淨土往生傳 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Primary Biographies: Twenty Persons (Four Persons Appended)

Shi Huisi of Nanyue under the Chen
Shi Zhiyi of Tiantai under the Sui
Shi Zhishun of Zhaojun under the Sui
Shi Zhitong of Hedong under the Sui (with his disciple Dinggai and Lady Wang appended)
Shi Zhenhui of Puzhou under the Sui
Shi Fazhi of Tiantai under the Sui
Shi Shanzhou of the capital under the Tang
Shi Faxiang of Tongzhou under the Tang
Shi Mingzhan of Zhongnan under the Tang
Shi Daochuo of Bingzhou under the Tang (with Daofu appended)
Shi Guanding of Tiantai under the Tang
Shi Dao'ang of Xiangzhou under the Tang
Shi Zhiyan of Wuqiu under the Tang
Shi Shensu of Puzhou under the Tang
Shi Shandao of the capital under the Tang
Shi Gongjiong of Chenliu under the Tang
Shi Weian of Bingzhou under the Tang (with a young boy appended)
Shi Fachi of Jinling under the Tang
Shi Huiri of Luoyang under the Tang
Shi Xiongjun of Chengdu under the Tang

2.3

Shi Huisi had the secular surname Li and was a native of Wujin. In his youth he dreamed of an Indian monk who encouraged him to renounce secular life, and so he shaved his head and took the tonsure. Yet the place where he relied for lodging was far from being an araṇya. Subsequently he was moved by [the appearance of] a divine monk who exhorted him to observe the fasts and precepts. Huisi thereupon exerted his resolve, eating only once a day and completely cutting off social greetings and farewells. He recited more than thirty scriptures, including the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and the Vimalakīrti. When someone burned down the forest dwelling where he stayed, that person immediately broke out in a virulent disease; coming to Huisi to plead and repent, he was cured at once. On another day he again dreamed of several hundred Indian monks; the senior among them stroked him and said: “The moral precepts you received before were not the superior vinaya; how could they open the correct path for you or aid your pure practice? Having had the good fortune to meet this pure assembly, you should ascend the platform anew.” Because of this night dream, Huisi renewed his refined devotion and repeatedly had spiritual responses. From this he came to see the events of his practice of the Way across three lifetimes. Moreover, he once saw Amitābha in a dream expounding the Dharma to him. He therefore made an image of him to adorn his contemplative visualisations. He also once sat peacefully with focused mindfulness, and saw the signs of his good and bad karma over an entire lifetime appear clearly all at once. Having seen this, his body and mind became valiant and vigorous, and he attained awakening to the purport of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-samādhi and the Great Vehicle vaipulya. Thereupon he expounded and gave analogies for both the Great and Lesser Vehicles, as well as the equal study of concentration and wisdom, using them to guide both himself and others. Over time, the assembly became mixed with both refined and coarse practitioners, and disputes arose profusely. His disciples were troubled by this and reported it fully to Huisi. Huisi said: “Even when the Great Sage was in the world, he could not avoid slanderous rumors; in what I do, how could I escape petty detraction? Moreover, our Buddha-Dharma will perish before long, and I do not know in which direction we may avoid this disaster.” Soon a voice spoke from the air: “If you wish to cultivate concentration, Wudang and Nanyue are the places for it.” During the Wuping era of Northern Qi, he traveled south to Guangzhou. At that time the world was in turmoil and the roads were largely blocked, so he temporarily stayed with his disciples on Mount Dasu. This mountain lay on the border between Chen and Qi, exposed to the clashes of arms; furthermore, the Buddha-Dharma was collapsing like clouds and the five groups of disciples were dispersing. Yet the outstanding figures of the time still admired his virtue, hiding their tracks and reputations to come and consult him on the flavor of the principle. Huisi said: “I am old; I have no ability to inspire you. For now, I will order my student Zhiyi to lecture on the Suvarṇaprabhāsa in my place.” When Zhiyi came to the passage where the single mind is endowed with the ten thousand practices, he had a doubt. Huisi said: “What you just doubted is the sequential intention of the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā; it is not yet the round and sudden purport of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka. In the past, during a summer retreat, I rigorously disciplined myself to ponder this; before long, in a single thought-moment, I suddenly comprehended all phenomena. Since I have had the privilege to realise it directly in person, there is no need for you to harbor doubt.” Zhiyi thereupon received instruction on the twenty-one days' state of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, and then inquired: “The venerable's level of practice should reside in the ten stages.” Huisi said: “No, it is only the iron wheel stage of the ten faiths. When I test it against events in time, you can see it for yourself.” During the Guangda era of Chen, he left Mount Dasu and, together with over forty monks, proceeded directly to Nanyue. When they arrived, he said to the monks: “Within ten years from now, I will surely undertake a distant journey.” The next day he went forward to Hengyang, where he encountered a fine site with precipitous layered peaks and densely towering lush forests. Huisi pointed beneath the lush forest and said: “This is an ancient monastery; long ago I rested here for years.” Excavating the earth according to his words, they indeed unearthed the foundations of halls and temples as well as utensils used by monks. Next, coming beneath a great cliff, he again said: “This was where I sat in meditation long ago. A band of bandits came and severed my head; from the end of that life I have had this present body.” Moving only a few steps, they also found a pile of dried bones and a skull. Huisi held up the skull and made a prayer: “This is the remnant of my body and head; relying on the Buddha's power it may be perfumed and aided. I specially collect it to erect a pagoda for it.” When the Emperor of Chen heard that Huisi repeatedly had extraordinary occurrences, he issued an imperial edict inviting him to stay at Qixuan Monastery. Soon he went to another monastery; encountering rain on the way, his robes and articles did not get wet, and his shoes did not become soaked. Huigao, the Rector of Monks, saw this and sighed in admiration: “This is truly a practitioner who has attained the fruit; we of our sort cannot fathom him.” The Commander-in-Chief Wu Mingche paid him a visit and presented Huisi with a rhinoceros-horn pillow. A separate commander, Xiahou Xiaowei, went to the monastery to pay his respects. On the road he suddenly thought: “The rhinoceros-horn pillow presented by Lord Wu—I would like to know what it looks like.” When he arrived at Huisi's quarters, before he had made his obeisances, Huisi said: “If you wish to see the rhinoceros-horn pillow, you may go and look at it.” Xiahou was greatly astonished and thereby knew that he had the power of knowing others' minds. While Huisi dwelt at Nanyue, the Ruler of Chen sent three messengers a year to comfort and enquire after him, and provisions piled up like mountains. The divine transformations he displayed in transforming people were difficult to fathom: sometimes manifesting a large or small form, sometimes concealing his traces in empty nothingness, or sometimes possessing external objects; auspicious omens were too numerous to cite. Nearing his end, he went to the practice site halfway up the mountain and expounded the Dharma day after day. His warnings were stern and strict, making those who heard them feel a chill in their hearts. Presently he said again: “If there are ten people who can cultivate the pratyutpanna-samādhi, I shall supply whatever they require. If there is no such person, I shall depart!” In the end, no one responded. Huisi then gathered his mindfulness, and in the space of a snap of the fingers he passed away. There was a junior monk, Lingbian, who was beside him at the time, wailing in grief and stamping his feet. Huisi opened his eyes again and rebuked him: “The holy beings have come to welcome me and discuss where I am to receive birth; why do you disrupt this with your grieving wails?” He then expelled Lingbian outside, and passed away as before. Tracing that year, it was the ninth year of the Taijian era of Chen, at the age of sixty-four. At the beginning of Huisi's arrival, he had thought that after ten years he would surely undertake a distant journey; up to this point it was precisely ten years. Commentators consider that since Huisi once received the expounding of the Dharma from Amitābha, subsequently made a sacred image of Amitābha to adorn his contemplative visualisations, and furthermore formed an alliance of pure karma with Dhyāna Master Huiming pledging to meet in Anyang, then when Huisi earlier said that the holy beings had come to welcome him and discuss where he was to receive birth, how could it be anywhere else? In truth, he was born in Anyang.

2.4

Shi Zhiyi. His secular surname was Chen, and his ancestors were people of Yingchuan. When the Jin moved its capital, they took up residence in Huarong of Jingzhou. His mother, Lady Xu, repeatedly experienced miraculous dreams while pregnant with Zhiyi. When he was born, the room was brightly illuminated; only after a full day had passed did it cease. While still in swaddling clothes, whenever he lay down he joined his palms, and whenever he sat he faced the west. When he reached childhood, he delighted in visiting monasteries. A monk marveled at his aspiration and orally taught him the 'Universal Gate Chapter' of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka; after only a single hearing, he could recite it thoroughly. At the age when his mind was set on learning, he crossed northward into Xiazhou, relying on his maternal uncle for study. At eighteen, he met Dharma Master Xu of Guoyuan Monastery in Xiangzhou and thereupon had his head shaved. Xu conferred the ten precepts upon him and bade him go to Vinaya Master Huikuang, facing north with his scriptures horizontally laid. Afterward, he secluded himself on Mount Daxian, reciting the Amitārtha Sūtra, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, and the Samantabhadra Contemplation Sūtra; before two decads had elapsed, he had finished reciting all three texts. Next, he placed his reliance on Dhyāna Master Si on Mount Dasu in Guangzhou. When Si saw Zhiyi, he said: 'Formerly on Vulture Peak, we listened together to the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka. Aided by that supreme condition, we now meet again here.' He first showed him the Samantabhadra bodhimaṇḍa and explained the four pleasant practices. Zhiyi stayed on Mount Su and practiced the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka samādhi. Beginning on the third night, when he reached the phrase 'This is true vigor' in the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', his understanding opened up and was awakened, and he saw himself together with Si on Vulture Peak listening to the Buddha preach the Dharma. The next day, he reported this to Si. Si said: 'Were it not for you, it could not have been sensed; were it not for me, it could not have been known. This is the preliminary expedient of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka samādhi.' Not long after, he entered Mount Baisha in Xizhou, entering into contemplation as before. Whenever he had doubts about a scripture, he would see Si come and mysteriously explicate it for him. Later, Si had him lecture in his stead, and all who heard him submitted in admiration. Zhiyi only consulted him regarding the cognitive application of the three samādhis and three contemplations; as for the rest, he clearly understood it on his own. Si sat below the seat observing and listening, and said to his students: 'This is my son of the Dharma! I only regret that his meditative power is still slight.' Thereupon, monastics and laypeople looked upon him with new respect, and his renown spread far and wide. Soon after, he took leave of Si. Si said: 'You have karmic ties with the state of Chen; if you go, it will surely bring immense benefit.' Zhiyi then traveled leisurely to Jinling, where he broadly propagated the Dhyāna methods at Waguan Monastery. Left Vice Director Xu Ling and the prominent nobles of the time all came to inquire of him. Yet Zhiyi was by nature tranquil and serene, finding no joy in bustle and turmoil; whether taking office or retiring, whether moving or at rest, his thoughts were always with the forests and marshes. During the Guangda era of Chen, he once dreamed of a thousand-fathom cliff where clouds and sun hung halfway, and ten thousand leagues of vast ocean stretched boundlessly without shore. In the distance, he saw a monk atop the cliff, waving his hand and extending his arm all the way down to the foot of the bifurcated peak, pulling Zhiyi upward. In the morning, he described the dream in detail, and someone said to him: 'This must surely be Mount Tiantai in Kuaiji. Since the Jin and Song dynasties, the likes of Sengguang, Daoyou, Falan, and Tanmi have all dwelled there.' Zhiyi rejoiced at his words, and together with Huibian and more than twenty monks, he journeyed south toward that mountain. Formerly, a monk named Dingguang had already lived there for forty years. Two years before Zhiyi arrived, Guang had told people: 'A good friend will come. You should prepare tasks to attend to his needs.' When Zhiyi arrived, Guang joyfully received him and asked him: 'Good friend, do you remember when I waved my hand and extended my arm in earlier years to pull you up?' Zhiyi was startled and awed, knowing that his earlier dream had been spiritual. Soon, the sound of a bell was heard echoing throughout the mountain valley. Because there was no temple in the valley, Zhiyi found it quite strange. Guang said: 'The bell is summoning those with karmic affinity; it is because you are able to dwell here. Why be surprised?' When they were about to build a monastery, Guang said: 'You may settle down according to what is appropriate for now. When the country is pure and peaceful, there will surely be a person of noble rank to erect a monastery for you.' Two years later, Emperor Xuan, hearing of Zhiyi's conduct in the Way, indeed decreed the construction of a monastery; furthermore, knowing that monks and followers everywhere were gathering around him like shadows, he specially set aside the revenue and taxes of Shifeng County to supply them. Zhiyi resided at that monastery, and whenever he undertook the summer retreat, he lectured on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra. One day during the lectures, he suddenly saw three jeweled stairways descend from heaven; moreover, several Indian monks descended the stairs, holding incense burners in their hands, circumambulating Zhiyi three times, and after a long while they vanished. Those who knew regarded them as the holy assembly of the Stone Bridge, clearly bestowing confirmation to strengthen his mind. Prince Bai Zhi of Yongyang served Zhiyi as his master, and when he went out to govern the Wu and Kuaiji regions, his entire family came to the mountain to request the precept transmission. Emperor Xuan also once asked: 'Who among the Buddhist sangha today is eminent and celebrated?' His close courtier Chen Xuan replied: 'The Dhyāna Master of Waguan is truly eminent and celebrated. Formerly in the capital, he was the model for the worthy; now he has retired to Tiantai, and the people have lost their reliance. I hope Your Majesty will summon him back to instruct monastics and laypeople.' The emperor thereupon repeatedly issued imperial decrees to summon him. When Zhiyi arrived at the capital, the emperor ordered his officials to welcome him into the Eastern Hall of Taiji Palace to lecture on the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa. He also decreed that a child driving a sheep-drawn carriage lead the way in front, and commanded the Palace Cadets of the Secretariat to follow in attendance behind. At that time, throughout the empire there was an investigation of monks and nuns, and those without official registries were numbered in the tens of thousands. The court deliberated on thoroughly searching out and weeding out those deficient in scriptural learning. Zhiyi admonished: 'Devadatta recited sixty thousand elephant-loads of scriptures, yet could not escape hell; Panthaka chanted only a single verse on the Dharma, yet attained the holy fruit. A profound discussion of the Way—how could it consist of much recitation?' Emperor Xuan was greatly pleased and thereupon halted the search and purge. Soon afterward, Zhiyi dreamed of a man whose retinue was strict and imposing, who came forward and told him: 'I am Guanda. I request that you reside at Sanqiao.' Zhiyi said: 'Guanda was the Dharma name of Emperor Wu of Liang. Does Sanqiao not refer to Guangzhai Monastery?' He then moved to reside there. In the fourth month, summer of that year, the ruler of Chen visited the monastery and requested a lecture on the Benevolent Kings Sūtra. The emperor bowed earnestly among the assembly, and the crown prince and imperial consorts all revered the standards of the precepts. He further drew up a text, saying: 'Only the Master's transforming guidance is boundless, rescuing beings according to their capacities, safeguarding the realm, and guiding gods and humans.' He also stated: 'Now I wish to fulfill my original vow, asking you to be my master for the bodhisattva precepts, hoping that you will bestow your kind forbearance in accordance with my wish.' Zhiyi ascended the high seat, and the emperor observed the etiquette of a disciple below the seat. When Jinling fell and affairs returned to the Yang clan, the Prince of Jin was then in Yangzhou, and likewise wished to consult and receive the precept transmission. He personally composed a text, saying: 'This disciple has inherited the dynastic foundation through accumulated virtue, born into the imperial house; early on I hastened to heed the family instructions, and long have I been gradually steeped in ancestral teachings.' He also stated: 'The Upādhyāya's renown is heard from afar, known to all; therefore, in reverent admiration, I dispatch oarsmen to welcome you from afar.' When Zhiyi arrived in Yangzhou, the Prince arranged a Dharma assembly of a thousand monks to receive them. After receiving them, Zhiyi told the Prince: 'For a great being to cross over [the world], comprehensive maintenance comes first; a name corresponds to reality, the same now as in antiquity. Your Highness may take the Dharma name Zongchi to manifest this reality.' The Prince received it atop his head. Among the assembly, the Prince also told Zhiyi: 'The Dhyāna Master's wisdom and virtue are inwardly fused with kind forbearance, outwardly manifesting the subjugation of gods and humans and the suppression of māras and non-Buddhists. We desire to title you Master of Wisdom, to fulfill the wishes of all below.' Thereupon, he offered more than sixty unusual items. Zhiyi took these items and used them all for the relief of the impoverished. Later, he returned to his old mountain, his single-minded focus set on meditation. One day, rising from dhyāna, he told his disciple Zhiyue: 'My illusory form will vanish morning or evening. Prepare fragrant flowers at Shicheng and await me to cast off this retribution body.' When Zhiyi arrived there, a couch was laid out facing west, and he meditated on Amitābha Buddha and the two bodhisattvas, as well as the transformation buddhas and transformation bodhisattvas of the Pure Land coming to protect him. He also instructed his disciples to burn abundant incense and candles, and he drew near to his body the three robes, bowl, and staff. When someone wished to offer the pure meal, the Master said: 'To be free of grasping is the true pure meal.' He then asked for fragrant water to rinse his tongue clean, and expounded such teachings as the ten suchnesses, the four non-arisings, the ten realms of reality, the three contemplations, the four wisdoms, the four immeasurables, and the six pāramitās. A monk asked what he had realized, and he replied: 'Had I not led the assembly, my six sense faculties would certainly have been purified. Damaging myself for the sake of others, I have retreated to the inner stage of the five grades.' He further said: 'When a person's life is about to end, hearing the sound of bells and chimes increases their right mindfulness. You should sound the chimes to increase my mindfulness.' He then sat cross-legged and passed away before the image of Amitābha.

2.5

Shi Zhishun. His secular surname was Meng, and he was a native of Dalu in Zhaozhou. In his youth he possessed unbending integrity, with an aspiration to retire lofty into the forests and springs. Soon he shaved his head, becoming even more detached from worldly customs. He served Dhyāna Master Chou of Yunmen; for more than twelve years he remained silent all day long, as though unable to speak. What he did speak of were precepts and meditation, and the reciprocal practice and realization of the stages of the three vehicles. Chou marveled at him, saying: 'With regard to human affairs, you are almost without worldly thoughts! From now on, I can discuss the teachings with you.' From then on, he daily gained new hearings and insights into the provisional and real teachings of the three vehicles, and he applied himself even more diligently to monastic practices. At times, when delusive thoughts suddenly arose, he would take an awl and prick his thigh to alert his mind. Even for slight faults, Shun acted in this same way. Because of this, defilements and habitual karmic tendencies found no opening to enter. Formerly, he practiced mindfulness and meditation together with Dharma Master Tanxun; for ten years, except for taking meals and relieving themselves, their feet did not cross the threshold. Later, hearing that the forest slopes of Mount Xuting in Zanhuang were secluded and deep, he went to dwell there. Enthusiasts often transported provisions by cart to supply his needs; Shun avoided them. When asked the reason, he replied: 'Acorns and chestnuts in the mountain dwelling are sufficient to sustain me through the seasons. What could be lacking?' Shun was utterly simple in conduct and supremely benevolent in nature. Among living beings, even those as minute as ants and insects, he never harmed. How much more so for other creatures! When someone ate their blood and flesh, Shun would inevitably say: 'In the distinct forms of the six destinies, there is none through which you have not passed. All sentient beings have been your parents; all living creatures have been your own former bodies. Eating their flesh is eating your parents; consuming their blood is consuming your own physical form. Why do you not pity them as your parents' bodies and your own limbs?' Those who heard this reformed their hearts. Once, a hunter drove a pheasant into his room; Shun urged him to release it, but could not turn his intention. He then took a knife, severed one of his own ears, and presented it to him, saying: 'I cannot turn your intention because you are greedy for its flesh. I wish to offer this in its stead.' The hunter was greatly astonished. Thereafter, among the customs of Xuting, eighty to ninety percent abandoned hunting. Shun lived at Xuting for a long time, and the inhabitants at the foot of the mountain came in crowds to rely upon and admire him. Shun took no pleasure in this, and entered the southern ravine of Mount Zhanghong to focus even more exclusively on mindfulness and meditation. In the tenth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, Emperor Wen, knowing of Shun's bitter diligence, specially issued an imperial decree: 'The Emperor respectfully inquires after Dhyāna Master Shun of the southern ravine of Mount Zhanghong: In the extreme cold of winter, is your taste of the Way peaceful and secure? You encourage the common folk and accomplish supreme karmic deeds; We greatly praise this power of vows. Now We dispatch Lu Yuanshou, Commander of the Unequaled Opening of the Office, to personally convey Our intention, and furthermore summon the Dhyāna Master to come to the traveling imperial court.' Shun submitted a memorial expressing gratitude and declining due to illness. The people revered his virtue and erected a monastery for him to reside in. Later, he rested at Dalin Monastery on Mount Lu. Because Master Yuan in former times had practiced with the Pure Society of the Lotus Dais, and his remaining traces were still clearly present, Shun thereupon followed in his earlier footsteps, cultivating the sixteen contemplations. Day after day, he directed his mindful thoughts toward the various contemplation gates. In his later years, the monastics and laypeople of Yuzhang requested him to lecture on the Contemplation Sūtra. Shun said: 'The Contemplation Sūtra is the Pure Land teaching; the Pure Land is what I practice. How could I refuse them in this? I shall comply with their request.' On the fifth day after concluding the lectures, he fell ill. Another day during his illness, Shun himself saw hundreds of parrots and peacocks flocking together, reciting the Buddha, reciting the Dharma, and reciting all the pāramitās, accompanied by exquisite sounds. Shun then forced himself to rise and told his disciples: 'Parrots and peacocks have gathered together in flocks, and furthermore recite the Buddha and recite the Dharma before me. This must be the Transformation Lord of the Pure Land showing an advance manifestation to aid me. Today I shall surely pass away.' Soon afterward, it happened indeed as he had said.

2.6

Shi Zhitong had the secular surname Cheng and was a native of Hedong. At ten years old, he donned the black robes to become a novice monk (śrāmaṇera). His solemn deportment was praised by his contemporaries. After receiving full ordination, he halted all external concerns and diligently devoted himself solely to repentance and recitation, chanting more than three thousand verses in praise of the Buddha composed by past sages. At the six times of the day, facing the venerable image, he chanted aloud, his tones nuanced and mournful, moving those who heard him to sorrow. For some fifty years, he showed no weariness. In the final years of Emperor Wu of the Zhou, when the Buddhist order was suppressed, Zhitong withdrew to a secluded place to ride out the troubles of the time. When the founding emperor of the Sui took the throne and caused the sun of the Buddha to shine brightly once more, Zhitong resided at Gulao Monastery, where his austerity during the six times of the day doubled that of his early years. Ever distressed by the day-to-day afflictions of the three realms and five sufferings, he vowed to attain release and be reborn in Anyang. In the tenth month of the seventh year of Daye, he fell ill. For the time being, he ordered dozens of his disciples, including Dinggai, to face west with one voice and recite Amitābha Buddha. Zhitong then closed his eyes and remained in focused contemplation for a long time. He asked Gai, "For what reason are the lanterns and candles lit so brightly?" Gai then extinguished the candles. Zhitong said again, "Why has the light grown even brighter?" Since there were no candles, Gai replied to him, "This wondrous manifestation of radiant light must presage something; it is not something I can understand." Zhitong immediately opened his eyes, looked all around, and instructed Gai to light incense. Once the smoke of the incense arose, Zhitong snapped his fingers and said, "Unsurpassed wondrous omens are mine!" Someone asked what was wondrous, and he replied, "Jeweled banners and flower canopies are entirely before me. If not wondrous, then what are they? Day is about to turn to dusk." He also said to Gai, "My rebirth in the Pure Land is set for tonight. You disciples must advance with vigor and never fall back into indolence!" When the middle of the night arrived, he passed away sitting in the hall of repentance and recitation, as if in meditative absorption. Daohui, a monk of the monastery, saw to the left of the hall thousands of multistoried pavilions arrayed across the void, departing westward, growing gradually more distant and faint, like ten thousand folds of clouds and mist, now dispersing, now scattering, beyond description. At that time, Dinggai's mother, Lady Wang, was also devoted to pure karma. When she cast off her retribution body, blue-green lotuses were also seen filling her chamber; those who came, more often than not, could still smell the fragrance of the lotuses, which did not disperse for days.

2.7

Shi Zhenhui had the secular surname Chen and was a native of Pinglu in Shan. During the Kaihuang era of the Sui, growing weary of worldly life, he served Meditation Master Qing of his home prefecture. Next he went to the capital of Ye, where he received full ordination from Vinaya Master Hong. Hearing later that Meditation Master Xun of Weizhou had profoundly awakened to the Buddha Vehicle, he went to consult and study under him. At the end of the Kaihuang era, staff in hand, he traveled west, his path leading past the Hundred-Family Cliff of Bailu, where he paused to lodge. Someone told Hui, "If you seek a secluded place to dwell, Puban is particularly excellent." Hui accepted this advice and went to Magu in Puban, where he founded a meditation hermitage that became a flourishing pure precinct. At the beginning of the Daye era, he once ingested sealwort and abstained from grain for over a hundred days, dedicating his contemplations to the Pure Land. Soon afterwards he held the summer retreat at Pangu. In the valley was a fierce tiger that had harmed the people for four years; once Hui arrived, it fled altogether. On the seventh day of the tenth month of the eleventh year, he fell ill and passed away at the south cliff of that valley, at the age of forty-seven, having been a monk for thirty-five years. Earlier, Hui had loved investigating the sūtras and the vinaya until it became second nature to him. Upon learning of the gradual stages of the nine grades of the Pure Land, he set about cultivating them. Fearing that his practice was not yet steadfast and that demons or non-Buddhists might interfere, he remarked, "The disparate thoughts of ordinary beings are tangled and not unified; if I do not rely on the power of the sage, whom can I lean upon?" He then leveled a pure site and constructed a square altar. On the altar he erected a high platform, adorned inside and out with pearls, jade, and various treasures. On the four sides of the platform he set four pillars with jeweled banners, draped with nets and curtains that reflected one another. Amitāyus Buddha sat in the center, flanked by Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Below, it was interspersed with blue-green tiles resembling a ground of lapis lazuli, with golden cords laid out to delineate its paths. Beneath the paths were placed jeweled golden banners, their eight directions matching the one pattern, following the sūtra’s words that seven-jeweled golden banners uphold the lapis lazuli ground. Whenever Hui performed contemplations before the images, he always bathed his body and washed his robes before daring to enter. When he emerged, he stood erect and composed his thoughts with solemn reverence, as if the divine transformations of all the Buddhas were constantly before him. On the night of his death, he told his disciples, "I have exerted myself somewhat in the practices for the Pure Land. Unexpectedly, this very night I have seen a lotus blossom beforehand, opening and closing again, as though it were about to carry me aloft, while my feet stand in the void." Before a moment had passed, the assembly heard the sound of a bell and also heard a heavenly wind blowing from all four directions, as an extraordinary light suddenly flared up. Hui then passed away.

2.8

Shi Fazhi's ancestry is unknown. In the time of Emperor Wen of the Sui, he traveled to study in Dongyue. Whenever there was someone in Yue who understood the doctrinal meanings of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna sūtras, Fazhi would study under him; thus, in sheer diligence and broad learning, few could match him. In his later years, deeming that among all direct paths none was as good as buddhānusmṛti, he rose at dawn and rested at dusk, continuing his mindfulness without slackening for seven years. Afterward, he mused, "To commit a single duṣkṛta and bear its retribution for an intermediate kalpa—this can indeed be believed, for it was done deliberately. But that reciting the name of Amitābha Buddha just once can extinguish the heavy offenses of billions of kalpas—this I privately doubt." Someone told Fazhi, "Do not doubt yourself! The teaching says that if one practices buddhānusmṛti for long, it bears merit; with merit comes transformation; with transformation, samādhi becomes manifest. Now, your doubt is a doubt of the teaching. To doubt the teaching leaves faith with no support; with no support, one's mind becomes disordered. Becoming disordered and going astray, the fault of slandering [the Dharma] becomes the cause for being born in hell. How could you let that arise, and why doubt yourself?" Fazhi reformed his mind with sincerity and, upon the Tuṣita Terrace of Guoqing Monastery, cut off all external concerns to focus single-mindedly on buddhānusmṛti. When his contemplation reached its peak, he was repeatedly blessed with the simultaneous appearance of Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. On another day, he was blessed with the sight of a heavenly crown and a jeweled vase, their light illuminating his person. Fazhi said to his acquaintances among monastics and laity, "The day for my rebirth in the Pure Land is at hand! Who among you will prepare a meal to bid me farewell?" The crowd smiled and replied, "If you can truly do so, how could we begrudge a single meal? We only fear that you, O practitioner, will not be able to do so." They agreed to assemble for a meal three days later. On that day, when the meal was finished, Fazhi showed no illness. Among the crowd, some believed, some disbelieved, and some suspected he was merely mocking them. As the sun sank in the west, they lodged in his room to watch. Before the night ended, Fazhi recited the Buddha's name upon his rope bed, sat peacefully, and passed away. That night, a golden light came from the west, illuminating several hundred li. The fishermen on the river thought it was dawn; boats gazing toward each other, they all rose up in alarm, and only after a long while did the actual day break.

2.9

Shi Shanzhou had the secular surname Huai and was a native of Boye in Yingzhou. In his youth, he mastered doctrinal studies, rising far above his peers. He once traveled to Wuzhong, where he met Dharma Master Huijing lecturing on the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, with a thousand monastics and laypeople listening intently. From among those thousand people, Zhou debated with him, repeatedly challenging and cross-examining him, and gained a decisive victory. From this, his renown spread across several commanderies. In the third year of the Renshou era of the Sui, Emperor Wen issued an edict selecting fifty-three eminent monks to distribute relics among fifty-three commanderies. By virtue of his outstanding virtues, Zhou was chosen among them, and in this selection, Zhou was especially renowned. Yet Zhou had little regard for worldly affairs and was detached toward relatives and old acquaintances; he devoted all his efforts exclusively to the Pure Land. In the hall where he resided, there were images of Amitābha and the two bodhisattvas, which repeatedly emitted light inside and out; all who saw it marveled in praise, but Zhou never said a word about it. In the second year of Daye, he fell ill in bed; only in the third year of Wude of the Tang did his illness abate. Zhou said, "My illness has abated, but my life is about to end." Shortly thereafter, he suddenly became critically ill. He said again, "Toward the Buddha’s teachings, I have never been careless; I have no anxiety about not being reborn in the Pure Land." He then had the monks sweep clean his room and wait solemnly for the moment to arrive. That evening, while the monks were still at his side, Zhou suddenly rose, pressed his palms together, and prayed, "The Buddha uses the forty-eight vows to gather me in. Sentient beings must hope that at this moment it will be according to the Buddha's original vows." After a moment, he said again, "Sentient beings, through many kalpas, fail to encounter the Buddha or hear the Dharma. Now the Buddha's radiance has fortunately shone upon me, Zhou; what I previously vowed has not gone astray." Having spoken these words, he passed away.

2.10

Shi Faxiang was a native of Chengcheng in Tongzhou. From his childhood, he upheld his resolve and was self-reliant. In the final years of Emperor Wu of the Zhou, monks were forced to return to lay dress, and among them, those who possessed discernment were selected for official service. Because of his abilities, Xiang attained an official post. When the Sui restored the great teaching, Xiang submitted a memorial requesting to become a monk once again. Soon after, he resided at Daxingguo Monastery in the capital of Yang for thirty years, deeply contemplating esoteric texts and encompassing both the provisional and the real teachings. When he guided the ignorant and instructed the worldly, his every action brought benefit, and he always used the good merit of such benefit to aid his rebirth in Anyang. Even down to laying the foundation of a hall or constructing a room—any work with clay or timber—he unfailingly dedicated it with a vow. In the seventh year of Wude of the Tang, he fell ill. When it worsened, his disciples were at Xiang's side and heard the sound of his invoking the Buddha coming continuously from his mouth. At first they did not understand, thinking he was merely reciting the Buddha's name in illness to manifest his vowed thoughts. Soon they turned to look, and saw light upon the west wall of his room. The light formed a circle, like a treasure mirror, in which other lands were completely visible. Within the light, there were also kalaviṅka birds flapping their wings and approaching from all directions. Xiang pointed to what he saw and said to his disciples, "Do you disciples see the kalaviṅka birds? If you see them, then in the future you will certainly see me in the Pure Land." Shortly afterward, the light vanished, and Xiang passed away. Thereupon, according to the cremation (jhāpita) method of the Western Regions, they collected his relics and entombed them.

2.11

Shi Mingzhan, whose secular surname was Du, was a native of Shiyi in Hengzhou. He was resolute and unbending by nature, and was learned in both ancient and modern texts. His prefecture recommended him as an outstanding scholar. Soon he realized that worldly life is an illusion, and went to Yingjue Monastery on Mount Feilong to enter the monastic life. Later he relied upon Daji Monastery in Ye, devoting himself to thoroughly probing the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa. When the Yuwen clan abolished Buddhism, Mingzhan hid his traces in rocky valleys. When Emperor Wen of the Sui restored the sacred teaching, he emerged to dwell at Fazang Monastery in Xiangzhou. Mingzhan's aspiration and spirit were exceptionally lofty, and he never meddled with improper matters; outside of incense and candles, he had no other engagements whatsoever. In the third year of Kaihuang, an imperial edict ordered him to dwell at Daxing Monastery to translate and interpret the sacred texts. In the second year of Daye, an imperial order required monks and Daoists throughout the realm to perform worldly bows as one body. At that time, before the palace, the followers of the Huang-Lao school all complied with the imperial intention, but the gate of the Buddhist monastics alone remained upright and unbowed. The emperor said, 'The terms of the decree have long been promulgated; in duty, you must pay respect.' Mingzhan replied, 'If Your Majesty definitely requires us to return to worldly ways according to the regulations, then with the sincerity of a dog or horse, how would we dare disobey the order? But if the Great Dharma is to be venerated, then beneath the Dharma robes, the monastic assembly cannot pay respect to the worldly.' The emperor said, 'If the monastic assembly cannot pay respect to the worldly, why did they pay respect to Emperor Wu of the Song?' Mingzhan replied, 'Emperor Wu gave free rein to authority and cruelty, and showed no benevolence or virtue. If one dared disobey his edicts, one immediately incurred execution in the open. Your Majesty's sagely transformation nurtures all beings, never plunging them into unjust punishment. This is why we, your servants, can speak our full loyalty.' The emperor granted his memorial and thereupon revoked the former decree. Because Mingzhan was resolute, upright, and not intimidated by the powerful, the assembly recommended him as the elder (uparisthavira) of the capital. In the time of Tang Taizong, he was also summoned to court and asked about the Buddhist teachings. Mingzhan said, 'What the Buddha takes as fundamental is largely based on benevolence and forbearance.' Soon an imperial decree was issued to reduce the slaughtering of animals, and wherever the army marched, Buddhist shrines were established. Toward his later years, he applied his mind earnestly to Anyang. Someone mocked his practice as having begun too late, but Mingzhan said, 'Who is late? With ten unforgotten recitations, one can still behold the Buddha; how much more so with the tens of millions of times that I have recited!' On the second day of the tenth month in the second year of Zhenguan, he became ill and told his disciples, 'Things have their end, and the span of life has its limit. My life is ending and has reached its limit.' He also said, 'When I end, will it not be birth in Anyang?' He then appointed several hundred monastics and laypeople to gather the next morning at Xingshan Monastery, where a meal was prepared so he could say farewell. At that time, Vice Director of the Right Fang Xuanling and Chancellor Du Ruhui both attended. After the sun passed noon, Mingzhan returned to his monastery, straightened his deportment, and appeared as if waiting for something. Shortly after, he suddenly said, 'Our Buddha has come!' A moment later, he said again, 'The two great bodhisattvas have also arrived!' Thereupon, drawing himself upright and joining his palms, he died with joyful praise.

2.12

Shi Daochuo, whose secular surname was Wei, was a native of Wenshui in Bingzhou. After renouncing the household, he traveled around visiting famous teachers. Later, hearing that Chan Master Zan was distinguished in both theoretical understanding and practice, he devoted his whole aspiration to serving him. Soon he rested at Xuanzhong Monastery in Bigu. The monastery was the former dwelling of Dharma Master Tanluan of the Later Wei. In that monastery, Tanluan had long accumulated pure karma, and on the day of his passing, auspicious marvels occurred in succession. The prefectural people marveled at it, gathered the accounts of the events, and carved them on a stele. Daochuo looked upon its inscription and generated an even deeper faith. Thereupon, relying on a quiet setting and calming all thoughts, he recited the name of Amitābha Buddha countless times, making seventy thousand times a day his general norm. In the Bing and Fen regions, the local custom rarely engaged in buddhānusmṛti, and those holding prayer beads were few and far between. Daochuo encouraged both monastics and laypeople to practice buddhānusmṛti; for those without prayer beads, he had them count using beans—whenever one recitation was uttered, one bean was counted. At times, this was also done by counting hemp seeds or wheat grains. Afterward, when they were measured, the amount counted reached several tens of thousands of bushels. On the eighth day of the fourth month in the third year of Tang Zhenguan, monastics and laypeople gathered at the monastery, rejoicing in the descent and birth of the Tathāgata. They then saw Tanluan in the sky, riding a seven-jeweled boat, pointing from aboard the boat to Daochuo and saying, 'Your dwelling hall in the Pure Land is already completed; it is only that your karmic lifespan has not yet run out.' They also saw transformation buddhas and transformation bodhisattvas drifting in the sky. The assembly marveled in admiration and gave rise to great faith and submission; even icchantikas devoid of the spiritual lineage followed and submitted to him. Because of this, in the early Tang, the steeping of the various prefectures of Bing and Fen in pure karma flourished through Daochuo. Daochuo had a companion named Daofu, who long lived in the capital, quite distant from Xuanzhong Monastery. Whenever they met, they would always point to the Pure Land as their eternal reunion. Three days after Daochuo passed away, Daofu heard of it and said, 'I always took practice to be foremost; why am I left behind?' He also said, 'With the effort of just a single breath, the time to see the Buddha can be caught up with!' That very day, bowing his head before the image, he laid bare his confession, then withdrew to his seat and passed away.

2.13

Shi Guanding, styled Fayun, whose secular surname was Wu, was a native of Yixing in Changzhou. His fifth-generation ancestor had fled to Dong'ou, and thus his family settled in Zhang'an of Linhai. When Guanding was still an infant in arms, whenever his mother pronounced the names of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, his mouth would inevitably echo them; the words, sounds, and cadence could be heard distinctly. Dharma Master Huizheng of Shejing Monastery heard this and said, 'This is truly a habituated trait from past lives!' At the age of seven, he became Zheng's disciple; receiving daily instructions and exhortations, he quickly made progress. When Zheng passed away from the world, Guanding went to Tiantai to seek the Way, practicing the precepts and samādhi without ever deviating from the proper rules. During the Zhide era of the Chen dynasty, he accompanied the Master of Zhi (Zhiyi) to reside at Guangzhai. When the Chen lost rule and affairs fell under the Sui dynasty, in the eleventh year of Kaihuang, the Prince of Jin was stationed to govern Yangzhou; Guanding followed Zhiyi to stay at Chanzhong Monastery. After three years, when Zhiyi set his chariot to return, Guanding also accompanied him. In the seventeenth year, when Zhiyi was ill, Guanding received his final testament as well as tokens of farewell for the Prince of Jin. The prince had previously requested the precepts from Zhiyi, and when Guanding arrived, the prince gave rise to deep sorrow and mourning, and through virtuous deeds honored him as a spiritual relative. The prince subsequently dispatched Wang Hong, Marshall of the Yangzhou Area Command, to escort Guanding back to the mountain, and founded Guoqing Monastery for Zhiyi. In the first year of Renshou, the Prince of Jin succeeded to the throne, and Guanding received imperial favor that grew ever more flourishing day by day. The halls and pavilions of the monastery were further renovated and completed. Soon he was summoned to the imperial palace to lecture on sūtras such as the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa and Saddharmapuṇḍarīka; during the three summer months he expounded them broadly, and the six imperial palaces looked up to him with reverence. After another two years, Guanding returned to Tiantai. On the seventh day of the eighth month in the sixth year of Tang Zhenguan, he passed away at Guoqing Monastery at the age of seventy-two. At first, when Guanding fell ill, an extraordinary fragrance filled the room. Guanding rejoiced, saying, 'This is the fragrance of the jeweled lotus; I shall ride upon it and depart!' Thereupon, before the image, he recited the name of Amitābha Buddha ten times, and three times the names of the two bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, as well as the various bodhisattvas of the ocean-like assembly of pure beings. Then he took to his mat, folded his hands over his chest, and solemnly passed away as though returning home.

2.14

Shi Dao'ang was a native of Hucheng in Wei. When he was first conceived in the womb, his mother could not consume meat or blood; if anyone arrived having eaten meat or blood, his mother would also loathe it. At the age of nine, he went to Dharma Master Lingyu to become his disciple. His wisdom and understanding were naturally endowed, scarcely needing instruction from a master. Once, at Hanlingshan Monastery, he deeply researched the meaning of the sūtras, persisting for twenty years. Whenever monastics and scholars of the Wei had points of doctrinal study they could not comprehend, they mostly went to him for resolution; he responded to every inquiry, never leaving anything unanswered. Whenever he lectured on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and Daśabhūmivyākhyāna and was about to conclude the text, he would state his own vow: 'I vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, beginning from this day.' Even in casual speech and discussions, this vow was always present. In the spring of the seventh year of Tang Zhenguan, Ang met with relatives and acquaintances near and far and told them: 'My living was like coming; my dying is like returning. In the eighth month, I shall return!' When the time came, people all came to visit him; seeing that he was not ill, the assembly was doubtful. Ang said, 'My time has arrived; do not doubt.' He then ascended the high seat and offered earnest exhortations; those who heard him were awestruck. While Ang was giving his exhortations from the seat, he suddenly bowed with joined hands and said, 'What celestial multitude is that, arriving in crowds?' He also said, 'Being born into the heavenly realm has never been my vow; my vow is to be welcomed into the Pure Land, and now I have received the command!' Thereupon he closed his eyes, and after a long while said again, 'The light of Amitābha Buddha has already illuminated me, and various transformation bodhisattvas have also come to meet.' He then held up an incense burner, bowed his head, and expressed his joyful encounter. Soon the incense burner fell, and Ang passed away.

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淨土往生傳 — Classical Chinese