法華傳記 3.44

3.44

Shi Faxi, whose secular surname was Li, was a native of Xiangyang. He went forth from the household life at seven years of age, and Chan Master Hao served as his preceptor and mentor. Master Hao's path was plain, gentle, and abundant, and he was renowned. His companions later resided in Chan meditation. On the eve before his passing, the wall of the room where he resided collapsed outward of itself. Hao said: 'The dependent reward has already fallen away; I am about to depart this world.' Thereupon he sat upright, closed his eyes as though apprehending an object of focus, and passed away abruptly, without any prior feeling [of sickness]. Faxi was reverent and solemn by nature, and served him for many successive years. Hao devoted himself exclusively to meditation practice and was sparing in spoken admonitions; he would know people through contemplation and appraisal. Discerning Faxi's capacities and measure, [Faxi's accomplishments] in deeds surpassed his former training, and without sternness he attained perfection. He looked up with longing to eminent deeds and assisted only virtue. In the mountain temple of Qingxi in Jingzhou there were more than forty monks; Faxi, as a novice, served them personally with offerings. By day he cooked and gathered firewood, and by night he recited and practiced the scriptures. Living in the mountains without torches, he burned firewood to get light. Setting himself a daily task every evening, he recited until he mastered one sheet. In this way, over a long time, what he apprehended became fluent and unobstructed. Although he studied the various classifications of the scriptures, he specifically took the Lotus Sūtra as his principal focus. He often used the intervals of eating and resting to recite an extra scroll in addition; at other times he concentrated exclusively on meditation practice, tying his mindfulness before him. As soon as drowsiness arose in his mind, he would review what he had studied. During the Renshou reign-period, Emperor Wen issued an edict summoning him, bringing him to the capital, where he resided at Chanding Temple. The offerings and ceremonies accorded him were grand and exceptional, yet he made frugal conduct his priority; he nurtured his peers, and through humbleness accomplished virtue. In that place was a Buddha-tooth relic, treasured and revered in the imperial capital, supported on a jewelled platform and placed in the upper chamber; exquisite gems dazzled the eye. Without virtue it could not be magnified. Because Faxi's conduct and understanding secretly penetrated the subtle and unseen, often evoking downward responses, the assembly entrusted the sanctuary to him, charging him with its supervision and protection. Faxi then organized the offerings, looking up with reverence morning and night. Furthermore, because Master Hao had passed away, desiring to bestow unseen aid upon his spirit, he made a vow to recite the Lotus Sūtra one thousand times. He therefore did not stay in his old room, but simply circumambulated the temple stupas, engaging in the two postures of walking and sitting, vowing to fulfill his original aspiration completely. When his count reached eight hundred, his heart was ardent through dawn and night, his focused mind undispersed, and he felt increasingly hale and robust. A monk of the same temple saw a white ox drawing a jewelled carriage enter Faxi's room; following to look, there was no trace at all. Only then was it known that through the resonant response of unseen penetration, there were those who fulfilled the teachings and attained results early. From the beginning he guarded and cared [for others]; whenever anyone suffered from illness or pain, whether a stranger or an old companion, he would fully supply, support, and inquire after them, nursing and treating them in person. As for excrement, urine, pus, and vomit, he would approach and even taste them. Truly, although the suffering of illness is universally despised by the world, Faxi felt no defilement or baseness, and his joy was doubled, taking this as his constant practice. (The above three accounts are from the Further Biographies of Eminent Monks, fascicle nineteen.)