法苑珠林 96.22

96.22

Shi Huiyi of the Song was a native of Guangling. Having left the household at a young age, he stayed with his master at Shouchun. During the Xiaojian era of the Song, he went to the capital and rested at Zhulin Temple. Diligent in his ascetic practices, he vowed to burn his body. Among those who heard of it, some reviled him, while others praised him. In the fourth year of Daming, he began to abstain from grains, consuming only hemp and barley. By the sixth year, he gave up barley as well, consuming only clarified butter and oil. After a while, he also ceased taking clarified butter and oil, consuming only incense pills. Although his four great elements grew feeble, his spirit and mind remained upright and clear. Emperor Xiaowu revered him deeply with awe and inquired after him with earnest warmth, sending the Grand Preceptor, Prince of Jiangxia, Yigong, to the temple to dissuade Yi. Yi's vowed resolve did not waver. On the eighth day of the fourth month in the seventh year of Daming, as he was about to burn himself, he placed a cauldron and prepared oil to the south of Mount Zhong. On the morning of that day, riding in an ox cart pulled by men, he went from the temple toward the mountain. Since the emperor was the one upon whom the myriad people relied, and in whom the Three Jewels were lodged, Yi forced himself to enter the imperial palace. Reaching the Yunlong Gate, he was unable to walk, so he had someone announce to the throne: 'The Daoist monk Huiyi now proceeds to relinquish his body. He has come to the gate to pay his respects and bid farewell, deeply entrusting the Buddha's Dharma to your care.' Hearing this, the Emperor's countenance changed, and he came out to the Yunlong Gate in person. When Yi met the Emperor, he repeatedly entrusted the Buddha's Dharma to him, and then took his leave. The Emperor soon followed him there. Princes, consorts, and empresses, as well as monastics and laypeople filled the mountain valleys, casting down clothing and treasures beyond count. Yi then entered the cauldron, sat upon a small seat, wrapped himself in karpāsa cotton, placed a tall hat on his head, and poured oil over himself. As he was about to set it on fire, the Emperor ordered the Grand Preceptor to go to the cauldron and persuade him: 'The practice of the Way has many paths; why must you destroy your life? We hope you will think thrice and take another course.' Yi's noble resolve was firm, without a trace of regret. He replied: 'How is this base, worthless life worthy of Your Majesty's detainment? If the imperial heart and sagely benevolence identify with my own, I pray you will permit worldly people to leave the household.' The imperial decree granted this at once. Yi then took a torch with his own hand and lit the hat. When the hat blazed up, he cast aside the torch, joined his palms, and recited the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter'. When the fire reached his eyebrows, the sound of his recitation was still distinct; when it reached his eyes, it became indistinct. The noble and the base sighed with sorrow, their cries shaking the secluded valley; all snapped their fingers, called upon the Buddha, and wiped their tears in grief. The fire was extinguished only by the next morning. At that time, the Emperor heard reed pipes in the air and smelled an extraordinary, fragrant scent. Only at the end of the day did the Emperor return to his palace. That night, he dreamed that he saw Yi coming to him shaking his khakkhara staff, once again entrusting the Buddha's Dharma to him. The next day, the Emperor held a feast and allowed people to leave the household, ordering the feast master to make an announcement detailing the auspicious portents. At the site where he burned his body, Bhaiṣajyarāja Temple was built to commemorate the ancient deed.