宋高僧傳 16
English (machine translation) 16
- Language
- English
16.1
Compiled by imperial decree by the purple-bestowed śramaṇa Zanning and others, Grand Master Tonghui of Tianshou Temple of the Left Street of the Song
16.2
Section Four, Part Three: Elucidation of the Vinaya (nineteen main biographies, with two appended)
16.3
Biography of Biancai of Longxing Temple in Shuofang of the Tang
16.4
Shi Biancai was surnamed Li and was a native of Xiangyang. When his mother was pregnant with him, she suddenly developed an aversion to meat and blood; obscurely [content with] a single meal a day, she passed her days in pure austerity. When he was born, an extraordinary fragrance filled the room, and his kinsmen marveled at it. At the age of seven, he went to Dhyāna Master Ji of Mount Xian to leave home. As he grew older, his memory was brilliant: whenever he received the teachings of the scriptures, he always took his own height [in scrolls] as the limit; he never asked twice about a character, nor did he ponder a meaning a second time. His master regarded him as a great vessel. At the age of sixteen, he shaved his hair and was registered at Dayun Temple in his home prefecture. Next, he traveled through the various commanderies, climbed famous mountains, and went to Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou to receive the full precepts. Hearing that Vinaya Master Huaiwei of Anguo Temple in Chang'an and Vinaya Master Yiban of Bao'en Temple were the gaze of the Dharma gate and models for teachers and disciples, he submitted his heart to them and requested instruction. Where he had doubts, they were unfailingly resolved; no meaning failed to be penetrated; joining the two traditions, he was exalted as their foremost head. In the fourteenth year of the Tianbao era, Xuanzong considered that the people of the north were endowed with a unyielding temperament and prone to unruly customs; among the ranks of monasteries, there remained the habit of riding and archery. Yet as there should be instruction without distinction, how could it be stopped? An imperial edict appointed Biancai as instructor to preside over the ordination platform and ordain people. Early in the Zhide era, Suzong ascended the throne in this region. Grand Councilor Du Hongjian memorialized that Biancai should reside at Longxing Temple, and an edict conferred on him the title of Great Virtuous Instructor within the Shuofang jurisdiction, ordering him to admonish and encourage them, reform the customs of the northern tribes, and follow the path of the vinaya. He was also commanded to establish a Lotus Sanctuary for the state. When the imperial carriage returned after recovering the two capitals, imperial rescripts were repeatedly bestowed; in his final years, [the emperor] particularly paid attention to the sudden teaching of the Mahāyāna. In the second year of the Yongtai era, the treacherous minister Pugu Huai'en covertly enticed the foreign barbarians and internally brandished weapons of war. Biancai exhorted those clad in felt robes not to slaughter the Chinese people. In the third year of the Dali era, he was summoned to the capital to serve as Great Virtue of Zhangxin Temple. At that time, the military commissioner, Duke Chang, Duke of Guo, had long admired Biancai's renown, and together with Duke Ren, the military supervisor, frequently engaged with him in discussions on the Way. In the winter of the thirteenth year, he manifested illness in his body. On the eighth day of late winter, having given his final admonitions to his disciples, he sat peacefully on a rope-bed and quietly entered extinction at the age of fifty-six. In the second month of the following jiwei year, his divine spirit was relocated to the northwest corner inside the temple. Prior to this, a townsman named Shi Yong had been on corvée duty atop the city wall; before the night was spent, he heard the sound of pipes and strings coming from the west—it was heavenly music. An extraordinary fragrance scattered down from the sky, which was an omen of rebirth in the Pure Land. From Chang'an, Biancai returned to the northern border; having received the appreciation and patronage of the Duke of Guo, he greatly cultivated meritorious enterprises, and the completion of this monastery was entirely due to Biancai's earnest exhortations. An imperial decree posthumously bestowed on the Grand Master the title 'Nengjue' (Capable of Awakening) and granted a set of purple robes; the glory commemorating his passing made his fame heard beyond the frontier. During the Tianfu era, Wang Dan, Reviewing Judge of the Court of Judicial Review, composed an inscription praising his virtues.
16.5
Tang: A Biography of Daocheng of Zhangxin Temple in the Capital
16.6
Shi Daocheng was surnamed Liang and was a native of Jingzhao. His father, Liang She, was a Secretariat Drafter. Born with extraordinary features, he always abhorred meat dishes. He entered monastic life as if returning home, without lingering attachments. Suddenly he encountered a dhyāna monk, who rubbed his head and gave him the name Daocheng. Water bottle and tin staff constantly accompanied him, and he silently conformed to the norms of the vinaya, so that he was called 'the Vinaya Śrāmaṇera.' After receiving the full precepts, he studied and listened to the *Nanshan Vinaya* at various training places, free of any flaw or defect. However, his nature was generally informal and casual, and he did not reside permanently in one temple; he stayed at Feng'en, Zhuangyan, and Caotang temples, dwelling wherever he arrived, making the protection of living beings his utmost priority. In the second year of the Jianzhong era, while spending the summer retreat at Mount Yunyang, a tiger roaring entered his door. Daocheng spoke to it gently; the tiger wagged its tail, folded its ears, and retreated. He moved to reside at Zhangxin Temple; when someone asked the reason, Daocheng said: 'Can one who has left home remain stuck in one place? In the Western Regions, rooms are reassigned across the three seasons so that there is no greedy attachment, and the "gate of contemplation" is easily established. Otherwise, how could one achieve universal breadth and vast magnanimity?' On the eighth day of the second month of the second year of the Zhenyuan era, the Emperor received the bodhisattva precepts at the temple; the metropolitan region looked up to him in reverence, and imperial gifts were abundantly bestowed, which he received and redirected as donations to the two fields [of merit]. In the fifth year, the Emperor visited his temple and inquired of Daocheng regarding the Dharma-gate for cultivating the mind. He was also imperial commanded to confer the bodhisattva precepts on the consorts, princesses, and imperial ladies. In the fourth month of the sixteenth year, an imperial decree conferred on him the title 'Dayuan' (Great Perfection). On the eighteenth day of the ninth month of the nineteenth year, he passed away at this temple.
16.7
Tang: A Biography of Qingche of Longxing Temple in Zhongling
16.8
Shi Qingche's origins are unknown. He traveled through vinaya academies, secretly guarding his sense-doors; he had no permanent teacher, aligning himself only with the good. At first, under Vinaya Master Daoheng in the North Courtyard of Kaiyuan Temple in Wuyuan, he gained intimate access to the profound inner chambers and thoroughly mastered the principles; he was celebrated with glorious renown, and everyone praised and recommended him. In the guisi year, the eighth year of the Yuanhe era of Xianzong, he made up his mind to compose a commentary in twenty fascicles, also gathering together the essential and pertinent views of various masters to explain the *Nanshan Chao*; it was titled *Jiyi* (Collected Meanings), or sometimes called *Houtang* (The Latter Hall). In the tenth year, the writing was completed. Nowadays, lecturers in Yuzhang, Wuchang, and Jinling mostly follow these interpretations. Having examined this record, its principle is broad and comprehensive. The end of Qingche's life is unknown.
16.9
The appraisal states: Are not the words and deeds of Master Qingche rather too brief? The response is: 'Where detail or brevity has evidence, it is called a veritable record. In ancient times, could the Grand Scribe have not wished to expand upon the affairs of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? It was simply that before Tang and Yu, historical records were pure and brief, so how could later generations expound upon them? That it is not richly copious here is due to this. It is also like the practice of not recording what has not been announced [in death notices]. Wherever there is an imbalance between detail and brevity, reprimand and reproach must be dispelled.'
16.10
Tang: A Biography of Shangheng of Jingyun Temple in Fuzhou
16.11
Shi Shangheng was surnamed Rao and was a native of Nancheng in Linchuan. Knowing as a child, at the age when his mind was set on learning, he resolved to leave home, following his maternal relatives who were in the Buddhist fold to seek acceptance; instructed to recite Buddhist scriptures, he covered a thousand words a day. In his prime, he received the precepts from Grand Master Dayuan of the Southern Peak and engaged in study with strenuous diligence. During the Dali era, unwilling to leave the land of his parents, he requested registration at Jingyun Temple. His cultivation and practice were without fault, and many years passed. He specialized particularly in lecturing on the *Nanshan Shichao*. At the beginning of the Zhenyuan era, he moved to reside at Longxing Temple in Yuzhang, associating with Fazhen of Mount Lu, Lingyou of Tiantai, Fa-yi of Jingmen, Shencou of Xingguo, and Huijin of Jianchang; they harmonized like clay flutes and bamboo pipes, supporting one another like water and milk. The Dharma was entrusted to royal ministers, and thus he was friendly with the four gentlemen: Prime Minister Jiang Gongfu, Duke of Lu Yan Zhenqing, Yang Ping, and Wei Dan. Promoting and upholding the prohibitions and protections, he lectured on the *Cāturvargīya-vinaya* (Four-Part Vinaya), and those who turned toward goodness and eliminated sins were countless. He occupied the sweet-dew platform for some twenty years over eighteen assemblies, rescuing living beings; across the eastern regions of Jambudvīpa, more than fifteen thousand men and women attained ordination. In the tenth year of the Yuanhe era, he slightly took ill; on the jihei day of the tenth month, he passed away at Donglin Temple on Mount Lu, his whole body interred in a stone tomb on the Southern Ridge. He lived in the world for seventy-seven years, with fifty-five summer retreats. His disciples planted pines and cypresses, and Bai Juyi of Taiyuan composed the inscription for his stone stupa.
16.12
Tang: A Biography of Huilin of Yongfu Temple in Qiantang
16.13
Shi Huilin, courtesy name Baoyu, was secularly surnamed Ke and was a native of Xin'an. In his youth, he received instruction at the Western Peak of Lingyin as a disciple of Master Jin; regarding the Dharma essentials transmitted to him, he never asked a second time. Early in the Dali era, he received the full precepts at the Lingshan assembly; he studied the three teachings, mastering all of them without omission. Taking no pleasure in fame or worldly splendor, he was fond only of springs and rocks; once entering Tianyan, he stayed for more than twenty years. Tianyan is Tianmu: the mountain is thirty thousand feet high and three hundred li around, rivaling Tianzhu and Mount Lu. Atop it are two lakes called the Left and Right Eyes; climbing and ascending are perilous and difficult, taking several days to reach the summit. There are many flood dragons and three ponds. As for the highest pond, people cannot approach it; its noxious vapor revolts people, and one cannot gaze at it for long. Some say the mountain spirit takes the form of a white deer, and whenever it meets with the dragon of Lake Zhenze in the fifth month, there is bound to be a violent storm. While Huilin dwelt here, eerie portents were frequent, yet his mind was undaunted. In the dinghai year of the Yuanhe era, Du Zhi of Chengnan, Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites serving as prefect, invited him to leave the mountain, come to Yongfu Temple, and ascend the ordination platform. By the spring of the yichou year, Pei Changdi, Bureau Director in the Ministry of War serving as governor, summoned him to preside over the platform at Tianzhu Temple. Having finished ordaining people, he returned to the temple to lecture and train students for nearly twenty years. Prefect Lu Ze (Bureau Director of the Left Bureau), Vice Minister of Justice Yang Ping, Supervising Secretary Lu Yuanfu, Secretariat Drafter Bai Juyi, Director of the Court of the National Granaries Li Yougong, Bureau Director in the Ministry of Justice Cui Shan, and Bureau Director in the Ministry of Justice Lu Yi—successively nine prefects—all visited his courtyard when off duty, paying their respects, inquiring into the principal tenets of the Buddha's Dharma, and dipping into the natures and characteristics [of phenomena]. These illustrious gentlemen were eminent figures of the official elite, of exalted literary learning, sometimes called the 'Confucius of Abhidharma' or named 'Bodhisattva of Superior Strength'; had it not been for Huilin, how could they have been so moved? On the twenty-fifth day of the fourth month of the sixth year of the Taihe era, he manifested extinction, enjoying a lifespan of eighty-three and a dharma age of sixty-four. On the twelfth day of the fifth month of that year, he was buried on the south of the western mountain of what is now Yong'an Temple, to the left of Agate Slope; his stone stupa remains standing lofty and towering.
16.14
Tang: A Biography of Shencou of Xingguo Temple in Jiangzhou
16.15
Shi Shencou was surnamed Cheng and was a native of Lantian in Jingzhao. Born extraordinary and refined, he left the dust of the world in his youth. Longing for the precepts and vinaya from afar, he besought Master Xicao of the Southern Peak to receive the full precepts, and also visited Dhyāna Master Daji of Zhongling. His aspiration lay in the *Śūraṅgama-sūtra*, his conduct in the *Cāturvargīya-vinaya*, and as for other teachings, he mastered them whenever he had spare energy. In the eighth year of the Dali era, an imperial decree instituted examinations on three subjects—sūtra, śāstra, and vinaya—to test all those who wished to leave home across the empire, ordaining only those who passed the grades. Shencou answered this selection and was assigned by imperial decree to Xingguo Monastery in Jiujiang. Later, in accordance with the saṅgha's hope, he moved to Donglin Temple, which was the former sanctuary of Yanmen [Hui]yuan, where the Sweet-Dew Ordination Platform and the White Lotus Pond were located. Having settled there, he continued to promote Buddhist affairs; though sūtras and treatises nourished his spirit, he ultimately made the study of the vinaya his duty. Shencou was emaciated and lean, appearing frail; the provincial military commander and his disciples sought medical treatment, but he was unwilling to take medicine. In the ninth month of the twelfth year of the Yuanhe era, he contracted an illness; on the twenty-sixth day, he sat upright and passed away at the temple. On the nineteenth day of the tenth month, his disciples interred his whole body to the north of the road west of the temple, adjoining the left of Yanmen's tomb—just as Sengquan was buried near Guo Wen's tomb. His age was seventy-four, and his summer retreats fifty-one. Shencou oiled the wheel of non-retrogression with an energetic mind and beat the drum of fearlessness with vigorous strength; thus, he ascended the platform and upheld the Dharma for nearly thirty years. He ate from a single bowl and dwelt on a single cot, wearing clothes sewn of coarse hemp and sitting on mats of rush and straw. Therefore, when alms offerings converged upon his person, he redirected them into the inexhaustible property of the permanent community to share with the multitude. Every night, holding a censer and carrying a candle, he circumambulated the Way and paid homage to the Buddha, keeping to the twelve periods of the day with scarcely any omission, doing so for forty-five years. During his life, he met Bai Letian (Bai Juyi) when the latter served as governor of the commandery, and they were on good terms. At his death, Bai grieved and mourned, composing an inscription for his stupa: 'Originally we formed a society of incense and fire for bodhi, / Mutually weary of this body of afflictions, lightning, and bubbles. / There is no need to follow the master in sorrow; / Please go first to the Western Land to be our host.'
16.16
Tang: A Biography of Huiling of Shengshou Temple in Jingzhao
16.17
Shi Huiling: it is not known where he was from. In his youth, he cast off worldly entanglements and applied himself diligently to chanting and study. When he came of age for ordination according to the Dharma, his observance of the precepts was flawless and complete; he set his mind firmly upon the vinaya, probing its subtle depths regarding observance and transgression, matching his practice to his understanding, with heart and word in total accord. Because of this, his fame as a lecturer and instructor flourished widely. All revered him with awe, looking up to him as to a deity. In the seventh year of the Dazhong era, Emperor Xuanzong visited the Zhuangyan Temple, paid homage to the Buddha's tooth relic, ascended the great pagoda, inquired after the elderly monks, and bestowed a purple robe upon him. In the sixth month of that year, an imperial decree appointed Ling as the prior (sthavira) of a new temple. Gazing northwest of the temple toward the abandoned Zongchi Temple, the Emperor issued an imperial decree stating: 'Taking leisure from administrative affairs to enjoy the scenery, We have visited Zhuangyan Temple. Its tiered halls and layered corridors, its contiguous eaves and matching beams, its secluded rooms and secret chambers are graceful and airy; dense bamboo and green pines cast shade and rear their elegance. Walking therein, one loses the way; among all the Buddhist palaces in the realm, its loftiness and brilliance are without peer. At the time of its founding, because the ground at Kunming Lake in the west of the capital was low-lying, a wooden stupa three hundred feet high was erected. In Our days in the princely mansion, We toured this monastery and beheld these magnificent scenes. Now, the Zongchi Temple was founded during the Daye era, and its scale and design were identical to those of the Zhuangyan Temple; yet today its holy images are ruined, weeds of forbearance run wild, the fragrant paths are overgrown with thorns, and only the foundations remain. It is fitting that this temple be permitted to be rebuilt, to fulfill Our wish.' On the eleventh day of the third month, Bianzhang, the chief of the three teachings, was ordered to supervise the temple's reconstruction. When the work was completed, Ling was recommended to take charge of the monastery's administration; Ruichuan of Chongsheng Temple, who had been bestowed the purple robe, was appointed abbot, and Xuanchang of Fushou Temple, a great virtuous one of the ordination platform who had been bestowed the purple robe, was appointed rector (karmadāna). Ling held office in the temple; the pure assembly was kept in perfect order, and the Emperor held him in deep esteem. The temple regularly presented as tribute pear blossom honey, which was white in color and far surpassed in flavor that taken from ordinary honeycombs. Ling lived out his days in the new temple. If we investigate Venerable Ling's having taken part in verifying meanings during the translations of the Yongtai era under Emperor Daizong, he must have been over a hundred years old! But if he never met Amoghavajra or Liangbi, then his age and saṅgha age cannot reasonably be determined.
16.18
Biography of Changda of Poshan Temple in Wujun under the Tang
16.19
Shi Changda, courtesy name Wenju, secular surname Gu, was a native of the coastal region. He began his monastic career at Heyang and Mount Dafu, and traveled widely to study at the famous temples of the Jiang-Huai region. Changda truly walked the path of centrality and harmony and fully perfected the precepts, lecturing exclusively on the Nanshan lüchao. Later he sought the complete teaching of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the calm-and-insight of the Lotus Sūtra, and furthermore mastered the Yinfujing, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the writings of the hundred schools; in the spare hours of his studies, he thoroughly mastered the calligraphic style of the two Wangs. Afterward he engaged in dhyāna inquiry in various places, reaching the ultimate principle. Soon came Emperor Wuzong's suppression of the Dharma; he sighed: 'I was born at an unlucky hour, not after it had passed!' Thereupon he maintained silence and dwelt in the mountains, discarding worldly robes to retreat from the world without distress. When Emperor Xuanzong re-erected the Dharma banner and repeatedly restored monasteries, the people throughout the entire region were all transformed and guided by Da; therefore, the prefect Wei Shu honored him with special reverence. His body wore neither silk nor floss; his chamber was covered only by creepers and vines. The fourfold assembly knew where to turn for refuge, and people from all quarters admired his transforming influence; his purity was like that of cranes and egrets. In the twelfth year of the Xiantong era, the clergy and laity of the entire city requested him to assume the guidance of the fourfold assembly. Sometimes he roamed the outer suburbs and pastures, sometimes he chanted freely along the seashore; without leaving the wooded foothills, several years would pass at a time. Even when nobles came in a solitary carriage to his gate, none could obtain an audience. In five- and seven-character poetry, he adopted the Yuanhe style to compose the 'Song of Treading the Path on the Green Mountain', which was widely recited on people's lips. Suddenly, on the morning of the Pravāraṇā ceremony, he gathered the community in the long corridor, joined his palms, and bade a lasting farewell in very upright and resolute words. He then took to his bed with an illness, stopped eating for seven days, and passed away; this was on the sixteenth day of the ninth month of the fifteenth year of the Xiantong era, at the age of seventy-four, with a saṅgha age of fifty-one. His disciples Huiqing and Chuanlang escorted the coffin and buried him three hundred paces southeast of the temple. In a later year, a stupa was raised over the tomb; Chen Yan of Yingchuan composed the stupa inscription, and the district magistrate Zhou Siji of Runan served as the patron. A stele was erected in the fourth year of the Qianfu era.
16.20
Biography of Danfu of Kaiyuan Temple in Yuezhou under the Tang
16.21
Shi Danfu: it is not known where he was from. By nature he was alert and discerning, his speech was invariably firm and straightforward, he was diligent in teaching, and his observance of the vinaya was refined and upright. The region of Kuaiji was a deep repository of vinaya standards. When Fu delivered guiding recitations, those who followed him were like iron drawn to a lodestone. He originally studied in the Dharma assemblies of Vinaya Master Genwen; Wen was to Shenggong as Yan and Xia were to Confucius, and Fu was thus the intellectual grandson of Gong. Following the orthodox tradition, he initiated lectures and penetrated profound and abstruse doctrines. In Yue, after Tanyi and Xuanyan, few could match their footsteps, yet Fu's reputation and renown surpassed those of his predecessors. At that time, Yunwen was a masterly hand, and the Xiangbu school was widely flourishing; Fu stood between the great vinaya masters, and when he conducted monastic matters, the crowd bowed before him as grass before the wind. At the end of the Xiantong era, disciples such as Zhizhang went forth to lecture and transmit his teachings, and today his Dharma lineage still endures. It is said that he authored Personal Notes, but these have not yet been found. Alas, how regrettable!
16.22
Biography of Faxiang of Lingguang Temple in Jiahe of Wujun under the Tang
16.23
Shi Faxiang, surname Yu, was a native of Changshui in Wu. Born during the Tianbao era, he was an extraordinary infant; at the age of seven he went to a master, and within three ten-day periods of receiving the scriptural teachings, he had chanted and mastered the entire Lotus Sūtra. At the age of twenty he went to Anguo Temple in Chang'an and received the full ordination, which was during the Dali era. He then studied the path of the vinaya in the imperial capital, comprehensively mastering the agreements and differences among the various schools; over the course of eleven years, he achieved great eminence in his vocation. Transmitting the Dharma, he returned east, where those requesting instruction gathered like a forest. The prefect of Wujun memorialized to establish an ordination platform at Kaiyuan Temple, and Xiang was selected to oversee the platform. Soon he served as an upādhyāya, and was concurrently elected by the community as monastery administrator, constantly administering the refuges and precepts to the two assemblies. On his travels he wore a water-strainer, and his vessels did not exceed what was permitted. Birds would constantly perch beside his seat, remaining without flying off even when driven away. On the tenth day of the second month of the first year of the Huichang era, at the third quarter of the hour of the horse, he told his disciples Qingjun and Qinggao: 'I am about to pass into extinction.' Dignified, crossing his legs and resting on his right side, he passed away. At that time, the assembly heard the clear and resonant sound of string and wind instruments during the day, which was heavenly music; at night they saw an extraordinary light. His age was eighty-nine, and his saṅgha age was sixty-nine. In the fourth month, his stupa was relocated to the plains of Laisu Township, which is the White Pagoda. Later, his disciples led Cao Xin, prefect of Yizhou, and Wu Fang, judicial investigator of the Court of Judicial Review, to renovate the stupa; upon opening it, they saw that Xiang's remaining bones were of a bronze color, his tongue was undamaged like a lotus blossom, and all forty-two teeth were intact. Washing them with fragrant water, they reinterred them on the twenty-second day of the fifth month of the second year of the Jingfu era, the guichou year. Gao's disciple was Gongjing; Jing's disciple was Xingyun; Yun's disciple was Renbiao; Biao's disciple was Xuan'gao. Gao was originally a pure and upright monk; together with Hongqi, he rebuilt the entire Lingguang Temple after it had been ruined by warfare. Master Gao and Master Qi later withdrew together into Mount Tiantai to practice dhyāna contemplation, and passed away in the mountains one after the other; when their bodies were cremated, śarīras were obtained from both.
16.24
Biography of Wenju of Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantai under the Tang
16.25
Shi Wenju, surname Zhang, was a native of Dongyang in Wuzhou. Just when his years reached the age of aspiring to learning, he went to a master to request the Dharma. At nineteen he shaved his head and first entered the path of ceasing and compassion. In the third year of the Zhenyuan era, he received imperial ordination and obtained the precepts. During the following fifteen years, he took the Four-Part Vinaya as his study, regularly practicing and repeating it; striving earnestly day and night, he eventually ascended the lecture seat to instruct others. Next, he mastered the commentary and meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, obtaining the rich marrow of Zhiyi. Ju stood over six feet tall, his physique like a mountain, his countenance like jade, serene as still water, moving like floating clouds. His eyes never glanced about, his mouth spoke no idle words, and in all four deportments there was nothing that did not conform to vinaya standards. The two assemblies of Danqiu looked up to him as their standard. Those who hurried from other regions to listen and receive his teachings rivaled and stood equally high with the dhyāna path of Master Ze of Fokü. Soon he was appointed by imperial order as a Great Virtuous One of Guoqing Temple. Previously, Grand Master Zhiyi had answered the inquiries of Emperor Yang of Sui and instituted the 'Seven-Day Golden Light Sanctuary'; every year in the ninth month, regional military commanders and nobles from far and near would dispatch people to send offerings. As the event was unimpeded, both monastics and laity arrived from far and wide without exception; but as people crowded in, food and drink fell short. The monk in charge of the kitchen was deeply distressed by this. During the Dahe era, the prior Qingyun consulted with Ju, and they established twelve qing of manorial lands for the temple. From that time on, the Golden Light Assembly was never heard to suffer from lack; was this not indeed Ju's merit! In the fifth month of the second year of the Huichang era he passed away, and his disciple Youqing erected a stupa on the western peak of the temple. His age was eighty-three, and his saṅgha years were fifty-five. Han Yi composed a stele inscription praising his virtue.
16.26
Biography of Yunwen of Kaiyuan Temple in Kuaiji under the Tang
16.27
Śramaṇa Yunwen, courtesy name Zhijing, was surnamed Zhu and was a native of Jiahe in present-day Xiuzhou. When he was nine years old, his father died, but on his deathbed he instructed that Yunwen be given over to serve the Buddha. His teacher instructed him in the two sūtras, the Vimalakīrti and the Lotus Sūtra. Being of a quick and agile nature, in only two years he had mastered both; men of exalted understanding called it profound discernment. Someone once teased Wen, asking, "After you leave household life, what undertaking do you intend to pursue?" He replied without hesitation, "I shall ascend the lotus throne and roar the lion's roar!" Some scolded him, saying, "How dare you speak thus before your elders?" Others said, "His aspirations are grand; this boy's future will not be easy to fathom." When he reached the age of sixteen, he shaved his crown and donned the antarvāsa. Soon after, he packed his bags and journeyed west, submitting himself to the altar-officiating bhadanta Preceptor Yuan at Mount Song, where he obtained the unmanifest dharma; he was then twenty-three years of age. That summer he went directly to the central capital to study the Xiangbu Vinaya school as well as the Madhyamaka-śāstra, mending his robes and begging for food through four cycles of winter and summer. Having knocked at the gate of doctrine, he necessarily entered the master's chamber; in the abstruse pivot of vinaya models, he proved exceptionally discerning of subtle refinements. In the fifth year of the Dahe reign era, thinking of paying his respects to his parents, he suddenly sighed and decided to return home. Having returned to his native land, he lay sick in bed for a long time and had no leisure to lecture or preach. Later, hearing that the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra was being lectured upon at Tianzhu Temple in Qiantang—a gathering that was flourishing and magnificent—Wen went there to study. Before a full year had passed, his sharp talents were already evident. In the first year of the Kaicheng reign era, on the occasion of traveling to the peaks of Tiantai, he stayed at Jiaxiang Temple in Yuezhou. Relying on his pristine reputation, the assembly selected and requested him to expound the sūtras and vinaya. Wen restrained and disciplined his audience of students with considerable strictness and sternness, frequently admonishing them: "Now, the bhikṣu's practice is not the dharma of householders. Possessing the prātimokṣa and the homogeneous class of monastic codes is his very nature—because of diligence, because of dread, and because of guarding against transgression regarding forms and colors. Only in this way may one swiftly attain the fruits of the Way! Otherwise, if the disciple falls, the teacher's guidance is expended in vain." Hearing his exhortations, some wept profusely, repenting their minds and reforming their conduct, more than half of their faults resolved in thought. In the third year of the Huichang reign era, he moved to Jinglin Temple, dedicating himself exclusively to preaching the Nirvāṇa Sūtra. When Emperor Wuzong's purge occurred, he was rounded up and inspected along with the rest. By day he wore the wide-sleeved robes of the scholars, and by night he donned the uncut garments of the monks, never remiss in monastic conduct, merely avoiding vulgar reproach. At the start of the Dazhong reign era, the Gateless School was revived, and monastic protocol was reorganized; he was enrolled among the thirty monks of Kaiyuan Temple. In the seventh year, the elders of the temple requested him to lecture on the Vinaya vehicle. In the autumn of the third year of the Qianfu reign era, a bingshen year, he ceased lecturing and read through the Tripiṭaka. On the twenty-ninth day of the sixth month of the second year of the Zhonghe reign era, a renyin year, he suffered a slight illness and passed away. He lived to the age of seventy-eight, with a dharma age of fifty-five. On the twelfth day of the seventh month of that year, he was buried on the south side of Mount Shiqi. His dying words forbade raising a mound or planting trees. Earlier, whenever Wen ascended the seat to lecture, the students held him in awe; when he cleared his throat or raised his voice, all were swept before him—such were the majesty and virtue of his precepts. At the three temples of Jiaxiang, Jinglin, and the present Dashan, he gave twenty-seven series of lectures on the commentaries and twenty-five series on the great sūtra. As for his character: his appearance was archaic and tall, with a peaked crown and dark skin; his observance was rigorous and meticulous, so that "white egrets flocking in the courtyard" could not match his purity. Yet he also dipped into Confucian and Mohist texts; admiring Bo Juyi's self-composed epitaph, he wrote his own "Square Tomb Inscription" in advance and stored it in a wicker hamper. His disciple Huaiyi, when browsing through the writings, found it and wept with grief; he then complied with his late master's wish and built a small stupa. Later, his disciples Huaisu and Siji commissioned the eminent and virtuous Xushou to add an afterword. When Zanning visited Kuaiji, he paid reverence to Wen's true portrait and saw his dharma grandson Kexiang, who was practicing austerity and progressing in cultivation, matching the dhūta practices. Thus, I am well acquainted with his deeds.
16.28
Biography of Huize (and Yuanbiao) of Ximing Temple in the Capital District under the Liang
16.29
Śramaṇa Huize was surnamed Mi and was a native of Kunshan in Wu Commandery. At nine years old, he ranged widely in talent and scholarship, taking delight in all the Confucian classics. When the good seeds sprouted, he grew utterly weary of the secular world, and in the seventh year of the Dazhong reign era went to Ximing Temple in the capital to leave household life. He applied himself diligently to chanting and reciting, doing so as if he had practiced it before. In the ninth year, through imperial favor, he received ordination at his home temple. In the fourteenth year, he took a seat in Grand Master Fabao's dharma assembly to repeat the lectures, and that same year was imperially appointed as a supernumerary bhadanta. In the third year of the Xiantong reign era, he went to Chongsheng Temple to lecture on the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra and the Protocols for Mourning Attire, and produced the One-Roll Diagram of the Three Realms. In the seventh year, he lectured at the Ancestral Cloister on behalf of Master Chang. In the fifteenth year, he was appointed by imperial order as a full member officiating at the altar. In the first year of the Guangming reign era, when the rebel Huang Chao invaded the palace and the Guanzhong region was thrown into turmoil, he left for Xiagui in Huazhou to avoid the chaos. In the second year of the Zhonghe reign era, he arrived in Huainan, where Lord Gao Pian summoned him to Fayun Temple. Having finished lecturing, he returned to Wu; the regional inspector, Lord Yang, earnestly urged him to stay, but he instead traveled to Mount Tiantai and hung up his staff at Guoqing Temple. In the first year of the Qianning reign era, he arrived at King Aśoka Temple in Mingzhou, where he composed a one-roll Record of the Stupa and produced the twelve-roll Record of Collected Essentials. King Wusu of the Qian clan commanded him to officiate at the altar in Yuezhou. On the eighth day of the eighth month of the second year of the Kaiping reign era, he manifested illness and died sitting upright. He lived seventy-four years, with a dharma age of fifty-four. He was entombed on the ridge of Mount Mao. His eight-precept disciple, Regional Inspector Huang Sheng, constructed a stupa for him. In life, Ze generally disliked sharp directness, prizing deference and deferring to others above all else. Aside from lecturing and reciting, he chanted sūtras and dhāraṇīs in succession, some thirty to forty texts from the Lotus Sūtra downward, to cultivate the karma of speech. He perused the teachings of the Tripiṭaka twice, lectured on the commentaries seventy times, and lectured several times each on the Abhidharmakośa, Mourning Protocols, and the Analects. His pure and austere observance was rarely matched in recent times. His disciple who entered his chamber, Xijue, showed the most prominent sharpness. Further, Yuanbiao was a man of uprightness and integrity whose speech was often stern and candid; he was fond of appraising human character, held exegetical understanding in high esteem, practiced the vinaya under teachers, and also diligently pursued external learning, having fully mastered books of history and technical arts. Early on, he joined the lecture hall of Grand Master Fabao at Ximing Temple in the capital. Around the Guangming reign era, when the sacred capital fell into turmoil, he went east of the Yangtze and lived at Dashan Temple in Yuezhou, lecturing on the Nanshan lüchao. Scholars from various commanderies all gathered there. Biao commanded doctrine with ease and was skilled in exposition; whenever he waved his chowry, the listeners forgot their fatigue, and he was known as the Jianshui Ācārya. He wrote a five-roll Record of Meanings, also titled Jianshui. His disciple Qingfu was the foremost among his students.
16.30
Biography of Yancheng (and Shou Ācārya) of Xingfu Temple at Mount Poshan in Suzhou under the Liang
16.31
Śramaṇa Yancheng was surnamed Gong and was a native of Changshu in Wu Commandery. He was strict and uncompromising in the precepts and rules, treating worldly affairs as negligible trifles; he diligently sought masters to emulate, following only what was good. Later, he questioned the author of the commentary Jizong, gaining entry into its gates, and thereupon lectured and guided others in his native place. Like-minded people flocked to him, and the vinaya tradition flourished vigorously, so that it was called the dwelling of the vinaya. Earlier, this maritime corner had been the leftover land of the Wu Xian clan and the former site of the Zhaozhen administration; the ancient temple was not completely enclosed, having only broken walls. Once, at night, a tiger struck by a hunter's arrow lay crouched in the temple loft, roaring incessantly. Cheng took pity on it, hurriedly tied his shoes, and held a torch to descend the loft, intending to pull it out. His disciples held him back and stopped him three or four times; waiting until the night was late and they had all fallen asleep, he took the torch himself and went to pull out the arrow. The tiger flattened its ears, licked the blood on the arrowhead, looked at Cheng, and closed its eyes. At dawn, the hunter Zhu De went to the temple to look for the tiger; Cheng showed him the arrow, and Zhu De repented and gave up hunting. King Wusu of the Qian clan held him in high esteem; whenever he held a nocturnal vegetarian feast, he summoned him to perform the vidyādhara rituals. At times his samghāṭī fell from his arm and draped itself back up on its own, and some saw spirit beings attending upon him. This is what is meant by: when moral virtue flourishes, ghosts and spirits assist. In the sixth month of the sixth year of the Zhenming reign era, he passed away in his mountain room at the age of ninety-nine.
16.32
Next, Shou Ācārya, living around Huaipu, was upright, honest, and extraordinary; in guarding right mindfulness, he had few peers in his time. He transmitted the Nanshan lüchao with consummate mastery, never flattering others. In the late Tang, the Yang clan possessed Guangling and repeatedly summoned him for offerings and donations. People from near and far revered him; for food he accepted only pure livelihood. He kept no extra possessions and never locked his doors. When he presided over an altar to ordain disciples, while conducting the karman, before the three readings were completed, he suddenly passed away sitting upright beside the overturned cauldron, leaving all who heard and saw it in awe and lamentation!
16.33
Biography of Congli of Futian Temple on Mount Tiantai under the Later Tang
16.34
Śramaṇa Congli was a native of Xiangyang. He served his parents well, winning considerable praise in his home village. When one of his parents died, he resolutely left household life, being already in his prime at the time. When he received the full precepts, he asked his master to transmit the text of the prātimokṣa. His memory was quite poor, making it difficult to abandon the text, and he was frequently troubled by the demon of sleep. Li was furious at his own dullness and used an iron awl to pierce his forehead and palms, causing blood to flow; only after more than half a year did he finally master reciting it fluently. From then on, he rigorously observed the rules of the vinaya, always holding to them even in moments of haste and peril. During the Qianhua reign era of the Liang, he traveled to Tiantai and hung up his staff at the Pingtian hermitage. Later, he was chosen as the sthavira of the temple. He was grave, dignified, and composed; neither joy nor anger showed on his face, and he practiced only compassion and forbearance. He constantly instructed the assembly, saying: "The prātimokṣa is our great master. You must understand that leaving household life without precepts is like an ape breaking free of its chain." In all his observances, he was earnest about the upoṣadha, admonishing the assembly to protect the precepts as one guards a floating raft. Once in summer, there was a drought, and the administrator monk came to report: "We are about to prepare a feast for the arhats, but the garden vegetables have withered away! We pray that the ācārya will pray [for rain]." Li said, "Simply burn incense in the hall of the True Lord." The True Lord was the crown prince of King Ling of Zhou; having long been rumored to have ascended as an immortal, he received appointment as an immortal official as the Perfected of Tongbai, Right Assistant King, Overseer of the Five Peaks, and Attendant to the Celestial Emperor—Prince Qiao—who came to govern this mountain. Therefore, the monastic quarters and Daoist abbeys on Mount Tiantai all sculpted the image of the Right Assistant, making offerings to him merely with incense and fruit. From this, the common people came to call him the "Mountain King and Earth God," which is incorrect. The administrator then faced the immortal shrine and incanted: "The sthavira requires rain to moisten what has withered." When night fell, clouds arose and rain poured down, ceasing only after three days. On another occasion, the monastic kitchen lacked a wooden trough and rack for water, but there was a red-barked tree on the mountain suitable for lumber; they came to report this to Li. Li said, "I shall go speak to the True Lord; you need only assemble the workers and prepare the tools to await it." Before long, a great wind suddenly arose, uprooting and felling the tree, which was sufficient for their needs. His moving of ghosts and spirits was mostly of this sort. When King Wusu of the Qian clan of Liangzhe heard of this, he summoned him to the provincial seat and established a Golden Light Sanctuary, offering generous alms. Li redistributed everything to the monks, retaining only a single patched cloth robe for himself. He did not sleep throughout the night, ate only one meal a day, constantly sat in meditation, and kept no surplus possessions. In the eleventh month, winter of the second year of the Tongguang reign era, an yiyou year, he entered extinction at the age of seventy-nine, with a dharma age of fifty-two. He was cremated, his śarīra were gathered, and a stupa was erected and preserved.
16.35
Biography of Jingxiao of the True Body Relic Stupa Temple in Hangzhou under the Later Tang
16.36
Śramaṇa Jingxiao, secular surname Xu, was a native of Danqiu. Initially, his attending [of lectures] was at the gate of Master Biao. Later, admiring the exegetical collections of Ācārya Shouyan, he propagated them in Danqiu. By nature he was stern and resolute, rarely associating with others. Fastidious and uncompromising in his self-restraint, he often suffered encroachment and oppression, and his physical constitution was frail and weak. Later, accepting an invitation, he went to Mount Dongbai in Jinhua to encourage and instruct beginners. At that time, there was a vinaya master from Jiangxi named Huiyou who had produced an exegetical commentary entitled Guijian lu (Record of the Tortoise Mirror); possessing wide learning and being rather arrogant, he led his disciples to Xiao's temple. It happened to be during the lectures on the 'Chapter on Maintaining and Violating [Precepts]', and [Huiyou] repeatedly praised and admired him. From this time on, his reputation flourished and his renown grew high. Every morning he dripped tea [into an offering cup], and one day it transformed into milk. He authored a twenty-fascicle commentary entitled Jianzheng (Selecting the Correct), meaning that through the power of reflective discernment, he eliminated heterodox theories and selected the correct meanings. King Wusu of the Qian lineage summoned him to his native county of Lin'an and appointed him to take charge of Zhulin Temple. Not long after, in the second year of Tiancheng, [the king] ordered him to go to Beita Temple to preside over the ordination altar. Next, he ordered him to reside at the Southern True Body Pagoda Temple, where he ended [his life]. He was moved and buried in the cove of Mount Daci; because of his originally received master's title, the pagoda was called Qingliang.
16.37
Biography of Zhenjun of Xiangguo Temple in Dongjing under the Later Tang
16.38
Śramaṇa Zhenjun, surnamed Zhang, was a native of Xinzheng in Zhengzhou. He was a descendant of Master Zhang Guo of the Tang dynasty. Today in Xingyang there is a Zhangguo Village, where his tumulus and catalpa trees still remain. Jun's demeanor was generous and open; in his childhood he did not engage in frivolous play. At the age of fourteen, he suddenly transcended worldly affairs and renounced the world, beyond what people could understand. Although his parents held onto his clothes and his brothers blocked the road, in the end they could not dissuade him, so he went to Vinaya Master Guizheng at Xiangguo Temple to leave household life. His spiritual faculties were swift and brilliant, astonishing at first glance. Even memorizing steles after a glance or recreating chessboards were not enough to match him. Soon, he had completely recited by heart scriptures such as the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa and the Benevolent King Sūtra, amounting to several tens of thousands of words. At the time, his peers teased him, saying, 'You are a walking book-chest of sūtras!' Jun politely declined this title, remaining modest and respectful. When he had shaved his hair and donned dyed robes as a monk, he immediately listened to the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra, chanting and memorizing all eight chapters of verses along with the lectures, amounting to six hundred lines. At the age of eighteen, he mounted the seat of debate. Reaching full age, he received the precepts at the Precept Altar Cloister of Huishan Temple on Mount Song, and subsequently resided at Fengshan Temple—now called the Kaibao Vinaya Cloister—to study the commentaries on the New Chapter Vinaya. At twenty-three, he registered his name to give lectures, and the senior monks praised him as extraordinary. In the second year of Dashun, fire struck Xiangguo Temple; the multi-storied three gates, the Seven-Jewel Buddha Hall, the Cloud-Piercing Precious Pavilion, and the surrounding corridors of the Mañjuśrī Hall, totaling over four hundred bays, were all reduced to ashes. At that time, the monastic assembly was in panic, not knowing where to turn. Someone said, 'If we can invite Jun back to the temple, the temple can be rebuilt.' Thereupon, they went together to what is now Kaibao and resolutely invited Jun to return and serve as the sthavira (senior elder) of his home temple. Within a few years, the corridors and halls were rebuilt, and the halls and pavilions became even more magnificent. They also requested him to serve as the lineage master of the New Chapter [Vinaya] and reopen the vinaya lectures; daily, more than fifty monk and nun disciples held commentaries and listened to his instruction. Jun's vinaya practice was as lofty as ice and snow. In summer he had no thought of baring himself; in winter he wore only unlined lined garments; in eating he merely knew moderation, excessively pure and restrained. In the first year of Qianhua, he mounted the altar to uphold the Dharma. Down to the change of mandate by the Liang dynasty, the monks and nuns he ordained numbered over three thousand. On the twelfth day of the fourth month in the summer of the second year of Tongguang, he died of a slight illness. His worldly age was seventy-eight, and his dharma age was fifty-eight. He was buried at the temple estate, placed beside the pagoda of Chan Master Huiyun.
First 38 of 49 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese