宋高僧傳 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.1

Compiled under imperial order by Śramaṇa Zanning, Grand Master Tonghui, Recipient of the Purple Robe, of Tianshou Temple of the Left Civic Precinct of the Song, and others

5.2

Section Two on Exegetical Understanding, Part Two (Fourteen main biographies, with five appended)

5.3

Biography of Fazang of Foshouji Temple in Luoyang under the Zhou (with Dayi)

Shi Fazang, styled Xianshou, was surnamed Kang, and was a person of Kangju. His demeanor was extraordinary and upright, and his sharp intelligence was peerless. While traveling briefly to Chang'an, his brilliance became even more apparent, and he soon answered the call to be chosen among eminent doctrinal monks. When Master Xuanzang was translating scriptures, he initially participated among them; later, due to differing views regarding scribal recording, certifying the meaning, and polishing the text, he withdrew from the translation bureau. By the reign of the Heavenly Empress (Wu Zetian), he was ranked foremost in translation. When Śikṣānanda arrived carrying the Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, Fazang translated the new scripture alongside Yijing and Fuli. Furthermore, at Yijing's translation bureau, he certified the meaning together with Shengzhuang and Dayi. Formerly, Dushun of Dunhuang transmitted the Huayan fajie guan (Contemplation of the Avataṃsaka Dharmadhātu) to his disciple Zhiyan, expounding this Jin-translation edition. Zhiyan passed it to Fazang, and Fazang lectured on the new Avataṃsaka-sūtra for Empress Wu. Coming to the meaning of the Net of Indra, the "Ten Mysteries Gates," the "Gate of the Ocean Seal Samādhi," the "Gate of the Harmonious Meaning of the Six Aspects," and the "Gate of the Universal Eye Realm"—these doctrinal chapters constituted the comprehensive and specific conceptual net of the Avataṃsaka, and the Empress was bewildered and unsettled by them. Fazang thereupon pointed to the golden lion guarding the hall as a metaphor, and consequently composed a guide of principles that was concise and easy to understand, titled the Jin shizi zhang (Treatise on the Golden Lion), enumerating the general and particular characteristics of the ten gates, whereupon the Empress was awakened to its meaning. He also devised a skillful expedient for those students who had not fully understood: taking ten mirrors, he arranged them in the eight directions, with one above and one below, spaced over ten feet apart, facing one another. In the center he placed an image of the Buddha and lit a single torch to illuminate it, so that their reflections cast light across one another. Through this, students came to understand the doctrine of the inexhaustible interpenetration of the ocean of worlds. Fazang's skillful guidance was all of this sort. Yet he could not lay aside the duty of translation, for the monarchs' faith was that upon which the monastic order relied. After the Indian monks ceased translating, the Empress, on the eighth day of the tenth month, the yihai day, in the second year of the Shengli era (699), ordered Fazang to lecture on the Great Scripture at Foshouji Temple. When he reached the "Flower Treasury World Chapter," the lecture hall and the grounds of the temple all shook, and the rector (karmadāna), the monk Hengjing, submitted a detailed memorial reporting this. The imperial decree stated: "Yesterday we requested the expounding of the subtle words and the elucidation of the esoteric depths. On the day translating began, sweet dew appeared in a dream to manifest an auspicious omen; on the dawn the lectures opened, an earthquake was induced to mark the extraordinary event. This is indeed the Tathāgata descending his traces, in accord with the text of the nine assemblies; how could Our ordinary, deficient self dare receive the shaking of the six kinds [of earthquakes]? Having opened and perused your memorial, We feel both joy and reverence in Our breast." Such was the imperial reverence he received, which truly was not an empty claim; therefore, in the transmission of the Huayan school down to Chengguan, Fazang was revered as the Third Patriarch. He authored the Bore xinjing shu (Commentary on the Heart Sūtra), which was prized by contemporaries and circulated throughout the empire. He was also known as National Preceptor Kangzang!

5.5

Biography of Hengjing of Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou under the Tang

5.6

Shi Hengjing was surnamed Wen and was a native of Dangyang. In the twenty-second year of the Zhenguan era (648), he was ordained by imperial order, and studied the Tripiṭaka, being able to recite upon hearing once, and acting in accordance with what was taught. Initially, he studied the vinaya under Vinaya Master Wengang; later, he entered Yuquan Temple on Mount Fuzhou to follow Chan Master Zhizhe (Zhiyi) in practicing the gate of calming and contemplation (śamatha-vipaśyanā). Ten li south of the temple he separately established an hermitage, which was known as Longxing. From the reigns of Empress Wu and Emperor Zhongzong, he was summoned into the palace three times to receive offerings and serve as an ordination master. In the third year of the Jinglong era (709), he submitted a petition requesting to return to his mountain, and an imperial decree granted his request. The Emperor ordered the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Academicians to host a vegetarian feast at the Daoist sanctuary within Linguang Palace. Previously, more than twenty eminent monks and practitioners of doctrinal conduct from throughout the empire had been summoned to cultivate blessings constantly in the inner palace; at this time, the feast was concluded, and Jing, along with Daojun and Xuanzang, were sent back each to his native place. The Emperor personally composed a poem, to which the Academicians wrote harmonizing verses—namely, Secretariat Director Li Qiao, Secretariat Drafter Li Yi, and several others. At that time, Jing and the others held the poems and shook their khakkharas as they traveled, which the whole empire counted an honor. Jing authored the Shun liaoyi lun (Treatise in Accord with Definite Meaning) in two scrolls, the She zhengfa lun (Treatise on Gathering the True Dharma) in seven scrolls, and the Foxing lun (Treatise on Buddha Nature) in two scrolls. Those who studied his teaching received it like the thirsty receiving drink. On the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month of the first year of the Xiantian era (712), he passed away at the temple where he resided, at the age of seventy-nine. His disciples buried him on the western plain of the temple.

5.7

The appraisal states: Xuanzang of Jiangling and Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang were like form and shadow together; how little separated them! Yet they were identical in name but different in reality, just as Lin Xiangru won the awe of the powerful Qin, while Ma [Sima] Xiangru inspired Yang Xiong's yearning emulation. Thus their respective strengths and shortcomings can also be observed.

5.8

Biography of Yixing of Songyang Temple on the Central Peak under the Tang

5.9

Shi Yixing's secular surname was Zhang, and he was a native of Julu. His original name was Sui, and he was a collateral grandson of Gongjin, Duke of Tan, an founding supporter at the beginning of the Tang. In his youth he did not mingle with the crowd; he was clever, acute, and sharp, possessing the demeanor of a mature adult. He did not read a book a second time before he could recite it from memory. Coming across Chan Master Puji broadly practicing the essentials of Chan, with numerous followers submitting their hearts, he came to realize the world was an illusion, bowed to Puji as his master, and went forth from household life, shaving his hair and dyeing his robes. Of the scriptures and dharmas he recited, there were none he did not master thoroughly. Master Puji once held a great assembly, and śramaṇas from near and far arrived punctually as expected, numbering more than a thousand. At that time there was a summoned scholar, Lu Hong, who lived in seclusion on another peak, renowned for his lofty virtue and vast learning. The imperial court repeatedly sent carriage invitations, but he consistently declined and refused to leave seclusion. The director of the great assembly beforehand requested Lu Hong to compose an introductory text to preface and praise the community. On that day, Lu Hong took his text out from his sleeve and placed it on the desk. After the striking of the bells and the Sanskrit chanting had commenced, Lu Hong said to Master Puji, "I have composed several hundred to a thousand words, and moreover, the characters are rare and the prose archaic. I beg you to seek a bright and talented person to recite it, and I must instruct him face-to-face." Master Puji summoned Yixing, who unfolded the paper, glanced at it, smiled faintly, and set it back on the desk. Lu Hong wondered at his flippancy. When the monks gathered in the hall, Yixing rolled up his sleeves, stepped forward, and in a resounding voice and measured cadence, recited it without a single error. Lu Hong stared in astonishment for a long time, sighing in admiration without cease, and said again to Master Puji, "He is not someone you can instruct; you should let him travel and study freely." From then on, among famous masters of the three trainings, there were few he did not consult. Traveling to Dangyang, he met the monk Zhen, who had compiled the 'Preface to the Vinaya Piṭaka' and was deeply versed in the vinaya. Furthermore, as for books on yinyang and prophetic apocrypha, he investigated all of them in detail; he sought out mathematics over distances of no less than several thousand li, visiting and consulting anyone renowned for it. Finally, arriving at Guoqing Temple on Mount Tiantai, he saw a compound with old pines spanning several tens of paces, its gate overlooking a flowing stream, serene and secluded. Yixing stood at the gate screen and heard the calculation counting-rods clicking rapidly inside the compound. A monk said to his attendant, "Today there should be a disciple coming from afar to seek my mathematical methods. By calculation he ought to have reached the gate; surely there is no one to guide him in?" He immediately removed a counting rod. He then said to the attendant, "The stream before the gate ought to flow westward instead, and the disciple shall arrive." Yixing, taking him at his word, entered, bowed his head to request the Dharma, and was fully taught his methods; the stream before the gate flowed eastward again. From this time onward, his renown shook near and far, and the nobility held him in the highest esteem. Xuanzong heard of him, summoned him to the palace, and asked Yixing, "What ability do you possess, Master?" He replied, "I can somewhat memorize and read; I have no other special talent." The emperor then ordered a palace official to fetch the palace registers and show them to him. Just as Yixing finished browsing through them, he turned the text over and recalled it with thorough mastery, as though it were something he had always practiced. After he chanted several scrolls, the emperor unconsciously stepped down from his couch, bowed his head, and said, "You are truly a sage, Master!" and marveled for a long time. Soon afterward, imperial summonses for audience were without fixed limit; when he divined disaster and fortune, it was as if pointing to his own palm, and his words brought much benefit. At that time, Xing Hepu, a master of Daoist arts whose depths no one could fathom, once said to Yin Yin: "The upādhyāya Yixing is truly a sage. Luoxia Hong of the Han dynasty, when creating the calendar, said: 'After eight hundred years there will be a discrepancy of one day, and then a sage will correct it.' This year the period is completed. Now that the Dayandali (Great Expansion Calendar) has appeared and corrected its errors, Luoxia Hong's words are indeed trustworthy. If not a sage, who could anticipate this?" Moreover, under the Tripiṭaka Master Vajra[bodhi] he studied the esoteric seals of dhāraṇī, mounted the altar of the former Buddha, and received the treasure of the Dharma King; he also translated the Vairocana Buddha Sūtra with the Tripiṭaka Master [Śubhakara]siṃha, opening the realm of the later Buddha. In transmitting the Esoteric Treasury, he was sure to reach its deepest abyss. Ruizong and Xuanzong both invited him into the Academy of Scholarly Worthies within the palace, and soon decreed that he reside at Xingtang Temple. For the scripture he had translated, he then composed a commentary in seven scrolls, as well as the 'Compendium of the Vinaya Treasury' in sixty scrolls, the 'Genealogical Record of the Śākyas' in one scroll, and the 'Kaiyuan Dayan Calendar' in fifty-two scrolls. His calendar was incorporated into the 'Treatise on Calendars and Pitch Pipes' in the Tangshu and regarded as an unalterable classic. He also constructed an ecliptic-equatorial observation armillary instrument, casting the ecliptic and equatorial rings in iron, and manufactured it in the academy. Next, there was Old Woman Wang, an elderly neighbor of Yixing's. Formerly, she had often provided for Yixing in his poverty, and when Yixing attained honor and prominence, he constantly thought of repaying her. One day she paid a visit, saying: "My son killed someone and is about to be executed. Furthermore, as you, Master, are deeply respected by the sovereign, I beg you to memorialize the throne to commute his death penalty, so as to support this mother's remaining years!" Weeping thus several times, Yixing said: "The laws and penal codes of the state—how could they be excused through pleading?" He ordered an attendant monk to give her a certain amount of money and goods, letting her go and seek other plans. The old woman pointed her finger and reviled him, saying: "When I lived as your neighbor, we aided one another, and in swaddling clothes I held and nursed you. Having grown up, how could you forget this kindness!" Yixing's heart was benevolent and loving, and he was unhappy the entire night. Thereupon, having finished calculating, he summoned purifiers and instructed them, saying: "Carry a cloth sack to a quiet place in a certain ward, sit and wait at midday, and when you obtain living creatures, throw them into the sack and return quickly." The next day, there indeed was a sow leading seven piglets; the purifiers scattered to chase them; the mother sow fled, but they captured the piglets and returned. Yixing had already prepared a huge vat; he put them in one by one, closed the lid, sealed the opening with Liuyi mud, and chanted several verses of foreign incantations before stopping. At dawn, a palace eunuch brought an imperial decree summoning him for inquiry, saying: "The Directorate of Astronomy memorialized: 'Last night the seven stars of the Northern Dipper were completely invisible.' What is the reason?" He replied: "Formerly, the Later Wei once lost the planet Mars, and now the Imperial Carriage (the Dipper) is not seen. This means Heaven is about to give Your Majesty a great warning. When common men and women fail to find their proper place, it is like falling frost and drought; only the resonance of abundant virtue can avert it. That which resonates most urgently—is it not in burying dried bones? The Buddhist order overcomes all māras with a compassionate heart. In this humble monk's modest view, nothing is better than a general amnesty for all under heaven." Xuanzong complied with it. That night, the astrologers memorialized that one star of the Northern Dipper was seen, and after seven nights it was restored as before; his arts were unfathomable. Furthermore, during the Kaiyuan era, there was once a severe drought; the emperor ordered him to pray for rain. He said: "We must obtain a vessel with the shape of a dragon upon it, and only then can rain be brought about." The emperor ordered palace eunuchs to inspect the imperial storehouses everywhere together with him, but all said none resembled it. Several days later, he pointed to an ancient mirror with an entwined dragon knob, saying with delight: "This is a true dragon." It was then brought into the altar site, and within one day it rained. His extraordinary arts and supernatural resonance were like this. Xuanzong, at the Daming Palace, leisurely and secretly inquired about the good and bad fortune of the dynasty and matters regarding the end of the dynastic destiny. Yixing answered with other words. The emperor questioned him without ceasing, so he said: "Your Majesty will have a journey of 'ten thousand li (wanli)'." He also said: "The dynasty will ultimately end in 'auspiciousness (ji)'." The emperor was greatly pleased. He further presented the emperor with a small gold box shaped like a pellet, with something stored inside; it made a sound when shaken, but could not be opened, saying: "Open it when there is an emergency." When the emperor took refuge in Shu, in the panic he completely forgot this matter; upon arriving in Chengdu, he suddenly remembered and opened it: inside was the medicinal ingredient dang gui (angelica / 'ought to return'). The emperor said: "This medicine is produced here; the Master knew that when I fled disaster to Shu, I ought to return." Seeing the Wanli Bridge, he said: "Yixing's words—truly they are divine!" He ordered palace eunuchs to burn incense and offer prayers, thereby offering thanks. In the beginning of Zhaozong's reign, the Prince of Ji was enfeoffed, down to Crown Prince Prince De, when the Tang was destroyed by the Liang, ultimately fulfilling Yixing's words that "the dynasty will end in Ji ('auspiciousness' / King of Ji)." In the ninth month of the fifteenth year of Kaiyuan, his illness grew grave at Huayan Temple; about to be carried in his sickness to the palace to bid farewell, he stopped when he felt slightly better. That night, Xuanzong dreamed of looking into the Chan abode, seeing a rope bed, paper partition, and open door leaves; at dawn he investigated and found it was exactly as he had seen. Thereupon, he decreed that eminent and virtuous monks of the capital establish a great ritual site to pray for blessings for Yixing, and his critical illness improved slightly. Such was the favor he enjoyed. On the eighth day of the tenth month, following the imperial entourage to Xinfeng, his body was free of ailments, and not a word came from his mouth; suddenly he bathed in fragrant water, changed his clothes, sat cross-legged with correct mindfulness, and serenely demonstrated extinction. Another account says: after bidding farewell to Xuanzong, he came east ahead of the imperial carriage to Mount Song to pay homage to his original teacher, who was Puji. At that time, Pei Kuan, Governor of Henan, was visiting Puji. Puji said: "I have a minor matter and do not have leisure to converse intimately with the Governor. Please wait and rest a while." Pei Kuan then dismissed his attendants and stayed in a side room, watching what Puji would do. He saw the main hall being cleaned, with incense burning, and Puji sitting silently as if waiting for someone. In a short while, there was continuous knocking at the gate, saying: "The Heavenly Master Upādhyāya Yixing has arrived!" (The monk title 'Heavenly Master' is first seen here, meaning 'Teacher of the Son of Heaven'). Yixing entered, appearing quite hurried; he bowed to Puji's feet, whispered closely in his ear, his demeanor ever more reverent. Puji only nodded and responded: "There is nothing unallowable." When the words ended, he bowed again; he bowed and spoke three times, and Puji only said, "Yes, yes; there is nothing unallowable." When Yixing finished speaking, he descended the steps, entered the southern room, and shut the door himself. Puji then slowly called his attendant, saying: "Quickly strike the bell; Yixing has attained extinction." Those around ran quickly to look at him; he sat with closed eyes, and when they covered his breath to check, it was already severed. The fourfold assembly of disciples wailed and wept profusely, shaking the mountain valley; his spirit was then laid to rest at Wangji Temple. From his demise to his burial, three times seven days passed in all; his fingernails did not change, his beard and hair grew longer, and his expression was serene and pleasing; the assembly of that time was astonished. The emperor, reading the memorial, said with grief: "The Chan Master has abandoned Us, plunging Us into deep sorrow and longing!" The funeral expenses were supplied by the government, and it was decreed that he be buried on Tongren Plain, posthumously titled Chan Master Dahui. The imperial brush composed the stupa inscription, and Buddhist disciples under heaven took pride in it.

5.10

Biography of Zhisheng of the Western Chongfu Temple in Jingzhao of the Tang

5.11

Shi Zhisheng: it is unknown where he was from. He had an overarching comprehension of doctrine and studied both vehicles, but in the vinaya he was particularly adept in its school. Furthermore, his literary talent was ever more elevated, and he was broadly conversant with the past and present. Always dissatisfied with Nie Daozhen, Dao'an, down to Mingquan and Vinaya Master [Dao]xuan each composing catalogues of the Tripiṭaka recording the dates and figures of translation and transmission—termed the Jin Catalogue, Wei, Han, and other catalogues—he thereupon compiled the Kaiyuan Shijiao lu (Kaiyuan Era Catalogue of Buddhist Teachings) in twenty scrolls in the eighteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, the gengwu year, which was the most precise and essential. Why so? The various masters were mostly confused by the texts regarding different versions of the same original and old titles versus new names, confounding the authentic and the spurious. Either one scripture was made into two copies, or an excerpted chapter was taken as a separate translation; he judged each and every one, erring in scarcely anything. As when he eliminated without keeping the sūtras recited by the daughter of Jiang Mi in the old catalogues, he may be called discerning. In blocking the source of deceptive fabrications, he possessed this independent judgment. As for the Zhenyuan lu of Yuanzhao later, in literary style and intended doctrine, how many hundreds of li apart were they! During the Linde era, Daoxuan produced the Neidian lu in ten scrolls, and Jingmai produced the Tu ji in four scrolls; Zhisheng continued each with one scroll. In the lineage records of scriptures and dharmas, none surpassed Zhisheng.

5.12

Biography of Yuanhui of the Middle Dayun Temple of the Tang (Huaiyuan, Chongyi)

5.13

Shi Yuanhui's place of origin is unknown. Across the Guanzhong and metropolitan areas, his renown was illustrious; he thoroughly investigated the ultimate nature and the characteristics [of phenomena] and was well versed in the various traditions. From his youth, he had been most ardent concerning the single gate of the Abhidharmakośa. At that time, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites Jia Zeng had taken refuge in the Buddhist fold and was fond of these writings, frequently summoning Hui to discuss the tenets and characteristics of this tradition. However, its most difficult part was the 'view delusions of [the heaven of] neither-perception-nor-non-perception', and its most complicated was the chapter on 'Possession and Non-possession'. Thereupon [Jia] requested Master Hui to briefly sketch out their essential outlines, noting that the commentary by Master [Puguang] was exceedingly complex and hard to navigate. Furthermore, Vinaya Master Huaiyuan of Shengshan Temple, sharing the same aspiration, abridged the ancient commentary—repeating the verses to explain them and citing the treatise to provide full annotations—which was very straightforward and easy for students to understand. Later, Chongyi composed the ten-fascicle Jinhua chao (Golden Flower Commentary) to elucidate it. After the two masters Guang and Bao, the Venerable Hui arose between them; across the regions between the two rivers, along the highways of the two capitals, south of the Yangzi, and in Yan, Qi, Chu, and Shu, Hui's commentary circulated widely.

5.14

Biography of Xuanyi of Huayan Temple in Jingzhao under the Tang

5.15

Shi Xuanyi's secular surname was Dou; he was a maternal cousin once removed of Emperor Shenwu, Xuanzong. From a lineage of flourishing branches and fine leaves, none could rival him in the capital; his brothers, nephews, and younger cousins mostly attained court rank, either maintaining themselves in extravagance or competing with one another in official glory. Yi, however, had an outstanding and luminous demeanor, carefree and detached from vulgarity; he realized the traces of form and emptiness and arrived at the realm of true tranquility, regarding rich foods as chaff and official carriage and cap as trifling. Later, he joined the ranks of the black-robed [saṅgha] and pursued the highest levels of study; in the fragrant shrine of the secret storehouse, he unrolled and read, mastering the principles. One day, he sighed deeply and said: 'As we grow ever further removed from the sages, bamboo slips become jumbled; some preserve only the "summer's fifth month," while others mistake "Lu" for "fish." In addition, copyists make negligent transcriptions, and collators lose sentences. If a skandhaka loses its folded leaves, it is just like the Classic of Rites having its sequences inverted; errors appear daily, and confusion is never remedied. If this goes on, the constant social bonds will collapse!' Thereupon, relying on catalogues compiled in ancient and modern times and checking various sūtras, the texts he unrolled were already vast upon his desks, and the accumulated fascicles still overflowed his halls. Where characters were erroneous, he examined their meanings and regulated them; where chapters were disordered, he penetrated the principles and ordered them into a framework. As the seasons rolled by, his achievements became manifest. Had he not possessed a mind as resolute as metal and stone and an aspiration as firm as ice and bitter greens, how could he have attained this? Once he had synthesized and compiled its headings, it was indeed orderly and unconfused, comprising thirty fascicles in total, titled Shijiao guangpin lizhang (Broad Chapter Registers of the Buddhist Teachings). Examining the sūtras, vinayas, and treatises of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, together with the collections of the sages and worthies of the eastern and western lands—1,080 works in total—he used paper from the two districts of Puzhou and Gongcheng, collated their lengths, and definitively fixed the sequences of their chapters, so that future generations would suffer no confusion. The chapters were well organized into essential principles, exemplifying the ancient maxim: 'Preparation against unforeseen contingencies is an excellent ancient rule.' Yin Lingchen of Leling wrote a preface for it. It is not known where Yi ended his days.

5.16

Biography of Daoyin of Qinglong Temple in Chang'an under the Tang

5.17

Shi Daoyin's secular surname was Zhangsun, and he was a native of Gaoling in Chang'an. His father, Rong, served as an investigating censor within the palace. His mother, of the Ma clan, dreamed of five-colored clouds covering the crown of her head, and consequently became pregnant with him. His mother constantly listened to lectures and read Mahāyāna sūtras without ceasing day or night, intending to practice the prenatal education of Tai Ren. When he was born, an unusual fragrance was rich and pervasive; as he grew through childhood, his spirit was handsome and refined, and his scholarship precise and clear. He sat for the jinshi examination and passed on his first attempt, his renown resounding beneath the sun; his talent was pure and extraordinary, bringing glory to his relatives and neighborhood. Later, an Indian monk knocked at his door to beg for alms; having finished eating, he wished to lodge for the night. Yin engaged him in conversation, and his words all reached profound principles, so that the Indian monk praised him in admiration. At dawn, taking his leave, the monk had barely stepped out the door when he vanished in a flash. Because of this, Yin lost all desire for official selection and begged to become a monk. One knows that when a fine pearl measures an inch, even eighty fathoms of water cannot conceal its radiant clouds—how could ruler or parents obstruct a keen mind bent upon the Way? He thereupon took Vinaya Master Shenyan of Zhaofu Temple in the capital as his master, seeking instruction without lapse. Once he received the precepts, he immediately studied the vinaya, and then devoted himself to sūtras and treatises, thus mastering both inner and outer learning. At that time, Dharma Master Fuli of Xingshan Temple was skilled in composition and said to Yin: 'Relying on your youthful brilliance, could you compose a Western Land Hymn for me?' Thereupon, folding the paper and wielding the brush, [Yin] did not pause in his composition for a moment. In an instant it was completed, its diction elegant and polished; the purity of the Buddha land and the adornments of its scenery seemed to appear right before one's eyes as one read the text. Master Li, having read it, turned to the eminent monks around him and said: 'Such extraordinary talent and graceful phrases are beyond what our sort could fathom.' Thenceforth, he applied himself diligently at his desk, striving earnestly day and night; his eloquence was hard to match, and he was skilled in establishing and refuting propositions. Master Li admired his bearing and once proclaimed before a great gathering: 'The starting points of Yin's debates surge forth like a bubbling spring.' From then on, his fame reached the imperial ears, and he served at the imperial court. When Xuanzong visited Luoyang, he decreed that [Yin], together with Liangxiu and Faxiu, should accompany the imperial cortege. Censor Li Jing and others invited Yin to lecture on the Jing yezhang jing (Sūtra on Purifying Karmic Obstacles) at Tiangong Temple; the commentary was also written by Yin. At that time, Chan Master Yixing was a national master; overanxious about who in the future could defend the Buddhadharma and who could propagate it, he memorialized the throne to summon the realm's finest talents who combined inner and outer learning to gather at Fuxian Temple in the eastern capital of Luoyang to establish a grand arena for debate. Yin was recommended by the assembly and was the first to ascend the seat; on treatises such as the Yogācārabhūmi, Vijñaptimātratā, Hetuvidyā, and the Śatadharma, he established six categories of cardinal tenets, and all the contending masters were left bewildered and conceded defeat. Yixing said in amazement: 'The beam and pillar of the great Dharma—this man corresponds to it! My mind has something to rely upon; even in death I would be satisfied.' When the imperial cortege returned west, an edict ordered him to escort it. Falling slightly ill, he submitted a memorial; the Emperor dispatched a palace courier to bestow medicine and a prescription, with the imperial decree saying: 'May the Dharma Master take care; this medicine and prescription of Our own are excellent and will surely cure you if taken. Once your illness is healed, come early to the Western Capital.' Such was the high favor he received. It was also around this time that Yixing passed away; an imperial edict commanded officials from the Heir Apparent's court down to the ninth rank of the capital to escort [the remains] to Tongren Plain. A vegetarian feast was provided at Lantian, and Yin was chosen to serve as the cantor. Just as the Dharma service concluded, Prime Minister Zhang Shuo, Duke of Yan, grasped Yin's hand and said: 'An outstanding talent of the Buddhist fold, rarely matched within the realm! Please provide a transcribed copy of the text you just declaimed so that I may keep it in my book chest.' Because of this, his writings circulated throughout the realm. In the eighteenth year of Kaiyuan, before the Emperor at the Hua'e Pavilion, the superiority of the two teachings [Buddhism and Daoism] was debated; Yin's heroic arguments burst forth like a river discharging into the sea. The Daoist Yin Qian fell into disorder in his replies; his reasoning failed, his words were exhausted, and his fundamental doctrines were contradictory. The Emperor sighed in admiration repeatedly and issued an edict awarding five hundred bolts of silk to serve as Dharma offerings. A separate collection, Duishi lunheng (Critical Discussions Before the Emperor), in one fascicle, was widely circulated in the world. Later, he composed the Dacheng fabao wumen mingjiao (Mahāyāna Dharma-Treasure Nominal Teachings in Five Gates) and the Xin fa yi (Rites of Faith in the Dharma), each in one fascicle, a Commentary on the Vijñaptimātratā in six fascicles, a Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra in six fascicles, and a Commentary on the Imperially Annotated Diamond Sūtra in six fascicles. Earlier, when Xuanzong was annotating the sūtra and reached the passage: 'If there is someone whose karmic misdeeds from previous lives should cause them to fall into the evil destinies, [...] those karmic misdeeds will be eradicated,' although he held the rabbit-hair brush, he felt considerable hesitation, fearing he might leave an erroneous explanation or adopt the interpretations of other masters. He thereupon summoned Yin to determine the efficacy of the sūtra and discriminate right from wrong. [Yin] memorialized: 'The power of the Buddha and the power of the sūtra cannot be fathomed even by the ten holy ones and three wise ranks. In the past, Your Majesty sat in assemblies on prajñā, receiving diverse perfumings; if you immerse your thoughts again, the active manifestations will emerge of themselves.' Thereupon, the Emperor experienced a sudden clarity as if recalling the past; he wrote without pause, with no obstruction whatsoever. Following this, he decreed that Yin should compose a commentary. People from across the four seas turned toward his influence, and students gathered like fish scales; at Qinglong Temple, holding the new commentary, the listeners numbered over a thousand, and this was also the case at Ximing and Chongfu Temples. The lecture halls were entirely coated with fragrant plaster, built from the water's edge up to the ground level; their splendid adornment was the foremost in the capital. In the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan, being ill and nearing his end, he sent a disciple to deliver his final memorial, which read: 'I, of humble rank and slight life, have vainly shared in your heavenly favor; I was permitted to join the black-robed ranks and allowed to cultivate myself diligently. Although I constantly bared my right shoulder, I never undertook the labor of raising my sleeves; carrying a monk's staff and pacing leisurely, I was spared the toil of carrying burdens. I happened upon a time when the profound merit was flourishing and the true transformation was gloriously displayed; little did I anticipate that, while striving in love of learning, I would fail in the hasty preservation of life. On the sixteenth day of this month, a severe intestinal affliction suddenly worsened, beyond the help of medicines. The gates of the underworld close upon me, so how can I further bathe in Yao's breeze? Once I return to the nocturnal terraces, how can I meet Shun's sun? It is destined that I be buried in the verdant mounds, never again to pay court at the vermilion steps.' At that time, reading it, the Emperor was deeply saddened and dispatched the inner attendant courier Jia Wengui with fifty bolts of silk to his quarters to offer condolences and gifts, delivering an imperial oral message to inquire of Yin's disciples: 'Having just heard that the Dharma Master has passed away into extinction, We feel profound grief and sorrow; We do not know where he is planned to be interred. The silk and cloth are hereby bestowed.' The imperial favor and condolences, honored in life and mourned in death, brought glory to the saṅgha. His secular age was seventy-three, and his saṅgha age fifty-three. On the twelfth day of the eighth month in the autumn of that year, he was buried on the northern slope of the Zhongnan Mountains beside Xiaoyao Garden, where a white stūpa still stands.

5.18

Biography of Liangben of Anguo Temple in the Capital under the Tang

5.19

Shi Liangben, surnamed Guo, was a native of Yuxiang in Hezhong. His family had worn the robes and caps of high office for generations; however, as one belonging to the lineage of the Dharma gate, he did not record his ancestry, so it is omitted here. Liangben's discernment was profound and vast, and his demeanor lofty and surpassing. On the outside, he was thoroughly versed in the ancient classics, while within he was skilled in the sūtras and treatises; in the gift for exegetical understanding, few could match him. During the Yongtai era, when Amoghavajra's translation work was in full flourish, suitable collaborators were truly difficult to find, and Liangben took part in the translation. Emperor Daizong invited him to serve as a bodhisattva precept master. Because the new translation of the Humane King Protecting the State Sūtra was newly completed, an imperial decree ordered him to compose a commentary to explain and analyze it. He exhaustively brought out the meaning of the sūtra; titling the commentary after the temple where he resided, it was called the Qinglong. Now, as for this sūtra, it had already undergone three translations: first, Dharmarakṣa translated one roll in the third year of the Taishi era of the Jin dynasty, titled Renwang bore (Humane King Prajñā); next, Kumārajīva of the Qin produced one, titled Renwang huguo bore boluomi (Humane King Protecting the State Prajñāpāramitā); and next, Paramārtha translated it at Baoyin Temple in Hongzhou in the third year of the Chengsheng era of the Liang dynasty, titled Renwang bore, along with a commentary in six rolls. However, in the Jin version, as an early translation, the vernacular language was still an impediment. The translation of the Liang dynasty fell into obscurity and did not circulate. The sūtra of the illegitimate Qin circulated throughout the realm. Yet why did it merely say 'boluomi' (pārami) while lacking the character 'duo' (tā)? This indeed diminished its sense of 'having reached [the other shore]'. On this account, Emperor Suzong purified his mind and bathed in virtue, requesting Amoghavajra to retranslate it. When Emperor Suzong passed away, Daizong fulfilled the former sage's expressed wish, decreeing the resumption of the translation project. He commissioned Palace Commissioner for Disciplinary Inspection Yu Chaoen to supervise it at the Southern Peach Garden, beginning on the first day of the month and concluding on the full moon. The Emperor went in person to the consecration (abhiṣeka) sanctuary in the Chenggming Hall, where he personally held the old sūtra while collating and translating the new version. He further composed a preface, placing it at the head of the sūtra, and additionally commanded Liangben to compose a commentary to elucidate the scripture. Liangben submitted a memorial stating: 'My learning falls far short of former sages, and I blemish the pure stream. Having been unworthy of assisting in the translation and improperly entrusted with receiving the text from the brush, I was fortunate to have my name raised to the heavenly palace and personally received the gracious command, ordering me to compose a commentary and assist in expounding it at the Southern Peach Garden of Daming Palace. As the imperial light shone upon me, I could not excuse myself. Searching out the dark pearl among the palm leaves, I only feel an increasing shame and trepidation; holding the white jade tablet before the cinnabar steps, how could I ever repay your instruction? Looking up, I repay the imperial favor; looking down, I hold myself to loyal diligence. Having exhausted my foolish sincerity, I hope to manifest the mysterious creation.' Liangben diligently applied his brush to write and revise, successfully completing three rolls, and submitted a memorial begging for their circulation. He further submitted an explanatory petition: 'On the twenty-first day of the second month of this year, an imperial order commanded me to compose a commentary on the sūtra in the inner garden. A lowly monk of little learning, I feared not measuring up to the imperial will. Washing my mind and cleansing my thoughts, I knocked on silence to seek sound; the illumination began from the celestial words, and the empowerment looked up to and relied upon the Buddha's power. All based on the sūtras and treatises, I broadly expounded the true tenets, just as gathering all jades at Mount Kunlun or channeling the great rivers into the dark ocean. Fire is born of wood, shining together with the two luminaries; consciousness turns into Suchness, its substance of a single mark shining equally. That which achieves the Way is the Dharma; that which conveys the Dharma is the sūtra; that which explains the sūtra is the commentary. Universally crossing over the multitude of beings and joining together in great penetration is the bodhicitta, matching Your Majesty's intention. The composed commentary has been completely transcribed, its text exceeding ten thousand words in three rolls. As to its promulgation, I am secretly ashamed of my foolish views; its completion hopes to answer the sacred grace. Together with one roll of Recitation Ritual Manual and one roll of Record of Expounding the Ghanavyūha Sūtra before the Emperor at the Chengming Hall, I submit them together. In presuming to cloud your imperial gaze, I am awestruck beyond measure.' The rescript in reply said: 'The Dharma Master's torch of wisdom burns high and bright; his peak of eloquence is uniquely eminent. Directly relying upon the Sanskrit pothi, he has proclaimed the subtle words, fathoming the profound, mysterious true tenets and expounding them into a commentary. Opening the secret treasury of the Tathāgata and showing the deluded ford to the multitude of beings, he has strung together jades and linked pearls, probing the deep and reaching the far. Reading through it repeatedly, I deem it truly refined and detailed. Let it be transmitted to the monasteries, to serve forever as a Dharma treasure.' With imperial praise, the Buddhist order flourished greatly. Moreover, at that time Zhangxin Temple had just been completed; those who held the commentary and kept it in their hearts regularly numbered several hundred, so that even had paper been as precious as jade, nothing could have added to its value. During his lectures at Anguo Temple, the official provisions never ran out. Within a few years, those who returned to study under him were like a forest. In the first month of the seventh year of the Dali era, Amoghavajra submitted a petition requesting its entry into the Catalogue, and an imperial decree approved it. In the sixth year, Liangben had relocated to Jizhou, teaching and transmitting the sūtras without a moment of leisure. On the tenth day of the third month of the twelfth year, without illness, he pillowed his head on his arm and passed away in Fuyang, at the age of sixty-one, with a saṅgha age of twenty-nine. The people of Dangqu and Jiachuan mourned the collapse of the pillar of Dharma; after the cremation (jhāpita), they collected over a hundred grains of relics (śarīra) from the ashes. In his deathbed memorial, he submitted the two rolls of the Recitation Ritual Manual and Record before the Emperor; because the copies submitted earlier had remained inside the palace, he commanded his disciples to carry them and present them again. Later, a funerary stūpa was established east of the capital city, in the thirteenth year of the Dali era. Liangben served through successive reigns attending to imperial commands; his eloquence was rich and abundant, his scholarship lofty and profound. Yet in his later years, he suffered setbacks and fell into obscurity, like the displacement of Lishe, or like Shenhui's exile beyond the pale. Alas!

5.20

Biography of Lizong of Yuezhou under the Tang

5.21

Shi Lizong, whose secular surname was Song, was a native of Kuaiji. His spirit for the Way was robust and vigorous, and his aspiration sought the profound and subtle; wishing to fulfill his goal of leaving the dust of the world, he resolutely cast off his worldly fetters. Hearing that the abbot of Changshou Temple was thoroughly versed in dhyāna contemplation, he went to knock at his gate; his resolve to learn never slackened in the slightest. The master instructed him, saying: 'Your leaving of the dust will bring great benefit. You may indeed be called a fine jade measuring a full foot; though there be ten fathoms of soil, it cannot conceal its radiance.' He thereupon exerted his literary talent, writing a commentary on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra; holding lead and wood tablets, he worked for a full two years. Blunting the sharpness and unraveling the entanglements, his mind was joyful and the principles flowed smoothly; he thus completed an interlinear commentary in eighty rolls. When Vice Director Zheng took charge of the commandery, he heard of his great renown and sent a letter to invite him, but Lizong firmly refused and did not go. In the second year of the Jinglong era, the Censor-in-Chief Feng Si suddenly died. He entered a place where two youths holding registers led Feng to the hall of the magistrate to face an interrogation, reviewing his transgressions. They ordered him to look at the boughs of a giant tree that could cover several mu. Beside the magistrate, an old acquaintance named Zhang Siyi waved his hand and called to Feng, saying: 'I am your uncle. I was once a granary clerk in Luoyang; I was framed and put to death outside the law by a superior officer, and I had also borrowed money, oil, and flour from Taiping Temple, which even now I have not discharged. The offense for which you are held is that you inappropriately committed disorderly offenses in the Heavenly Empress's palace, which brought about this sudden death. You should make a vow to copy the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra and cast a bell.' Thereupon, the magistrate reported this and passed judgment to release him back to the human world. As he was about to depart, Zhang said to Feng: 'Cultivating merit for a single day in Jambudvīpa brings boundless blessings; how can you bear not to cultivate merit throughout your life? This Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra is the one annotated by Master Lizong, transmitted from Mount Tiantai; good spirits constantly protect it.' At that time, Zhang dispatched someone to escort Feng to the various offices to examine the weight of his deeds and his place of rebirth, instructing him: 'When you go to the third residence at the crossroads within Daoguang Ward in Luoyang, that is my home. The house has a pond, a pavilion, bamboo, and trees; please ask whether my wife and children are well.' When Feng revived, he searched for a copy of the sūtra but could not obtain one, and died again. After three days, he was given a deadline to return; he finished the copying of the sūtra and casting of the bell. Feng lived in the world to the age of forty-eight before he died. When Lizong died, his age was ninety-seven.

5.22

Biography of Faxin of Tianzhu Temple in Qiantang under the Tang

5.23

Shi Faxin had the surname Sun. At first, his mother dreamed of swallowing a bright pearl, whereupon she rejected fish and abhorred all pungent foods. When the month of his birth was fulfilled, he was born with extraordinary signs. At fifteen, he took leave of his parents to follow a master, and received full ordination according to the canonical age. In him conduct and learning were united, making him prominent as a leader of the teaching; he surpassed the achievements of Yi Yin and Lü Shang in establishing merit, and considered the self-indulgent leisurely retreats of the Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang to be vulgar. Forgetting the body and identifying with the true nature, he made companions of the mountain trees. Grand Master Enzhen of Gudi entrusted him with the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the Bodhisattva Precepts, and the Awakening of Faith; his mind was polished by tranquility, and his wisdom merged with the scripture. One night, he dreamed of boarding a great ship that cut straight across the vast ocean; a mountain stretched across his path, its height reaching to the heavens. Suddenly, his solitary sail soared like a kite, floating upward across the waters; the peaks abruptly towered high, while clouds billowed below. Upon waking, his body felt as light as discarded clothing, and he roused refreshed amid streaming sweat. From then on, the meanings of sentences came to him without thinking; the entire text of the sūtra constantly manifested in his mind's mirror, and the principle of 'unhindered interpenetration among phenomena' was grasped as effortlessly as stringing flowers. In the sixth year of the Tianbao era, he painted an image of Rocana at Changle Temple in Suzhou to transform and instruct the various classes of beings. In the second year of the Dali era, when he was lecturing at Longxing Temple in Changzhou, no sooner had he mounted the Dharma seat than an extraordinary light suddenly appeared like trailing red threads, gradually brightening and expanding, swirling into the boundless sky. Longtime practitioners in the assembly were the first to behold it. Over time, he lectured on the great sūtra ten times and composed twelve rolls of Ritual Records. On the seventh day of the eleventh month of the thirteenth year of the Dali era, the śramaṇa Huijue dreamed that a giant stūpa sank two tiers into the earth. Before long, Faxin manifested illness and passed away, at the age of sixty-one, with forty-two years of dharma age. His disciple who received the Dharma, Taichu, was entrusted with the incense burner and conversational fly-whisk; Zhengjue of Xunyang and Shenxiu of Kuaiji were to him what Ziyou and Zixia were to the Ruists. When Faxin first lectured at Tianzhu Temple, he grandly expounded the Avataṃsaka. At that time, the monk Chengguan of Yue attended his seat to resolve doubts and deeply attained its profound meaning. After his death, Jiaoran of Wuxing composed an epitaph stele, and Lord Su of Hancheng composed a eulogy, joining together to extol his virtues.

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宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese