廣弘明集 27.7

27.7

Liu Yimin of Pengcheng was appointed Magistrate of Yichang and Chaisang during the Taiyuan era of the Jin. Encountering the spiritual seclusion of Mount Lu, he found it sufficient to make him go without returning; meeting Śramaṇa Shi Huiyuan, he found someone he could venerate with his whole heart. Facing bereavement for his mother, he left office and entered the mountain, having the resolve to end his days there. North of the mountain torrent of Xilin, he built a separate meditation lodge, nourishing his aspiration in leisure, content with poverty and not pursuing goods or profit. At that time, gentlemen of leisure and retirement who gathered unencumbered included Zong Bing, Zhang Ye, Zhou Xuzhi, Lei Cizong, and their fellows, who were all present at the assembly. Yimin spent his days roaming and residing with these worthies, investigating subtle principles to lengthen the day. Yuan then sent him a letter, saying: 'Whenever I recall how in former times my mind roamed through worldly classics, I thought them the splendours of those years. When I saw Laozi and Zhuangzi, I realized that the teaching of names was merely empty talk for responding to changes. Looking at it now, I know that for the ultimate destination of the profound and obscure, how can one not place Buddhist principles foremost? If there is an underlying source to harmonize them, then the hundred schools arrive at the same destination. You gentlemen are all worthy disciples of the Tathāgata. You have long been enrolled in the spiritual register; but accumulating only the mood of cherishing what is distant while lacking the capital of causes and conditions—is this the way to pass the years and encourage your longstanding resolve? My thought is that on the six fasting days, one ought to leave off ordinary duties and concentrate the mind on the gate of emptiness. Thereafter, the sentiment of relying on the ferry will be sincere, and plans for the next life will be profound. If you take up the brush to compose texts, you can lodge your inspiration in this. Although words arise from insufficiency, yet without words there is no way to express a supreme realization. As for the metaphor of relying on a fine steed, why must one locate it distantly in the ancients?' Thereupon, the monastics and laity dwelling on the mountain redoubled their encouragement day by day. Yimin's diligence was singularly thorough; his complete upholding of the prohibitions and precepts was something Zong, Zhang, and the others could not equal. Concentrating on meditation for only half a year, he saw the Buddha in absorption. While walking on the road, he encountered an image: the Buddha appeared in the sky, his light shining upon heaven and earth, turning everything into a golden colour. He also donned the kāṣāya and bathed in a jewelled pool. Coming out of absorption, he asked the monks to recite the sūtras, wishing to relinquish his life quickly. Having resided in the mountain for fifteen years, he knew in advance the day of his death; after bidding farewell to the assembly, he had no illness or suffering. When the time arrived, he sat upright facing west, folded his hands, and ceased breathing. He was fifty-seven years of age. He had previously composed an admonition on his impending end, saying: 'Huangfu Mi's posthumous treatise spoke of carrying the Classic of Filial Piety to show not forgetting the filial way; this seems like an intentional, childlike gesture. Now make a grave directly in the earth, and do not use an inner or outer coffin.' His son Yong followed this. Zhou Xuzhi and others built dwellings in succession, and each had fragrant achievements, as recorded elsewhere.