宋高僧傳 7

English (machine translation) 7

Language: English

7.1

Compiled under Imperial Order by the Purple-robed Śramaṇa Zanning and others, Grand Master Tonghui of Tianshou Temple of the Left Street of the Song

7.2

Section 2 on Exegetical Understanding, Part 4 (Twenty-three primary biographies, with four appended)

7.3

Tang Dynasty: Biography of Zhiyuan of Huayan Temple on Mount Wutai (Yuankan)

Śramaṇa Zhiyuan, whose secular surname was Song, had his family in Runan. His father died early, and as an only son he attended upon his widowed mother, serving her respectfully without resting morning or evening. His mother regularly recited the Lotus Sūtra and was thoroughly versed in five scrolls of it. Zhiyuan possessed clear and acute discernment, with an outstanding, lofty character. At the age of twenty-eight, he took leave of his parent to follow a master and took refuge in the tradition of Heze, comprehending its profound tenets. He managed monastic affairs continuously for six autumns. In providing supplies, he never allowed confusion or error. From then on he took leave of his master to seek instruction and pay respects, spending another eight years. Although broadly accomplished in both traditions, his mind still felt tethered and obstructed. Hearing that the Tiantai branch thoroughly encompassed the wonderful principles, with dhyāna and wisdom harmoniously fused and understanding advancing into practice; that the ten vehicles of contemplative discernment arose uniquely from this one school; and that the three virtues of cultivated and original nature were grandly expounded by Qingliang, he accordingly asked companions to journey together to the Five Peaks. Reclusing themselves among forest and springs and treading in the footsteps of predecessors, he came to understand the principles of the six ordinary and four noble realms, and realized the gate of opening, demonstrating, awakening to, and entering [the Buddha-knowledge]. The hundred realms and thousand suchnesses encompassed both nature and characteristics. Refutation was itself illumination; destruction and establishment were simultaneous. Dependent and primary results were completely integrated; ordinary and holy were equal. His mind and vision were opened wide, and both object and self were forgotten. For nearly forty years, his propagation of the teaching was without equal. Zhiyuan’s practice was refined and his attainment of the Dao lofty; his resolve was rigorous while his spirit was harmonious. He did not loosen his garments when lying down, nor did he eat at private invitations. In years of poor harvest, gathering firewood and cooking were repeatedly disrupted; each time he would merely scoop water to rinse his mouth, aiming to sustain himself throughout the day. When sores and scabies afflicted his body, his hands did not apply ointments; observing and cultivating the monastic regulations, he guarded mind and mouth with vigilance. He constantly tempered body and mind with the four kinds of samādhi. As for letters and correspondence, he was quite skilled in the literary elegance of seal script and belles-lettres. Whenever monastics or laypersons endowed with talent and learning were amazed by his eloquence, some would search into obscure and remote matters wishing to blunt his sharpness, watching for flaws to contest victory. Though they stepped forward arrogantly taking their seats, they retreated in shame and trepidation; they came with the mountain of pride held high, and left conforming to the four Siddhāntas. By the fourth year of Huichang, at seventy-seven years of age and forty-eight years of saṅgha age, he suddenly ceased eating for several days, yet preached the Dharma without weariness. On the seventeenth day of the second month, he admonished his disciples, saying: 'Since my youth I have cultivated and advanced, never deceiving my mind or mouth; today I receive two kinds of retribution: peace while lying down and peace upon awakening, free from pain and distress.' He also said: 'The commentaries of the Tiantai school must be propagated. The ten scrolls of the Lotus Sūtra Commentary distinguish the two gates of origin and trace, the prophecies across the three cycles, opening the near to reveal the distant. The ten scrolls of the Profound Meaning classify and interpret through five meanings. The ten scrolls of Cessation and Contemplation cultivate both object and contemplation, without fixing sudden or gradual; they balance the coarse and wonderful across the eight teachings, holding refutation and illumination in equality, with practice and understanding completely luminous, and the one and many mutually subsumed. Across the phrases of the entire canon, like polished jade and chiming gold, one is about to tread the holy stages; below this, rarely can anything match it. The repentance ritual of the Vaipulya sūtras must rely on utmost sincerity; keep this in your intent forever, fulfilling my wish.' At that time, dragon-elephants gathered like clouds, crowding side by side around his seat; all praised this wondrous rarity and joined in reciting the Buddha's name. Amidst his compassionate admonitions, his spirit suddenly departed. The wind grieved and clouds turned sorrowful, the mountains grew dim and the waters choked, the hills changed color, and his followers mourned in sorrow. On the day of the jhāpita, his disciples rushed about, not knowing where to go. Although scholars were like a forest, the only one who mastered his Dharma was Yuankan, a descendant of the Ma clan of Fufeng. His demeanor was profound and deep, and his Dao style was inherently lofty; Zhiyuan had truly emptied his vase of liberation and poured it into this vessel of ghee; it could be said that after one lamp, yet another lamp was lit. When Emperor Wuzong carried out the suppression of Buddhism, following his master's prior instructions, he grieved and wept for many nights, and concealed the commentaries and textual works within the walls of a house. When Emperor Xuanzong reopened the gates of the Buddhist Dharma, he repaired the old dwelling, retrieved the doctrinal works, and placed them in the portrait hall, performing circumambulation at the six times of day just as in the previous rules. The wonderful Lotus Sūtra was chanted and propagated over accumulated years; the Great Cessation and Contemplation was expounded and unfolded over a long period. His heart of succession indeed reached the utmost of the etiquette between master and disciple.

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Tang Dynasty: Biography of Xiyuan of Yingtianshan Temple in Yuezhou

7.6

Śramaṇa Xiyuan, surnamed Zhang, was a man from Gusu. His clan was wealthy and powerful, yet he alone renounced home. After receiving the precepts, he roamed among the lecture platforms. Not lingering in a single place, he diligently cultivated the three learnings; through long years of deep study, he became especially comprehensive and thoroughly versed. Acclaimed by contemporaries as exceptionally talented, he was accordingly invited to lecture and instruct. During the Guangqi era, Xu Yue's army rebelled, Sun Ru plundered territory, and the Wu region fell into turmoil. Leaving Tongxuan Temple, Yuan boarded a merchant vessel to take refuge in Yongdong. The merchant, who was from Yue, held Yuan in deep esteem and invited him to reside at Baolinshan Temple in Kuaiji. Though diminutive in stature, he was firm and capable by nature, having little concord with worldly matters and mostly engaging in quiet meditation. When someone questioned him, he replied: 'I wander freely in the realm of the formless, merely disporting as a lion does.' During the Jingfu era, he expounded and unfolded the sūtras and treatises at the mountain temple; voices in harmony responded, and those seeking the Dharma arrived. He then authored the Xuanzhong chao in several scrolls, all consisting of apt meanings and wonderful phrasing. He constantly exhorted people to diligently cultivate the karmic practice for higher rebirth, saying: 'It is not knowledge that is difficult; putting it into practice is what is difficult. Strive on, all of you.' Yuan performed repentance rituals at the six periods of the day, never missing even a little. He resided in a small room at the summit of Mount Langya; this mountain, legend says, flew from the Langya Terrace. As this place had formerly been a slaughterhouse, the mountain was set down to suppress it. By the mountain dwelling there was a well, in which there was an eel; the water swelled and receded, corresponding to the tides of the great river, and it possessed many supernatural wonders. Another account states that Yu here bound dragons and kraken-like monsters of the Zhejiang River, whose name was qu. The qu had a pair of ears, its color was bluish-yellow, and whenever it climbed bamboo or trees, wind and rain would certainly arrive. Nowadays it occasionally emerges from stone crevices and enters the drainage channels of the monks' quarters; seeing people, it is not frightened, but if grabbed, it leaps violently as if angry. Yet it only entered Yuan's room; Yuan would hold it in his hands as it writhed, calmly attending to it, and would administer the refuges and precepts to it, commanding it not to cause the calamities of wind and hail. When Yuan died, violent winds and rain were frequent. In his cultivation, Yuan vowed to see Maitreya. One day during a lecture, he died upright on the Dharma seat. At that time, the assembly smelled a thick, extraordinary fragrance and heard celestial music chiming and clanging, intermittently continuing for seven days before stopping; was this not a genuine proof of his higher rebirth! It was in the fourth month of the second year of Qianning. On the day of his return to the mountain, the monastic assembly set up sacrificial offerings at the temple gate. Soon after, a person wearing a madder robe and holding an ivory tablet bowed and knelt in deep sorrow. In an instant, no trace of him remained, and none in the assembly could fathom it. After the cremation, more than seven hundred grains of relics were gathered and carried off to Silla by a man from Siming.

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Tang Dynasty: Biography of Xuanyue of the Wooden Pagoda Cloister of Longxing Temple in Jiangzhou

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Śramaṇa Xuanyue, surnamed Zhang, was a man from Zhengping. His character and disposition were steadfast and pure, and from youth he had harbored the wish to transcend the dust of the world. Having fulfilled his longtime aspiration, he entered the Longxing monastery in his prefecture; reciting a thousand words a day, he never needed to receive instruction a second time. After shaving his head, he fulfilled the rules of discipline, scrutinized his own mind, adhered to the standards of the precepts, and scrupulously maintained prohibitions and observances without ever breaching them. From this his renown and integrity abruptly rose, and his peers looked up to him. Within a few years, he was richly versed in both vinaya and treatises, and he sought out good friends everywhere to investigate profound texts. He arrived at Chengsheng Temple in Chang'an, where, selected for his preceptual virtue, he participated on the ordination platform; he lectured on the vinaya and the Abhidharmakośa more than forty times in all, deepening and quieting his nature, investigating with unflagging rigor. He authored the Jinhua chao on the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra in twenty scrolls, which was valued by contemporaries. When he mounted the platform for the two lecture series, about three hundred people would attend, all facing north to receive his instruction. He transmitted the teaching to about a hundred disciples; scholars rushed to and fro throughout the Fen and Qin river regions until his old age. He died in a small room of his own cloister, at seventy-six years of secular age and fifty-six years of saṅgha age. His monastic and lay disciples collected several hundred grains of relics from the cremation pit and erected a brick pagoda to the west of the commandery city.

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Later Liang Dynasty: Biography of Yanhui of Mingfu Temple in Huazhou

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Shi Yanhui was surnamed Sun and was a native of Yangwu County in present-day Dongjing. When he was just of age to wear the bodkin, he heard his father reading the Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā Sūtra; fixing his gaze and listening attentively, he felt a serene joy. Furthermore, when his household provided a vegetarian feast for monks, as the chime stones and Sanskrit chants sounded together, he pressed his palms together with delight beneath the curtains. When he reached fifteen, he followed a master to study the Dharma, travelling to Taiyuan, Jingzhao, and Luoyang to listen and gather instruction, oblivious to weariness. When he came of age, he received the full precepts at Shaoshi Temple on Mount Song; applying himself to the study of the vinaya, he thoroughly penetrated its profound import. Next he sought out sūtras and treatises, probing the profound source in all of them. He said: "The practices of goodness differ, but they converge in governance. Governance is morality, concentration, and wisdom. The workings for entering the noble state are the utmost realization of the nature of these three governances." When he arrived at the capital Luoyang, senior masters all deferred to him. The four assemblies all looked up to his gentleness and clarity; before a mirror he had little sorrow and much joy, and holding a water jar he bore burdens lightly and conducted himself with gravity. Beyond the three robes, his hundred and one requisites were provided only in sufficient measure, with nothing superfluous. What he practiced was compassion and forbearance, never engaging in scheming or seeking. He kept no disciples, toiling only for himself, diligently transforming and guiding others while quietly cultivating himself. For this reason, the people of Nan Yan hailed him as a son of the Buddha. At first he lodged at Mingfu Temple and lectured on the Treatise on the Hundred Dharmas (*Śatadharma-vidyāmukha-śāstra*). The talents from the four seas converged like wind and surged like waves, constantly overflowing by more than a hundred, and many of them were pre-eminent geniuses; they intensively studied in the treatise hall and looked up with reverence to the tenets of the scriptures. Among them were grand scholars of versatile talent, who were consequently divided into the upper and lower 'ten evils'. The term 'ten evils' was akin to the title of the 'Eight Elders'. The upper ten evils thoroughly understood both the nature and marks [of phenomena], loftily raised the Dharma banner, and were unimpeded in establishing and refuting through the three elements of proposition, reason, and example. The lower ten evils encompassed both inner [Buddhist] and outer [secular] learning, chanted poetry, engaged in debate and expounded scriptures with clear voices and nimble speech, and praised with Sanskrit chanting and recited guiding addresses. By classifying them under this title, they reached the pinnacle of ability; to call them 'evil' was an inverse expression, meaning they were supremely good. Such were his disciples. Hui lectured on each of the two treatises, the *Hetuvidyā* and the *Hundred Dharmas*, about a hundred times, producing more than one hundred and fifty disciples, and composed a commentary called the *Huatai*, which circulated widely in the world. On the third day of the eighth month in the autumn of the first year of Qianhua, his physical strength withered away, and he suddenly passed away. His age was seventy-two, and his dharma age fifty-two. The people of Huazhou, longing for his virtue, accompanied his sacred coffin—more than three hundred people of the two assemblies—and returned to bury him beside Yangwu County, where they constructed a small stūpa.

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Biography of Guiyu of Xiangguo Temple in present-day Dongjing under the Liang

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Shi Guiyu was surnamed Mei and was a native of Shouchun. His father, Yuanxu, knew his son was sharp and clever, and taught him the *Book of Songs* and the *Book of Documents*; in recitation, reading, and memorization, he increasingly proved to surpass the crowd. After studying the various philosophers, he secretly wished to renounce the worldly dust; his parents granted his frequent requests, and so he bowed to Vinaya Master Daozong of Kaiyuan Temple in his home commandery as his tonsure master. Before a full year had passed, he had memorized and mastered the two sūtras, the *Lotus Sūtra* and the *Humane Kings Sūtra*. Upon reaching twenty years of age, he fully received the precepts; he rigorously observed the three practices, never was remiss in the four postures, listened to and studied new expositions, and soon mastered lecturing and teaching. Later, hearing that sūtras and treatises were flourishing in the capital Luoyang and the Sanfu region, he formed companionship to seek out masters. Within merely ten years, he cleared and mastered both nature and marks [traditions], became adept in the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, the single branch of doctrinal categories (*ming-shu*), and the single learning of logic (*hetuvidyā*); the *Abhidharmakośa*, *Vijñaptimātratā*, *Vimalakīrti*, and the *Rebirth [in Tuṣita]* were all stored deeply within him as though he were empty. He then went to Nan Yan to study under Master Hui, reviewing what he had learned, grinding cinnabar to make it even redder, yet he still lamented that the doctrinal commentaries were not yet fully perfect. Thereupon he went to present-day Xiangguo Temple in Dongjing, where he compiled the *New Commentary*, tirelessly lecturing and instructing, so that his disciples attained understanding. At that time, the Latter Lord of the Zhu Liang dynasty had been his fellow student in boyhood at school, sharing deep intimacy and affection, but they had been separated for many years. Half a year after ascending the throne, an imperial decree was issued to seek him out. Although Yu knew of their old acquaintance, he did not mention it throughout the year. As the matter could not be avoided, he entered only when summoned. When the emperor saw him, sorrow and joy mingled together, and he bestowed abundant gifts upon him. At that time, on the occasion of the Jiaqing Festival, an edict had once been issued prohibiting any further imperial favors promoting monks or Daoists throughout the realm; yet in that year, Yu alone was granted the purple robe and the title Grand Master Expounding the Dharma (Yanfa Dashi). The ceremonial escorts of the Two Streets welcomed and guided him to the temple, and an imperial decree also designated the Imperial Image Hall of the East Pagoda as the Hall of Prolonged Lecturing. At that time, the military commissioner of Min offered a complete set of the *Diamond Sūtra* and three hundred bolts of silk on the emperor's birthday, all of which were bestowed upon Yu, and his dharma companions considered it an honor. However, seeing that the old commentaries had defects and had not plumbed the ultimate principle, he searched out and extracted the essential meanings over three years, composing twenty scrolls entitled *Draft Notes of Essential Outlines*, and upon finishing the manuscript, presented it to the throne. The emperor read and praised it, ordering it to be entered into the Tripiṭaka, but Yu adamantly declined, and the emperor relented. In this way, over fifteen years, he guided recitation without indolence, and his disciples Jiarong and Master Shan successively transmitted and upheld his teachings. On the tenth day of the tenth month in the third year of Qingtai of the Later Tang, he said to his disciple Hongyan: "My strength is failing, and impermanence is about to arrive. You must abide well and advance in cultivation." Burning incense and pressing his palms together, he passed away in the early night, at the age of seventy-five, with a saṅgha age of fifty-five. On the eighteenth day of that month, his stūpa was relocated to the eastern ridge of the temple estate in the eastern suburbs of the capital.

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Biography of Lingyin of Changshui in Luoyang under the Later Tang

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Shi Lingyin was surnamed Yang and was a native of Wenshang in Shan Prefecture. In his youth he maintained moral conduct and turned his mind to seeking renunciation of the world; he found a master in his native town who taught him the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra*. When he reached the lawful age, he accepted the precepts and studied both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna teachings. In the Dharma doors of doctrinal categories, he attained pure refinement. Regarding the *Amitābha* and *Madhyamaka*, he grasped their richness; his renown burst forth, and none could rival him. Later, while traveling through Changshui south of Luoyang, he met devoted donors who constructed a monastery, and he lectured and studied within it. Expounding one treatise and one scripture over thirty years, he delivered each of them more than fifty times. Every day he recited the *Vimalakīrti* and the *Rebirth [in Tuṣita]* as his regular daily practice. In maintaining conduct and upholding his mind he was free of any blemish, so that people from near and far turned to him as their authority, just like those longing for plums who finally get a drink. In the second year of Qingtai, the year yihai, he died at the district temple, at the age of seventy-one, with a dharma age of fifty-one. In that year, he was moved to the foot of the mountain and cremated according to the custom of the Western Regions; śarīra relics were obtained, and disciples and donors jointly erected a stūpa.

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Biography of Zhenbian of Kaiyuan Temple in Dingzhou under the Later Tang

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Shi Zhenbian was a native of Zhongshan. In his youth he knew to transcend the worldly dust, and when grown he vowed to cultivate learning; his nature was so ascetic that others could not endure such distress. With single-minded devotion he listened and studied; in his spare time, he pricked his blood to write out scriptures, and also used blood from needle-pricks to paint standing images of Avalokiteśvara, Maitreya, and others. Once, while resting from exhaustion after circumambulation, two heavenly maidens came to harass him. Bian vowed to them, saying: "My mind is not a stone; I will subdue you with divine dhāraṇīs." The pair found no room to stay and left. From then on, his path triumphed, and māras left no trace. Bian carried his book box on his back and arrived at the city of Taiyuan to listen and study. At that time, the territory of the Wang family of Zhongshan bordered that of the Li family of the Later Tang; suspecting spies, outside monks were not permitted within the city of Bingzhou. Bian was consequently driven out, and thereupon lodged among ancient tombs in the wilderness. It happened that Emperor Wuhuang went out hunting, and the tomb lay within the hunting enclosure. Bian did not know this, and was just about to enter the city to attend a lecture when, seeing the banners and cavalry soldiers, he shrank back into the crypt. Emperor Wuhuang suspected him, ordered him captured and brought forward, and asked for the reason; they then inspected the tomb, where a grass mat was spread, and tables, inkstones, commentaries, and notes were laid out. The emperor thereupon ordered him brought into his mansion to receive offerings. At that time, Empress Dowager Cao deeply revered him. Bian appealed to the Empress Dowager, saying: "My sole desire is to study the Dharma; remaining long in the prince's palace brings no joy, but is like being in fetters." Emperor Wuhuang granted him his freedom, allowing him to complete his studies. When Wang Chuzhi was pacified, Bian returned to Zhongshan to lecture and instruct, repairing the old monastery, and all his wishes were fulfilled. A woman of the Chen family spread her hair over the ground and asked Bian to step on it. He composed a commentary on the *Sūtra on Maitreya's Rebirth Above*, which was valued by scholars, and was known at the time as *Bian's Commentary*. Later he died at this temple.

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Biography of Xushou of Dashan Temple in Kuaiji Commandery under the Later Tang

7.18

Shi Xushou was a native of Yu'er in Jiahe. After receiving the precepts, he studied in the Upper Capital; thoroughly conversant with both inner and outer texts, he transmitted and lectured on several major sūtras and treatises, never shrinking from guiding others. During the Xiantong era, on repeated imperial birthdays, he served as Inspector of Doctrine (Jianyi) of the Left Street, and none of his peers failed to submit to him. When the capital was occupied by rebels during the Guangming era, he fled the turmoil, traveling far and wide. Reaching Dashan Temple in Yue, his companions asked him to lecture on the *Nirvāṇa* and *Vimalakīrti* sūtras; this was during the Tianyou era. Indignant that masters such as Qian and Ya had commented on the Chongfu commentary with unbalanced prolixity and brevity, which was like trying to dilute water with water and would ultimately accomplish nothing, he composed the *Commentary of Doctrinal Appraisals* in fourteen scrolls. It was completed only during the Tongguang era. Furthermore, on the occasion of lecturing on the *Commentary to the Abhidharmakośa-śāstra*, there was a preface by Vice Director Jia Zeng followed by a preface by the monk Yuanhui; he composed commentaries to explain both of them. His writings were rich and ample, and those who once tasted them knew this. Regarding the *Nirvāṇa*, Shou was analytical without being overly brief, and he often disputed the commentary of the Lesser Yuan, saving it from being tainted as if by blowflies. As for the rest, he produced separate treatises of doctrinal chapters on the *Lotus Sūtra*, the *Hundred Dharmas*, and *Vijñaptimātratā*. Shou's nature was impatient and irascible, unlike that of others; of the disciples he kept, not a single one suited him. He once cooked the vegetarian meal himself: when the firewood was green and the fire went out, he blew on it again and it was snuffed out; flying into a rage, he drew water and poured it over it, and lectured all day without eating. In his later years, his eyesight became very dim; when ascending the lion seat, he wore a bamboo conical hat to lecture, simply valuing that his eyes would not squint. Some mocked him for slighting the assembly, but Shou paid no attention. When King Wusu of the Qian family arrived in Yue on an inspection tour, Shou went out to have an audience with him; the king had long admired his reputation, so he treated him with special courtesy, inquiring about his welfare repeatedly. During the Qianhua era, when ordination was conferred at Kaiyuan Temple in Kuaiji, Shou was appointed to oversee the platform and select candidates; the establishment of this office in the Wu and Kuaiji regions began with Shou. The king submitted a memorial to the imperial court recommending him for the purple robe. Emperor Zhuangzong issued an edict bestowing it, and an emissary brought it to Yingqiu. At that time, Shou was lecturing on the "Preface to the Commentary on the *Sūtra on Maitreya's Rebirth Above*", reaching the phrase: "Like a great bell, which receives emptily (*xushou*)." Setting down his chowry, Shou said: "My name has no canonical basis; from now on, it shall simply be 'received in vain' (*xushou*); you juniors should take note of this." When the report reached the king, the king said: "This monk is destined to have no share in imperial favors; why else would he be named 'received in vain'?" In the year yiyou of Tongguang, Shou died; when the sea vessel carrying the imperial patent arrived, calculating the day of his death, it had just reached Qingshe, which truly tallied with King Wusu's words. He had several scrolls of *Collected Writings* and more than thirty scrolls of *Expositions of Doctrine* circulating in his generation.

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Biography of Kezhou of Longxing Temple in Hangzhou under the Later Tang

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Shi Kezhou, whose secular surname was Fu, was a native of Jinling. He went forth from home at Jianyuan Temple in his home commandery. By nature compliant and virtuous, he was diligent in inquiring and learning. A fellow student urged him, saying, "A tree does not grow if the soil is not right. Nowadays, in Yuzhang, the sūtras are said to be like rivers and the treatises like the sea—why do you not go there to seek instruction?" Zhou was moved by his guidance, packed his bags, and arrived there. Encountering the great assembly of Master of Dharma Yunbiao, he thoroughly investigated the great Ci'en commentary on the Lotus Sūtra, making daily and monthly progress and grasping its profound meaning. At the beginning of Emperor Zhaozong's reign, he returned from Jiangxi to the region between Tiantai and Yue, where he was requested to teach and enlighten others. In the second year of Qianhua of the Liang dynasty, he accepted an invitation from Longxing Temple in Hangzhou to preach and expound, with an audience of monastics and laypeople that constantly numbered around five hundred. Qian, King Wusu of the Two Zhe, commanded him to lecture on the sūtras at night in the Tianbao Hall on behalf of the netherworld administration; ghosts and spirits manifested their forms as escorting guards, and people frequently saw them. Once, when a sacrifice was offered to the spirit of the Tongguan Shrine, the medium could not induce the deity to descend after a long invocation. Later, possessing the medium, the spirit said, "I followed the Great Deity to the Tianbao Hall at the Western Pass to listen to the Dharma, and have only just returned." Hearing this, King Wusu treated him with great reverence and bestowed on Zhou a gold ruyi sceptre along with an alms-bowl and a set of purple robes, conferring on him the honorific title "Jingzhi Tongming" (Pure Resolve of Penetrating Luminescence). In the first year of Tiancheng, he died in his own chamber at Guanyin Cloister. Earlier, in the fourth year of Qianning, when Zhou arrived at Songshan Temple in Taizhou to lecture on the commentary, there were no explanatory notes; he thus abridged it according to the commentary into five rolls, titled Pingjing chao (Appraisal of the Sūtra Commentary), along with Yinxun (Phonetics and Glosses) in five booklets, and an explanation of Vinaya Master Xuan's Fahua xu chao (Commentary on the Preface to the Lotus Sūtra) in one roll, which circulated throughout Eastern and Western Zhejiang. His disciples succeeded one another without interruption.

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Biography of Zhenhui of Xiangguo Temple in the present Eastern Capital under the Later Tang

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Shi Zhenhui, surnamed Bao, was a native of Changshu in Wujun. At the age of thirteen, he went forth from home at Longxing Temple in his home prefecture. By nature quiet and reserved, he strove to make the most of every moment. After only a year had passed, he had completely memorised the Lotus Sūtra; his constant practice was to recite two full copies every day. At the age of nineteen, he selected a famous master in Yangzhou to receive the full precepts. From then on, he travelled west to the Yi and Luo river valleys and north to the borders of Jin; wherever there was a lecture hall, he took a humble seat to seek instruction, examining the sūtras and treatises and plumbing their nature and characteristics, so that among his peers, few could match his pace. As for unworthy and weak companions, he turned his back on them entirely. In the first year of Tianyou of the Tang, he arrived at lodgings in Xiangguo Temple in the present Eastern Capital and lectured on the Lotus Sūtra some ten times, but people had not yet come to revere him; thus one knows that even rare treasures have their proper season to be sold. When the Liang dynasty established its capital here, people and goods assembled in abundance. In the second year of Zhenming, Duke Kong, the military governor of Songzhou, admired Hui's deportment and recognized his practice of the Way. He thereupon offered the courtesies due to a master and friend, donated his stipend and wealth, and established a hall for the permanent lecturing on the Lotus Sūtra in the West Pagoda Cloister; from then on, crowds gathered in great numbers. Hui also read the textual teachings of the Tripiṭaka and practiced circumambulation during the two times, diligent and untiring. As for secular arts and the sayings of the Hundred Schools, he banished them from his discussions, admonishing his disciples, saying: "Heterodox theories confuse the true mind; what is indeterminate does not perfume [the seeds of awakening]—why must one practice worldly ways? I only wish to make the lion's roar, not the yelp of a jackal." He devoted himself solely to offering incense, lighting lamps, and sweeping the floor, taking the Inner Court as his resting place. On the tenth day of the second month in the second year of Qingtai of the Later Tang, he summoned more than fifty disciples, prepared scented water to bathe himself, instructed them to chant the Ascent [to Tuṣita] and pay homage to the Buddha, gave away all his robes and belongings, and held a non-regular meal so that the monks received a half-noon offering. When this was completed, on the eleventh day, he joined his palms toward empty space and said, "How I have troubled the host of holy ones to line the sky and welcome me!" His disciples, numbering fully a hundred, all heard heavenly music on that day, and in an instant he passed away. His secular age was seventy-three, and his monastic age was fifty-four summer retreats. He had lectured at the temple for more than thirty years, conducting thirty-seven full courses on the sūtra, read the Tripiṭaka twice, and cultivated the karma for Maitreya's Inner Court. On the eighteenth day of the second month of that year, he was buried on the plain of the East Temple Estate in the suburbs of Junyi; approximately a thousand monastic and lay disciples gathered to see him off with banners, canopies, and ceremonial retinues.

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Biography of Kezhi of Changshou Temple in the Western Capital of Luoyang under the Later Tang

7.24

Shi Kezhi, surnamed Ma, was a native of Gaoqiu on Mount Dafang in Fanyang. When he had just reached the age of twelve, he possessed an extraordinary desire to leave the worldly life, relying on Vinaya Master Fazhen of Minzhong Temple. At the age of fifteen, having become a novice, he took leave of his master and went to Zhending to study the sūtras and treatises. At that time, Master of Dharma Renchu was lecturing on the Hetuvidyā-śāstra at Da Huayan Temple; Zhi grasped the text and took it to heart three times, penetrating its profound meaning with spiritual insight, so that the assembly acclaimed his exceptional talent. There was a senior elder, the Upādhyāya Vimalakīrti, who was an extraordinary figure in the Buddhist order; he asked Master Chu, "Among your outstanding disciples, who is foremost?" Chu replied, "There is a novice from Youzhou who reviews the old to know the new and applies himself with indefatigable vigor." He thereupon requested to meet him and questioned him on Śankarasvāmin's inference; Zhi responded flexibly to each difficulty, his words unyielding. Vimalakīrti said, "A youth is to be held in awe; as the sūtra says, though small, he cannot be underestimated." He then did his utmost to invite Zhi to lecture at Hengyang, and monastics and laypeople alike admired him. When he reached the age of nineteen, he went to Mount Wutai to seek the precepts; during the preparatory practices prior to receiving them, he was moved by Mañjuśrī's miraculous light illuminating his body. Afterward, he returned to pay respects to his parents and master, and expounded the Dharma at the temple. At twenty-three, he went to Bingbu to study the Lotus Sūtra and the Śata-dharma-śāstra. During the Jingfu reign era, he arrived at Hechi, where he was invited to lecture on Hetuvidyā. Later, he converted disciples at Da Zhuangyan Temple in Chang'an for several years. In the third year of Qianning, he presented poetry, and Emperor Zhaozong bestowed on him a purple kāṣāya and had him respond to imperial command in the inner palace. Liu Rengong, the local military commissioner of the circuit who occupied the northern gateway and controlled the frontier tribes and the Han, heard of Zhi's fame and sent a letter summoning him back to his native place. His father and master passed away in succession, but his mother was still living; Zhi held his bowl and begged for food to provide her with delicacies. He recited the Qinglong Commentary for three years; when he had completely mastered the text, a giant python suddenly appeared in his room, raising its head and looking around as though trying to announce something. At that time, a monk in the same cloister, Juxiao, who was an erudite monk, said, "A snake's eyes do not blink, but do these not move? Could it be a dragon?" Zhi burned incense and prayed to it, saying, "This poor monk recites the Qinglong Commentary and manages meals to support my mother; if you dragon-spirits truly care, I hope to meet a dānapati." A few days later, a son of the Yan military family said, "The Zhisheng Situ invites you to receive offerings." At that time, Emperor Zhuangzong had sent troops out through Feihu to besiege them; over the course of years, all grains became exorbitantly expensive, yet Zhi was completely relieved of worry and fear. Before long, Yan fell, and Liu and his son were taken captive to Jinyang; Zhi fled the chaos to Zhongshan, where the military governor Wang Chuzhi, who had long admired his reputation, invited him to reside at Kaiyuan Temple and provided him with monthly stipends. Zhi authored Dun-jian jiaoyi chao (Commentary on the Doctrinal Meanings of Sudden and Gradual Teachings) in one roll, which is currently in circulation. In the third year of Tiancheng, a wuzi year, the imperial army conducted a punitive expedition, and Dingzhou fell. The commissioner of pacification Wang Yanxiu received a letter from Feng Dao, King of Ying, instructing him to seek out Zhi. After finding him, he sent him to the capital of Luoyang by carriage and horse; the Henan governor, Prince of Qin Congrong, treated him with generous courtesy and memorialized to confer on him the title of Grand Master, naming him Wenzhi (Literary Wisdom). He served as abbot at the Pure Land Cloister of Changshou Temple. On the twenty-second day of the first month of the first year of Yingshun, a jiawu year, he suddenly fell slightly ill, summoned his disciples and said, "Aid me in rebirth!" Reciting the name of Amitābha Buddha, he passed away in an instant. His secular age was seventy-five, and his monastic age was fifty-six. On the second day of the intercalary first month, he was cremated, and his relic bones were gathered. On the eighth day of the fourth month of the second year of Qingtai, a stupa was erected at the southeast corner of Guanghua Temple on Mount Longmen. Zhi's presence was sharp and towering, and his monastic discipline was extraordinarily lofty; the Hundred Schools, philosophers, and histories left no trace unread by his eyes. In addition to his erudition, his particular forte was regulated poetry in the modern style. His poem Presented to the Elder of Fanchuan was widely recited. When he was in Dingzhou, Zhongshan and Taiyuan were mutually suspicious, and the regional lords annexed one another; Prince Wang had just wished to renew relations and bring peace to the people, and so ordered a vegetarian feast for the monks at Qingyun Temple. It happened that someone presented a white magpie, and the prince said, "Let the poet-guest from Yan try to compose a verse on this theme." Zhi composed it on the spot, its final lines reading: / "I know not who understands its chattering words; / It surely must report great peace before the prince." / The prince was delighted. The poet Li Dong, whose spirit was eccentrically refined, took Jia Langxian as his model; during the Jingfu era, he met Zhi in Hechi and presented Zhi with three poems. At that time, the grand councilors Lord Sun Wo, Lord Zhao Feng, and Lord Ma Yisun, as well as Academician Dou Mengzheng, Vice Minister Fu Meng, and Vice Minister Li Xiang, all matched rhymes and harmonized with him like Xun and Chi flutes in accord. Earlier, after finishing his lectures in Chang'an, Zhi travelled to the Xiaoyao Garden on Mount Zhongnan, the site where Dharma Master Shi of the Yao Qin had translated the scriptures; with the passing of long eras, it had become covered in dense weeds. Zhi said, "As a son of Śākya, how can I bear not to revive it?" He memorialized Emperor Zhaozong requesting its reconstruction; the emperor granted permission and restored its old name plaque of "Caotang Temple." Later, he invited Zen Elder Jingxiu of Fanchuan to gather disciples and discuss the mystery. When he was in Luoyang, outside of lecturing he constantly recited the Diamond Sūtra beyond count. In the past, he had frequently resided at Mount Zhongnan and Mount Kongtong, and thus produced Sanshan ji (Three Mountains Collection), containing three hundred and fifty poems, which circulated widely at the time. His disciples Xiuwen, Xiuzhi, and Xiuxing captured a glimpse of their master's Way.

7.25

Biography of Jumin of Chongfu Temple in Taiyuan under the Han

7.26

Shi Jumin, surnamed Ren, was a native of Xihe. His father was devoted to the arts and lived in reclusion in the hills and gardens. His mother, Lady Wang, had received the eight precepts and had her mind devoted to the Three Jewels; from the time she was pregnant with Jumin, she loved virtuous conditions even more and sought blessings, and so gave birth to a fine son. When he was born, at merely seven years of age, his will was sincere and earnest; as soon as he saw a Buddha statue, he gazed up at it with delight. His parents knew he had causes from past lives; on occasions when they took him to a temple, he wished to forget about returning home. Arriving at the Jingxin Cloister in his home commandery, he saw the treatise master Xuanyuan, became deeply attached to his room, and wept, begging to be received as a disciple. Both parents knew they could not obstruct his wish, and both consented to it. At ten years of age, he finished memorizing the two scriptures, the Lotus Sūtra and the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa; he upheld ten fascicles a day without interruption, as if carefully holding a vessel of lapis lazuli. His composure and deliberate self-control were like those of a mature elder. When his years were complete, he practiced the śīla, mastered the rules of allowances and prohibitions, and constantly reflected upon the mirror of joy and sorrow. Thenceforth, he thoroughly investigated the principles and tenets of the Mahāyāna in the scriptures and treatises; the master under whom he studied was Sanxue of Yonghe in Bingbu. Making the night into day, he sat before his desk by the window, with no leisure for anything else. Apart from studying doctrinal essays and cultivating the six affairs and two causes, in his later years he applied himself with even greater diligence to the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra and the Hetuvidyā-śāstra. He also transmitted the Golden Treatise, completely casting aside other concerns, lecturing ten times on each; he further sought out commentaries, extensively read through all kinds of books, grasped their meanings with the utmost precision, and displayed a multitude of virtues. Soon, receiving an imperial command, he dwelled at the Tianwang Cloister within the city; together with his disciples, offerings to him were never lacking, and his transmission and upholding [of the Dharma] were never discontinued. In the first year of Qianyou, because the Han founder [Liu Zhiyuan] had long revered Jumin's name from his days living in retirement in the Jin territory, he specially sent a court official to bestow a purple robe and granted him the title 'Grand Master Yuanzhi.' Subsequently, an edict summoned him to reside at the Lecture Hall Cloister of Chongfu Temple and concurrently serve as the saṅgha administrator (sēngzhèng) within the jurisdiction. Within a year, he reformed the practices in Jin, scrutinizing and disciplining the monks so that they bent like grass before the wind. On the fifth day of the eleventh month in the second year of Qianyou, he passed away without illness. At that time, the fourfold assembly harbored grief, and the entire city longed for his virtue. His worldly age was ninety-three, and his dharma age was fifty-four. Following the cremation (jhāpita) rites of the Western Regions, they poured much scented water and held banners and flowers; the monastics and layfolk filled the outskirts, and dark clouds veiled the sun. Before the fire had died out, all held up precious urns, waiting to fill them with the [relics] shaped like grains of millet, jointly witnessing his consecrated body. At that time, those who obtained śarīra found them more or less numerous according to their own conditions. Separately, his remaining bones were collected and reported in a memorial to the throne. The Han ruler decreed that he be buried at Tianlong Temple on the Western Mountains, that all matters be provided by officials, and that a stone pagoda be erected. By imperial decree, he was given the posthumous title Dashì ('Master of Penetrating Knowledge').

7.27

Biography of Hengchao of Kaiyuan Temple in Dizhou under the Han

7.28

Shi Hengchao, surnamed Feng, was a native of Fanyang. His grandfather did not serve in office; his lineage had cultivated the Confucian way for generations, and his family was exceedingly wealthy. Chao was intelligent from birth; among children, he had no fondness for playful games. At age fifteen, he was already thoroughly conversant with the Six Classics, and was especially skilled in the 'Airs' and the 'Elegies'; his phrasing and style were novel and unusual, and were repeated on people's lips. Suddenly, one day, upon perusing Buddhist scriptures, he was brightly awakened. He sighed and said: 'Human wealth and honor are like illusions and bubbles; only the True Vehicle can be mounted for conveyance.' Thereupon, he went to Zhubi Temple to leave the secular world. Before three years had elapsed, just as he was about to advance in his studies, working tirelessly day and night, his master died. He followed the Buddhist funeral rites, observing propriety without negligence. His reputation for filial piety and fraternal love was praised by the people of Yan. In the third year of Qianhua of the Liang, he went to Mount Wutai to receive the prātimokṣa precepts; from this, he advanced from near to far, inquiring with urgency and reflecting on what was at hand. Soon, invoking the chapter 'Felling the Trees,' he consorted with mature companions, forming bonds to seek famous masters from afar. He was obstructed between the two rivers, where the fighting had not ceased and the roads were impassable. To the south was the Liang founder, and to the north was Zhuangzong, rivaling each other in a contest of strength and pursuing the deer at the brink of survival. At that time, Chao stayed between his home prefecture, Wei, Bo, Bing, and Fen, studying seven works of Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna scriptures, vinaya, and treatises, lecturing on them and thoroughly penetrating their thought; from the renowned masters of Yong, Luo, Liang, and Song, he was completely cut off. Even so, though his travels were not distant, his propagation was exceptionally refined; his fullness of understanding became recognized, and his fame spread far and wide. For this reason, Xichen of Bingbu and Zhenbian of Zhongshan—two men whose words and actions were both perfected and who had attained high stages of realization—took one look at Chao and sighed, saying: 'The horns of this doctrinal dragon are fully formed; he only awaits taking flight to bring about drenching rain!' The evaluations given to him by great men of virtue were mostly of this sort. In the second year of Longde, he hung his staff at Wudi. Chao said: 'This is the ancient land of whole Qi, and a good neighbor to Zou and Lu.' Thereupon, he resided at Kaiyuan Monastery, set up a cloister in the northeastern corner, and for over twenty years lectured on various scriptures and treatises, preaching and guiding more than thirty times for each. His integrity was lofty and outstanding, his conduct composed and deliberate; monastics and layfolk who saw him were without exception struck with awe. His voice never shouted in anger, and his speech was never boastful; it was entirely natural, and not something obtained through domineering arrogance. Successive prefects and passing envoys, admiring his fame and revering his manner, would present their calling cards to show their deep respect, but he only had a boy decline them on the grounds of lecturing and recitation, and rarely received them. At first they felt slighted, but in the end they bowed to his loftiness. Between Qi and Lu, talented scholars did not consider several hundred li too far to come to his door to raise difficult questions. As soon as these gentlemen saw Chao's appearance and listened from the side to his discussions—referencing the Philosophers and the Histories, and confirming them with the teachings of the Buddhist tradition—or if someone asked about Hetuvidyā, Chao would answer with a single poem, novel in phrasing and marvelous in principle, and all would sigh and submit. At that time, the commandery governor Lord Li had long respected his lofty manner and wished to submit a memorial to recommend him for a purple robe. Chao heard of it with alarm and immediately put brush to paper to compose a poem: 'In vain I have grown old wearing coarse garments; / floating my bowl, the Way remains unaccomplished. / I vow to transmit the scriptures and treatises until death, / and never live tainted by gain and fame. / I dislike the trees that obstruct the mountain's colors; / I love the window facing the bright moon. / Some other day, following Fan Li, / with a single oar, the Five Lakes will be clear.' Lord Li again sent someone to urge him, wishing to establish a connection. Chao was steadfast and unyielding, and said: 'If you do so again, I shall be beyond the pass of Lulong.' Hearing this, the commandery commander stopped. Moreover, Prime Minister Feng Dao, the Prince of Ying, heard of his fame, and knowing that he was a fellow kinsman from his home region, first sent him a letter expressing his intention to take refuge in him. Chao said: 'I am a man of leisure who long ago abandoned parents to dedicate my will to practice. I originally expected only Maitreya to know my name; I did not anticipate it being idly transmitted to the ears of a prime minister. What benefit is this to me?' His disciples urged him earnestly, so he had no choice but to reply with a letter, explaining in full: how could a person who has left home set his mind on empty fame and meager profit? The Prince of Ying became all the more deferential, reported it to the Han founder in a memorial, and the purple robe was thereupon bestowed. From this time on, Chao was listless and unhappy. On the third day of the second month of the second year of Qianyou, he fell slightly ill, and within a few days passed away in his own cloister. The cloister's community all heard heavenly music surging in the sky, which was a clear sign of his rebirth in Tuṣita. His worldly years were seventy-three, and his saṅgha age was thirty-five. His disciple Dongzheng and more than a hundred students observed mental mourning; the gentry, commoners, monks, and nuns of the entire city assembled to escort him outside the city, where the cremation rites were carried out. More than two hundred grains of śarīra were collected and distributed. Separately, fifty grains were sealed, and a pagoda was erected in his cloister to enshrine them. The Prince of Ying, not yet having learned of this, had separately submitted a memorial requesting the master's name 'Dezheng' ('Virtuous and Rectified'), and this imperial edict was carved upon the stone pagoda.

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宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese