鐔津文集 12.30

12.30

法師諱遵式字知白。本姓葉氏。臨海郡寧海人也。初其母王媼乞靈於古觀音氏求男。一夕夢其舍灑然有美女子以明珠授使嚥之。及生法師方七月。已能從母稱乎觀音。稍長不樂與其兄為賈。遂潛往東掖師義全出家。先一夕義全夢有童子處其寺佛像之左者。翌日法師至。其夢適驗。十八落𩬊。二十納戒於禪林寺。明年習律於律師守初。當時台之郡校方盛。諸生以法師俊爽。屢以詩要之業儒。法師即賦而答之。其詩略曰。真空是選場。大覺為官位。已而入國清普賢像前燼其指。誓習乎天台教法。徐鼓笈趨寶雲義通大師講席。道中夢一老僧。自謂吾文殊和尚也。及見通乃其所夢之僧也。即服膺北面受學。未幾凡天台宗之所傳者。其微言粵旨而法師皆得。智解嶄然出其流輩。會其祖師智者入滅之日。遂自燃頂終日誓力。行其四禪三昧。因說偈以效其誠（凡其詩偈並見於文集。此皆略不書）通師既逝而法師即還天台。以苦學嘗感疾嘔血。自謂必死。毅然入靈墟佛室。用消伏呪法而詛曰。若四教興行在我則其病有療。不爾願畢命于此。方三七之夕忽聞空中呼曰。遵式不久將死。法師益不懈。至五七之日遽見死屍盈室。法師不惑踐之以行道。其屍即隱。七七之日懺訖復。聞空中聲謂曰。十方諸佛增汝福壽。其夕殊寐恍惚見一鉅人持金剛杵擬其口。驚且覺而其病遂愈。俊辯益發聲貌形神美於平日。法師大感益欲從事於此。遂著書曰。觀音禮文。方題筆遽有奇僧遺之書名自意趣。與己著本略同。淳化初法師年方二十有八。眾命續居其師之寶雲講席。講四大經。積年（法華維摩涅槃金光明經）一旦有施氏胎驢馳來伏其座下。若有聽意。其後以時而至者凡四十日。產而迺已。驢果有人之意。不亦異乎。至道丙申之歲。法師結乎黑白之眾信者。按經習夫淨土之業。著書曰誓生西方記。復擬普賢益為念佛三昧。師處寶雲更十有二載。未嘗持謁與俗人往還。自幸得觀音幽贊命。匠氏以栴檀為大悲之像。刻已像而戴之。益撰十四大願之文。其後工有誤折像所執之楊枝者。法師敬且恐。即自以接之。不資膠膠而脗合如故。咸平三載四明郡大旱。郡人資以其雨。法師用請觀音三昧冥約。若三日不雨。當自焚也。期果雨其郡蘇。太守以為異。乃即碑其事。咸平五年法師復歸于台。欲東入屏居而徒屬愈繁。乃即其西陽益宏精舍。據經造無量壽佛大像。相率修念佛三昧。著淨土行法之說。其邑先有淫詞者。皆為考古法正之濫饗者徹去。其所謂白鶴廟者。民尤神之。競以牲作祀。法師則諭其人使變血食為之齋。及其與眾舟往白鶴而風濤暴作。眾意謂神所為。法師即向其廟說佛戒殺之緣。而其浪即平。尋命其神受佛之戒。此後以牲祀者遂絕。即著野廟誌乃與神約。而民至于今依之也。祥符四年會章郇公適以郎官領郡丁僧夏制乃命僧正。延法師入其郡之景德精舍講大止觀。其夏坐畢。有三沙門被衲無因而至。請與盂蘭盆講席。方揖坐而忽不見。法師嘗以勝事他適道出黃巖。有一豕犇來繞師所乘已而伏前。意若有所求。眾嗟咨不測其然。徐推之乃豕避屠而來也。遂償其直。教屠者釋之。命豢其妙喜寺。名之曰遇善。夫豕之果饗德邪人其何哉。台有赤山寺。高爽而瀕海。法師嘗謂人曰。此宜建塔。其眾鄉人樂聞皆曰。是山之巔每有異光照耀海上。其光之間益見七層浮圖之影。然其所照之至處四十里。皆捕魚者[竺-二+(一/(尸@邑))]梁周之。法師知其發光欲有所警益勵眾必答之。及其事址發土。果得石函之效塔成。亦以七級應其先兆。而斯民不復漁也。法師方百日修懺于東掖山也。會其時大旱水不給用。乃出舍相之。俄以其錫杖卓之。石泉從而發激。今東掖所謂石眼泉是也。初杭之人欲命法師西渡講法。雖使者往還歷七歲而未嘗相從。及昭慶齊一者率眾更請乃來。至是已十有二歲矣。先此法師嘗夢在母之胎十二年。校其出台而入杭。迺其夢之效也。至杭始止乎昭慶寺講說大揚義。學者嚮慕沛然如水趨澤。杭之風俗習以酒餚會葬。法師特以勝緣諭之。其俗皆化。率變葷為齋。因著文曰。誡酒肉慈慧法門。以正其事。其人至今尚之。明年蘇人以其州符迓。法師就開元精藍晝夜專講法會。盛集黑白之聽者。謂日萬夕千。其人不飲酒噉肉者。殆傾郭邑。酒官屠肆頗不得其售也。遂謂其徒曰。吾祖智者遺晉王之書六恨。其一適以法集動眾妨官為之患。余今德薄。安可久當此會去之。乃翻然復杭。方祥符乙　之歲也。刺史薛公顏即以靈山精廬命居。法師昔樂其勝概。已有棲遁之意。及是適其素願也。其地乃隋高僧真觀所營之天竺寺也。歷唐而道標承之。然隋唐來逾四百載而觀公遺迹湮沒。殆不可睹。法師按舊誌探於莽蒼之間果得其兆。即賦詩作碑紀之。此始謀復乎天竺也。初其寺之西有隋世所植之檜。枯枿僅存。至此而復榮。蓋其寺再造之證也。因名之曰重榮檜。益以其香林洞口之石上梅。其山之本腹內竹石面竹者。與檜為天竺四瑞。作四詩紀其勝異。居無幾而來學益盛。乃即其寺之東建日觀庵。撰天竺高僧傳。補智者三昧行法之說以正學者。祥符之九年。天台僧正慧。思至都以其名奏之。遂賜紫服。尋復請講於壽昌寺。罷講過舊東掖。謂其徒曰。靈山乃吾卜終焉之所也。治行吾當返彼。尋援筆題壁為長謠。以別東掖還天竺。凡夏禁則勵其徒。共行金光明懺法。歲以七晝夜為程。宮保馬公既老益更奉佛。尤慕法師之言。遂為著淨土決疑論。馬公鏤板傳之。逮王文穆公罷相撫杭。聞其高風因李明州要見于府舍。既見。王公奇之。不數日率其僚屬訪法師於山中。即命之講。乃說法華三法妙義。其才辯清發衣冠屬目。王公曰。此未始聞也。即引天台教之本末欲其揄揚。王公唯然。尋奏復其寺。得賜天竺之名。王公書其榜。尊君命也。王公始以西湖奏為放生之池者。亦法師以智者護生之意諷而動耳。其王公出尹應天方微疾。夢與相見而其疾即瘳。乃遺之書盛道其事。以謂相遇平生有勝緣。移江寧更迓於府舍。問法留且三月。王公始欲為僧伽像。疑而未果。法師乃為其推觀音應化遍知無方者示之。先此法師嘗夢與王公在佛塔中。有老僧者擘金鈴而分之二人。益說此以驗適論。王公曰。實金陵之謂也。既造像卒持與法師。因撰泗州大聖禮文以尊其事。王公益與其秦國夫人施錢六百餘萬。為其寺之大殿者。法師以復寺。乃自　皇家與王公也。特有所感遂重集天台。四時禮佛之文勉其徒行之。欲以報德。會乾元節。王公以其道上聞。遂錫號慈雲。自是相與為方外之遊益親。形於詩書者多矣。若其所著圓頓十法界觀法圖注南岳思師心要偈之類。皆為王公之所為也。天聖中公終以天台教部奏預大藏。天台宗北傳。蓋法師文穆公有力焉。始章獻太后。以法師熏修精志。乾興中特遣使齎金帛而兩命於山中為國修懺。遂著護國道場之儀上之。請與其本教入藏。天聖改元。內臣楊懷吉東使。又賜之乳香。臨別楊以法師善書求其筆迹。即書詩一闋與之。楊遂奏之。明年又賜銀一百兩飯山中千僧。然其時之卿大夫聞其風而樂其勝緣者。若錢文僖楊文公章郇公他公卿益多。恐斥名不悉書。法師閑雅詞筆篇章。有詩人之風。其文有曰金園集者。天竺別集者曰靈苑集。然修潔精苦數自燼其指而存者一二耳。逮其持筆書翰。精美得鍾王之體。靈山秋霽。嘗天雨桂子。法師乃作桂子種桂之詩。尚書胡公見而盛賞之。乃與錢文僖公賡之。胡公領郡錢唐。益施金而為其寺之三正門者。法師領寺既久。嘗欲罷去。史君李公諮。即會郡人苦留之又二載。當天聖九祀之孟春。方講淨名經。未幾顧謂其徒曰。我昔在東掖亦講是經。嘗夢荊溪尊者室中授其經卷。及出視日已歿矣。今者吾殆終於此講也。一日果與眾決曰。我住台杭二寺垂四十年。長用十方意時務私傳。今付講席。宜從吾之志。即命其高弟弟子祖韶曰。汝當紹吾道我持此爐拂。勿為最後斷佛種人。汝宜勉之。遂作謝三緣詩（謂謝絕徒屬賓友筆硯也）命學者刻石示之。秋八月二十有八日。孑然入其寺之東嶺草堂自晦也。明年十月之八日示微疾。不復用醫藥。命取嘗和晉人劉遺民晦迹詩。改其結句云。翔空迹自絕。不在青青山。使磨崖刻之。翌日之晚復曰。吾報緣必盡。敢忘遺訓乎爾曹耶。益說法以勗其屬。及後日之晚。使請彌陀像。以正其終。基徒尚欲有所禱。且以觀音像應命。法師即炷香瞻像而祝之曰。我觀世音。前際不來後際不去。十方諸佛同住實際。願住此實際受我一炷香（云云）或問其所歸者。猶以寂光淨土對之。至其夕之三鼓。奄然坐終。先此法師自製其櫬曰遐榻而銘之。學者務奉其師之前志。必臥其靈體于遐榻。更七日其形貌完潔如平昔。其壽六十有九。臘五十。當其化之夕。山中見大星隕乎鷲峯。爀然有紅光。發於其寺之前。度弟子若虛輩垂百人。授講稟法者如文昌諸上人者僅二十人。登門而學者其人不啻千數。明年仲春之四日。奉遐榻歸葬于其寺之東月桂峯下。與隋高僧真觀之塔隣也。蒙識韶公幾三十年。晚山中與其游益親。韶公耆年淳重。亦名德之法師也。嘗以大法師實錄。命余筆削。始以敝文不敢當。及蒙奏書為法以微效還。而韶公已物故方感慨。今辯師益以錄見託。願成就其師之意辯師端審善繼。又明智之賢弟子也。會余避言適去山中。囑之愈勤。顧重違其先師之命。姑按韶公。實錄而論次之。命曰曲記。蓋曲細而記其事也。然慈雲聰哲志識堅明。故以其佛法大自植立。卓然始終不衰。雖古高名僧不過也。世以方之真觀。不其然乎。天台之風教益盛于吳越者。蓋亦資夫慈雲之德也。吾恨不及見其人。是歲嘉祐癸卯之八年季秋己亥朔。適在京口龍游之東圃記之也。

The Dharma Master's taboo name was Zunshi and his style name was Zhibai. His original surname was Ye, and he was a native of Ninghai in Linhai commandery. At first, his mother, the elder woman Wang, prayed for spiritual efficacy before an ancient image of Avalokiteśvara, seeking a male child. One night she dreamed that her house was pure and radiant, and a beautiful woman handed her a bright pearl, bidding her swallow it. When she gave birth to the Dharma Master, at merely seven months of age he was already able to follow his mother in invoking Avalokiteśvara. Growing older, he took no pleasure in engaging in commerce with his elder brother, and thereupon went secretly to Dongye to become a monk under Master Yiquan. The night before, Yiquan had dreamed that a young boy was standing to the left of the Buddha statue in his temple. The next day, when the Dharma Master arrived, the dream proved true. At eighteen he shaved his hair. At twenty he received the precepts at Zhanlin Temple. The following year he studied the Vinaya under Vinaya Master Shouchu. At that time, the prefectural academy of Tiantai was flourishing; because the Dharma Master was talented and articulate, the scholars repeatedly invited him with poems to pursue Confucianism. The Dharma Master promptly composed a poem in reply, which said in part: 'True emptiness is the examination hall; / Great Awakening is the official rank.' Later, he entered Guoqing [Temple] and burned his fingers before the statue of Samantabhadra, vowing to study the teachings of the Tiantai school. Gradually shouldering his book-pack, he hastened to the lecture seat of Great Master Baoyun Yitong. On the way he dreamed of an old monk who called himself 'the monk Mañjuśrī.' When he met Yitong, it was indeed the monk of his dream. He immediately took him to heart, faced north, and received his teaching. Before long, of all that was transmitted by the Tiantai school, the subtle words and profound tenets were completely mastered by the Dharma Master. His wisdom and understanding stood out prominently above his peers. On the anniversary of the passing of the ancestral master Zhiyi, he personally burned his crown, vowing all day with resolve to practice the four samādhis. He then spoke a verse to demonstrate his sincerity. (All his poems and verses appear in his collected writings and are generally omitted here.) After Master Yitong passed away, the Dharma Master returned to Tiantai. From arduous study he fell ill and coughed blood, believing he would surely die. Resolutely he entered the Buddha hall at Lingxu, using the dhāraṇī method for dispelling and subduing [afflictions], and made an oath, saying: 'If the flourishing and propagation of the Four Teachings depends on me, then may this illness be cured; if not, I wish to end my life here.' On the evening of the third week, he suddenly heard a call from the sky: 'Zunshi will die before long!' The Dharma Master became even more unflagging. By the fifth week, he suddenly saw dead corpses filling the room; undefiled by doubt, the Dharma Master trod upon them to practice the path, and the corpses vanished at once. On the forty-ninth day, when the repentance was completed, he again heard a voice from the sky say: 'The Buddhas of the ten directions have increased your blessings and lifespan.' That night, in deep sleep and trance, he saw a giant holding a vajra pestle aimed at his mouth. Startled, he awoke, and his illness was cured. His brilliant eloquence grew even more, and his voice, appearance, and vitality were more radiant than usual. Deeply moved, the Dharma Master wished all the more to devote himself to this practice, and thereupon wrote a book titled Guanliwen (Avalokiteśvara Liturgy). Just as he put brush to paper, an extraordinary monk suddenly presented him with a book whose title and purport were largely identical to what he had written. In the beginning of the Chunhua era, when the Dharma Master was merely twenty-eight, the assembly requested that he succeed to the lecture seat of his master at Baoyun. He lectured on the four great sūtras (the Lotus, Vimalakīrti, Nirvāṇa, and Suvarṇaprabhāsa sūtras) for consecutive years. One day, a pregnant donkey belonging to a certain Shi family galloped over and prostrated itself beneath his seat, appearing to listen attentively. Thereafter it came according to the schedule for forty days, stopping only after giving birth. That a donkey truly had the mind of a human—is it not extraordinary? In the bingshen year of the Zhidao era, the Dharma Master brought together faithful lay and monastic followers, and based on the sūtras they cultivated the practices of the Pure Land. He wrote a book titled Shisheng xifang ji (Record of the Vow to be Born in the West). Moreover, following Samantabhadra, he further cultivated the mindfulness-of-Buddha samādhi. The master remained at Baoyun for another twelve years, never presenting calling cards to socialize with laymen. Rejoicing that he had received the unseen assistance of Avalokiteśvara, he commissioned craftsmen to make a statue of the Great Compassionate One out of sandalwood, carved an image of himself, and carried it [upon his head]. He further composed the text of the Fourteen Great Vows. Later, an artisan accidentally broke the willow branch held by the statue. Respectful and alarmed, the Dharma Master personally joined it back together; without relying on glue, it fit snugly as before. In the third year of the Xianping era, a great drought struck Siming commandery. The commandery people relied on him for rain. The Dharma Master practiced the Avalokiteśvara Samādhi and made a secret pact: if it did not rain within three days, he would burn himself. At the appointed time it indeed rained and the commandery was revived. The prefect considered it extraordinary and had the event inscribed on a stele. In the fifth year of the Xianping era, the Dharma Master returned to Tiantai. He wished to retire into seclusion in the east, but his followers became ever more numerous. Thereupon, at its western spur, he further expanded his vihāra, constructed a large statue of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life based on the sūtras, led the assembly in practicing the mindfulness-of-Buddha samādhi, and wrote an exposition on the ritual procedures of the Pure Land. In that district there had previously been unchaste shrines; he corrected them according to ancient standards and removed those where improper sacrifices were offered. Regarding what was called the White Crane Temple, the populace deemed it especially divine and vied to make sacrifices with livestock. The Dharma Master admonished the people, causing them to change their bloody offerings to vegetarian ones. When he traveled by boat with the assembly to the White Crane [Temple], a violent wind and waves suddenly arose. The crowd thought it was caused by the spirit. The Dharma Master immediately turned toward the temple and explained the Buddha's reasons for prohibiting killing, whereupon the waves at once subsided. He soon bade the spirit receive the Buddhist precepts; thereafter, sacrifices with livestock were completely brought to an end. He then wrote the Yemiaozhi (Record of the Rustic Shrine) to establish a covenant with the spirit, which the people adhere to down to the present. In the fourth year of the Daxiangfu era, Duke Zhang of Xun happened to govern the commandery as a ministry official. As the monks' summer retreat arrived, he ordered the monastic rector to invite the Dharma Master to the Jingde Vihāra in the commandery to lecture on the Great Calming and Contemplation. When the summer retreat concluded, three monks clad in patched robes arrived without prior cause, requesting to join the Ullambana lecture seat; just as they bowed and sat down, they suddenly disappeared. The Dharma Master once went elsewhere on auspicious business, his route passing through Huangyan. A pig came running, circled the Dharma Master's mount, and then prostrated itself before him, appearing to plead for help. The crowd gasped, unable to fathom why; upon investigating, they found the pig was fleeing the slaughterhouse. Thereupon he reimbursed its price, instructed the butcher to release it, and ordered it to be reared at Miaoxi Temple, naming it 'Encountering the Good.' If even a pig can truly partake of virtue, how much more so humans! In Tiantai there was the Chishan Temple, lofty, bright, and bordering the sea. The Dharma Master once said to people: 'This place is suitable for building a pagoda.' All the local people were glad to hear this, and said: 'At the peak of this mountain there is often an extraordinary light illuminating the sea; within the light, the shadow of a seven-tiered stupa can be clearly seen. Yet where its illumination reaches for forty li, all are fish weirs and nets placed all around by fishermen.' Knowing that the manifestation of light was meant as an admonition, the Dharma Master urged the crowd to respond to it. When they excavated the soil at the site, they indeed obtained a stone casket as a verification. The pagoda was completed, also with seven tiers, fulfilling the prior omen, and the local people fished no more. While the Dharma Master was practicing a hundred-day repentance on Mount Dongye, a great drought happened to occur and there was not enough water for use. He then went outside his dwelling to observe, and presently struck the ground with his monk's staff. A stone spring gushed forth, which is what is now called the Stone-Eye Spring of Dongye. Initially, the people of Hangzhou wished to invite the Dharma Master to cross westward to preach the Dharma, but although messengers came and went over seven years, he never consented. It was only when Qiyi of Zhaoging led the assembly to repeat the invitation that he finally came. By that time, twelve years had already passed. Prior to this, the Dharma Master had dreamed of remaining in his mother's womb for twelve years; calculating his departure from Tiantai and entry into Hangzhou, it was the fulfillment of that dream. Upon arriving in Hangzhou, he first stayed at Zhaoqing Temple to lecture and greatly propagate the doctrine. Scholars looked up to him eagerly, streaming in like water flowing into a marsh. By local custom in Hangzhou, people were accustomed to gathering for funerals with wine and meat. The Dharma Master specifically used auspicious circumstances to instruct them, and the customs were completely transformed; they all changed from meat to vegetarian fare. He thereupon composed an essay titled Jie jiurou cihui famen (Compassionate and Wise Dharma Gate of Admonishing Against Wine and Meat) to rectify the practice. The people still esteem it to this day. The following year, the people of Suzhou welcomed the Dharma Master to Kaiyuan Monastery with official credentials from their prefecture, where he lectured continuously day and night. An abundant crowd of lay and monastic listeners gathered, said to number ten thousand by day and a thousand by night. Those among the people who refrained from drinking wine and eating meat nearly emptied the walled city and its suburbs, so that the wine officials and slaughterhouses could hardly find buyers. He then said to his disciples: 'My ancestral master Zhiyi left a letter to the Prince of Jin with six regrets; one of them was precisely that gathering the multitude for the Dharma stirred people and hindered official business, becoming a source of trouble. My virtue is slight today; how can I long sustain this assembly and not depart?' Thereupon he decisively returned to Hangzhou. It was the yimao year of the Xiangfu era. Prefect Duke Xue Yan immediately assigned him to reside at the Lingshan Vihāra. The Dharma Master had previously delighted in its scenic beauty and had already had the intention of retiring there; this now fulfilled his long-cherished wish. That place was Tianzhu Temple, established by the eminent Sui monk Zhenguan; through the Tang dynasty, Daobiao had succeeded to it. However, over more than four hundred years since the Sui and Tang, the traces left by Master Zhenguan had fallen into ruin and were scarcely visible. The Dharma Master investigated among the overgrown wilderness based on old records, and indeed found its vestiges. He immediately composed a poem and made a stele to record it. This was the beginning of the plan to restore Tianzhu. Originally, to the west of the temple, there was a juniper planted during the Sui dynasty; only a withered stump remained, but at this point it flourished anew. This was indeed a sign of the temple's reconstruction. He therefore named it the 'Re-flourishing Juniper.' Adding to this the plum tree on the rock at the mouth of the Fragrant Forest Cave, the bamboo within the mountain's core, and the stone-faced bamboo, these together with the juniper became the Four Auspicious Signs of Tianzhu. He composed four poems to commemorate their extraordinary beauty. Not long after he took up residence, incoming students became even more numerous. Thereupon, to the east of the temple, he built the Riguan Hermitage, compiled the Tianzhu gaoseng zhuan (Biographies of Eminent Monks of Tianzhu), and supplemented Master Zhiyi's expositions on the methods of samādhi practice to guide scholars. In the ninth year of the Xiangfu era, Huisi, the monastic rector of Tiantai, went to the capital and submitted his name in a memorial; he was thereupon bestowed a purple robe. Soon afterward, he was again invited to lecture at Shouchang Temple. When the lectures ended, he passed by his old Dongye and said to his disciples: 'Lingshan is the place where I have divined my end. When my preparations are complete, I must return there.' Shortly thereafter, he took up a brush and inscribed a long ballad on the wall to bid farewell to Dongye and return to Tianzhu. Whenever the summer retreat arrived, he would encourage his disciples to join him in practicing the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Repentance ritual, setting a course of seven days and nights each year. In his old age, Grand Protector Duke Ma venerated the Buddha even more and especially admired the Dharma Master's words; the master thereupon composed for him the Jingtu jueyi lun (Treatise Resolving Doubts on the Pure Land). Duke Ma had it carved on blocks and circulated. When Duke Wang Wenmu retired from the grand council and governed Hangzhou, he heard of his noble reputation and asked to meet him at the prefectural office through Li of Mingzhou. Having met him, Duke Wang marveled at him; within a few days, he led his subordinates to visit the Dharma Master in the mountains. He immediately asked him to lecture, whereupon he expounded the profound meanings of the Three Dharmas of the Lotus Sūtra. His talent and eloquence flowed clearly, capturing the attention of the officials. Duke Wang said: 'This is something I have never heard before!' The master then cited the Tiantai teachings from beginning to end, wishing him to praise and propagate them. Duke Wang assented. Soon he memorialized the throne to restore his temple and obtained the bestowed name of Tianzhu. Duke Wang inscribed its plaque, honoring the imperial command. When Duke Wang first memorialized to make the West Lake a life-release pond, it was also because the Dharma Master moved him through persuasion based on Master Zhiyi's intention of protecting life. Later, when Duke Wang went out to govern Yingtian, he was slightly ill; he dreamed of meeting the master, and his illness was immediately cured. He then sent him a letter speaking of the matter at length, considering that their encountering each other in this life was due to an auspicious karmic affinity. When he was transferred to Jiangning, he again welcomed him to his official residence, questioning him on the Dharma and detaining him for nearly three months. Duke Wang initially wished to make a statue of Sangha, but hesitated and did not complete it. The Dharma Master thereupon explained for him how Avalokiteśvara manifests responses and possesses universal knowledge without limitation. Prior to this, the Dharma Master had dreamed of being inside a Buddhist pagoda with Duke Wang, where an old monk split a golden bell and divided it between the two of them. He further recounted this to verify their recent discussion. Duke Wang said: 'This truly refers to Jinling!' Having completed the statue, he ultimately presented it to the Dharma Master, who thereupon composed the Sizhou dasheng liwen (Liturgy for the Great Sage of Sizhou) to honor the occasion. Duke Wang and his wife, the Lady of Qin, further donated more than six million cash to construct the great hall of the temple. The Dharma Master, considering that the restoration of the temple was owed to the imperial court and to Duke Wang, felt particularly grateful; he thereupon newly compiled the Tiantai Four-Season Liturgies to the Buddha and urged his disciples to practice them, wishing thereby to repay this kindness. On the occasion of the Qianyuan Festival, Duke Wang reported his virtue to the throne, and he was subsequently bestowed the title 'Ciyun' (Cloud of Compassion). From then on, their friendship beyond the mundane realm grew even closer, frequently expressed in poems and letters. Works such as his commentary to the diagram on the contemplation of the ten Dharma realms according to the perfect and sudden teaching, and his verse on the mind-essential of Master Si of Nanyue, were all composed for Duke Wang. During the Tiansheng era, the Duke ultimately submitted a memorial ensuring that the Tiantai textual corpus was included in the Tripitaka; that the Tiantai school was transmitted to the north was largely due to the efforts of the Dharma Master and Duke Wenmu. Earlier, during the Qianxing era, Empress Dowager Zhangxian, on account of the Dharma Master's refined devotion in practice, specially sent an envoy bearing gold and silk, commanding him twice to perform repentances for the state in the mountains. He thereupon composed the Huguo daochang zhi yi (Ritual for the State-Protecting Bodhimaṇḍa) and submitted it, requesting that it enter the Tripitaka along with his school's texts. At the beginning of the Tiansheng era, Palace Eunuch Yang Huaiji was sent on an embassy to the east and further bestowed frankincense upon him. When taking leave, Yang, knowing that the Dharma Master excelled in calligraphy, asked for a specimen of his brushwork; the master immediately wrote out a poem and gave it to him. Yang subsequently reported this in a memorial. The following year, an imperial gift of one hundred ounces of silver was again bestowed to feed a thousand monks in the mountains. Furthermore, among the court officials of the time who heard of his fame and rejoiced in his auspicious karmic affinity were Duke Qian Wenxi, Duke Yang Wen, Duke Zhang of Xun, and many other ministers; lest naming them all be inappropriate, they are not recorded in detail. The Dharma Master was refined and elegant in his literary compositions, possessing the style of a poet. His writings include the Jinyuan ji (Golden Garden Collection), while his separate collection from Tianzhu is called the Lingyuan ji (Efficacy Garden Collection). Yet in his pure and arduous practice, he repeatedly burned his fingers, so that only one or two remained. When he held a brush for calligraphy, his exquisite mastery captured the style of Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi. On an autumn day after the rain cleared on Lingshan, cassia seeds once rained down from the sky; the Dharma Master then composed a poem titled 'Sowing Cassia from Cassia Seeds.' When Minister Duke Hu saw it, he praised it greatly, and joined Duke Qian Wenxi in writing matching verses. When Duke Hu governed Qiantang commandery, he further donated gold to construct the three front gates of the temple. Having presided over the temple for a long time, the Dharma Master once wished to step down, but Prefect Duke Li Zi gathered the people of the commandery and earnestly pleaded with him to remain for another two years. In the first month of spring in the ninth year of the Tiansheng era, while lecturing on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, he soon turned to his disciples and said: 'Formerly, when I was at Dongye, I also lectured on this sūtra. I once dreamed that the Venerable Jingxi handed me the rolls of this sūtra in a room, and when I went out to look, the sun had already set. Today, my life will likely end with this lecture.' One day, he indeed took leave of the assembly, saying: 'I have resided at the two temples of Tiantai and Hangzhou for nearly forty years. I have always acted with the universal intention of the ten directions, not making it my business to transmit it privately. Now as I hand over the lecture seat, you should follow my will.' He then instructed his senior disciple Zushao, saying: 'You shall succeed to my path. I hold this censer and fly-whisk; do not become one who at last severs the seed of the Buddha! You should exert yourself.' He then composed a poem on 'Relinquishing the Three Affinities' (referring to renouncing disciples, guests/friends, and brush and inkstone), instructing his students to carve it on stone to display it. On the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month in autumn, he entered the thatched cottage on the eastern ridge of the temple all alone to conceal his traces. On the eighth day of the tenth month of the following year, he manifested a slight illness and took no more medicine. He ordered that the poem he had once written matching that of Liu Yimin of the Jin on concealing one's traces be brought out, and altered its concluding line to say: 'Soaring into the void, traces vanish of themselves; / It is not a matter of the green, green mountains.' He had it engraved on a cliff. On the evening of the next day, he said again: 'My karmic retribution must now come to an end; how would I dare forget to leave instructions for you all?' He further expounded the Dharma to exhort his followers. When evening came on the following day, he had them request an image of Amitābha to rectify his end. His disciples still wished to pray for his recovery and brought an image of Avalokiteśvara in response to his request; the Dharma Master immediately burned incense, gazed upon the image, and prayed, saying: 'My Avalokiteśvara, / The prior limit does not come, the latter limit does not go; / The Buddhas of the ten directions dwell together in the limit of reality. / May you dwell in this limit of reality and accept my stick of incense...' and so forth. When someone asked where he was returning, he still answered with the Pure Land of Tranquil Light. At the third watch of that night, he peacefully passed away sitting upright. Prior to this, the Dharma Master had personally constructed his coffin, calling it the 'Distant Couch' and composing an inscription for it. The disciples, diligently adhering to their master's previous wishes, laid his spiritual body upon the Distant Couch; after seven days, his features remained as intact and pure as in ordinary times. His age was sixty-nine, and his monastic seniority was fifty. On the night of his transformation, people in the mountains saw a great star fall upon Vulture Peak, and a dazzling red light appeared in front of the temple. He ordained nearly one hundred disciples such as Ruoxu, and there were about twenty persons such as Wenchang and other superior men who were transmitted the lectures and received the Dharma; those who came to his gate to study numbered no fewer than a thousand. On the fourth day of the second month of spring in the following year, they escorted the Distant Couch to be buried below the Moon Cassia Peak to the east of the temple, adjacent to the pagoda of the eminent Sui monk Zhenguan. I have known Master Shao for nearly thirty years; in my later years in the mountains, my friendship with him became even closer. Master Shao was of advanced age and genuine gravity, and was also a Dharma Master of renowned virtue. He once charged me with editing and compiling the authentic record of the Great Dharma Master; at first, feeling my writing was clumsy, I did not dare undertake it. When I submitted a memorial for the Dharma and returned after achieving slight success, Master Shao had already passed away, which filled me with deep sighs. Now Master Bian has further entrusted me with the record, wishing to fulfill his master's intention; Master Bian is upright, careful, and skilled in continuing the lineage, and is also a worthy disciple of clear wisdom. As I happened to leave the mountain to avoid criticisms, he exhorted me with even greater diligence. Considering that I could not bear to go against the command of his late teacher, I have tentatively compiled and ordered it based on Master Shao's authentic record, entitling it Quji (Detailed Record), for it records his deeds in fine detail. Indeed, Ciyun was intelligent and insightful, with firm and clear resolve; hence he established himself grandly within the Buddhadharma, remaining eminent from beginning to end without decline. Even the renowned eminent monks of antiquity could not surpass him. When the world compares him to Zhenguan, is it not truly so? That the style and teachings of the Tiantai school flourished even more in Wu and Yue was also aided by the virtue of Ciyun. I regret that I did not live in time to see the man himself. In this year, the eighth year of the Jiayou era, a gui-mao year, on the first day, ji-hai, of the last month of autumn, this was recorded in the eastern garden of Longyou in Jingkou.