宋高僧傳 14

English (machine translation) 14

Language: English

14.1

Compiled under imperial order by the Śramaṇa Zanning and others, Grand Master Tonghui, recipient of the purple robe, of Tianren Temple on the Left Street of the Song.

14.2

Section 4 on the Elucidation of the Vinaya, Part 1 (Twenty primary biographies, with five secondary figures appended)

14.3

Biography of Daoxuan of Ximing Temple in the Capital of the Tang (Daci)

Shi Daoxuan, surnamed Qian, was a native of Dantu, or according to another source, a native of Changcheng. His forebears descended from Qian Rang, the Grand Administrator of Guangling, down to Yuezhi, Director of the Astrological Service, who compiled the Astrological Divinations in one hundred fascicles. His late father, Gentleman Shen, was Minister of Personnel of the Chen dynasty. All of them maintained exalted standards and admirable ways, possessing universal benevolence and complete conduct, their abundant virtue enduring for a hundred generations, their gentlemen [thriving] for ten thousand years. When his mother was pregnant, she dreamed that the moon penetrated her bosom, and further dreamed that an Indian monk said to her: "The one you carry is precisely Vinaya Master Sengyou of the Liang dynasty; You was formerly Sengfu of Yinyue Temple on Shan Stream in the Southern Qi. He ought to enter the monastic life and exalt the teachings of Śākya." He remained in the womb for twelve months in all, and was born on the eighth day of the fourth month. At nine years of age, he was capable of composing rhapsodies. At fifteen, he grew weary of the secular world, recited and studied the various scriptures, and relied on Vinaya Master Zhiyun to receive instruction. When he turned sixteen, he had his hair shaved—a severance of defilements, not merely a desire to dye his robes—and was then attached to the Riyan Daochang. Reaching young adulthood, he upheld the precepts with utmost diligence and concentrated his mind, which moved a śarīra to appear in a jeweled casket. During the Daye reign era of the Sui, he received full ordination (upasampadā) from Vinaya Master Zhishou. In the Wude reign era, he relied on Shou to study the vinaya; after hearing it only once, he was just discussing the practice of dhyāna when Master Yun rebuked him: "Reaching what is distant begins from what is near, and knowing what is manifest depends on what is subtle. Cultivation and renunciation have their proper times; your practice and vows must be fulfilled, so it is not yet appropriate to depart from the vinaya." He compelled him to listen to it twenty times. Once finished, Daoxuan then sat in the mountain forests, practiced samādhi and wisdom, and concealed his traces in the Fangzhang Valley of Mount Zhongnan. Where he resided, water was scarce; a spirit pointed it out, and upon digging a little over a foot into the earth, a spring welled forth, so that it was then called Baiquan Temple. Ferocious beasts became tame and submissive, always staying near; famous blossoms were fragrant, and rare herbs crept luxuriantly. At the end of the Sui, he moved to Chongyi Aranya, and again moved to Fengde Temple. Once, while sitting alone, a Dharma-protecting deity told him: "That Qingguan Village, formerly Jingye Temple, possesses the positional advantage of treasures; the Way can be practiced and achieved there." Hearing this, he divined the site, burned incense of merit, and practiced the pratyutpanna-samādhi. At that time, a flock of dragons came to pay homage, both male and female, transformed into human forms. A novice's mind was distracted, and he cast improper glances at them. The dragons became furious and were about to seize him, but soon repented, spat venom into the well, explained the whole matter, and departed. Xuan then ordered it sealed up; whenever someone secretly opened it, smoke would often rise, confirming their divine transformations. On another occasion, they offered a box of extraordinary flowers resembling jujube blossoms and the size of elm seeds, with an intoxicating fragrance that remained fresh for several years. They also offered wondrous fruits, such as pears and crabapples, yet their flavor was sweet and their color pure, not to be found in the human realm. When his disciples wished to bring up secret matters, he had already secretly perceived them beforehand, observing their faculties in samādhi and administering medicine according to the illness. Such instances were all of this kind. There was a retired scholar, Sun Simiao, who once lived as a recluse on Mount Zhongnan, interacted with Xuan, and formed a friendship in the forest retreat; each time they visited each other, they conversed all night long. At that time there was a drought, and a Western monk erected an altar at Kunming Pool to pray for rain, whereupon an imperial decree instructed the officials to prepare incense, lamps, and offerings. After seven days, the water in the pool receded by several feet each day. An old man came by night to Xuan seeking rescue, appearing quite rushed, and said: "This disciple is the dragon of Kunming Pool. The current lack of rain is the will of Heaven, not due to this disciple. Now the foreign monk is exploiting this disciple for profit, deceiving the Son of Heaven by claiming to pray for rain. My life is in jeopardy from moment to moment; I beg the Upādhyāya's Dharma power for protection!" Xuan said: "I have no ability to save you; you should quickly seek Master Sun." The old man went to Simiao's stone chamber, voiced his grievances repeatedly, and said: "Vinaya Master Xuan directed me here, which is why I venture to turn to you." Miao said: "I know that the Dragon Palace of Kunming Pool has thirty immortal medical formulas; if you can show them to me, I will save you." The old man said: "The higher realms do not permit these formulas to be transmitted lightly, but now the matter is urgent, so why should I be stingy?" In a short while, he brought the formulas in his hands. Miao said: "Return quickly, and do not fear the foreign monk!" From then on, the water in the pool rose greatly, overflowing the banks within several days, and the foreign monk's arts were exhausted, powerless to do anything. When Ximing Temple was newly completed, an imperial decree appointed Xuan as the Senior Sthavira. When Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang arrived, Xuan was decreed to assist in the translation work. He also escorted the true relic to King Aśoka Temple in Fufeng. When encountering an imperial edict ordering monks to bow to their parents and rulers, he submitted a memorial to the court ministers; his protection of the Dharma was likewise of this kind. He compiled the Famen wenji, Guang hongming ji, Xu gaoseng zhuan, Sanbao lu, Jiemo jie shu, Xingshi chao, and Yi chao, totaling over two hundred and twenty fascicles. His three robes were all made of coarse ramie, and his single daily meal consisted only of beans. When walking, he leaned on a staff; when sitting, he did not lean against the bench; fleas and lice roamed upon him, yet he naturally received and cleared them; he was at ease with earth and wood, truly having forgotten his physical body. Once, when he had constructed an altar, a long-eyebrowed monk suddenly appeared to discuss the Way; those who knew realized he was actually Piṇḍola. Furthermore, an Indian monk of the third fruition came to the altar, paid homage, and praised him, saying: "Since the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, during the period of the semblance Dharma abiding in the world, in promoting and initiating the vinaya, you alone, Master, are the only one." In the spring of the second year of Qianfeng, he invisibly moved celestial beings to come and discuss vinaya aspects, who said: "The errors in the Ritual of Minor and Major Matters in your commentary are all faults of the translations, not your mistake, Master; we request that you, Master, correct them." Therefore, the writings in circulation today are mostly revised editions. Furthermore, a celestial being said: "The Jetavana Diagrammatic Sūtra was previously compiled, amounting to about one hundred fascicles of human paper and silk." Xuan earnestly requested him to recite it orally, and he transcribed it point by point, making two fascicles, upper and lower. Moreover, verses transmitted orally, known as the Ritual of Entrustment in ten fascicles, were also received in this way. During the Zhenguan reign era, he once lived in seclusion at Mount Yunshi in Qinbu, where people saw a celestial boy attending upon him on his left and right. While walking the path at night in Ximing Temple, he stumbled on the front steps, but something supported him so that he trod on air without harm. Looking closely, he saw it was a youth. Xuan hurriedly asked: "Who is here in the middle of the night?" The youth said: "I am no ordinary person; I am Nata, the son of the Heavenly King Vaiśravaṇa. To protect the Dharma, I have guarded the Upādhyāya for a long time." Xuan said: "This poor monk's practice has no reason to trouble the prince. The prince possesses sovereign spiritual power; if there is any Buddhist service that can be performed in the Western Regions, I hope you will bring it about!" The prince said: "I have a Buddha's tooth, which I have treasured in my palm for a long time; I would even give away my head and eyes, so how would I not venture to offer it?" Soon he gave it to Xuan, who kept it safely and made offerings to it. Furthermore, in the courtyard, a deva came to pay homage, saying to Xuan: "The Vinaya Master will be reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven palace," holding a bundle of items, saying it was the incense of the thorny grove. Ten decades later, he passed away peacefully while seated, which was on the third day of the tenth month in the second year of Qianfeng. His age was seventy-two, and his saṅgha age was fifty-two. His disciples buried him in the stone chamber of Tan Valley, and afterwards three stūpas were erected. Emperor Gaozong issued an imperial edict ordering that Xuan's true likeness be decorated and painted. The artisan Han Botong sculpted and painted it, out of reverent admiration for his exemplary conduct in the Way. From the time Xuan mounted the ordination platform until his nirvāṇa, during that period, approximately a thousand disciples received the Dharma and transmitted his teachings. Those he personally ordained included Vinaya Master Daci, and those who received the Dharma included Wengang and others. The Buddha's tooth bestowed by the celestial being was secretly entrusted to Wengang for safekeeping, who took it to the Eastern Stūpa of Chongxing Temple. Early in the Dahe reign era, Prime Minister Wei Chuhou built a stūpa in the western corridor. Xuan's observance of the vinaya shook India with its renown; Xuan's compilations spread their excellence throughout the world. For this reason, when Tripiṭaka Master Śubhakarasiṃha arrived in the Eastern Land for an imperial audience, the Emperor asked: "Having come from afar, are you not fatigued? Where would you like to rest?" The Tripiṭaka Master memorialized: "When in India, I constantly heard of Vinaya Master Xuan of Ximing Temple as foremost in upholding the precepts; I wish to go and rely on him." The Emperor granted it. Xuan upheld the prohibitions steadfastly: when catching a louse, he wrapped it in cotton paper and cast it to the ground. The Tripiṭaka Master said: "That is the sound of dashing a sentient being to the earth." All his subtle practices, whether prescribed or prohibited, can well be understood from this. In the second year of Dali under Emperor Daizong, an edict was issued to the three monastic directors of this temple: "We have heard that the temple possesses the Śākyamuni Buddha tooth and flesh relics transmitted by the Great Virtuous Vinaya Master Daoxuan; they should be brought to the Right Yintai Gate immediately, for We wish to view and pay homage to them." In the tenth month of the eleventh year, it was decreed: "Each year, the palace shall provide one box of incense to be sent to the hall of the late Vinaya Master Daoxuan at Ximing Temple, to be burned in prayer for the state." In the tenth year of Xiantong under Emperor Yizong, Lingxiao, Xuanchang, and other monks of the Left and Right Streets submitted a memorial requesting a posthumous title. In the tenth month of that year, an imperial edict conferred the posthumous title Chengzhao, and his stūpa was named Jingguang. Because he had long resided on Mount Zhongnan, it was called the Nanshan Vinaya School. In the first year of Tianbao, Li Yong, the Grand Administrator of Lingchang, and in the first year of Huichang, Yan Houben, Vice Director in the Ministry of Works, each composed an inscription praising his virtue.

14.5

The appraisal states: When the Vinaya School investigates infractions, it inquires into the mind, for the mind may be false or real. If one has not attained the Way, yet speaks with a deceitful mind, one properly commits a grave offense. But if celestial beings and dragons genuinely came to one's abode, and one were said to commit a grave offense, the slander incurred would be the same as that faced by the arhats. Xuan repeatedly had celestial emissaries, who either delivered the Buddha's tooth or served as attendants; these were not Xuan's self-praises. Like sending the dragon to Master Sun, how could that have been his own words? As for the Qianfeng era, when celestial spirits gathered in crowds, or wrote the Jetavana Diagrammatic Sūtra and Ritual of Entrustment, could these be allegorical tales of spirits and apparitions? Have you not seen in the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya that the monks still proclaimed: "Maudgalyāyana has committed the offense of lying," and the Buddha said: "Maudgalyāyana spoke in accordance with the perception of his mind and is without offense"? If it was so even in the Buddha's lifetime, what wonder is there that people in the semblance and degenerate ages should envy the worthy? Furthermore, Śubhakarasiṃha was not from the Kaiyuan era; could there have been another Śubhakarasiṃha since the Zhenguan and Xianqing eras?

14.6

Biography of Daocheng of Hengji Temple in the Capital of the Tang

14.7

Shi Daocheng was a man of unknown origins. Residing in the capital, he expounded that vinaya vehicle. The moon of his precepts radiated light, full without waning; the jar of his virtue reported fullness, overflowing without tipping. During the Xianqing reign era, he expounded the single school of the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya, drawing crowds like a bustling market in the fog. At that time, the vinaya master Wengang, although he had first relied on Grand Master Chengzhao, subsequently studied the vinaya texts and then ascended into Cheng's inner sanctuary. Moreover, the writings of Huaisu all came from his gate. During the Chuigong reign era, when Tripiṭaka Master Divākara translated the Sūtra of Manifesting Consciousness and other scriptures, the Heavenly Empress decreed that ten eminent virtues assist in his Dharma transformation; Cheng, along with Mingxun and Jiashang, participated together as certifiers of meaning. Consequently, his renown flew through the divine capital, and his position was foremost among the square altars, likened to parasol trees where many phoenixes roost, or a fragrant islet where abundant orchids flourish. His disciples were exceedingly numerous, none surpassing this assembly, yet the place of his death is unknown.

14.8

The appraisal states: Master Cheng and Daocheng of Jiangzhou during the Sui shared the same name but differed in reality; which of the two takes precedence? The universal answer states: "Sui Cheng was adept in the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya, and his writings were especially numerous; Tang Cheng transmitted the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya, and his translation and lecturing were equally wondrous. However, the former's compilations awakened those lost in delusion, while the latter's translation efforts molded the pedagogical way. It is like a later flame not matching an earlier light, or an imitation jewel feeling ashamed before a genuine jewel: each had merits and shortcomings, and in practical application neither should be discarded."

14.9

Biography of Wengang of Chongxing Temple in the Capital of the Tang (named Ke)

14.10

Śramaṇa Wengang, surnamed Kong, was a native of Kuaiji. His great-grandfather Fan was Minister of the Bureau of Officers under the Chen dynasty; his grandfather Si was Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites; and his father Dingsheng fled across the sea to evade the Sui, choosing a worthy ruler and submitting to Emperor Taizong, being first appointed Aide of the Directorate of Imperial Stables in the Zhenguan era. All brought glory to their Confucian heritage while broadly mastering the teachings of Śākya. For this reason, Wengang planted roots from past lives and followed their ingrained inclinations. When his loving mother was pregnant, she cast aside all mixed foods. An Indian ascetic monk said to his mother: "If this child is a boy, he will ultimately carry on the Three Jewels." From then on, wondrous fragrances and assorted celestial music were often heard in the air. On the day he was born, white cranes soared and gathered, as if watching over him. While still in swaddling clothes, he refused milk or food after noon, as if strictly maintaining the purification fast. In childhood, he followed masters to seek the Way. At twelve he went forth from the household, and upon reaching capped adulthood he received full ordination. With focused contemplation in ascetic practice, he devoted his mind to quieting mental agitation, eating wild-greens broth and parched grains, and wearing hemp robes and sleeping on grass mats. His conduct adhered to standard norms, and from his mouth came no extravagant speech. Soon he went to Vinaya Master Daocheng, a śramaṇa of the capital, and received the Vinaya Piṭaka. At twenty-five he lectured on the Vinaya, and at thirty he mounted the ordination platform. Always diligently cultivating and deeply contemplating, gazing steadily and turning his hearing inward, he was as clear as still water and as towering as an isolated peak. Whether dwelling peacefully in wind and rain, or gaining realization alone day and night, good fortune was ever in his hands without letting go of his water jar; his majestic virtue met the wind without exhausting his breath. Like lean wild geese released from a cage that effortlessly reach the empty sky, or the raising of the lower story of a house that is completed naturally, he considered the dripping of sweet dew into one's mouth comparable to a sharp sword injuring a person—cautious of it, serious about it! How vast and how consummate! Because of this, students came from all eight directions, the Four-Part Vinaya flowed forever, those seeking instruction raised their sleeves like gathering clouds, and those offering praise raised their voices like startling thunder. During the Jiushi reign era, heaven sent persistent heavy rains, and people looked anxious. Wengang took pity on them, so he sat upright in contemplation, leaning against the wall of the house. In the middle of the night, half of the wall suddenly collapsed, leaving only the area behind his back standing aloft like a mountain. Those with understanding took this to be an attainment of spiritual power due to the force of his samādhi. Miraculous signs like the sun and moon, and silent resonances between the hidden and the manifest, showed portents when assemblies gathered and found response in his spoken words. Those around him were astonished, but Wengang said: "Reality is signless, and form in the dust realm is fundamentally empty. Perfect enlightenment is complete and eternal, and great compassion is serene and still; neither can be grasped." Thus, as a master of the Dharma for his era and imperial preceptor to four courts, he was like Mahākāśyapa entering the city or meeting King Prasenajit to expound the precepts. Outside the gate of the Bamboo Grove there was another novice, and among the branches of the banyan tree the diverse calls of quails were widely heard. Thus those who received his moisture were vast, and those who gained insight were profound. When the myriad illnesses had all healed, they obtained the medicine of joy; when the one mind was undefiled, they untied the cords of affliction. Furthermore, respectfully receiving imperial edicts for the translation bureau in the capital, he traced debates and applied wisdom, profoundly matching the causes of suchness. Sincere devotion filled the court, and donor offerings rivaled whole states, yet relying only on the upoṣadha, he used it all for ornamentation. Over time, he visited more than twenty monasteries; wherever there were pagodas and temples, each became magnificent and abundant. Moreover, he pricked his blood to write out scriptures, totaling nearly six hundred rolls; and those who mounted the platform to receive the full precepts numbered several thousand. Enduring extreme hardship and extreme diligence, he entered the sea of non-self; without sleeping or eating, he planted the field of the unconditioned. In the fourth year of the Chang'an era, he received an imperial decree to go to King Aśoka Temple in Qizhou to welcome the relic. In the second year of the Jinglong era, Emperor Xiaohu (Zhongzong) invited him into the inner precinct to practice the Way and escort the true-body relic to King Aśoka Temple to be enshrined in the pagoda. That year, he conferred the precepts upon the palace nuns at the Qianling Mausoleum Palace. He again spent the summer retreat within the palace, lecturing once on the Four-Part Vinaya for the Two Sages and the palace nuns. Zhongzong commended him, ordained disciples on his behalf, and bestowed utensils and three thousand bolts of colored silk. An account of the miraculous resonances in the precinct having been presented to the throne, on the seventh day of the sixth month an imperial inscription designated it as Linggan Temple, and eminent scholars were recruited from various monasteries to be attached to it. It bordered the imperial park on the left and the Shanglin Park on the right, faced Mount Zhongnan to the south, and looked over the Wei River to the north. Palaces with a thousand gates manifested among the clouds, and banners of the imperial retinue moved like the heavens across plains and marshes. In the Xiantian era, Emperor Shengzhen (Ruizong) again invited him to a separate hall to serve as Bodhisattva Precept Master, with consorts and princesses encircling the steps and attendants bowing in rows. As if on Tuṣita Heaven, they personally heard the Dharma words; as if in the city of Rājagṛha, they widely heard the pure precepts. By gracious decree, more than three thousand bolts of silk were bestowed, all of which Wengang entrusted to the permanent monastic property to be used for maintenance according to need. Whether it was the golden ground and surrounding walls whose value was augmented, the jeweled halls and soaring pavilions whose complete structures were fortified, the lecture halls and scripture towers, relics and pure lands, or the porticoes, utensils, kitchens, storehouses, and orchards, all were faithful offerings and Dharma wealth distributed to provide for the saṅgharatna. Just as he was about to show the way across the bewildering ford, guide people along the road of awakening, wash away the fires of the burning house, and rescue those drowning in the poisonous stream, his spirit suddenly departed and the fuel was consumed in an instant. Though he had manifestations according to conditions, how swift it was! On the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, he departed contentedly forever, at the age of ninety-two. On the fourth day of the ninth month of that year, a pagoda was built beside the temple. Hearing the sorrowful news, people rushed to the mourning rites and held the catafalque cords to gather for his funeral; with banners, canopies of incense and flowers, monks and laity, Chinese and foreigners filled the city and blocked the river, their numbers like sweeping clouds obscuring the sun, reaching several tens of thousands. Among his Dharma companions were more than a hundred men, including Huaisu, Manyi, and Chengli of the capital, Chongba of Xiangyang, Fenglin of Fufeng, Hengjing of Jiangling, and Mingke of Zichuan, who all said: "The boat on the river of wisdom has departed, and the ridgepole of the Dharma house has bent!" Among his disciples were more than fifty men, including Dao'an of Huainan, Shenji of Sichuan, Huiyi of Qilong, Shenhui, Siyi, Shaojue, Lüzang, Hengxian, and Chongye of the capital, all of whom gazed with compassionate eyes as he entered the gate of salvation; the golden coffin could not be followed, and the ashen bones gave no response. Thereupon they requested Li Yong, Prefect of Huatai, to compose the stele inscription. Li Yong modeled himself on Sima Qian and followed the method of Ban Gu; to combine two people in a single biography, their hundred conducts had to be of equal stature. He did not fall short of Huaisu before him, nor was he ashamed before Master Daoxuan after him; was Li Beihai's critical appraisal not truly righteous? There was Vinaya Master Mingke of Zizhou, who strictly observed the Vinaya regulations and earnestly sought understanding. He once took part in Master Daoxuan's Dharma assembly and personally asked about the meaning of the "Preface to the Commentary." Master Daoxuan personally recorded it; Mingke rejoiced in the Linggan platform, had his name listed at the end of the text, and also attached himself to Wengang's school.

14.11

Tang Capital Jingji Temple: The Biography of Huaisu (Vinaya Master Bin)

14.12

Śramaṇa Huaisu, surnamed Fan, had ancestors who were originally natives of Nanyang. His great-grandfather Yue was appointed through examination during the reign of Emperor Gaozong as Assistant Magistrate of Quwo County in Jiangzhou. His grandfather Hui was Magistrate of Guangwu County in Yanzhou. His father Qiang was Senior Clerk of the Left Militant Guard, and thus they became residents of the capital. His mother, Lady Li, dreamed of thunder and clouds crashing and frightening her, and consequently became pregnant. At the time of his birth, divine light filled the room. Those who saw it sought divination, which said: "This child's nobility will reach the ultimate; he will be a preceptor to a king." In his youth, he was clever and astute, with an expansive capacity. Those with discernment said: "His studies will surely succeed, and his talent will be of an extraordinary caliber." Hearing with his ears and reciting with his mouth, everyone considered him mature beyond his years. When he reached ten years of age, the thought of leaving the household suddenly arose in him, and with such fierce resolve, his parents could hardly deter him. In the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era, Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang had just returned from the Western Regions, and Huaisu vowed to seek him as his teacher. Like clouds and dragons belonging to the same category, or stars and the moon sharing their light, both were suspended in the sky of the Buddhist lineage, all manifesting bright omens. At first, he investigated the sūtras and treatises without wasting any time. Since receiving full ordination, he applied himself exclusively to the Vinaya division. There was Vinaya Master Fali of Ye Prefecture, a prominent figure of his region and the master of the Five-Part Vinaya; all who were lost awaited his guiding compass, and all who found the road praised him as their local guide. He composed a ten-roll commentary, establishing a distinct school of his own. When he received Master Huaisu, he knew he would become a master of the Vinaya. After studying under him for three years, Huaisu began to see various flaws in his work and sighed: "The doctrinal treatises of the ancients could not achieve complete perfection!" In the first year of the Xianheng era, he gave rise to courageous resolve and independently composed the Kai sifunlü ji. In the third year of the Shangyuan era, bingzi, he returned to the capital, and in accordance with an imperial decree he resided at West Taiyuan Temple, where he attended the lectures of Vinaya Master Daocheng while continuously compiling his own work. In the first year of the Yongchun era, the ten scrolls were completed; a new school was established, criticizing the old commentary for sixteen errors and proposing five hundred new points of doctrine. Like a winged tiger pouncing and seizing so that all conscious beings fear it, or thunder riding the wind with a roar heard everywhere, his influence was sweeping and what he transmitted was vast. He further composed the Commentary on the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra in fifteen rolls, the Commentary on the Legacy Teachings Sūtra in two rolls, a Subcommentary in three rolls, the Gleanings Subcommentary to the New Commentary in twenty rolls, the Karman Texts for Monks and Nuns of the Four-Part Vinaya in two rolls, and the Prātimokṣa for Monks and Nuns of the Four-Part Vinaya in one roll each. Daily he recited thirty rolls of the Diamond Sūtra, and he lectured on the Great Vinaya and his own commentary a total of more than fifty times; his other acts of copying scriptures and painting images were beyond count. In a separate courtyard of his home temple, he suddenly manifested illness and his strength waned. He said to Xiuzhang: "My Vinaya practice has many defects, and this single karmic retribution is about to end." At that time, celestial music was clearly audible in the sky, and he suddenly passed away at the secular age of seventy-four and a Dharma age of fifty-three. On the day of his burial, great cranes circled the pagoda, crying mournfully, dispersing only at dusk. Huaisu's compositions took the Sarvāstivāda as their authority. Why? Because the Dharmaguptaka emerged from the Mahīśāsaka, and the Mahīśāsaka arose from the Sarvāstivāda; therefore, he posited the unmanifest form as the essence of the precepts. Furthermore, he criticized the other two schools, saying: "The Xiangbu school is ignorant, for in widely opening the standard, it allows practitioners to adopt either Mahāyāna or Hīnayāna practices on their own. The Nanshan school commits a grave offense, for in conversing with celestial spirits, it claims to possess superhuman qualities." Generally, when Huaisu's commentary appeared, it was called the "New Commentary." During the Kaiyuan era, Vinaya Master Bin of Mount Song composed the Shizong ji to explain it in contrast to Fali's old commentary. They were also called the East and West Pagoda Vinaya schools, named after the places where they were studied and transmitted. During the Dali era, Prime Minister Lord Yuan Zai memorialized to establish an ordination platform at Baoyuan Temple in Chengdu to transmit the New Commentary, using his official salary to copy forty sets of the commentary and thirty sets of the Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra, entrusting Guangyi of Baoyuan Temple to transmit and practice them. Later, Lord Yuan ordered Master Rujing to write a biography of Huaisu. Wei Gao, Prince of Nankang, constructed a miraculous platform to transmit the new Subcommentary on the Vinaya, and whenever someone succeeded to the lineage, their name was carved on stone. His words were vigorous and beautiful, and his calligraphy was equally splendid, becoming an enduring topic of conversation throughout Sichuan.

14.13

Tang Guangzhou: The Biography of Dao'an

14.14

Śramaṇa Dao'an was surnamed Tang, and his family had dwelt in Yingchuan for generations, forming a prominent clan. He was a descendant of Lin, Director of the Imperial Secretariat under the Han; Zhen, Minister of Works; Gu, Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat of the Wu; Bin, Regional Inspector of Yongzhou; and Yao, General Who Pacifies the North of the Liang. During the southern migration in the Yongjia period, the clan relocated to Guangzhou; its eminent and cultured figures shone brightly through past and present. From birth, Dao'an was exceptional, and from an early age he possessed a rare bearing; while still a young child, he seemed like a mature man. When he studied alongside the sons of the nobility in the schools, he avidly pursued the ancient classics, yet he feared that his learning was not broad enough and that some arts and accomplishments might be neglected. He thereupon traveled along the Changjiang and Huai Rivers, reached the Zhu and Si Rivers, explored the Cave of Yu, and ascended the Hall of Confucius, passing many years in this way. Grasping the grand prose of the literary elite and roaming the waves of the sea of learning, he discussed the hundred schools of thought and appraised the three teachings. He then sighed and said: 'Studying the ancients to enter officialdom and donning gold and purple cords is the teaching of Confucianism. Feeding on pine and cypress and riding cranes and soaring on dragons is the teaching of Daoism. Neither departs from the cycle of rebirth, and neither accords with the meaning of the raft parable. How could they compare with the sublime purport of the three vehicles, the vast efficacy of the six pāramitās, weighing this mundane world like a mere grain of sand while grasping the sand-realms in the palm of one's hand!' He thereupon shaved his head and entered monastic life, cleansed his mind to seek the Path, and once the sound was raised, he thoroughly mastered the four lines. He rigorously cultivated the vinaya rules and entered deeply into dhyāna and wisdom. At night he dreamed that Kāśyapa came to be his guide, and in the morning, when he read the true scriptures, they matched the dark registers precisely. Because of this, his renown was exceedingly great, praised far and wide; he was a bridge for leaving the world and truly a leader of walking meditation. The dragons and elephants of the ten directions all took him as an exemplar; among the phoenixes of the myriad states, none dared match wits with him. Had he turned this sublime discernment to worldly pursuits, his talent would surely have embraced all four disciplines and his service to the world would have matched that of the three heroes. There was a Master Chu in Yue, who was thoroughly versed in the most subtle intricacies of the secret treasury, his virtue towering throughout the realm and weighing like the hills and mountains. When Dao'an heard of his goodness, he was deeply stirred; answering the call like sound to echo, he set off from Chu in a bowl and traveled through Wu leaning on his staff. Once the clouds and mist were cleared away, the bells and drums sounded together; like Boya and Ziqi they were in accord, their brilliance rivaling that of Sengcheng and Kumārajīva. Consequently, he took up permanent residence at Longxing Temple in Kuaiji. The common folk of Yang and Yue, and the sons of Śākya from the Changjiang and Huai regions, gathered together in crowds like wheel spokes or flocks of crows; few residents remained in the alleys, as if seldom gaining entrance to the gate of Li Yuanli, but gazing upon the bustling market of Cheng Gongchao. Dao'an's body was free of bondages and hindrances, and his mind was equal to empty space; without distinguishing between the wise and the foolish, or regardless of whether someone was noble or lowly, he received them with a warm countenance, skillfully guided them with tireless effort, his bright mirror never wearying, and responding unfailingly like a great bell. All peered up at heaven and scooped from the sea, coming empty and returning full; so vast were his benefits that they cannot be fully praised! People of the time called him the Great Upādhyāya. When he mounted the fearless seat to expound the prātimokṣa vinaya, his demeanor was dignified and solemn, and his eloquence was clear and fluent; tangled doubts melted away like ice, and the subtleties of doctrinal reason were parsed to the finest hair. Those who looked upon him were moved from the bottom of their hearts, and those who listened to his instruction obtained what they had never experienced before. Thereupon, eminent monks and great beings were enraptured and captivated; casting aside what they had previously heard, they accepted his new tenets. In the region of the Changjiang, customs were transformed, and his teaching flourished on a grand scale. Emperor Xiaohuai was thoroughly versed in pure deeds and roamed freely in the mystical pivot; hearing of him, he marveled. He dispatched envoys to summon him, several messengers arriving in succession. Only then did Dao'an enter the court, dwelling in the inner palace together with several Virtuous Ones. During intervals in court affairs, the emperor personally engaged in pure conversation with them. Although the celestial countenance repeatedly softened, the imperial majesty was intimidating; all who faced him were struck with terror, turning toward the sun and bending with the wind, dulling their hearing and averting their gaze. Although Dao'an enjoyed great public esteem, his saṅgha age was not yet advanced, so he was seated among the lower ranks, separated by predecessors. Regretting that the emperor, though holding the position of a wheel-turning king, did not rise to greet him, Dao'an, deeming himself a successor of Vairocana, sat calmly and squarely. The emperor, observing his lofty aloofness, was subdued by his solemn dignity; he bestowed upon him a personal gift of robes and bowls to show special favor and esteem. Thereupon he requested the taste of the Tathāgata's Dharma and bowed to make him his master for the bodhisattva precepts. Personally leading the six palaces, he circumambulated Dao'an and made offerings, and he commissioned a portrait of him painted in the Linguang Palace. The imperial eulogy for the painting read: 'The jewel of precepts is pure and bright, / The stream of wisdom is clear and clean; / His body is bound by the five divisions, / His mind is immersed in the eight absorptions. / His learning encompasses the true texts, / His insight penetrates the real nature; / Preserving the affairs of the Dharma, / Regulating saṅgha administration. / May the Vinaya Piṭaka transmit its fragrance, / May the seminal teaching flourish through him.' Compared to the portraits at the Spirit Platform or the paintings in the Unicorn Pavilion, the significance of his merits was far different, and the protocol between master and subject was unique. Selecting and appointing supervisors to lead the saṅgha is ordinarily the duty of the relevant official bureaus. Yet, because Dao'an's vast virtue was immense and his supreme practice exalted, the imperial grace extended everywhere, specially altering established regulations. At all the metropolitan temples through which he passed—such as Baima, Zhongxing, Zhuangyan, Jianfu, and Wangji—he assumed overall administrative responsibility by imperial order; deeply satisfying people's hearts, this was acclaimed as an honor across the realm, something unprecedented in past or present. Emperor Zhongzong harbored boundless devotion to his deceased parents; with a heart aspiring to cultivate posthumous blessings, he had earlier founded Jianfu Temple in Chang'an. Because the work was not completed on time and the laborers were weary, he decreed that Dao'an and Zhang Xi, the Minister of Works, jointly oversee the project. Dao'an widely unfolded skillful means and broadly bestowed loving-kindness; people came like devoted children to work, no task was left delayed, expenses were reduced, and results were doubled. The emperor was greatly pleased and frequently invited him to receive awards and gifts, day and night alike. Having received the imperial favor, Dao'an spoke of repaying the debt of gratitude; he thereupon returned to Guangzhou to ordain people and establish a monastery. Thereupon, like Jetavana's park, monastic quarters rose majestically, and the monks like Kauṇḍinya became treasures among humans. With this task accomplished, what regret could there be? Having parted from the river and sea for twenty-four years, he constantly longed for the place where he had attained the Path, yet was pressed by the dripping of the clepsydra indicating his time. He then left the capital and returned to his original place. Preparing to declare his final testament, he carefully selected among his disciples; the monks Xingchao and Xuanyan were called his top disciples. Capable of receiving the jewel from the topknot, he imparted to them the golden words from his mouth, and lying on his right side, he demonstrated the illusory nature of life. On the tenth day of the eighth month in the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era (the year ding-si), he passed into extinction at the Longxing bodhimaṇḍa in Kuaiji. His age at the time was sixty-four. When the sea dries up, where can one turn? When the mountain crumbles, to whom can one look up? Devas and humans were moved to sorrow, and monastics and laypeople wailed in grief; those who held the funeral ropes and wore mourning clothes numbered over ten thousand. His disciples—Huiwu of Longxing Temple, the temple abbot Yihai, the head rectifying karmadāna Daorong, Huaize of Dayu Temple, Daochao of Dashan Temple, Siyi of Qiming Temple, Huizhou of Yunming Temple, Huaiying of Hongyi Temple, Huaiyan of Xiangyan Temple, Daogang of Pingyuan Temple, Ziyu of Dayun Temple in Huzhou, and Huizuan of Xingguo Temple—each richly endowed with pure, jade-like integrity and refined through disciplined cultivation, felt deep gratitude for his guiding hand and embraced the benevolence that had smoothed their feathers. Desiring to spread his fragrant memory, they felt it imperative to engrave it on durable stone, and thereupon petitioned Yao Yi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, to compose a stele inscription commemorating his virtue. Originally, Dao'an was an eminent disciple of Vinaya Master Wengang; once he was venerated by Emperor Xiaohuai, his teaching flourished greatly. Because the Ten Recitations Vinaya was mostly practiced in the region south of the Changjiang, and the monks of the southeast stubbornly adhered to it without knowing the Four-Part Vinaya, Dao'an petitioned the emperor for an imperial brush-written edict to enforce the Nanshan Vinaya School. That this school came to flourish between the Changjiang and Huai Rivers was entirely due to Dao'an's efforts.

14.15

Biography of Zhenbiao of Geumsan Temple in the State of Baekje under the Tang

14.16

Śramaṇa Jinpyo was a native of Baekje. His family lived at Geumsan and had been hunters for generations. Jinpyo was very agile and exceptionally skilled with bow and arrow. During the Kaiyuan era, while resting in the field furrows after chasing game, he broke a willow twig, strung together a cluster of frogs, and placed them in the water intending to prepare them for food. He then entered the mountains to hunt with nets. Because he chased a deer, he returned home by the northern mountain trail, completely forgetting to retrieve the strung frogs. In the spring of the following year, while out hunting again, he heard frogs croaking. Approaching the water, he saw that the thirty or so frogs he had strung up the previous year were still alive. Jinpyo sighed in sorrow and reproached himself, saying: "How bitter! Why, for the sake of mouth and belly, did I make them suffer for a whole year?" He then severed the willow twig and gently set them free. He thereupon resolved to renounce household life, reflecting to himself: "If I bid farewell to my parents in the hall and sever affections within the home, it will still be difficult to depart from the ocean of desire, and impossible to tear away the cage of ignorance." Because of this, he fled into the deep mountains, cut off his hair with a knife, engaged in bitter and earnest repentance, throwing his entire body to the ground, aspiring to seek the precepts, and vowing that Bodhisattva Maitreya himself would confer the precepts upon him. At night he doubled his daytime efforts, circumambulating, prostrating, and knocking his head, mind after mind unbroken, thought after thought zealous and diligent, for seven nights. At dawn, he saw Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, who with golden staff shaking in hand, came to inspire and encourage Jinpyo, teaching him the conditions for generating the precepts and serving as the expedient preparation prior to receiving them. Deeply moved by this auspicious response, joy surged throughout his entire body, and his vigor surpassed what it had been before. When the second seven days were complete, a great demon manifested a terrifying form and pushed Jinpyo off the cliff, yet his body suffered no injury. Crawling on hands and knees, he ascended the stone platform; furthermore, demonic manifestations did not cease, arising in a hundred forms and a thousand threads. At dawn on the third seventh day, an auspicious bird called out, saying: "The Bodhisattva has come!" He then saw white clouds as if washed in chalk; there were no longer high or low places, the mountains and streams were level and full, forming a silvery world. The Lord of Tuṣita Heaven walked gracefully and at ease, his guards of honor resplendent, surrounding the stone platform; fragrant breezes and flower rains fell, scenery by no means belonging to the mundane world. At that time the Merciful One walked slowly forward until he reached the platform, lowered his hand, stroked Jinpyo's crown, and said: "Excellent! Great man, your seeking of the precepts like this—once, twice, thrice—even Mount Sumeru could be pushed away by hand, yet your mind would never retreat!" He then conferred the Dharma upon him. Jinpyo's body and mind were harmonious and joyful, just like the mental consciousness in the third dhyāna corresponding with the faculty of pleasure. Forty-two thousand rivers of blessings constantly flowed with all merits, and he soon attained the divine eye. The Merciful One personally conferred upon him the three Dharma robes and an earthenware bowl, and further bestowed upon him the name Jinpyo. From beneath his knees he also produced two items, neither ivory nor jade, but fashioned as tallies: one inscribed "Nine" and the other "Eight," two characters each, which he transmitted to Jinpyo, saying: "If someone seeks the precepts, they must first repent of their sins. Sins and blessings, then, are keeping and violating, by nature." He additionally gave him one hundred and eight tallies, inscribed with the names of the one hundred and eight afflictions, [saying]: "When the Tathāgata regulates people, they practice repentance for ninety days, forty days, or three times seven days. Diligent and striving to the utmost, when the term is reached and the limit ends, one takes the two tallies of Nine and Eight, combines them with the one hundred and eight, and casts them into the air before the Buddha. When the tallies fall to the ground, this verifies the marks of whether sins have been extinguished or not. If the one hundred and eight tallies fly and scatter all around, and only the two tallies of Eight and Nine stand prominently in the center of the platform, then one attains the highest-grade precepts. If the numerous tallies are far off, but one or two touch the Nine or Eight tallies, pick them up and examine which affliction names they bear, and instruct the person to repent anew. Then take the tallies of the afflictions repented anew, mix them with the Nine and Eight, and cast them again: if the affliction tallies fly away, this is called the middle-grade precepts. If the numerous tallies bury and cover the Nine and Eight, then the sins are not extinguished, and one does not attain the precepts. If, adding repentance, it exceeds ninety days, one attains the lowest-grade precepts." The Merciful One instructed him again, saying: "The Eight is newly cultivated, and the Nine is innately possessed." Having given these admonitions and entrustments, the heavenly retinue returned, and the mountains and rivers cleared of clouds. Thereupon, holding the heavenly robes and carrying the heavenly bowl—like a monk of five summer retreats—he followed the road down the mountain. The trees and grasses drooped low to cover the path for him, and there was no distinction between high and low in the streams and valleys. Birds and ferocious beasts walked tamely before him. In the sky a voice was also heard proclaiming to villages and settlements: "The Bodhisattva has come out of the mountain; why do you not welcome him?" At that time, men and women spread their hair to cover the mud, took off their clothes to cover the road, used carpets and rugs to support his feet, and filled pits with flowered mattresses and fine cushions; Jinpyo complied with everyone's goodwill and stepped across each of them. There was a woman who held out half a bolt of white fine cloth to spread across the path; Jinpyo showed a startled and alarmed expression, turning aside to take another path. The woman wondered at his lack of impartiality. Jinpyo said: "It is not that I lack equal compassion; just now I observed that within the threads of the cloth there were all lice eggs; fearing to harm life, I avoided accidentally stepping on them." Investigating this woman, [it turned out] she had originally purchased this cloth from a butcher's household. From then on, two tigers constantly accompanied him on his left and right. Jinpyo said to them: "I will not enter the walled cities; you may guide me to a place suitable for cultivation." They then strode slowly for some thirty leagues, reached a mountain slope, and squatted down before him. He then hung his tin staff on a tree branch, spread grass, and sat upright. Faithful laypeople from the four directions arrived on their own without being summoned, and together they built a monastery, named Geumsan Temple. Later on, those who sought the precepts and repented of their sins year after year were exceedingly numerous; today, his implements of practice are still preserved in the portrait hall.

14.17

An appraisal says: Master Jinpyo reformed his mind and altered his conduct, advancing a thousand leagues in a single day, and in the end attained the transmission of the precept Dharma from the Merciful One. Which of the fifty kinds of ordination was this? The reply is: "It is close to the highest Dharma of seeing the truths and self-vowing. To develop the divine eye is to realize the first and second fruits. What could this be if not the direct observation of the principle of the truths? Relying solely on the stone platform is identical to self-vowing before the Many-Sons Stūpa." Someone might ask: "As for the tallies conferred to verify the marks of the extinction of sins, there is no text in the sacred teachings. Could this be the same as transmissions by heavenly beings or the work of demonic spirits, unfit to serve as a model for later times?" The reply is: "If it clarifies good and reproves evil, the benefit is no different. The Heavenly Lord Maitreya is a heavenly transmission, certainly not a demon. In the sacred teachings, there are instances of seeking auspicious signs in repenting sins to verify whether sins are extinguished or not. Moreover, after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Maitreya descended to Jambudvīpa to preach the Yogācāra[-bhūmi]; how could that not serve as a model for later generations? The Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya states: 'Even if not instituted by the Buddha, if in various regions it brings about purity, one cannot fail to practice it.'"

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宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese