續傳燈錄 14.6

14.6

東京法雲大通善本禪師。姓董氏其先家於太康仲舒村。師之父祖皆官頴遂為頴州人母初無子禱于佛像前。誓曰得子必以事佛。及生師骨相秀異方晬而孤。既長博學操履清修。然無仕官意。遂辟穀學道。家貧隱於筆工。氣剛不屈終日沈默。嘉祐八年至京師籍名顯聖地藏院。試所習為大僧。其師圓成律師惠楫者語人云。本他日當是海內名。因使聽習毘尼隨喜法華。夜夢童子如世所畫善財者合掌道而南。既覺曰。諸聖加被我矣。其欲我南詢諸友乎。時圓照禪師道振吳中。師造姑蘇謁之於瑞光默契宗旨。服勤五年盡得其要。其整頓提撕之綱研練差別之智。縱橫卷舒度越前規。一時流輩無出其右。圓照倚之以大其家。元豐七年春絕九江遊淮山遍禮祖塔。眷浮山巖叢之勝有終焉之志。遂居大寂巖。久之出世於婺州雙林。淛東道俗追崇至。謂傅大士復生。移住錢塘浮慈繼圓照之後。食堂日千餘口仰給於檀施。以師法名與圓照同下字。時號圓照為大本。以師為小本焉。

Chan Master Datong Shanben of Fayun in the Eastern Capital was of the Dong family. His ancestors originally lived in Zhongshu Village, Taikang. The master's father and grandfather were both officials in Ying, so he became a man of Yingzhou. His mother had no son at first, so she prayed before a Buddha statue, vowing: "If I obtain a son, he must serve the Buddha." When the master was born, his physiognomy was exceptionally distinguished. He was orphaned when only one year old. When he grew up, he was widely learned, and his conduct was pure and ascetic. Yet he had no intention of pursuing official service. He then fasted from grains to study the Way. Since his family was poor, he lived in obscurity as a brush maker. His spirit was resolute and unyielding, and he was silent all day long. In the eighth year of the Jiayou reign era, he arrived at the capital, registered his name at the Xiansheng Dizang Cloister, and was tested on what he had practiced to become a fully ordained monk. His master, the Vinaya Master Yuanji Huiji, told people: "One day Ben will certainly be famous throughout the land!" He then had him listen to and study the Vinaya, and rejoice according to the Lotus Sūtra. One night he dreamed of a boy like the painted images of Sudhana in the world, who pressed his palms together, showed him the way, and pointed south. Upon awakening he said: "The holy ones have bestowed their aid upon me! Do they wish me to seek teachers in the south?" At that time Chan Master Yuanzhao's Way was shaking the Wu region. The master went to Gusu and paid respects to him at Ruiguang, where he silently accorded with the lineage tenets. He served him diligently for five years, completely mastering the essentials. His ability to rectify and arouse the guidelines and to train in discriminative wisdom, his freedom to expand and contract, surpassed all previous standards. Among his peers of the time, none surpassed him. Yuanzhao relied on him to broaden his house. In the spring of the seventh year of the Yuanfeng reign era, he crossed the Jiujiang, traveled to the Huai Mountains, and paid respects everywhere at the patriarchs' stupas. Delighted by the scenic excellence of the rocky crags of Fushan, he had the intention of spending his final days there. He then took up residence at Daji Crag. After a long time, he came forth into the world [as abbot] at Shuanglin in Wuzhou. Monastics and laypeople east of the Zhe River flocked to venerate him, saying that Mahāsattva Fu was reborn. He moved to reside at Fuci in Qiantang, succeeding Yuanzhao. The dining hall provided for more than a thousand mouths daily, all relying on the offerings of patrons. Because the master's Dharma name shared the same final character with Yuanzhao's, at the time Yuanzhao was called "Big Ben" and the master was called "Little Ben."