法苑珠林 84.41

84.41

In the Song dynasty, in Pingcheng under the illegitimate Wei, there was Shi Xuangao. His surname was Wei, and his original name was Lingyu. He was a native of Wannian in Pingyi. His mother, Lady Guan, originally believed in non-Buddhist paths. When she first married into the Wei family, she first conceived a daughter, who was Gao's elder sister. From birth, she had faith in the Buddha, and so she prayed for her mother, wishing that their household would have no divergent views and be able to serve the Great Dharma. In the third year of the Hongshi era of the illegitimate Qin, the mother dreamed of a foreign monk scattering flowers that filled the room. Upon waking, she became aware of her pregnancy. On the eighth day of the second month of the fourth year, she gave birth to a son. Inside the house there was suddenly a wondrous fragrance and bright light illuminating the walls, which ceased only at dawn. Because of the auspicious omens at her son's birth, the mother named him Lingyu. People of the time respected him and also called him Shigao. At the age of twelve, he took leave of his parents to enter the mountains, but for a long time they did not consent. On another day, a scholar lodged at Gao's house and said he wished to retreat into Mount Zhongchang. His parents then entrusted Gao to him. That evening, all saw the villagers seeing him off together. The next morning, the villagers all came to inquire after Gao. His parents said, "Yesterday you already saw him off; are you looking for him again today?" The villagers said, "We knew nothing of his departure; how could we have seen him off?" The parents then realised that those who had welcomed and seen him off yesterday were divine beings. Having turned his back on worldly life, Gao changed his name to Xuangao. Naturally intelligent and possessing innate knowledge, his learning required no laborious thought. By the age of fifteen, he was already preaching the Dharma for mountain monks. After receiving full ordination, he devoted himself solely to dhyāna and vinaya. Hearing that Dhyāna Master Buddhabhadra was propagating the Dharma at Shiyang Temple in the Guanzhong region, Gao went to study under him. Within ten days, he profoundly mastered the methods of dhyāna. Buddhabhadra sighed in admiration: "Excellent, Son of the Buddha! That you can attain such deep awakening!" Thereupon, with humble countenance and deference, he would not accept the etiquette due to a master. Gao then set off with his staff for Western Qin and lived in seclusion at the Maiji Cliff. He had a hundred disciples, who revered his instructions on meaning and received his path of dhyāna. At that time, there was a śramaṇa from Chang'an named Shi Tanhong, a senior disciple of the Qin region, who lived in seclusion on this mountain and met Gao; they became companions in the same practice. At this time, Qifu Chipan held sway over Longxi, bordering the Liang region to the west. [Gao] constantly had more than three hundred disciples. There was one Xuanshao, a native of Longxi in Qinzhou, who had thoroughly mastered all dhyānas and possessed unhindered supernatural powers. Water flowed from his fingers for Gao to wash his face and rinse his mouth; the water was twice as fragrant and pure as ordinary water. He frequently obtained unworldly flowers and incense to offer to the Three Jewels. There were eleven others who were as miraculously gifted as Shao. Shao later entered Mount Tangshu and passed away like a cicada shedding its shell. Later, together with Tanhong, Gao went to Henan. The king and his ministers and people waited on the nearby road to welcome him, respectfully venerating him both within and without the court as National Preceptor. Having completed his conversion of Henan, he travelled on to the Liang region. Juqu Mengxun revered and served him deeply, gathering distinguished guests to elicit Gao's superior understanding. At that time, in Xihai there was Fan Sengyin, who also received instruction from Gao. Narrow in aspiration and small in capacity, he was content with little gain, and claimed that he had already attained arhatship and suddenly exhausted all doors of dhyāna. Gao then secretly used supernatural power to cause Yin, while in samādhi, to fully see the different Dharma doors preached by all the Buddhas of the limitless worlds in the ten directions. Throughout one summer, Yin investigated what he had seen and could never exhaust it; only then did he realise that the waters of samādhi are bottomless, and he was greatly filled with shame and fear. At that time, the Wei captive Tuoba Tao illegitimately occupied Pingcheng and sent troops to invade the Liang borders. Tao's maternal uncle, the Prince of Yangping, insistently requested Gao to return with him to the illegitimate capital. Having reached Pingcheng, he widely spread the transformation of the Dharma. The illegitimate Crown Prince Tuoba Huang served Gao as his master. At one point, Huang was slandered and suspected by his father. He told Gao, "Falsely caught in unjust suffering, by what means can I be liberated?" Gao had him perform the Golden Light fast and penitence for seven days with earnest repentance. Tao then dreamed of his grandfather and father, both holding swords with fierce majesty, asking, "Why do you believe slanderous words and unjustly suspect the Crown Prince?" Tao awoke in shock, assembled his ministers, and recounted the divine announcement given in his dream. The ministers all said, "The Crown Prince has committed no fault; it is truly as the imperial ancestral spirits have proclaimed." Tao had no further suspicion of the Crown Prince. This was indeed the power of Gao's sincere resonance. At that time, Cui Hao and Celestial Master Kou [Qianzhi] had both previously gained Tao's favour. Fearing that on the day Huang seized power through usurpation or regicide he would strip them of their authority, they slandered him, saying: "The Crown Prince truly had treacherous intentions in the earlier affair; he merely allied with Master Gao's esoteric arts to cause the late emperors to appear in your dream like this. Public opinion and traces of the deed are gradually taking shape; if he is not executed, it will surely lead to great calamity." Tao accepted this, flew into a rage, and immediately ordered Gao arrested. Gao had previously told his disciples in secret: "The Buddhadharma is destined to decline. Master Chong and I shall be the primary victims of this disaster." At that time, none of those who heard it were not moved with grief. There was then a śramaṇa from Liangzhou named Shi Huichong, who was the personal teacher of the illegitimate Wei's Minister Han Wande. Since his virtue was second only to Gao's, he was also suspected and obstructed. In the ninth month of the fifth year of the illegitimate Taiping era, Gao and Master Chong were both imprisoned. On the fifteenth day of that month, he met disaster and died in the eastern corner of Pingcheng at the age of forty-three. This was the twenty-first year of the Yuanjia era of the Song. On that night, his disciples knew nothing of it. At the third watch of the night, light was suddenly seen circling the pagoda of Gao's former dwelling three times, and then entering his dhyāna cave. Then from within the light a voice was heard saying, "I have already passed away." Only then did the disciples know he had transformed, and they wailed with grief, overwhelmed with sorrow. Afterwards, they retrieved his body from the open wilderness south of the city, bathed it, and conducted the funeral, while also managing Master Chong's [funeral] separately in another place. Throughout the capital, monastics and laypeople alike sighed in shock. His disciple Xuanchang was at that time in Yunzhong, six hundred li from the Wei capital. At dawn, a man suddenly appeared and told him of the disaster, providing him with a horse capable of travelling six hundred li. Thereupon, whipping the horse, he returned. Arriving at the capital in the evening, he saw that his master had already passed away and was heartbroken with grief. Weeping together with his fellow students, he said: "Now that the Dharma has perished, will it ever rise again? If it is to rise again, we beg our Preceptor to sit up. Our Preceptor's virtue is not that of an ordinary person; he will surely illuminate this!" When he finished speaking, Gao's eyes opened slightly, his radiant colour returned to joy, and his whole body was fragrant with perspiration. In a moment he sat up and told his disciples: "The great Dharma responds and transforms, flourishing and declining according to conditions. Flourishing and declining pertain to phenomenal traces, whereas the Principle is ever tranquil. I only sorrow that you will soon be like me. Only Xuanchang will be able to cross south. After you die, the Dharma will rise again. Cultivate your minds well, and do not let yourselves feel regret midway." Having spoken, he lay down and immediately expired. The next morning, when they moved the coffin wishing to cremate it, the state regulations forbade it. They thereupon set up a temporary site and buried him. Monastics and laypeople wept in deep sorrow, their grief unbounded. There was a śramaṇa named Fada, who was the Controller of Monks of the illegitimate state. He had long admired Gao but had not yet received his instruction. Suddenly hearing of his demise, he wept and said: "The sage has departed from this world; whom can we now rely on?" He did not eat for several days, constantly crying out: "The sage Gao is sovereign; how could he not manifest even once?" In response to his voice, he saw Gao flying through the air. Fada prostrated and begged for pity, wishing to be saved. Gao said: "Your karmic hindrance is heavy and difficult to save; what can be done? From now on, repent with hardship according to the Vaipulya teachings, and you will receive a lighter retribution." Fada said: "If I suffer painful retribution, may you pity and save me." Gao said: "I do not forget all beings, how could it be you alone?" Fada also asked: "Where were you and Master Chong reborn?" Gao said: "I vowed to be reborn in an evil world to save and protect sentient beings, so I have already returned to Jambudvīpa. Master Chong constantly prayed for Sukhāvatī, and his wish has already been fulfilled." Fada asked again: "I do not know what stage the Dharma Master has reached?" Gao said: "Among my disciples, there are those who know." When he finished speaking, he suddenly disappeared. Fada secretly inquired of Gao's disciples, who all said: "He is a bodhisattva who has attained the forbearance (kṣānti)." In the seventh year of the illegitimate Taiping era, Tuoba Tao indeed destroyed the Buddhadharma, exactly as Gao had said.