神僧傳 7.8

7.8

釋秀。俗姓李氏。汴州陳留人。習禪精苦。初至荊州後移洛都天宮寺。深為武太后所敬禮。玄鑒默識中若符契。長安中入京住資聖寺。忽戒禪院弟子滅燈燭。弟子留長明燈亦令滅之。因說火災難測不可不備。嘗有寺家不備火燭。佛殿被災。又有一寺鐘樓遭火。又一寺經藏焚爇。殊可痛惜。寺眾不知其意。至夜失火果焚佛殿鐘樓及經藏三所。唐玄宗在藩時。嘗與諸王俱詣作禮。留施一笛。玄宗出後。秀召弟子曰謹掌此。後有要時當獻上也。及玄宗登極達摩等方悟其言。取笛以進。秀師年百歲卒於此寺。瘞於龍門山。道俗奔赴數千人。燕國公張說為其碑文。

Śramaṇa Xiu: his secular surname was Li, and he was a native of Chenliu in Bian Prefecture. He practiced meditation with intense austerity. At first he reached Jing Prefecture, and later moved to Tiangong Monastery in the eastern capital Luoyang. He was deeply revered by Empress Dowager Wu; their mysterious insight and silent comprehension tallied as if they were matching tallies. During the Chang'an reign-period, he entered the capital and resided at Zisheng Monastery. He suddenly admonished the disciples in the meditation hall to extinguish their oil lamps and candles; when the disciples kept the perpetual lamps, he ordered them extinguished as well. He then remarked that fire disasters are unpredictable and one cannot fail to be prepared, stating that there was once a monastery that was not prepared for fire and candles, and its Buddha hall suffered disaster; another monastery's bell tower caught fire; and another monastery's scripture repository was burned, which was truly lamentable. The monastery assembly did not comprehend his meaning. When night came, a fire broke out accidentally, and it indeed burned down three locations: the Buddha hall, the bell tower, and the scripture repository. While Emperor Xuanzong was still an imperial prince in his fief, he once went with several princes to pay homage, leaving a flute as an offering. After Xuanzong left, Xiu summoned his disciples and said, 'Guard this carefully; when there is a need in the future, you should present it to him.' When Xuanzong ascended the throne, Damo and the others finally realized his meaning, took the flute, and presented it. Master Xiu reached one hundred years of age and died at this monastery; he was interred on Mount Longmen. Monastics and laypeople rushed to attend by the thousands. Zhang Yue, the Duke of Yan, composed the inscription for his stele.