集古今佛道論衡 3.19

3.19

In the twelfth year of Zhenguan, the Crown Prince assembled various officials and scholars of the three teachings in the Hongwen Hall to expound the Buddha's teachings. Dharma Master Huijing of Jiguo Temple participated in this auspicious gathering. An order was given summoning Jing to expound the Lotus Sūtra. Receiving the command, he mounted the seat, presenting the lineage of the preface as usual. The Daoist priest Cai Huang, who gave lectures on Daoist treatises and was fond of standing out as the foremost genius of his time, was commanded by decree to engage in debate with him. Huang immediately composed his expression and asked: "The sūtra says: 'Introductory Chapter, Number One.' I wonder how the 'introduction' and the 'number' are divided?" Jing said: "The Tathāgata entered samādhi, manifested omens, emitted light, displayed wonders, shook the earth, and rained down flowers; using the near to open up the distant, he established the grand foundation for destroying the two and created the gradual path for clarifying the one. Hence it is the 'introduction' (xu). 'Number' (di) means position. 'One' means the beginning. The preface occupies the very forefront; hence it is called 'number one' (diyī)." Huang said: "Di means 'younger brother' (di). Being a younger brother, one cannot be called 'first' (yī); if one speaks of 'first', one cannot speak of 'younger brother'. The two words contradict each other. How can they be harmonized?" Jing said: "Did I not just say? 'Di' means position; 'one' means the beginning. Since you, sir, did not grasp the previous premise and falsely posed a subsequent objection, this is objecting to yourself; how can it count as objecting to another?" Huang said: "If you say I did not grasp it, please explain it again." Jing addressed the assembly upon order, saying: "In ancient times there were two men: one named Snake Servant (Śuddhipanthaka), who said 'broom' and forgot 'sweep'; the other named Sāriputra, who understood a thousand things upon hearing one. Thus Snake Servant was unenlightened even after hearing twice, while Śāriputra grasped a thousand upon a single utterance. This was not because the transmission of the teaching was unclear, but merely because the receiver of the Dharma was not sharp." Huang said: "The Dharma Master's words did not leave his lips; how could they be grasped?" Jing said: "When a bodhisattva preaches the Dharma, his voice shakes the ten directions. The Daoist priest sits here as if confused and drunk; is it only his physical form that is deaf and blind? His intellect must also be so." Huang said: "When a jackal preaches the Dharma, how could it be heard?" Jing said: "The heavenly palace is strictly guarded; fundamentally there are no traces of beasts. The Daoist priest's soul is so bewildered that he takes a human to be a beast." The Chancellor of the National University, Kong Yingda, inwardly favoring the Daoist faction, covertly fanned these blemishes, saying: "I have heard that the Buddhist house knows no contention. Why does the Dharma Master fabricate such things?" Jing addressed the assembly upon order, saying: "During the Tathāgata's lifetime, such things already occurred. When the Buddha refuted non-Buddhists and they could not respond, they turned to the Buddha and said: 'You always say of yourself that you are impartial. Now that you refute me with objections, that is partial. How can you call it impartial?' The Buddha answered them, saying: 'By my partiality I refute your partiality. If you attain impartiality, that is my impartiality.' Today it is likewise: by my contention I refute his contention; if he attains non-contention, that is my non-contention." At that time, the Heir Apparent said to the Chancellor: "Since you pluck words to speak, you truly belong to the Daoist faction." Jing said: "I have always heard that a gentleman does not form factions. Who knew that the Chancellor also forms factions?" The Heir Apparent laughed heartily, and the whole assembly rejoiced; today was not merely the joy of Dharma reaching such a height. Jing frequently entered the palace halls and debated without rival; His Royal Highness looked upon his sharp spirit with admiration. Soon he issued an order, saying: "Dharma Master Huijing of Jiguo Temple has a lofty and far-reaching reputation, and his practice and conduct are renowned. In overseeing monasteries, he will surely bring vast benefits. We invite him to be the abbot of Puguang Temple, while still managing the affairs of the senior seat of his original temple." Furthermore, letters were sent to Puguang and to Jing's dwelling, elaborately describing how the monastery's governance and maintenance depended on entrusted personnel. Jing was originally from the Fang clan of Zhaojun, the nephew of the Sui dynasty Professor of the National University Fang Huiyuan. His family had been Confucian masters for generations, so the broad currents of scholarship were his standard practice. His spirit was pure and elevated, and he was an outstanding master of literature. His sharp disputations were lofty and unconstrained, gathering brilliance as opportunities arose. Leaving the household young, he studied in the Sanhe region, not confining himself to a single master's tradition. In both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, he explored the profound and the hidden. In the final years of the Kaihuang era, he observed cultural transformation in the imperial capital; deeply versed in doctrinal teachings, his luminous reputation often shone forth. During the Daye era, his renown rose higher still; among the talented men of the time, none failed to visit him, either to resolve doubts or to present new writings, collating ancient and modern texts and evaluating Confucian and Mohist ideas. Because inquiries never ceased, he composed writings for them. Although fine odes by ancient poets were numerous, rarely did they surpass hundred and twenty. The gathered talents valued his wisdom and insight and deferred to his appraisals; they then urged him to compile the best of poetry, from Emperor Gao of Liang and Emperor Xuan of Northern Qi down to the imperial dynasty, compiling ten fascicles. Liu Xiaosun, Erudite of the Prince of Wu, wrote a preface for it. In addition, for the Abhidharmakośa, the Abhidharma, the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, and others, he wrote commentaries of thirty fascicles each. For the Lotus Sūtra and other essential texts in practical use, he also compiled commentaries and treatises so that they could be recited. In addition, there were annotations of sūtras and collections of treatises that cannot be detailed here. In the Zhenguan era, when the throne was inherited, ministers and leaders all admired him; Grand Preceptor Fang Xuanling especially respected him. Whenever there was a distinguished gathering, he would lead his subordinates to attend the Dharma banquet, which the capital regarded at that time as the pinnacle of glorious spectacles. However, capable functions are not single, and learning is rarely comprehensive; Jing's past traces can be described as galloping in both Daoist and Confucian realms. Thus his sparks easily caught fire, and his brilliance was entirely due to this. When his age exceeded the time of following his heart's desires, wind ailments struck together. Yet he still leaned on his armrest, chatting and writing, conversing with the worthy of the time. I once asked about his illness. He replied: "Once I was severely ill, with no recourse. Having heard that illness is caused by attachment, one surely ought to relinquish attachment. Thereupon I summoned the fivefold assembly and relinquished everything. At night I felt some relief; in the evening it recurred severely. As before, I relinquished everything, and when the illness abated, it was the same. Now I am over seventy; my life's affairs are at their end. How could I relinquish wealth for the sake of life? In thought after thought, I consider death, with no feelings for wealth or affairs. In ancient times, people reaching a hundred years of age still did not realize that life and impermanence are pure; now I have awakened to it. I merely leave it to the times." Yet in forgiving others and humbling his brilliance, receiving and guiding clergy and laity, his courtesies in welcoming and sending off never deviated from constant norms. When fellow practitioners reached an impasse in debate, he guided them through without holding past mistakes against them. In this world, what is seen and heard with one's own eyes is abundant, so I do not exhaustively detail it. His doctrinal mastery, religious conversions, and life history are fully presented in the Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks.