廬山記 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Convenient Guide to Mountain Journeys, Part Four

Leaving Dehua Gate of Jiangzhou, after five li one reaches Yanshou Cloister (formerly named Arhat Altar). Five li from Yanshou Cloister, one reaches the Lianxi of Bureau Director Zhou at Shitang Bridge. Ten li southeast of Lianxi, one reaches Baoyan Chan Cloister (formerly named Shuangxi). Ten li southwest, one reaches Xiangfu Abbey (formerly named Taiyi). Three li south of Baoyan, there is also Yunqing Hermitage. One li from Yunqing, one reaches Baoji Hermitage. Seven li west of Baoyan, there is also An'yanzhuang. One li from An'yanzhuang, one reaches Zhanzhi Cloister (formerly named Jingju). Five li from Zhanzhi, one also reaches Xiangfu Abbey. Five li north of the abbey, one reaches Longquan Hermitage. Ten li from Longquan, one reaches Miaozhi Cloister (formerly named Xingchun Pavilion). Five li from Miaozhi, one reaches Shegang. Five li down from Shegang, one reaches Taiping Abbey (formerly named Tongxuanfu). Two li southwest of Xiangfu Abbey, there is also Guotai Hermitage. Ascending fifteen li west of the hermitage to the summit of Lianhua Peak, one reaches Lianhua Hermitage. Five li south of Guotai, one reaches Bao'en Hermitage. One li from Bao'en, one reaches Yunjian Hermitage. One li from Yunjian, one reaches Yongqing Hermitage (also called Lower Lianhua Hermitage); beside it there is a Daoist recluse's dwelling. One li west of Yongqing, one reaches Yunxi Hermitage (also called Lower Lianhua Cave). One li from Yunxi, one also reaches Taiping Abbey. Five li west of the abbey, one reaches Donglin Taiping Xingguo Temple. Five li southwest of the abbey, there is also Qingtai Hermitage. One li from Qingtai, one reaches Guangze Cloister (formerly named Longtan Hermitage). Five li above it, one reaches the Three Dragon Pools. Seven li from Guangze, one also reaches Donglin. A hundred-odd paces west of Donglin, one reaches Master Yuan's Stūpa. A hundred-odd paces west of the stūpa, one reaches Xilin Qianming Temple. Five li east of Xilin, one reaches Huangtu Hermitage; beside it is Kanjing Hermitage. One li from Kanjing, one reaches Chongfu Hermitage. Five li from Chongfu, one reaches Xiangcheng Hermitage; beside it are Guanyin Hermitage and East Hermitage. One li down from East Hermitage, one reaches Guangji Hermitage. Half a li from Guangji, one reaches Holy Monk Crag. Two li from Holy Monk Crag, one reaches Shipen Hermitage. Five li southeast of Xilin, there is also Lower Huacheng Cloister. Three li from Lower Huacheng, one reaches Huguo Hermitage. One li from Huguo, one also reaches Shipen Hermitage. Half a li above Shipen, one reaches Baoxing Hermitage. Half a li from Baoxing, one reaches Upper Huacheng Puzhao Temple; beside it is Grand Master Hermitage. Ten li above Upper Huacheng, passing Incense Burner Peak, one reaches Peak Summit Hermitage. Ten li south of the peak summit, there is Xiangji Hermitage; there is a path descending twenty li to Wanshouyuan, east of Qixian Ravine on the south of the mountain, which is perilous. Five li west of the peak summit, one reaches Baolin Temple (formerly named Dalin). One li from Baolin, one reaches Zhibi Peak. Another li, and one reaches Foshou Crag. Two li from Foshou Crag, one reaches Tianchi Cloister. One li south of the cloister, one reaches the stūpa of Chan Master Long. Two li down from the stūpa, one reaches Silla Hermitage. Two li east of the hermitage, one reaches the Platform of the Eighteen Worthies. Descending fifteen li down the mountain from Tianchi, the area is collectively named Brocade Valley. The waters below the mountain issue, one from Brocade Valley, and one from Shimen Valley, merging to flow into the Pen River. Above the two streams are Shuanglong Hermitage, Guangfu Hermitage, Zunsheng Hermitage, and Baoning Hermitage; the four hermitages face one another, none more than a hundred paces apart. Shimen Ravine is in front of Baoning Hermitage. Five li within the ravine are Stone Pillar Peak and Iron Ship Peak; below the peaks are two Daoist hermitages. Five li south of Baoning, one reaches Fuhai Hermitage. Two li from Fuhai, one reaches Xiangyun Hermitage. Ten li above Xiangyun, one reaches Cloud Summit Peak; on the summit of the peak is Yunding Hermitage. Eight li south of Xiangyun, one reaches Yuelun Hermitage; beside it is Lingquan Hermitage. Seven li from Lingquan, one reaches Baoguo Hermitage. Five li from Baoguo, one reaches Yuantong Chongshang Chan Cloister; beside it is Guangfu Cloister. Twenty li from Yuantong, one reaches King Kang's Jingde Abbey. From Yuantong upward, all belong to Jiangzhou. Entering five li into the valley from north of King Kang's Abbey, one reaches Longquan Cloister. Another twenty li, and one reaches Water Curtain. A hundred paces south of the abbey, one reaches Vairocana Hermitage. Two li from Vairocana, one reaches Daming Hermitage. Two li from Daming, one reaches Changxing Hermitage; beside it is also Renwang Cloister. Two li from Renwang, one reaches Qianshou Cloister. Seven li from Qianshou, one reaches Lingtang Jinghui Chan Cloister. Ten li south of Jinghui, there is also Qingxia Abbey. Two li east of Jinghui, passing Kangle's Scripture Platform, and another three li, one reaches Master Tao's Drunken Stone. From Drunken Stone, re-emerging onto the official road, three li brings one to Guizong Chengtian Chan Cloister. A hundred paces west of Guizong, one reaches Lingxi Xiangfu Abbey. One li from Xiangfu, one reaches Xiangquan Cloister. Next is the Upper Stūpa, and next the Lower Stūpa, each a hundred-odd paces apart. Five li from the Lower Stūpa, one reaches the Longjiao Cloister at Prajñā Platform; beside it is Shimen Hermitage. Next is Bushui Hermitage, next Juexing Hermitage (also called Master Cui's Platform), next Chongyan Hermitage, each a hundred-odd paces apart. Three li from Chongyan, one reaches the Thatched Cottage of Mountain Man Xie. Three li from the Thatched Cottage, one reaches Lingqi Cloister. A hundred paces above Lingqi, one reaches the Śarīra Stūpa on the summit of Zixiao Peak. Eight li down from Lingqi, one reaches Three Generals Cave. Descending one li below Three Generals Cave, one also enters Guizong. Four li east of Lingqi, one reaches Chongyun Hermitage. Next is Wansui Hermitage, next Tiangong Hermitage, each a hundred-odd paces apart. One li from Tiangong, one reaches Yufeng Hermitage. Twenty li above Yufeng, one reaches Baiyun Cave. Two li below Yufeng, one reaches Xiantian Abbey (formerly named Zhenfeng); beside it is the Thatched Cottage of Chief Minister Liu. Two li from Xiantian, one reaches Taixu Jianji Abbey. Five li from Jianji, one reaches Qiyin Abbey. Five li east of Qiyin, one reaches Guling Hermitage. Ten li from Guling, one reaches Kaixian Chan Cloister. One li south of Kaixian, one reaches Shibei Hermitage. Seven li above Shibei, one reaches Huangshiyan Yongtai Cloister. Half a li in front of Yongtai, one reaches Mañjuśrī Platform. Ten li above Yongtai are Daoist Hermitage, Holy Monk Crag, Sudhana Crag, Arhat Crag, and Huangshi Crag. Two li east of Kaixian, one reaches Wanshan Chan Cloister. Three li northeast of Wanshan, one reaches Zhenjiao Cloister (formerly named Yunfeng). Three li from Zhenjiao, one reaches Jingde Cloister (formerly named Gaoyao). One li from Jingde, one reaches the Study of Li Zhenggu. Four li above the study, one reaches Xiangji Cloister on Five Breasts Peak. Two li from Xiangji, one reaches Cundī Hermitage; beside it is Guanyin Hermitage. Half a li from Guanyin, one reaches Qiyun Hermitage. Three li from Qiyun, one reaches Wolong Hermitage. Five li below Wolong, one reaches Qinglian Cloister (formerly named Baiyun Hermitage); beside it is Yunfeng Cloister (formerly named Lower Yantai). Five li from Yunfeng, one reaches Daolin Cloister. One li from Daolin, one reaches Zhanjing Cloister (formerly named Zhongxing). One li from Zhanjing, one reaches Baoqing Hermitage. One li from Baoqing, one reaches Jingyin Cloister (formerly named Baofeng). Three li from Jingyin, one reaches Zujiao Cloister (formerly named Upper Yantai); beside it are Panlong Hermitage, Xiyuan Hermitage, and Baolun Hermitage, none more than a hundred paces apart. Three li from Baolun, one reaches Choumu Hermitage. Three li from Choumu, one reaches Yousui Hermitage. One li from Yousui, one reaches Chiyan Stūpa. Ten li northeast of the stūpa, one reaches Qixian Baojue Chan Cloister. Leaving Wulao Gate of Nankang Military Prefecture, after five li there is Dachong Hermitage. Five li from Dachong, one also reaches Arhat Chan Cloister. Ten li from Arhat, one also reaches Qixian Cloister. Five li east of Arhat, one reaches Zhegui Monastic Manor. Five li west of the manor, one reaches Li Bo's Study at White Deer Grotto. Three li from White Deer Grotto, one reaches Chengtian Baihe Abbey. Five li from Baihe, one also reaches Qixian Cloister. Half a li east of Qixian, one reaches Jingzhu Cloister (formerly named Dengyun). Two li east of Jingzhu, one reaches Guangshou Cloister (formerly named Zisheng); beside it is Master Jin's Platform. Two li north of Guangshou, one reaches Wanshou Cloister. Three li south of Wanshou, one reaches Laṅkā Cloister (formerly named Lower Baishi). Three li above Laṅkā, one reaches Zhengdao Cloister (formerly named Upper Baishi). Three li from Zhengdao, one reaches Taiping Xingguo Cloister. One li from Taiping, one reaches Xianglin Cloister of Upper Wufeng. Five li from Xianglin, one reaches Jingju Cloister (formerly named Upper Hermitage). Five li from Jingju, one reaches Yanfu Cloister of Lower Wufeng. Three li from Yanfu, one reaches Zhulin Cloister. Two li from Zhulin, one reaches Fuyuan Hermitage (formerly named Lingyuan). Half a li from Fuyuan, one reaches Shiquan Hermitage. Two li from Shiquan, one reaches Mingzhen Cloister at Lingxiao Crag. Five li below Mingzhen, one reaches Jingmiao Cloister (formerly named Dezheng Hermitage). One li from Jingmiao, one reaches Yuntai Hermitage. Three li from Yuntai, one reaches Shengguo Cloister (formerly named Jingming); in front of it is Jiekong Cloister (formerly named Jixiang). A hundred paces northwest of Jiekong, one reaches Guyuan Hermitage. Two li northeast of Guyuan, one reaches Zhengji Cloister (formerly named Xigui). Half a li from Zhengji, one reaches Huayan Cloister. Three li from Huayan, one reaches Yongfu Cloister (formerly named Longyun). Eight li below Yongfu, one reaches Dafuzhuang. Ten li northeast of Dafuzhuang, one reaches Huiri Chan Cloister. Three li from Huiri, one reaches Daxiong Hermitage. Re-emerging onto the official road seven li from Daxiong, one reaches Fodian Hermitage. One li from Fodian, one reaches Xingfu Hermitage. Three li from Xingfu, one reaches Zhilin Cloister (formerly named Ciyun). Three li from Zhilin, one ascends Wuzhang Ridge, which is the boundary of Jiangzhou. Ten li southwest of Huiri, one reaches Dacheng Hermitage. Three li from Dacheng, one reaches Yanzhen Zhaode Abbey. One li in front of Zhaode, one reaches Dengyun Hermitage; one li behind it, one reaches Jinghui Cloister. Leaving onto the official road twenty li west of Zhaode, one reaches Xunzhen Chongxu Abbey. Two li from Xunzhen, one reaches Pujue Cloister (formerly named Changqing). Ten li west of Pujue, one returns to Arhat Chan Cloister. Moreover, taking a boat from Luoxing Temple in Nankang, passing Diaoyu Platform for one li, one reaches Mingxin Cloister (formerly named Cuiwei). Five li from Mingxin, one reaches Laṅkā Cloister. Five li from Laṅkā, one reaches Shancai Hermitage. Three li from Shancai, one reaches Lingyun Hermitage (formerly named Lingyun Study). Three li from Lingyun, one also reaches Wanshan Chan Cloister. Five li southeast of Mingxin, one also reaches Donggu Falun Cloister. Ten li north of Falun, one also reaches Wanshan. Furthermore, proceeding fifteen li southwest from Nankang, one reaches Xigu Xingshan Cloister. Ten li from Xingshan, one also reaches Guizong. In all cases, when leaving Nankang via Jianchang Gate and passing Chengtian Cloister, one asks for the road to Kaixian; when leaving via Wulao Gate and passing Wangyun Pavilion, one asks for the road to Qixian.

3.3

Biographies of the Eighteen Worthies, Part Five

3.4

How could Mount Lu surpass the whole world merely on account of its waters and crags? It is because through the generations there have been lofty worthies living in seclusion here, by whom it has been transmitted. Donglin Temple formerly had Biographies of the Eighteen Worthies; it is not known who wrote it. The wording was shallow and pedestrian, and when its accounts were verified against previous histories, they were frequently erroneous, causing readers to disesteem it, so that the noble traces of the ancients were left unknown. What a pity! Having written this Mountain Record, I have accordingly used the old text, compared and verified it against the histories of Jin and Song as well as the Biographies of Eminent Monks, and roughly corrected and emended it. Where the old text had omissions and lacunae and there is now no evidence to be investigated, nothing could be done about it.

3.5

Society Master Dharma Master Yuan

3.6

The Dharma master's taboo name was Huiyuan, his family name was Jia, and he was a man of Loufan in Yanmen. In his youth he was a student of the classics. At the age of thirteen, he accompanied his maternal uncle of the Linghu clan to study in Xu and Luo, and was particularly adept in Zhuangzi and Laozi. His natural capacity was grand and great. At twenty-one, wishing to cross the river to the east to join Fan Xuanzi in their shared pact of a good life in recluse, [he found that] the Central Plains were in the midst of turmoil and banditry, and the southern road was blocked. At that time, the śramaṇa Shi Dao'an had established a temple on Mount Taihang to propagate and extol the Buddha's Dharma, whereupon [Huiyuan] went and turned to him. Upon first hearing him lecture on the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he was suddenly enlightened, and sighed: 'Confucianism, Daoism, and the nine schools are nothing but chaff!' Thereupon, together with his younger brother Huichi, he threw away his hairpin, shaved his hair, entrusted his life, and received his training. Once his mind had entered the Way, he always took the great Dharma as his own task. His insightful understanding arose early, and his spiritual brilliance was preeminent. Dao'an often sighed: 'If the Way is to flow into the Eastern Realm, is it not through this Yuan?' At twenty-four, he began to give lectures. A guest once heard him lecture on the meaning of the true mark (dharmatā) and raised doubts and objections back and forth, becoming ever more blocked in confusion. The master cited the meanings in the Zhuangzi to make analogies, and the doubter's confusion was thoroughly resolved. From then on, Dao'an's disciples were solely permitted not to discard secular texts. Later, following his master south on travels to Xiangyang, Dao'an was detained by Zhu Xu, and the assembly all dispersed. Yuan and several dozen disciples then went to Jingzhou, residing at Shangming Temple. Later wishing to go to Mount Luofu, he reached Xunyang in the sixth year of Taiyuan. Loving the vast quietude of the Lushan range, he established Longquan Hermitage. After a long time, the śramaṇa Chan Master Huiyong was already residing at Xilin; having had an old friendship with the master, he wished to invite him to stay together, and said to the regional inspector Huan Yi: 'Master Yuan propagates the Way, and students gather daily. Where this poor monk perches is cramped and insufficient to dwell in; what can be done?' At that time [Huan Yi] also dreamt that the mountain deity requested: 'This mountain is fit for spiritual habitation.' One evening there was suddenly thunder and rain. At dawn after the striking [storm], the forest at the foot of the mountain was greatly cleared, with only plain white sand spread over the ground, as well as fine timber such as pian, nan, and figured catalpa. Huan then established further quarters and halls on that very ground, naming the hall 'Divine Transport' (Shenyun). Because it was to the east of where Master Yong lived, it was named Donglin. That was in the eleventh year of Taiyuan, the year bingxu, when the temple was completed. Previously, there was a statue of Mañjuśrī of King Aśoka that had sunk in the waters of Wuchang, which Tao Kan was unable to recover; by this time it floated up lightly, and was welcomed back to the Divine Transport Hall to perform Buddhist services. Moreover, with a man of the Way from Jibin (Kashmir), they together fashioned the Terrace of the Buddha's Shadow. All of these met with divine responses, the matters being detailed in the Biographies of Eminent Monks. Thereupon, companions who carefully observed the vinaya and guests who severed worldly ties arrived unbidden from the four directions. Liu Yimin of Pengcheng, Lei Cizong of Yuzhang, Zhou Xuzhi of Yanmen, and Zong Bing, Zhang Ye, Zhang Quan and others of Nanyang—altogether one hundred and twenty-three men—practiced together with the master in the Pure Land Society. He then ordered Liu Yimin to compose the text of vows. When Yin Zhongkan was about to take up his post in Jingzhou, he entered the mountain to pay his respects and discussed the Book of Changes with the master beneath the pines. Xie Lingyun of Chen Commandery, conceited with his own talent and haughty toward things, had little praise for others; upon meeting [Huiyuan] once, he was solemn and completely convinced in his heart. For him he dug the east and west ponds and planted white lotuses, begging to enter the Pure Society; the master stopped him because his mind was mixed. When Fan Ning was in Yuzhang, the master invited him into the society, but Fan could not follow. Yao Xing and Dharma Master Kumārajīva both admired his moral character from afar and sent generous offerings. Huan Xuan, whose might shook the sovereign, unawares bowed in respect. When Emperor An returned to the capital from Jiangling, the Auxiliary of the Realm He Wuji urged the master to greet and attend upon the emperor; the master pleaded illness and did not go, and the emperor sent an envoy to comfort and inquire after him. In all, he dwelt in the mountain for thirty years, and his shadow never touched the dust of the secular world. Whenever he saw guests off, he made Tiger Creek the boundary. On the sixth day of the eighth month in the twelfth year of the Yixi era of the Jin, the year bingchen, he passed away peacefully, having lived eighty-three years. When he first felt ill, he walked beneath the forest; the elder bhadantas requested that he drink fermented soybean wine or rice water, but he did not allow either. They also requested to mix honey with water as a drink; the master ordered a vinaya master to look through the vinaya texts to see whether it was permissible, and before the scroll was half-read, he expired. His posthumous command was to leave his skeleton bare beneath the forest, but soon after, his disciples and the officials of Xunyang reverently buried him on the West Ridge. Xie Lingyun composed the inscription and Zhang Ye wrote the preface. In the fifth year of Huichang of the Tang, the year yichou, the temple was abandoned; in the second year of Dazhong, the year wuchen, it was restored. When the temple was restored, the Controller of the Monks Zhengyan petitioned for a bestowal of honors, and he was posthumously titled Great Master Bianjue (Discriminating Enlightenment). In the third year of Shengyuan, the title was changed to Zhengjue (Right Enlightenment). In the third year of Xingguo, he was posthumously titled Great Master Yuanwu (Perfect Awakening), and his tomb was still named the Stūpa of Congealed Tranquility. There is the Collected Works of Kuangshan in twenty fascicles, transmitted to the world.

3.7

Liu Yimin of Pengcheng

3.8

Liu Chengzhi, styled Zhongsi, was a man of Juli in Pengcheng, a descendant of King Yuan of Chu of the Han dynasty. Through successive generations under the Jin, his family held positions up to high ministers and councillors. Chengzhi was orphaned in youth and served his mother; the commanderies and villages praised his filial piety. There were none among the ancient records and the hundred philosophers that he had not examined comprehensively, and he was particularly fond of Buddhist principles. Worthies such as Yin Zhongkan and Huan Xuan of Chen Commandery all revered and looked up to him. He was appointed an aide in the military headquarters. Admiring Master Yuan's fame and virtue and wishing to grow old together in the same society, Chengzhi was registered at Chaisang in Xunyang to provide the resources for entering the mountain; when the year was completed, he cast it aside and left, building a cottage at Xilin and concealing it with brambles and thickets. During the Yixi era, when dukes and marquises repeatedly summoned him, he did not respond to any of them. Later he changed his name to Yimin (Hermit). Master Yuan and the worthies of the society honored him as an esteemed guest. He frequently sent letters to the Guanzhong region, cultivating friendly relations with the two Dharma masters Kumārajīva and Sengzhao, debating the sūtras and treatises, and composing 'Poems on the Samādhi of Mindfulness of the Buddha'. His writings on morality, fame, and reality were florid in literary grace and meaning, admired by his contemporaries. In all, he lived in the mountain for twelve years. From the first month he fell ill, and thereupon, relying upon the samādhi of mindfulness of the Buddha, he recited 'Amitābha Buddha'. By the beginning of the sixth month, he indeed saw the sign of the white curl of hair between the brows (ūrṇā-lakṣaṇa); next he saw the true shadow of the Buddha, who patted his crown. He further performed fasts and meritorious deeds, wishing to exhaust his life quickly. He also invited monks to read the Sūtra of Immeasurable Life and the Lotus Sūtra until the twenty-seventh day. When the assembly of monks gathered, Yimin said: 'Now I am departing. When my breath ceases, do not weep and disturb me.' He also circulated incense, invited the multitude of monks, and made offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha in gratitude for letting him know that there is Amitābha Buddha, [praying]: 'May he surely welcome me today!' Shortly after, he joined his palms, faced west, and passed away. He commanded his son Yong to pile earth to make a grave and not use inner or outer coffins. At that time, no one did not revere him. He died in the sixth year of Yixi, the year gengxu, at the age of fifty-seven.

3.9

Lei Cizong of Yuzhang

3.10

Lei Cizong, styled Zhonglun, was a man of Nanchang in Yuzhang. Widely learned, he was especially clear on the Book of Songs and the Book of Rites. He did not take up summons and appointments, but entered Lushan and built a lodge to the east of the monks' quarters at Donglin, joining the society with Master Yuan. In the fifteenth year of Yuanjia of Emperor Wen of Song, he was summoned; upon reaching the capital, he established an academy at Mount Jilong and instituted more than a hundred students. After a long while, he returned to Lushan. The dukes and ministers gave him a farewell banquet. Later he was summoned again and built a chamber beneath the western cliff of Mount Zhong, calling it the Lodge for Summoning the Recluse (Zhaoyin Guan). Still maintaining his moral restraint, he did not enter official gates. Every day, going from Donglin in Hualin Garden into the Hall of Extending Worthies, he lectured on the Book of Mourning Attire for the Crown Prince and the various princes. He died in the twenty-fifth year of Yuanjia, the year wuzi, at the age of sixty-three.

3.11

Zhou Xuzhi of Yanmen

3.12

Zhou Xuzhi, styled Daozu, was a man of Guangwu in Yanmen, who later moved to Jianchang in Yuzhang. At the age of twelve, he went to Fan Ning to receive instruction. He mastered the Five Classics and the Five Apocrypha, and was called 'Ten Classics'. His fellow students regarded him as a Yan Hui. Liu Yi appointed him an aide, and he was also summoned as a Erudite and a clerk to the Grand Commander, none of which he accepted. Later he entered Lushan and took part in Master Yuan's Pure Society. Along with Liu Yimin and Tao Yuanming, he was called one of the Three Recluses of Xunyang. Xuzhi did not value severe aloofness; whenever the regional inspector of Jiangzhou invited him, he would also go and follow him. Emperor Wu opened a lodge outside the eastern outskirts to receive him. The imperial carriage descended, and [the emperor] asked Xuzhi about ritual propriety; his discriminations were refined and extraordinary, and people of the time called him the 'Pervasive Recluse'. Someone asked Xuzhi: 'Why do you sometimes set foot in the royal court?' Xuzhi laughed and said: 'Those whose minds race to the imperial palace find rivers and lakes to be fetters; those who have forgotten both feelings and attachments find the marketplace and court to be no different from rocky caves.' In the first year of Shengping, the year guihai, he died at Mount Zhong at the age of sixty-seven.

3.13

Zong Bing of Nanyang

3.14

Zong Bing, styled Shaowen, was a man of Nieyang in Nanyang. His grandfather Cheng was the Grand Administrator of Yidu, and his father Youzhi was the Magistrate of Xiangxiang. Bing was widely learned and skilled in the zither, calligraphy, and painting, and was especially proficient in Dark Learning (xuanxue). When Emperor Wu of the Song was in Jingzhou, he summoned him to be a master of records; he would not rise [to the post]. When asked for the reason, he replied: 'I have perched on hills and drank from valleys for more than thirty years.' He entered Lushan, built a chamber, and joined the society with Master Yuan. Later, his elder brother Zang became the Grand Administrator of Nanping and pressed him to return together, so he built a residence at Sanhu in Jiangling. Later he was summoned as an aide and a clerk to the Grand Commander, neither of which he accepted. [The court] then ordered the Magistrate of Nanjun to provide him with labor and repeatedly deliver supplies of food and gifts. King Yiji of Nanyang went in person to his chamber and ordered him to be received in a cornered cap and cloth garments; [Bing] did not bow. The King said: 'May we condescend you with a heavy salary?' He replied: 'Salary is like rotting grass; how long does decline and prosperity last?' He had an elegant fondness for landscapes; whenever he went out, he forgot to return. He once ascended Jing and Wu in the west and climbed Mount Heng in the south. In his late years, he painted them all in his chamber, saying: 'I am old; the famous mountains cannot be seen again. I can only purify my mind to contemplate the Way and travel through them reclining.' Plucking the zither and playing a tune, he wished to make all the mountains echo. He died in the twenty-fourth year of Yuanjia, the year guimi, at the age of sixty-nine.

3.15

Zhang Ye of Nanyang

3.16

Zhang Ye, styled Laimin, was a man of Wan in Nanyang. Later he moved to Chaisang in Xunyang and formed marital ties with Tao Yuanliang. His learning encompassed both China and India, and he was skilled in literary composition. The province recommended him as a Flourishing Talent; he was appointed as Officer of Merit in the Headquarters of the General of the Southern Palace, Attendant Official of the Provincial Government, and later summoned as a Sanqi Changshi (Cavalier Regular Attendant), none of which he accepted. By nature he was filial and fraternal; he ceded all of his family's old estate of fields and residences to his younger brother. A taste of fine food or a peck of grain he shared together with all nine generations of his clan. In food and clothing, he was personally frugal; while others could not bear such hardship, he did not change his joy. In all, his writings transmitted to the world amounted to more than ten thousand words. He revered Master Yuan as his teacher, taking the same path as Liu [Yimin] and Lei [Cizong]. When Master Yuan died and was buried on the West Ridge, Xie Lingyun composed the inscription, and Ye wrote the preface, calling himself a disciple. He died in the fourteenth year of Yixi, the year wuwu, at the age of sixty-nine.

3.17

Zhang Quan of Nanyang

3.18

Zhang Quan, styled Xiushuo, was a clansman of Laimin. His disposition was lofty and unconstrained, and he was intensely fond of ancient texts; even while plowing and hoeing, he still carried scriptures, finding joy in them. The imperial court summoned him as a Cavalier Regular Attendant, but he did not go. Yu Yue, on account of his poverty, wished to provide for him with the post of Magistrate of Xunyang; [Quan] laughed and said: 'The ancients found peace merely in a room just big enough for the knees; if I bend my will, what glory is there?' In the end, he did not take it up. He entered Lushan and relied upon Master Yuan's Pure Society. He died in the first year of Jingping of the Song, the year guihai, at the age of sixty-five.

3.19

Great Master Jueji of Xilin

3.20

The Grand Master's taboo name was Huiyong. His surname was Fan, and he was a native of Henei. At the age of twelve, he served the śramaṇa Zhu Tanxian. Endowed with innate awakening and past-life habituation, there was not a single inner or outer canonical text that he did not thoroughly penetrate. Among Buddhist practices, he took delight in practicing dhyāna. Earlier, together with Master Yuan, he had relied on Dao'an at Mount Heng, and they also agreed to build a hermitage together on Luofu. Master Yong first stayed in Xunyang, in the early Taiyuan era of the Jin. The regional inspector Tao Fan held his spiritual demeanor in high esteem, as if they had a bond from a past life. Thereupon [Yong] stayed and rested at Lushan, and [Tao Fan] relinquished his residence for him to dwell in. The Master was steadfast and plain by nature, pure of mind and self-restrained; his speech was always smiling, and his words never harmed any creature. Moreover, he separately established a park chamber on the ridge, and whenever he wished to engage in meditative reflection, he would go and dwell there. Where he dwelt, there was often an abundant fragrance, and so it was called the Incense Valley. In his room there was once a tiger; whenever visitors feared it, he would drive it up the mountain, and once the visitors left, it would return and be tame and submissive. Later, as Master Yuan's disciples at Longquan gradually multiplied, the Master invited them to rest together in the Incense Valley; furthermore, moving wonders occurred in spiritual dreams. When Huan Yi founded a temple at Donglin, this was consequently called Xilin. Whenever the General Who Quells the State, He Wuji, garrisoned Xunyang, he would visit to pay homage with the utmost sincerity and respect. The Master devoted his mind to the practice of the Pure Land. In the tenth year of the Yixi era of the Jin, the jiayin year, he fell gravely ill. One day, he suddenly rose, adjusted his robes, joined his palms, and sought his shoes wishing to stand, as if seeing something. The assembly was all startled and asked him, to which he replied, 'The Buddha has come.' As his words ended, he passed away. His age was eighty-three. Throughout the mountain, people smelled an unbroken fragrance for seven days. His entire body was reverently interred two hundred paces west of the temple. In the Southern Tang, Yuanzong rebuilt the stūpa pavilion and soon after sent down the burnt imperial proclamation, posthumously conferring on him the title Grand Master Jueji and naming it the Stūpa of Actual Wisdom.

3.21

Grand Master Puji of Donglin

3.22

Zhu Daosheng's original surname was Wei, and he was a native of Julu. He resided in Pengcheng. His family had been gentry for generations, and his father was Guang. From birth Daosheng was exceptionally perceptive, with an intelligence and wisdom like that of a spirit. His father, recognizing that he was no ordinary vessel, cherished him and regarded him as extraordinary. Later, he went forth from household life under the śramaṇa Zhu Fatai, and subsequently took Zhu as his surname. Once he entered the Dharma gate, his brilliant mind stood out remarkably; he scrutinized and savored the meaning of phrases, opening to understanding at every touch. At the age of fifteen, he already mounted the lecture seat; his expounding, questioning, and answering were like a string of gems and jade. At the age of twenty, his discernment and critical acumen deepened day by day. In the seventh year of the Yixi era, the xinhai year, he first entered Lushan, living in secluded retreat for seven years to pursue his aspirations. He always considered insightful understanding to be the foundation and the essential gateway to entering the Path; therefore, he delved into the myriad sūtras and weighed varied doctrines, following the Dharma across ten thousand li without fear of weariness or hardship. He then passed through Chang'an to receive instruction from Kumārajīva; the monastic assembly of Guanzhong all praised his divine awakening. Later he returned to the capital and stayed at Qingxia Temple, collating the ultimate and the conventional and thoroughly investigating cause and effect. He then declared that 'good receives no retribution,' 'sudden awakening brings buddhahood,' and composed treatises such as the Treatise on Nature Being Ever-Existent, the Treatise on the Dharmakāya Being Formless, and the Treatise on the Conditions for the Existence or Nonexistence of the Pure Land, which surpassed earlier views and contained wondrous, profound principles. Yet those who clung to the letter raised jealous opposition on all sides. Furthermore, when the six-fascicle Nirvāṇa Sūtra first arrived in the capital, it taught that icchantikas can all attain buddhahood. At that time, the large version had not yet been transmitted; his solitary illumination shone forth first, and his singular insight conflicted with the crowd. Thereupon, the adherents of the old teachings considered it heterodox and banished and expelled him. The Master then assumed a solemn expression and vowed, 'If what I have spoken goes against the meaning of the scriptures, may I, in this present body, be stricken with a virulent disease. If it does not contradict true reality, I pray that when I relinquish consciousness, I may sit upon the lion seat.' Having spoken, he shook his robes and departed. He entered Mount Huqiu in Wu Commandery; within ten days, his disciples numbered several hundred. In the summer of that year, thunder struck the Buddha hall of Qingyuan, and a dragon ascended to heaven. Those with discernment sighed in secret and said, 'Now that the dragon has departed, [Dao]sheng will surely leave.' The Master indeed took leave of the assembly and returned again to Lushan, concealing his traces among the crags and peaks. Later, when the large version of the Nirvāṇa arrived in Nanjing, it indeed stated that icchantikas all possess the Buddha-nature, matching what he had previously spoken like two halves of a tally. Once the Master obtained this scripture, he soon expounded it again. In the eleventh year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, the jiayin year, in the tenth month of winter, he was lecturing from the Dharma seat at the hermitage on Lushan. The great assembly listened in awe. As the Dharma session was drawing to a close, they suddenly saw his chowry flutter and drop. Sitting upright with a solemn countenance, he rested against the armrest and passed away. His complexion did not change, just as if he had entered samādhi. Monastics and laity gasped in astonishment. When the various masters in the capital heard of it, they all repented and submitted in faith. He was buried on the slope of Lushan. Wang Wei compared Daosheng to Guo Linzong and therefore composed a biography for him recounting his enduring virtues. Yuanzong decreed the construction of a hall and stūpa, posthumously conferring the title Grand Master Puji and naming it the Stūpa of Dharma Giving.

3.23

Dharma Master Shi Huichi

3.24

Huichi was the younger brother of Master Yuan. Serenely detached, he possessed a far-reaching capacity. At the age of fourteen he studied reading, and what he memorized in a single day was regularly a match for ten days of another's study. He was skilled in literature and history, and dexterous in literary composition. At the age of eighteen he went forth from household life, serving Dharma Master Dao'an together with his elder brother. He studied the myriad scriptures extensively and roamed freely through the Tripiṭaka. He stood eight feet tall, with an agile and spirited demeanor; he regularly wore leather shoes and patched robes reaching to mid-calf. Initially he resided together with the Pure Society of Donglin; of the three thousand disciples and followers who came and went at Lushan, Huichi was the foremost. Kumārajīva in Guanzhong admired and respected him from afar. In the third year of the Long'an era, Chi wished to gaze upon Mount Emei and shake his monk's staff amidst the Min peaks; he therefore took leave of Master Yuan and entered Shu. Master Yuan bitterly urged him to stay, but could not dissuade him, and sighed, 'Human life delights in gathering together; why do you alone take joy in departure?' Chi said, 'If one is bound by emotion and delights in gathering, one should not have gone forth from household life in the first place. Now that I have severed love to seek the Way, my ultimate aim lies solely in the Western Direction.' Thereupon they parted with heavy hearts. Passing through Jingzhou, Yin Zhongkan and Huan Xuan both treated him with great courtesy and wished to detain him, but could not. Arriving at Longyuan Temple in Pi County, Chengdu, in Shu, all who mounted Chi's hall were said to have 'scaled the Dragon Gate.' During the rebellion of Qiao Zong, his nephew Daofu was exceedingly ferocious and perverse. When he entered the temple, his men and horses were drenched in blood, and the monks fled in terror. Chi's composure was undisturbed as he washed his hands and face, completely unruffled. Seeing this, Daofu broke into a sweat of shame and remorse, and said to his attendants, 'The great man is truly different from the ordinary crowd.' In the eighth year of the Yixi era, the renzi year, he passed away peacefully. His age was seventy-two.

3.25

Venerable Buddhayaśas of Jibin

3.26

Buddhayaśas is translated here as Jueming (Awakened Illumination). He was of the great brāhmaṇa caste in the country of Jibin. At the age of thirteen, while traveling in the wilderness with his teacher, they encountered a tiger. The teacher wished to avoid it, but Yaśas said, 'This tiger is already full; it will certainly not eat people.' Shortly afterward, the tiger left, and on their path they indeed saw leftover food; his teacher secretly regarded him as extraordinary. At the age of fifteen, he recited one million words of Mahāyāna scriptures; while still a śrāmaṇera, he studied the treatises of the five sciences and became well-practiced in many worldly arts. However, by nature he was proud and aloof, considering few worthy of being his teacher. Only at the age of twenty-seven did he receive full ordination. In reading and reciting, a scroll was never out of his hands; whenever he sat upright contemplating doctrine, he would still lament wasting the daylight. Such was his focused diligence. In Kashgar, he and Kumārajīva respected each other greatly. Later he entered Kucha, where his propagation of the Dharma flourished. At that time, Kumārajīva had already been detained by Lü Guang. While in Guzang, Kumārajīva sent a message inviting him. Yaśas wished to follow it, but feared that the people of the country would detain him. He thereupon took a bowl of clear water, cast medicine into it, incanted several dozen words, and washed his disciples' feet with it. They then set out by night; by dawn they had traveled several hundred li, so that the countrymen could not overtake them. He asked his disciples, 'What did you feel?' They replied, 'We only heard the sound of rushing wind, and our eyes were watering.' Yaśas again incanted water to wash their feet, and it ceased. Upon reaching Guzang, Master Kumārajīva had already entered Chang'an, so he requested Yao Xing to welcome [Yaśas]. [Yao Xing] separately established a new quarters in the Xiaoyao Garden, where [Yaśas] worked with Kumārajīva to translate treatises such as the Daśabhūmikavibhāṣā. Yaśas had a red beard, so the people of the time called him the Red-Bearded Master of Treatises. From first to last, he accepted none of the offerings of the four requisites presented to him. When the time came, he went on almsround, eating only one meal. Robes, bowls, and bedding filled three rooms, yet none concerned his mind. Yao Xing sold them on his behalf and built a temple south of the city. Yaśas previously recited the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya; Xing suspected there might be errors, so he tested him by having him recite Qiang medical prescriptions, amounting to some fifty thousand words. After two days, they held the text and checked it against his recitation; not a single word was mistaken. The assembly submitted to his formidable memory. During the Hongshi era, he translated the Four-Part Vinaya into the Qin language. In the eighth year of the Yixi era of the Jin, the renzi year, he entered Lushan and became a guest participating in Master Yuan's society. Later he took his leave to return to his native country. From Jibin, he entrusted one fascicle of the Ākāśagarbha Sūtra to a merchant to be sent to Liangzhou. It is not known where he ended his life.

3.27

Venerable Buddhabhadra of Jibin

3.28

Buddhabhadra is translated into Chinese as Juexian (Awakened Worthy). His original surname was Śākya, and he was a native of Kapilavastu, a descendant of King Amṛtodana. Juexian lost his mother at the age of three and his father at the age of five, being raised by his maternal relatives. His grand-uncle Kumāravāri, hearing of his sharp intelligence, brought him back and ordained him as a śrāmaṇera. At the age of seventeen, together with several fellow students, he engaged in recitation as his practice; what others recited in a month, Xian recited in a single day. His master sighed and said, 'In a single day Xian matches thirty men.' When he received full ordination, he studied the scriptures extensively, thoroughly penetrating most of them. In his youth, he was renowned for dhyāna and vinaya. Together with his fellow society member Saṃghadatta, he traveled to the country of Jibin. Although Datta submitted to his talent and brilliance, he had not yet fathomed the man. Later, while sitting in dhyāna in a secret room, [Datta] suddenly saw Xian arrive. Startled, Datta asked his intention, and [Xian] replied, 'I briefly went to Tuṣita to pay homage to Maitreya.' Having spoken, he disappeared. Datta thereby realized his spiritual powers. Later, seeing even more of his spiritual transformations, he reverently inquired of him and only then learned that he had attained the fruit of a non-returner. Xian took pleasure in wandering to propagate and transform; he crossed the Onion Ranges, passed through six countries, boarded a ship from Jiaozhi, and traveled along the sea to Donglai Commandery in Qingzhou. Hearing that Kumārajīva was in Chang'an, he immediately went to follow him. Kumārajīva was overjoyed; together they elucidated profound tenets, Kumārajīva deferring to him in many matters. Later he came to Lushan; Master Yuan had long admired his reputation and they bonded like old friends at their first meeting. Behind the Incense Valley, [Xian] made a thatched hut to dwell in. From this time onward, Jiangdong first became immersed in the bliss of dhyāna. In the fourteenth year of the Yixi era of Emperor An, a śramaṇa had previously obtained the first section of thirty-six thousand gāthās of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra in Khotan, which had not yet been translated. They thereupon invited the Master to DaChang Temple to act as the chief translator. Together with Meng Yi, the Governor of Wu Commandery, Chu Shudu, the General of the Right Guard, the śramaṇa Faye, and others, they established the text and meaning, harmonized Chinese and Sanskrit, and wonderfully captured the intent of the scripture. Along with treatises and sūtras translated earlier and later, such as the Guan fo sanmei hai jing, there were ninety-five works in one hundred and seventeen fascicles, all circulating in the world. In the sixth year of the Yuanjia era, he returned to stillness in Jianye at the age of seventy-one. Xian possessed three relics of Śākyamuni that he carried with him, and so he was buried on the northern ridge, where a stūpa was subsequently erected.

3.29

Dharma Master Shi Huirui

3.30

Huirui was a native of Jizhou. He left home in his youth. His integrity was pure and lofty. Widely learned, he traveled widely, journeying through various states until he reached the borders of South India. In phonology, translation, exegesis, and the different meanings across diverse regions, there was nothing he did not thoroughly comprehend. He returned to rest at Lushan, joining Master Yuan's Pure Society. He often went to the capital, staying at Wuyi Temple. His lectures and expositions all penetrated beyond the words. Prince Yikang of Pengcheng of the Song invited him to enter his mansion to administer the precepts. Huirui said, "According to the Rites, I have heard of students coming to learn, [not of teachers going to teach]." Yikang was deeply ashamed, so he entered the temple, performed reverent obeisance, and received the precept rules. Later, he presented Huirui with a marten robe. Huirui would not wear it, but habitually sat upon it. The prince secretly ordered his attendants to buy it back for three hundred thousand cash. Huirui said, "Although it is not something I wear, it was bestowed by the great prince, so I simply make use of it accordingly." Xie Lingyun was deeply fond of Buddhist principles and thoroughly understood the sounds of diverse lands. He consulted Huirui to verify various characters and sounds found in the sūtras, composing the *Explanations of the Fourteen Sounds* and setting forth rules and examples. Sanskrit and Chinese thus became distinctly intelligible, giving the script an authoritative basis. In the sixteenth year of the Yuanjia reign-period of the Song, a yimao year (439 CE), he passed away in peace at the age of eighty-five. At the time, people said that the Jin had four sages, and [Dao]sheng, [Seng]zhao, [Seng]rong, and [Hui]rui were they.

3.31

Dharma Master Shi Tanshun

3.32

Tanshun was a native of Huanglong. He left home in his youth and personally received the instructions of Kumārajīva. In long-held doubts and chronic perplexities he achieved great breakthroughs. His discussions were refined and erudite; he lectured on and expounded the various sūtras, elucidated and praised the Mahāyāna, and clearly comprehended the profound and subtle, without attachment to form or emptiness. Master [Kumāra]jīva once sighed in praise, saying, "Tanshun is truly an extraordinary vessel!" He entered Lushan, following Master Yuan to cultivate together in the Western Pure Society. His aspiration for the Way was uncommon, taking benefiting and delivering beings as his foundation. Liu Zunkao, the Commandant of Pacifying the Man Barbarians, established a temple in Jianglin and invited the master to inaugurate it; Master Yuan dispatched him to comply. He died in the second year of the Yuanjia reign-period, a jichou year (425 CE), at the age of seventy-nine.

3.33

Dharma Master Shi Tanheng

3.34

Tanheng was a native of Hedong. He left home as a young boy. At the age of thirteen, he lectured on the Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises, profoundly comprehending the ultimate truth. When he received the full precepts, he was thoroughly versed in both inner [Buddhist] and outer [non-Buddhist] texts. His virtuous conduct was solitary and pure, unchanging through the bitter cold of winter. As his spirit reposed in secluded realms, herds of deer grew tame around him. Having truly no thought of self, other creatures were naturally pacified. Vowing to cultivate the Western [direction], he joined the common refuge of the Pure Society. He died in the fourteenth year of the Yixi reign-period of the Jin, a wuwu year (418 CE), at the age of seventy-one.

3.35

Dharma Master Shi Daobing

3.36

Daobing's surname was Chen, and he was a native of Yingchuan. He left home in his youth and became a disciple of Master Yuan. He had a profound mastery of the sūtras and vinaya, dipped into external literature, and was particularly deep in Zhuangzi and Laozi. His virtuous conduct was solitary and lofty, his insightful comprehension early and deep. What texts he unrolled he never had to look at a second time. When expounding and discussing the scriptures, their principles were straightforward and lucid. In the fourteenth year of the Yixi reign-period of the Jin, a wuzi year, Wang Yu, the Governor of Yuzhang, entered the mountain to pay homage. Admiring his deportment, he invited him to become the Master of the Mountain, carrying on the footsteps of the Great Master. Because he was the source of the Way and the Dharma successor, the assembly all revered and supported him. He died in the twelfth year of the Yuanjia reign-period, a yihai year (435 CE), at the age of seventy-one.

3.37

Dharma Master Shi Daojing

3.38

Daojing was of the Wang clan of Langya. His great-uncle Ningzhi was Regional Inspector of Jiangzhou. In the sixteenth year of the Taiyuan reign-period, he entered the mountain and left home, becoming a disciple of Master Yuan. He read Confucian books extensively and simultaneously comprehended the ultimate scriptures. At the age of seventeen, he was proficient in the Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises, reciting more than ten thousand words a day. His talent and learning were secluded and deep, and the worthy of his time respectfully submitted to him. He often lamented that it was difficult to keep the vinaya precepts intact for one's whole life; he wished to purify the six sense faculties and receive only a single precept, and the master also permitted it. Pure as ice and frost, his virtuous renown was especially eminent. After Master Yuan entered quiescent extinction, he entered Mount Ruoye. He died in the first year of the Yongchu reign-period, a gengshen year (420 CE), at the age of fifty-one.

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廬山記 — Classical Chinese