宋高僧傳 13.9

13.9

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.