宋高僧傳 18

English (machine translation) 18

Language: English

18.1

Compiled under imperial order by Śramaṇa Zanning, Grand Master Tonghui, awarded the purple robe, of Tianshou Temple of the Left Street of the Song, and others

18.2

Section Six on Supernatural Resonance, Part One (Fifteen main biographies, with three appended)

18.3

Biography of Master Tante of Xiliang Prefecture in the Northern Wei

Master Tante, also named Huifeng, was a man of unknown origin. Although he had shaved his head and donned monastic robes, he was unconstrained by discipline: he drank alcohol, ate meat, and spoke or fell silent unpredictably. Whenever he foretold future affairs, events always turned out as he had predicted. Living in Wuwei, he indulged his impulses in mad abandon. At that time, Yuwen Zhonghe was the regional inspector; he invited him into the regional office and took him to tour the stables and storehouses, whereupon Tante remarked, 'Why are you keeping someone else's official property?' Zhonghe did not understand his meaning, grew angry at him, and forbade him from staying in the city. Shortly afterward, Zhonghe refused to be replaced; the court ordered Dugu Xin to capture him. Zhonghe was killed, and his wealth and property were confiscated by the government. When King Wen of Zhou heard of this, he issued an order summoning him. When Tante arrived in Qi Prefecture, it happened that Emperor Shenwu of Qi came to invade Yubi. Tante said, 'How could a dog reach the Dragon Gate?' Shenwu indeed did not reach Longmen and retreated. Before Hou Jing rebelled against Eastern Wei, Tante suddenly picked up a staff whose head was carved in the shape of a monkey; he kept its face constantly pointing west and played with it day and night. He also asked for a horn bow and drew it. Soon afterward, Hou Jing submitted a surrender, and shortly thereafter rebelled again and fled to Liang—all of which matched his omens. In the early spring of the seventeenth year of Datong, he suddenly donned a cloth hat. The attendants of King Wen of Zhou asked him in surprise about it, and Tante said, 'You will wear it, and the King will wear it too.' In the third month, Emperor Wen of Wei passed away. Then he took a white silk hat and wore it; the attendants asked him again. Tante said, 'You will wear it, and the King will wear it too.' Shortly afterward, the wife of the Prime Minister died. Later he wore it again, and his answer was the same as before; soon the second son of the Prime Minister, the Duke of Wuyi, passed away. His prophetic proofs were mostly of this kind. Soon after, he fell ill and died, and King Wen of Zhou ordered him buried.

18.5

Biography of Master Hetu of Jinyang in the Northern Wei

18.6

Master Hetu was a man of unknown origin. During the Xiaochang era of the Wei, he walked among the market stalls in Jinyang, appearing foolish at one moment and wise the next, in the guise of a śramaṇa. People of the time could not fathom him and simply called him Master Hetu. When Emperor Shenwu of Qi gave birth to his second son, Yang—Emperor Wenxuan—Empress Dowager Wuming, seeing how poor their household was, discussed the family finances with relatives, worrying precisely that they might freeze or starve to death! Yang had only been born a few months and could not yet speak, but suddenly he uttered, 'We shall survive!' The two words were distinct and clear. The attendants around the Empress Dowager were greatly alarmed, yet dared not speak, regarding this as a monstrous omen. At that time, it was rumored that Master Hetu possessed supernatural powers and accurately divined events; so they cleverly enticed him to come. The Empress Dowager suspected that her son's precocious speech was monstrous, so she showed him all her sons—Wenxiang and the Empress of Emperor Yongxi of Wei—inquiring successively about their official ranks and emoluments. When he came to Yang, he merely raised his hand repeatedly and pointed to heaven, uttering not a word. As for the other sons, he made no special gestures. Afterward, none knew where he ended his days.

18.7

Biography of Hyegwang of Silla under the Chen Dynasty

18.8

Śramaṇa Hyegwang was a native of Ungju in the land across the eastern sea. From youth he was intelligent and perceptive, suddenly tiring of the dust of the mundane world; he resolved to seek out renowned masters and dedicated himself to cultivating pure conduct. When he grew up, he vowed to cross the azure sea to seek the dhyāna teachings of the Central Plains. Thereupon he traveled to the state of Chen, journeyed on to Mount Heng, and met the Great Preceptor Huisi, whose instruction transformed beings and whose divine understanding meshed with his own. Master Huisi perceived his capacity and secretly conferred on him the *Method of Ease in Practice from the Lotus Sūtra*. Gwang's acumen was like a divine drill, penetrating any hardness; his freshness was like cotton cloth, taking on any dye brightly. Receiving and practicing it diligently without error, he soon realized the Lotus Samādhi and requested certification. Huisi certified him, saying: 'What you have realized is real and not false. Protect and maintain it well, causing the Dharma to increase and grow. When you return to your native land, employ skillful means; gather the adopted young with care, so that all may be transformed into wasps.' Gwang bowed and wept, and from then on carried his staff back toward the South of the Yangtze. He boarded a vessel of his home country to return. As they departed from the shore, variegated clouds dazzled the eyes, elegant music resounded in the sky, and crimson tallies and rainbow pennants were heralded as they approached. A voice from the void said: 'The Heavenly Emperor summons Dhyāna Master Hyegwang of the eastern seas.' Gwang clasped his hands and yielded, seeing only blue-clad attendants leading the way; after a short while, he entered a palace city, which was clearly no human official residence. The feathered guards were all scaled and shelled creatures, mingled with ghosts and spirits. Someone said: 'Today the Heavenly Emperor has descended to the Dragon King's palace, requesting the master to expound the teaching he has personally realized, so that our water realm may receive the master’s benefit.' Having ascended the jeweled palace and then the high terrace, he expounded according to their questions, which lasted roughly seven days. Afterward, the King personally saw him off; the ship had floated on the ocean without advancing. When Gwang reboarded the ship, the crew thought only half a day had elapsed. Gwang returned to Mount Ong in Ungju, planted his staff, built a thatched hut, and established a monastery. Like-minded souls responded in resonance, and those who obtained the Dharma opened their long-shut doors; those who rejoiced in the lesser path had a change of heart, and those yearning for truth gathered swiftly like ants. One person ascended the hall to receive prediction, one entered the fire-light samādhi, and two entered the water-light samādhi, mutually attaining these two kinds of Dharma gates. The samādhi names were manifested according to their attainments. His other disciples were like the flock of birds flocking to Mount Sumeru, all sharing the same golden hue. When Gwang reached the end of his life, none knew where he went. When the patriarchs of the Southern Marchmount built their portrait hall, they painted twenty-eight masters inside, and Gwang was one of them. The Patriarchal Hall of Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantai did likewise.

18.9

The appraisal states: When assessing those who have entered the Path following the Buddha's nirvāṇa by clarifying them through the four dharmas of teaching, principle, practice, and fruition, none can remain hidden! Those closer to the sage had their cultivation fulfilled and the fruits of attainments verified; those somewhat further from the sage found it easier to study the teachings and had an intimate perception of the principle; while those still more remote were unrefined in their study of the teachings and their perception of the principle was not true. Indeed, when not a single thought arises and the anterior and posterior limits are severed—this is awakening to the mind and achieving Buddhahood. The Buddha in principle is fully endowed with the gradual stages of practice, yet has never elaborated upon the Buddha of actual practice. Having the essence in miniature: in the Eastern Xia since the Sixth Patriarch, people have mostly spoken of the principle of Chan and rarely spoken of the practice of Chan. It is not that Nanneng did not speak of practice, but rather that he made them perceive the Path as urgently as if saving one's head from burning. Master Si of Nanyue placed his emphasis on dual cultivation, treating both the vehicle and the precepts as urgent; hence his students verified all practices and fruits. As for those entering the fire-light samādhi, in the Chutai jing [it is said that] through dhyāna-concentration one gathers the mind and enters the fire-realm samādhi, and the land blazes bright. Fools consider this being burned. If one enters the water-realm samādhi, fools see it and consider it water, throwing objects into it. The bodhisattva's mind is like empty space, unaffected by disturbances—this is something that the two vehicles cannot fully comprehend. This shows urgency regarding practice and its fruition. If one merely speaks with the mouth while the body and mind remain uncultivated, how could that assist the Path?

18.10

Sui Dynasty: Biography of Faxi of the Jiangdu Palace

18.11

Shi Faxi was a native of Nanhai. In appearance he was ugly and wretched, short, frail, and clumsy, appearing to be about forty years of age. Elders of the Lingnan region all said: 'When we were children we knew him, and his countenance was no different from what it is now.' Among the southern barbarians, it was said that he was already three hundred years old. He also said of himself that he had long known Dharma Master Huiyuan of Mount Lu, and spoke of events of the Jin and Song dynasties as distinctly as if they had occurred just a couple of nights before. Usually he remained quiet; but whenever he saw people he was sure to speak, and his words always contained profound meanings, portending good and bad fortune like shadows and echoes. People also did not wish to meet Faxi, fearing his frank speech about disasters and evils would run counter to their wishes. During the Chen dynasty, Ma Jing served as the Regional Inspector of Guangzhou. Just as he took up his post, Faxi walked straight into the prefectural administrative hall, drew the shape of a horse's head on the ground, showed it to Jing's son, and left. Jing originally belonged to a prominent clan of Fufeng; he was brave, possessed military stratagems, but lacked familiarity with the proper order of affairs. Upon arriving at the prefecture, whenever he traveled abroad, he was accompanied by tens of thousands of armored soldiers, with flags, banners, swords, and halberds gleaming like a rainbow upon frost and snow, saying this could be used to overawe the frontiers. His extravagance and arrogance exceeded all bounds, outdoing even rulers, and he was falsely accused of treason. In fear, Jing sent more than a hundred of his wives and children to court to show that he intended no rebellion. The Chen ruler was still suspicious and dispatched the Marquis of Linru to observe his situation, saying: 'If there are certain signs of rebellion, execute him immediately. If there is truly no plot of revolt, simply replace him.' Linru coveted Jing's wealth and property, and upon reaching the prefecture did not investigate right and wrong. Trusting that his heart was free from treason, Jing came with bound hands to Linru, who immediately shouted to his attendants to seize and behead him. This was the clear fulfillment of drawing on the ground. Faxi's foreknowledge was always of this sort. Emperor Yang [of the Sui] heard of him and summoned him to Yangzhou. Not long after, a newly completed hall was erected in the palace. Faxi hurriedly climbed up to the hall to look around, and suddenly fled down the steps in fright, shouting out: 'It nearly crushed [me] to death!' Late that night, heavy rain caused the hall to collapse, killing several people. Later he also ran around inside the palace, saying that he was searching for a sheep's head. The Emperor was disgusted on hearing this, reproached him for his mad ravings, and ordered him locked up in a room. A few days later, the Three Imperial Guards saw Faxi roaming freely in the marketplace. They returned and reported this to the throne. An imperial decree ordered the officials in charge to re-examine the place of confinement; the door was locked as before. The guards on duty said: 'Faxi is currently inside the room.' Thereupon they opened the door and saw a kāṣāya covering a pile of white bones, with the lock running through the neck-bone without slipping off. The Emperor was extremely amazed and astonished, and sent Chief Clerk Wang Heng in haste to inspect it. The kāṣāya covered white bones, and the bones were all linked together like chain-links, with an iron lock binding his neck-bone. The Emperor heard this, marveled with praise, and held him in even greater faith and reverence. He issued an edict not to disturb him lightly, saying: 'The holy man's spiritual transformations are limitless.' By evening, Faxi was back in the room, talking and laughing at times; the doorkeepers reported this again. The Emperor ordered the lock removed, giving him free rein to go where he pleased. On a single day he would attend vegetarian feasts at several households, and at times drank wine and ate meat, completely without restraint. Soon he fell ill; he removed the mats and bedding from the bed he normally slept on and reclined on the bare frame and slats. He had people spread burning coals underneath; after several days he died, half his body scorched and putrefied. He was buried beside Xiangshan Temple. Four years later, Nanhai Commandery reported that Faxi was seen back in the commandery. An imperial order was issued to open the coffin, and it was completely empty.

18.12

Sui Dynasty: Biography of Master Qin of Mingzhou

18.13

Shi Qin was a person whose origin is unknown. During the Daye era, he arrived in Guangping; his demeanor and mind were erratic, his actions difficult to understand, and his utterances unusual. Thereupon he went into the city. He saw that Lingtong Temple was erecting a five-tiered brick pagoda, striving for height and grandeur, with workers in chaotic commotion. Qin looked at it and smiled, saying to the temple assembly: 'Why build this?' The assembly said: 'Meritorious deeds and Buddhist endeavors must be magnificent. Why do you, Dharma Master, ask such a strange question?' He laughed and said: 'You are building a beacon tower.' At that time, the monastic assembly criticized one another about him, saying: 'These are the words of a madman, how could they be taken seriously!' By the ninth year, before the pagoda was even completed, bandits and rebels arose on all sides; prefectural officials maintained strict vigilance and set up a lookout beacon atop the pagoda, only then believing that Qin's words were not false. The local elders also did not know where Qin had come from. There was no trace of where he lodged. Moreover, he would transform his body from time to time; in a pigpen, he would follow along with the herds of piglets and swine. Several young boys, including Ma Shida, saw Qin when he first transformed, so they lingered and watched, intending to see him resume his human form. Afterwards, he indeed suddenly resumed his form, and coming up behind the onlookers, shouted loudly: 'What do you all wish to see?' The crowd was startled and frightened, and bowed to him with palms joined. His transformations were unfathomable, all being like this. When the world fell into turmoil, all traces and reports of Qin were lost.

18.14

The appraisal states: Why did monks of the Wei and Sui dynasties so frequently manifest transformations? The answer is: 'The activity of bodhisattvas adapts to categories to transform their bodies, treating supernatural powers as sport. Through this sport they bring benefit to the rulers of the world.' Someone asked: 'The Wei, Qi, Chen, and Sui were directly seen and heard by Master Xuan; why were they not included in the Continued Biographies [of Eminent Monks]?' The answer is: 'There were things he did not know, which were simply left out. Just as now the Great Song has unified culture and administration, and its territory is vast, wonders occur daily and it is truly difficult to know them all. Even if a certain monk existed, how could it be helped if historians did not compile his record and biographers lacked evidence? Thus it was also omitted, and what could not be recorded in time has been left for later worthy scholars.'

18.15

Tang Dynasty: Biography of Sengqie of Puguangwang Temple in Sizhou (Mucha, Huiyan, and Huian)

18.16

Śramaṇa Sengqie was a native of the He kingdom north of the Congling Mountains. He said of himself that his secular surname was He, just as Senghui, originally from the state of Kangju, was named Kang Senghui. He must have had both a Hu and a Sanskrit name; his given name was Sanskrit in sound, while his surname approached Chinese. Examining the He kingdom, it lay to the northeast of Suyāb and was a dependency of Suyāb. In his homeland, Sengqie went forth from the household life in his youth. After becoming a monk, he vowed to wander far and wide. He first arrived in Xiliang Prefecture, and next passed through the Jiang and Huai regions, during the early years of Longshuo. Thereupon he registered his name at Longxing Temple in Shanyang, and from this time his divine marvels first began to appear. Initially, accompanied by his disciple Huiyan, he arrived at Linhuai, sought land from the residents of Xinyi Ward, set down markers, and declared that he was resolved to build a monastery there. They dug into the ground and unearthed an ancient stele, which showed it to have been Xiangji Temple of the Qi dynasty. They obtained a leaf from the robe of a gold statue inscribed with the characters 'Puzhao Wang Fo' (Buddha King of Universal Illumination). The residents marvelled and exclaimed, 'He foresaw this with his divine eye; how could we fail to give it up?' During the Zhenyuan and Changqing eras, the stele and statue twice met with destructive fires and were lost without a trace. Once, while lying down in the home of the Heba family, his body suddenly grew longer than the couch by about three feet each way, so that everyone was astonished. Next, he manifested the form of Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara; the entire family rejoiced, redoubled their faith and reverence, and donated their residence. The foundation of Xiangji Temple was the present-day temple. From this, miraculous traces sprang up continuously. In the second year of Jinglong under Emperor Zhongzong (Xiaohuadi), an envoy was dispatched to summon him to the inner palace bodhimanda. The Emperor presided at the Dharma banquet, conversing closely with him knee to knee, and his divinations of fortune and misfortune matched like two halves of a tally. He also bestowed the honorary name Puguangwang on his temple. In the fourth year, gengxu, he manifested illness, and an imperial decree directed him from within the palace to Jianfu Temple to recuperate. On the second day of the third month, he passed away sitting upright, his spiritual countenance still as if alive, merely closing his eyes. His secular age was eighty-three; his dharma age is unknown. He spent thirty years in his native land, and transformed the Tang land for fifty-three years. The Emperor was plunged into deep grief. At that time, a foul odor filled the air, yet his body remained intact, displaying many miraculous signs. An imperial decree ordered the authorities to supply three hundred bolts of silk for his return and burial beside the Huai, and commanded the officials to see him off, with soldiers and commoners crowding the roads. On the fifth day of the fifth month, he arrived at his present resting place. Longing for him and unable to forget, the Emperor asked Master Wanhui, 'Who was that Sengqie?' Wanhui replied, 'He was an incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Does the sūtra not say: "To those who should be saved by the body of a bhikṣu, he appears in the form of a śramaṇa"?' Earlier, when Sengqie's teaching was active south of the river, he stayed at Lingguang Temple in Jiahe. That was a marshland, where the people's fish-weirs, bird-arrows, and cords crisscrossed. Sengqie earnestly admonished them: 'These various killing deeds plunge people into ruin; you should quickly devise other means of livelihood.' At that time, many people tore their nets and broke their rods. Once, while Sengqie was resting in leisure, a spirit appeared and informed him, 'The sky is parched and hot; the sprouts of the common people are withering; why does your body hide away? Are you a lazy dragon?' Sengqie asked, 'What can be done about it?' The spirit said, 'If you merely stick your little finger outside through the window gap this evening, what will the people lack?' Sengqie complied. That night, there was an extraordinary clap of thunder; at daybreak, looking at his finger, a faint red thread-like vein was visible on it. Sengqie said, 'I have no affinity with this land.' He then went on to Jinling. Seeing Guoxiang Temple in ruins, he left his robe on a hall beam and departed; later, people smelled a wonderful fragrance. Sengqie once prophesied of it, 'This temple will be restored by a "King of Men" (Renwang).' Thirty years later, there was indeed a monk whose secular surname was Quan (composed of 'ren' and 'wang') who became its dānapati. During the Tongtian and Wansui eras, while among the assembly in Shanyang, knowing beforehand that some held him in contempt, he declared loudly, 'I have five hundred thousand cash to support the merit; do not raise improper objections.' On the bank of the Huai, Sengqie hailed a boat and said, 'If you offer your wealth to me, your punishment in prison can be mitigated. What you are carrying was merely gained by plunder.' The bandits complied with his words and gave up everything, and because of this the Buddha hall was quickly completed. Soon after, the bandits were defeated and detained in the prison of Yangzi County. Sengqie descended on a cloud and consoled them, saying, 'Do not worry.' Within days, an imperial pardon indeed arrived, and they were spared from death. Formerly, when he was in Chang'an, the Commandant of the Escort Wu Youji fell ill; Sengqie sprayed water from his water-pot onto him and he was cured, and his fame resounded throughout the imperial capital. Later, when sick people reported to him, he would sometimes brush them with a willow branch, sometimes have them wash a stone lion to be healed, sometimes hurl a water jar, or sometimes tell them to confess their faults. The verifications were not in vain, and the benefit was never lost. Averting bodily calamity for someone, he asked for a horse; warning against a wind disaster, he sought a fan. Sometimes he identified a thief's money, bit the neck of a black rope, sought out the arhat's well, awakened Madame Pei from drowning, predicted a great snowstorm, or saved against drought with falling rain. His divine transformations were boundless, unfathomable by ordinary measures. Emperor Zhongzong bestowed imperial favor by ordaining three of his disciples—Huian, Huiyan, and Mocha—granting each of them robes and bowls, and commanding them to carry on his incense and fire. Long after he had passed away, over many years, he once manifested his form and went south of the Han to buy lacquerware. When the merchant Li Shanxin's boat arrived at the temple looking for the monk who had bought the fasting vessels, he suddenly saw the image in the pagoda, paused motionless, pointed to it, and said, 'It was precisely this monk who came to buy them!' People far and wide sighed in admiration. He also once took material wood by transformation at Hongjing, bound it into rafts, and arrived with it. During the Dali era, the regional military commissioner compelled the temple to take charge of ten relay stations and ordered it to provide funds for those riding post-horses. In the fifteenth year, during the first watch of the night in the seventh month, he manifested his form in the inner palace, begging to be exempted from the relay-post service. Emperor Daizong ordered the palace eunuch Ma Fengcheng to proclaim the exemption, and additionally bestowed three hundred bolts of silk, a thousand lengths of mixed-colored fabrics, a golden water-pot, and a set of robes belonging to the Crown Prince, ordering his portrait to be painted and brought into the palace for worship. Again, during the Qianyuan era, when Li [whose given name is lost] was the prefect, an astrologer said, 'Because Saturn is pressing upon you, a calamity of evil and debility will strike.' Sengqie suddenly manifested his form, patted Li's back, and said, 'I have come, so good fortune arrives; sweat will pour out and the calamity will dissolve.' Afterward, there was no harm. Once, he sought felt rugs from the army of Yan, claiming to be a monk of the temple in Sizhou. When the Yan envoy arrived bearing the requested items, he recognized the image in the pagoda and believed! Thereupon he made a portrait of his likeness and returned. From Yan and Ji it was copied and transmitted everywhere, leaving nowhere untouched. In the middle of the night in the first year of Changqing, he sang in front of the bedroom of the prefect Lord Su: 'Huainan and Huaibei, from this point forward, will have good fortune. From east to west, all crops will ripen.' That year, only the region of Linhuai enjoyed an abundant harvest. In the second year, the temple and pagoda were all burned down, yet Sengqie's bodily remains stood dignified without harm. During the Xiantong era, Pang Xun—originally a garrison soldier from Xuzhou—left Guiguan without authorization, plundered along the route, attacked Sizhou, and besieged its city. Sengqie manifested his form on top of the pagoda, and the foreign bandits all fell asleep; the troops inside the city happened to venture out to strike them, and they fled in terror to capture Su Prefecture. When the matter was reported to the throne, he was bestowed the title Grand Master Zhengsheng (Attaining Sageliness). In the first year of Wende, when foreign bandits invaded, the prefectural commander barricaded the city to resist the enemy. Sengqie manifested his form at the northwest corner of the city. Seeing it, the bandits knew the stronghold was difficult to conquer, and fled in panic by night. During the Dashun era, the commander of Pengmen, Shi Pu, ordered Zhang Jian to attack the northern city; apart from those slain, more than five hundred people were detained in the polo grounds. As Jian leaned on his desk in a daze, he saw a monk dressed in purple, who instructed him, 'These people are ordinary folk; how can they be killed? It is better to release them.' Having finished speaking, he disappeared. Jian thereupon let them go, and they escaped. In the first year of Qianning, the governor Tai Meng dreamt of Sengqie, who said, 'The southeast in winter has little preparation.' Meng did not understand the meaning, and offered him a cotton quilt and Dharma robes. At midnight on the last day of the twelfth month, soldiers scaled the ramparts and entered, of which Meng was initially unaware. He again dreamt of a monk placing a tin staff upon his heart; it chilled him to the bone, and he leaped up in alarm. Meng ordered the drums and horns to sound; the bandits fled in panic, and their leader, surnamed Han, was captured. Only then did he understand. Because of this, he often manifested the appearance of a young monk on top of the pagoda, and the whole prefecture gazed upon him. Whenever there were signs of good or ill fortune: at that time, those who prayed for wind received wind, and those who sought sons obtained sons. Nowadays, it is heard that among those who pay homage in person, some do not see Sengqie's form at all. If one sees a smiling face, it is auspicious; otherwise, it is inauspicious. Such was his unfathomability. When Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou conducted military operations in Jiangnan, he first attacked and took Sizhou. Sengqie sent a dream to the people of the prefecture, saying that they should not underestimate the enemy. When this was reported to the prefect, he did not believe it. Thereafter, every family had the same dream, and when they reported it to him, he surrendered, so that the lives of the entire commandery were preserved, relying on Sengqie's protection. Whenever monasteries were built under heaven, Sengqie's true image had to be erected, inscribed 'Great Sage Sengqie Heshang' (Venerable Master Sengqie). Whenever people made prayers, their wishes were mostly fulfilled. Li Yong of Beihai and Gentleman of the Editorial Service Hu Hao each composed steles praising his virtue. When the present Emperor ascended the throne, he turned his mind to this matter. In the third month of that year, a nun who had returned from touring Mount Wutai saw Sengqie on top of the pagoda in the form of an infant, whereupon she climbed the spire pole and sacrificed her life as an offering. In the seventh year of Taiping Xingguo, an imperial decree ordered the palace dignitary Bai Chengrui to rebuild his pagoda, making it lofty and spacious, and adding multiple storeys. In the eighth year, an envoy was dispatched to bring separate śarīras and precious treasures to be interred together beneath the foundation. On that day, the monk Huaide, having prepared a wooden tower in advance, held a wax torch himself and burned his body as an offering. Amid the blaze, the sound of sūtra recitation never ceased. Furthermore, when they were about to erect the pagoda, three huge logs floated down along the Huai, stopping as they drew near the pontoon bridge, and were collected to serve as the pagoda's central pillar. Subsequently, the palace attendant Li Tingxun was decreed to oversee the work. Formerly, because the gold statue in the crypt was inscribed 'Buddha King of Universal Illumination' (Puzhao Wang), this had been used as the temple plaque. Later, to avoid the taboo of the Empress Wu's personal name [Zhao], it was replaced with the character 'Guang'. Recently, the Veritable Records of Sengqie was requisitioned by imperial decree; after the Emperor examined it, he decreed that the plaque be restored to Puzhao Wang Temple. His disciple Mocha bore a name derived from the Western regions, which means 'liberation' (vimokṣa) in Chinese. From his youth, he followed Sengqie as his tonsured disciple, and manifested many divine marvels. In the fourth year of Zhonghe, the father of the regional inspector Liu Rang, who was an assistant censor, suddenly dreamed at night of a monk in purple who said, 'My disciple Mocha has been buried to the west of the temple for a long time! Can you unearth him?' He also indicated the burial place. At the first dream, he paid no attention; when the dream occurred a second time just as before, the assistant censor found the place shown in the dream and wished to dig it up. Seeing that a certain family occupied and resided on it, he purchased it with ample money. Digging a pit of about three feet, they found a sitting-coffin, and when they opened it, there were śarīras emitting light above the bones. He ordered it to be cremated, and gathered more than eight hundred śarīras, presenting a memorial to submit them to Emperor Xizong. The Emperor decreed that the ashes from the cremation be shaped into a statue, and conferred the posthumous title Grand Master Zhenxiang (True Image). To this day, he stands in attendance on the left, as if sharing in the offerings. As for his disciple Huiyan, his surname and birthplace are unknown; he constantly followed his master Sengqie, serving him with the water jar and tin staff. Setting out from Chuzhou and arriving at Huaiyin, they jointly exhorted Vice Prefect Pei of Donghai—whose wife was stingy with a silver dish, which fell into the water. Reaching Xuyi, they opened the Arhat's Well and stayed at the home of Heba Xuanji, where Huiyan attended at the side of the Eleven-Faced Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. From that point on, Sengqie was summoned to the capital. Emperor Zhongzong issued a separate decree ordaining Huiyan, along with Huian and Mocha, and separately bestowed robes and bowls upon each of the three.

18.17

Biography of Huian of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song in the Tang

18.18

Śramaṇa Huian was surnamed Wei and was a native of Zhijiang in Jingzhou. His appearance was dignified and elegant, with dark-blue curly hair and blue eyes, and his descent of the spirit took place in the early Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty. By nature Huian was magnanimous and lenient, unstained by worldly dust, and in studying the Dharma gates there was nothing he did not master thoroughly. In the seventeenth year of Emperor Wen, an imperial decree ordered an investigation into monks and nuns throughout the realm who had taken ordination without official license. When Huian was interrogated, he said he originally had no name or surname, and fled into the mountain valleys. During the Daye era, when the Tongji Canal was excavated and laborers were rounded up, the starved dead looked upon one another. Huian went about begging and collected many bowlfuls of food to rescue those who were ill and exhausted, saving a multitude of people. When Emperor Yang heard of this, he summoned Huian by imperial decree, whereupon Huian secretly entered Mount Taihe. When the emperor visited Jiangdu and the realm fell into turmoil, Huian took up his monk's staff, ascended the temple on Mount Heng, and practiced the dhūta austerities. During the Zhenguan era, he went to Qizhou and paid homage to Master [Hong]ren. In the first year of the Linde era, he wandered to the stone cliffs of Mount Zhongnan and settled there. At that time, in the plateau and valley where he resided, an early frost damaged the sprouts and crops, yet Huian's dwelling alone was untouched. Beyond forty li, all suffered the disaster of the Frost Goddess. Emperor Tianhuang heard of this and summoned him, but Huian did not obey the summons. In the second year of the Yongchun era, he arrived at Huatai, dwelling in a grass pavilion; he sat on a corded chair in the middle, open to all four directions. An imperial decree ordered a temple built to house him, which was called Zhaoti [Temple]. After this he returned to his home region to Yuquan Temple. At that time Dhyāna Master Shenxiu had recently passed away, and all requested Huian to assume the abbacy. Huian did not comply with the request. In the fourth month of the second year of the Shengli era under the Empress Dowager [Wu Zetian], he told his disciples and students: 'Each of you return and close your doors.' At the third watch, a spirit being arrived with dense escorts and guards, carriage bells tinkling, accompanied by wind and rain. The spirit circumambulated his courtyard several times; Huian spoke with him, giving earnest instructions and admonitions, whereupon the spirit bowed twice and departed. When someone asked the reason, Huian said: 'I conferred the bodhisattva precepts upon the spirit of Mount Song.' The Empress Dowager once asked Huian his age, to which he replied: 'I do not remember.' She asked: 'Why do you not remember?' He then said: 'Does this body of birth and death not cycle like a ring? A ring has neither beginning nor end; what use is there in remembering? Moreover, this mind flows continuously without intermission; seeing bubbles arise and perish is also mere false ideation. From the first consciousness to the moment when active marks cease, it is just like this. What year or month could be remembered?' The Empress Dowager bowed her forehead to the ground before him. Hearing that Huian lacked a well, she ordered one dug for him. Huian said: 'Beneath this lies an auspicious creature of red; take care not to harm it.' Just as they reached the water source, they saw a golden toad sluggishly emerge from the mud, matching his advance prophecy. The emperor respected him all the more. In the ninth month of the second year of the Shenlong era under Emperor Zhongzong, an imperial decree ordered a palace eunuch to bestow a purple kāṣāya along with silks, and permitted the ordination of twice seven (fourteen) disciples. Again he summoned Huian along with Dhyāna Master Jing to enter the inner palace to receive offerings. In the third year, he was granted a monk's robe (māna), whereupon he took his leave and returned to Shaolin Temple. On the third day of the third month of the third year of the Jinglong era, he instructed his disciples: 'After I die, carry my corpse into the forest and wait for a wild fire to incinerate it on its own. Do not go against my wish!' Soon thereafter Venerable Wanhui came to see him; Huian grasped his hand with wild abandon, and they conversed for quite a while, but the attendants by his side listened intently without understanding a word. On the eighth day, he shut his doors, reclined his body, and passed away. His age was about one hundred and thirty, beginning in the second year of the Kaihuang era and ending in the third year of the Jinglong era. After the cremation of the corpse was completed, eighty grains of relics were collected; five grains of reddish-purple were presented to the palace, while the rest were distributed so that stūpas could be built according to people's means. In the second year of the Xiantian era, his disciples erected a stūpa for him.

18.19

Biography of Wanhui of Wenxiang in Guozhou under the Tang

18.20

Śramaṇa Wanhui, whose secular surname was Zhang, was a native of Wenxiang in Guozhou. In his youth he appeared foolish and mute, and his parents pitied his dull disposition. When insulted by neighborhood children, he never displayed any attitude of contention. Yet his mouth would call itself 'Wanhui' (Ten Thousand Returns), hence this became his style name. Moreover, he took no notice of cold or heat; seeing the poor and humble he did not treat them with contempt, and seeing the rich and noble he did not show them deference; he ran wildly east and west, not resting all day long. Sometimes laughing, sometimes weeping, he had no fixed expression, and saliva constantly dribbled from the corners of his mouth, so everyone thought him strange. He had no love for luxury and was especially sparing of words; whenever he spoke, it was always a prophetic utterance, understood only after the event had passed. When he was just ten years of age, his elder brother was garrisoned at Liaoyang—another version says Anxi—and for a long time there was no news from him; his mother was exceedingly worried and arranged a vegetarian feast to pray for blessings. Wanhui suddenly said to his mother: 'Brother's safety is extremely easy to know; why worry?' He then wrapped up the leftovers of the feast, walked straight out the door, and returned toward evening, holding a letter from his brother that said, 'Safe and well.' When asked how this happened, he remained silent without answering, having traveled ten thousand li there and back. Later, when the brother returned, he said: 'On that day I spoke with Wanhui, who had just arrived from home; he then gave me cakes and pastries, which we ate together, and then he returned.' The whole household was astonished and delighted. From then on everyone viewed him differently, and his reputation reached the imperial court. Emperor Xiaohuadi (Zhongzong) summoned him to audience and honored him with profound respect. In the second year of the Shenlong era, an imperial decree ordered that Wanhui alone be ordained by special permission. From the late reign of Gaozong and throughout the Empress Dowager's era, he was frequently summoned to the inner chapel, bestowed embroidered brocade robes, and attended by palace women. Earlier in his childhood, he had piled up tiles and stones at Xingguo Temple in Wenxiang to make a Buddhist stūpa. After he entered the palace, this stūpa radiated light, and so a great pavilion was built to cover it. Yet his actions could never be easily calculated, and whenever he uttered words, there was always a reason. By imperial decree he was granted the title of Duke Fayun (Cloud of the Dharma), and outsiders were unable to see him. Prior to this, during the Empress Dowager's reign, when cruel officials were employed to weave false charges, officials of somewhat high rank parted from their wives and children each day. Cui Xuanwei of Boling had reached the zenith of both position and renown; his mother, Lady Lu, was wise and worried about him, saying: 'One day you should invite Wanhui; this monk is of the ilk of Baozhi, and by observing his actions one can know fortune and misfortune.' He then invited him to their house; the mother wept and bowed in homage, and presented a pair of gold chopsticks and spoon. Wanhui suddenly stepped down the stairs, hurled the chopsticks and spoon onto the roof of the hall, swung his arms, and walked away. The whole family considered this inauspicious. After several days, Cui ordered someone to climb onto the roof to retrieve them; beneath the chopsticks and spoon they found a scroll of writing, and examining it, found it to be a book of prophetic apocrypha; they hurriedly had it burned. Several days later, officials suddenly came to his home to conduct a thorough search for prophetic charts, but found nothing, so he was exonerated. At that time, cruel officials frequently ordered thieves to plant sorcery objects and forge secret prophecies to frame people, which would then be verified as true through false accusations, leading to the slaughter and confiscation of many households. Had the holy man not thrown the chopsticks and spoon, how could the Cui family have known of the forged prophetic chart? At the end of Zhongzong's reign, he once cursed Empress Wei, saying: 'You rebellious and contrary wretch, I will cut off your head!' Soon afterward she was executed. Princess Taiping built a residence for him in Huaiyuan Ward, just adjacent to her own residence. Furthermore, when Xiaohua (Emperor Zhongzong) personally saw off Princess Jincheng on her marriage to Tibet and visited Shiping, Wanhui came out to welcome the imperial carriage. At that time, Cui Riyong, Wu Pingyi, Song Zhiwen, Shen Quanqi, Cen Xi, and Xue Ji all bowed respectfully and solemnly inquired after him. The gentlemen said: 'Each of us wishes to seek a single word from the holy man to determine our fortune or misfortune.' Stroking Shen's back, he said: 'You are a true man of talent.' Shen was overjoyed beyond measure and said: 'The holy man has conferred a prediction upon me; you gentlemen need not dispute it any further.' He also said to Wu: 'I give you the name Fotong (Buddha Child); you shall have no worries.' He looked at Xi and Ji with an ill-favored expression. Cen avoided him on his horse and said to Ji: 'This man is mostly a wild fox; why should his words be feared?' Wanhui then looked back and said: 'You too will not escape.' When Xi and Ji were executed, people esteemed him even more. At the same time there was Saṅgha, whose transformative traces were unconstrained. Zhongzong asked Wanhui: 'Who is this man?' Wanhui said: 'He is an incarnation of Avalokiteśvara.' During the Zhenguan era, when Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang returned from the west, he recounted that in India there was the Stone Treasury Temple (Aśmagarbha-vihāra). When Xuanzang entered it, he saw an empty room containing only a folding stool and a monk's staff. When he asked the venerable elders about this room, they all said: 'Because this monk was remiss in Dharma services, he was punished to be in the Eastern Land, in the country named Cīna, at the place called Wenxiang; he has made ten thousand returns up to now.' When Xuanzang returned, he sought out Wanhui and bowed in homage. When he questioned him about the Western Regions, Wanhui answered as though he were seeing them with his own eyes. When Xuanzang was about to visit his home, Wanhui said to his mother: 'A guest is coming; please prepare vegetarian food.' Soon Xuanzang arrived. His supernatural and miraculous traces were mostly of this sort. Grand Master of Remonstrance Ming Chongyan, a practitioner of Daoist arts, said to people: 'Wanhui is a divine monk.' When Xuanzong was still in hiding, he went with his retainers Zhang Wei and others to pay him a visit. Seeing the emperor, Wanhui treated him with extreme familiarity and insolence, took a lacquered stick, and shouting, drove them out; those who came along were all expelled. He dragged the emperor inside, latched the door behind them, and became entirely like a normal person, showing no strangeness at all; patting him repeatedly on the back, he said: 'Son of Heaven for fifty years, take care of yourself; after that, I know not.' Zhang and the others outside the door clearly heard his words, and so they devoted their hearts to supporting him. The fifty years later referred to the disaster of An Lushan. When Ruizong was still in his prince's mansion, he sometimes wandered incognito among the people. Wanhui would shout loudly in the villages and streets: 'The Son of Heaven is coming!' or 'The holy man is coming!' Within a couple of days of his doing so, the emperor would inevitably pass through that place and linger there. Prince Huizhuang was Ruizong's second son; the Empress Dowager once held him up to show Wanhui, who said: 'This boy is the spirit of a great tree from the Western Regions; raising him will be beneficial to his brothers.' Princess Anle—Xuanzong's youngest sister—allied herself with Empress Wei, her power hot enough to scorch the hand, striking fear into the roads. Wanhui looked toward her carriage and horses, spat repeatedly, and said: 'Rancid, rancid! One must not go near!' Before she could turn on her heel, disaster and ruin overtook her. The emperor knew even more clearly that Wanhui was no ordinary man; he sent out two palace women to wait upon him day and night, and specially decreed that his likeness be painted in the Jixian Academy. When Wanhui was near death, he cried out loudly, sending someone to seek water from the river in his home village, but his disciples and followers could find none. Wanhui said: 'Right in front of the hall is river water; why not draw it?' The crowd dug a well beneath the steps, and river water surged forth; after drinking it, he expired. The wells in the ward of Wanhui's residence were all salty and bitter; only this well was sweet and delicious. Later there were impostors, some calling themselves 'Little Wanhui' to deceive the marketplace, most of whom were executed. After his demise, Vice Director of the Right Xu Yanbo composed an inscription for his stele, which was erected on the western road of the Yujian River in Wenxiang.

18.21

The appraisal states: To travel ten thousand li in a single day—he was certainly no ordinary human. Was he a ghost or spirit? Or did he possess the arts of immortals? In explanation it is said: 'Observing his deeds one knows the man; Wanhui had no deviant conduct, so he was no ghost or spirit; he did not intentionally perform contrived acts, so it was not the art of immortals. He had merely attained "supernatural powers" (abhijñā). Therefore, in the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra this power has four kinds: first, the body can fly through the air unobstructed like a bird; second, bringing the distant near, arriving without traveling; third, vanishing there and appearing here; fourth, being able to reach [anywhere] in a single thought-moment.' Someone asked: 'Among the four, which did Wanhui possess?' In explanation it is said: 'He possessed them all! Therefore it is called the "supernatural power of wish-fulfillment" (ṛddhi-vidhi-jñāna). The "realm of spiritual power" (ṛddhi-viṣaya) in the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra is the same. It is said that an arhat with great competence can manifest the three spiritual transformations.'

18.22

Biography of Daojian of Lingyan Temple in Qizhou under the Tang

18.23

Shi Daojian was surnamed Feng and was a native of Wu commandery. His origins were unknown, but he resided at Lingyanshan Temple in Lixia; his tracks were wondrous and divine, and he was an unfathomable monk. During the Yuanhe era, there was a student named Feng, also a native of Wu commandery, who had stayed in Chang'an because he had not succeeded in the civil service selection through the Mingjing examination. One day he saw an elderly monk come to his residence, who said to him, "You share my surname." They thus began to associate with each other. After barely more than a year, Feng was designated to serve as a defender in Eastern Yue. Just as he was busy preparing his luggage, Jian arrived carrying a monk's staff to bid him farewell. Feng asked, "When you depart, Master, where will you go?" Jian replied, "My hut is beneath the western corridor of Lingyan in Qi Prefecture. My brief sojourn in the divine capital has lasted exactly ten years until now. Fortunate to have associated with you, I am now returning to my former place, which is why I have come to take my leave. However, when you, my friend, serve as defender in the land of Yue, your path will pass beneath Lingyan Temple; you should pay me a visit." Feng gave his promise, saying, "I respectfully accept your instruction." A few days later, Feng passed beyond the pass and headed east to take up his post. Reaching the gate of Lingyan Temple, he reined in his horse, looked, and said, "Is this not the temple where Master Jian resides?" He immediately entered to inquire about him. At that time, a monk was in the courtyard. Feng asked, "Where is the venerable Daojian's lodging?" The monk replied, "There is no Daojian at this temple." Feng was puzzled and astonished; pondering in silence, he thought, "Master Jian is pure and upright; how could he deceive me?" Thereupon he strolled alone through the temple, and when he walked beneath the western corridor, he suddenly saw a monk painted on the wall whose appearance was identical to Master Jian's. Feng was greatly astonished and sighed, "Is Master Jian truly an extraordinary man? He was even able to descend in spirit to interact with me!" After a long time, he looked beside the true portrait and saw an inscription that read: "The son of the Feng family, a native of Wu commandery. At the age of ten he studied the Dharma of the Buddha; renowned for his practice of the Way, he passed away at the age of seventy-eight." When Feng read the inscription, he only then realized that the statement, "You share my surname," had not been false. Another account says: Some twenty-odd li west of the city of Suzhou, there is Lingyanshan Temple. Beneath the northwestern corridor is painted the form of a śramaṇa. It is said that in the fifteenth year of the Tianjian era of the Liang dynasty, he took the guise of an itinerant lay practitioner passing by the mountain temple and lodging there for the night; he borrowed a brush and inkstone from the monks' kitchen, and none of the monks paid him any heed. At dawn, the monks searched everywhere, but the guest was gone; in a corner of the hall, they saw a painted Indian monk with prominent cheekbones, wrinkled black skin, long drooping eyebrows, eyes flashing like lightning, blue and white in his corners, a high nose, a square mouth with parted lips exposing his teeth, and a raised fist resting on his right shoulder. His bent body was about one zhang and five cun tall, dressed in a coarse patch-robe kāṣāya, with large beads worn around his arm, and barefoot. When the multitude saw it, they were terrified and could not fathom where he had come from. People from near and far all arrived; some burned incense, paid homage, and sighed in praise, while others sought blessings and averted calamities. On clear nights, rustling sounds were heard in the hall as the sound of walking the Way; on account of this, birds and sparrows dared not foul or alight between the eaves and pillars. Thus the local people called him the Lingyan Monk, or sometimes the Holy Monk of Lingyan. He once appeared in bodily form and said to an old woman, "This poor monk is fond of eating jiaozong." Suspecting he was a holy being, the next day she brought a basket into the hall to make an offering. Down to this day, every year on the third day of the third month, the people compete to send them, wrapping glutinous millet rice with water-bamboo leaves and boiling them; the people of Wu call them jiaozong. In the second year of the Xiantian era of the Tang dynasty, the son of Duke Lu of Yan fell ill; the physicians had no success, and the Duke's anxiety grew acute. At his gate he met a monk begging for food, invited him in, and the monk asked for a water vessel, took water in his mouth, and sprayed it; instantly the illness remitted. Duke Lu was delighted and gave him very generous gifts, but the monk did not look back at them at all. He then asked, "At what temple does the Upādhyāya reside?" The monk replied, "This poor monk lives at Lingyan Temple west of Wu County in Suzhou. When you, my good gentleman, serve as an official in Jiangbiao, I hope you will enter the temple to look for me." In an instant, he was gone. Before long, Duke Lu was appointed director in the Ministry of Justice and subsequently promoted to surveillance commissioner of Guizhou. Constantly remembering the monk who had saved him from illness that year, he took a detour to Gusu and entered Lingyan Temple to search for him. When he described his features and appearance, the monks of the entire temple said, "There is no such person here." Lu lingered the whole day, unable to bear leaving; suddenly in the hall he saw the form of the holy being and said, "The one who treated me in former years was this monk!" The temple monks recounted his origins, [showing that] such spiritual resonances are difficult to fathom. Lu donated tens of thousands of coins to provide funds for incense and lamps, and stayed for ten days making offerings before departing. Furthermore, a temple pure man regularly attended to the lamps before the image, adding oil to feed the wicks, with the intention of stealing oil to rub on his hair. Before long, his hair scorched, curled, and fell out; bystanders advised him to repent and pay homage, and to buy hemp oil separately to add to the wicks, whereupon his hair was restored as before. Also, when Emperor Wuzong was about to abolish Buddhism, there was a man named Lu Xuan near the temple who dreamed that the holy being said to him, "I have received your offerings, disciple, for many years; now I have come to take my leave and return to the Western Heavens." Xuan urgently commanded a painter to depict his true portrait. In the fifth year of the Huichang era, when the temple halls were demolished, he only then understood the meaning of the farewell. Later, in the seventh year of the Xiantong era, there was a locust plague; at that time, they filled the sky and spanned the fields, eating people's crops and even entering homes to consume silk fabrics. The people were bewildered and had no plan. At that time, locals such as Wu Yanrang led dozens to a hundred elderly people to the front of the image, burning incense and weeping in prayer; that very day, the insects flew across the border. In the fifth year of the Qianfu era, when the temple community was to go to the palace to beg for a bell to return to the temple, they selected a monk and chose a day to set out. The holy being went first to the headquarters of the Right Shence Army and gave instructions in advance. When the monk formally requesting the bell arrived and met the scribes, they asked in astonishment, "A few days ago a monk came, saying he was attached to Lingyanshan Temple in Suzhou." The monk said, "I traveled with no companion." Later, a clerk from the Right Army traveled to Wu on business and saw the wall painting, exclaiming, "This is the monk who came to our office in the seventh month to arrange for the bell!" Thus his spiritual wonders were extremely manifest in the Wu region, yet their origin could not be fathomed. An Indian monk once came, bowed before the painted image, and said, "For what reason is the Bodhisattva Jñānasaṃcaya here?" He sighed for a long time, and from then on he was called "the Response Body of Jñānasaṃcaya."

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宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese