大明高僧傳 5.26

5.26

Shi Shigui was styled Zhu'an. He was a native of the Shi family of Chengdu. He initially relied on the Venerable Zongya of Daci to leave home, his mind enchanted by the *Śūraṅgama-sūtra*. Later he traveled south to visit various venerable elders, first calling upon Chan Master Yuan of Longmen. He reported to Yuan what he had understood in ordinary times. Yuan said, 'Your conceptual understanding is already at its peak, but you only lack exerting effort to open your eyes.' One day, as he stood in attendance, he asked, 'What is it like when opposites are absolute?' Yuan said, 'It is just like when you strike the mallet in the monks' hall.' Gui was at a loss. In the evening, Yuan arrived at the hall master's office. Gui raised his previous question again. Yuan said, 'Idle words.' Gui had a great awakening at these words. At the end of the Zhenghe reign, he resided at Tianning in Hezhou. In the Shaoxing reign, he received an imperial decree to open the mountain at Nengren on Mount Yandang. At that time, Master Zhenxie Liao resided at Jiangxin; fearing that Gui's conditions were not yet ripe, he welcomed him to the abbot's quarters and spread his mat with nine full prostrations to win over the people of Wenzhou. From this, all people gathered together to take refuge in and revere him. He ascended the hall and said: 'Clearly there is no awakening; where there is a dharma, there is delusion. You people cannot stand here, nor can you abide here. If you stand, you are in danger; if you abide, you are blind. You must simply let thought not stop in the mysterious, phrases not stop in thought, and function not stop in potential. Once these three are understood, everywhere there is no need to guard and maintain—it naturally appears before you; there is no need to watch over it—it is naturally distinct and clear. Even though it is like this, you still must know that there is that which goes beyond.' Raising the fly-whisk, he said, 'Long rain without clearing—bah!' On the eighteenth day of the seventh month of the bingyin year, he summoned Elder Zongfan to entrust his post-mortem affairs. The next day, he bathed, tolled the bell to assemble the crowd, took his seat, and passed away peacefully. Upon jhāpita, all those who saw him off obtained śarīra. A stūpa was erected on Mount Gu.