北山錄 4.2.8

4.2.8

the fourfold assembly changed their countenance for him. (Daodao died at Shijian Monastery in Shouchun at the age of ninety-six.) At that time, the monk Sengyin of Shijian Monastery was also a famed master of his age. Someone asked him who was superior between him and Daodao. Yin said, 'I and Dao both had Master [Kumāra]jīva as our teacher. In terms of Confucius's gate, Dao has entered the inner room, whereas I have only ascended the hall.' When Daoyou expounded the doctrine of sudden enlightenment, Emperor Xiaowu said, 'Master [Daosheng] had solitary sentiments and transcendent illumination; Master You holds the reins straight and advances alone. He can truly be said to have illuminated his teacher's art without bringing shame upon the subtle tenets.' (Daoyou was a native of Wu and a disciple of Master Sheng. Teachers say that later, upon seeing the Śrīmālādevī Sūtra, he unrolled the scroll and sighed, 'My late teacher's former doctrines silently accord with this scripture!' He then wrote a five-fascicle commentary on it. Later, Emperor Xiaowu decreed that he lecture on the doctrine of sudden enlightenment. The rival disputants arose one after another upon hearing his presentations, but You refuted them all. The emperor then patted the table and expressed his delight.) Huiyuan and Huichi of the Jin were brothers; Fa'ai and Fayuan of the Song were [like] Yuan and Chi. Ai served as the state preceptor of the Rouran, receiving a stipend of three thousand households. Emperor Wen had Yuan expound Master Sheng's doctrine of sudden enlightenment. When He Shangzhi heard it, he sighed and said, 'I used to say that after Master Sheng died, the subtle words were forever severed; today I hear again discourse beyond the phenomena. Truly it may be said that Heaven has not yet destroyed this culture!' Sengyuan secluded himself at Upper Dinglin Monastery. When Emperor Taizu of the Southern Qi rode in his imperial carriage to visit Yuan, Yuan's gate was narrow and could not accommodate the carriage; the canopy was removed as Taizu wished to see Yuan. Yuan pleaded old age and would not lower his feet from the couch. Taizu sent inquiries after his health and departed with his cleared retinue. Crown Prince Wenhui and the Prince of Jingling (Xiao Ziliang) venerated him as their model teacher; He Mo, Zhou Yong, Wu Bao, and Zhang Rong received precepts and accepted the Way from him. In former times, śramaṇas referred to themselves as 'pindao' ('poor monk') before emperors and kings. Under the Southern Qi, Faxian and Xuanchang both served as Monastic Rectors (sengzheng); when Emperor Wu spoke with them, they both stated their names and did not sit. Later, Sengzhong referred to himself as 'pindao'. The emperor disliked this and asked Wang Jian, 'How did former generations of śramaṇas refer to themselves before emperors and kings, and did they sit in the main hall?' Jian said, 'In the Han and Wei, the Buddha's Dharma had not yet flourished, so the records do not transmit it. From the illegitimate states onwards, they referred to themselves as pindao and were also granted seats; the beginning of the Jin was also like this. In the middle era, there were Yu Bing, Huan Xuan, and others, who all wished to make śramaṇas pay full homage. The court debated tumultuously, but the matter was always dropped. In the middle court of the Song, they were also somewhat ordered to offer rites, but soon after this was seen not to be implemented. From then until now, most have been granted seats and called themselves pindao.' The emperor said, 'The spiritual cultivation of the two monks Xian and Chang was such that they still stated their own names; how much more so for the rest? Prostrations and salutations are too extreme, but stating one's name is unobjectionable.' From then on, stating one's name began with Xian and Chang. Baoliang of the Liang was straightforward by nature; whenever facing Emperor Wu, he referred to himself as 'pindao'. Although the emperor was slightly displeased, he admired his spirit and resolve. Liang was a native of Qingzhou. When he first arrived in the capital, Yuan Can marvelled at him and said, 'Pearls are born in Hepu, and the people of Wei took them to illuminate a chariot; jade lay in Handan, and the people of Qin requested it to glorify their state. The treasures of the world ought to be shared with the world; they should no longer be monopolised by your worthy province, Master.' Sengmin left home at the age of seven to reside at Huqiu. Someone asked him, 'Novice, what is your surname, and where is your home?' He answered, 'Pindao's surname is Śākya, and my home is on this mountain.' Zhang Rong and Xie Tiao had been close friends since their youth. Lu Chui once visited Min with his entourage; Min pleaded illness and would not see him. Chui said with delight, 'The Dharma Master does not hasten after the world; this is truly what a disciple hopes for.' When Xiao Ang went out to govern Wuxing (Wuxing commandery was established in the Han; it was anciently the state of the Fangfeng clan. By the Sui, the commandery was abolished and changed to Huzhou, which is Wucheng county), he was about to pay a visit to Min. Min said, 'I am an ailing man of the mountains and marshes; I have no business seeing a noble two-thousand-bushel official. In the past, Dai Yong resided on the northern ridge; when the Prince of Jiangxia of the Song entered the mountains, Yong lay high beneath the window and did not meet with him. Though my virtue is slight, I request to follow the precedent of Master Dai.' When Xiao arrived, [Min] escaped through the back door. Those who reject the world are beyond the reach of emolument's pursuit; those who value gain are unfulfilled in seeking emoluments. Once they attain emoluments, familiarity and insult become their intent. Toward worthy men, although they may initially lower their courtesies as if delighted by the encounter, their hearts are inconstant; in the end, they can demean them with authority and power. (Once emoluments reach them, they become intimate and insolent. Although there are worthy men to whom they can lower their courtesies, their way of receiving them is not constant in their minds, so they rely on their authority and power to end in arrogance. All noble households today are like this.) Yet if one can be wary of their eventual demeaning and take as an omen their initial reception, one's insight will be exalted; seeing this clearly, one will not bring sorrow upon oneself. (Reflecting upon the beginning and knowing the end, one avoids bringing grief upon oneself.) Zhizang served his master and was renowned for filial piety and respect. When his master was ill and stopped eating, Zang also stopped eating; only when his master took broth would Zang drink. However, his nature was marred by excessive candour (exposing people's private matters), but because his renowned conduct served as his shield, he never came to peril. He once gave away his wealth in a great confession. Xie Jiqing pointed playfully at the bamboo rod for hanging clothes and said, 'You still keep this object; do you still have attachment?' Zang said, 'My physical body is not yet extinguished; how could attachment be entirely exhausted?' Fayu, a disciple of Dao'an, led a following of four hundred. At that time, a monk drank wine and neglected the evening incense offering; Yu punished him but did not expel him. When Dao'an heard of this, he enclosed a staff in a bamboo tube and sent it to Yu. Yu said, 'This is because of the wine-drinker. I have not been diligent in my instruction, causing worry to be bestowed from afar.' He then assembled the community, ordered the karmadāna to administer three strokes of the staff, and wept in self-blame. The disciple of Daobian of the Wei, whose name is lost, relied on his talent and was haughty toward the world; Bian beat him and banished him to Huanglong. From the beginning, he held no resentment, and morning and evening he paid distant homage toward Bian. The disciple of Zhizheng of the Tang—[whenever] Zhi saw what his master had written, he always stood in attendance to copy it for several years, never once being granted a seat; occasionally, after a long time, he would collapse. Zheng rebuked him, saying, 'To raise one foot for seven days was not wearying; now that your mind is light, why should it not be so?' (Śākyamuni, on the causal stage, raised one foot for seven days and praised Tiṣya Tathāgata.) In the lineage of Northern Yuan, Zhiwei, whenever lecturing and analysing the abstruse subtleties, would always say, 'This was the great Dharma Master's meaning,' whereupon his voice and tears would burst forth together. (Huiyuan of Mount Lu was surnamed Jia and a native of Yanmen; he is called Southern Yuan. Huiyuan of Xiashi Monastery in Zezhou was surnamed Li and a native of Dunhuang, who authored the Commentary on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra; he is called Northern Yuan.) The Rites states: 'In the way of learning in general, strictness in the teacher is what is difficult. Only when the teacher is strict is the Way revered; only when the Way is revered do the people know to respect learning.' Yet when the son of a good family is at home, the family has instructions for following a teacher.