宋高僧傳 6.22

6.22

Śramaṇa Duanfu had the secular surname Zhao and was a native of Tianshui. For generations his family had been a prominent clan in Qin. In the beginning, his mother Lady Zhang dreamed of an Indian monk who said to her: 'You shall give birth to a noble son.' He immediately took a śarīra from his bag and had her swallow it. When he was born, the monk seen in her dream entered his room in broad daylight, rubbed his crown, and said: 'He will surely cause the teachings of the Dharma to flourish greatly.' Having spoken, he vanished. When Duanfu grew up, he had a high forehead and deep-set eyes, large jowls and a square mouth; he stood six feet five inches tall, and his voice was like a bell. Indeed, when one is destined to bear the bodhi of the Tathāgata and open the ears and eyes of living beings, must there not be extraordinary omens and marvelous signs? At the age of ten, he relied on Chan Master Daowu of Chongfu Temple to become a novice (śrāmaṇera). At seventeen he was formally ordained as a monk (bhikṣu) and was assigned to Anguo Temple. He received the upasampadā under Vinaya Master Zhao of Ximing Temple, studied the vinaya under Vinaya Master Sheng of Chongfu Temple, received the transmission of Vijñaptimātra under Dharma Master Su of Anguo Temple, and mastered the Nirvāṇa Sūtra under Dharma Master Yin of Fulin Temple. Duanfu also dreamed of an Indian monk filling a lapis lazuli vessel with śarīras, making him swallow them and saying: 'The great teachings of the Tripiṭaka are now completely stored within your belly.' From then on, he was without rival in his era in sūtras, vinaya, and treatises; encompassing like rivers pouring forth, meeting the sources and joining the confluences, surging onward so that none could fathom his shores. Indeed, when one is destined to cut down the stumps in the field of passions and rain down sweet dew upon the seeds of the Dharma, must there not be courageous wisdom and vast eloquence? Before long, he paid homage to Mañjuśrī at Mount Qingliang, and the multitudes of holy ones all appeared; he expounded the Great Scripture in Taiyuan, and the whole city gathered. Emperor Dezong heard of his renown and summoned him; at a single audience he was greatly pleased, and Duanfu frequently entered the forbidden palace to debate with Confucians and Daoists, receiving the gift of a purple square robe. The seasonal gifts and offerings bestowed upon him were unlike those given to any other. He was further ordered to attend upon the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace. Emperor Shunzong deeply admired his style, treating him affectionately like an elder brother and sleeping and rising alongside him, showing him extraordinarily high favor and courtesy. Emperor Xianzong repeatedly visited his temple, treating him as a guest and friend. Duanfu constantly received imperial inquiries, enjoying exceptionally profound trust and favor. Duanfu's countenance was transcendent, and his diction and reasoning were quick as an echo; adapting to the imperial intent, he always accorded with the True Vehicle, and even in hasty exchanges he never failed to take propagation as his duty. Because of this, the Son of Heaven recognized even more that the Buddha was a great sage and that his teachings possessed great inconceivable matters. At that time, the court was just pacifying the realm, binding Wu and bringing order to Shu, turning Cai into a pool and sweeping away Yun, while the Son of Heaven folded his hands in peace. An edict ordered Duanfu to lead the saṅgha in welcoming the true relic at Mount Lingshan and to establish a Dharma arena in the secret palace, praying for blessings on behalf of the people and personally attending to the incense and lamps. Soon after, punishments were not cruel, weapons were not misused, the common folk uttered no cries of grief, and the azure seas had no startling waves; these were surely the manifest effects of applying the True School to assist in great statecraft. Indeed, when one is destined to reveal the inconceivable Way and assist a ruler of great enterprise, must there not be tacit resonance and profound accord? For a total of ten years he took charge of the liturgical rites in the inner palace and served as the rectifier of saṅgha affairs of the Left Street, setting an exemplary standard for the pure multitude. In lecturing on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Vijñaptimātra scriptures and treatises, he stood as the transmission master fulfilling his duties to inspire and guide monastics and laypeople over a total of one hundred and sixty lecturing sessions. Exercising the three mysteries in yoga and according with the unproduced in siddhi, he held the various scriptures daily more than a hundred thousand times, pointing to the Pure Land as his resting place and venerating the golden texts to repay the kindness of the Dharma. Earlier and later, offerings and donations amounted to millions, all of which he used to adorn and embellish temple halls, exhausting every effort in carving and painting. Yet in his abbot's quarters on a single bed, he remained tranquil and self-possessed in meditation. Noble ministers and flourishing clans all relied upon and admired him; gallants, craftsmen, and merchants looked up to him, presenting gold and jewels to show their devotion and revering his dignified deportment to bow at his feet, numbering a thousand a day, impossible to record fully. Yet Duanfu viewed the Buddha through living beings and cultivated good while free from the four marks; his mind was as humble as the earth, level without hills or mounds, treating kings, dukes, palanquin bearers, and menials with equal sincerity. Commentators believed that the one who fulfilled the practice of Sadāparibhūta was Duanfu alone. Indeed, when one is destined to steer a great vessel across the sea and rescue the lost to the other shore, must there not be extraordinary achievement and wondrous Way? On the first day of the sixth month of the first year of the Kaicheng era, he passed away lying on his right side facing west; in the midst of summer his venerable face looked as if alive, and throughout the night an extraordinary fragrance remained thick. On the sixth day of the seventh month of that year, he was moved to the southern plains of Changle. By his testamentary command he was cremated, yielding more than three hundred śarīras; while the fire was blazing, their spiritual light was bright as the moon, and once reduced to ashes, the numinous bones were as round as pearls. He was posthumously granted the title Dada (Great Realization), and his stūpa was named Xuanmi (Profound and Secret). His worldly age was sixty-seven, and his saṅgha age could be counted [proportionately]. His monastic disciples numbered around a thousand; some lectured on profound discourses, some managed great monasteries, practicing dhyāna and upholding the vinaya, taking up roles as teachers of men; fifty among his followers were men of great realization. During the Huichang era, Chief Minister Lord Pei Xiu composed a stele praising his virtues.