開元釋教錄 5.5.2

5.5.2

He broadly mastered the diverse sūtras and was especially profound in the methods of dhyāna; the essentials that he attained were supremely subtle and profound. As a person, he was deep and reserved, possessing wisdom and understanding. His deportment was meticulous and orderly. He was born with joined eyebrows, and so the world called him the "Continuous-Eyebrow Meditation Master." In his youth, he was fond of traveling abroad, vowing to disseminate and transform [beings]. Journeying through various countries, he eventually went to Kucha. One day before his arrival, the king dreamed of a deity who told him: "A person of great blessing and virtue will enter your realm tomorrow; you should make offerings to him." The next morning, the king immediately ordered the outer officials: "If an extraordinary man enters our territory, you must hasten to present a report." Shortly thereafter, [Dharmamitra] indeed arrived. The king personally went out to the suburbs to welcome him and invited him into the palace. He thereupon received the precepts from him, offering him the four requisites to the fullest. Mitra was content [with his lot] yet capable of moving on, never becoming attached to profit and offerings. After he had dwelled there for several years, Mitra intended to depart. The deity again sent a dream [to the king], saying: "The man of blessing and virtue has abandoned the king and departed." The king awoke in alarm and dread. Thereafter, though ruler and ministers persistently tried to detain him, none could stop him. He then crossed the flowing sands and proceeded to Dunhuang. In the open wilderness, he established a vihāra, planted a thousand crabapple trees, and cleared a hundred mu of garden. Its rooms, pavilions, ponds, and groves were extremely ornate and pure. Shortly after, he went to Liangzhou again, where he built further halls and chambers at an old temple of the commandery office. His disciples were numerous, and their dhyāna practice flourished greatly. Always considering that the region south of the Yangzi had many people and wishing to transmit the Dharma [there], he traveled in stages to Shu in the first year of Yuanjia. Soon, he left the [Yangzi] gorges and halted in Jingzhou. At Changsha Temple, he erected a dhyāna hall. With utmost sincerity and heartfelt devotion, he prayed for a relic. After ten-odd days, one indeed responded to him; striking the vessel, it emitted a sound and shed light filling the chamber. Among his disciples, clergy, and laity, there was none who did not redouble their courage, every man feeling a hundredfold resolve. After dwelling there for a short time, he went downstream toward the east and arrived at Jianye. At first, he stayed at Zhongxing Temple, and later he rested at Zhihuan [Temple]. His reputation for the Way had long been illustrious, so that the entire capital turned out to pay homage and inquiries. From Empress Yuan of Emperor Wen of the Song to the imperial princes and princesses, none failed to host vegetarian feasts. Requests for the precepts came from the palace; envoys offering inquiries from the inner quarters followed one after another day after day. From the first year of Yuanjia, jiazi, to the eighteenth year, xinsi, he translated twelve works in seventeen fascicles, including the Ākāśagarbha Dhāraṇī Sūtra. He regularly instructed his disciples in the way of dhyāna; those who took refuge in him did not consider a thousand li too far. The fourfold assembly near and far all called him the Great Meditation Master. Meng Yi, the Governor of Kuaiji, had deep faith in the True Truth and took the Three Jewels as his personal responsibility. Long fond of the flavor of dhyāna, his reverent heart was deep and earnest. When he took office overlooking the Zhe River, he invited him to travel together. Thereupon, he built a stūpa and temple in the mountains of Can County. The old customs of the eastern region were mostly inclined toward shamans and mediums, but when transformed by his sublime teaching, household after household turned to the correct. From west to east, none failed to submit. Later, he returned to Jianye and rested at the Lower Dinglin Temple. The Meditation Master's natural disposition was tranquil and serene, and he had an elegant fondness for mountains and waters. He considered Mount Zhong an anchoring peak, exceptionally superior even to Mounts Song and Hua. He often sighed that the structural foundation of the Lower Temple had not fully exhausted the beauty of the landscape. Thereupon, ascending the heights to survey the land and divining the lay of the mountain, he cut stones and felled timber to construct the Upper Temple. The halls, chambers, and meditation rooms were solemn and deeply secluded; they truly resembled Vulture Peak and appeared like the Jetavana grove. Thereupon, those who set their minds at rest gathered from ten thousand li away. Their chanting was solemn and harmonious, and they were transformed upon catching wind of his fame. From the Western Regions to the Southern Lands, wherever his footsteps trod, there was none that did not see the founding of donative assemblies and the expounding of the doctrinal teachings. At the beginning, when the Meditation Master departed from Jibin, the deity Kapila guarded and escorted him until they reached Kucha. Mid-journey, wishing to return, [the deity] manifested his form and bade farewell to the Meditation Master, saying: "Your spiritual powers transform freely, and you wander at will. Will you not let me accompany you further to the south?" Having finished speaking, he immediately concealed his shadow and was seen no more. Yet he followed him from afar all the way to Yangdu. Therefore, they painted an image of him on the wall of the Upper Temple; down to the present day, there are still efficacious responses of sounds and shadows. Those who pray for blessings with pure sincerity never fail to receive their wishes. On the sixth day of the seventh month of the nineteenth year of Yuanjia, he died at the Upper Temple at the age of eighty-seven. The four assemblies of clergy and laity hurried weeping as they walked, and he was accordingly buried in front of Songxi Temple on Mount Zhong.
Akṣayamati-bodhisattva-sūtra, six fascicles (The early title says: "The Inexhaustible Meaning Chapter, the Twenty-second, Spoken by Akṣayamati in the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra"; also simply called "Akṣayamati Sūtra"; also named "Achamò Sūtra"; fourth translation; identical text with Dharmarakṣa's Achamò, etc.; seen in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Fa hua sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Samādhi of the Lotus of the Dharma), one fascicle (A branched stream of the Lotus Sūtra; seen in Changfang's catalogue).
Guangbo yanjing bu tuizhuan lun jing (Sūtra on the Wheel of Non-Retrogression, Vast, Adorned, and Pure), four fascicles (Third translation; also in six fascicles; or simply called "Guangbo yanjing jing"; also simply called "Butuizhuan falun jing"; identical text with Dharmarakṣa's Aweiyuezhizhe jing, etc.; produced in the fourth year of Yuanjia; seen in the Song and Qi catalogues and Sengyou's catalogue).
Si tianwang jing (Four Heavenly Kings Sūtra), one fascicle (Seen in Sengyou's catalogue and the Gaoseng Zhuan).
Lalitavistara (Pu yao jing), eight fascicles (Third translation; also in six fascicles or four fascicles; identical text with the Shu Pu yao, Zhu Fahu's Pu yao, and the Tang translation Fangguang zhuangyan; seen in the Song and Qi catalogues, Sengyou's catalogue, the Gaoseng Zhuan, etc.).
Jingdu sanmei jing (Sūtra on the Samādhi of Pure Crossing), one fascicle (First translation; seen in Changfang's catalogue).
Bodhisattva Necklace Original Action Sūtra, two fascicles (Second translation; seen in Changfang's catalogue).
Sheng jing (Jātaka Sūtra), five fascicles (Second translation; identical text with that produced by Fahu; Fang says it is seen in the Classified Catalogue).
Shande youpose jing (Sūtra on Upāsaka Shande), one fascicle (Seen in Changfang's catalogue).
Anahan jing (Anāgāmin Sūtra), two fascicles (Seen in Changfang's catalogue).
The above ten works in thirty-one fascicles (The four works in twelve fascicles above the Si tianwang jing are extant; the six works in nineteen fascicles below the Pu yao jing are lost texts).
Śramaṇa Shi Zhiyan was a native of Western Liangzhou. Having left household life in his youth, he became known for his diligence. Clothed in patched robes, sitting in quiet contemplation, and eating a vegetarian diet for many years, he always wished to serve renowned teachers broadly and seek sūtras and teachings widely. Thereupon, he traveled through the western countries and proceeded to Jibin. Entering the Matandhara Vihāra, he inquired about and received dhyāna methods from the monk Buddhasena. Gradually steeped in them for three years, his achievement exceeded ten years [of ordinary effort]. Buddhasena saw that his meditation practice had clear structure, and held him in exceptionally high esteem. The local clergy and laity heard of this and sighed, saying: "The land of Qin indeed has a śramaṇa who seeks the Way!" Thenceforth, they no longer disparaged those of Qin kind, but respectfully received people from afar. At that time, there was the monk Buddhabhadra, who was also a meditation master of that country. Yan invited him to return east, wishing to transmit the Dharma to the central land. Bhadra appreciated his earnest sincerity and traveled east with him. After more than a year, they reached Guannei. Always keeping each other company, they dwelled together in Chang'an. Soon after, Bhadra was unjustifiably expelled by the monks of Qin. Yan and the assembly that came from the west dispersed and went out beyond the passes. He then rested at a vihāra in Shandong, sitting in meditation, chanting sūtras, and vigorously exerting himself in cultivation and study. In the thirteenth year of the Yixi reign era of the Jin, Emperor Wu of the Song campaigned west against Yao Hong. Having achieved victory, he turned his banners back, his route passing through Shandong. At that time, Duke Wang Hui of Shixing accompanied the imperial entourage to tour the mountains and rivers, and arrived at Yan's vihāra. He saw three monks of like mind each sitting on a corded chair, their meditation serene. Hui snapped his fingers; the three men opened their eyes, and shortly closed them again without speaking to him. Hui respected their marvel in his heart, and inquired of them