弘贊法華傳 3.16

3.16

Shi Xuanbi, whose secular surname is not detailed, was a native of Wu County in Suzhou. He left home in his youth and lived at Liushui Temple. Fond of learning without tiring, he frequently roamed crags and ravines, resting his spirit in marvelous contemplation, not letting worldly affairs entangle his mind. Though he frequently encountered ferocious beasts, venomous insects, phantoms, and wicked bandits, they never perturbed his emotional resolve. He constantly sat on a single couch four feet square, with no worldly clutter beside it, and never leaned back to lie down. Whenever he lectured on the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, the Śataśāstra, the Dvādaśamukha Śāstra, the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, and other treatises, as well as the Avataṃsaka, Mahāparinirvāṇa, Lotus, and other sūtras, people from more than twenty prefectures all came to listen and receive them. Once when he was lecturing on the Lotus Sūtra, a crane suddenly flew in from outside. In the pond below the hall, it took water into its beak three times and sprinkled it on the ground. It then went straight up to the seat of the holy monks beside the Buddha and stood motionless, remaining until the lecture was concluded, only after which it flew away. This went on for years, and later it came to reside there permanently. Whenever he ascended the hall, it would flutter its wings and lead ahead; whenever he concluded the lecture, it would incline its body and follow him. If the Dharma master bid it to dance, it would pull in its wings, lift its feet, look back at its reflection, and turn its head, now rising, now craning, now coming, now going, its distinct postures so extraordinary they can hardly be fully described. After two years of this, it hovered about without leaving. The literary gentlemen of several prefectures all marveled at it and composed poems in unison. Later, the prefect, the Prince of Jiang, came to the temple. The chief administrator and the adjutant sent someone to inform the Dharma master. The Dharma master said, "Very well," and sat peacefully as usual. When the prince arrived at the temple gate, the chief administrator personally reported it. The master said, "I already know," and remained seated peacefully as usual. The prince, puzzled that he did not come out to welcome him, thereupon turned back and left. By the first watch of that night, the prince summoned all the monks within the walled city together to practice the Way on behalf of the state. The monks all hurried to assemble at the prince's quarters. The prince's anger showed on his face, and he dispatched the chief administrator, Qianxing, to summon the Dharma master personally. The Dharma master reported, "When the prince turns the sūtras for the state, his mind must be earnest and solemn. If without purifying oneself one abruptly summons monks, a grand master acts with slight and arrogance, failing to revere the Three Jewels. Turning the sūtras in such a manner will also yield no benefit. Let the prince have all alcohol, meat, and the five pungent roots within the residence completely removed, and let the place be sprinkled and swept with scented hot water. I, too, must bathe and purify myself, only after which the sūtras may be turned. You may go for now, and I will come on a later day." The prince became extremely enraged and sent another person to summon him, but the Dharma master sat peacefully as usual, showing no sign of fear at all. On the appointed later day, he then went there. The prince asked the monks, "What kind of person is Xuanbi?" They all replied, "He is an eminent monk of dhyāna practice." The prince's displeasure lessened somewhat, and he had him called in. Setting up a high seat, he sent several beautiful maidens to wait upon and attend him closely at his side. Xuanbi briefly exchanged pleasantries, then bowed to the Buddha, mounted the seat, sat cross-legged, and focused his spirit in quiet absorption. Seven days passed: dust accumulated on his body and robes, but from the beginning he did not move at all. The prince aroused great goodness of heart and asked the assembly of monks, "How may we bring him out of absorption?" A monk said, "Make offerings with music." The prince ordered his attendant courtesans to play. After half a day, Xuanbi arose from dhyāna absorption. The prince and his primary consort asked the Dharma master to administer repentance and bestow the precepts, and all their hunting dogs, falcons, and hawks were completely released. Xuanbi encouraged the prince to chant the Heart Sūtra of Prajñā; the prince respectfully accepted his words and chanted it constantly every morning. Thereupon he emptied his treasury of famous bells and treasures to repay the master's virtue, but Xuanbi accepted nothing at all, having it all distributed in almsgiving. From then on, on every vegetarian feast day, the prince regularly came to the temple to inquire into the profound and obscure. The fame of his teaching and conversion spread even farther; this occurred during the middle of the Zhenguan era. Later it was not known where he ended his life.