神僧傳 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

Shi Puming, originally named Fajing, was of the secular surname Zhu and a native of Kuaiji. From childhood his intentions and conduct were unusual. A monk begging for alms gave him counsel, saying: 'Since you have a good nature, young man, you may go to Mount Tiantai and renounce household life. There is a first-ground bodhisattva there who expounds the Dharma.' Thereupon, in the fourteenth year of the Taijian reign-period of the Chen dynasty, he crossed mountains and traversed streams to enter Mount Tiantai, arriving just as Master Zhiyi was seated expounding the Dharma. Zhiyi smiled and said: 'Through the power of past vows, we meet today.' He followed Zhiyi to Yuquan Monastery in Jingzhou, where he constantly underwent ascetic practices and focused his thoughts beside the spring. When Zhiyi returned to Mount Tiantai, he ordered him to cast a great bell to offer at Tiantai. Clergy and laity in Jiangling competed to help construct it. When it was about to be cast, a blind man came to watch. Ming possessed the clairvoyance to recognize impending conditions; knowing this was an inauspicious sign, it proved to be so: when the mold was opened, the bell was cracked and defective. Later, he returned to Guoqing Monastery, where the cell he inhabited was far removed from water, and the open ground before the room consisted entirely of coarse stones. He thought to himself: 'If water could be made to emerge from these stones, how delightful it would be!' No sooner had he spoken than after a few days a spring trickled forth from within the stones, fully supplying both east and west. The Guoqing vihāra had been established by Emperor Gaozu of the Sui. Ming, considering the lecture hall too narrow, wished to demolish and expand it. He conferred with Chan Master Ding, but Ding urged him not to alter it. Zhou Xiaojie, the Area Commander of Kuozhou, heard of this from afar and immediately donated cedar pillars, sending them across the sea. When Ding faced Mount Chicheng, he was moved to see Ming's body over ten zhang tall, rising high above the pine forest, accompanied by several dozen attendants who said to Ding: 'Brother, do not stubbornly remonstrate; this vow must be accomplished.' Ding, recognizing his divine wonder, clasped his hands and answered: 'I dare not remonstrate any longer; I shall entirely comply with your benevolence.' On the day the hall was erected, it moved the mountain deities: in the early morning, a rumbling sound like thunder broke trees and bent branches across a width of about a hundred paces, descending all the way from Folong straight to the monastery; at sunset it returned along its former path, booming and crashing with the same force as when it first arrived. Furthermore, he vowed together with the clergy and laity to construct a hall and an image of golden bronze Vairocana, sixteen feet tall in seated posture. At that time, a person claiming to come from Caoxi Village donated eleven ounces of gold to be incorporated into the image's body. When asked his name, he persistently refused to say; he bowed, took leave, and departed. Throughout inquiries in that village, no one knew him. Moreover, the attendants in adjoining rooms constantly heard him conversing with someone inside his room; when they stealthily spied on him, they saw no other form. The voices they heard were solely urging the cultivation of good. When his converting conditions reached completion and his terminal illness arrived, he called his disciples in the early morning and said: 'A person's lifespan cannot be preserved forever; you all should know this.' He then took off his fresh, clean robes and put on old, tattered ones. As soon as he finished changing, he peacefully passed away.

5.3

Xuanguang

5.4

Shi Xuanguang was a native of Ungju in the land across the Eastern Sea. From youth he was sharp and perceptive. He went to Mount Heng to meet the Great Master Huisi. Later, when he brought his staff back to the south of the Yangtze River, he boarded a ship from his home country that was departing from the shore. At that time, multicolored clouds dazzled the eyes, and elegant music filled the sky. Crimson tallies and rainbow pennants appeared, and a voice called out in midair: 'The Heavenly Emperor summons Chan Master Xuanguang from the Eastern Sea.' Guang bowed with joined hands in deference, seeing only a green-clad attendant leading the way. Shortly thereafter, he entered a palace city, which was certainly no earthly government office; its guard array consisted entirely of scaled and shelled creatures mingled with ghosts and spirits. Someone said: 'Today the Heavenly Emperor has descended to the Dragon King's palace and requests the Master to preach the Dharma gate of personal realization. We denizens of the water realm have received the Master's benefit.' Having mounted the jeweled hall, he next ascended a high terrace; he spoke in response to questions for approximately seven days. Afterwards, the king in person bade him farewell. The ship had been drifting on the ocean without making progress; when Guang boarded the ship again, the ship's crew believed only half a day had elapsed. Guang returned to Mount Ong in Ungju, where he planted his staff and built a thatched hut, which became a Buddhist monastery. Thereafter, it is unknown where he went.

5.5

Mingda

5.6

Shi Mingda was of the Kang surname, his ancestors being people of the country of Kangju. He renounced household life as a child, strictly observing the fasting precepts; as he came of age to take the full precepts, his practice grew even more rigorous. His flanks never touched the mat, and he never ate twice a day. Outwardly he observed decorum and discipline; inwardly he cultivated the causes of the Way. Holding widespread salvation in his heart, traveling to teach was his pursuit. In the beginning of the Tianjian reign-period of the Liang dynasty, he arrived from the Western Rong in Yi Commandery. At that time, the barbarians of the Ba Gorges were marching brazenly and looting, and the provinces and commanderies levied soldiers, setting a date to exterminate them. Da pitied their impending suffering and, with the intention to rescue them, walked alone to the bandits and mounted their fortress. He comforted and guided them, but they had not yet embraced his counsel. Suddenly, wind and rain darkened the sky, and thunderclaps rattled and struck. The bandits were terrified and sorrowfully begged for mercy. Da then instructed them to prepare a thousand lamps and pray sincerely to the Three Jewels. Just as the preparations were completed, the dark haze cleared at once, mountain and wetland airs harmonized, and heaven and earth grew bright. In complete accord, they looked toward the state and all submitted to the royal transformation. Thus, the river paths were cleared and peaceful, with free transit back and forth. Later, while traveling, he encountered a person on the road tying up a pig on the ground. It spoke in a human voice, saying: 'May the high sage save me!' Da immediately untied his robe, ransomed it, and set it free. Once, in the middle of the night, he asked for water to wash his feet. His disciple did as instructed, but the mud would not come off. Washing again with hot water, it still remained as before. Da then poured water on them himself, and his feet became clean at once. Da said: 'This is fish grease.' None could fathom where it came from. When he reached Mount Niutou in Zizhou, he wished to erect a stūpa and a vihāra. Without inquiring about timber and stone, he sought only craftsmen. Both clergy and laity found his words strange. At that time, in the third month, the river dried up, and he went down to seek timber. There in the water, he obtained a long piece of wood, perfectly suitable for the central pillar of the stūpa; its length was precisely right, and all were delighted. They then hauled it up and erected it. In the fourth month, the Fu River flooded greatly, and drifting logs covered the river; they stopped at the village shore on their own, none drifting past. Da led clergy and laity to gather them all together, piling them up crosswise like mountains. They built halls and constructed a nine-story pagoda; people near and far united their strength to complete the construction at once, and the work was finished abruptly without exceeding the season. He personally wore the three robes, all of coarse cloth; when torn he would patch them, never changing them through winter or summer. Sometimes while in meditation seated on a rope chair, a fire would blaze up; when the assembly went to extinguish it, they only felt cool air. There was a śramaṇa named Sengjiu who had long suffered from crippled limbs and came to beg for healing. Da simply gave him a staff and ordered him to walk; before the shadow shifted, he was striding swiftly back. Furthermore, during the poṣadha, he always sat before the assembly. There was a thief who dug through the wall and carried off goods; once outside, he became confused about direction and returned to the monastery. Da then instructed and dismissed him. In the fifteenth year of the Tianjian reign-period, he accompanied the Prince of Shixing back to Jingzhou, and passed away in Jiangling in the twelfth month of winter.

5.7

Daoshun

5.8

Shi Daoshun—it is not known where he came from. He resided quietly among forests and springs, shielding the Way and living in seclusion. His speech was always smiling, and his discourse was lofty and pure. He once stayed at Mount Yangtou in Zezhou, the place where Shennong determined medicinal herbs, where he built a thatched hut. He kept no other stores, ate only one meal a day, and sat constantly all year round. He moved snakes and mice to live together beneath his rope chair, each bearing and nurturing their young without harming or disturbing each other. Tigers also came to crouch beside him, and he would preach the Dharma to them. When someone came to stay, he would tell the tiger to leave, or say to it: 'People will come tomorrow; you need not come.' Exactly as Shun said, the tiger would not appear. The attendant lived together with the tigers, treating them as familiarly as domestic dogs without ever fearing them. Shun wore tattered rags, virtually without worth, and walked barefoot through forests and wilderness regardless of morning or evening. In the beginning of the Kaihuang reign-period, he suddenly visited settlements to preach the Dharma and convert the villagers; they all gathered in great numbers to receive the teachings. Only to one woman did he refuse to confer the precepts, telling her: 'You are destined to be reborn among cattle, and the sign has already appeared. The precepts cannot save you; only if your karma were indeterminate could I rescue you.' At the time, some disbelieved his words, considering him to be deluding the multitude, and all doubted. Shun, wishing to resolve the matter for the assembly, said to them: 'Those who do not believe, try stepping on her cow tail's karmic shadow, and she surely will be unable to stand up.' He then stepped with his foot on the empty ground behind the woman's skirt, saying: 'This is the tail's shadow.' The woman tried to stand up as bade, but could not. The multitude was astonished and believed. They asked Shun: 'How can this karmic retribution be eliminated?' That woman's family had accumulated tens of thousands of piculs of grain; terrified of the bad karma, she renounced it all at once. Shun used it all to cultivate merit on her behalf and had her repent. Only after repeatedly doing so, when the bad karma was overcome, did he confer the precepts upon her. At times he stayed in leper villages and accepted alms from lepers. Seeing those with running sores oozing pus, he would put his mouth to them and suck them clean, harboring no revulsion in his heart. Sometimes he washed their clothes, or purified their mental karma, taking this as his personal duty; he did so with joy, never once knitting his brows. Later he roamed around Honggu in Linlü, and went north to Mount Jin, Panting, and other mountains, practicing Chan meditation in hidden monasteries. Where he ended his life is unknown.

5.9

Daoxian

5.10

Shi Daoxian, also named Sengxian, was originally a native of the country of Kangju. At first he engaged in commerce as his livelihood. Later, he met Chan Master Sengda, who expounded the Dharma for him. Thereupon, he sank his treasure ship in the river, took leave of his wife and children, went to Zhulin Monastery at Guankou, and renounced household life. On the day his hair was shaved, he swore before the assembly: 'If I do not attain the Way, I will not leave this mountain.' He then went far away from human traces and built a hut in a secluded crag. Companions in Chan practice gathered there one after another. Whenever he opened a scripture and saw that the Buddha was at a certain place, he never failed to choke with tears, saying: 'Why did I not encounter him, but only see his remaining texts?' Xian stood out extraordinary and unattached, living among wild birds and beasts. When someone came to inquire about methods of study, he always answered with skillful means that invisibly aligned with correct principles. From the time he first entered absorption, a single sitting routinely lasted four or five days. Whenever a guest was about to arrive at his gate, he would spontaneously perceive it, rise, and meet them. If no one came, he sat upright in his quiet room, empty and silent as space. Sometimes he foretold: 'Tomorrow guests will arrive,' numbering up to hundreds or thousands, and all happened just as he had spoken, without the slightest discrepancy. Prince Dan of Shixing under the Liang dynasty, while governing the Three Shu regions, paid him homage as a master and brought him to Shan. At that time, Daoist abbeys were lofty and grand, and the caps and robes of Daoists were flourishing. They subjected him to insults and revilement, which caused great concern to others. Xian, however, remained at ease, never minding it. One evening, the Daoists suddenly saw a fire break out on the eastern hill; fearing the wildfire would burn and harm Xian, they each held water containers to rescue him. They saw Xian seated in the midst of the great fire, the fierce flames burning brightly, and all marveled at the divine power of his fire-light. The Daoist Li Xuezu and others donated land to make images, and a monastery and stūpa were suddenly completed; nine out of ten homes far and near took refuge and believed. Wang Hui, Prince of Poyang and Inspector of the province, personally paid homage and received the Dharma. Toward the end of the Tianjian reign-period, the Prince of Shixing had a miraculous inspiration and made images of the Four Heavenly Kings at Liangtai Monastery; every morning on the six fast days he regularly offered pure meals. Later, when Xian attended the gathering, five-colored light shone from the crowns of the Four Kings, and flames spontaneously broke out from the censer Xian held. Formerly, when Grand Defender Lu Fahe was in humble circumstances, he spent several years on the mountain serving Xian. When a monk reprimanded him harshly, Xian said: 'This man will become a noble of the Three Excellencies; why insult him?' At the time, no one understood his future nobility, but Fahe indeed later rose to the ceremonial robes of high office. When Xian was once weary and ill, a boy in light-blue clothes was seen emerging from the Qingxi waters, holding a bowl of wonderful medicine, kneeling and offering it for him to take; before long, he was cured. After residing on the mountain for twenty-eight years, he traveled again to the Jingluo region, where his teachings flourished greatly. At that time, a severe drought occurred, and the populace requested him to pray for rain. Xian went directly to a dragon cave and knocked on the entrance with his staff, repeatedly saying: 'Why are sentient beings so fond of sleeping?' No sooner had he spoken than dark clouds gathered from all four directions and torrential rain poured down. The people relied on this blessing and all came to offer sacrifices of gratitude, revering him like a celestial deity. If someone required relics, he would pray for them, and they would arrive in response to his thought, exactly as needed. When Prince Xiu of Shu under the Sui dynasty was garrisoned at Minluo, he heard of Xian and promptly sent messengers to summon him, but Xian refused to obey the command. The prince's countenance changed in rage, and he personally led armed soldiers to capture him, ordering: 'If he remains stubbornly obstinate, put him to the blade at once.' When Xian heard the soldiers were coming, he had no fear at all; calling for his saṅghāṭī, he put on his robe, sat upright, and recollected the Buddha. When the prince reached the foot of the mountain, clouds and rain suddenly poured forth mixed with falling hail and snow; water surged to fill the valleys, leaving no way to conceal the carriages. In this desperate plight, the prince bowed and repented from afar. Thereupon, the sky cleared, the rain stopped, the mountain paths became level, and he was able to reach Xian's place. The prince showed the utmost respect in person, and Xian expounded the Dharma for him, renewing his faith. The prince then invited him to return to Jingzhong Monastery in Chengdu, honoring him with lavish rituals; the entire state respected him, calling him 'Acharya Xian.' During the Kaihuang reign-period, he returned to the mountain monastery; the roads cleaned themselves and the mountain spirits swept before him. At over a hundred years of age, he died while sitting upright.

5.11

Fa'an

5.12

Shi Fa'an had the secular surname Peng. He was a native of Chungu in Anding. He renounced household life in his youth, dwelled at the Jiulong Vihāra on Mount Taibai, and took admiration of dhyāna as his vocation. Eating coarse food and wearing tattered robes, he lived thus into old age. During the Kaihuang era he came to Jiangdu and asked for an audience with the Prince of Jin. At the time, because of his stunted and unsightly appearance and his light and unrestrained speech and laughter, none would announce him. He came to the gates every day, and though warned and told to leave, he would not go. They then tested the matter by announcing him. Hearing of him, the Prince summoned him inside, and their meeting was like old friends. He then took up residence at Huiri Monastery. Wherever the Prince traveled, he would certainly take him along in his retinue. When the imperial carriage visited Mount Tai, they suffered from thirst and exhaustion. Looking around in all directions, there were only crags and no way to obtain water. An pierced a stone with a knife, drawing forth a rushing stream of water to provide for the sovereign. Everyone at the time marveled greatly and asked, "What power is this?" He replied, "It is the Prince's power." When he followed the Prince into the sandy deserts and reached the muddy seas, whenever they were due to encounter disasters, they always avoided them beforehand and suffered no loss or ruin. Later he went to Shentong Monastery on Mount Tai. A monk came to request a patron, and An conveyed this to the Prince. The Prince then wrote an inscription on the monastery wall with his own hand to provide patronage and protection. Earlier, when entering the valley with the Prince, An saw a monk wearing tattered robes riding a white donkey toward them. The Prince asked who it was. An said, "This is Master Lang. He originally founded Shentong Monastery, so he has come to welcome and guide us." When they arrived at the monastery, they also saw a spirit of immense stature leaning his hands on the chiwen ornament atop the lecture hall and gazing down at the assembly. The Prince asked about him again, and he answered, "This is the spirit of Mount Taibai who follows the Prince." Thereafter, his many wonders were too numerous to record extensively. In the spring of the eleventh year, when there were many troubles in the four quarters, he passed away without illness at his dwelling place at the age of ninety-eight.

5.13

Zhiyi

5.14

Shi Zhiyi, courtesy name De'an, had the secular surname Chen. He was a native of Yingchuan. His mother, Lady Xu, dreamed of five-colored fragrant smoke swirling into her bosom. When she wished to brush it away, she heard someone say, "A destiny from past lives has lodged here to take birth; good fortune and virtue will arrive of themselves, so why brush it away?" She also dreamed of swallowing a white mouse, and this occurred repeatedly. Mystified, she divined it, and the diviner said, "It is an omen of a white dragon." On the night he was born, the chamber was brilliantly illuminated, and the light ceased only after two nights. Suddenly, two monks knocked on the door and said, "How wonderful! The heavy virtue of this child means he will surely renounce household life!" Having spoken, they vanished. At the age of eighteen, he approached the śramaṇa Faxu of Guoyuan Monastery in Xiangzhou and renounced household life. One day, while explaining the dhyāna gate to purify the ocean of the mind, in the midst of speech and silence he constantly longed for woods and marshes. He then dreamed of myriad layers of crags and cliffs, with the clouds and sun hanging halfway down. Beside them, a boundless azure sea was deep and clear. Below it, he saw a monk waving his hand and stretching out his arm as far as the mountain's foot, pulling Yi up the mountain. Yi related what he had seen in his dream to his disciples, and all said, "This is Mount Tiantai in Kuaiji, a dwelling place of sages and worthies." Previously, a monk from Qingzhou named Dingguang had lived on this mountain for forty years, cultivating both samādhi and wisdom; he was indeed a divine man. Two years before Yi arrived, he announced beforehand to the mountain folk, "A great good spiritual friend will come to join us. You should plant beans to make paste, weave rushes for mats, and build further dwellings to await him." When Yi set out for Tiantai and arrived at the mountain, upon meeting Guang, they expressed their appreciation. Guang said, "Great good spiritual friend, do you remember my waving my hand from the mountain to call you in earlier years?" Yi was astonished and realized that his dream had indeed been verified. Furthermore, the sound of a bell filled the valley, which the assembly found wondrous. Guang said, "The bell summons those with karmic affinity; you may dwell here." Yi then divined a dwelling on a superior site, which was to the north of Guang's residence at Mount Folong and the headwaters of Luoxi. The place was spacious and tranquil, making it easy to seek the truth; the ground was level and the springs clear, so he lingered and lodged there. Suddenly he saw three men in black caps and crimson robes holding a petition and requesting, "You may practice the Way here." Later, at the Huading Peak north of the monastery, Yi practiced solitary, quiet dhūta. A great gale uprooted trees, and thunder roared. Thousands of water demons and mountain spirits appeared in a single form with a hundred shapes, spitting fire and shrieking in terror beyond description. He restrained his mind in tranquil forbearance, serene and composed. He also suffered bodily and mental burning agony as if scorched by fire. Furthermore, he saw his deceased parents resting their heads on his knees, lamenting their suffering and begging for mercy. Yi again relied on the forbearance of the Dharma, unmoved as a mountain. Thus, the visions produced by both harsh and gentle conditions vanished. Suddenly, a divine monk from the Western Regions appeared and told him, "To conquer the enemy and overcome resentment can truly be called courage." Every summer he regularly lectured on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa. Suddenly, he saw three jewel staircases descend from the sky, down which several tens of Indian monks descended, entered the hall to pay homage, and held censers, circumambulating Yi three times; after a long while, they vanished. He established a vihāra on Mount Yuquan in Dangyang County, and an imperial decree bestowed a temple plaque named Yiyin ("One Sound"). Formerly, that land had been wild and treacherous, infested with violent divine beasts and snakes, but after the monastery was founded, it became delightful and free from anxiety. That spring there was a severe drought, and the people all said the spirits were angry. Yi went to the headwaters of the spring and led the assembly in reciting the sūtras, which induced clouds to rise and rain to pour down, so that the false rumors died out of themselves. Lady Xiao, consort of the Prince of Jin, suffered from a painful illness that physicians were powerless to cure. The Prince dispatched Liu Guyan, Opening the Government, and others with a letter to plead for help, hoping he would save her from the illness. Yi again led his companions to establish a seven-day fast and practice the Golden Light Repentance. On the sixth night, a strange bird suddenly descended, flew into the fasting altar, twisted about and died, and shortly afterward flew away. The grunt of a pig was also heard, witnessed by the entire assembly. Yi said, "Since these signs have appeared, the consort should recover. The bird dying and reviving indicates that after the coffin is covered, she will rise again. The pig grunting from the depths reveals that the blessings of the fast are augmenting each other." On the following day, her illness indeed was cured. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang era, he sat upright as if in samādhi and passed away before the great stone image on Mount Tiantai, at the age of sixty-seven.

5.15

Zhikuang

5.16

Shi Zhikuang had the secular surname Wang. Earlier, when his mother was about to conceive, she dreamed of entering a stream to bathe, where a boy riding a jeweled boat came toward her; she then realized she was pregnant. When he grew up, he was quick-witted and valued righteous conduct. At the end of the Liang dynasty, he was a brave warrior. Later he left secular life to follow the Dao, studying the arts of longevity. Upon meeting an eminent monk who conferred the precepts on him, he became a disciple of the Buddha. His virtuous conduct moved others, and he gradually revealed his hidden traces. Zhang Quan of Jiangling had been blind for two generations. Kuang said, "In your family tomb, the coffin rests against an old well. If you move the tomb and open the well brickwork, you will surely ward off the curse." Following his words, the blind man regained his sight. He requested to shave his head, but the assembly was apprehensive of him. He then cut firewood to offer to the monks, practicing quiet contemplation in solitude. He also said, "There is an ancient bell in the ravine that can be dug up and hung in the monastery." The governor of Renzhou considered him a deceitful trickster and had his back whipped a hundred times, yet he showed no grief and his skin was unbroken. He was then sent out to the palace agency and detained in the Shangfang. A strong man tried hanging an eight-foot cangue on him and beating his knees; onlookers thought they would be crushed to pulp, yet Kuang's countenance showed no distress and his flesh bore no trace. A jailer said, "I hear the layman can endure hunger," and ceased feeding him for seven days, yet his bodily complexion remained unchanged. He was seen walking in the marketplace, while inspection showed he was still in jail; only then did they believe in his bilocation. In the third year of the Dading era, he begged someone for straw sandals, saying, "Tonight I must walk swiftly." At the third watch, a fire broke out throughout the entire city. People fleeing the four gates could not get through, and seven thousand were burned to death. Kuang, while in prison, led two hundred prisoners and walked out calmly. When he was near forty years of age, he was finally granted tonsure. After receiving the full precepts, he practiced dhūta, and snakes curled peacefully beside his bed. Every night at the corner of the mountain, four lamps shone together. Scholars and commoners flocked like clouds, swiftly turning it into a splendid monastery. Someone slaughtered a duck to prepare a vegetarian feast. The spirit of the duck appeared at night and said, "How can one kill a creature to supply a pure offering?" From then on, the practice ceased. Once, when crossing a river in summer, his several tens of companions wished to stay but could not, and wished to cross but had no means. Two boats were on the opposite shore with no one aboard. Kuang laughed and called out to them; the boats cut across the current of their own accord and arrived directly before them. They thereupon crossed the water, and he admonished them not to tell others. Furthermore, he built the Foji Monastery in Xianyang. A cow gave birth to a calf whose head emerged and then retreated. More than two days had passed, and the mother cow was about to die. A monk informed Kuang, seeking his pity. He replied, "This calf was formerly a lay patron of the monastery who misappropriated the sangha's property and has now come to repay the debt. Out of shame it does not come forth; the mother cow has no other ailment." Holding a censer, he scolded and admonished the calf, "You should swiftly repay the retribution; why be ashamed of being born?" Responding to his words, it immediately came out. His divine marvels and unseen proofs cannot be fully recorded. On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the twenty-ninth year of the Kaihuang era, he passed away at the Kaisheng Monastery in Siwang. He had set the date of his passing himself; heavenly fragrance filled the room, music sounded throughout the monastery, and he departed toward the southwest.

5.17

Fachong

5.18

Shi Fachong had the secular surname Bi. He was a native of Jiujiang. He constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra and read the Great Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, chanting them innumerable times. He also repaired and built monastery buildings, his heart set on upholding the Dharma. Later, he lived at the Huacheng Monastery halfway up Mount Lu to cultivate samādhi; unless it concerned monastic affairs, he never set foot outside. He repeatedly admonished the assembly of monks never to let women enter the monastery, saying that above it harms the Buddha's teaching and below it leads to vulgar gossip. However, worldly people, regarding the foundational estate as significant, occasionally disobeyed. Chong sighed and said, "Not meeting the Buddha in this life is already due to karmic offenses. If the true teaching cannot be practiced, it is right that I should die early. Why worry that this region will not uphold the precepts?" He thereupon threw himself down from the Incense Burner Peak of this mountain, vowing to shatter his body and bones to be reborn in the Pure Land. In midair, his head suddenly turned upward, and he floated gently down into the deep ravine without harming a single hair. The monks of the monastery did not know of it at first. Later, someone ascended the peak, looked down more than a thousand fathoms from the path, and heard the sound of human speech. Following it, he found that it was Chong; his life was preserved, and his mouth was reciting as before. They welcomed him back to the monastery. The monks, moved by his admonition through death, barred women for six years. Only then did he pass away. It was during the height of summer, yet his corpse did not foul or decay, smelling fragrant like a ripe melon. This was in the final year of the Kaihuang era.

5.19

Huikan

5.20

Shi Huikan was a native of Qu'e. He resided at the Daguan Shan Monastery in Jiangzhou. His spiritual penetrations reached into the unseen and the visible, yet the world did not recognize him. He showed profound reverence to revered images, treating them as if they were the true Buddha. Whenever he saw a standing image, he dared not sit. He exhorted people to make only seated images when fashioning statues. Later, he went to Lingnan to cultivate dhyāna practices and achieved great awakening. While residing at Qixia, he once went to Yangzhou to visit Dharma Master Cai. Cai received him with extraordinary courtesy. When he was about to return to the mountain, Cai requested him to manifest divine powers. Kan thereupon reached his arm out through the window and took down the lintel placard from the Buddha hall of Qixi Monastery. He then said to Cai, "Worldly people lack farsighted vision and are easily startled by what they see; that is why I do not usually do such things." In the first year of the Daye era, he passed away at Daguan Shan Monastery. At the beginning of the day of his passing, he returned the three robes to the sangha, saying, "I will die today. May the disciples abide in peace." He then returned to his room. The great assembly arose in alarm and pursued him, only to find in his room a set of white bones sitting cross-legged upon the bed; when shaken, they clattered without falling apart.

5.21

Faxi

5.22

Shi Faxi was a native of Nanhai. His physical appearance was ugly and uncouth, short, frail, and eccentric, looking to be about forty years of age. Elders beyond the southern ridges all said that when they were children they had already known him, and his countenance was no different from what it was now. Among the Dan barbarians it was traditionally said that he was already three hundred years old. He himself also claimed to have been an old acquaintance of Master Yuan of Mount Lu, and spoke of events of the Jin and Song dynasties distinctly, as if they had occurred only a night or two before. In ordinary times he was quiet and spoke not a word, but whenever he spoke it invariably contained profound meaning. His omens of good and ill fortune were like shadows and echoes. People also did not wish to meet Xi, fearing that his blunt speech about disasters and evils would offend their wishes. Under the Chen dynasty, Ma Jing became the inspector of Guangzhou. Just as he was taking up his post, Xi walked straight into the prefecture. Ascending to the administrative hall, he drew the shape of a horse's head on the ground, showed it to Jing's son, and left. Jing was originally from a renowned clan and had great military acumen. When he arrived in the prefecture to inspect his command, his retinue included tens of thousands of armored soldiers, with flags, banners, swords, and halberds to overawe the border regions. Because his extravagance and presumption were excessive, he was falsely accused by someone of plotting rebellion. The Emperor sent the Marquis of Linru to investigate him; desiring his property, [the Marquis] seized and beheaded him. This was the clear verification of the drawing on the ground. Xi's foreknowledge was all of this kind. Emperor Yang [of the Sui], having heard of this, brought him to Yangzhou. The Emperor ordered him housed within the palace. At that time, a hall had newly been completed within the palace. The Master suddenly went up to the hall to look at it, whereupon he fled down the steps in alarm, looked back, and said, "It almost crushed me to death!" That day at midnight, there was a great downpour of rain, and the hall collapsed, crushing several tens of people to death. After that, he also ran around inside the palace demanding a sheep's head. The Emperor heard of this, detested it, and considered it mad talk; he ordered him locked in a room. A few days later, the Imperial Guards saw Xi strolling leisurely in the marketplace. They returned and memorialized, "Faxi is in the market." An imperial decree reprimanded the relevant authorities to inspect the place where he was confined. The door lock was as before, and the guards also said, "The Master is inside the room." Thereupon they opened the door and entered the room, where they saw a kāṣāya covering a pile of white bones, with the lock around the neck bone. They memorialized this state of affairs. An imperial decree dispatched Chief Clerk Wang Heng to verify it, and everything was indeed so. From this the Emperor first believed that he was no ordinary man. An imperial decree ordered that he not be disturbed. At nightfall, the Master returned to the interior of the room, alternately speaking and laughing. The gatekeeper reported this in a memorial. An imperial decree ordered the authorities to remove the lock and release the Master outside, to go wherever he pleased. Later, when the Emperor was assassinated at Jiangdu, people finally realized the verification of his demanding a sheep's head. Sometimes, within a single day, there were vegetarian feasts and offerings at several tens of places, and the Master attended every gathering, being seen everywhere. At times he also drank wine and ate meat. Soon after, he manifested illness in his body; he constantly lay on his bed, removed the mats, and had charcoal fire laid very hot beneath the bed. In a few days his life ended; half of his body was scorched and decayed by the fire. He was buried at Xiangshan Temple. In the fourth year of Daye, Nanhai Commandery memorialized: "Master Faxi is currently back in the commandery." An imperial decree was sent ordering that the coffin be opened and inspected, whereupon nothing was found.

5.23

Pu'an

5.24

Shi Pu'an, whose secular surname was Guo, was a native of Jingyang in Jingzhao. In his youth, he renounced household life under Chan Master Yuan and practiced the austere dhūta vows. Later, he went to Master Ai; fully understanding the Tripiṭaka, he constantly took the Avataṃsaka as his regular practice, using its recitation and Chan contemplation as his standard. When the Zhou dynasty destroyed the Dharma, he lived in reclusion in Pianzi Valley of Mount Zhongnan. At that time, there was a heavy bounty offering ten bolts of cloth as a reward for capturing a single monk. Someone responding to the bounty came wanting to arrest An. [An] comforted and advised him, saying: "Seeing your extreme poverty, I wish to provide for you." After preparing food for him, they entered the capital together. The Emperor said to this man: "The law of my state is strict and does not permit men of the Way among the people; you further add to the strictness and do not permit men of the Way in the mountains. If so, where could others be sent to survive? He should be released into the mountains; there is no need to investigate him." Thereupon, relieved, he returned again. When Emperor Wen of the Sui founded the dynasty, Buddhism flourished greatly. He broadly recruited the surviving monks to be settled as before. At that time, more than thirty monks in Pianzi Valley renounced household life in response to the imperial decree and resided in official monasteries. Only An remained in his original mountain dwelling, preserving the plainness of the forests and ravines, and from time to time walking to villages and settlements to benefit living beings. Later, someone carved a niche and built a hut beside the confluence of the two valleys of Ziwu and Hulin, inviting him to dwell there. When he first settled in the niche, there was a large boulder directly above it. Fearing it would fall, they dug it out, and it tumbled down the precipice. An thought to himself: "I vow that it will move elsewhere and not shatter the cave niche." The stone thereupon, according to his words, bounced off and avoided it to another place. The assembly all marveled at this. An said: "It is the power of the Avataṃsaka; it is not worth wondering at." Moreover, on the left side of the ravine at the rock wall east of the niche, there was a man named Suotuo, who was an enormous nuisance to the riverine countryside, behaving unrestrainedly in more than one way. Secretly jealous of An's virtue, he constantly thought of executing and destroying him. Accompanied by three companions, he carried bows and grasped blades; baring his arms, he drew a strong bow and was about to shoot an arrow. The arrow would not leave the bowstring, his hands remained stretched without stopping, his eyes bulged, his tongue was struck dumb, and he remained standing overnight. The sound spread and shook far and wide, and people gathered like clouds. The villagers bowed their heads, showed their sincere devotion, and begged for rescue. An said: "I truly knew nothing of it; how could it not be the power of the Avataṃsaka? If he wishes to be delivered, merely have him repent." When they instructed him as told, he finally received liberation. Furthermore, west of the niche in Wei Village was one Zhang Hui, who from early on harbored evil intentions and made theft his profession. At night, he went to An's place and secretly took the Buddha lamp oil. The jar held five sheng, and he carried it out on his back. Once he reached the courtyard gate, he became dazed and lost his senses, as if bound by something and unable to move. His relatives and fellow villagers came together to apologize. An said: "I knew nothing of it; is it perhaps the power of the Avataṃsaka?" He told him to repent and helped him take down the oil jar; when he acted as told, he was freed. Furthermore, south of the niche, one Zhang Qing came and stole An's money, carrying it away in his sleeve. Once he reached home, he poured it out but it would not come out; his mouth was struck dumb and he could not speak. He immediately returned to repent and went back along the road. There was one Cheng Huihe of Chengguo Village, who harbored considerable faith and constantly came to An's place to listen to and receive the essentials of the Dharma. Falling ill, he died, and two nights had already passed; his corpse was wrapped on the ground, awaiting encoffining. At that time, An had previously gone to Hu County and was on the road returning. Walking along, he reached Dexing Temple in the southwest, five li east of Hui's village. From afar he called: "Cheng Huihe, why do you not come out to welcome me?" He called repeatedly without stopping. A farmer told him, saying: "He has long been dead; there is no way he can welcome you." An said: "These are reckless words; I do not believe them." He soon arrived at the village and cried out loudly in a stern voice. He thereupon moved his body; his relatives cut the binding ropes. When An entered his courtyard and cried out to him loudly again, He suddenly rose, crawled up to An. [An] ordered the removal of the coffin implements and had an overturned basket used as a Buddha seat, telling He to circumambulate it; soon he was as he had been before, and lived for some twenty more years. Later, encountering severe illness, he came to turn to him and beg for rescue. An said: "You were allowed to wander freely; this is not my doing." Thereupon he died. An old mother of Bai Village north of Kunming Lake lay ill on her pillow and had lost her voice for a hundred days. She gestured to her sons and daughters that she longed to see An's form. Understanding their mother's wish, they invited him to come to the house. When the sick mother saw him, she unconsciously stepped down to welcome him, inquiring after his health just as on ordinary days, and the location of her illness was immediately lost. At that time his fame was even more renowned. Villages and settlements gathered together, each leading music and going from house to house to announce that they wished to set up a great vegetarian feast. In Dafang Village, Tian Yisheng was utterly destitute, yet had four daughters. His wife wore tattered cloth that only reached her knees. The four daughters were naked; the eldest daughter was named Huayan, already twenty years of age, and had only two chi of coarse cloth intended to serve as dāna. An led the village assembly and next reached their gate; pitying this extreme poverty, he passed by without entering. The eldest daughter thought: "Because of our bitter poverty, we cannot participate in the gathering of blessings; if we do not cultivate it now, the future will be twice as bad." Searching all around for items, all was desolate and there was nowhere to obtain anything. Looking upward and weeping sorrowfully, she then saw a handful of tangled hemp in the roof ridge used to block a skylight; pulling it down and shaking it out, she obtained more than ten grains of grain, which she rubbed to make rice, and intended to use it along with the cloth to participate in the rejoicing. Since her body had no clothes, she waited until night fell, crawled along, and headed for the place of the vegetarian feast. She threw the previously offered cloth into the crowd from afar, and offered the ten-odd grains of rice separately for cooking the rice. Thereupon she made a vow, saying: "A woman's impoverished karma has long been planted by herself. Exhausting my poverty to practice giving, I hope for future retribution. I casually throw these ten-odd grains of yellow rice into the rice steamer; if through perfect sincerity my impoverished karma is exhausted, I vow that the cooked rice will entirely turn yellow; if there is no response, what can be done about fate?" Having made this vow, she wiped away her tears and returned. Thereupon, the five dan of rice in the steamer all turned yellow. The great assembly was astonished and sighed, not knowing the cause. Searching all around for the origin, they said it was the power of the vow of Tian Yisheng's daughter. The feast gathering collected together and obtained ten hu of grain, which was promptly used to aid her. An prepared Dharma robes, ordained Huayan, and sent her into a monastery in the capital. Once, in a village beside the niche, three pigs were tied up and about to be slaughtered. An heard of it and went to ransom them. The villagers, fearing they would not get to slaughter them, raised the price and demanded ten thousand cash. An said: "This poor monk currently has three thousand, which is already ten times the original price and can be given to you." The crowd had differing opinions and argued angrily with one another. Suddenly a small child wrapping his belly came to the village gathering to assist An in ransoming the pigs. Since there was already dispute, he thereupon begged for wine from them, drinking and dancing as he went, turning around dazzlingly, whereupon the eyes of both old and young in the entire village all lost their sight. In a moment he vanished of himself, unknown where he went. An then drew a knife and cut his own thigh flesh, saying: "This and that are both flesh. Pigs eat filth and you eat them; how much more so should human beings who eat rice be valued according to reason?" When the villagers heard and saw this, they released them all at once. Once the pigs were freed, they circumambulated An three times and nudged him with their snouts as if with affection and respect. Therefore, within fifty li southwest of the suburbs, chickens and pigs have had their lineage severed even down to the present day. His inspiring of kindness and compassion was all of this sort. On the fifth day of the eleventh month in the fifth year of Daye, he died in Jingfa Chan Cloister at the age of eighty.

5.25

Daoying

5.26

Shi Daoying, whose secular surname was Chen, was a native of Yishi in Puzhou. When young, he renounced household life under Vinaya Master Xiuxiu. He went to Bingzhou to study the Way under Master Ju. Later, he entered Chan concentration and gradually displayed extraordinary traces. During the Daye era, he once served as the monastic bursar and disputed land with laypeople. As they fought vehemently without stopping, he then said to them: "I am going to die!" Suddenly he fell over, stiff as a corpse. The laypeople all judged that men of the Way were full of deceit; they pricked beneath his nails with needles, but though deep, he did not stir. His breath ceased, his complexion changed, and he was about to swell up. Beside him, a wise person told them to take refuge and swear they would not dare to dispute, hoping he would come back to life. Following these words, he sat up, speaking and laughing as usual. Furthermore, walking beside the pool of the Longtai Marsh, he saw fish swimming, and said: "I will contest with you: in what way am I superior? You are no match for me; can I be no match for you?" He immediately took off his clothes and entered the water. His disciples held his clothes and guarded him for sixteen nights. When he came out, he told them: "Although I was in the water, only the dusty earth troubled me." Furthermore, in the severe winter when the ice was thick and the snow deep, he said: "In such a flat and clean place, how could one not sleep?" He thereupon took off his clothes, lay facing upward, and stayed for three nights. He then arose and said: "I was almost scorched to death by fire!" Later, he returned to Puzhou and resided at Pujiu Temple. By day, he encouraged the monks to be diligent in their affairs; by night, he sat in the lotus posture and explained Chan contemplation to them. At times, some who were wearied by their labor heard the Dharma and did not feel their fatigue. One day, while explaining the Treatise on the Awakening of Faith, he suddenly became silent. Surprised, they went to observe him: his breath was cut off and his body cold. The assembly recognized that he had extinguished perception, so they left him as he was. After several nights, he finally arose from concentration. At that time, Daoxun of Hedong, a famous monk of lofty standing, had originally been his fellow student; when Xun passed away, though he was one hundred and fifty li away from Ying and had not yet sent word, on that very evening [Ying] already knew of his death. His knowing of subtle signs and spiritual resonance were like this. On the eve before his death, he gathered the assembly and told them: "We must gather and store things early; tomorrow, many people and beasts will assemble and destroy or consume the grain and straw." The assembly did not comprehend his words. Ying also transported things himself, urging them on with great haste. By night, everything was finished; he asked for water to shave and wash, returned to his original seat, covered himself with his great robe, and quietly passed away.

First 26 of 58 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

神僧傳 — Classical Chinese