釋門自鏡錄 1.32

1.32

The monk Huiyan, surnamed Fan, was a native of Yuzhou. His understanding of principle was clear and broad, and he was revered by scholars. At that time, when the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* first arrived in the Song territory, the literary phrasing was exquisitely fine, but the chapter divisions were loose and brief, so that beginners found it difficult to grasp its import. Thereupon, together with Huiguan, Xie Lingyun, and others, relying on the *Nirvāṇa* text, he added chapter titles, and wherever the phrasing was overly unadorned, he also revised it considerably. He abridged the forty-fascicle version into thirty-six fascicles. At first, several copies were circulated. Later, while asleep, he suddenly saw a man twenty feet tall, of extremely imposing appearance and bearing, who said to him: 'The venerable *Nirvāṇa-sūtra*—how could you lightly make adjustments to it?' When Huiyan awoke, he was terrified and displeased; yet he still intended to maintain it, and had not yet changed his mind. On the following evening, he saw the man from the previous day again, who had an angry expression and said: 'If you cling to your original plan, I will promptly let you know [the consequences]!' Huiyan cried out in alarm. He then gathered the saṃgha once more to collect the earlier copies, suppressing them as they were retrieved. A discerning person admonished him, saying: 'This was probably meant only to caution and encourage later people. If it were truly not permissible, how could the dream have occurred only now?' Although Huiyan thought this was so, in the end he remained fearful.