宋高僧傳 8.9

8.9

Shi Shenxiu, whose secular surname was Li, was a native of present-day Weishi in Dongjing. In his youth he read widely in the classics and histories, acquiring comprehensive and vast learning. Soon thereafter he resolved to leave the dust [of the world], shaved his head, dyed his robes, and received the Dharma. Later, he met Master Ren, the Fifth Patriarch of Dongshan Temple on Mount Shuangfeng in Qizhou. Seeing that he took seated meditation as his primary task, Shenxiu sighed in admiration and said, 'This is truly my master.' Resolute in his bitter asceticism, he served in fetching firewood and drawing water, thereby seeking the master's Path. Formerly, at the end of the Wei dynasty, an Indian śramaṇa named Bodhidharma obtained the wondrous Dharma of the Chan lineage, which had been transmitted from Śākyamuni Buddha down through generations, using the robe and bowl as a token of verification; passing it on through successive generations, he came across the sea. Emperor Wu of Liang questioned him on matters of conditioned meritorious deeds, but Bodhidharma valued only transmitting the direct and essential teaching of the mind. Faculty and teaching being mismatched, it was like throwing water upon a rock. He then went to Wei and lived in seclusion at Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, and passed away soon after. In that same year, the Wei envoy Song Yun saw him at the Congling Mountains. His disciples opened his tomb and found only his robe and shoes. He transmitted the Dharma to Huike; Ke transmitted it to Sengcan; Sengcan transmitted it to Daoxin; and Xin transmitted it to Hongren. Because Hongren and Daoxin both resided at Dongshan, their Dharma was called the Dongshan Dharma Gate. After Shenxiu came to serve Hongren, Hongren tacitly recognized him, held him in deep esteem, and said to people, 'I have liberated many people, but when it comes to untrammeled understanding and perfect illumination, none surpasses you.' Hongren passed away during the Shangyuan era, and Shenxiu then went to Mount Dangyang in Jiangling to reside there. Monks from across the four seas followed him like grass bending before the wind; the fragrance of his reputation for the Path broadly perfumed and inspired all. When Empress Dowager Zetian heard of this, she summoned him to the capital, where he ascended to the palace hall in a shoulder-carriage, and she personally prostrated before him. His offerings in the inner sanctuary were abundant, and she inquired about the Path from time to time. She issued an imperial order to establish the Dumen Temple at the mountain where he had previously resided, in order to manifest his virtue. At that time, from princes and dukes down to the gentry and commoners of the capital, people vied to pay him courtly visits; gazing upon his dust, they bowed and prostrated, numbering tens of thousands each day. When Emperor Xiaohe (Zhongzong) ascended the throne, he favored and honored him even more. Secretariat Director Zhang Yue once inquired about the Dharma and observed the etiquette of a disciple; stepping back, he said to others, 'The Chan master is eight feet tall, with bushy eyebrows and refined eyes; his majestic virtue is lofty, a vessel fit for kings and hegemons.' Earlier, Shenxiu's fellow student Chan Master Huineng was equal to him in virtuous conduct, and they promoted one another without partiality in the Path. Shenxiu once memorialized Empress Dowager Zetian, requesting that she summon Huineng to the capital, but Huineng earnestly and steadfastly declined. Shenxiu also wrote a personal letter setting forth the imperial intention to recruit him, but Huineng ultimately could not be moved to depart, and said to the envoy, 'My appearance is uncomely; if the people of the northern lands see this short and coarse exterior, they might not revere the Dharma. Moreover, my late master predicted that I have an affinity with Lingnan; it must not be contravened.' He never crossed the Dayu Ridge until his death. Their paths were disseminated across the empire, Shenxiu's tradition being called the Northern, and Huineng's tradition the Southern. The names of the Two Schools, Northern and Southern, originated from this. Shenxiu passed away in the second year of Shenlong. Gentry and commoners all came to attend his funeral, and an imperial decree conferred the posthumous title 'Chan Master Datong.' Furthermore, the Bao'en Temple was built at the former residence of Prince Xiang. Prince Fan of Qi, Duke Zhang Yue of Yan, and the recruited scholar Lu Hong each composed stelae and eulogies. Eminent scholars and prominent officials who wore mourning dress for the master could not be counted. His disciples Puji and Yifu were both held in high esteem by court and country, all because they adhered to their late master's Path.