大明高僧傳 7.16

7.16

釋道旻賜號圓機。世人稱云古佛。興化蔡氏子也。母夢吞摩尼珠遂姙。生五歲不履不言。一日母抱遊西明寺。見佛像遽趣合掌作禮稱南無佛。見者大異之。稍壯宦學大梁。棄依景德寺德祥出家得度。遍扣禪林皆得染指。後親溈山喆禪師無所入。謁泐潭乾公具陳所得。潭不為印可。一日潭舉世尊拈花迦葉微笑話問之。不契。侍潭行次潭以杖架肩長噓曰。會麼。旻擬對。潭便打。有頃復拈草示之曰。是甚麼。亦擬對。潭便喝。機旋於是頓悟玄旨。便作拈花勢曰。這回瞞旻上座不得也。潭曰。便道。旻曰。南山起雲北山下雨。即禮三拜。潭首肯印之。後開法于灌溪。遷圓通以符道濟之記也。學者如川赴海。朝廷聞其道。宰臣會請錫以命服。賜圓機之號而尊寵之。於是遐邇欽化。少長咸被其法澤。未詳厥終。

Śramaṇa Shi Daomin was granted the title Yuanji ('Perfect Dynamic'). People of the world called him an ancient Buddha. He was a son of the Cai family of Xinghua. His mother dreamed that she swallowed a maṇi jewel and subsequently became pregnant. At five years of age, he could neither walk nor speak. One day, his mother carried him on a visit to Ximing Monastery. Seeing a Buddha statue, he hurried forward, joined his palms in reverent salutation, and called out, 'Namo Buddha!' Those who saw it found it exceedingly extraordinary. When he grew older, he pursued official studies in Daliang, but abandoned them to rely upon Dexiang at Jingde Monastery, where he left home and received ordination. He knocked at the gates of Chan monasteries everywhere and had a taste of all of them. Later, he personally attended Chan Master Guishan Zhe, but had no entry. He visited Venerable Gan of Letan and related in full what he had attained, but Letan did not give him his seal of approval. One day, Letan brought up the case of the Bhagavat holding up a flower and Kāśyapa faintly smiling, and questioned him about it, but there was no accord. Once, while accompanying Letan on a walk, Letan rested his staff on his shoulder, let out a long sigh, and said, 'Do you understand?' Min was about to reply when Letan struck him. After a short while, Letan picked up a blade of grass, showed it to him, and said, 'What is this?' Min was also about to reply when Letan shouted. Thereupon, his mental dynamic turned, and he was suddenly awakened to the profound purport. He then made the gesture of holding up a flower and said, 'This time you cannot deceive Elder Min!' Letan said, 'Speak at once!' Min said, 'Clouds rise on the South Mountain; rain falls on the North Mountain.' He then made three prostrations. Letan nodded and gave his seal of approval. Later, he opened the Dharma at Guanxi, and then moved to Yuantong, matching Daoji's prediction. Students came like rivers rushing to the sea. The imperial court heard of his Way, and the prime ministers jointly requested that he be bestowed the imperial robe, granted him the title Yuanji, and treated him with great esteem. Thereupon, near and far admired his transforming influence, and young and old alike were bathed in the moisture of his Dharma. His end is not known in detail.