宋高僧傳 14.4

14.4

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.