神僧傳 5.44

5.44

Shi Huizhu, whose lay surname was Jia, was a native of Yonggui County in Shizhou. At the age of six, he renounced household life to become a disciple of Dharma Master Bin. He built seven monasteries in Huang'an County, ten monasteries in Zitong County, and three monasteries in Wulian County. When he first reached the age of twenty and wished to receive full ordination, there was no qualified person in his locale, so he went to the capital to seek out virtuous masters, receiving the precepts at Ganlu Monastery. He only listened to the Four-Part Vinaya (Dharmaguptaka-vinaya), mastering other tenets along the way. In a dream, he saw heaven and earth plunged into darkness for three days and three nights, during which sentient beings had no eyes; after this, brightness suddenly returned, and eyes became bright and clear again. Upon waking, he broke into a sweat. One hundred days later, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou destroyed the Buddhist scriptures and teachings; only then did he recognize the prophetic omen. He immediately returned to his native south mountain to hide, eating solely pine needles. Different kinds of birds and beasts gathered with him in silence. Occasionally, mountain deities brought tuckahoe (fuling) and spikenard incense. Having received these offerings, he practiced the six-period circumambulation and practice, while birds and beasts followed him in bowing to the Buddha and reciting scriptures, seemingly listening with veneration. He further conferred the bodhisattva precepts upon both the unseen spirits and visible beings. Later, a troop of macaques worked together to clear a road. Huizhu asked, 'By nature you are restless and agitated; why are you doing this?' They replied, 'The temporal ruler has changed; the sun of the Buddha shines unimpeded.' He was deeply amazed by their words. Soon after, there were further extraordinary omens: dragons flew, beasts gathered, and fragrant vapors filled the mountain; such occurrences were numerous. Later, eight men gathering bow timber arrived, were exceedingly astonished, and comforted Huizhu, saying, 'A sage ruler has appeared in the world; the era is now called Kaihuang.' They escorted him out of the mountain and memorialized the matter to the throne, whereupon he was granted imperial permission to be [officially] ordained. During the Daye era, an imperial decree ordered him to return to Xianglin Monastery in his native prefecture, where he made the constant propagation of the Four-Part Vinaya his primary vocation. At the start of the Wude era, the Duke of Lingyang presided over Yizhou; by nature he had little faith. Leading more than a hundred pack animals laden with goods, he arrived in Shizhou and ordered them to be lodged inside the monastery's lecture hall, Buddha hall, and monastic quarters; none dared oppose him. Returning from an estate, Huizhu saw this filth and chaos, went into his room to take his khakkhara staff and three robes, emerged, and sighed, 'Life or death is decided today!' Raising his staff toward the donkeys and mules, they collapsed all at once as if dead. With both hands, he picked up a pack from each side and hurled them into a pit. Terrified, the prefectural and county officials arrested Huizhu and submitted a report. The Duke of Lingyang was greatly pleased, bearing no grudge whatsoever, and wrote, 'This disciple has often fallen ill without encountering a harm-dispelling ghost; having been favored by the Vinaya Master tearing open my bag of greed, it is truly a great benefit.' He then presented an offering of ten catties of eaglewood and ten bolts of fine damask silk. Later, on the day [the Duke] returned to the capital, he received the bodhisattva precepts from Huizhu. In the third year of Zhenguan, there was Meditation Master Ming at the monastery, pure, eminent, and extraordinary. Sitting alone in broad daylight, he saw half of his own body missing. He recounted to the assembly, 'The Vinaya Master and I established this monastery with one mind. Now that I have suddenly lost half my body, will the Vinaya Master perhaps depart first? If not, it clearly portends my own death.' Shortly afterward, at the hour of noon, Huizhu passed away without illness. His worldly age was eighty-nine.