華嚴經傳記 2.13

2.13

Shi Linggan, whose secular surname was Li, was a native of Didao in Jincheng. His grandfather was enfeoffed in Shangdang as a minister, and [the family] subsequently relocated following the fief. At the age of ten, his aspiration was to hear the Dharma and his mind rejoiced in leaving secular life behind; his parents did not oppose him. At fourteen, he went to Da Zhuangyan Monastery in the capital of Ye to become a disciple of Dharma Master Yan. Day and night he respectfully served him without wasting an inch of time, and whenever he entered the lecture hall, he imagined himself dwelling in a heavenly palace, no different. At eighteen, he repeated the lectures on the Avataṃsaka and the Ten Grounds. When he first opened the fundamental teachings, everyone praised him in unison. When Emperor Wu of the Zhou suppressed the Dharma, he remained at home upholding the precepts. When the Sui dynasty revived the sun of the Buddha, he was among the distinguished choices. Whenever Linggan lectured on this sūtra, he would often extend through the cold and heat; people gathered and formed bonds from all four directions, following one after another in a continuous stream of dust. In the seventh year of Kaihuang, by imperial decree he was ordered to reside at Xingshansi as a śramaṇa who certified the meanings for translation of sūtras. In the seventeenth year, he fell ill and fell unconscious, but his heart alone remained warm, so they did not yet dare to inter him. Later he awoke and said: 'I went to Tuṣita Heaven and saw the two Dharma Masters Xiu and Yuan, sitting together on lotus pedestals, their radiant light surpassing the world. They said to me: "You and all my disciples will later all be reborn here."' On this account he was awakened and further redoubled his past practice. Uprightly engaging in contemplative practice, he severed interactions with worldly people. In the third year of Daye, the Da Chanding [Monastery] was established, and by imperial decree he was promoted to be the sthavira (senior monk) of the bodhimaṇḍa. The assembly of monks flourished for a time, and his work in guiding and delivering them was meritorious. In the first month of the eighth year, he passed away at the monastery at the age of seventy-eight. He was cremated on the northern slopes of Mount Zhongnan. Initially, Linggan had resolved to uphold the Avataṃsaka, always relying on the text of the sūtra to perform the contemplation of the Padmagarbha-alaṃkāra-lokadhātusamudra and the contemplation of Maitreya's heavenly palace. When his illness became severe, his pupils turned upward and he did not respond to people. After a long while he returned to normal. Śramaṇa Tongzhen was inquiring about his illness by his side. Linggan said to Zhen: 'Just now I saw a boy in blue robes leading me to Tuṣita heavenly palace. But heavenly pleasures do not last long; in the end one falls back into saṃsāra. The Padmagarbha is what I aspire to.' Soon after, his breath ceased. In a moment it returned again. Zhen asked, 'What did you see?' Linggan said, 'I saw great waters filling everywhere, and a flower like a chariot wheel. I sat upon it; my wish has been fulfilled.' Immediately thereafter, he passed away.