神僧傳

Divine monks are monks possessed of wondrous transformations and spiritual powers, surpassing all ordinary people. Accounts of their deeds are scattered throughout the Great Canon. It is extremely difficult for students wishing to learn about them, for the Tripitaka is vast and cannot be read through exhaustively.

Consequently, people have been unable to understand everything about them or investigate them thoroughly, and thus they are called “divine.” While reading the Canon, I diligently gathered the biographical accounts of these monks and compiled them into a work of nine fascicles, so that students need only read it to gain a thorough understanding, without laboring to search elsewhere—just as one entering a treasury naturally sees all its precious objects clearly.

For this reason, I had printing blocks carved so that the work might be printed and circulated, thereby illuminating the extraordinary deeds of divine monks throughout heaven and earth and enabling people of later generations to know that there is evidence for calling them divine. This is why the three words Biographies of Divine Monks were chosen as the title of the book.

The sixth day of the first lunar month, in the fifteenth year of the Yongle era (1417).

BIOGRAPHIES OF DIVINE MONKS

Fascicle 1

MĀTAṄGA

The Master was a native of India. His bearing was majestic, and he thoroughly understood the scriptures of both the Mahayana and the Hinayana, always regarding the work of teaching and transforming beings as his vocation. Once, he went to a small kingdom in India to expound the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra^[1].

At that time, the kingdom was beset by warfare and disorder. The Master thought to himself: “The sutra states that if this sutra is expounded, the earth deities will offer their protection and the people will live in peace and happiness. Now that war has just begun, this is precisely the time for me to bring benefit!” Having thought thus, he made a vow to disregard his own life and mediate the conflict.

Through his efforts, the two kingdoms established peaceful relations. Thereafter, his renown spread everywhere.

Around the Yongping era ⁽⁵⁸⁾ of the Han dynasty, one night Emperor Ming dreamed that a golden man flew down through empty space. The next morning, the emperor summoned his ministers to interpret the dream. Among them, Fu Yi, a man of profound learning, reported to the emperor:

—Your servant has heard that in the Western Regions there is a divine sage called the Buddha. The one whom Your Majesty saw in the dream was none other than he.

The emperor deemed this correct and therefore dispatched officials including the Gentleman of the Palace Cai Yin and the Erudite’s Disciple Qin Jing to India in search of the Buddhadharma. Upon arriving there, Cai Yin and the others met Mātaṅga and invited him to return with them to the Han realm.

The Master had vowed to propagate the Dharma far and wide. Undeterred by hardship, he braved the dangers of crossing the desert and reached Luoyang. Emperor Ming of Han received him with great hospitality and had a monastery built west of the city for him to reside in. The Master was the first śramaṇa in China. At that time, the Buddhadharma had only just begun to spread, and there were as yet no believers there. Consequently, the Master was unable to transmit his knowledge of the Buddhadharma. He later passed into nirvana at Luoyang.

According to one account, the Master translated the Sutra in Forty-two Sections^[2]. It was initially stored in the fourteenth chamber of the Stone Repository at the Orchid Terrace, which was the Master’s residence. That place is now White Horse Monastery^[3], west of Luoyang. Tradition relates that in a foreign kingdom there was once a king who habitually destroyed monasteries. Only Zhaoti Monastery had not yet been demolished. One night, a white horse circled the stupa, neighing mournfully. Someone reported this to the king, and from that time onward the king ceased destroying monasteries. Thereupon, Zhaoti Monastery was renamed White Horse Monastery. Later, other monasteries followed this precedent in taking their names.

DHARMARATNA

The Master was a native of India and was thoroughly versed in tens of thousands of chapters of sutras and treatises. He was the teacher of scholars in that country. At that time, Cai Yin had just arrived.

Dharmaratna and Mātaṅga had made a shared vow to teach and transform beings, so they came together to Luoyang. Before long, the Master had become proficient in Chinese and translated the scriptures that Cai Yin had brought back from the Western Regions. He translated five works: The Ten Stages and the Severance of the Bonds, The Buddha’s Former Lives, Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, The Buddha’s Original Practice, and the Sutra in Forty-two Sections.

When the country fell into disorder, the other four works were lost. South of the Yangtze, only the Sutra in Forty-two Sections, comprising more than two thousand words, remained. Among the Buddhist scriptures now extant in the Han lands, this was the first to appear.

When Cai Yin traveled to the Western Regions, he obtained an image of Śākyamuni Buddha seated. It was the fourth painted copy of the sandalwood image that King Udayana had ordered artisans to carve. When Cai Yin brought the image to Luoyang, Emperor Ming of Han ordered painters to make copies of it, which were enshrined on the Qingliang Terrace and in the Xianjie Mausoleum. The original image no longer survives.

Furthermore, in ancient times, when Emperor Wu of Han ordered Kunming Pond to be excavated, a layer of black ash was discovered at the bottom. The emperor asked Dongfang Shuo about it. Shuo replied:

—Your Majesty should ask a monk from the Western Regions.

When Dharmaratna arrived in Luoyang, people remembered this matter and asked him about it. The Master replied:

—This is precisely the ash left when fire consumes the world during the kalpa of conflagration.^[5]

This statement was supported by evidence, and everyone believed it.

The Master later died in Luoyang at more than sixty years of age.

AN SHIGAO

The Master’s name was An Qing, and he was a son of the king of Parthia. From childhood, he was renowned for his filial conduct, as well as for his intelligence and love of learning. He understood everything from foreign books to the seven celestial luminaries,^[6] the five phases,^[7] medicine, divination, and calculation, and even the cries of birds and beasts.

Once, while traveling along a road, he saw a flock of swallows flying past and said to his companion:

—The swallows say that someone is bringing food.

A short while later, someone indeed arrived bearing food. Everyone was astonished. The Master’s fame swiftly spread throughout the Western Regions.

Subsequently, he relinquished the throne, left the household life to cultivate and study, and thoroughly mastered the Sutra Piṭaka, excelling especially in the Abhidharma.^[8] He journeyed among various countries in pursuit of further learning. In the first year of Emperor Huan of the Han dynasty, the Master came to China. There, he learned Chinese and translated Buddhist scriptures.

He manifested many wonders and related that in a former life he had once left the household life. He had a fellow student who was prone to anger. Whenever they went on almsround and encountered a donor who displeased him, the fellow student would become enraged.

The Master admonished him many times, but he refused to change, and so it continued for twenty years. One day, the Master bade farewell to his fellow student and said:

—I must go to Guangzhou to repay a debt from a former life. In diligence and mastery of the scriptures, you are in no way inferior to me. Yet because you are prone to anger, after your life ends you will assume an ugly form. If I attain the Way, I shall certainly deliver you.

Having said this, the Master went to Guangzhou. At a time when the country was in turmoil, he encountered on the road a young man holding a knife, who said to him:

—I have finally found you!

The Master smiled and said:

—In a former life, I incurred a debt to you, and now I have come here to repay it. Your present anger is precisely the result of karmic enmity from a former life.

Having said this, the Master extended his neck to receive the stroke of the knife, without the slightest change in countenance. A great crowd witnessed this, and all were astonished. The Master’s consciousness was reborn as the crown prince of Parthia. Later, he left the household life and traveled to China, teaching wherever he went. Toward the end of Emperor Ling’s reign in the Han dynasty, bandits and warfare brought turmoil to the regions of Guanzhong and Luoyang. The Master therefore journeyed to Jiangnan and thought to himself: “I must pass by Mount Lu to deliver my fellow student from my former life.”

The Master reached the shrine at Gongting Lake. This shrine had always been remarkably efficacious: when merchants made offerings there and prayed, their boats would enjoy favorable winds and encounter no hindrance. On one occasion, someone asked the deity for bamboo. Before the deity had granted permission, the person took it without authorization; his boat immediately sank, and the bamboo returned to its former place. From then onward, all who traveled by boat were terrified. More than thirty merchant vessels traveling in the Master’s company reached the shrine and presented offerings to pray for blessings. The deity of the shrine then said:

– Beneath the boat is a śramaṇa. Please invite him here.

The merchants were all astonished and invited the master into the shrine. The deity then said to him:

– Long ago, in a foreign land, you and I renounced the household life together to study the Way. I delighted in giving, but my nature was prone to anger, and so I have now fallen into existence as the deity of this shrine. All the land within a thousand li is under my governance. Because of the merit of giving, I possess abundant jewels and treasures; but because of my anger, I fell into existence as a deity. Now that I have met my former companion again, joy and sorrow truly mingle within me. I have little time left to live, and my body is exceedingly large. If I were to die here, I fear I would foul the rivers and lakes, so I must go to the marsh west of the mountain. After my death, I may fall into hell. I have one thousand bolts of silk and many other precious objects. Please use this wealth on my behalf to build a stupa and enshrine scriptures, so that I may be reborn in a wholesome realm.

The master said:

– I have come from afar to deliver you. Why do you not reveal your original form?

The shrine deity replied:

– My form is extremely ugly. I fear that everyone will be terrified.

The master said:

– Appear as you are. No one will be afraid.

Upon hearing this, the shrine deity emerged from behind the altar. It was an enormous python. It came and knelt beside the master’s knees, whereupon the master faced it and recited a mantra several times. The python wept as though rain were falling and disappeared shortly afterward. The master then took the silk and other objects and set sail with the merchants. The python stood upon a high mountain and watched them depart. Everyone waved farewell until it vanished from sight.

Before long, the master reached Yuzhang and used the objects from the shrine to construct the Eastern Monastery. After the master departed, the shrine deity also died. That evening, a youth boarded the boat and knelt before the master. When the master had completed his invocation of blessings, the youth vanished. The master told the merchants:

– That youth was none other than the deity of the shrine, who has cast off his ugly form.

From then on, the deity was no longer there, and the shrine ceased to produce miraculous responses. Later, people saw the python’s carcass, several li in length, lying in the marsh west of the mountain. That place is now Snake Village in Xunyang Commandery.

Afterward, the master again went to Guangzhou in search of the youth who had killed him in a former life. At that time, the youth was still there. The master went directly into his home and recounted the repayment of enmity and the karmic circumstances of their former lives. The master cheerfully said:

– I still have a small debt remaining from a former life. I must now go to Kuaiji^[9] to repay it in full!

Only then did the youth recognize that the master was no ordinary person. He suddenly understood and repented of his former wrongdoing. He received the master and made offerings to him with the utmost hospitality, then followed him eastward. When they reached Kuaiji, the master entered the marketplace and suddenly encountered people fighting. By mistake, they struck the master on the head, and he immediately died. The youth then understood the fulfillment of both karmic retributions. He diligently devoted himself to cultivation and related this story to everyone. All who heard it considered it extraordinary.

SENGHUI

The master’s family name was Kang. His ancestors came from the kingdom of Kangju and had lived in India for several generations. Because his father was engaged in trade, he moved to Jiaozhi. When the master was a little over ten years old, both his parents died. After completing the period of mourning, he immediately renounced the household life. He was magnanimous and refined, possessed broad learning, and applied himself wholeheartedly to study and practice. He mastered the Tripitaka, was widely versed in the Six Classics,^[10] astronomy, and geography, and was also skilled in speech and writing.

At that time, Sun Quan governed the region east of the Yangtze, but Buddhism had not yet spread there. In the tenth year of the Chiwu era ⁽²⁴⁷⁾, the master arrived in Jianye, built a thatched hermitage, enshrined a Buddha image, and practiced there. At that time, the people of Wu saw the appearance of a śramaṇa^[11] for the first time. Knowing nothing of the Buddha’s teaching, they regarded him as strange, and someone reported to Sun Quan:

– A man from the Western Regions has entered our country and calls himself a śramaṇa. His appearance is unusual, and this matter should be carefully investigated.

Sun Quan said:

– Long ago, Emperor Ming of the Han dreamed of a divine person called the Buddha. Could the Way practiced by this man be a surviving tradition of the Buddha?

He immediately summoned the master and asked:

– What miraculous efficacy does the Buddha’s teaching possess?

The master replied:

– The Tathagata entered nirvana several thousand years ago, leaving behind relics^[12] of immeasurable miraculous power. Long ago, King Ashoka ordered the construction of eighty-four thousand stupas. Monasteries and stupas are built to manifest the transformative teaching of the sages of old.

Sun Quan considered this preposterous and said to the master:

– If you obtain a relic, I shall build a stupa. But if this proves false, the law of the state shall punish you.

The master requested a period of seven days and then told his followers:

– Whether the Buddha-Dharma flourishes or declines depends upon this one occasion. If we do not now exert our utmost sincerity, how could later regret be of any avail?

The master and his Dharma companions then observed fasting and the precepts in a purified chamber. He placed a bronze vessel upon a table, offered incense and flowers, and bowed with perfect sincerity. The seven-day period ended, yet all remained silent, without any response. The master requested another seven days, but the result was the same. Sun Quan said:

– This man is a fraud.

When the master was about to be punished, he requested another seven days, and Sun Quan made a special exception and granted his request. The master told his Dharma companions:

– Confucius said, “Now that King Wen is dead, does not the legacy of culture abide here?” The cloud of Dharma ought to have descended, yet we have failed to be sincere. What need is there, then, for the king’s law? We should set death as our deadline.

By the evening of the seventh and final day, no sign had yet appeared, and everyone was anxious. During the fifth watch, they suddenly heard a ringing sound within the vessel. The master went to look, and there truly was a relic. The next morning, Sun Quan came and took the vessel containing the relic, pouring it onto a bronze tray. Wherever the relic rolled, the bronze tray shattered. Sun Quan was utterly astonished. Rising to his feet, he said:

– This is an exceedingly rare auspicious sign!

The master stepped forward and said:

– The awe-inspiring spiritual power of the relic is not confined to this radiance. Fire cannot burn it, nor can a vajra pestle shatter it.

Sun Quan immediately ordered that it be tested. The master again made a vow:

– May the cloud of Dharma spread its canopy and all sentient beings be moistened by its blessing. I pray that a divine sign be manifested to reveal its sacred and awe-inspiring power.

Sun Quan ordered the relic placed upon an iron anvil and had a strong man strike it with a pestle. At that moment, both the anvil and the pestle were dented, yet the relic remained intact and undamaged. Sun Quan was deeply impressed and immediately ordered a stupa to be built. Because this was the first monastery constructed there, it was called Jianchu Monastery,^[13] and the surrounding area was named Buddha Village. From that time onward, the Buddha-Dharma flourished greatly in the region east of the Yangtze.

When Sun Hao came to power, he implemented harsh and tyrannical policies, abolished religious offerings, and demolished Buddhist monasteries. On one occasion, he ordered soldiers to make a garden within the inner palace. While digging, they unearthed a golden statue several feet high and presented it to Sun Hao. Hao immediately ordered that the statue be placed in a filthy location and had foul water poured over it. He and his attendants mocked it and took pleasure in their sport. In only a short while, his entire body became swollen, and his private parts were wracked with pain. He cried out in terrible agony.

The Grand Astrologer cast the divination and said:

– Your Majesty has offended a great deity.

Hao then earnestly prayed at the shrines, yet his condition still did not improve. A palace maid brought the image and installed it in the hall for worship, washed it several dozen times with fragrant water, burned incense, and paid homage. Hao bowed his head in worship and repented of the offenses he had committed.

In a short while, the pain subsided. He immediately sent an envoy to the monastery to invite the Master to come and expound the Dharma. When the Master arrived, Hao asked about the causes of wrongdoing and merit.

The Master then explained them thoroughly in words that were simple yet essential. Being intelligent, Hao understood very quickly and was exceedingly delighted. He then asked the Master to show him the monastic precepts.

The Master considered the text of the precepts a sacred secret whose contents could not be disclosed carelessly. He therefore took the one hundred and thirty-five vows in the Sutra of Fundamental Actions and divided them into two hundred and fifty articles, making vows for sentient beings while walking, standing, lying down, and sitting. When Hao saw that these compassionate vows were vast and universally beneficial, he brought forth a wholesome resolve and received and observed the five precepts under the Master.

Ten days later, he recovered from his illness. Hao then renovated the Master's pure chamber and ordered the entire imperial household to honor and serve him reverently.

The Master went to the court of Wu to discuss and expound the sutras and Dharma. However, Hao was violent and shallow by nature and could not fully comprehend their wondrous meaning. The Master therefore related instances of karmic retribution manifest in the present life in order to open his mind.

In the fourth year of the Tianji era ⁽²⁸⁰⁾, Hao surrendered to the Jin dynasty. In the ninth month, the Master fell ill and entered nirvana, in the first year of the Taikang era ⁽²⁸⁰⁾ of the Jin dynasty.

Around the Xianhe era ⁽³²⁶⁾, during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Jin, Su Jun rebelled and burned the stupa built by the Master. Minister of Works He Chong repaired and rebuilt it. Zhao Yu, General Who Pacifies the West, had for generations not believed in the Buddhadharma and disparaged the Three Jewels. He went to the monastery and said to the monks:

– For a long time, I have heard the absurd claim that this stupa has repeatedly emitted light. I cannot believe it without seeing it. If I could witness it personally, there would be nothing more to discuss.

As soon as he finished speaking, the stupa suddenly emitted five-colored light that illuminated the entire monastery. Zhao Yu was astonished and trembled throughout his body. Thereafter, he reverently believed and erected a small stupa to the east of the monastery.

Around the Yonghui era ⁽⁶⁵⁰⁾, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, the Master manifested in the land of Yue, calling himself an itinerant monk. His spiritual bearing was extraordinary, and all who saw him were awestruck, unable to tell whether he was a sage or an ordinary man. At that time, the monastery rector questioned him closely, reviled him, and drove him away. Upon reaching the gate, the Master said:

– I am Kang Senghui! If you preserve my true body here, it will benefit this monastery.

In an instant, the Master entered nirvana while standing. His eyes were half closed, his luminous vitality had not faded, his hands were raised as though in salutation, and one foot was stepping forward as if he wished to walk. The people discussed the matter and tried to lay him down, intending to place him in a grave for burial. Yet despite exerting all their strength, they could not move him at all. Seeing this, they respectfully conveyed the Master's physical body to sacred ground and built a separate shrine in which to venerate him. The people of Yue thronged together to offer flowers, incense, lamps, candles, silk, fruits, seeds, and other gifts. Whatever they prayed for was granted according to their wishes.

When troops came to the land of Yue, most were initially quartered at Yongxin Monastery. Their wives gave birth there, and the soldiers ate meat and other foul-smelling foods, defiling the monastery^[14], until the people could no longer endure the situation. The Master then manifested and told Li Ruochu, the Circuit Inspector of Min: “Later, when you serve as Fandiao^[15] in the land of Yue, I ask you to move the troops elsewhere.” Having spoken, the Master flicked his robe and departed, suddenly vanishing in an instant.

Lord Li was both delighted and frightened and committed the Master's words to memory. Later, he was indeed appointed to office there. One day, Lord Li went to visit the sacred site and recognized that the person who had spoken to him previously was the Master.

He therefore immediately ordered the troops to withdraw from the monastery and return to their barracks.

That night, a woman was giving birth without a lamp or candle, and there was no other light nearby. Suddenly, a monk carrying a torch entered through the window. In the morning, her husband went to Yongxin Monastery and recognized the Master's countenance as that of the monk who had come carrying a torch to save his wife. From then on, very many people came to pray for sons or daughters. In former times, the Master had repeatedly entered the villages to ask for straw sandals. Thus, even today, many people of Yue offer straw sandals, lamp oil, banners, and streamers. The Master manifested in response at the homes of many people; such occurrences cannot all be recounted. The people called him “Chan Master of Transcendent Transformation.”

ZHU SHIXING

The Master was a native of Yingzhou. He left the household life at an early age and devoted himself to studying the scriptures. He often lectured on the Daoxing Sutra and, recognizing that passages in its text and meaning were corrupt and difficult to understand, vowed to seek the Larger Version^[16]. The Master journeyed to the Western Regions and reached the kingdom of Khotan^[17], where he obtained a Sanskrit manuscript of the sutra to bring back to Luoyang. At that time, the community of scholars in that country memorialized the king:

– This Han monk is using scriptures of the Brahmanical^[18] teaching to confound the orthodox canon. If he is not stopped, we fear that he will delude the people of Han.

Upon hearing this, the king ordered that the scripture not be taken away. The Master was overwhelmed with grief and asked the king to have the scripture burned as a test. The king consented and ordered wood to be piled before the palace to burn the scripture. The Master approached the great fire and made this vow: “If the Buddhadharma is truly destined to spread throughout the land of Han, may this scripture not be burned. If the scripture burns, I shall sacrifice my life.” Having spoken, the Master threw the scripture into the fire. The flames immediately went out, and not a single character of the scripture was burned. When the people saw this, they all believed and regarded it as a miraculous response. The Master was permitted to bring the scripture to China.

The Master later entered nirvana in Khotan at the age of eighty. During his cremation, although the fire had gone out, his physical body remained intact. Everyone was astonished and made this invocation: “If the Master truly attained the Way, may his physical body break apart.” As soon as they finished speaking, the Master's body broke apart. The people then gathered his relics and built a stupa as an offering.

HELUOJIE

His family name and personal name are unknown. It is known only that the Master left the household life at an early age and could recite from memory as many as two million words of scripture. He was tranquil by nature and carefully preserved the precepts and pure conduct. He possessed handsome features and dignified deportment and devoted himself to practicing the dhutanga austerities^[19] alone amid desolate mountains and wilderness.

In the ninth year of the Taikang era ⁽²⁸⁸⁾, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, the Master came to Luoyang. At that time, the people intended to excavate a channel to bring him water. Seeing this, the Master said:

– You need not toil on my account!

The Master then pressed his left foot against the rock wall west of his chamber. A hole as deep as his big toe opened in the wall, and as soon as he lifted his foot, water gushed forth. The water was clear, fragrant, cool, and sweet, and it flowed without cease. All who came to drink it were relieved of hunger and thirst and cured of illness.

In the eighth year of the Yuankang era ⁽²⁹⁹⁾, the Master sat upright, gathered in his spirit, and entered nirvana. His disciples cremated him according to the rites of foreign lands, but though the fire burned for many days, the Master's physical body remained intact. The people respectfully returned his body to the stone chamber.

QIYU

The Master was a native of India. He traveled throughout the lands of the Chinese and non-Chinese peoples and never remained permanently in any one place. Miraculous and transcendent, free and detached from worldly conventions, his conduct was extraordinary, and the people of his time could not fathom him.

The master left India and traveled to Funan^[20]. Following the seacoast, he journeyed with great hardship until he reached the regions of Jiaozhou and Guangzhou^[21]. He displayed many extraordinary signs. When he arrived at Xiangyang, he asked for passage on a boat. The merchants, seeing that the śramaṇa was dressed in tattered robes, looked down upon him and refused to take him aboard. Yet when the merchant vessel reached the northern bank, the master had already arrived before them. Along the road, he encountered two tigers, which flattened their ears and wagged their tails. The master stroked their heads with his hand, and the tigers yielded the path for him to pass. Seeing this, great numbers of people on both banks followed him.

Toward the end of the reign of Emperor Hui of the Jin dynasty (290–306), the master arrived in Luoyang. People vied with one another to come and pay homage, but he remained calmly kneeling, without the slightest change in his expression. He often told people about their previous lives, saying, for example, that Zhi Fayuan had been a goat in a former life, while Zhu Fayu had been a human being. He also admonished the Sangha: “Wearing sumptuous garments is not in accordance with the pure conduct of one who has renounced the household life.” Upon seeing the palaces, city walls, and towers of Luoyang, the master said:

– This place bears some resemblance to the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three^[22], but its natural scenery and its people are not the same.

The master said to the śramaṇa Qishejue:

– The craftsman who built this palace descended from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. After completing it, he returned there. Beneath the tiles on the roof are carved one thousand five hundred images of various wondrous creatures.

At that time, Bi Yongwen of Nanyang, the governor of Hengyang, was staying at Manshui Monastery in Luoyang. Both his legs had contracted, and he was unable to walk. Seeing this, the master said:

– Do you wish to be cured? Why do you not go and fetch a bowl of pure water and a willow branch?

The master dipped the willow branch into the water, sprinkled it over Yongwen, and recited an invocation. After doing this three times, he massaged Yongwen’s knees and told him to stand. At once, Yongwen was able to walk normally, just as before.

In that monastery was a Contemplation Tree that had withered and died. The master asked Yongwen:

– How long has this tree been dead?

Yongwen replied:

– It has been many years!

The master then recited an invocation over the tree, just as he had done for Yongwen. The Contemplation Tree suddenly put forth shoots and new leaves and grew lush and green.

In the Imperial Secretariat, there was a man suffering from a malignant tumor and close to death. The master placed his alms bowl upon the sick man’s abdomen, covered it with a white cloth, and recited several thousand words of invocation. Immediately, a foul odor filled the entire house. The sick man said:

– I shall live!

The master instructed someone to remove the cloth. They saw several sheng^[23] of liquid in the alms bowl, resembling filthy mud and stinking beyond description. Through this, the sick man was completely cured.

At that time, Luoyang was engulfed in warfare and disorder, so the master returned to India. While he was still in Luoyang, hundreds of śramaṇas invited him to accept a meal, and he agreed to every invitation. Early the next morning, his figure appeared in five hundred monasteries. At first, each group thought that the master had come only to their own place, but upon inquiring, they learned that he had manifested separate bodies and gone everywhere. When the master took his leave, the people escorted him as far as the city of Henan. Although he merely walked at a leisurely pace, they could not keep up with him even by running. The master drew a line upon the ground with his khakkhara and said:

– Here we shall bid one another farewell!

That day, a man arriving from Chang’an encountered the master in a monastery there. Later, a merchant named Hu Shideng related that, on the afternoon of that very day, he too had encountered the master in the Shifting Sands^[24]. By calculation, the master had traveled more than nine thousand li that day.

After he returned to the Western Regions, it was not known where he entered nirvana.

FALANG

The Venerable Kang Falang traveled to study in Zhongshan^[25]. During the Yongjia era (307–313), the master and another bhikṣu journeyed westward, crossing more than a thousand li of desert before reaching India.

Along the way, the master saw a dilapidated Buddhist monastery beside the road. It had no shrine hall, and reeds and grasses grew thickly everywhere. The master and his Dharma companion entered to pay homage and found two monks, each living in a separate room.

One was chanting sutras, while the other was suffering from dysentery, with feces and urine filling his room. The monk chanting the sutras did nothing to care for the sick monk. Moved by compassion, the master and his companion cooked gruel, swept the room, and bathed him.

By the sixth day, the monk’s illness had grown still more severe, and his excrement poured forth like a spring. That night, the master and his companion tended, treated, and cared for him, believing that he would not live until the next day. But when the master came to see him the following morning, he found that the sick monk’s complexion was radiant and joyful, and his former illness had completely disappeared.

All the filth in the room had turned into fragrant flowers. Only then did the master and his Dharma companion realize that this was an accomplished adept who had come to test people’s hearts. The monk then said:

– The bhikṣu in the adjoining room is my teacher. He attained the Way long ago. You should go and pay homage to him.

The master and his companion had previously reproached that śramaṇa for lacking compassion. Now, upon hearing this, they immediately went to pay homage and repent before him. The śramaṇa said:

– You truly possess sincere hearts, and therefore both of you will attain the Way. Yet Falang’s cultivation and study in his previous life were still shallow, so in this life he will not obtain his wish.

He then turned to the master’s companion and said:

– Huiya has planted deep and abundant roots of virtue, so in this life he will obtain his wish!

Having said this, he invited the master’s companion to remain. The master later returned to Zhongshan and became a great Dharma teacher, revered by both monastics and laypeople.

FOTUDENG

The master was a native of the Western Regions, and his family name was Bai. He renounced the household life in his youth, observed the precepts with purity, devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation and study, and could fluently recite several million words of scripture.

In the fourth year of the Yongjia era ⁽³¹⁰⁾, the master arrived in Luoyang with the great aspiration to propagate and spread the Buddha Dharma. He was skilled in incantatory arts and could command spirits and ghosts. When he mixed sesame oil with wax powder and rubbed it upon his palm, events occurring more than a thousand li away appeared clearly, as though directly before his eyes. He could also enable people who observed fasting and the precepts in purity to see such events. By listening to the sounds of bells, he foretold events that were about to occur, and every prediction proved accurate.

The master wished to establish a monastery in Luoyang, but at that time the rebel Liu Yao was ravaging Luotai, throwing the capital into turmoil. Therefore, the master’s aspiration to establish a monastery could not be fulfilled. He then concealed himself in a remote wilderness to observe the changes taking place in the world.

At that time, Shi Le had stationed his army at Gepei and relied upon slaughter to establish his authority, causing many śramaṇas to be killed. The master had compassion for sentient beings and wished to use the teachings to transform Shi Le. He therefore went to Shi Le’s military camp. Knowing that the great general Guo Heilüe had always deeply revered the Buddha Dharma, the master went directly to his encampment to teach him. Guo Heilüe asked to become his disciple and received and upheld the five precepts.

Thereafter, whenever Heilüe accompanied Shi Le on military campaigns, he was always able to foresee victory or defeat. Growing suspicious, Shi Le asked him:

– I did not know that you possessed such extraordinary strategic wisdom. How is it that, whenever we send forth the troops, you always know whether events will be auspicious or inauspicious?

Guo Heilüe replied:

– General, your divinely endowed martial prowess surpasses that of ordinary men, and therefore you receive the assistance of divine spirits. There is a śramaṇa of extraordinary spiritual power who has declared that you will gain possession of the lands of the Huaxia^[26]. I have therefore taken him as our military adviser. Everything I have reported to you in the past has come from his words.

Shi Le joyfully said:

– Heaven has bestowed him upon me!

He immediately summoned the master and asked:

– What spiritual efficacy does the Buddha’s Way possess?

The master knew that Shi Le could not comprehend profound doctrine and that only through incantatory arts could he be transformed. He therefore said:

– Though the path to the Way is distant, it may nevertheless be demonstrated through things close at hand.

Having said this, the Master immediately filled a bowl with water, burned incense, and recited an invocation. In an instant, a blue lotus suddenly blossomed in the bowl, radiating brilliant light. Thereupon, Thạch Lặc was convinced. The Master admonished him:

– As a rule, if an emperor knows how to transform the people through virtue and lets its influence permeate the whole realm, the four auspicious creatures^[27] will appear. If the government rules harshly and morality declines, comets will appear. Once favorable or unfavorable celestial signs manifest, good or ill fortune follows. This has ever been the constant principle, and it is also Heaven’s clear admonition!

Hearing this, Thạch Lặc was greatly delighted. From then on, even those deserving death were pardoned, and eighty or ninety percent of the populace benefited. The Hu people of the Central Provinces^[28] also all vowed to revere the Buddha.

At that time, there was a man suffering from epilepsy whom no physician anywhere could cure. When the Master came to treat him, he was immediately healed. Thạch Lặc returned from Cát Pha to Hà Bắc and stopped for the night at Phương Đầu. That night, someone intended to raid the encampment. The Master promptly told Quách Hắc Lược:

– Bandits will come shortly. You should warn the General beforehand.

It happened exactly as the Master had said. Because precautions had been taken, they did not suffer defeat. On one occasion, Thạch Lặc wished to test the Master’s abilities. At night, he donned a helmet and armor, took up a sword, and sat waiting. He then sent a messenger to tell the Master: “Since nightfall, no one has known where the Great General is!”

The messenger had only just arrived and had not yet spoken when the Master asked:

– This place is peaceful and free of bandits. Why, then, must such strict guard be kept at night?

Upon hearing this, Thạch Lặc revered the Master all the more. Later, in a fit of anger, Thạch Lặc intended to harm the śramaṇas and wished to cause the Master suffering. The Master therefore withdrew to the house of Quách Hắc Lược and told him:

– If the General’s messenger comes and asks where I am, tell him that you do not know!

The messenger came but could not find the Master, so he returned and reported this to Thạch Lặc. Alarmed, Thạch Lặc said:

– I harbored an evil intention toward the holy man, and so he has abandoned me and departed!

He could not sleep throughout the night, thinking only of how he might see the Master again. Knowing that Thạch Lặc had repented, the Master came early the next morning. Thạch Lặc asked:

– Where did you go last night?

The Master replied:

– The General’s heart was filled with anger, so last night I temporarily withdrew from your presence. Now that the General has repented, I have dared to come here again.

Thạch Lặc laughed heartily and said:

– You have misunderstood me!

The water source supplying the moat of Tương Quốc, located beneath the shrine of Đoàn Hoàn five li from the city, suddenly dried up. Thạch Lặc asked the Master:

– How can the water source be restored?

The Master replied:

– We must now issue an order to the dragon (Long).

Because Thạch Lặc’s courtesy name was Thế Long, he thought the Master was mocking him and said:

– It is precisely because Long cannot obtain water that I have asked you this!

The Master immediately replied:

– These words are sincere; I am not jesting! A divine dragon must dwell at this water source. If we go and command it, the water will certainly return.

The Master, together with disciples such as Pháp Thủ and several others, went to the source. The water there had long since dried up, and the ground was cracked like wheel tracks. Those accompanying the Master became doubtful and thought it would be difficult to obtain water. The Master sat upon a seat, burned benzoin incense^[29], and recited several hundred words of invocation. After three days, water suddenly surged forth in a vast flood and flowed everywhere. A small dragon, five or six inches long, appeared with the current. The śramaṇas vied with one another to approach and look at it. The Master warned them:

– That dragon is venomous. Do not go near it!

In only a brief moment, the water flowed forth and filled all the moats and channels.

Sitting there, the Master sighed:

– Two days from now, a vile man will cause a disturbance here.

At that time, Tiết Hợp of Tương Quốc had two sons. Although they were still young, they were arrogant by nature and treated a Xiongnu servant with contempt. Enraged, the servant took a knife and killed the younger brother. He then seized the elder brother, dragged him into a room, and threatened with the knife: “If anyone enters the room, I will strike.” He then said to Tiết Hợp:

– If you send me back to my homeland, your son will live. Otherwise, I shall die together with him.

Everyone was terrified, and no one dared even to look. Thạch Lặc came to observe the situation and told Tiết Hợp:

– Sending the servant back to his homeland in order to preserve your son’s life would indeed be a good thing. But if this practice were to spread, it would bring calamity in the future. You must understand that the state has its laws.

Having said this, Thạch Lặc ordered men to seize the servant. The servant immediately killed the child and then took his own life.

Đoàn Ba, a Xiongnu, led troops to attack Thạch Lặc, and the enemy forces were exceedingly powerful. Alarmed, Thạch Lặc consulted the Master. The Master replied:

– Yesterday, the temple bell sounded, saying: “Tomorrow at noon, Đoàn Ba will be captured.”

Thạch Lặc climbed to the top of the city wall and looked out. Seeing Đoàn Ba’s troops extending rank upon rank, he turned pale and said:

– The enemy troops shake the earth as they advance. How could Đoàn Ba possibly be captured? These words are merely meant to reassure me!

He immediately sent Quỳ An to inquire. The Master replied:

– Đoàn Ba has already been captured!

At that very moment, soldiers lying in ambush north of the city rushed out, encountered Đoàn Ba, and captured him alive. The Master advised Thạch Lặc to show leniency and release Đoàn Ba so that he might return to his homeland. Thạch Lặc followed the Master’s counsel, while the captured soldiers were brought back and conscripted into the army.

By then, Lưu Tái had died, and Lưu Diệu, his paternal cousin, had usurped the throne and changed the era name to Quang Sơ. In the eighth year of the Quang Sơ era, Lưu Diệu ordered his cousin, Lưu Nhạc, Prince of Trung Sơn, to lead an army against Thạch Lặc. Lặc sent Thạch Hổ with infantry and cavalry to resist them. A great battle took place west of Lạc Dương. Lưu Nhạc was defeated and withdrew to defend Thạch Lương. Thạch Hổ then pressed the siege with all his strength. The Master and his disciples were traveling from Quan Tự to Trung Tự. As soon as he entered the temple gate, the Master sighed:

– Lưu Nhạc is truly pitiable!

His disciple Pháp Tộ asked the reason. The Master said:

– Nhạc was captured at the hour of the Boar last night!

It happened exactly as the Master had said.

In the eleventh year of the Quang Sơ era, Lưu Diệu personally led an army to attack Lạc Dương. Thạch Lặc wished to lead his forces in person against Lưu Diệu, but all his subordinates urged him not to do so. Thạch Lặc consulted the Master about the matter, and the Master replied:

– The bell upon the finial wheel^[30] sounded, saying: “Tú chi thế lệ cương, bộc cốc câu ngốc đương.” These are words in the language of the Jie people (Xiongnu). “Tú chi thế lệ cương” means “to set out”; “bộc cốc” refers to Lưu Diệu’s position; and “câu ngốc đương” means “to capture.” Thus, it means that if the army sets out, Lưu Diệu will be captured.

Upon hearing this, Từ Quang earnestly urged Thạch Lặc to dispatch the army. Thạch Lặc therefore left his eldest son, Thạch Hoằng, together with the Master to guard Tương Quốc, while he personally led the central army’s infantry and cavalry directly into the city of Lạc Dương. As soon as the two sides engaged in battle, Lưu Diệu’s army suffered a crushing defeat, and Diệu’s horse fell into the river. Thạch Kham captured Lưu Diệu alive and handed him over to Thạch Lặc.

The Master rubbed oil into his palm and, looking into it, saw a man surrounded by a crowd, with his hands bound in red silk. Thereupon, the Master told Thạch Hoằng:

– At this very moment, Lưu Diệu has been captured alive.

After suppressing Lưu Diệu’s forces, Thạch Lặc usurped the title Heavenly King of Zhao, adopted the ceremonial rites and regulations of an emperor, and changed the era name to Kiến Bình. This was the fifth year of the Hàm Hòa era ⁽³³⁰⁾ during the reign of Emperor Thành of Jin. After Thạch Lặc ascended the imperial throne, he revered the Master with even greater devotion.

At that time, Thạch Thông intended to rebel. That year, the Master admonished Thạch Lặc:

– This year there are worms in the onions. Eating them will be harmful. You should order the people not to eat onions.

Shi Le issued an edict that the people throughout the realm should not eat scallions. In the eighth month, Shi Tong did indeed flee. From then on, Shi Le respected the Master even more. Whenever he wished to undertake anything, he would first seek the Master’s counsel and only afterward carry it out. He commonly called the Master the Great和尚.

Shi Hu had a son named Bin, whom Shi Le later adopted as his own son and dearly loved. One day, Bin suddenly became gravely ill and died. Two days later, Shi Le said:

– I have heard that when the Crown Prince of Guo died, the divine physician Bian Que^[31] was able to restore him to life. The Great和尚 is now a divine man of our realm. Go quickly and report this to him; surely we shall receive the blessing of having the Crown Prince restored to life.

When the Master arrived, he immediately took a willow branch and recited an invocation. Suddenly, the Crown Prince returned to life, and within a short time he completely recovered. Consequently, many of Shi Le’s young children were sent to the monastery to be raised. Every year, on the eighth day of the fourth month, Shi Le personally went to the monastery to bathe the Buddha and pray for his children.

In the fourth month of the fourth year of the Jianping era, the sky was still and there was not the slightest wind, yet the bells on the stupa began to ring. The Master told the assembly:

The sound of the bells announces: “This year, there will be a great mourning in the realm.” Just as he had predicted, Shi Le died in the seventh month of that year.

Crown Prince Shi Hong succeeded to the throne. Before long, Shi Hu usurped the throne, moved the capital to Jianye, and changed the era name to Jianwu. He devotedly served the Master even more than Shi Le had.

At that time, the Master was residing at Central Monastery within the city of Jianye. He sent his disciple Fachang to Xiangguo. Meanwhile, his disciple Fagui was returning from Xiangguo. The two met at the city of Liangji and stayed there together. That night, the Dharma brothers discussed their teacher. Near daybreak, they took leave of one another. As soon as Fagui returned to Central Monastery, he went in to attend upon the Master. Smiling, the Master questioned him closely:

– Last night, did you and Fachang not draw your carriages alongside one another and speak about your teacher? A sage of old said: “One who possesses reverence does not change even in a secluded place; one who possesses vigilance does not become heedless even when alone. Seclusion and solitude are the foundation of reverence and vigilance.” Did you not know this?

Fagui was utterly astonished and, deeply ashamed, begged to repent. The people of the realm often said to one another: “Do not give rise to evil thoughts, for the和尚 knows what is in your mind.” From then on, wherever the Master resided, no one dared face that place while relieving themselves.

At that time, Crown Prince Shi Sui had two sons who were staying in Xiangguo. The Master said to Shi Sui:

– Your younger son is ill. You should go and see him!

Shi Sui immediately mounted a horse and went there. Sure enough, his son was ill, exactly as the Master had said. The imperial physician Yin Teng and various foreign Daoist adepts said that they would cure him. The Master said to his disciple Faya:

– Even if a sage were to appear, he could not cure this illness, much less those physicians!

Three days later, the child did indeed die, just as the Master had predicted. Shi Sui was addicted to wine and sensual pleasures and plotted rebellion. He said to a eunuch:

– The和尚 possesses supernatural powers, and I fear he knows of my intentions. When he comes tomorrow morning, kill him!

On the fifteenth day of that month, as the Master was about to enter the palace for an audience with Shi Hu, he said to his disciple Senghui:

– Last night, a heavenly deity told me: “If you enter the palace tomorrow, do not stop at anyone’s residence.” If I should stop somewhere, remember to restrain me.

Whenever the Master entered the court for an audience, he usually stopped at Shi Sui’s residence. Shi Sui knew that the Master was coming and waited a long time for him. The Master was about to ascend the Southern Terrace when Senghui tugged at his robe. The Master said:

– Since matters have come to this point, they cannot be stopped!

The Master had scarcely seated himself before he hurriedly rose again. Shi Sui tried to detain him, but could not. Thus, his plot failed. After returning to the monastery, the Master sighed:

– The Crown Prince is plotting rebellion. The affair is nearly ripe, yet it is difficult to speak of it and difficult to remain silent and endure it.

Using this matter as an occasion, the Master gently admonished Shi Hu, but Shi Hu did not understand. Before long, Shi Sui’s plot to rebel was exposed, and only then did Shi Hu comprehend the Master’s words.

Later, Guo Heilüe led troops to campaign against the Qiang tribes in the mountains north of Chang’an and was surrounded by the enemy. At that time, the Master was seated in the lecture hall with his disciple Fachang when his expression suddenly changed and he sorrowfully said:

– Lord Guo has fallen into the enemy’s encirclement!

Having said this, the Master instructed the Sangha to recite invocations together with him. A little while later, the Master said:

– If he flees toward the southeast, he will live; any other direction will place him in peril!

After saying this, the Master continued reciting invocations. In a moment, he said again:

– He has escaped!

More than a month later, Guo Heilüe returned and related:

– When I fell into the encirclement of the Qiang tribes, I fled toward the southeast. My horse became exhausted, but suddenly one of my subordinates galloped up, handed his horse over to me, and said: “My lord, ride this horse. This humble man will ride yours. Whether we are saved or not depends upon destiny.”

Through this, Guo Heilüe escaped death. Upon comparing the time, they found that it was precisely when the Master had been reciting invocations.

Shi Bin, Duke of Yan and Grand Marshal of Wei, was appointed by Shi Hu to guard Youzhou. There, he gathered together vicious men and committed tyrannical acts. The Master advised Shi Hu:

– Last night, a heavenly deity said to me: “Quickly gather the horses in. When autumn comes, everywhere Qi will be afflicted by a crippling epidemic.”

Shi Hu did not understand the Master’s words, but he nevertheless ordered that horses be gathered in everywhere. In the autumn of that very year, someone reported Shi Bin’s deeds to Shi Hu. Shi Hu summoned Shi Bin, had him flogged three hundred times, and killed his mother, Lady Qi. Afterward, Shi Hu even drew an arrow, bent his bow, and shot Shi Bin. Though he personally supervised Shi Bin’s punishment in this manner, he still considered it too lenient. Shi Hu intended to kill five hundred of Shi Bin’s accomplices with his own hands, but the Master immediately remonstrated:

– Your Majesty should not kill so recklessly. Those who have died cannot be brought back to life. According to propriety, a sovereign should not personally carry out executions, for doing so damages his benevolence and virtue. What ruler would personally punish his own ministers!

Upon hearing this, Shi Hu stayed his hand.

Later, Jin forces advanced in an attack, placing the regions of Huai, Si, Long, Bei, and Wacheng in grave peril. Urgent reports arrived from everywhere, and the people were thrown into confusion. Shi Hu angrily said:

– I serve the Buddha, yet I still suffer the calamity of foreign invasion. Is the Buddha not spiritually efficacious?

Early the next morning, the Master entered the court, and Shi Hu asked him about this matter. The Master reproached him, saying:

– In a former life, Your Majesty was once a great merchant who frequently made offerings to a monastery in the kingdom of Kashmir^[32]. At a great assembly there were sixty arhats, and I too attended that gathering. At that time, one who had attained the Way said to me: “After this merchant’s life ends, he will fall into the body of a chicken, and afterward he will be reborn as a king of the state of Jin.” Now that Your Majesty has become a king, have you not indeed possessed blessings? Disturbances by bandits along the frontiers are a normal occurrence in any realm. Why, then, does Your Majesty resent the Three Jewels and give rise to such malicious thoughts!

Hearing this, Shi Hu came to his senses, knelt, and begged to repent. Shi Hu asked the Master:

– The Buddhist Way forbids the taking of life. As ruler of all under heaven, if I do not employ punishments, I cannot preserve peace throughout the realm. By acting in this way, I violate the precept against killing. Even though I serve the Buddha, how could I obtain blessings?

The Master replied:

– For an emperor to honor the Buddha means to be respectful in conduct and inwardly compliant, to propagate the Three Jewels, to commit no acts of tyranny, and not to harm the helpless. As for tyrants and scoundrels, if they are not instructed and transformed, they cannot reform. The guilty sometimes cannot be spared death, and the wicked sometimes cannot be spared punishment. Yet only those who deserve death should be put to death, and only those who deserve punishment should be punished. If one tyrannically and arbitrarily kills the innocent, then even if one expends all one's wealth in service of the Buddhadharma, one still cannot escape calamity. I beseech Your Majesty to lessen your desires and extend loving-kindness to all beings. Only then will the Buddhadharma always flourish, and Your Majesty's benevolent virtue permeate the ten thousand regions.

Although Thach Ho did not follow all of the master's counsel, the benefit he derived from the master's teachings was nevertheless considerable.

Thach Ho's Ministers of State, such as Truong Li, Truong Luong, and others, wholeheartedly honored the Buddhadharma, and each household built a great stupa. Seeing this, the master said:

– The essence of honoring the Buddha lies in purity of mind, freedom from craving, and compassion for all beings. Although you donors honor the Buddhadharma, your greed and miserliness have not yet ceased; you hunt without restraint and hoard without end. I fear that you will incur punishment in this very life—how then can you hope to obtain blessed recompense?

Later, both Truong Li and Truong Luong were put to death.

At that time, the region suffered a prolonged drought from the first through the sixth month. Thach Ho sent the crown prince to the mouth of the Tay Phu River at Lam Chuong to pray for rain, but even after a long time the drought continued. Thach Ho then invited the master to come. At that very moment, a two-headed white dragon suddenly appeared at the shrine. That day, heavy rain fell everywhere, and the year's harvest was abundant. The people of Nhung Mach^[33] had at first known nothing of the Buddhadharma, but when they heard that the master possessed spiritual powers, they paid homage to him from afar. Without uttering a word, the master transformed them.

On one occasion, the master sent a disciple to the Western Regions to purchase incense. Later, he told the other disciples:

– Looking into the palm of my hand, I see that the disciple who went to purchase incense has been set upon by robbers in that place and is about to be killed.

From afar, the master immediately burned incense and made an invocation to save the disciple. When the disciple later returned, he related:

– On such-and-such a day and month, at such-and-such a place, I was about to be killed by robbers when suddenly a wondrous fragrance of incense was perceived. Not knowing its cause, the robbers cried out in terror, “Reinforcements have arrived!” Having said this, they fled.

Later, Thach Ho went to restore the stupa by the river at Lam Chuong, but lacked a dew-receiving basin. The master then told him:

– Beneath King Asoka's ancient stupa in the city of Lam Truy are a dew-receiving basin and a Buddha image. Trees and plants grow luxuriantly above them. If you dig there, you will find them.

The master then drew a map and gave it to the envoy. The envoy followed his instructions, and upon digging there immediately found the dew-receiving basin and the Buddha image.

Thach Ho intended to attack the state of Yen, but the master dissuaded him:

– Yen's destined ascendancy has not yet come to an end, so it will be exceedingly difficult to defeat.

Thach Ho led armies against it several times, but each campaign ended in failure. Only then did he believe the master's words.

For a long time there had been no soft-shelled turtles in the Yellow River, but now the local people suddenly caught one and presented it to Thach Ho. Seeing it, the master sighed:

– Before long, Hoang On will enter!

On's courtesy name was Nguyen Tu^[34]. Later, events indeed transpired just as the master had said.

At that time, in Nguy District, there was a displaced person^[35] whose family and personal names were unknown. He habitually wore coarse and tattered clothing and entered the marketplace to beg for food. People of the time therefore called him Ma Nhu^[36]. His speech was truly transcendent, but in appearance he resembled a madman. When he was given rice or cooked food, he did not eat it, but scattered it along the road, saying:

– I am feeding the celestial horses!

The governor, Trieu Hung, had him arrested and brought before Thach Ho. Before this, the master had told Thach Ho:

– On such-and-such a day and month, an extraordinary man will be brought here from two hundred miles east of the capital. You must not kill him!

Precisely at the appointed time, Ma Nhu indeed arrived. Thach Ho conversed with him, but their languages differed. Ma Nhu merely said:

– In the future, Your Majesty's life will end beneath the “Nhat Tru Hall”!

Thach Ho did not understand these words and therefore took Ma Nhu to the master.

The master conversed with him throughout the entire day, but no one else could understand them. Someone secretly listened and understood only a few words. Upon careful consideration, it seemed that they were discussing events from several hundred years earlier.

Thach Ho ordered someone to convey him back to his former abode in a horse-drawn carriage. When they left the city, Ma Nhu declined the carriage and continued on foot. He said:

– I must stop at another place. I sincerely apologize, but I cannot travel with you. Go to Hop Khau Bridge and wait for me there.

The envoy obeyed and departed. Before he had even reached Hop Khau Bridge, he saw Ma Nhu already standing upon it. By calculation, Ma Nhu must have traveled as swiftly as flight.

One night, Thach Ho dreamed that a flock of sheep was bringing fish from the northeast. Upon awakening, he immediately went to ask the master about it. The master replied:

– This dream is an inauspicious omen! The Xianbei tribe will occupy the Central Plains!

Indeed, the Murong clan later established its capital there.

On one occasion, while the master and Thach Ho were in the lecture hall, the master suddenly started and said:

– You Province is being consumed by fire!

The master immediately sprinkled wine.

After a long while, he smiled and said:

– It has now been saved!

Thach Ho sent someone to You Province to verify the matter. Indeed, on that very day, flames had arisen on all sides. Suddenly a dark cloud came from the south, and rain fell, extinguishing the fire. The rain carried the scent of wine.

In the seventh month of the fourteenth year of the Jianwu era ⁽³¹⁷⁾, Thach Tuyen and Thach Thao plotted to kill one another. Thach Tuyen came to the monastery and sat with the master atop the stupa. Suddenly, a bell rang out. The master asked Thach Tuyen:

– Do you understand what the bell is saying? It says: “Ho tu lac do!”

Thach Tuyen's expression changed, and he asked:

– What do these words mean?

The master immediately turned the words aside, saying:

– This old Hu cultivates the Way yet cannot dwell in the mountains, nor does he care for thick cushions or fine robes. Is this not “lac do”?

Thach Thao arrived afterward. The master stared fixedly at him. Troubled, Thach Thao asked the reason, and the master replied:

– How strange! Your blood has a foul odor, and so I look at you in this way.

In the eighth month, the master instructed more than ten disciples to go to his private chamber, while he himself had just entered through the eastern door. Thach Ho and Empress Do came to visit him. The master said:

– There are brigands at your side! Within ten days, blood will be shed between the west side of this stupa and the east side of this hall. Do not go eastward.

Empress Do said:

– The Venerable is advanced in years and may be mistaken! How could there be brigands in this place?

The master immediately turned his words aside, saying:

– The six faculties^[37] are all brigands. I know that I am old, yet I may still be of assistance to those with clear understanding!

Thus, the master spoke in allegory without plainly revealing his purpose. Two days later, Thach Nghi indeed sent men to the monastery to kill Thach Thao and to take advantage of Thach Ho's attendance at the funeral to assassinate him. Because the master had warned him beforehand, Thach Ho escaped the calamity. When the plot was exposed, Thach Nghi was arrested. The master admonished Thach Ho:

– Since he is Your Majesty's son, why inflict such severe punishment upon him? If Your Majesty restrains your anger and extends loving-kindness, you may live to the age of sixty. If Your Majesty kills him, Thach Nghi will become a comet that sweeps this entire Nghiep Palace^[38] away.

Thach Ho did not listen. He pierced Thach Nghi's jaw with an iron hook, dragged him onto a heap of firewood, and burned him. He also had more than three hundred of Thach Nghi's followers bound to carts, dragged about in all directions, torn limb from limb, and cast into the Chuong River. The master then instructed his disciples to leave the private chamber.

More than a month later, a horse appeared, with burn marks on both its mane and tail. It galloped in through the Zhongyang Gate and out through the Xianyang Gate, then turned east and ran toward the Eastern Palace, but could not enter any of them. It then ran northeast and disappeared from sight in a moment. Upon hearing of this, the master sighed:

“Calamity is about to come!”

In the eleventh month, Shi Hu held a banquet for his ministers in the Great Martial Hall. The master chanted:

“Hall! Hall! Thorn trees grow into a forest and tear people’s robes!”

Shi Hu immediately ordered men to excavate beneath the hall and examine the stones, and indeed a thorn tree was growing there.

The master returned to the monastery, looked at the Buddha image, and said:

“How sorrowful that it cannot be adorned!”

He then said to himself:

“Can it last three years?”

And answered himself:

“No! No!”

The master continued:

“Can it last two years, one year, one hundred days, or one month?”

And answered himself:

“No!”

The master then fell silent and returned to his room. He told his disciple Fa Zuo:

“In the Wushen year, calamity will begin to sprout; in the Jiyou year, the Shi clan will be destroyed. Before the rebels rise in revolt, I shall pass away first!”

Thereafter, the master sent someone to bid farewell to Shi Hu, saying, “All things must inevitably change; life and body are difficult to preserve. The body that has borne this Dharma has now reached the time when it must depart. Having received such profound kindness, I respectfully report this to the great king!”

Shi Hu said sorrowfully:

“I have not heard that the Venerable was ill. Why, then, do you now suddenly say that you will pass away?”

He immediately went in person to the monastery to visit him. The master said to Shi Hu:

“Coming and going, life and death—these are the natural order. The length of one’s life is clearly determined and cannot be extended. In general, the importance of the Way lies in perfecting one’s conduct, and the worth of virtue lies in keeping the mind free of indolence.

If one preserves the virtue of the precepts without defect, then even after death it will not be lost. If it were otherwise, then even if my life could be prolonged, I would not desire it. I now have something I wish to say: For the sake of the nation, you should devote your mind to the principles of the Buddha, reverently follow the teachings, harbor no greed or miserliness, and build lofty, spacious, and magnificent monasteries and shrines.

Through such merit and virtue, you will surely enjoy blessings and happiness. Yet your methods of government are harsh and your punishments cruel; outwardly they contravene the sacred scriptures, and inwardly they violate the precepts. If you do not examine these wrongs and reform them, there will be no merit or virtue whatsoever.

If you know how to discipline your mind, change your thinking, and bestow benevolence upon the myriad people, the fortune of the nation will endure, and both monastics and laypeople will receive benefit and happiness. Even if I depart, I shall have no regret.”

Shi Hu wept and choked with grief, knowing with certainty that the master was about to pass away. He immediately ordered the construction of a great stupa-tomb. On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the master passed away at Yepalace Monastery, during the fourth year of the Yonghe era (345–357) under Emperor Mu of the Jin dynasty. Officials and commoners grieved and wailed, shaking the entire country. The master had lived to the age of 117. He was interred in the stupa outside the city, west of the Zhang River, at the place Shi Hu had prepared.

Not long afterward, Liang Du rebelled, and in the following year Shi Hu died. Ran Min usurped the throne and exterminated the entire Shi clan. In his childhood, Min had been styled Ji Nu, precisely fulfilling the master’s earlier prediction, “Thorn trees grow into a forest.”

On the left side of the master’s chest was an opening about four or five cun wide that extended into his abdomen. The master plugged it with cotton. At night, when he wished to read, he removed the cotton, and a brilliant light illuminated the entire room. On observance days, the master went to the riverbank, took out his intestines, washed them, and then placed them back into his abdomen.

The master was eight chi^[39] tall and possessed a dignified bearing. He was thoroughly versed in the scriptures and also comprehended the various worldly doctrines. Whenever he lectured, he clearly set forth the central doctrine, making the discourse coherent and easily understood from beginning to end. His compassionate heart likewise extended to and nourished all beings, and he frequently rescued those in danger and distress.

At that time, the two rulers of the Shi clan were cruel, violent, and devoid of the Way. Had it not been for the master, who could have remonstrated with them? Yet the common people benefited from him every day without realizing it. Several dozen eminent monks, including Zhu Fodiao and Subhuti, came from India and Kangju. Undaunted by a journey of ten thousand li, they crossed the deserts to request instruction from the master. Shi Dao’an from Fanmian and Zhu Faya from Zhongshan traversed countless perilous mountains and rivers to hear the master expound the Dharma, and they all penetrated its profound essentials. The master related:

“My homeland lies more than ninety thousand li from Jianye. It has been one hundred and nine years since I renounced worldly life and entered the Way. Wine has never touched my lips; I do not eat after midday; I do nothing contrary to the precepts; and I neither covet nor seek anything. I have usually had several hundred close disciples, and altogether approximately ten thousand followers. In the provinces and commanderies through which I have traveled, I established eight hundred and ninety-three monasteries. Never before has the propagation of the Dharma flourished to such an extent.”

Previously, when Shi Hu encoffined the master, he placed the alms bowl and khakkhara that the master had used during his lifetime inside the coffin. Later, however, when Ran Min usurped the throne, he ordered men to open it. Only the alms bowl and khakkhara remained; the master’s body was nowhere to be seen.

Someone said:

“One month after the master’s death, someone saw him in the desert.”

Shi Hu suspected that the master was still alive and therefore ordered men to excavate the tomb and open the coffin. Inside, they found only a stone. Shi Hu said:

“Shi—the stone—is myself! The master has buried me and departed!”

Not long afterward, Shi Hu died.

Murong Jun established his capital at Jianye and resided in Shi Hu’s palace. One day, he dreamed that a tiger bit his arm, which he interpreted as Shi Hu causing trouble. Murong immediately ordered men to locate Shi Hu’s tomb. At Dongming Lodge they excavated it and found Shi Hu’s corpse still intact. Murong Jun set his foot upon Shi Hu’s body and cursed him:

“You are already dead, yet you still dare threaten the living Son of Heaven? You completed this palace, but it was then seized through the schemes of your own son—how much more readily could it be taken by another!”

After cursing him, he had Shi Hu’s corpse whipped and cast into the Zhang River. The body became firmly lodged against the foot of a bridge. A Qin general named Wang Meng saw it, retrieved it, and gave it burial. This was precisely as Ma Rou had said: “the hall of a single pillar.”

Later, Fu Jian launched a campaign against Jianye, and Jun’s son Wei was captured by Fu Jian’s great general, Guo Shenhu. When examined afterward, this proved to be an exact fulfillment of Murong Jun’s earlier dream of seeing a tiger.

FODIAO

His family name and personal name are unknown; it is known only that the master was a disciple of Fotudeng. He resided for many years at Changshan Monastery. His character was simple and sincere, and he did not speak in ornate language. For this reason, the people of the time held him in great esteem.

At Changshan there lived two brothers who deeply revered the Buddha-Dharma. Their home was about one hundred li from the monastery. The elder brother’s wife became gravely ill and was brought to a place near the monastery so that she might be close to a physician. The elder brother was the master’s disciple and went to the monastery morning and evening to study and practice. One day, the master suddenly arrived at their home. The younger brother asked him about his sister-in-law’s illness and the health of his elder brother. The master said:

“Your sister-in-law’s illness has improved slightly, and your elder brother remains well!”

After the master departed, the younger brother mounted a horse and followed after him. When he arrived, the brothers exchanged inquiries. When the younger brother mentioned that the Venerable had come to their home that morning, the elder brother said in astonishment:

“Early this morning, the Venerable did not leave the monastery. How could you have met him?”

The two brothers disputed with each other and then went together to question the master. The master merely smiled and did not answer. Seeing this, both brothers marveled.

On one occasion, the master went alone to dwell deep in the mountains. He remained there for a year and a half, although he had brought only a few pecks of dried provisions; yet when he returned, some provisions still remained. Another time, someone accompanied the master into the mountains. After they had traveled several dozen li, evening fell and snow descended heavily. The master entered a tiger’s cave to sleep. When the tiger returned, it had no choice but to sleep before the cave. Seeing this, the master said:

– I am truly ashamed to have occupied your dwelling!

Hearing this, the tiger lowered its ears and went down the mountain. Everyone who witnessed this was greatly astonished.

Later, the master foretold the day of his departure. People from near and far came to visit him, and the master said:

– Even heaven and earth, though enduring for a long time, must eventually perish; how, then, could human beings hope to abide forever? If you can cleanse yourselves of the three defilements^[40] and concentrate your minds upon true purity, then although your destinies may differ, we shall still meet again.

Everyone shed tears and earnestly entreated the master to remain. The master said:

– Life and death are governed by destiny; how can they be altered through supplication?

The master then returned to his room, sat in meditation, covered his head with his robe, and peacefully passed away.

Several years later, eight of the master’s lay disciples went into the western mountains to cut timber. Suddenly, they saw the master standing upon a lofty peak, dressed in splendid garments and wearing a joyful expression. Both astonished and delighted, they bowed their heads in reverence and exclaimed:

– Venerable Master, are you still alive?

The master replied:

– Yes! I am still alive! Would you kindly convey my regards to my old acquaintances?

After speaking with them for a long while, the master departed. The eight men abandoned their work and returned home to tell their fellow practitioners what had happened. Everyone wished to verify the account. Together they dug open the master’s grave and opened his coffin. Sure enough, his body was nowhere to be found; only his robes remained.

DHARMA WISDOM

The master was a native of Guanzhong. Upright by nature and pure in his observance of the precepts, he entered Mount Songgao and asked to become a disciple of Venerable Futumi.

In the first year of the Jianyuan era ⁽³⁴³⁾, during the reign of Emperor Kang of the Jin dynasty, the master came to reside at Yang Shuzi Monastery in Xiangyang. He did not accept private invitations to receive meals but went out daily to beg for alms, carrying a rope seat^[41] with him. Whenever he came upon a deserted road, he would spread it out and sit down. When it rained, the master used his cloak as a covering. Once the rain ceased, people saw only the rope seat and could not see the master anywhere. Before they had finished asking one another about him, the master had already reappeared.

On one occasion, the master said to his disciple Fazhao:

– In a former life, you cut off the legs of chickens. The karmic retribution is now about to arrive!

Not long afterward, Fazhao was thrown down by someone, and both his legs remained crippled for the rest of his life.

Later, the master said to his disciples:

– In that field there is an old man who is about to die. I wish to deliver him!

Having said this, the master went to the edge of the field, where he indeed saw an old man leading an ox as he plowed. The master followed the old man and asked for the ox, but the old man refused. The master went forward, took the liberty of putting a ring through the ox’s nose, and led it away. Frightened and regarding the occurrence as extraordinary, the old man then gave the ox to the master. The master led the ox away while chanting an invocation. After walking seven steps, he returned and gave the ox back to the old man. A few days later, the old man passed away.

Later, Yu Zhugong, General Who Pacifies the West, was stationed in Xiangyang. He did not believe in the Buddha-Dharma and, hearing that the master possessed extraordinary abilities, became jealous of him. The master said to his disciples:

– My debt from a former life has now come to claim me!

The master encouraged everyone to cultivate merit and goodness diligently.

Two days later, the master was indeed arrested and executed. He was fifty-eight years old. As his life was nearing its end, the master instructed everyone:

– Three days after my death, there will be a great rainstorm.

When the appointed time arrived, a great rainstorm indeed occurred. The floodwaters at the city gate reached a depth of one zhang, and many inhabitants drowned.

-End of Fascicle 1-

Notes:

^[1] Suvarnaprabhasa Sutra 金光明經: (Skt. Suvarṇa-prabhāsottama-sūtra), a scripture in four fascicles translated by Venerable Dharmakṣema during the Northern Liang dynasty in China and included in volume 16 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka.

Its contents comprise nineteen chapters, chiefly concerning the protection of the nation by devas and benevolent spirits.

^[2] Sutra in Forty-Two Sections 四十二章經: A scripture in one fascicle translated by Venerables Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna during the Later Han dynasty in China. It is the earliest Buddhist scripture translated in China and is included in volume 17 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka.

Each chapter is concise, presenting the principal points of Buddhist doctrine, the practices and attainments of śramaṇas, wholesome and unwholesome karma, and so forth, while extensively explaining the meaning of leaving the household life to study the Way.

^[3] White Horse Monastery 白馬寺: A monastery east of Luoyang in Henan Province, China, built in the year 75 during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han dynasty.

^[4] Sandalwood image 旃檀像: A sandalwood statue of Śākyamuni Buddha. King Udayana invited the deva Viśvakarman to carve it in remembrance of Śākyamuni Buddha during the three months when the Buddha ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to teach the Dharma to his mother.

^[5] Conflagration of the kalpa 劫火: Also called the fire at the end of the kalpa or the kalpa-consuming fire. This fiery calamity arises during the kalpa of dissolution. During the period of this conflagration, seven suns appear in the heavens, and all celestial realms from the First Dhyāna Heaven downward are consumed by the kalpa fire.

^[6] Seven luminaries 七曜: Seven celestial bodies: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Ordinarily, the seven

^[7] Five phases 五行: Five elements: water, fire, metal, wood, and earth. These five operate ceaselessly throughout heaven and earth and are the elements through which the myriad things germinate and grow.

^[8] Abhidharma 阿毘曇: The Abhidharma Dharma-gate, namely the Jñānaprasthāna Śāstra and the six ancillary treatises, is a gateway leading to nirvana, contrasted with the Kunle gate and the gate of emptiness.

^[9] Kuaiji 會稽: The name of a commandery, now corresponding to eastern Jiangsu Province and western Zhejiang Province, China.

^[10] Six Classics 六經: Six ancient Chinese books, comprising the Classic of Poetry, Classic of Documents, Classic of Changes, Classic of Rites, Classic of Music, and Spring and Autumn Annals. The term Five Classics excludes the Classic of Music.

^[11] Śramaṇa 沙門: Skt. śramaṇa; Pāli: samaṇa. Chinese phonetic renderings include Shiluomona, Sheluomona, Shimananoa, Mananoa, and Sajiamannang. Also called Shamenna, Shawenna, Shamen, Sangmen, and Zangmen. Chinese translations include diligent toil, meritorious toil, arduous toil, diligence, serene resolve, pure resolve, cessation, stilling the mind, ending evil, diligent cessation, cultivating the Way, the impoverished Way, and the deficient Way. One who leaves the household life, shaves off beard and hair, abandons evil deeds, skillfully harmonizes body and mind, and diligently performs wholesome deeds in the hope of attaining nirvana.

^[12] Śarīra 舍利: A corpse or bodily remains. The term usually refers to the remains of the Buddha, called the Buddha’s bones or the Buddha’s śarīra. Later, it also came to refer to bones remaining after the cremation of the physical body of an eminent monk.

^[13] Jianchu Monastery 建初寺: Also called Jubao Mountain and Bao’en Monastery. The monastery stood outside Jubao Gate at Tianzisi in the outer city of Jianye, now Jiangning County in Jiangsu Province, China. Sun Quan, ruler of the state of Wu, built it around the year 247.

^[14] Saṅghārāma 伽籃: Also called saṅghārāma, a garden where the monastic Sangha resides, commonly known as a monastery.

^[15] Fantiao 藩條: The office of regional inspector.

^[16] The Larger Scripture 大本: Refers to the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sutra.

^[17] Khotan 于闐 (Skt. Ku-stana; also called Khedan): The name of an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions. More than half its territory was desert. Its climate was warm, and its people were humble, courteous, gentle, and devoted to the Buddha-Dharma. Most scriptures transmitted to China passed through this land.

^[18] Brāhmaṇa 婆羅門 (Skt. Brāhmaṇa): The priestly class, the highest of the four classes in ancient Indian society. This Brāhmaṇa class monopolized the entire system of knowledge in India at that time. They regarded themselves as being of the noblest lineage.

^[19] Dhuta 頭陀 (S: dhūta): A practice undertaken to eliminate attachment to clothing, food and drink, lodging, and so forth, thereby disciplining body and mind.

^[20] Funan 扶南: That is, Cambodia, situated on the Indochinese Peninsula, bordered by Laos to the north, the Gulf of Thailand to the south, Vietnam to the east, and Thailand to the west; it was originally a country in which Buddhism was the state religion.

^[21] Jiao and Guang: Jiaozhou and Guangzhou.

^[22] Trayastrimsha Heaven 忉利天 (S: trāyastriṃśa): The second of the six heavens in the Desire Realm.

^[23] Sheng: The name of an ancient unit of measure, equal to one-tenth of a dou. In Vietnamese it is commonly read as thưng.

^[24] Shifting Sands: A vast desert region in Mongolia.

^[25] Zhongshan 中山: The name of an ancient state established by the Xianyu people near the end of the Spring and Autumn period. It is now in Ding County, Hebei Province.

^[26] Quxia 區夏: The territory of the various Xia states, referring to Huaxia in China.

^[27] The Four Auspicious Creatures 四靈: The dragon, qilin, tortoise, and phoenix.

^[28] Central Province 中州: In ancient times this was Yuzhou; because it lay in the center of the territory of the Nine Provinces, it was called the Central Province.

^[29] Benzoin incense 安息香 (S: Guggula): Also called incense of the Gandhara tree. An aromatic substance formed from the hardened resin of the benzoin tree. This tall deciduous tree grows chiefly in India, Sumatra, Thailand, and Persia. It grows to more than one meter in height; its leaves are glossy and oval, its flowers are reddish brown within and white without, its bark is ash-gray, and its resin can be used medicinally and made into incense for burning. It is commonly made by grinding the tree into powder, mixing it with a binding agent, and allowing it to harden. Because this aromatic substance was first brought into China by merchants from the country of Anxi, it came to be called Anxi incense.

^[30] Harmika discs 相輪 (also called dew-catching plates): Flattened circular architectural elements stacked one above another atop the “inverted-bowl finial” of a Buddhist stupa. According to tradition, the harmika discs formed part of the complete stupa in the Indian style.

^[31] Bian Que 扁鵲: The name of a renowned physician from the time of the Yellow Emperor in ancient China. It was the honorific title of Qin Yueren, a native of Mo during the Warring States period, who studied medicine under Chang Sangjun and became renowned as a divine physician. People of his time bestowed upon him the title Bian Que.

^[32] Jibin 罽賓: The name of a Western Regions kingdom during the Han dynasty, located north of India; today this country is called Kashmir.

^[33] Rong and Mo 戎貊: The two peoples known as the Rong and the Mo. Mo was another name for the Northern Di, an ethnic minority of the northwest. The Rong dwelt in the west and the Di in the north.

^[34] Firstborn son: The eldest son of a feudal lord or the Son of Heaven.

^[35] Displaced people: People without fixed occupations who wander from place to place; also, groups of people exiled to distant regions.

^[36] Coarse hemp: Refers to garments made of coarse, inferior cloth.

^[37] The Six Faculties 六情: The six sense faculties. In older translations of the scriptures, these were commonly rendered as “the six sentient faculties.” Because the six faculties—eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—each possess sentient consciousness, they are called the six sentient faculties.

^[38] Ye Palace 鄴都: Refers to the palace at the capital of Ye, where Cao Cao, King of Wei, established his capital near the end of the Han dynasty.

^[39] Chi: One Chinese chi is equal to one-third of a Vietnamese meter.

^[40] The Three Defilements 三垢: A Buddhist term referring to the three poisons: greed, hatred, and delusion.

^[41] Cord seat: A type of folding chair whose seat and backrest are woven with cord.