand Master Zongyi; regarding dark and light, form and emptiness, he became open and free of doubt. He practiced covertly for many years, concealing his talents within the assembly. Although the night-glowing jewel was hidden, a precious vessel is ultimately distinctive. Thus, he was earnestly invited by the former governor of Zhangzhou, Lord Wang of Taiyuan, to reside at a lotus palace constructed at Mount Shishan west of the city of Min. He stayed for eighteen years, with two hundred monks coming and going. Because Chen held the wondrous Dharma in secret veneration, he would not casually display it to his followers; whenever there were sincere aspirants who earnestly pleaded, he would expound it for them. Later, Lord Langya, Grand Protector of Qinzhou who served as military adjunct of Longxi, earnestly invited him to proclaim the Dharma for the assembly at Luohan Cloister; unable to decline, he opened his expedient means. Within a few years, the itinerant students from north and south who resolved their doubts and departed were beyond count. Among those who stood out prominently, Wenyi of Mount Cao in Fuzhou and Xiufu of Dongchan in Jiangzhou both transmitted Chen's core teaching, each becoming the Dharma-eye of a region: by looking at the son, one knows the father. In the autumn of the wuzi year, the third year of Tiancheng (928 CE), he returned to his former residence in the city of Min, visiting and admiring the Buddhist monasteries near the city. Soon he manifested illness for a few days, sat peacefully, and announced his demise, at the age of sixty-two, with a saṅgha age of forty. In his testament, he gave instructions not to follow secular rites with a wooden coffin and grave. Thereupon, he was cremated on the eastern ridge of the cloister west of the city; his relics were gathered, and a pagoda was erected to the west of the cloister in accordance with his bequeathed instructions, on the fifteenth day of the twelfth month of the second year of Qingtai (936 CE). Chen had received the Dharma through a secret transmission in person; at that time, Grand Master Shenyan, who was honored by the Wang clan, threatened him with matters of state to abandon Xuansha and succeed Xuefeng, but Chen remained utterly unyielding. In the end, he was slandered and trampled upon by Yan—how lamentable!

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Biography of Huileng of Changqing Cloister in Fuzhou under the Later Tang

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Shi Huileng was a native of Haiyan in Hangzhou; his secular surname was Sun. When he was born, he was enveloped in a purple caul. In his childhood, he was brilliant and unyielding in moral integrity. He received the complete precepts at Tongxuan Temple in Wuyuan. Having heard that Chan learning existed in the south, he traveled across the mountains of Min to call upon Xuefeng, who personally instructed and corrected him, whereupon he instantly illuminated his original nature. He then composed a verse: / "In the past, I vainly studied along the road; / Looking at it today, it is like ice within fire." / In this manner, he closely attended upon him, not descending from the peak for roughly thirty years. He silently adhered to his disciplined vocation, maintaining prudence and dignity. Wang Yanbin, prefect of Quanzhou, invited Leng to reside at Zhaoqing Cloister, where Chan followers gathered in submission, fearing only to arrive last. Coming to Chang'le Prefecture, he resided at Changqing Cloister for over twenty years; those who left the household under him were no fewer than fifteen hundred. Leng's nature was compassionate and patient, and he did not recklessly approve people; only after one could deduce the other three corners from one would he confer authorization. On the seventeenth day of the fifth month in the renchen year, the third year of Changxing (932 CE), he passed away at the age of seventy-nine, with a saṅgha age of sixty. The Wang clan of the state of Min privately eulogized him with the title "Grand Master," named Chaojue. His pagoda and burial were all funded by official provision. Administrative Assistant Lin Wensheng composed a stele recording his virtues.

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Biography of Daofu of Longce Temple in Hangzhou under the Later Tang

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Shi Daofu's secular surname was Chen, and he was a native of Yongjia. In his childhood, his nature was extraordinarily distinct from the norm, and he detested the stench of fish and blood. When his relatives forced him to eat dried fish, he almost vomited. He sought pravrajyā at Kaiyuan Temple. Having received the complete precepts, he traveled through Min and entered Chu, stating that he was inquiring of good spiritual friends to definitively resolve the root source of birth and death. Meeting the venerable Ji of Mount Cao in Linchuan, he engaged in deep probing and cross-examination, like Tanxun questioning Sengchou. In the end, he suddenly put an end to his doubts under Xuefeng; in Min, he was called "Little Cloth-Robed Fu"—this was because there was someone of the same name in Taiyuan who was advanced in age and saṅgha years. When he returned to Zhejiang, he resided at the Jianqing Cloister in Yuezhou. At that time, Pi Guangye, the son of Rixiu, whose literary scholarship was extensive and who explored the profundities of the Chan gate, once mounted deep and incisive challenges against him. Stepping back, he said to others, "The Way of the venerable Fu is comprised of elevated discourses and expansive discussions that none can fathom to their limits." King Wusu of the Qian clan admired him and ordered him to reside at Tianlong Temple, privately bestowing the title Grand Master Shunde. Next, King Wenmu of the Qian clan founded Longce Temple and invited Fu to reside there; Chan learning in Wu-Yue flourished from this time onward. In the eighth month of the dingyou year of Tianfu (937 CE), he manifested extinction at the age of seventy. He was cremated in the valley of Mount Daci, his relics were gathered, and a pagoda was erected before Mount Longmu. The former Rector of Monks Huizheng composed the pagoda inscription. Today, the Relic Cloister is overseen by his disciples, with incense and lamps continuously maintained.

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Biography of Quanfu of Qinghua Cloister in Kuaiji under the Jin

13.25

Śramaṇa Quanfu was a native of Kunshan in Wu commandery. When young, he accompanied his father trading in Yuzhang; hearing discourses on dhyāna quietude, he developed the aspiration to renounce the world. He requested permission to leave household life, but his father showed anger in his expression. Once the anger subsided, he asked again three times; his father marveled at his sincerity and roughly consented. He then went to Jiangxia and took refuge under Grand Master Qingping. Qingping asked him: "What do you seek by coming here?" Fu replied: "My aspiration is to seek the Dharma." Master Qingping felt sympathy that he possessed great capacity at such a young age, so he comforted and received him. Rising early and retiring late, he stood out from the other boys. When he reached adulthood, Qingping tonsured him, and soon after he mounted the platform to receive full ordination. He attended upon his master with increasing diligence and examined himself with utmost rigor; in inquiring into the Dharma he was never sated, and in seeing the nature he was broad-minded. Qingping nodded and approved of him. One day, he said to someone: "I have heard that learning has no fixed teacher. I am no bitter gourd—how could I be tied to this place and neglect that one?" He thereupon took leave of his master and reached Yangshan in Yichun, where he paid homage to Chan Master Nanta Yong. In their verbal exchanges, he deeply grasped the momentum of Yangshan and instantly realized the mind right beneath his feet. Yangshan smiled and valued his capacity. Holding it faithfully in his breast, he dwelt in spirit there for several years. Later he traveled to Luling, where Magistrate Yang of Anfu county founded the Yingguo Chan Cloister and invited Fu to reside in it. Chan followers came like sons; the halls and chambers were packed full. When Magistrate Yang completed his term of office, the local people built another cloister on Mount Gehu and welcomed him to dwell there. The surveillance commissioner reported this to the court, and the name Qinghua Chan Cloister was bestowed. Chan followers arrived in swarms, and those who came forward to question him pressed in like a wall; none failed to submit before him—how could he yield much to the ancients? A monk from his native village said to Fu: "How can one abandon the homeland of one's parents? Follow conditions and yield to the world; may the Master return!" He thereupon bade farewell to Gehu and returned to his home state. At that time, King Wenmu Qian of Wuyue ordered him to ascend the dais, bestowed robes, bedding, and bowls upon him, and showed him exceptional respect. In the dingyou year, the garrison commander of the Qian City cleared Mount Yunfeng, built the Qinghua Chan Cloister, and summoned him to reside there. Subsequently, King Zhongxian Qian sent an envoy to bestow a purple kāṣāya; Fu submitted a memorial repeatedly declining it. When it was bestowed a second time, he declined it again, and the king subsequently changed it to a patched robe. Fu said: "It is not that I glory in his gift and put on an act of declining it; I fear only that later generations will imitate me to indulge their desires." Soon after, he was granted the title of Chan Master Chunyi, which he again steadfastly declined. Fu did not use worldly emotion to forget worldly emotion, and therefore his emotion was true; he did not use the Way to seek the Way, and therefore his Way was upright. People vied with one another to erect the halls and chambers of the cloister where he lived. They cast a bell of over a thousand catties. The new plaque read "Yunfeng Qinghua Chan Cloister." Companions of clouds and waters gathered like spokes at a hub, gazing fondly and unwilling to leave. In the seventh month of the autumn of the fourth year of Kaiyun, a dingwei year, he showed illness and addressed the assembly: "Arising is the arising of phenomena; dying is the ceasing of phenomena. Arising and ceasing are not what words can reach." He peacefully passed away; there was heavy rain and fierce wind that shook and uprooted trees in the forest. He enjoyed sixty-six years of age and forty-five years of saṅgha age. He was interred in the northern ravine of the mountain. More than ten disciples, including Yingqing, upheld their master's bequeathed instructions, so that his Way did not fall into decline. The saṅgha director Huizheng composed his stupa inscription, which was erected in the second year of Jianlong.

13.26

Later Jin: Biography of Shanjing of Yong'an Cloister in Yongxing (Lingzhao)

13.27

Śramaṇa Shanjing, whose secular surname was Wang, was a native of Jincheng in Chang'an. His father, Lang, was the prefect of Wei Prefecture under the Tang. His mother, Lady Li, dreamed that a holy countenance shone with dazzling golden light, and thereupon conceived him. When born, he was remarkably precocious. By the time he was old enough to study, he was broadly versed in various texts; because he took charge of memorials in the Shence Army, the palace commander valued his capacity. Suddenly weary of floating illusions, he secretly went to Fengde Temple on Mount Zhongnan to pay homage to Chan Master Guangdu, being twenty-seven years old at the time. After shaving his head and receiving full ordination, he traveled south to Lepu during the Tianfu era, met the Chan descendant of Yuan'an, and synthesized the essentials of mind. He returned north to transform disciples in his native place, building a hut on Mount Yunju in Mount Zhongnan, where monastics and laypeople flocked to him like a marketplace. He then set out to travel to Mount Emei to pay homage to the silver world of Samantabhadra. Returning to Xingyuan, the military commissioner, Duke Wang, treated him with great respect and detained him; later, when he returned to his home prefecture, it was already desolate ruins. The regent, Duke Wang, built the Yong'an Chan Cloister for him to reside in. In the winter of the bingwu year of Kaiyun, he sounded the mallet to assemble the monks for final instructions. Returning to the abbot's quarters, he faced east and passed away lying on his right side, at eighty-nine years of secular age and sixty years of saṅgha age. The assembly of monastics and laypeople mourned as if they had lost a strict father. On the eighth day of the first month of the following year, he was cremated south of the city, and several thousand relics were obtained. On the eighth day of the eighth month of the gengxu year, the third year of Qianyou under the Later Han, his stupa was moved to Yiyang village in Chang'an; the stone stupa stands loftily. Initially, Jing was often prescient: he once traveled to Badao to avoid the flight of Emperor Zhaozong. Moreover, whenever he bathed throughout his life, relics would fall from him; he gathered them all and kept them secret, not allowing his disciples to show them to others. Also, once while he was in dhyāna quietude, after a while a white crane appeared outside the window, tame in the courtyard, as if having the intention to listen to the Dharma. Jing ordered someone to chase it away. All such extraordinary signs he treated as existing yet non-existent. Duke Guo, governor of Jingchang Army, took refuge with faith, built a Chan cloister, and bade him reside there. Academician of the Hanlin Academy Yu Chongliang composed the stupa inscription recounting his virtues. Next was Śramaṇa Lingzhao of Longhua Temple in Hangzhou, who was originally a native of the kingdom of Goryeo. He came via multiple interpreters to study the ancestral Dharma, entered Min and Yue, and attained the mind under Xuefeng. Striving with determined resolution in his training, he was frugal and diligent in community affairs, so that he was called "Zhao the Patch-robed." A thousand disciples submitted in awe, though his speech seemed like that of the island barbarians. By nature he was upright and aloof, maintaining himself in quiet placidity. At first he dwelt on Mount Qiyun, and next at Jianqing Cloister in Yue Prefecture. Once, when conversing with Deputy Commissioner Pi Guangye, their words did not accord, and he was denounced and banished to Longxing. Later, when Prefect Qian of Huzhou built the Baoci Cloister and invited him to dwell there, Chan followers gathered like clouds. The monks in the Wu-Kuai region who discarded the three robes to wear the five-patch robe were beyond count. King Zhongxian Qian built Longhua Temple, welcomed and fetched the sacred bones and ritual implements of the Great Being Fu Xi of Liang from Jinhua, placed them in this temple to erect a stupa, and appointed Zhao as abbot. He passed away at this temple, and his stupa was relocated to a peak of Mount Daci.

13.28

Later Zhou: Biography of Wenyi of Qingliang Cloister in Jinling

13.29

Śramaṇa Wenyi, whose surname was Lu, was a native of Yuhang. When he was just seven years old, he stood out from the world and left home, shaving his head at Zhitong Cloister in Xinding under the Chan elder Quanwei. At an early age, he attained the unmanifest form-accompanying precepts at Kaiyuan Temple in Yue Prefecture. At that time he shed worldly encumbrances with a flick of his sleeves, flew out of the cage, and lifted his wings. It happened that the vinaya master Xijue was vigorously teaching his disciples at King Aśoka Temple on Mount Mao, deeply grasping the nuances of upholding and violating the precepts. Wenyi also frequented literary salons; Master Xijue praised him, saying he was the Yan You and Zixia of his own school. Soon, once his profound capacity was triggered, he cast aside all miscellaneous pursuits. Shaking his mendicant staff, he traveled south and joined the Dharma assembly of Chan Master Changqing. Having resolved his doubts and hindrances, he further made an agreement with companions to journey west out into Hunan. That day, a violent downpour prevented them from advancing; looking toward Xiyuan, they lodged there for two nights merely to avoid the disaster of the flooded stream, and thus he called upon Grand Master Xuanfa—who had once resided at Luohan in Zhangpu, so the people of Min simply called him "Luohan." Luohan had always known of Yi's outstanding talent under Changqing, and was eager to receive and guide him. Because the lineages of Xuansha and Xuefeng were distinct, Yi's mountain of doubt collapsed in an instant; finding the correct path, he joyfully hung up his travel bag and stayed, altering his path and turning his tracks, steadfast and immovable. Soon, traveling on foot, he returned to Linchuan, where the prefect ordered him to reside at Chongshou. The monks from far and near who sought instruction from Yi were no fewer than a thousand. The founding ruler of the Southern Tang, of the Li family, recognized and valued him, inviting him to reside at Bao'en Chan Cloister and bestowing upon him the title of Jinghui. Later, when the subtle words were about to cease, who would awaken from the great dream? Having transmitted the Dharma and found where to rest it, he also appeared to pass away like ordinary mortals: on the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the autumn of the fifth year of Xiande under the Zhou, a wuwu year, he took ill, and the state ruler made a detour to the abbot's quarters to inquire after his illness. On the fifth day of the intercalary month, he shaved his head, bathed his body, bid farewell to the assembly, and sat cross-legged and expired; his facial expression remained as though alive. He was seventy-four years of secular age and fifty-five years of saṅgha age. He was privately posthumously titled "Great Master Fayan," and his stupa was named Wuxiang. The king ordered the city's monasteries to display full protocol and ceremony in greeting and leading the procession, escorting his complete body to Danyang village in Jiangning county, where a stupa was erected. Yi was fond of literary writing, particularly admiring the style of Zhi Dun and Sengtang; he composed verses and portraits' eulogies from time to time, which were separately compiled into collections. His Dharma heirs and disciples included Deshao of Mount Tiantai, Huiming, Zhiyi of Zhangzhou, Daoqin of Mount Zhong, Guangyi of Runzhou, and Wensui of Jizhou. The Later Lord of Southern Tang composed a stele eulogizing his virtues, and Han Xizai wrote the stupa inscription.

13.30

Later Zhou: Biography of Xingyin of Foshou Cliff on Mount Lu (Daoqian)

13.31

Śramaṇa Xingyin, whose surname is unknown, was a native of Yanmen. He traveled in search of the Way through the Jiang-Huai region and noticed a cliff to the north of Mount Lu which, viewed from afar, resembled a hanging hand; beneath the hand was a deep recess of some thirty to fifty feet. Yin dwelt alone in dhyāna contemplation inside it. When Yuanzong, ruler of the pseudo-Tang, heard of him, he summoned him three times, but Yin did not arise. In the depth of the night within the cliff, an extraordinary deer would lie down beside Yin's stone cottage, and a brocade-pouch bird would roost beneath the stone wall, neither creature showing any fear. Yin did not ordain disciples, but a monk from an adjacent hut attended upon him. One day he had a slight ailment and said to the attendant monk: "Roll up the curtain; I am going." Just as the curtain met the hook, he stepped down from his bed, stood erect after three or four paces, and passed away standing firm, at about seventy years of age. Yuanzong ordered painters to paint his portrait, cremated his remains, and gathered his bones; the white stupa stands on the back of the cliff. Earlier, Yin had transmitted the Chan teachings at Mount Lumen in Xiangyang. Soon after, persistently requested by Yuanzong, he opened the hall to preach the Way at Xixian Temple, but before a full month had passed, he secretly returned to his cliff cavern. Originally, the cliff resembled five fingers, with a pine tree growing upon the middle finger; on the day Yin passed away, this tree also withered and died. Yin was learned in the classics and commentaries; if questioned, he would point out the merits and demerits of earlier scholars, and the correctness or error of their textual phrasing. In discussion he was not constrained to any single corner, and his explanations invariably encompassed edification; he was truly a fine gentleman who had attained the Way.

13.32

The appraisal states: When ordinary mortals relinquish their karmic allotment, their corpses are inevitably identical. But the Buddha lay on his right side, those who have attained the fruits of the path die sitting, those with heads propping on the ground manifest supernormal powers, and those whose bodies stand erect display the extraordinary. As for dying while walking, except for the later Senghui, only Master Yin possessed this.

13.33

Next was Shi Daogian of Huiri Yongming Temple in Qiantang. His secular surname was Wu, and he was a native of Pujin. Born robust, he had an upright and elegant countenance. When he came of age, he was about seven spans tall, with seven black moles upon his chest arranged like the constellation of the Northern Dipper. He went to the Qiyan Datong Chan Cloister on Mount Zhongtiao, where he took Chan Master Zhenji as his personal preceptor. His discipline and conduct were strict and clear, and he was slow in speech yet prompt in action. After his master died, he vowed to enter Mount Wutai in Yanmen; because of his sincere devotion, he personally beheld the holy countenance of Mañjuśrī. Afterwards, he had no fixed place of travel throughout the various quarters. At last he reached Linchuan, where he met Chan Master Yi of Chongshou Temple and suddenly became clear in the resolve of his mind. Next, he resided at an ancient temple in Quzhou, perusing the Tripiṭaka. Once while sitting in quiet contemplation, he saw Mañjuśrī manifest his form, and without realizing it he arose and paid homage. When he arrived in Hangzhou, he paid reverence to the King Aśoka Stūpa, kneeling and placing it upon his head, his tears falling like rain. He asked the monk in charge of the stūpa, "Since people do not see the śarīra with their own eyes, are they truly there or not?" The monk said, "According to the records, it is stored in the inner corner, looking like a suspended bell when viewed from afar." Qian's doubts were not yet resolved, so he bowed and prostrated with extreme earnestness, without interruption. Suddenly, he saw the red-colored śarīra outside the suspended bell, moving with a wriggling and fluttering motion. Qian was filled with mingled grief and joy. Furthermore, Grand Master Guangwen, Huizheng, deeply respected and valued him, personally acting as his dānapati, requesting him to practice the Samantabhadra Repentance for three times seven days at his mountain retreat. Suddenly, they saw Samantabhadra riding an elephant beneath the pavilion of the stūpa temple's triple gate, the elephant's trunk directly resting upon the repentance platform. The King of Hannan, of the Qian clan, ordered him to enter the royal palace to receive the bodhisattva precepts, and constructed a great monastery named Huiri Yongming, inviting him to reside there. Bestowing upon him the courtesy title Chan Master Cihua Dinghui, he also granted him a monthly stipend to provide for him, according him superior honors. On the eighteenth day of the ninth month in the second year of Jianlong, a xinyou year [961 CE], he manifested illness and passed away. When he was placed into the coffin, a white light shone forth during the daytime, brilliant and glittering, and the assembly all witnessed it. In the tenth month, he was cremated at Mount Longjing, and the collected śarīra were very numerous. A butcher, reflecting on his own bad karma, opened his lapel and approached the pile of fire to beg for some; in an instant, he obtained seven grains. The butcher's family preserved them in the Yin family stūpa. In the gengwu year of Kaibao [970 CE], Chan Master Shao of Mount Tiantai built a stone stūpa to enshrine his genuine relics, and in the guiyou year [973 CE], a white light radiated from the top of the stūpa.

13.34

Song Biography of Yuande of Yuantong Cloister on Mount Lu

13.35

Shi Yuande's secular surname was Huang, and he was a native of Qiantang. His father, Chao, studied Confucianism and excelled at painting, transmitting Zhou Fang's Buddhist draft sketches and receiving his brush method from Aide Li Zhao of Wuxing. From his youth, De had the aspiration to enter monastic life; his temperament was aloof and reclusive, seldom mingling with others. Consequently, he went to Mount Tiantai to receive upasampadā, and studied the Chan teachings under Chan Master Daofu of Tianlong Temple. Soon after, he traveled to Jiangxi to inquire into the Dao, going from Yunju to Mount Lu; his lofty integrity and high principles were such that indeed he showed no desires. The ruler of Jiangnan, of the Li clan, summoned him to the inner palace sanctuary to reside; considering that he did not conform to the crowd, he specially constructed the Arhat Cloister for him to stay in. He earnestly begged to enter the mountains, and was invited to dwell at the new cloister on Mount Lu, whereupon ceremonial regalia were arranged to guide him. De packed his robes and carried his burden on his shoulder to enter, and only then ascended the seat to answer inquiries. When the ruler of the state bestowed gifts, he never submitted memorials to give thanks. There was a senior statesman, Song Qiqiu, who paid him respects as a teacher. In the middle of the Kaibao era, he passed away at his mountain cloister. Throughout his life, De's clothing consisted merely of tanned-leather trousers and socks. Practicing the dhūta methods, he provided abundantly for all the Chan companions, and his kitchen never ran short. Some said that De possessed the art of alchemy.

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宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese