廣弘明集 2.11

2.11

When Shizu [Tuoba] Tao ascended the throne, he likewise adhered to the heritage of Taizu and Taizong, frequently inviting śramaṇas of eminent virtue to engage in discussion with him. On the eighth day of the fourth month, Buddhist statues were borne on carriages through the broad thoroughfares; the Emperor personally went to the gate tower to watch, scattering flowers to pay reverence. When Shizu pacified Helian Chang, he obtained the śramaṇa Huishi. Originally surnamed Zhang, he was a native of Qinghe. Hearing that Kumārajīva was translating scriptures, he went to Chang'an to see him and observe and practice meditation north of the Bai Canal; by day he would enter the city to listen to lectures, and at night he would return to dwell in quietude. Many discerning people throughout the Guanzhong region revered him. When Liu Yu destroyed Yao Hong, he left his son Yizhen to guard Chang'an; Yizhen and his subordinates all revered and respected him. Later, when Yizhen left Chang'an, Helian Quju pursued and defeated him; monastics and laypeople, young and old alike, were buried alive and slaughtered. Huishi's body was struck by naked blades, yet he was not wounded. Quju was furious and summoned Huishi before him, personally striking him with his own precious sword, but again could not harm him. Thereupon, terrified, he apologized. Later Huishi arrived at the capital, where he offered much instruction and guidance, his miraculous traces inscrutable to men. Shizu valued him and continually showed him reverence. From the time he first practiced meditation until his death, for over fifty years he never lay down to sleep. Walking barefoot in mud and dust, his feet were never soiled, and their color became all the more fresh and white; the world called him the 'White-Footed Araṇya'. Knowing the time of his end, having purified himself through fasting, he sat upright. Surrounded by disciples, he peacefully passed away. His corpse was kept for ten days, and his facial expression remained unchanged. More than ten years after his death, when the coffin was opened for reburial, his body had not decayed at all; the whole world marveled at it. Over six thousand people attended his funeral, all deeply moved and weeping. The Director of the Secretariat Gao Yun composed a biography praising his virtuous deeds; upon his tomb, a stone monastery was erected, where his portrait still remains.