宋高僧傳 23
English (machine translation) 23
- Language
- English
23.1
Compiled under Imperial Order by the Purple-Robe-Bestowed Śramaṇa Zanning and others, Grand Master Tonghui of Tianshou Temple of the Left Street of the Song
23.2
Chapter Seven: Renunciation of the Body (twenty-two principal biographies, with two appended)
23.3
Tang Dynasty: Biography of Sengzang of Fenzhou
23.4
Shi Sengzang was a native of Xihe. In his youth he rose above the mundane; his vitality was abundant, his spirit pure, and he faithfully practiced docility and goodness, scrupulously remaining in a humble position. When he was blessed with the precepts and goodness, he secretly guarded his sense faculties and sense objects. Whenever he saw a shrine of benevolence, he invariably paid homage to it; whenever he encountered a person of eminent virtue, he paid full courtesy. If he met monks or laypeople bowing to him, he would bend down low and run away, as if avoiding a magistrate. When attending to community duties, he acted like an unordained monastery laborer, humbling himself like a bondservant. If he saw another person's worn clothes, he would secretly wash them and attend to sewing and mending them. In the sweltering heat of summer, he would take off his clothes and go into the thick grass, allowing mosquitoes, gnats, midges, and leeches to bite him; though stung, bitten, and bleeding, he endured it with sweat pouring forth. Meanwhile, he constantly recited the name of Amitābha Buddha, to an extent that even a skillful reckoner could not calculate the tally. With resolute will and a focused mind, he never slackened in the slightest. When he foreknew that his karmic retribution was exhausted, he said to the attendants caring for his illness, "This mountain monk is most fortunate: heavenly beings have come in succession to welcome me." Zang further said, "When I closed my eyes, I heard that I went to the Pure Land, where all the supreme good persons were gathered, scattering flowers; only now have I returned here—it is precisely the time to relinquish my life." Joining his palms and reciting the Buddha's name, he peacefully passed away.
23.5
Tang Dynasty: Biography of Zhengbanshou of Shanguang Temple in Handong (Chan Master Zao)
23.6
Shi Zhengshou was a man of unknown origins. His demeanor was imposing and orderly, and his moral integrity was lofty and unyielding. Carrying his tin staff on his shoulder and dragging his traveling sack, he visited all the ancestral masters. Because his karmic affinities aligned and he found a true place of reliance, he resolved his web of doubts under Chan Master Zao of the South Pagoda, secretly cultivating and gaining benefit. Later, Shou lived in quiet seclusion at a mountain temple in Sui Prefecture, unknown to all. At that time, Prince Chongfu of Qiao—the second son of Emperor Zhongzong—was slandered at the beginning of the Shenlong era by the Deposed Empress Wei, who claimed that "he colluded with the brothers Zhang Yizhi and [Zhang Yizhi's brother] to frame Chongrun." He was demoted to Prefect of Junzhou, where he was closely guarded and not permitted to attend to official business. When Empress Wei took over the court, she added soldiers to guard him. When the Wei clan was executed and Emperor Ruizong ascended the throne, he was transferred to become Prefect of Jizhou. Before departing, feeling melancholy and joyless, he turned his heart toward Chan Master Zao and built a living-burial pagoda for him, seventy feet high and exceedingly magnificent. At that time, Master Zao was critically ill. The Prince of Qiao sent an emissary to ask the master, "Who will succeed your lofty footsteps hereafter?" Zao said, "I have Zhengshou." The prince asked the monks, "Who is Zhengshou?" Someone said, "The venerable master has a disciple at Shanguang who conceals his traces." The prince sent an emissary to summon him. Upon arrival, Shou addressed Master Zao, saying, "I rejoice that the prince has acted as dānapati and that the pagoda is completed. I wish to test it first for you; may I?" Zao said, "Very well, test it for me." At that moment, Shou gathered his robes, joined his palms, entered the pagoda, composed his expression, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and immediately entered extinction. His whole body did not decay. At the time, he was called the 'Pagoda-Testing Venerable'. Hearing of this, the Prince of Qiao sighed all day, saying, "Even the disciple is like this!" Thereupon he made alternative plans and constructed another pagoda for Chan Master Zao.
23.7
The evaluation: Those who take the lead have the initiative to overcome others; Master Shou anticipated his master Zao. Indeed, one who goes straight forward can surely come directly: unfettered by the burdens of karma, unenclosed by the cage; shedding fetters and opening the cage, one attains mastery over life and death. Since he attained mastery, he had already ascended to the stage of fruition! Viewed from conventional truth, Master Shou was indigo blue emerging from the plant, surpassing it. To maintain such purpose, alter mundane traces, and depart before his own master—advancing a thousand li in a single day—is that not what this exemplifies?
23.8
Tang Dynasty: Biography of Wuran of the Shanzhuge Cloister on Mount Wutai
23.9
Śramaṇa Wuran: it is not known what clan he came from or where he was born. He undertook his studies at Mount Zhongtiao, lecturing on the *Four-Part Vinaya* (*Caturvargika-vinaya*), the *Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra*, *Hetuvidyā*, and the *Treatise on the Hundred Dharmas* (*Śatadharma-vidyāmukha-śāstra*), and the virtuous followed him. He constantly reflected: "The *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* goes so far as to state that in the Golden World to the northeast, where the bodhisattvas dwell, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī and an assembly of ten thousand sages have resided and expounded the Dharma from long ago down to the present, sometimes manifesting as an old man, sometimes as a young boy. Recently I heard that Buddhapāli came from the Western Regions—wearying not of the shifting sands and not shrinking from the snowy peaks to seek the holy traces—and in the reign of Gaozong arrived at Siliang Ridge on Mount Wutai to pray and make prostrations, whereupon he saw an old man, who was none other than Mañjuśrī. Although Pāli met him face-to-face, he had not resolved his inner doubts; he was instructed to return to the Western Regions to fetch scriptures, went to the Diamond Grotto, entered Mañjuśrī's realm, and down to this day has not returned. If the ancients were like this, how could I lack an affinity with him?" Wuran then set out from there, visiting eminent masters everywhere. Sometimes meeting with Chan teachers, he plumbed inner reality; sometimes attending scriptural lectures, he explored their profound subtleties. In the seventh year of the Zhenyuan era [791 CE], he arrived at the Shanzhugai Cloister on Mount Wutai. At that time, the monk Zhiyun had just begun serving as the Chief Inspector and Overseer of the Monks for the Ten Temples of Mount Wutai. Wuran then hung up his staff, settled his mind, and vowed never to leave the mountain. Whenever he reflected that Mañjuśrī's transformed realm could not be attained by the ordinary, how could he dare to be remiss? In winter he gathered firewood to offer to the assembly; in summer he went barefoot climbing and wandering. Unaltered through spring and autumn for over twenty years, he traversed the various terraces more than seventy times, witnessing illusory emanations of golden bridges, precious stūpas, bells and chimes, and circular haloes, boundless and unfathomable. He remarked: "Does the squirrel in the pines and cypresses know that there are fine firs within the deep hall? There are wonders even superior to these auspicious omens; having attained only a little, I am not yet content." Finally, to the east of the Central Terrace, he suddenly saw a temple with a plaque reading "Fusheng" (Generating Blessings), inside of which were Indian monks numbering around ten thousand. Wuran bowed to them one by one, greeting and comforting each other. He saw Mañjuśrī, who also appeared as a monk and said to Wuran: "You have a connection here. You must take responsibility for the multitude; do not let it be in vain, having only vows without actual deeds." When he finished speaking, the transformed temple and the multitude of monks vanished into absolute silence, and nothing was seen. Wuran sighed and said: "Having beheld such supernatural wonders, how could I let it be in vain? What enduring permanence can this frail and brittle body have?" Following his words, he extensively inaugurated offerings and almsgiving: every time he provided for one million monks, he burned off one finger as a testimonial token. Gradually reaching the number of five million, donations poured in from near and far, like sea water returning to a reservoir. When he completed the offering for ten million, all ten fingers were burned away. In the Kaicheng era [836–840 CE], he said to the great assembly: "I have had a slight affinity on this mountain, having wandered through the various holy traces seventy-two times; places to which others could not go, I have reached them all. Moreover, by never leaving this mountain, I have repaid my deep vow; no good fortune could be greater! Yet I am now decrepit and old, currently seventy-four years of age, with fifty-five summer retreats. While I still have breath remaining, I wish to burn a single stick of incense atop the Central Terrace to take leave of the Tathāgatas of the ten directions and the ten thousand bodhisattvas. If someone would give me rest through death, who would willingly take my place? Furthermore, you people are all disciples of the Bodhisattva and kin of the Dragon King; having planted good seeds, you have been able to dwell on this mountain. Exert yourselves day and night, rein in the three actions (karma), and let us seal a pact to meet together at the Three Assemblies of the Dragon Flower (Maitreya). Now as I descend the mountain, do not hold me back." Joining his palms, he said "Take care," and departed. At first the assembly did not understand his intention and all told him to return soon. Carrying only his water-pitcher and staff and burning only renowned incense, Wuran ordered a younger kinsman, Zhao Hua, to bring two bolts of waxed cloth, a bundle of coarse hemp, and a dou of fragrant oil. From dawn to dusk atop the Central Terrace, he made prostrations and burned incense without the slightest rest, taking neither food nor drink, and recollected the Buddha with sincere devotion, his voice continuing without break. When it reached the dead of night, Zhao wondered at what was happening and climbed the towering height; he saw that Wuran had not moved from his former position, and was even more concentrated and dedicated. Wuran said to Zhao: "I have a secret vow, and you must serve as my assisting condition; do not obstruct me. Fetch the waxed cloth, hemp, and oil, wrap my body, and at the midnight hour of zi, burn my body as an offering to all the Buddhas. If I attain the Way, I will deliver you." Zhao remonstrated with him, earnestly urging him to stop, but could not. Wrapping his body in the cloth, cloaking him in hemp, and pouring the oil, the fire consumed him from the top of the head down. Wuran had said: "You must scatter my ashes and bones to the winds; do not let extraordinary relics be displayed." Zhao obeyed his commands completely without altering a thing; burning down from the head, he collapsed only when it reached his feet. Zhao sighed, saying: "Long ago I heard of the Medicine King burning his body; today I have witnessed the Venerable Master doing so. How extraordinary! How painful!" Later his disciples gathered his genuine bones and erected a stūpa south of Mount Fanxian, which still stands today.
23.10
Tang Biography of Dinglan of Fugan Temple in Chengdu Prefecture
23.11
Śramaṇa Dinglan, surnamed Yang, was a native of Chengdu. Originally from the rough class of marketplace butchers and wine-merchants, his nature was endowed by Heaven with repentance for past misdeeds; he vowed to join the Six Harmonies (the monastic saṅgha) and extend his transformation across the Three Shu regions. At that time, everyone placed their trust in him. He built a monastery named Shengshou. Before his monastic conditions had ripened, he concealed himself among hired servants. His parents died early, leaving him without means to perform posthumous memorial rites for them. Whenever their death anniversaries arrived, Lan would weep and choke with grief until he lost his breath, and would then strip naked and enter Mount Qingcheng, letting mosquitoes, gnats, gadflies, and blowflies bite and feed upon his flesh, saying: "This is the relinquishing of internal wealth to repay their laborious toil." In Shu there are black-and-white toads, tiny as millet grains, which bite people's mouths and flesh, yet are rarely seen. Next, he pricked his blood to copy sūtras, and later burned his arms, to the extent of plucking out his ears, gouging out his eyes, and feeding birds of prey and wild beasts. Thereafter, when walking, if he was not supported and guided, he would bump into things and stumble. Later, a strange man appeared holding an object like a pearl in his palm and placed it inside the empty eye sockets; in an instant, his sight was restored as before. A voice from the unseen realm announced: "The Southern Heavenly King has returned the master's eyeballs." Those near and far were astonished and awestruck. He often said to people: "I have heard that in the *Bodhisattva-bhūmi Sūtra* (*Shan jie jing*) this is called the supreme giving—I vow to practice it diligently so as to attain the supreme fruit swiftly." In the third year of the Dazhong era [849 CE], Emperor Xuanzong summoned him to the palace to receive offerings; revering his supernatural resonance, the Emperor treated him with exceptional courtesy. His disciple Youyuan constantly attended him on his left and right. In the second month of the sixth year [852 CE], he again vowed to burn his shoulders. The Emperor repeatedly urged him against it, noting that he was advanced in years and should focus on long-term cultivation. Lan did not obey the imperial command, and thereupon burned them and expired. Youyuan memorialized the throne requesting a change of name and the erection of a stūpa; an imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title "Juexing" (Enlightened Nature) and named the stūpa "Wuzhen" (Realizing the Truth). In the capital of Shu, it is simply called the Dinglan Stūpa Cloister, where the incense and lamps have continued unbroken down to the present day.
23.12
Tang Biography of Hongxiu of Jianfu Temple on Mount Huangbo in Fuzhou (Jingxian)
23.13
Śramaṇa Hongxiu: it is not known where he was born. His bearing was outstanding and noble, his subtle functioning nimble and free. He dwelt at the temple on Mount Huangbo in Min, where patch-robed monks gathered like clouds. Apart from teaching and guiding, he was candid and joyous. He constantly said: "Past debts must be repaid; once they are fully repaid, what worry or fear can there be? Both other and self will be completely free." No one understood his meaning. During the Guangming era [880–881 CE], when the rebels under Huang Chao swarmed everywhere, Xiu walked outside the temple, took off his patched robe, placed it upon a flat stone under a pine tree, and said: "I vow not to defile pure ground." Composed and calm, he stretched out his neck to await the blade. Beneath the blade there was no blood; the rebels were instead amazed and awestruck, lining up to bow and repent. His disciple Jingxian cremated (jhāpita) his corpse and gathered seven śarīra, pouching and treasuring them. A person of deep faith secretly swapped them for an equal number of beans; unable to catch him in pursuit, they went to divine the matter with yarrow stalks. The divination said: "Life and death, noble and base, my hexagrams make no distinction between them. Being where it is not, a loss is not truly a loss. Who can know how it is?" When they were subsequently recovered, they were placed in a stūpa, the seven grains distributed and sealed within a lapis lazuli vessel, luminous with radiant light. At that time, the monk Qinghuo composed a text and eulogy to record his virtues.
23.14
Tang Biography of Quanhuo of the Yantou Cloister in Ezhou
23.15
Śramaṇa Quanhuo, whose secular surname was Ke, was a native of Quanzhou. In his youth he was remarkably gifted, his capacity magnanimous yet informal. He took Master Yi of Qingyuan as his preceptor. Traveling to Chang'an, he went to Ximing Temple, where Master Zhao conferred the full precepts upon him. He then listened to and studied the scriptures and vinaya at Baoshou Temple on the Left Street, resolving the essential doctrines; when on the verge of lecturing and guiding others, he shook his staff and headed south. He went to Mount Deshan in Wuling. Medicine and illness answered each other, leaving him without any doubt or stagnation. Later, his residence bordered Dongting Lake—at a place called Wolong (Crouching Dragon)—where he built a hut to rest. Disciples followed him like shadows. He also dwelt at Mount Tangnian, which had rugged and towering crags, and established a cloister named Yantou (Crag Peak). In all that he employed, he pruned away complications; sitting upright and motionless, letting the assembly surround him, he would say: "Why do you not reflect? How many affairs are there within one's own house that truly allow one to realize a state transcending both adversity and prosperity?" Huo lived during the turbulent period from the Guangqi era [885–888 CE] onward, when the Central Plains saw many troubles, the warlords stood in rivalry, and raving bandits came to plunder. While the assembly all took flight, Huo alone remained at ease. The bandits blamed him for not supplying them with provisions and, enraged, made him face their swinging blades; he showed not the slightest fear. This took place on the eighth day of the fourth month in the summer of the dingwei year of the Guangqi era [887 CE]. His disciples buried him temporarily; after the burial, they retrieved and cremated him, obtaining forty-nine śarīra. Emperor Xizong bestowed the posthumous title "Qingyan" (Pure and Stern), and named the stūpa "Chuchen" (Transcending the Dust). For the funeral affairs, the donor Tian Yong and his brothers pooled funds to construct the facilities, and Śramaṇa Xuantai of Nanyue composed a stele inscription praising his virtues. His instruction was precipitous and towering; at the time it was known as the Yantou method, difficult to grasp.
23.16
The appraisal states: Why did the two masters, Xiu and Huo, make no opportunistic attempt to avoid disaster when facing death? The explanation is: "What is a difficulty to ordinary people is easy for a bodhisattva. Having abandoned this body over successive lifetimes, why should they cling to it? Long ago, An Shigao repeatedly repaid his debts, departing as casually as brushing away dust. As soon as the karmic burden lightens, the body that supports suffering is exhausted, exchanged for a firm and indestructible body. When Daoist immortals perish by the blade, it is called liberation by the sword (jianjie); how much more so for those who correctly cultivate and realize the fruits of the Dharma? Viewing the nature of conditioned arising, they do not consider an untimely end to be a disgrace."
23.17
Tang Biography of Yuanhui of Fakongwang Temple in Jiaxing, Wujun
23.18
Śramaṇa Yuanhui, whose secular surname was Lu, was a descendant of Lu Ji, Interior Scribe of Pingyuan under the Jin dynasty. His father, Dan, was a Gentleman of the Literary Forest, Commandant of Fleet Cavalry, and Registrar of Wenzhou; Hui was his second son. Clever and discerning from his childhood, he grew up to be gentle and refined, fearful of becoming a dried tortoise and longing to be a lean wild goose. In the second year of the Kaicheng era [837 CE], he took leave of his parents and became a disciple under Qingjin at Fakongwang Temple. In the first year of the Huichang era [841 CE], he went to Hengyang to receive the precepts and then studied the vinaya. He went to pay homage at Mount Wutai, observing numerous auspicious omens. In the second year [842 CE], he returned home to Jiahe and resided at Jianxing Temple, resolving to uphold the three white purifications, recite the five divisions of maṇḍalas, and burn incense cones upon his arms. In the fifth year [845 CE], he was swept up in the purge of the saṅgha and temporarily disguised himself in white robes (as a layman). At the beginning of the Dazhong era, he returned to the Dharma. In the seventh year [853 CE], he rebuilt Fakongwang Temple. He again burned incense on his arm as an offering to the Buddha's tooth relic on Mount Bao'en. Next, he went to Mount Tiantai, crossed the stone bridge, and found benefit in his travels, completely free of anxiety. During the Xiantong era [860–874 CE], he accompanied the procession of the middle-finger bone relic of the Buddha to Chongzhen Temple in Fengxiang. He burned off his left thumb while reciting the *Lotus Sūtra*; before a month had passed, his thumb regenerated as before. In the third year of the Qianning era [896 CE], he unexpectedly felt unwell. On the twenty-eighth day of the ninth month, he entered nirvāṇa at the Zunsheng Cloister, with a worldly age of seventy-eight and a saṅgha age of fifty-eight. His disciples Duansu and others escorted his spirit seat and buried him in the Wu region, referring to him as the Upādhyāya of the Three Whites. His prostrations, intonations, and recitations were beyond count, as detailed in a separate record.
23.19
The appraisal says: He burned his thumb, and when the fire went out, the ashes flew away; how could bone and flesh then regrow shortly afterward from the powder of charred cinders, just as before? This and the lotus in the fire are of the same kind, yet different in manifestation. What is meant by the 'three whites'? In general, it is said: 'There are two kinds, the phenomenal and the noumenal. First, white rice, white water, and white salt are the phenomenal. Second, the body does not touch anything improperly, the mouth recites the true sūtras, and the mind does not stray to false conditions. These three are luminous and white, not black karma. Hence he was called by this name.'
23.20
The biography of Master Shucao of Bodhi Temple in the Jingzhao capital of the Tang.
23.21
Śramaṇa Shucao arrived for no known reason at Bodhi Temple within Pingkang Ward of the Jingzhao capital. In his personal demeanor, his bodily form was unimposing while his spirit was exceptional; he whistled and chanted with self-contentment, rarely interacting with people of the day, and never revealed his family name. He constantly carried a bundle of straw on his back, sitting and lying under the covered verandas on either side, disliking staying in monastic quarters; some said this was dhūta practice. After several years, the temple administrators urged him to occupy a room. Someone mocked his disarray, and he said, 'Do you loathe me? The world is not worth cherishing; how could it be preserved for long?' That evening he burned his body with the bundle of straw. By dawn there were only ashes and cinders, and no corpse remained; the foul stench of filth was nearly entirely absent, nor had there been any sounds of the fire spreading or startling clamor. Considering how little straw he had, it could not have consumed an entire body. Since nothing was left behind, he must have ignited the fire of samādhi to burn himself. The multitude all praised and sighed in admiration, and many of the common people came to watch and pay homage. Devout laypeople of the capital then molded his ashes into a monk's figure and placed it by the side of the Buddha hall. In the world he was called Master Shucao ('Bundle of Straw'), and prayers offered to him were often answered.
23.22
The appraisal says: In the Chutai jing, when a bodhisattva concentrates his thoughts in dhyāna meditation and enters the fire-realm samādhi, foolish and deluded sentient beings claim that the bodhisattva was consumed by the kalpa fire; this refers to that. A monk who has not truly reached this level should not feign it to delude others. If one can use a little bundle of grass to burn a great corpse, that may indeed be believed! Thus the Classic of Documents says: 'Let not the people mutually deceive and fabricate illusions.' Alas!
23.23
The biography of Xingming of the Nanyue Hermitage of the Tang.
23.24
Śramaṇa Xingming, whose secular surname was Lu, was a native of Changzhou in Wu Commandery. In his youth he followed a master in his native region, and later traveled widely seeking the Way; he was resolute, lofty, carefree, and unrestrained. He first passed through Wutai and Emei, paying homage to the bodhisattvas of the Golden and Silver realms, who both manifested according to his mental focus. From there he climbed Tiantai, ascended Luofu, entered Mount Heng, and traveled to Zitong. During the late Tang, the regions east and west of the Xiang River were carved up, and petty disputes never ceased, leaving no peaceful years. Thereupon he settled beneath Zhurong Peak with the intent to end his days there. Staying at Qibaotai, he became close friends with the rag-robed Xuantai. As for what Xingming liked or disliked, Xuantai never opposed him, whether in matters great or small. He once said to his fellow practitioners: 'I do not wish to follow Sengya in burning myself upon a wooden tower, nor do I wish to become a Qu Yuan buried in the bellies of fish. In the end I vow to cast down my body, emulating Prince Sattva to transcend many kalpas and achieve the holy fruit—should one not strive for this?' He spoke of it repeatedly, but none believed him. Suddenly, amidst the brushwood of the forest, he surrendered his body before roaring tigers, who fought with one another to devour him; in an instant his flesh was gone. Master Tai then gathered his remaining bones, cremated them, and obtained śarīra. He then picked flowers, poured water, and composed an elegy to make an offering to him. The text clarified his valor, being able to donate his inner wealth, destroy the dharma of parsimony, and accomplish the perfection of giving (dāna-pāramitā), with the three wheels of what was not yet given, what was already given, and what was about to be given instantaneously emptied, taking the great fruit as easily as picking up a mustard seed.
23.25
The appraisal says: The Buddha commanded the monks to give food to sentient beings; the mutual benefit across two lifetimes yields no slight retribution. In the case of Master Ming, he accomplished the great perfection of giving, leaving parsimony far behind; he accomplished great valor, obtaining fearlessness; he accomplished the emptiness of the three wheels, realizing unconditioned merit; he accomplished the mind of relinquishing what is hard to abandon, purifying the Buddha land. In a single cast of his body, how vast were its benefits! It is just as when one who excels at rewarding spends little yet encourages many—does it not mean this?!
23.26
The biography of Xichen of the Sanxue Cloister at Yonghe in Taiyuan of the Jin.
23.27
Śramaṇa Xichen, surnamed Yang, was a native of Bingzhou. His father traded goods back and forth, merely seeking profit. His mother once dreamed of a person magnificently attired who asked to spend the night, whereupon she felt herself pregnant. At birth he was extraordinary, and as a child he stood apart from the crowd. Whenever he heard the sounds of bells and chanting, he focused his mind and leaned his ear to listen. When he was just twelve, because of a dream in which a golden man of marvelous appearance led him into a monastery, the next morning he announced to his parents his earnest wish to leave household life (pravrajyā). Before they consented, he wept and refused to eat. Pitying his innate disposition and unable to bear thwarting his feelings, his parents yielded and complied. He immediately went to the Caotang Cloister, following a master to recite the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra and the Bodhisattva Precepts, staying awake until dawn. Within nearly a full year, he put aside the text and recited it entirely by heart. When he was seventeen, he attended lectures on the Vimalakīrti-sūtra and grasped its general meaning. Upon coming of age, he completed the highest grade of precepts (upasampadā), upholding the rules of the vinaya without ever a flaw. At twenty-three, thoroughly penetrating the texts and doctrines, he received transmission at the Chongfu Temple in the excellent assembly of Master Zonggan. He also studied Hetuvidyā and Vijñaptimātra, expounding them without defect, and several of his students stood out brilliantly. Master Biancai Congshi of Chongfu Temple was the foremost of his senior disciples. In the second year of Tianyou, when the Li clan held Hedong, Emperor Wu invited him to reside in the Pure Land Cloister of Da'an Temple, offering him the four requisites. He devoted himself to perusing the Tripiṭaka, cultivating the karma for rebirth above, and hosting great non-obstruction vegetarian feasts, five times in total. Chen once offered his body to feed wolves and tigers, entering a mountain valley, but when the beasts approached and sniffed him, they ran away. He also went naked in the thickets to feed mosquitoes and horseflies. He then traveled to Mount Yue Temple at Xianyan to nurture the Way and rest his spirit. Having finished reading through the Tripiṭaka, he sponsored a vegetarian feast and burned one finger to express his thanksgiving. That temple had an image of the Holy Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, before which he kept seven lamps burning constantly and made offerings of incense and flowers. Later, invited by various students, he descended the mountain and expounded the great treatises in the city, uninterrupted through the four seasons. Every month he set up bathing facilities; going to rivers and ponds, he threw food to feed the aquatic creatures; using his own dakṣiṇā donations, he repeatedly redeemed birds—allowing those deep in water and high in the air to fulfill their life nature. At times he gave food to prisoners, or gave alms to the poor and destitute, or donated banners and canopies to the two stūpas of Jingming and Jinzang. In the second year of Changxing of the Later Tang, the assembly requested that a Sanxue Cloister be built behind the Great Anguo Temple to host audiences from the four quarters. At that time, he also lectured on the new translation of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, transmitting it to Master Jihui of Chongfu Temple. From then on, for three years he did not step outside the gate of the cloister, making one prostration per character through the entire Avataṃsaka-sūtra once, and making one prostration per character through the Great Buddha-Name Sūtra, comprising a total of one hundred and twenty fascicles. He burned another finger; in all, he burned five fingers. When Emperor Gaozu of the Jin was still hidden before his rise in Jinyang, he respected him most deeply. Once he ascended the throne, whenever Chen entered the capital of Luoyang for an audience, the emperor always invited him into the inner palace to converse leisurely and bestowed bountiful rewards upon him. The emperor conferred upon him a purple robe and an honorific title, which Chen firmly declined before finally consenting. Hearing that Fameng Temple in Fengxiang Prefecture possessed a genuine bodily relic of the Buddha's middle finger bone, Chen took leave of the emperor to go to Qiyang to view and pay homage; seeing its wondrous rarity, he burned yet another finger. Of Chen's two hands, only two fingers remained. Next, at Tianzhu Temple, he studied the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra under Master Chulun. After just a few days, a slight illness arose; on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, at the chen hour, he rested his head on his arm and passed away, at a secular age of sixty-three and a saṅgha age of forty-four. Usually he wore only coarse cloth, never hoarding any excess. Six times a day he paid homage to the Buddha, never missing an occasion. When the region of Longdi heard of his passing into extinction, both monastic and lay communities, fully equipped with ritual dignity, escorted him for cremation, obtaining several hundred śarīra relics. His disciples carried his sacred bones back to Taiyuan, and Emperor Gaozu of the Jin decreed his burial on the western mountain of the Jin River, where a small stūpa remains to this day.
23.28
The appraisal says: Could Master Chen's renunciations surpass his vigorous advancement? Could casting off fleeting glory surpass his exegetical understanding? If so, he cannot be designated by a single name. He is just like a campaka flower: its color is yellow and lovely, so that true gold yields to its hue; its fragrance is sweet and far-reaching, so that ox-head sandalwood feels ashamed before its scent. For multiple names to arise from a single person—is that not Master Chen?!
23.29
The biography of Daoyu of Pingtian Temple on Mount Tiantai of the Jin.
23.30
Śramaṇa Daoyu was a native of the kingdom of Silla; the surname of his home country is not known in detail. In the renzi year of the Jingfu era of the Tang, he came on a pilgrimage to Tiantai, and after lingering there, hung up his traveling staff in the assembly hall of Pingtian Temple. He engaged with people with compassion and love, yet never abandoned the speech of his island barbarians. He constantly carried a single bowl to receive food; having finished eating, he would do walking meditation briefly and then remain constantly seated, his ribs never touching the mat. During the day, he swept the halls and corridors and managed temple affairs; when he obtained leftover food—even if its color was bad and its odor putrid—he would store it in a vessel and eat it himself at the mealtime. He provided the monks with bathwater and boiled tea; whenever he encountered wriggling creatures in firewood, he would place them far away, guarding life with extreme care. The clothes he wore were all heavy patched robes of coarse cloth, burdensome to bear. Whenever early summer and late autumn arrived, once the sun passed its meridian, he would bare his chest, back, thighs, and calves, saying he was feeding mosquitoes, gnats, horseflies, leeches, and various colored bugs, their bites causing blood to flow to the ground. He practiced like this for over forty years, never neglecting it in the slightest. Whenever he met visitors, he said only the two words 'yiyi', not understanding Chinese at all. Yet he comprehended people's thoughts without the slightest error. The hair on his crown hung white, and his eyebrows were bushy and grizzled. His body produced dark-reddish śarīra—like pearl beads; if anyone sought them, they were obtained as wished. On the tenth day of the tenth month in the wuxu year, the third year of the Tianfu era of the Jin, he passed away in the monks' hall; his age was estimated at over eighty. The temple monks carried him up behind the mountain to cremate him, and from the ashes they obtained an innumerable quantity of śarīra. Some also obtained large bones. In the second year of Qingtai of the Later Tang, [someone] once traveled to Shiliang, and on returning lodged with Yu in the hall; it was warm spring, yet Yu still burned knotty firewood to smoke and heat himself, murmuring incessantly in his mouth through the whole night. Some said that on the great feast days offering food to the arhats, Yu would not eat. When someone saw him greeting the arhats, they asked, 'Why do you not go into the hall to receive offerings?' He said, 'Yiyi qu.' Others said that when he was 'feeding the bugs', packs of tigers were seen sniffing him and lingering before leaving.
23.31
The biography of Jingchao of Xiangji Hermitage on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou of the Jin.
23.32
Śramaṇa Jingchao: it is not known where he was from. He upheld the precepts as carefully as guarding a buoyant float. By nature he was straight as an arrow, never flattering in speech. When he traveled afar on foot seeking an exceptional place to dwell, upon reaching Mount Lu he resolved to cease his wandering. He recited only the Lotus Sūtra, making it his constant practice. The people of Jiujiang looked up to him with great reverence. He once paid homage to the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, bowing once for every character, and having completed this twice, he burned one finger as a lamp offering to celebrate the completion of paying homage to the sūtra. Next, he paid homage to the Lotus Sūtra in the same manner. From within his skin, śarīra faintly emerged—abundant, round, and luminous; if anyone sought them, whether on his sitting mat or walking on the ground, they were gathered without count. He passed away in his hermitage during the Tianfu era. Today his tomb stūpa is on Mount Lu; visitors pay their respects and can only sigh in admiration.
23.33
The appraisal says: Those who speak of renouncing the body mean that one must discard the whole body, as did Prince Sattva. Now, taking a finger as a lamp or bearing a torch upon an arm—how can this belong to such a category? Is it not an exaggeration? In general, it is said: 'Burning a finger or severing an arm is the preparatory practice (prayoga) for renouncing the body. Moreover, in the semblance and final ages, it is an especially difficult undertaking. It is just like maintaining a partial degree of integrity and being placed alongside upright officials in their biographies.'
23.34
The biography of Zhitong of Famen Temple in Fengxiang Prefecture of the Jin.
23.35
Śramaṇa Zhitong, secular surname Zhang, was a son of a prominent family of Youfufeng. Having early realized that he should abandon the worldly life, he applied himself earnestly to the gate of purity, chose and paid homage to renowned teachers, and attained the upper ranks [of ordination]. He paid close attention throughout to the lecture halls of all quarters. At the end of the Later Tang, military conflicts followed one another in succession, whereupon he drove his carriage east on a peregrination. Traveling briefly to Luoyang, he met the Tripiṭaka Master Vajra, who was practicing the teachings of Yoga; Tong paid homage and served him. He then wished to ascend Mount Tiantai and Mount Luofu, and thereupon took his leave. The Tripiṭaka Master said: 'I seek to translate scriptures here, but the Central Plains are plagued by many troubles. You propose to journey south, but what if the roads are blocked?' Tong said: 'I shall cross the celestial moat—how could it hinder me?' The Tripiṭaka Master said: 'If you go to the region of Wu and Kuaiji, I can entrust you with Sanskrit manuscripts, so that perhaps, conditions meeting, they may be transmitted and translated.' Tong said: 'I have already received your command.' In the fourth year of Tianfu, a j Test-hai year, the Son of Heaven bestowed a mandate upon Wuyue, whereupon Tong boarded a seagoing vessel and arrived in Zhejiang. At that time, because King Wenmu Qian revered the court, he provided full ceremonial regalia and musical troupes to welcome Tong into the princely compound to make offerings to him, accommodated him at the True Body Pagoda Monastery, and bestowed generous gifts upon him. Tong requested to proceed to Mount Tiantai. Thereupon he climbed Chicheng and ascended Huading, and soon hung up his staff at the bodhimaṇḍa of the Master of Great Wisdom [Zhiyi]. Because he perused the Accounts of Spiritual Auspices of the Western Pure Land, he altered his practice and turned his mind, vowing to be born in that land, and in daily life he never sat with his back to the west. In the mountain there is the Beckoning Rock; of old Zhiyi dreamed that upon this rock there was a monk facing the sea, raising his hand in the gesture of beckoning him. When Zhiyi entered Tiantai, he met this monk, whose name was Dingguang, whose ear lobes rose above his crown—he too was an unfathomable, divine monk. When they met, he asked Zhiyi: 'Do you still remember my beckoning you?' Zhiyi said: 'Indeed.' This rock is towering and steep, and looking down one sees no ground. Tong climbed this rock and threw himself down, vowing to be born quickly in the Pure Land. Hurling his body, he fell into a large tree whose branches were pliable and trunk supple, as if someone were supporting and receiving him; he suffered no injury whatsoever. Thereupon he struck his bottle again and cast himself down, falling onto the lush grass beneath the cliff; he was slightly injured and only revived after a long while. The assembly of monks thought he had been eaten by wolves or tigers, but when they found him still breathing feebly, they carried him back to the original bodhimaṇḍa. Earlier, when Tong had left without informing the assembly, they had dispatched men to search along various routes. Arriving at Luoxi, in a common village there was a shaman whose pronouncements were often verified, and someone went to inquire of him. The spirit said: 'That monk is in the southwest; there is presently a golden-armored spirit guarding and defending him so that he does not die. When I reach that place, my divine energy is exhausted, so it is truly difficult to approach.' Everything matched the spirit's words. Later he went to Mount Fahua in Yuezhou, where he quietly cultivated the karma for the Pure Land. When he was about to pass away, white substance like powdered makeup grew on the floor of the room where he stayed. Shortly thereafter, he passed away sitting on a meditation couch. When they moved his seat for the cremation, a five-colored smoke covered the crown of his head, and throughout Mount Fahua everyone smelled an extraordinary fragrance.
23.36
The appraisal says: Of old, Vakkula had five instances of not dying, and now Master Tong had two instances of not dying; of old, Fachong cast himself down the thousand-fathom Xianglu Peak without perishing, and Tong was similar to him. Could it be anything other than the devas and dragons bearing him up so that not a single hair was harmed? And what allowed the prolongation of his body and mind, which remained connected and unsevered? It was simply to enable him to increase and cultivate his karma for the Pure Land!
23.37
Biography of Daozhou of Yongfu Temple in Lingwu, Shuofang, under the Jin
23.38
Śramaṇa Daozhou, secular surname Guan, was a native of Huile in Shuofang. In his youth he was intelligent and refined, with well-mannered decorum; though he recited the Classic of Poetry and the Book of Documents, he took delight in hearing Buddhist scriptures and resolved to leave secular life at the Peacock King Cloister of Longxing Temple. Thereupon he obtained the jewel of the precepts and gradually rounded the moon of his mind; when he intoned chants and hymns of praise, their clear resonance was delightful to hear. He then led faithful laymen to construct Yongxing Temple, taking no pride in its completion. Taking leave of Military Commissioner Han Zhu of Lingzhou, he entered Baicao Valley in Mount Helan, made vows and maintained his recitations, which supernaturally moved a parched spring to bubble forth again, with a divine snake swimming in its midst—whereupon he ascended the Dharma stage to expound and preach. Monastics and laity swarmed like bees, and almsgiving piled up like mountains; the sound of his hymns and praises could halt passing clouds, and fierce, violent men changed their tone like transformed owls. He then pricked his blood to paint a standing image of the Great Compassionate One with a Thousand Hands and Eyes. When there was severe drought, he would cease eating and close his eyes, demanding a pervasive and beneficial downpour before considering filling his belly. In the second year of Zhonghe, hearing of disturbances in the Capital Region, beneath the pagoda of Nianding Cloister in the south of the city he severed his left arm and burned it, offering it to the image of the Great Compassionate One, [vowing]: 'May weapons be overturned, and may the Central Plains and the northern frontier soon see an end to warfare!' As soon as he finished speaking, there came swift thunder, fierce wind, and torrential downpours. He also once cut off his left ear to pray for rain for the people, and again fasted for seven days to entreat for snow, and all were granted as he wished. Even the foreign tribes all stood in awe and reverence of him. On the sixth day of the second month of the sixth year of Tianfu, a xin-chou year, before the night was over, he sat cross-legged, and as soon as he had finished leaving his instructions to his disciples, he passed away, at the age of seventy-eight. His remains did not decompose, as if he were entering dhyāna, whereupon lacquer and hemp cloth were applied to them. During the Jianlong era, Guo Zhongshu, who was well-read in the multitude of books, especially excelled in philology, and was skilled in seal and clerical scripts, faced much mistreatment and slander, and having fled as an exile to the northern frontier, he inquired about Zhou's former deeds and composed a stele inscription in his praise.
23.39
Biography of Hongzhen of Guang'ai Temple in Luoyang, Han
23.40
Śramaṇa Hongzhen, secular surname Chunyu, was a native of Suanzao in Huazhou. In his youth he realized the toil of worldly dust and firmly sought liberation; upright in character, he soared high like clouds and cranes. When his master transmitted the Lotus Sūtra to him, he generated understanding following the text; clad in the armor of vigorous progress, he subdued anger and resentment. Whenever he received donations from patrons, he turned his face away and gave them up. Having recited the Lotus Sūtra approximately ten thousand times, he went to the palace gates and submitted a memorial begging to burn his entire body as an offering to the Buddha's pagoda. The emperor did not grant the request. At that time, political authority issued from many quarters: some slandered him, claiming he was deluding the masses, while others asserted it was disadvantageous to the state, and an imperial decree was issued strictly prohibiting it. Zhen sighed: 'My good roots were planted shallowly, and the demonic hindrances are particularly strong, so that none dare let me proceed.' He thereupon retired to Guang'ai Temple, completely abandoned his robes and bowl, and distributed non-timely alms. When his vows were fulfilled, in that very year he passed away while sitting, free of illness. After several days, his facial appearance remained as if alive; when he was moved for cremation, only his tongue root remained undestroyed, even more brightly red. The assembly at the time watched it and sighed at this rare occurrence! His age was fifty-two. Between the Yi and Luo rivers, people revered him as though he were still present.
23.41
Biography of Huiming of Bao'en Temple in Qiantang, Zhou
23.42
Śramaṇa Huiming, secular surname Jiang, was a native of Qiantang. He investigated the three trainings and gradually penetrated their subtleties. Later he traveled to Min and Yue, and having almost reached Linchuan, he paid homage to Chan Master Wenyi; deeply according with the correct principle, he realized that what he had previously esteemed was not free from views born of feelings of arising and ceasing. Later he returned to Zhejiang and lived in seclusion at Baisha in Tiantai, erecting a thatched hut; he had the style of Xuefeng and Changqing, so that all who arrived had their horns broken and their edges blunted, saying that Ming spoke demonic doctrines. During the Qianyou era of the Han, he came out from the mountains; at that time, Venerable Can of Cuiyan led various senior Chan masters to the cloister of the Saṅgha Leader Sixian to assess his strengths and weaknesses. Ming's eloquence was so fluent that none could defeat him. Soon King Qian of the Southern Han built the Great Bao'en Temple and invited him to be its abbot, conferring on him the provisional title of Chan Master Yuantong Puzhao. Yet in practicing the correct eye of Xuansha, who but Ming could have attained this? He passed away during the Xiande era. At that time it was bitterly hot, and people wished to bury him. His disciple Yong'an said: 'I alone truly understand my master.' He requested that he be cremated, and five-colored śarīras were obtained, every one round and pure. Earlier, Ming had burned a finger as a lamp to make offerings at Tiantai. Later he successively burned three fingers, yet he diligently maintained his recitations, never letting his flanks touch the mat, and occasionally preached the Dharma. He was of a firm and upright disposition, and his words often offended people—this was his shortcoming.
23.43
Biography of Pujing of Ciyun Temple in Jinzhou, Zhou
23.44
Śramaṇa Pujing, secular surname Ru, was a native of Hongdong in Jinzhou. In his youth he left secular life under Dharma Master Huicheng of his home commandery. He silently memorized various sūtras, clearly upheld secret dhāraṇīs, contemplated ascending to the pure white rank, and vowed to shave his dark locks. Having stepped down from the square platform [of ordination], he observed the disciplines of the vinaya, and traveled to pay homage to the True Body at Famen Temple in Fengxiang. He then attended lectures and studied in Suiyang, and went to Longxing Temple to preach and instruct, where his followers gathered like sturgeons and tunas honoring a scaly dragon. Furthermore, he granted the request of Qintai to turn the wheel of the Dharma, being at peace yet able to move. Again in Chen, Cai, Cao, Bo, Su, and Si, he guided and encouraged people according to circumstances. Returning to the present Eastern Capital to propagate conversion, the virtuous followed him. In the guimao year of Tianfu under the Jin, yearning for his homeland, he returned to his old village. Thereupon he fasted and made vows, wishing to renounce a thousand bodies to swiftly ascend to correct awakening. In the second year of Xiande under the Zhou, on the occasion of the True Body being invited into the monastery, he submitted a statement to Governor Yang of the prefecture, expressing his wish to burn his body as an offering; Lord Yang granted his request. Thereupon he went to Guangsheng Temple, and the people of the entire prefecture came forth, some offering incense and fruit, some leading the way with banners and flowers, some following in tears, and some guiding ahead with chanting. On the eighth day of the fourth month, before the True Body Pagoda, he made a great vow on a broad scale, saying: 'I vow to burn a thousand bodies; this is one among that thousand.' Slowly he entered the brushwood hut and personally ignited the torch. At that moment, smoke flew in grim colors, and fragrant vapor formed sorrowful clouds; the entire assembly sighed with lamentation, and the multitude of common folk wept bitterly. He lived to the age of sixty-nine, and his disciples collected the remaining ashes to make offerings to them.
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Linked texts (1)
- 宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese