大明高僧傳 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

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Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Ruxing of Ciyun Chan Monastery on Mount Tiantai under the Imperial Ming

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Explicators of Meaning, Section 2, Part 2 (13 main biographies, 9 appended mentions)

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Biography 1: The Śramaṇa Shi Rongzhao of Yanqing Monastery in Songjiang

Shi Rongzhao, courtesy name Huiguang, belonged to a family of Nanming in Yue. In his early years, he received instruction at Huazang. He set his mind on cultivating and studying the Tiantai doctrine and contemplation at Mount Anguo in Taizhou and at Tianzhu in Hangzhou. Later, he followed Master Yuansou Zhan, residing at Yanqing Monastery in Huating. He exerted himself vigorously in the doctrinal vehicles and diligently cultivated dhyāna-concentration, burning oil to prolong the daylight, unceasing day and night. Thus his learning was achieved through sheer resolve; he was an exemplar in the monasteries, and his rank rose above the assembly. For forty years his renown reached the capital. An imperial decree praised him and conferred upon him a master's title. Every year on New Year's Day, he led the assembly in cultivating the Golden Light Repentance to pray for blessings for the sovereign. Outside of expounding the Dharma, he devoted his efforts to repentance rituals, sweeping away dust and obscurations for all sentient beings and guiding them into roots of virtue. As he grew old, he became even more diligent. There were three people who obtained his Dharma: Jujian, Zongju, and Zongquan, all of whom were dragons and elephants of the Dharma gate.

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Biography 2: The Śramaṇa Shi Hongji of Pufu Monastery in Hangzhou (Shuntian Man)

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Shi Hongji, courtesy name Tongzhou, with the alternative style Tian'an, was a native of Yuyao in Yue. His surname was Yao. Orphaned in his youth, he left home under Master Shuntian Man at Baoji Monastery in his home village. As a child with his hair in tufts, his intelligence and talent were unmatched; when Man taught him the Lotus Sūtra, he could immediately recite it. At the age of sixteen, he became a fully ordained monk. Every day he held to the Fourfold Vinaya, not daring to overstep the guidelines even in his stride. Soon he sighed, saying, 'The precepts must certainly not be neglected, yet can one postpone the rigorous investigation of the doctrinal vehicle to aid one's practice and understanding?' Thereupon, he went to Yin to rely on Master Banshan Quan and study the Tiantai teachings. After a long time, he was thoroughly versed in its tenets. He once cultivated the Lotus, Golden Light, Pure Land, and other repentances. One day, while in samādhi, he seemed to behold the Venerable One of Siming, who handed him a rhinoceros-horn ruyi sceptre. From that time on, his debates overflowed daily like a hanging river or a surging spring, completely without hindrance. In the first year of the Taiding era of the Yuan, he went forth into the world to reside at Wanshou Yuanjue. The following year, the seawall at Yanguan collapsed, and the residents lived in fear day and night, dreading that it would become a home for fish and turtles. Tuohuan, the grand councilor of the Yuan, was deeply worried about it. He prayed to the Great Being Guanyin at Upper Zhú and ordered Hongji to establish a great Water and Land retreat along the coast and enter the samādhi of benevolence. Taking sea sand, he recited the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī and led the assembly in scattering it throughout the place. Wherever their footsteps reached, the embankment became solid again. People called it miraculous. In the Tianli era, he was transferred to the two monasteries of Jiqing and Xianci. Meeting with a lean year of famine, he retired to live in separate quarters. People from Suzhou invited him to build and revive Dade Wanshou Monastery; after six winters and summers, the monastery was completed. In the fifth year of the Zhizheng era, the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs invited him to take charge of Yuantong [Monastery] in Kuaiji. He stayed there for four years and then returned to Baoji to cultivate the mindfulness-of-the-Buddha samādhi exclusively. In the seventh year, as Hongji was at an advanced age of eighty, the Yuan sovereign issued a decree ordering him to preside over Pufu [Monastery] in Hangzhou. Hongji stayed firmly in bed and did not rise. His disciple Fahang and others came forward and said, 'For the master yourself, it is good to refuse; but what about this Way?' Having no choice, Hongji forced himself to rise, accept the decree, and go there. Before long, he brushed off his sleeves and returned to his former secluded retreat, opening the Pavilion of the Clear Mirror to live in seclusion. Seeing that the various commentaries on the Śūraṅgama-sūtra were unbalanced in verbosity and brevity, he wished to reconcile their interpretations and compose an exegesis for it. Suddenly, he fell ill. He immediately summoned his disciples and earnestly exhorted them with the tenet of the Mind-Only Pure Land. When some among them failed to understand his meaning, Hongji said in a stern voice, 'Birth and death are difficult matters! Birth and death are difficult matters!' He then wrote a gāthā and passed away. It was the tenth day of the third month in the sixteenth year of the Zhizheng era. He had lived eighty-six years and completed seventy-one summer retreats. After seven days, his countenance looked as if he were still alive. The assembly buried him in a ceramic vessel at Songhua Cove on Mount Emei in his home village, which was also the spot chosen by Hongji himself. Disciples who inherited his Dharma were Daochen of Upper Zhú, Jingchen of Yongxi, Yunzhong of Puguang, Youchuan of Yuantong, and Mingjing of Tiangong, five people in all. His writings include Several Fascicles of Correct Record of the Fourfold Teachings and The Outer Collection of Tian'an, which circulate in the world.

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The appraisal says: Jí surpassed others immensely in three matters. First, once inner and outer writings and histories passed before his eyes, he never forgot them for the rest of his life. Second, there was a monk of Qocho named Prajñāśrī, whose learning spanned both Chinese and Sanskrit, peerless in his generation; he asked Jí to translate the Lesser Concentration and Contemplation into the Qocho language, whereupon its literary brilliance suddenly shone forth, leaving Prajñāśrī deeply abashed and overwhelmed. Third, he made the propagation of the teaching his lifelong responsibility; he lectured on the Lotus Sūtra a hundred and ten times in all, moving heaven repeatedly to rain down precious blossoms in profusion. Alas, someone may count it an achievement to have no regrets in just one thing in life; Jí possessed all three. Truly, he may be called an udumbara of the world!

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Biography 3: Śramaṇa Shi Benwu of Yanqing Temple in Siming

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Shi Benwu was styled Wo'an, a native of Huangyan in Taizhou. In his youth, he followed Chan Master Bao of Fangshan at Ruiyan to tonsure his hair, and later received full ordination. Next, he relied on Chan Master Jizhao at Central Tianzhu, who ordered him to take charge of correspondence and documents. Jizhao deeply applied the needle and gouge [of instruction] to him at every turn, bringing him to awakening. Later, his maternal uncle, who originally practiced the Tiantai teaching, urged him to change his robes [and study the doctrinal school]. He met Zhandang Cheng at Yanfu and meticulously investigated the doctrinal canon. Jizhao regretted his departure and sent him a verse saying: / 'From the teachings into Chan has existed in past and present; / From Chan into the teachings has never been in past or present. / Though the gates of the one mind and the three contemplations are distinct, / When waters fill a thousand rivers, the moon remains solitary.' / When the Master later appeared in the world, having already become the dharma heir of Venerable Cheng, he still burned incense to repay Jizhao. For he did not divide his heart simply because their outward paths differed. When Jizhao was about to enter extinction, the Master was then abbot of Yanqing; Jizhao left him a testament enjoining him to strive to propagate the two traditions of Dasu and Shaolin, saying nothing else. When the Master made offerings to Jizhao, he raised incense and said: / 'Miaoxi's five transmissions are the most incandescent; / Jizhao in his generation was the gate of sweet dew. / Merely brushing against it splits liver and gall; / Ice and snow suddenly turn to the warmth of spring. / When I recall the day my nostrils were struck away, / What breath from then still survives today? / The heavenly wind blows from the north as the year draws to a close; / In a flash of lightning, what trace in the void can be found?' / In his later years, the Master relocated to Upper Tianzhu in Hangzhou, remaining there the longest. One day, without illness, he sat upright and cast off the body in Baiyun Hall. He was given the posthumous title Great Master Fohu Xuanjue Xianci Kuangdao.

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Biography 4: Śramaṇa Shi Xingke of Folong Xiuchan Temple on Mount Tiantai

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Shi Xingke was styled Yixing. He broadly synthesised the Tiantai tradition and meticulously cultivated concentration and contemplation. His practice was steadfast and his awakening to the principle was all-pervading. One evening, hearing the rain, he composed a verse: / 'Before the eaves, dripping drop by drop, distinct and clear; / In their delusion, sentient beings call it sound. / For years, I too have mostly chased after things; / On a spring night, with a single pillow, dreams are hard to form.' / His final end is unknown.

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Biography 5: Śramaṇa Shi Wencai of Youguo Temple on Mount Wutai (Karaspa)

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Shi Wencai was styled Zhonghua, a son of the Yang clan of Qingshui. His ancestors were from Hongnong and had served as officials on the western border for generations; his father, Jingyi, was an assistant magistrate in Qingshui, and so settled his family there. The Master was orphaned young. He served his mother with utmost filial piety. By nature, he was agile and possessed innate wisdom; in ancient and modern classics and histories, there was nothing he did not investigate thoroughly. He was especially profound in the study of principle (lixue), fond of antiquity, and skilled at chanting poetry. Yet his innate disposition was so earnest and simple that he seemed to know nothing; but whenever he discussed matters with guests, he was like the Milky Way whose shores cannot be fathomed. After receiving full ordination, he wandered through lecture halls everywhere, mastering the teachings of Xianshou completely. He often said: 'In learning, the value lies in penetrating the tradition; in speech, one must meet the meaning. If one uses intention to anticipate the aim, one will grasp it. Mere words and letters are just dregs. How could they open the wisdom eye of people?' At first, he secluded himself in Chengji, building a hut and planting pines, intending to end his days there; hence people called him 'the Pine Hall Monk.' Emperor Shizu of the Yuan issued a special edict appointing him abbot of Baima Temple in Luoyang. Scholars converged like streaming rivers and gathering seas; his reputation spread day by day. Emperor Chengzong built Wansheng Temple on Mount Wutai and sought by decree a founding first-generation abbot. At that time, the Imperial Preceptor Karaspa recommended him. Chengzong immediately cast a gold seal appointing him State Preceptor Zhenjue, supervising the Shiyuan tradition as well as the abbacy of Youguo. The Imperial Preceptor brought the edict to summon the Master. The Master declined: 'This mountain monk has received the national grace to dwell at Baima Temple, which is already too much. What virtue do I have that I should dare to oversee Youguo? To exceed one's station in dwelling brings misfortune; to act without reflection lacks clarity. I am beset by these two troubles; please decline on my behalf.' The Imperial Preceptor replied: 'This is the sovereign's command. His Majesty's heart toward this temple is earnest and extreme. Who else but you, Master, could do it? This concerns the affairs of the Dharma gate; please manage it well.' Thereupon, having no alternative, he departed. After receiving the appointment, he broadly propagated the way of Qingliang, never tiring even in old age. On the first day of the ninth month in the ren-yin year, the sixth year of Dade [1302], he manifested slight illness. He then expounded the Dharma, took leave of the assembly, sat upright, and entered quiescence. His age was sixty-two. He was jhāpita, yielding several hundred śarīra, which were enshrined in a stūpa at the foot of the Eastern Peak. His dharma heirs included Hongjiao of Puning and Huantang of Pu'an.

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Biography 6: Śramaṇa Shi Yingbian of Jingfu Temple in Qinzhou (Bailin Tan)

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Shi Yingbian was styled Pujue, surnamed Zhao in secular life. As a youth with hair hanging down, he became a crow-chasing novice. Upon reaching adulthood, he received full ordination. At the age of twenty-five, he obtained transmission in the teachings of Dharma Master Tan of Bailin. In less than three years, he appeared in the world at Jingfu Temple in Qinzhou. His teaching shook greatly and his fame galloped in all four directions. He vanquished divergent views and raised the banner of the true Dharma. Bian's natural disposition was pure and genuine, like an uncarved jade containing a gem; unadorned by carving and painting, people loved and respected him. Even fierce soldiers and warriors were able to revere him as a Buddha in an age without a Buddha. Whenever he received patronage or offerings, he used them entirely to build monasteries, provide food for the saṅgha, and give alms to the poor. Yuan Emperor Shizu heard of his lofty conduct and issued an edict honouring him. On the geng-xu day of the sixth month in the first year of Yanyou [1314], without illness, he took leave of the assembly and sat in quiescence. Marvellous portents shone forth on the eve of his changing the mat [of death], and extraordinary traces were manifested after the cremation. A stūpa was built behind Pujue Temple. He lived sixty-eight years, with sixty-one years of dharma age.

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Biography 7: Śramaṇa Shi Deqian of Chong'en Temple in the Capital

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Shi Deqian was styled Fuyuan, surnamed Yang, a native of Dingping in Ningzhou. As a boy, he was a novice and was fond of chanting Buddhist scriptures. When he grew slightly older, he traveled through Qin, Luo, Bian, and Ru, crossing north of the Yellow River to the lands of Qi, Wei, Yan, and Zhao to visit and consult former virtuous masters. First, he received the Prajñā from Master Ning of Binzhou; studied the Ruijing from Master Zhong of Yuanzhou; received the Youzan from Master Xian of Haozhi; learned the Awakening of Pure Faith from Master Yi of Qianling; investigated treatises such as the Vijñaptimātra and the Abhidharmakośa under Master Ke of Shanzhou; and heard the Śūraṅgama and the commentary on the Four-Part Vinaya from Master Wen of Yangxia. In all, six sūtras, four treatises, and one vinaya—with their vast expressions and profound purports—plumbed the depths of the Tripiṭaka. And these masters were all renowned far and wide for their knowledge of the Dharma and understanding of the doctrine; Qian directly absorbed their influence and unfailingly attained their way. Later, he arrived at the Capital and received the Avataṃsaka from the Altar Master of Wan'an, the Grand Minister of Education. First, an edict ordered him to dwell at Wanning Temple; he then moved to Chong'en, for a total of twelve years. His virtue and conduct were appreciated in the emperor's heart, and his fame spread overseas, yet he never altered his resolve because of honour or patronage. He often said: 'A man in patchwork robes stands above the worldly realm. If one has no shame regarding hearing the Way in the morning and dying in the evening, what else is there to long for?' Considering that he had long occupied a great monastery and had long enjoyed imperial grace, he regarded only tranquil retirement as noble. He thus yielded the master's seat to his disciples, dwelling himself in seclusion, cutting off worldly affairs, and keeping to himself in a single room, so as to brighten what is bright and delight in what brings joy—living in the world while leaving the world behind. On the twenty-sixth day of the first month in the fourth year of Yanyou of the Yuan [1317], he manifested quiescence. The Emperor bestowed fifty strings of cash for the funeral expenses and ordered the authorities to provide a ceremonial escort with banners, pennants, and music to see him off to the cremation. Several dozen śarīra were retrieved, and a stūpa was erected in the southern corner of the city. His worldly age was fifty-one; his dharma age was forty-three.

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Biography 8: Śramaṇa Shi Dayiba of Qingshou Temple in the Capital (Chos kyi)

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It is not known what country Śramaṇa Shi Dayiba came from. As a young bhikṣu, he served the Imperial Preceptor. For thirteen years, he attended him and listened to his discourses; through long cultivation and influence, he blossomed into a fine vessel. In all the vinaya, treatises, and esoteric tantras of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, he grasped the ultimate principle to which they lead. When the Imperial Preceptor returned to the West, Dayiba escorted him to Lintao, where he was instructed to rely on the Mahāsattva Chos kyi. For nineteen years, he heard what he had never heard before, and his cultivation grew ever more refined. The people of Qin invited him to reside at Gufu Temple. There was none of the six pāramitās that he did not cultivate, and he was also well-versed in the teachings of Xianshou. Thereupon, his reputation spread in all directions, and his way was revered across three imperial reigns. When Yuan Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, he summoned him to inquire into the essentials of the Dharma; his answers suited the imperial intent, and though the bestowals were lavish, he declined and would not accept them. Before long, he begged to return, which was granted, intending to spend his remaining days as he wished. Soon afterward, he was summoned back to the capital to broadly propagate the Dharma transformation. The Emperor attended in person to listen, specially bestowing upon him the title Tripiṭaka Master of Vast Dharma and Universal Deliverance, and ordered that a gold seal and a purple square robe be cast and made to honour him. Princes, dukes, and high ministers were decreed to consult him on essential questions of the mind. On the sixteenth day of the eighth month in the fifth year of Yanyou [1318], without illness, he sat upright and underwent transformation. His age was seventy-three. The Emperor ordered both palaces to bestow textiles to assist the burial; the Crown Prince and chief ministers offered sacrifices; and the authorities were commanded to escort his whole body to be entombed in a stūpa. He was posthumously named State Preceptor Yousheng.

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Biography 9: Śramaṇa Shi Miaowen of Baoji Temple in the Capital (Dade Ming)

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Shi Miaowen was a son of the Sun clan of Yuzhou. He left home at age nine and received full ordination at eighteen. Thereafter, he traveled to study throughout the regions of Yun, Shuo, Yan, and Zhao. At twenty-one, he reached the Capital, relying on Venerable Dade Ming to study the perfect and sudden teaching. He then submerged himself among the assembly for eleven years. The assembly requested him to appear in the world; only then did he don the red robe and ascend the lion throne, displaying unhindered eloquence like an overflowing gorge or rushing river. Yet in his leisure, he was concise and quiet, never uttering rash words. His cultivation was modest and restrained, devoid of haste or impetuous advance; he was largely of this manner. At forty-eight, he resided at Yunquan in Ji, where he was diligent, frugal, and economical with resources. The elderly cherished his virtue, and the young respected his teachings; therefore, the assembly was harmonious and the monastery well-ordered. The granaries had surplus grain to relieve the starving, and the people of Ji praised him. Emperor Shizu granted him an audience and turned to his attendants, saying: 'This is a monk of blessed virtue,' and decreed that he reside at Baoji. From then on, the doctrinal seats grew even more prosperous; nature and characteristics were pursued side by side, delivering both monastics and laity. At that time, lecture halls across the country were confused and divided, rigidly clinging to nominal characteristics and stagnating in different paths; Wen alone broadly propagated the Vaipulya teachings and revived the perfect tradition, enabling those who clung stubbornly to conventional views to become thoroughly harmonised beyond quietude and silence. Dragon-elephants trampled forward, competing to ride the One Vehicle. Past the age of eighty, he devoted himself to cultivating the mindfulness-of-Buddha samādhi. In the sixth year of Yanyou [1319], knowing the time in advance, he admonished his disciples, chanted Amitābha Buddha's name in a loud voice, sat cross-legged facing west, formed the samādhi seal with his hands, and peacefully shed the physical form. A stūpa was erected outside Pingze Gate.

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Biography 10: Śramaṇa Shi Liaoxing of Puning Temple on Mount Wutai

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The monk whose taboo name was Liaoxing and style name was Dalin was a son of the Wu family. He was a descendant of Duke Wu of Song, who had taken his posthumous title as his surname. From his youth he was fond of learning, gifted by heaven with intelligence and discernment. Initially, relying on the preceptor An, he shaved his hair and received the full precepts. He attended various lecture assemblies and thoroughly investigated the Tripiṭaka. Later, he met National Preceptor Zhenjue, who enlightened his mind. Thereafter, he traveled throughout Guanzhong, Shaanxi, the Yellow River, the Luo, Xiang, and Han regions, visiting various senior men of virtue to learn from them. Worthies such as Bailin Tan, Guanfu Huai, and Nanyang Ci were all famed in their day for their scholarship in the Xianshou school. Xing went to all their gates and grasped their profound principles. Upon his return, he again paid homage to Zhenjue in the Longdi region and said: 'The guiding compass of the Buddhadharma is right here!' He then followed Zhenjue to Mount Wutai. Before long, Zhenjue passed away. He then traveled north to the Yan and Ji regions, hiding his traces beneath the imperial palace gates, roaming freely over rivers and seas, as if mutually forgetting the world. Emperor Chengzong summoned him to reside at Wanning Monastery, and his renown shook both the court and the outside world. During the Zhida reign period, the Empress Dowager founded a monastery on Mount Wutai named Puning, and invited him to dwell there as its first-generation abbot. As a person, the master was resolute and had great moral courage; he could not stoop to flatter and please others. Therefore, his footsteps never entered city walls, and he never visited the powerful and noble. Some people harbored jealousy towards him. Hearing of this, Xing once said: 'I was originally a mere bhikṣu, yet I received the Son of Heaven's favor to occupy a great monastery. I strive morning and night to propagate the Dharma without slackening, having no spare time except to repay the state's benevolence. What else could I seek? Though there be slanderous words like those of Zang Cang ruining Mengzi, are they not merely like green flies settling on a thorn hedge? If it is my lot not to meet with favor and for the Way not to be practiced, I will simply pull on my sandals and depart. Where could I not go?' At that time, because the Yuan dynasty honored and favored western monks, their disciples were extremely numerous. When going out and coming in, their mounted retinues rivaled those of princes and dukes. Some wore red wool and tall hats, haughty and arrogant. Among the famous and virtuous masters of the realm, there was none who did not pay them respect, lifting their robes and touching their feet, begging for their hands to touch their foreheads and pat their crowns, calling it 'receptive embrace'. The master merely gave a deep bow with clasped hands. Looking at the assembly, he said: 'Would I dare to be disrespectful to others? But I have heard that a noble person loves others with propriety. How could one compromise one's integrity and court lowliness and disgrace? If one compromises for them, it is either flattery or deceit. I act on behalf of the Way; what would I seek from them?' Those of discernment esteemed his righteous conduct. On the third day of the ninth month in the first year of the Zhizhi reign period, he manifested quiescence. A stupa was erected for him in the ruins of Zhulin. He was posthumously named Hongjiao ('Propagator of the Teachings').

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Biography of the Śramaṇa Shi Baoyan of Pu'an Monastery on Mount Yu, Eleven (accompanied by Dalin Xing)

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Shi Baoyan, whose courtesy name was Shiwei, had the style name Huantang. He was the youngest son of the Kang family of Chengji. Having suffered from war and disorder, he and his younger brother both shaved their hair and became monks. Later, he called upon Zhenjue, received the transmission of the Xianshou school's essential teachings, and succeeded to his Way. As a person, he was pure, simple, and unpretentious; the state of his heart was as clear as still water. When Zhenjue sat at the bodhimaṇḍa on three occasions, Yan and his younger brother both accompanied and assisted him. When Zhenjue entered extinction, he succeeded to his seat. Before long, he received an imperial decree to dwell at the two monasteries of Pu'an and Youguo for the longest duration. Together with the venerable Dalin Xing, internally and externally, they greatly propagated the teachings of Qingliang. In the seventh month of the second year of the Zhizhi reign period, he entered quiescence. His worldly age was fifty-one. A stupa was built at the entrance to Fenggu.

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Biography of the Śramaṇa Shi Zhide of Tianxi Monastery in Jinling, Twelve (accompanied by Haiwen, Fazhaoxi)

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Shi Zhide had the style name Yunyan. He was a son of the Liu family of Dongchang in Shandong. At twelve, he received the scriptures under the preceptor Haiwen at Kaiyuan Monastery in Shunde. Hearing that Dharma Master Fazhaoxi of Zhending was greatly propagating the Ci'en school at Longxing Monastery, he directly went to study with him and completely mastered its profound depths. In the twenty-fifth year of the Zhiyuan reign period, an edict ordered the various circuits of Jiang-Huai to establish thirty-six imperial lecture seats, striving to find those whose lineage was correct and whose practice was cultivated to share the abbacy over them. De was selected; Emperor Shizu granted him an audience, bestowed a banquet together with a purple square robe, and ordered him to preside over the two monasteries of Tianxi and Jingzhong. Daily he lectured on commentaries to the Lotus Sūtra, Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Diamond Sūtra, Vijñaptimātra, and others for thirty-one years. He was specially granted the title Master of Buddha-Light. Whenever he conferred the precepts upon the seven assemblies, he invariably required parents and siblings to instruct one another not to violate them. They even went so far as burning incense [scars] on their crowns and fingers as lifelong vows. After residing there for a long time, he gave away all his robes and bowls to renovate its halls, corridors, and multi-storied pavilions. During lean years, he cooked gruel to feed tens of thousands of starving people. The popular customs of Jiankang favored strong liquor and fond relations with government officials; De alone restrained himself with the vinaya. His disciples were cautious and proper in going out and dwelling. If someone mistakenly used communal property, a single mistake was penalized by a hundredfold; those who intentionally violated it were expelled. Dwelling at Tianxi for more than thirty years, he did not change his single patched robe and single pair of sandals for his entire life. He did not eat past noon, and at night sat upright until dawn. From the hardship of chanting, he lost his sight. Suddenly, he dreamed of an Indian monk welcoming him to dwell on a high seat in the Inner Court, while flowers fell from the sky like rain. He then manifested a slight illness. On the seventh day of the second month in the second year of the Zhizhi reign period, he still recited scriptures without ceasing. Shortly after, taking leave of the assembly, he sat peacefully and transformed. His worldly age was eighty-eight. The shrine was kept for twenty-one days, his facial features remaining as ruddy and moist as when alive. At the jhāpita, the relics were countless. Several tens of thousands attended. A stupa was erected at Mount Zhangjia in Jiangning. Academician Zhao Mengfu composed the inscription.

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Biography of the Śramaṇa Shi Puxi of Puzhao Monastery in Zhenjiang, Thirteen (accompanied by Wunian Duan)

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Shi Puxi had the style name Jixiang. He was a native of Shandong. He was tall in stature, with a dark complexion, and was so lean and emaciated as to resemble an Indian monk. In his early years, he earnestly pleaded with his parents to allow him to leave household life. His parents reproached him, saying that having no descendants was the greatest [filial failure]. Consequently, he married and raised two sons, after which he was finally able to become a śramaṇa. He thoroughly investigated the Ci'en Characteristics school, studying treatises such as the Vijñaptimātra, Yogācārabhūmi, and Hetuvidyā. In the twenty-fifth year of the Zhiyuan reign period of the Yuan, Emperor Setsen (Kublai) founded imperial lecture seats in Jiang-Huai. Puzhao was one of them. An edict ordered the master to preside over it. Beyond ascending the seat, he daily chanted the Great Avataṃsaka Sūtra, taking ten fascicles as his daily practice. He was consistently on good terms with Duan Wunian of Yunnan. Duan was a giant leader of Vijñaptimātra; none in the world surpassed him. Whenever he debated principles with the master, if Duan made a slight slip, the master corrected him with upright words; Duan also genuinely submitted and praised him. When he entered extinction and underwent jhāpita, the relics were very abundant. His disciples kept his holy bones and stored them in a lacquered box, enshrining them for more than twenty years before first constructing a stupa at Mount Yu in Dantu. When it was time to place them into the stupa, they opened it to inspect them, and saw only relics clinging to the box and wrapping cloth like swarming bees and gathering ants; when touched, they sparkled brilliantly. Many among the people of Zhenjiang had portraits of him, worshipping him everywhere and calling him 'Jixiang Buddha'.

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Biographies of Eminent Monks of the Great Ming, Fascicle Two

Linked texts (1)

大明高僧傳 — Classical Chinese