宋高僧傳 9

English (machine translation) 9

Language: English

9.1

Compiled under Imperial Order by Śramaṇa Zanning and Others, Grand Master Tonghui, Bestowed the Purple Robe, of Tianchou Temple on the Left Street of the Song

9.2

Section Three: Practice of Dhyāna, Part Two (Fourteen Main Biographies, Four Appended)

9.3

Biography of Yifu of Ci'en Temple in the Tang Capital (Xingsi)

Shi Yifu's secular surname was Jiang, and he was a native of Tongdi in Luzhou. In his youth he yearned for the gate of emptiness and considered worldly affairs as trivial as grains of millet. At first he resided at Huagan Temple in Lantian, staying in a ten-foot-square room for over twenty years without ever stepping beyond his chamber. Later he was registered at Ci'en Temple in the capital; his renown for the Dao rose loftily, swaying the minds of all. In the eleventh year of Kaiyuan, he accompanied the imperial cortege to the Eastern Capital, passing through the two prefectures of Pu and Guo. The governors, officials, men, and women all brought banners and flowers to welcome him; the roads wherever he went were packed, bows and prostrations were incessant, and people never tired of gazing upon him. In the twentieth year he passed away. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title 'Chan Master Dazhi' (Great Wisdom), and he was buried north of Yique. Several tens of thousands of people attended his funeral. Yan Tingzhi, Vice Director of the Secretariat, personally observed mourning attire as though he were a disciple, and also composed the stele inscription. Shenxiu was an outstanding figure of the Chan school; though he practiced meditation and was honoured by emperors beyond measure, he never gathered disciples to open a teaching hall. Only when Puji began propagating the teachings in the capital for over twenty years did all the people revere it. Earlier, when Yifu was heading to Eastern Luoyang, he summoned his disciples and warned them of his final hour. Vice Director of the Ministry of War Zhang Jun, Grand Defender Fang Guan, and Vice Director of the Ministry of Rites Wei Zhi, who had always faithfully respected him, all came to attend on that day. Yifu then ascended the hall, expounded to his disciples, and said, 'When the sun declines I shall pass away; we must bid farewell now.' After a long while, Zhang said to Fang, 'In my earlier years I ingested the golden elixir, and I never attend funerals.' Having spoken, Zhang slipped away in secret. Yifu suddenly said to Fang, 'I have associated with Lord Zhang for years. Lord Zhang will face extraordinary calamity, with both his reputation and integrity ruined. If he had remained through the end of this Dharma assembly, it would have sufficed to avert the disaster. What a pity!' He then took Fang by the hand and said, 'You will surely become an illustrious minister of restoration; exert yourself!' Having spoken, he passed away. Later, when Zhang Jun fell into rebel hands, he accepted their bogus office; while Fang supported two reigns and fully maintained great integrity, both just as Yifu had foretold. There was also Shi Xingsi, whose secular surname was Liu, and he was a native of Luling. He enriched his person with virtue, and was upright and faithful by nature. After leaving the dust of the world and receiving the precepts, he broke corners to seek roundness and carved away embellishments to return to simplicity, his aspiration being entirely natural. He went to Shaoyang to see Chan Master Dajian; with a single word, Dajian cleared away his doubts, as if striking away ignorance. Having realised his original mind, earth spirits repeatedly urged his return; he went back to Jizhou to propagate the teachings, and Chan seekers from the four directions crowded his hall. On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month in the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan, he passed away in his native land. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title Grand Master Hongji, and his stupa was called Guizhen. His stupa was destroyed alongside others during the Huichang era, but later Dharma heirs rebuilt it.

9.5

Biography of Puji of Xingtang Temple in the Tang Capital

9.6

Shi Puji's secular surname was Feng, and he was a native of Hedong in Puzhou. Barely out of his youth, he had a lofty and spirited nature; leaving the secular world to ascend the ordination platform, he complied strictly with the sūtras and vinaya. When examining texts and weighing their meanings, he was far beyond ordinary monks. Hearing at first that Shenxiu was at Yuquan Temple in Jingzhou, Puji went there to serve him as a teacher, for a total of six years. Shenxiu marvelled at him and transmitted his teachings to him in their entirety. During the Jiushi era, Empress Zetian summoned Shenxiu to the Eastern Capital to discuss the Dao, and taking the opportunity, he recommended Puji, who was then ordained as a monk. When Shenxiu passed away, all throughout the empire who loved the Buddhist teachings took Puji as their master. Emperor Zhongzong, hearing of Shenxiu's advanced age, specially issued a decree ordering Puji to take the place of his master in leading the assembly of his Dharma. In the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan, an imperial decree commanded Puji to reside in the capital. At that time, princes, dukes, and high officials vied to pay him courtly homage; Puji was grave, solemn, and sparing of words, so that visitors seldom saw a genial countenance on him, and people near and far revered him all the more for this. In the twenty-seventh year, he passed away at Xingtang Temple in the Upper Capital at the age of eighty-nine. At that time, scholars and commoners of the capital who had visited him all donned the mourning garb of disciples. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title 'Chan Master Dazhao' (Great Illumination). At his burial, Pei Kuan, the Governor of Henan, along with his wife and children, wore hemp mourning garments and stood among the ranks of his disciples. The entire city turned out weeping to see him off, leaving the neighbourhoods deserted. Governor Pei's reverence for Puji had good reason: in Puji's propagation of the teachings there were many miraculous phenomena which Pei had witnessed with his own eyes; having also received the mind-seal, his devotion was exceedingly deep, though he was often ridiculed by contemporaries. Pei paid visits day and night, observing the etiquette of a disciple without the slightest deviation. One day when he went to Puji, Puji already knew from afar of the passing of his disciple Yixing. When Puji passed away, Pei's grief was like losing a parent; wearing mourning garments, he walked on foot out of the city, and his wife and children did the same, from which the mockery of the scholar-officials arose.

9.7

The appraisal states: In human emotions there are love and hatred: those who love do not see what is hateful, and those who hate do not see what is lovable. Amid the myriad tangled things, though people follow their loves and hatreds, the middle path is lovable and not to be hated. Those who love it are gentlemen; those who hate it are petty men. Yet to love it not in accord with the Dao is a flaw in a gentleman. Governor Pei wore the robes and cap of high office and bore official duties upon himself; without avoiding secret observances, he openly drew contemporary slander—and rightly so. For instance, if monks indulge in worldly affairs, why do they not discard the kāṣāya and wear scholar's robes? If one has truly attained the Dao and finally casts off office like worn sandals, what could be wrong with that? Since Kuan did not take off his hairpin of office, why did he violate propriety before the gate of Confucius? But if Kuan was practicing the transcendent Dao outside the worldly realm, what blame could there be? To the grand vision of the enlightened, nothing in the world is unacceptable.

9.8

Biography of Huairang of the Avalokiteśvara Terrace on the Southern Peak during the Tang

9.9

Shi Huairang, whose secular surname was Du, was a native of Ankang in Jinzhou. At the age of only ten, he had an elegant penchant for Buddhist texts, with a dazzling and extraordinary bearing and a particularly numinous countenance. Those with discernment divined that these were signs of leaving householder life, not destined for secular nobility. A treasure among humans bringing good omens, an endless celebration for the realm, if compared to the qilin, phoenix, turtle, or dragon, they would not number in the tens of thousands. Heaven and Earth have no complete merit, and the seasonal qi waxes and wanes; when the cardinal bonds decay, repairs and plugs are insufficient, all relying on dark preservation and secret assistance. Only those who ought to be liberated perceive its principle; it is not something the mediocre can know. At capping age, he went to Yuquan Temple in Jingnan, served Vinaya Master Hengjing, and soon shaved his hair and received full ordination. He sighed and said, "Leaving householder life is for the unconditioned Dharma; between heaven and the human realm, nothing surpasses it. It is what the sūtra calls going out to the crossroad and sitting in an open space." At that time, Chan Master Tan encouraged Rang to go to Mount Song to meet Venerable An. An enlightened him, whereupon he entered the Caohou Stream to pay homage to Venerable Neng. Venerable Neng was delighted; without scent or foulness, was it like surging waves arriving at the vastness of the great abyss, or the harmonic concord of the *Shaohuo* performing great music? Rang's deep entrance into tranquil concentration and abiding in the unmoving bodhimanda were just like this. When Venerable Neng's great condition was completed, Rang climbed Mount Heng and dwelt at the Guanyin Terrace. At that time, a monk named Xuanzhi was detained in a criminal prison; he raised a thought wishing Master Rang would rescue and protect him. Rang knew of it beforehand and gave him encouragement; that monk escaped the disaster and said Rang was the "Sorrow-Relieving Avalokiteśvara." He also obtained this epithet on this account. When his converting conditions came to an end, his Dharma-transmitting disciples were Daoxun and Daoyi, both of whom ascended the hall and beheld the inner depths. Thereafter, Master Yi beat the Dharma drum in Hongzhou, and his gate disciples were Weikuan and Huihui. As Daoyi's great condition was about to conclude, he said to Kuan and the others: "The way of my master resides in the wondrous: unconditioned yet constant, not abiding yet arriving; the capable works are gathered. Born from the golden mouth and transformed from the Dharma, to me he is a father, and to you a grandfather. When transmitted by a single lamp, how could it ever be exhausted?" Rang was born in the second year of Yifeng and died at Mount Heng on the tenth day of the eighth month in the third year of Tianbao, at the age of sixty-eight, with a saṅgha age of forty-eight. Master Yi erected a stūpa on a different peak. In the Yuanhe era, Kuan and Hui came to the capital, propagated their ancestral school, and greatly opened the Dharma gate, transmitting hundreds of thousands of lamps. The grand continuation of the Dharma-jewel in the capital and the summer retreat was at its height here. In the eighth year, the Prefect of Hengyang, Linghu Quan, inquired into Rang's past deeds; Quan gave away clothes and wealth to provide for the anniversary vegetarian feast. From then on, every year the eighth month was known as the "Avalokiteśvara Memorial." During the Baoli era, he was posthumously bestowed by imperial order the title Chan Master Dahui, and his stūpa was named the Wheel of Supreme Victory. In the Yuanhe era, Attendant Gentleman Gui Deng composed an inscription.

9.10

Tang Biography of Lingzhu of the Laṅkāvatāra Cloister at the Great Anguo Temple in the Capital (Fawan)

9.11

Shi Lingzhu, surnamed Liu, was a native of Baxi in Mianzhou. When his age was nearly that of setting the heart on learning, he finally fulfilled his wish to leave householder life. He climbed the platform for ordination and sought teachers over no less than a thousand miles. At the age of forty, he was refined in the path of the vinaya and concurrently lectured on the *Nirvāṇa [Sūtra]*; with one vinaya and one sūtra, he diligently imparted instruction. In his later years, he questioned Chan Master Dazhao, comprehended the style of the school, and kept his resolve ever more staunch. Later he went to Chang'an and broadly unfolded the Chan teachings; those who admired the path and sought him as a teacher numbered no less than a thousand, like fish and dragons congregating in deep pools. At the hour of shen on the tenth day of the fourth month in the fifth year of Tianbao, he manifested extinction at the Stone Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra Cloister of Anguo Temple, living fifty-six years, with thirty-six saṅgha summers. As his end approached, strange anomalies frequently occurred in the temple, which were indeed the collapse and bending of the ridgepole of the Dharma gate. Zhu sat cross-legged and passed away in serenity. After three weeks, he was cremated and a stūpa was raised on the Longshou Ridge, adjacent to the place where Buddhapāla's relics were enshrined and to the right of the grave of the Goddess Nüwa. On the tenth day of the tenth month of that year, he was moved into the stūpa. His disciples Langzhi, Daoxun, and Ruyi reminisced on their master's virtue, and incense and lamps never ceased. The Palace Attendant and Pillar of State Zhao Sikan of Tianshui ordered the Buddhist follower Shanyun to compose an inscription at the stūpa site. There was also Shi Fawan of Lingzhi Temple in Qiantang, whose secular surname was Feng, originally a native of Changle. Following his grandfather's official post in Jiangdong, he became a native of Qiantang. His father, Zitong, courtesy name Yuanda, inherited official robes and caps for generations and transmitted their plain occupation. Yet beyond deeply examining the Hundred Schools, he held fast to his aspiration to emulate the responsive body of Vimalakīrti; in discussions, he often summoned men of the Chan forest, and in a separate room in his home made offerings and prostrations, praying to give birth to a fine heir. After a long while, Wan was born in the household; his disposition was remarkably intelligent, naturally endowed with gravity and prudence. Just when he could bear the weight of robes, he addressed his father to seek to leave secular life, and his father certainly did not hold him back. He shaved his head, received full ordination, and probed the mysteries of the Three Vehicles as easily as pointing to his palm. Yet by nature he was always unbending; in the deep ravine of this temple, actually on the north bank of the Zhejiang River, he separately constructed a hermitage far removed from the monastery, resting in dhyāna all day long. At that time, comrades arrived at his gate to ask for further instruction, and Wan guided them according to the circumstances, with many gaining realization. On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month in the second year of Tianbao, as dawn approached, he informed his attendants, sat upright, and suddenly passed into nirvāṇa at the age of sixty-five, his saṅgha age falling short of twenty years. At that time, mountain birds cried mournfully, clouds and mists were desolate, and donors far and near wept like a wall. On the nineteenth day of that month, he was transported for burial in the mountain plain beside the temple. His disciple Yu Fajie, his son Huaifu, and his nephew Xixiu, among others, who had formerly taken refuge in him with their hearts, erected a stūpa and managed the affairs, all of which came from his clan. Because the stūpa was destroyed during the Huichang era, only its site remains today. The stone monument has been obliterated—alas!

9.12

Tang Biography of Xuansu of Youqi Temple in Runzhou

9.13

Shi Xuansu, courtesy name Daoqing, whose secular ties were with the Ma clan, was a native of Yanling in Runzhou. Born with an unusual manner, he was profoundly benevolent from youth, quiet and calm while being nursed. In his childhood, he aspired upward, seeking refuge in the Buddhist fold; his parents complied, and he departed to rely on the pure precinct. During the Ruyi era, he first complied with the institutional system and was registered at Changshou Temple in Jiangning. After advancing to full ordination, his precept light shone brightly, his concentration water settled into clear ripples, his thoughts penetrated the dark and subtle, and his conduct surpassed the human standard. Having already understood form and emptiness, he constantly admired masters of the school. In his later years, he went south into Youqi Temple on Mount Qingshan, where he served Chan Master Wei. Personally experiencing it for whole years, he struck the bell and it sounded loudly. Wei instructed him in the superior Dharma, and he grasped its indelible purport. From then on, he concealed his form in bitter austerity, mutually nurturing peace and harmony, wearing a tattered patch-robe against his body without changing for cold or heat; toward the noble, base, hostile, or close, he never showed joy or wrath, so that people of the time regarded him as a bodhisattva of infant practice. As his cultivation of the Way was lofty, people hoped to gaze upon him and pay homage. In the Kaiyuan era, the monk Wangmi invited him to Jingkou, and the Commandery Governor Wei Xian urged him to reside at Helin [Temple]. The four assemblies took refuge in sincerity, filling the temple buildings. Su kept to his patch-robe and empty bed, never going out the door; princes and marquises bowed their heads, yet he was not swayed. Looking upon worldly fame and profit, he saw them as illusions. Suddenly one day, a butcher came to pay homage, gave rise to a spiritual awakening on his own, repented of past sins, and requested that Su accept an offering at noon the next day. He joyfully accepted it and went down to his house. Gentry and commoners were shocked and all exclaimed, "How extraordinary!" Su said: "The Buddha-nature is identical; how could the unproduced be different? If one can be liberated, I will liberate him; what difference is there?" At the beginning of Tianbao, Wu and Yue gazed upon him as if longing for the descent of a Buddha to be born. The Yangzhou monk Xixuan invited him to the north of the river, stealing away with him by night. In the dark of the moon, it was difficult to cross; the river waves were vast and billowy, and they held the boat against the wind. In an instant, a ray of white light guided their oars to cross straight over, traversing the waves safely. The people of Chu congratulated each other that the Buddha sun shone once more. The entire prefecture rushed forth to gather at the ferry. People and mounts obstructed the road, with no room left to stand; they took off their clothes to cast them as offerings, piling them up like hills. He paid no heed to them in his mind, ordering that all be used to supply the expenses of the field of compassion. Minister of the Ministry of Rites Li Deng served as the Governor of Yangzhou; purifying his mind with great devotion, he gazed upon him and attended him at the two times. Before long, the clerics and laity of Jingkou thirsted for the sound of the Dharma, and sending a dispatch across the river, repeatedly requested his return to their commandery. The two places disputed, unable to decide whom he should follow. Li at that time said to the people: "We originally hoped to serve the Way, but instead it has become attachment and aversion." Thereupon, allowing what was requested, he returned to the southern commandery; his inspiring of beings and their admiration of his virtue had few equals. In the middle of the night on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the eleventh year of Tianbao, he passed away without illness at the age of eighty-five. The sorrow touched human relationships and pierced through the cities with grief. On the twenty-first day of that month, his whole body was enshrined and a stūpa was erected on the ground where he had lived west of Mount Huanghe. The regional governors and county magistrates all observed the mourning rituals of disciples for a teacher, leading the multitudes to express their grief, so that the rivers and lakes reverberated. In the place where Su had formerly sat in meditation within the temple, tall pines had arched over like canopies; when other trees were substituted, they also interlaced as before. Furthermore, on the evening he renounced his lifespan, the twin paulownia trees in front of his room withered by themselves without cause. Those with discernment took it as the transformation of the Twin Trees. Yet the wondrous principle of the True Vehicle is free of marks and hard to conceive; auspicious omens and numinous portents inevitably arise in response. The sūtra says: "Responding to conditions and according with resonance"—it is precisely this matter. He had disciples Fajian and Fachin of Wu; these two great beings illuminated once more the source of the Way, each fully documented in separate biographies. The disciples who received the bodhisattva precepts—Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Qi Huan, Commander-in-Chief of Guangzhou Liang Qing, Prefect of Runzhou Xu Qiao, Metropolitan Governor Wei Zhaoli, Supervising Secretary Han Shang, Vice Censor-in-Chief Li Dan, and Vice Minister of Rites Cui Lingqin—were all esteemed figures among followers of the Way and all earnestly offered discipleship; they also once inquired about the Way at Mount Jingshan, like Yuezheng Zichun toward the Master. Washing their minds and gazing upward, the Milky Way seemed ever higher; looking into the water mirror to clarify their minds, many had deep awakening. Reaching the Taihe era, admiring his lingering style from afar and exalting his fine virtue, they posthumously bestowed the title Chan Master Dali, and his stūpa was named the Taihe Great Treasure Stūpa. Later people mostly called him Mazu using his secular surname, or called him Ma Su using both surname and name.

9.14

The appraisal states: Mitian considered that all who leave householder life should take the surname Shi, which mysteriously coincided with the later-arriving *Āgama-sūtra*; can one not attend to this? That Master Su was addressed by his secular surname must have had a reason. Alas, when flourishing Dharma heirs still cannot stop this erroneous designation, one knows that once the wings of Master Su's name took flight, the four seas looked up to him, and so it ascended into the secular realm. Now to warn future generations, names should be rectified.

9.15

Tang Biography of Huizhong of Mount Wudang in Junzhou

9.16

Shi Huizhong, whose secular surname was Ran, was a native of Zhuji in Yuezhou. Who could reckon his calendar years? Some said he had reached the age of one hundred. His skin was like ice and snow, and his presence was towering and brisk. In his youth he was fond of learning; he received the Dharma at Shuangfeng, silently preserving the truth, his mind receiving the single seal. His practice had no abiding mark, and he tested himself across famous mountains: the Five Ridges, Luofu, Siming, and Tianmu, where White Cliff leans toward the emperors and Purple Pavilion brushes the firmament. Sometimes he dwelled under pines for the ninety days [of the retreat]; sometimes he emptied himself in space, resting his thoughts in samādhi. Having suspended the precepts of the bright moon and purified the mind of lapis lazuli, he had already crossed the gateway of dhyāna without giving rise to views of non-arising. Towering like Mount Sumeru, the eight winds could not move him; clear as a spotless mirror, what phenomenon could hide from him? When it was time for me to stop, he consorted with deer among the thousand peaks of Wudang; when it was time for me to act, he took the single path by Tiger Creek to seek alms among men. Traveling lightly through Wu and Chu, he reached the Shunyang River. He chose to dwell among the groves and springs of Dangzi for over forty years, penetrating deeply into the holy samādhis of the Dharma King across eighty thousand broad gateways. The renown of his Way was immense, and his spiritual strength was consummate! During the Kaiyuan era, the prefect, former Vice Director of the Secretariat and Duke of State Wang Ju, and the administrator, Junior Supervisor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices Zhao Yizhen, pure in the deep pool of faith, were delighted to hear of his fame; unhitching their carriages, they knocked upon his stillness, vast and void. Bowing at his feet and scattering flowers of gold and silver, they were no different from the Elder Megha; taking him by the hand, they beheld the buddhas in atoms of dust, equal to the Ṛṣi Vimala. They submitted a memorial to Xuanzong, inviting him to reside in a fragrant monastery, which was Longxing Temple. From then on, dismissed ministers, military commissioners, princes, and grandees all prostrated themselves before his wind and followed him to inquire of the Way. Zhong was thoroughly versed in glosses and exegesis and broadly plumbed the sūtras and vinaya; in quelling māras and controlling non-Buddhists, who could match him? He could not be intimidated by power, nor swayed by profit. He ate at sunrise and clarified his mind before the moon; like a pure wind and flying frost, his unyielding integrity surpassed the bamboo; his words were measured and his principles ultimate, breaking down the banners of pride. When discussing the 'sudden', he left no trace or sign; when speaking of the 'gradual', he returned from the conventional to accord with the Way. If grasped in the mind, the eraṇḍa becomes a sandalwood tree; if missed at the pointing finger, sweet dew turns into a garden of caltrops. The marvel cannot be transmitted; blossoms are many, but fruits are few. In the world, some grasp gravel from the water and think they have obtained the treasure of lapis lazuli, or scoop bubbles into a vase, claiming to possess the mani jewel. This was why Zhong rebuked them and stopped them, unable to rest. Thus he spoke of 'surpassing Vairocana' to keep them from clinging to the quest for buddhahood, and discoursed on 'transcending the dharmakāya' to keep them unpolluted in true nature. How could Vairocana truly be surpassed, or the dharmakāya be transcended? Thus with a mind like empty space he accorded with the principle of empty space: the slightest delusion was like an obscuring cloud, while his penetration of the lineage was like the sun and moon. When court gentlemen arrived in four-horse carriages, he remained steadfast in dhyāna without moving, receiving their prostrations with solemn dignity. This was indeed what was meant in ancient times by not advancing seven paces to bring blessings even to a ruler of ten thousand chariots—how could it be limited to the hundred officials? When Emperor Suzong once again pacified the realm, hearing of his lofty virtue, on the sixteenth day of the first month of the second year of Shangyuan he sent an edict with Inner Attendant Sun Chaojin riding relay posts to invite him. The handwritten imperial decree said: 'The Emperor sends inquiries. We have heard that taming through the Supreme Vehicle brings peace to the Central Land, and the great beings who benefit others join in delivering all living beings. Master, with your Dharma mirror suspended high, you expound the teaching in a single voice; the secret treasury is opened, and your realm enters complete brightness. With great compassion untiring at the ford, the utmost good must shine in bringing universal deliverance. The charge bequeathed by the Honoured Hero rests truly upon our person. We desire to propagate this wondrous function alongside Dao'an, broadly nurturing blessings and moisture even unto the trichiliocosm. Hand down the mysterious pearl of Wangxiang, extract the poisoned arrow of deep delusion; the auspicious opportunity is now at hand, so do not count it a hardship. Come leaning on your staff; the capital is not far. Having purified our mind for a long time, fulfill our humble longing. In the spring chill, may the Master be in peace and good health! We send this letter, whose words do not say all.' Zhong always held that the Way was nowhere absent and that capital and wilderness were no different; he thus walked proudly into the palace and was ushered up to the main hall. As his frosty staff first stepped down, the sun shone on the dragon robes, heavenly incense was burned, and the wind fluttered the feathered canopies. At that time, Zhong held his head high and kept his steps even, his spiritual bearing solemn. The Son of Heaven revered him and treated him with the etiquette due a teacher. Zhong memorialized the essentials of governing people and ordering the state,畅giving voice to the customs of Tang Yao and Yu Shun. Hearing this, the Emperor was awestruck and leaned forward on his mat. The nine dragons sprinkled the water of the lotus; the ruler of ten thousand chariots drank the flavor of ghee. Thenceforth he was borne in a litter up to the hall, sitting to discuss the Way, unbound by customary court ritual. Soon, General of the Agile Cavalry Zhu Guanghui was ordered to proclaim an imperial decree for him to dwell at Qianfu Temple. Prime Minister Cui Huan followed him to seek guidance; the principle chimed with his mind, and he spoke of it to the court and countryside. Those who recognized truth frequently visited him. When the Baoying era commenced, governing the state with filial piety, the former favor remained unchanged: clearing ten thousand leagues of sky, it was like beholding the moon over the Three Rivers. An imperial decree again directed Inner Attendant Yuan Shouhong to welcome him to Guangzhai Temple near the palace precincts to take up residence; fragrant food came like clouds, and purple robes descended from Heaven. Although envoys crowded the meditation gate without entering, and the imperial treasury arrayed jade and silk to fill the courtyard, he understood them to be like bubbles and viewed them as a dream, serenely and freely at ease, rejoicing naturally in the boundary of Heaven. Can one say that only by not returning to Luofu is it called peaceful meditation, or only by departing permanently for Shuangfeng does one first accord with non-arising? The primal matrix for attaining sagehood was right here; this is truly why the ten thousand practices arose together, and the thousand gates did not burden his mind. The drum of Tuṣita sounds without form; the lute of the asuras makes harmony without being strummed; fragrance is conveyed to the Lord of Heaven, and flowers rain upon the King of Emptiness—all were witnessed in Zhong. He always remembered Grand Master Si's words: 'If you wish to attain the Way, go to Hengyue and Wudang.' He thus memorialized regarding Mount Wudang, requesting the establishment of the Taiyi Yanchang Temple, and in Dangzi Valley of Mount Baidai the establishment of the Xiangyan Changshou Temple, requesting a copy of the Tripiṭaka for each, and the ordination of monks to protect and maintain them, with the imperial portraits of the Two Sages to guard Wudang. The royal words were granted, and the relevant officials received the model. Although the Monkey River and Goose Pagoda had not yet adorned the central peak, thatched beams and brushwood gates were already named as Buddhist temples. Imperial calligraphy inscribed the plaques, turning like luan-birds and soaring like magpies; the mountains and rivers shone brightly, and clerics and laymen danced with joy, imagining that the golden hall could be anticipated, seeing that the jasper terrace was not far off. By the eighth year of Dali, he again memorialized to ordain monks from among those across the famous mountains of the realm who were clear in the sūtras, vinaya, and dhyāna, to make up the number of twenty-one. The Daoists followed suit; feather-clad and black-robed alike rejoiced. The numbers exceeded tens of thousands, serving to bring blessings to the ninefold palace. Earlier, when Zhong was in Nanyang, he was caught in rebel territory; though he had firmly requested to withdraw, none permitted it. Facing naked blades, his countenance did not flinch; perched above the blue clouds, he sat in peace without bending. The rebel commanders, seeing the serenity of his meditation virtue and the lofty ease of his demeanor, cast down their swords, bowed in rows, and asked to serve him as their teacher. At that time, many were those who, fleeing bandits, encountered bandits. Before long, more bandits arrived, and he said: 'One must not repeat the former course.' He thereupon took his staff, set out on foot, and went along the river. Those who imitated his earlier example and stayed firmly without fleeing were all slaughtered. Thus it is known that his foresight of the subtle signs and omens was like innate realization; he kept it within without discussing it—how profound was his Way! The golden text says, 'Prajñā has no knowing, yet there is nothing it does not know'—does it not mean this? His inner virtue being replete, his outer responsiveness was all the broader; he kept his precious jewel hidden, so that none could fathom it. Alas! When discussing the 'Dragon's Vigorous Advance', Upagupta knew it not; when flowers rained in Trāyastriṃśa, Mingche did not recognize it. When former sages weary of the world, the true eye perishes with them—is it not sorrowful? Suddenly his illness became grave, and the court physicians were of no avail. Knowing the hour of his departure, when the assembly asked about his subsequent affairs, he said: 'The Buddha left clear teachings; follow and practice them, and you will be without burden. What need I say?' On the ninth day of the twelfth month of the tenth year, at the hour of the rat, he lay on his right side with feet piled together, and peacefully passed away forever. When the relevant officials reported this, the Emperor was filled with grief. An imperial envoy was sent to offer condolences, presenting generous funeral gifts. By imperial decree, the posthumous title of Dazheng Chanshi (Meditation Master of Great Verification) was conferred. An edict ordered that he be returned for burial to Xiangyan Temple in Dangzi, following his original place. Solemn regalia and laborers were provided everywhere, completely furnishing the rites for honoring the deceased, bringing mourning and grief to the Buddhist monastery. By imperial decree, the Commissioner for Constant Cultivation of Merits, Acting Palace Overseer, and Śramaṇa Daji of Xingtang Temple—who had earlier engaged in doctrinal discussions with him, finding clarity like parting clouds, and who, though not his disciple, grieved more than a Dharma heir—laid out memorials, all of which were granted by the Emperor. His lay disciples included Sun Zhigu, Commander of the Unequalled in Honor, together with his younger brother Chaojin, the Inner Regular Attendant, the lay practitioner Jingchao and his brothers, and others; his monastic disciples included Zhicheng of Qianfu Temple, Zhide of Guangzhai Temple, the abbot Daomi of Xiangyan Temple, and others, numbering several tens of thousands in all. They grieved over the last tally of the rock chamber, and mourned the towering pagoda of the cloud-capped peak; the morning bell struck in vain in the high hall, and the evening Sanskrit chant sounded empty before the front mountain. The wise man has passed away—whom shall we look up to and emulate? The translation-monk Feixi composed the stele inscription to record his virtue.

9.17

Tang: A Biography of Zhixian of Ganquan Temple in Taiyuan

9.18

Shi Zhixian, whose surname was Jiang, was a native of Jianyang. His resolve was firm and upright from early on, and he conformed to standards while young. Having attained pravrajyā, he soon received the precepts; tasting the gradual teachings, he guarded the faculties, preserved his integrity, and cultivated his mind without transgressing the vinaya standards. In the first year of Tianbao, he served Meditation Master Daoyi at the Buddha Footprint Cliff in his home prefecture, without any lapse, drawing water and gathering firewood, striving only in diligent toil. Traveling afar, he saw the Red Pine Cave on Mount Jinhua, which was the place where Huang Chuping called out to the stone sheep, with dense forests and steep ridges, and a spring lake about a hundred paces across. Delighting in the secluded and wondrous, he perched on the summit, where an old villager carried fragrant nonglutinous rice and vegetables to make offerings to him. At that time there was a great drought; Xian looked into the sky, struck a rock, and loudly rebuked the dragons, saying: 'You karmic dragons are utterly useless. Why do you bodhisattva dragon kings not obey the Buddha's command to save the common people?' No sooner had he finished striking the rock than rain poured down profusely, and the people of Wu were all delighted. Later he traveled to Chang'an, where renowned nobles and eminent masters vied to invite him to become the teacher of merit for great monasteries, but Xian, startled, paid no heed. The next day he departed, climbing Mount Wutai, and soon took up residence at Ganquan Temple in Taiyuan, where clerics and laymen wishing to learn the principles of meditation arrived in succession. He died without illness. An imperial decree conferred the posthumous title Dayuan Chanshi (Meditation Master of Great Distance), honoring his virtue.

9.19

Tang: A Biography of Weizhong of Mount Huanglong

9.20

Shi Weizhong, whose surname was Tong, was a native of Chengdu Prefecture. In his youth he studied under Meditation Master Daoyuan of Mount Daguang; like a divine steed resting in the stable, though he remained still, once he set out his hooves he could gallop a thousand leagues. Traveling to Mount Song, he met Meditation Master Shenhui, resolved his doubts in silence, and took his place in the great sphere. Inspecting sacred traces, he saw that Mount Huanglong was lush, green, and extraordinary, and thus built a thatched hut. Deep in its streams and far into its valleys were many venomous dragons exhaling dense mists; local mountaineers who encountered them were mostly stricken as if by miasma, and doctors were of little help. Zhong initially did not know this; dwelling alone in meditative stillness, drinking from the torrent and eating wild fruits, the strange beasts all curled up and hid away, so that the mountaineers came to no harm. Some heard a voice in the air saying: 'That the Master resides here is a great blessing for the people, and it has caused me to attain liberation.' The local people therefore named the mountain Fulong (Subduing the Dragon), meaning that Zhong subdued the chief of the scaled creatures, hence this name. He passed away in the third year of Jianzhong at the age of seventy-eight. In the ninth month of that year, his pagoda was relocated.

9.21

Tang: A Biography of Xiqian of Mount Shitou on the Southern Sacred Peak

9.22

Shi Xiqian had the secular surname Chen and was a native of Gaoyao in Duanzhou. When his mother was pregnant, she took no pleasure in pungent roots or meat. When he was born, he was remarkably precocious; even in early childhood, he caused no trouble to his nurse. Once capped into adulthood, he held strictly to his promises and never offended others through his countenance or temperament. In his native district of Dongliao, the populace feared ghosts and spirits and engaged extensively in excessive sacrifices, routinely offering oxen and wine to invoke divine blessings. Qian would invariably go to destroy these shrines and seize the oxen to return home with them. These numbered several tens each year, yet the village elders could not restrain his principled conduct. Hearing that Dhyāna Master Dajian was coming south, his aspiration to learn led him to follow in his footsteps. Qian went straight to him. Dajian gladly took his hand and playfully remarked, "If you become my disciple, you must resemble me." Qian smiled broadly and said, "Yes." Soon after, his spiritual capacity was triggered, expanding clearly as if the sky had just cleared after rain. From then on, he traversed Mount Luofu and journeyed back and forth through the Three Gorges. In the sixteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, he received the full precepts at Luofu. In that same year, he returned to the mountain and dreamt that he and Dajian rode together on a single turtle, swimming in a deep pool. Upon waking, he divined: "The turtle is spiritual wisdom; the pool is the ocean of nature. My master and I have long ridden spiritual wisdom and roamed the ocean of nature—what need is there for another dream!" Later, hearing that Dhyāna Master Si of Mount Qingyuan in Luling was the designated successor of Caoxi, he packed his robes and went to follow him. At that time, students flocked to Master Si's gate like herds of deer. When Qian arrived, Si said, "Though horns are many, a single qilin is enough." At the beginning of the Tianbao era, he first built the South Temple on Mount Heng. To the east of the temple was a boulder shaped like a terrace; he erected a hermitage upon it, perched high on the isolated peak. The assembly looked up to him and called him the "Rock Monk" (Shitou Heshang). Earlier, there were three dhyāna masters on the peak—Gu, Zan, and Rang—all under the gate of Caoxi. They unanimously told their disciples, "That Shitou truly possesses the lion's roar; he will surely make your eyes cool and clear." From this, disciples turned toward him in admiration. Someone asked about liberation, and he replied, "Who is binding you?" Someone asked about the Pure Land, and he replied, "Who is defiling you?" His replies were concise and swift, all of this sort. In the second year of the Guangde era, his disciples invited him down to Liangduan. From then on, Daji presided over Jiangxi and Shitou presided over Hunan; students shuttled back and forth, and not to see these two great masters was considered sheer ignorance. On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month in the sixth year of the Zhenyuan era, a gengwu year, he passed away in the natural course of transformation at the age of ninety-one, with a saṅgha age of sixty-three. His disciples Huilang, Zhenlang, Boli, Daowu, Daoxian, and Zhizhou together erected a stupa for him on the Eastern Ridge. Thirty years after the stupa was completed, Liu Ke, an erudite of the National University—who had long understood profound principles and deeply revered the ancestral tradition—met Daoxian, who extensively related the Dao of their late master. Ke, revering his past virtue, composed a stele inscription commemorating his virtue during the Changqing era. An imperial decree bestowed the posthumous title Grand Master Wuji, and named his stupa Jianxiang.

9.23

Tang: A Biography of Shenhui of Jingzhong Temple in Chengdu Prefecture

9.24

Shi Shenhui had the secular surname Shi and was originally a person of the Western Regions. His grandfather moved his dwelling, taking up residence in Qi, and thus became a resident of Fengxiang. Shenhui possessed a transcendent understanding by natural disposition, his luminous wisdom emerging from within; like an uncarved gem that does not shine externally, he was unknown to his contemporaries. At the age of thirty, he first entered Shu to visit Grand Master Wuxiang; of sharp capacity, he attained sudden awakening and secretly accorded with the mind seal. Wuxiang sighed and said, "My Dao is now in your hands!" Thereafter, his virtue became full and his wisdom extensive, flourishing as a pillar of the Chan tradition. His essential teaching was: "Quiescent illumination extinguishes objects; transcendent realization leaves thought behind; the mind itself is Buddha; no body is seen to exist." When his mind was concentrated and closed off without form, his disposition was like earth and wood. When his wondrous function silently aided others, clouds moved and rain fell; the simple masses were joyfully transformed, reforming toward goodness upon seeing his countenance and abandoning faults upon hearing his words. As for his broad expansiveness, it washed clean attachments and bondages, leading faculties of upper, middle, and lower nature to enter according to their capacity. On the twelfth day of the eleventh month in the tenth year of the Zhenyuan era, he manifested illness and passed away sitting upright with legs crossed, at the age of seventy-five, with a dharma age of thirty-six. The śramaṇa Natī attained the master's Dao and transmitted it to the future. On the twenty-second day of the second month in the twelfth year, his monastic and lay disciples relocated his seat to the northern corner of the home courtyard; weeping and calling out in filial yearning for the master's virtue, the sound made the mountains and forests pale. Initially, when Shenhui transmitted the Dharma in the southwest, Chan disciples from far and near gathered at the temple. At that time, Duke Wei Gao, Prince of Nankang, was the most devoted to Shenhui; when the master died, Wei wept with deep reverence, for he had gained basic entry into Shenhui's gate and attained his essential Chan teachings. He erected a stele for him, personally composing the text and writing the calligraphy, which was considered an honor for the Chan tradition.

9.25

Tang: A Biography of Faqin of Mount Jing in Hangzhou

9.26

Shi Faqin had the secular surname Zhu and was a native of Kunshan in Wujun. His family background was refined and Confucian; his grandfather and father were both versed in the profound [Daoist] and Confucian traditions, yet they looked proudly upon the forests and wilds without serving in officialdom. When Qin was conceived, his mother, Lady Guan, suddenly dreamt that a lotus blossom grew in the courtyard; she then plucked a pod and tied it to her garments, and upon waking, she developed an aversion to pungent and meaty foods. When he reached infancy and still wore his hair braided, he loved performing Buddhist deeds. Mild and gentle by nature, he had an elegant penchant for high pursuits; diligent in the classics and histories, he took part in the local recommendations. At the age of twenty-eight, he packed his baggage to travel to the capital. Journeying through Dantu, he happened to meet Dhyāna Master Su of Helin. Su, possessing inner insight and profound discernment, recognized his extraordinary character and said to him: "Observing that the lodge of your spirit is warm and pure, you are nearly born with innate knowledge. If you can leave home, you will surely accord with the Tathāgata's knowledge and vision." Hearing this, Qin awakened to his fundamental mind. Su personally shaved his head and said to his disciple Fajian, "This young man will greatly flourish our teaching in the future and serve as a master to others." Soon afterward, he mounted the platform to receive the precepts, polished his conduct, settled into dhyāna, grasped the single direct word, and transcended the comprehensive threefold learning. From then on, he took leave of Su to journey south. Su said, "Proceed by following the currents; halt when you encounter 'Jing' (path/Mount Jing)." Later, reaching Lin'an, he looked at the high peaks to the northeast, which were the branch paths of Tianmu; inquiring by chance of a woodcutter, who told him it was Mount Jing, he resolved to hang his staff there. Seeing a thatched covering over hunting nets, he approached without disdain, made his dwelling there, and sat upright. At that time, rain and snow had just cleared, and there was no hearth fire nearby. When hunters arrived to retrieve their gear, they were greatly astonished and marveled at him; they all burned their nets, broke their bows, and learned to cease killing. They went down the mountain to recruit people to build a small lodge and invited him to dwell in it. Living near the mountain, Wu Zhen, former magistrate of Linhai, donated his villa to support him. From then on, his transformation of others flourished, and students of Chan gathered in great numbers. In the second month of the third year of the Dali era (a wushen year) under Emperor Ruiwu (Daizong), an imperial edict was issued saying: "We have heard that in Jiangzuo there is a dhyāna practitioner who embodies the Dao, whose virtuous character is like ice and frost, practicing pure deeds in the forest and wilds. We look up to you with an empty mind and yearn for you with deep longing. Where there is resonance, there must be communion, which is also a great blessing for the realm. We pray that the Venerable One will condescend to travel far to the central capital to fulfill Our devotion. Do not go against the power of your vows; manifest form in response to beings. We now dispatch the palace attendant Huang Feng to proclaim the decree and specially welcome you; swiftly accord with Our wish. The spring is warming; is the Master well? We dispatch this without extensive detail." The decree ordered: "His home prefecture shall provide provisions and escort; wherever he arrives at prefectures and counties, a pure courtyard shall be opened to lodge him. Officials are not permitted to seek audience, lest they exhaust the master's physical and mental strength. His disciples shall not be limited in number, and are permitted to attend him." When the emperor met him, he inquired about the essentials of the Dharma with great reverence, and provided diligent and lavish offerings. Situ Yang Guan, deeply devoted to the pivot of the Dao and distinguished in conduct above ordinary men, saw Qin among the assembly and sighed upon withdrawing: "This is truly a lofty scholar beyond the secular realm; his excellence is difficult to capture in name!" The emperor repeatedly bestowed fine silks upon him and presented imperial meals, but Qin declined them all without accepting. He wore only plain cloth and ate only vegetarian food, directing his disciples to beg for food and using only pottery vessels on his rounds. His few desires and contentment were without peer. When the emperor heard this, his reverence deepened, and he said to Dhyāna Master Zhong of Nanyang, "I wish to bestow a name upon Qin." He issued a handwritten decree bestowing the title "National Master First" (Guoyi). In the fifth year of the Zhenyuan era of Emperor Dezong, an envoy was dispatched carrying an imperial letter to convey greetings and present abundant gifts. During Qin's stay in the capital and upon his return to Zhe, regional governors, princes, dukes, and eminent literati of prefectures and cities who showed discipleship toward him included Chancellor Cui Huan, Duke Pei Du of Jin, Diwu Qi, and Chen Shaoyou. From the Huai River south, women who bowed and requested titles all referred to him as the "Mountain of Merit." In the sixth year, Prefect Wang Yan requested that he move out to be accommodated in the pure courtyard of Longxing Temple at the prefectural seat, thereby tactfully avoiding Han Huang's destruction of mountain chambers. In the twelfth month of the eighth year, a renshen year, he manifested illness, expounded the Dharma, and passed away forever at the age of seventy-nine, with a dharma age of fifty. Dezong bestowed the posthumous title Great Awakening (Dajue). Among the disciples he ordained was Dhyāna Master Chonghui; next was Dhyāna Master Yan of Mount Dalu, Dhyāna Master Wu of Mount Xing in Fanyang who came to study under him, and next Dhyāna Master Guangfu of Qingyang. At that time, those presiding over the funeral rites were disciples such as Shixiang and Changjue, who erected a stupa for his complete body in the pure courtyard of Longxing. Earlier, when Qin lived on the mountain, ferocious beasts and birds of prey became tame and familiar. Two white rabbits knelt beside his staff and sandals. He also once raised a rooster that did not eat living creatures, following him like a shadow and never straying elsewhere. When Qin entered Chang'an, it crowed mournfully for three days and died. The rooster's grave is now on the mountain peak. Qin's appearance was commanding, standing seven feet tall, with extraordinary bone structure. The master's likeness is now sculpted within the stupa, leaning on an armrest as though alive. When the Qian clan of Hangzhou ruled the country, during the Tianfu era (a renxu year), the rebel Xu Si staged an insurrection; soldiers mixed with troops from Xuancheng opened this stupa, believing there were precious treasures inside. They saw two urns joined upper and lower, enclosing the fleshy body completely intact, with hair long enough to cover the face. The soldiers closed the urns and left. Prefect Wang Yan composed a stele commemorating his virtue; Cui Yuanhan, director of the Bureau of Review; Cui Xuanliang, prefect of Huzhou; the late Chancellor Li Jifu; and Qiu Dan each composed stele inscriptions.

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Linked texts (1)

宋高僧傳 — 贊寧, Classical Chinese