神僧傳 3.6

3.6

Shi Tandi's surname was Kang. His ancestors were people of the kingdom of Kangju. During the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han dynasty, they moved and affiliated themselves with China. Amid the turmoil at the end of the reign of Emperor Xian, they moved and settled in Wuxing. Di's father, Rong, once served as the attendant officer (biejia) of Jizhou. His mother, Lady Huang, was taking a midday nap and dreamt she saw a monk calling her mother. He left with her a chowry and two openwork iron paperweights. When she awoke, she found both objects fully present. Thereupon she became pregnant and gave birth to Di. When Di was five years old, his mother showed him the chowry and the other item. Di said, "They were a gift from the King of Qin." His mother asked, "Where did you put them?" He answered that he did not remember. When he reached ten years of age, he renounced household life. In study, he did not follow a master; his enlightenment arose naturally from heaven. Later he followed his father to Fan and Deng, where he happened to meet the monk Master Lue from Guanzhong. He suddenly called Lue by name. Lue said, "Why does a child call a senior elder by his name?" Di said, "Just now I spoke unawares. Your Reverence was Di's śrāmaṇera, who gathered vegetables for the community of monks and was injured by a wild boar. Involuntarily the words slipped out." Lue had once been a disciple of Dharma Master Hongjue, and while gathering vegetables for the monks had indeed been injured by a wild boar. At first Lue did not recall, so he went to Di's father. Di's father recounted the matter from beginning to end and showed him the paperweights, chowry, and other items. Lue then realized, wept, and said, "You are indeed my late master, Dharma Master Hongjue! The master once lectured on the Lotus Sūtra for Yao Chang, and this poor monk served as the chief respondent (dujiang). Yao Chang presented the master with two items, and now they are here!" Calculating back to when Hongjue relinquished his life, it was precisely the day the items were left. Recalling as well the incident of gathering vegetables, his sorrow and veneration grew all the deeper. By nature he loved forests and springs. Later he returned to Wuxing and entered Mount Kun in Guzhang, living in leisure and drinking from mountain torrents for more than twenty years. At the end of the Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty, he passed away in the mountains at the age of over sixty.