天台九祖傳 1.7

1.7

The fourth patriarch, Great Master Zhizhe, whose taboo name was Zhiyi and courtesy name was De'an, was surnamed Chen and was a person of Yingchuan. When the Jin moved its capital, his ancestors resided in Huarong County, Jingzhou. He was the second son of Qi, Lord of Yiyang, who was an Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Liang. His mother, Lady Xu, dreamed that five-colored fragrant smoke encircled her bosom; when she wished to brush it away, she heard a voice say, 'Due to causes and conditions from past lives, [a child] is entrusted to royal fortunes. Blessings and virtue will arrive of themselves; why brush it away?' She also dreamed of swallowing a white mouse, and this occurred repeatedly. Perplexed, she divined it, and the diviner said, 'It is an omen of a white dragon.' On the night of his birth (the preface by Court Academician Hu Meng of our current dynasty states that the Great Master was born in the autumn, the seventh month of the wuwu year, the fourth year of the Datong reign of the Liang), the room was illuminated with penetrating brightness; only after two nights did the light cease. Within and without, everyone was delighted, setting out abundant cauldrons and platters to celebrate. Suddenly, two monks knocked at the door and said, 'Wonderful! The child's virtue is profound; he will surely renounce household life.' Having spoken, they vanished. The guests marveled at this. The neighbors recalled the earlier wondrous auspicious sign and called him Wangdao ('Royal Path'); taking into account the later omen as well, he was also named Guangdao ('Luminous Path'). Therefore, the two names were previously established and used interchangeably. When lying down, he would join his palms; when sitting, he would always face west. As he grew older, he would not eat recklessly; seeing an image, he would bow, and meeting a monk, he would pay reverence. At the age of seven, he delighted in going to monasteries. The monks were astonished at his aspirations and orally taught him the 'Universal Gate Chapter'; upon opening it once, he had already mastered it. His parents forbade it and would not allow him to recite it anymore. When he reached the age of fifteen, the Liang scholar-gentry was in the Chengsheng reign; when Emperor Yuan perished, Zhiyi crossed north to Xiazhou, relying upon his maternal uncle. Yet he was brilliant, insightful, and possessed a gentle, respectful bearing, seeking out famous teachers. At the age of eighteen, he turned to Faxu of Guoyuan Temple in Xiangzhou to renounce household life. Xu conferred the ten precepts and the monastic deportment of the stages of the path. He then crossed to the north and went to Vinaya Master Huikuang, sitting facing north to receive the scriptures, fully receiving guidance and instruction. He also went to Master of Dhyāna Nanyue at Mount Dasu in Guangzhou to receive instruction in the mind contemplation. There upon this mountain, he practiced the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka samādhi. Having stayed for only three nights, he recited up to the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter'; his mind focused on ascetic practice, and when he reached the phrase 'This is true vigor,' understanding and awakening suddenly burst forth. He saw himself together with Master Si at the seven-jeweled pure land on Vulture Peak listening to the Buddha preach the Dharma. Si gave him certification. He also entered Mount Baisha in Xizhou and entered contemplation as before. Whenever he had doubts about a scripture, he would always see Si come and mysteriously explicate it for him. Si constantly had him lecture on his behalf; Si himself held a ruyi sceptre and sat in the audience listening, saying to the disciples, 'These are my principles; my child lacks only a little power of concentration.' Thereupon master and disciple viewed each other with altered regard, and his fame spread near and far. When his studies were completed, he went to bid farewell, and Si said, 'You have karmic ties with the Chen kingdom; going there will certainly bring benefit.' After Si travelled to Nanyue, the Great Master proceeded to Jinling (and so forth). When eight years had elapsed, in speaking and silence he constantly longed for the mountain forests. He then dreamed of myriad layers of crags and cliffs with clouds and the sun hanging halfway at their flanks, and the vast, shoreless ocean clear and deep beneath. He also saw a monk waving his hand and stretching his arm, reaching to the mountain foot to lead the Master up the mountain (and so forth). He made this dream known, and his disciples all said, 'This is Mount Tiantai.' Thereupon, together with Huibian and over twenty others, adhering to the Way, he journeyed south and secluded himself upon this mountain. Later, the Latter Lord of Chen issued an imperial decree summoning him to court on seven successive occasions, all with the emperor's handwritten letters. The Great Master thereupon left for the capital and was welcomed into the Eastern Hall of Taiji Palace, where he was invited to lecture on the Prajñāpāramitāśāstra (and so forth). When Jinling fell, he took his staff to Jing and Xiang, concealing his traces among the cloud-clad peaks, intending to end his days there. At that time, Prince Jin (Emperor Yang) was at his feudatory, holding overall charge of the Huai and Hai regions. Admiring his demeanor and venerating his virtue, with unceasing devotion, he wished to receive the precepts and take him as master, repeatedly sending letters of invitation. The Great Master first pleaded his lack of virtue, next yielded to renowned monks, and finally recommended fellow students; having declined three times, he could not avoid it. On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of Kaihuang, at the Jincheng Garrison of Yangzhou, a assembly of one thousand monks was arranged, and Zhiyi was respectfully invited to confer the bodhisattva precepts. Having conferred the precepts upon the prince, he wished to return to his old forest. The prince firmly entreated him to stay, but the Master said, 'We previously made a clear agreement; one matter cannot brook two contradictions.' He brushed his robes and rose. The prince dared not press him further, joining his palms to escort him. At the city gate, Zhiyi looked back and said, 'The defense of the state is not a light duty, and the affairs of the Way cause separation. Fortunately, observe the Buddha's transforming work, and broadly protect what might fall into ruin.' The prince bowed, gazing as far as his eyes could see, and returned weeping. Zhiyi then travelled up to his home region in Zhugong, and at Mount Yuquan in Dangyang County, he built Yiyin Temple. Prince Jin still requested the Great Master to compose the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Commentary. Liu Guyan and Xu Ling, both eminent talents of aristocratic lineage, assisted with the literary formulation; it was sealed in a precious treasury, and the prince personally received and upheld it. Later, Consort Xiao fell ill, and the physicians were at a loss. The prince dispatched Regional Commissioner-in-Chief Liu Guyan and others with a letter to plead for help, hoping he would cure her illness. The Master immediately led his assembly to establish a fast, practicing the Golden Light Repentance for seven days. On the sixth night, a wondrous bird suddenly descended, flew into the repentance hall, tossed about, and died, but in a brief moment flew away; pecking and singing sounds were also heard, and the assembly all witnessed it. The Master said, 'Since this sign has appeared, the consort should recover. The bird dying and reviving indicates that after the coffin lid is placed, she will rise again. Its beak remaining quiet and then calling aloud shows that the blessings of the fast will mount upon each other.' The next day, the illness indeed was cured, and the prince rejoiced greatly. At that time, it happened that [the prince] entered the court; the Master returned to Mount Tiantai, personally led the meditation assembly, and again practiced the previous repentance. He then made a vow, saying, 'If there is benefit to the Three Jewels, may my remaining years be extended. If I am to live in vain, I wish to quickly pass away.' Soon after, he told the assembly, 'I shall die in this place.' He admonished them, saying, 'You should all remain silent; I am about to depart.' Having spoken, he sat upright as if in absorption, and passed away before the Great Stone Statue on Mount Tiantai. His age was sixty-seven; this was on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the seventeenth year of Kaihuang. While the Master resided in the mountain, there were mushrooms hanging from every tree one touched; they grew as fast as they were picked, serving as regular provisions for the monks. If the Master went elsewhere, the mushrooms would not grow. From this one can speak of how truly the Way evokes a response. Zhang'an attended upon him for many years, recording his noble conduct over some twenty-odd pages. Furthermore, the śramaṇa Falin of Longtian Temple on Mount Zhongnan had early entered his school and personally received the precepts; feeling that his virtuous reputation was swiftly receding into the distance and the cemetery trees were suddenly grown dense, he composed a biography for him, which circulated widely in the world. In the final years of Emperor Yang of the Sui, when on imperial progress in Jiangdu, he dreamed of the Great Master, who spoke of his final bequest. The emperor personally composed an inscription, which was extremely magnificent, but before it could be engraved, disturbances broke out and it was lost. The rest is as told in the separate biography.