Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s4.t2.70

v1.c7.s4.t2.70

The native place of Tan Yao is unknown. He was possibly from Western Regions. According to records of *Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks* and *Book of Wei: Annuals of Buddhism and Taoism* etc, he became a monk when he was a teenager. He followed Buddhism firmly, cultivated himself and learned scriptures in Liangzhou (present-day Wuwei, Gansu) and was famous for being proficient in Chan. He came to Pingcheng (present-day northeast of Datong, Shanxi), the capital of the northern Wei, and was respected by the crown prince Tuoba Huang, whose father Emperor Taiwu took the advice of Situ Cuihao to observe New Tian Shi Sect advocated by Daoist Kou Qianzhi, demolished Buddhism in the seventh year of Taiping Zhenjun (Perfect Ruler of Great Peace) of the Northern Wei Dynasty (446 CE) burnt temples and towers and forced monks to resume secular life. Tan Yao believed in Buddhism firmly and promised to defend it to death. The crown prince persuaded him repeatedly but he still hid monk clothes and instruments secretly and lived in mountains as a hermit. Cuihao was killed four years later. The crown prince, Huang, died next year. Emperor Taiwu was killed a year later and Emperor Wencheng succeeded the throne when he was 12. Under the influence of his father Tuoba Huang, he sent out the imperial decree to resume Buddhism with the support of ministers and assigned the monk, Shi Xian, to be Buddhist ruler a year later. Shi Xian died in the first year of Heping of Northern Wei Dynasty (about 460 CE). Tan Yao replaced him and the title was changed into Śramana ruler. He governed Buddhist monks and nuns. Emperor Wencheng respected him as his teacher and he became famous gradually. Monks and laymen respected him greatly. After becoming the Śramana ruler, Tan Yao was invited by Emperor Wencheng and he chiseled five rock caves and carved Buddha images on the northern cliff of Wuzhoushan Valley in the west of Pingcheng. The images were about 60 or 70 chi (1 chi = 1/3 m) high which were carved grandly, and they ranked No. 1 at that time. He built a temple named Lingyan Temple. The establishment of Datong Yungang Grottoes started from this. Hereafter, Emperor Xianwen and Emperor Xiaowen visited the grottoes several times. In the third year of Heping (462 CE), Tan Yao lived in Tongle Temple of Yungang Grottoes and convened eminent monks to translate four volumes of *Great Luck and Righteousness Sutra* and one volume of *Sutra of Pure Salvation*, and he translated six volumes of *Handing Down of Buddha's Teachings* and 10 volumes of *Sutra of Miscellaneous Treasures* (*Saṁyukta-ratna-piñaka-sâtra*) with Kekaya, the Śramana from Western Regions. In the second year of Huangxing of the Northern Wei Dynasty (468 CE), Emperor Xianwen conquered two prefectures Qin and Qi of Song of Southern Dynasty. He moved hundreds of local households to Pingcheng which were called Pingqi households. Tan Yao submitted a written statement to the Emperor and asked Pingqi households and those from other places which can provide 60 hu (1 hu = 100 kg) of grains to be monastic households, and their grains were called monastic grains. Meanwhile, severe criminals and official slave shall be Buddha households and engage in cleaning temples, growing crops and transporting grains. His statement was approved and laid economic foundation for revival of Buddhism. The measure had great influences on the development of future Buddhism.