法苑珠林 64.77

64.77

Shi Daoji of Fugan Temple in Yizhou under the Tang was a native of Shu. Reciting the entire Nirvāṇa Sūtra was his lifelong, constant practice. Whenever he wished to expound it, he always first washed away bodily impurities and put on clean robes before ascending the seat. By nature, he was reserved, deliberate, compassionate, and benevolent, overseeing general administration. Whenever there were those suffering from leprosy, with pus, blood, and foul odors, Daoji would gather them all together, mend and wash their clothing, and treat their illnesses while dining with them without revulsion. People of the time asked in astonishment, and he replied: 'In objects there is neither defilement nor purity; purity and defilement come from the mind. Since the mind does not arise, how could affection or aversion be produced?' In the fifth month of the first year of Zhenguan, he passed away at his own temple at the age of seventy. Although it was a sultry summer, his corpse did not smell or decay. After remaining for a hundred days, he was cross-legged as at first. Monastics and laity were filled with wonder; they applied lacquer to his body, and reverent devotion arose throughout Ba and Shu.