大明高僧傳 8.37

8.37

Śramaṇa Shi Defu was a son of the Xie family of Yixian in Baoding. At the age of seven, he earnestly sought to leave household life. Moved by an auspicious dream, his parents renounced him to enter Xingsheng Temple. Relying on the preceptor Zhenkong, he shaved his hair and received full ordination. He diligently investigated the Great Dharma. One day, while engaged in walking meditation, he suddenly had a great awakening. From then on, his renown spread through the monasteries. At the beginning of the Huangqing era of the Song [recte Yuan], the preceptor Wanshan Shou received an imperial decree to broadly sponsor a Water and Land retreat assembly, and invited the master to open the hall and preach the Dharma. The seven assemblies gathered in full. Just as the master ascended the seat and uttered a verse, a great, bright light suddenly radiated from his seat, illuminating the sky everywhere and manifesting various auspicious signs. Only after a long while did it fade. When this was reported to the imperial court, he was bestowed the title Master of Comprehensive Eloquence (Tongbian Dashi) together with a golden saṅghāṭī robe. Later, when he manifested extinction, a white light emerged from the crown of his head, shining far and wide in all four directions. After the jhāpita, several tens of śarīra were obtained, and a stūpa was built.