弘贊法華傳 3.17

3.17

Shi Zhiyan, whose secular surname was Yan, was a native of Tongzhou. From his youth he was fond of the Way, his purity and truth surpassing worldly standards. His conduct was upright and firm, his movements naturally forming a model. When he was twelve or thirteen years old, he suddenly met an Indian monk who instructed him to shave his head. Zhiyan bowed and received his instructions, and left home on this account, residing at Jieye Temple in Chaoyi County. Thereupon, he approached many teachers far and wide, broadly seeking the profound teachings. As for the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, Vijñaptimātratā, Prajñā, Vimalakīrti, and Lotus Sūtras and others, he penetrated all their hidden purports and exhausted their definitive meanings. In addition, he studied secular classics on the side, was skilled in discussing the Laozi and the Yijing, and his elegant discourse on profound principles was innate to his natural character. Before many years had passed, he became a general of the Dharma. Whenever he had leisure from lecturing and expounding, he rested his mind in marvelous contemplation, constantly sitting without lying down, making this his constant practice. In his room there was only a single couch and no other furnishings; he was truly what is called a pure and lofty Dharma master whose words and deeds were both consummate. In the third year of Xianqing, the monastics and laity of Xianzhang County in Taizhou invited Zhiyan to lecture on the Lotus Sūtra at Lingxian Temple. Zhiyan resided in a side room within the quarters of the temple monk Huanxiang. At the beginning of the night, he took the Lotus Sūtra and spread it out on the desk, just about to peruse it. At that time, Huanxiang and three attendants were all in the room. Before Zhiyan had finished burning incense, he suddenly saw three śarīras emerge from the character "Buddha" (fo) in the sūtra. Five-colored radiance spread over the sūtra, flowing and moving without stopping. Huanxiang and the others went about informing the temple monks, who all came to pay homage, wishing to collect the śarīras together, but the śarīras flowed back into the character "Buddha". The monks paid homage, wept, burned incense, and made vows wishing to behold their true form again. The śarīras again emerged from the character "Buddha", flowing and moving without stopping. In a short while, they followed one another and vanished into another character "Buddha". The times Zhiyan lectured on the Lotus amounted to several tens, and the spiritual responses and auspicious omens he obtained were difficult to recount in full. Moreover, his marvelous deeds and lofty traces surpassed his peers. He once walked along a pond with several monks. When the monks took water to rinse their mouths, Zhiyan stopped them, saying, "If a thing belongs to another, one does not take what is not given. How can another's pond water not be considered theft?" Also, during summer while he was eating, flies came onto his bowl. Zhiyan gently led them one by one with his finger until they reached the wall. When someone asked him about it, he replied, "I am merely practicing and cultivating the gift of fearlessness." From the time Zhiyan traveled around to lecture and guide, traversing several prefectures, he always walked on foot with folded hands in silence, holding his robe and bowl. Even though there were fragrant flowers, banners, and canopies, drums, music, strings, and songs, with carriages and horses shaking heaven and earth, and crowds packing the city walls, Zhiyan simply remained composed without glancing at them, distantly walking behind. The benefits and offerings he inspired frequently amounted to millions, yet he sought nothing, distributing them everywhere according to the place. The three robes he received upon full ordination were never replaced until the end of his life; they were not soiled or torn, only slightly worn. These were prior signs that his defiling burdens were about to be eliminated and his karmic practice was steadfast. A few days before his death, he went about everywhere, saying farewell to every Dharma companion and old acquaintance. Suddenly one day, he sprinkled and swept the courtyard, sat upright, and entered dhyāna, instructing all his disciples to practice mindfulness of the Buddha. He then passed away while in meditative absorption, at the age of over sixty. The monastics and laity grieved bitterly as if they had lost their own parents; more than ten thousand people donned plain garments and followed the rites of disciples. Thereupon, an extraordinary fragrance suddenly filled the courtyard with dense vapors, lasting for over seven days and dispersing only after the funeral was completed. Several years after his passing, his tongue had not decomposed, his sideburns and hair had grown two inches, and his facial complexion was as before. Those with discernment regarded him as one of those who had attained the Way.