大明高僧傳 1.21

1.21

釋性澄字湛堂號越溪。紹興會稽孫氏子也。父滿母姜氏。夢日輪從空而墮。既覺日光猶照其榻遂生師。四歲常戲拈筆為佛像。授以佛經即能成誦若宿習焉。元至元丙子投石門殊律師祝髮受具。石門謂。三世諸佛戒為根本乃教探律藏。而通其遮性雙單止持作犯之義。乙酉依佛鑒銛公習天台教觀。謁雲夢澤法師於南竺普福。澤一見深加器重。歷居清班要職。因天台國清實台宗講寺後易為禪。乃不遠數千里走京師。具奏寺之建置顛末舊制之由。元世祖賜璽書復之。已而欲東渡鴨綠游高麗求天台遺書。聞其國有事遂寢。大德乙巳出住杭之東竺丁未吳越大旱師率眾說法禱雨格應歲饑民死無以斂。乃為掩其遺骸作水陸大會普度之。至大戊申遷南竺之演福。至治辛酉驛召入京。問道於明仁殿。被旨居清塔寺校正大藏。駕幸文殊閣引見問勞。賜無量壽佛等經各若干卷。事竣辭歸特賜金襴衣。將行俄有旨即白蓮寺建水陸大無遮會。時丞相東平忠獻王請升座說法。事聞寵賚尤渥。賜號佛海大師。泰定甲子住上天竺九年。至順壬申六月朔忽撾鼓告眾曰。我三住名山逾三十年。自行無益世緣有限。雖愧不敏古德風烈猶或可攀。竟拂衣歸天竺之雲外齋。歲餘還越之佛果。篤志淨土修一心三觀者七晝夜。屢感瑞應。一日月旦眾以常儀問訊。師遽揖曰。老僧向非急於退步。一十二年幾在半途矣。今日則有明日恐無。光陰其可把玩乎。煩點視衣鉢用表無常。眾為念佛。止曰。佛須自念。明晨却送別。黎明眾集遂端坐而逝。閱世七十有八。坐六十有四夏。龕留七日顏貌如生。全身窆於清泰塔院。所著有金剛集註心經科注消災經註彌陀經句解及仁王經如意輪呪經科。並行世。

Shi Xingcheng, whose courtesy name was Zhantang and whose sobriquet was Yuexi, was a son of the Sun family of Kuaiji in Shaoxing. His father was Man, and his mother was of the Jiang family. She dreamt of the solar disk falling from the sky, and upon waking the sun's light was still illuminating her bed; she then gave birth to the master. At the age of four, he would often playfully take up a brush to draw Buddhist images; when presented with Buddhist scriptures, he was immediately able to recite them by heart as if from past practice. In the bingzi year of the Zhiyuan era of the Yuan (1276), he went to Vinaya Master Shu of Shimen to shave his hair and receive full ordination. Shimen told him, "Precepts are the foundation of all the Buddhas of the three times," and thereupon taught him to explore the Vinaya Piṭaka, thoroughly mastering the principles of proscriptive and natural [offences], paired and single, cessation and observance, and commission and breach. In the yiyou year (1285), he relied on Master Fojian Xian to study Tiantai doctrinal contemplation. He visited Dharma Master Yunmeng Ze at Pufu in Nantianzhu; Ze regarded him with deep esteem at first sight. He progressively occupied pure offices and essential posts. Because Guoqing on Mount Tiantai was originally a lecture monastery of the Tiantai school and was later converted to Chan, he traveled several thousand li without regarding the distance to reach the capital, presenting a full memorial detailing the monastery's initial establishment and the grounds of its former institution. Yuan Shizu (Kublai Khan) bestowed an imperial edict restoring it. Soon after, wishing to cross east over the Yalu River to travel through Goryeo in search of lost Tiantai texts, he abandoned the plan upon hearing that turmoil had arisen in that country. In the yisi year of the Dade era (1305), he emerged to reside at Dongtianzhu in Hangzhou. In the dingwei year (1307), a great drought struck Wu and Yue; the master led the assembly in expounding the Dharma and praying for rain, meeting with an efficacious response. It was a year of famine and the deceased people could not be encoffined; he then covered their remains and held a Great Water and Land Retreat to universally deliver them. In the wushen year of the Zhida era (1308), he moved to Yanfu in Nantianzhu. In the xinyou year of the Zhizhi era (1321), he was summoned by postal relay to enter the capital. He was inquired of concerning the Way in the Mingren Hall. By imperial order, he resided at the Qingtasi to collate the Great Canon. The emperor’s carriage proceeded to the Mañjuśrī Pavilion, where he was granted an audience and consoled for his labors; he was bestowed several rolls each of scriptures such as the Amitāyus Sūtra. When the task was complete and he took his leave to return, he was specially granted a gold-brocade robe. Just as he was about to depart, an imperial edict suddenly ordered that a Great Unrestricted Water and Land Assembly be established at Bailian Monastery. At that time, the Chancellor and King Zhongxian of Dongping requested him to ascend the seat and preach the Dharma. When this was reported, the imperial favors became even more generous, and he was bestowed the title of Great Master Fohai (Ocean of Buddhas). In the jiazi year of the Taiding era (1324), he resided at Shangtianzhu for nine years. On the first day of the sixth month in the renshen year of the Zhishun era (1332), he suddenly beat the drum and announced to the assembly, saying: "I have thrice resided at renowned mountains for over thirty years; my self-cultivation has been without benefit, and worldly conditions are limited. Although I am ashamed of my lack of cleverness, the inspiring deeds of the ancients may still perhaps be aspired to." He finally shook out his sleeves and returned to the Yunwaizhai of Tianzhu. Over a year later, he returned to Foguo in Yue. Firmly aspiring to the Pure Land, he cultivated the threefold contemplation in a single mind for seven days and nights, repeatedly evoking auspicious responses. One day at the new moon, the assembly inquired after his health according to customary etiquette. The master abruptly bowed with hands clasped and said: "Had this old monk not hastened to step back earlier, in these twelve years I would nearly have been stranded halfway! Today I am here; tomorrow I fear I will not be. Can time be trifled with? I trouble you to take stock of my robes and bowls to signify impermanence." The assembly chanted the Buddha's name for him; he stopped them, saying: "The Buddha must be chanted by oneself. Tomorrow morning, however, bid me farewell." At dawn the assembly gathered, and he then sat upright and passed away. He had seen seventy-eight years of worldly life and spent sixty-four summer retreats. The casket remained for seven days with his complexion as if alive. His whole body was interred in the pagoda courtyard of Qingtai. What he authored includes the Diamond Sūtra with Collected Commentaries, the Heart Sūtra with Outlined Notes, Commentaries on the Sūtra for Dispelling Calamities, Sentence-by-Sentence Explication of the Amitābha Sūtra, as well as Outlines for the Benevolent King Sūtra and the Cintāmaṇicakra Dhāraṇī Sūtra, all circulating in the world.