神僧傳

SHI DAO'AN

The Master's family name was Wei, and he was a native of Fuliu in Changshan. His family followed the Confucian tradition. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his maternal elder cousin of the Kang family. At the age of seven, he began reading books and could memorize them after merely glancing through them, greatly astonishing his neighbors.

At the age of twelve, he left the household life. Although extraordinarily intelligent, he was unattractive in appearance and therefore was not highly regarded by his teacher.

Only several years later did the Master ask his teacher for a scripture to study. His teacher gave him a copy of the Sutra on Discerning Meaning^[1], comprising nearly five thousand words. In the morning, the Master took the scripture with him to the fields and opened it to read during his rest. Upon returning that evening, he gave the scripture back to his teacher and asked to borrow another. His teacher asked:

– You have not yet finished reading yesterday's scripture, and now you are asking for another?

The Master replied:

– I have already memorized it!

His teacher found this remarkable but did not yet believe him, so he gave the Master a copy of the Sutra on the Accomplishment of Radiance^[2], comprising more than ten thousand words. When he went to work, the Master again took the scripture along as before, and that evening he returned it to his teacher. The teacher held the scripture and checked the text as the Master recited it without missing a single word. Startled and amazed, the teacher inwardly felt profound admiration for this extraordinary disciple.

Thereafter, his teacher allowed him to receive the full precepts and travel in pursuit of learning. When he reached Ye, the Master met Fotudeng, bowed at his feet, and asked to become his disciple. When the Shi clan was about to plunge the realm into turmoil, the Master, together with disciples such as Huiyuan and more than four hundred others, crossed the river and journeyed south.

That night, as they traveled, they suddenly encountered wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and the Master relied upon the flashes of lightning to find the way. They came to a house and saw two wooden hitching posts in the courtyard. Between the two posts hung a feeding trough for horses, which could hold one dou.

The Master told a disciple to call out, “Lin Baisheng!” The householder came out in astonishment, and indeed his family name was Lin and his given name was Baisheng. Believing the Master to be a divine person, he received him with the utmost attentiveness and generosity.

Afterward, a disciple asked the Master:

– How did you know the householder's full name?

The Master replied:

– Two pieces of wood (木) form lin (林), and one trough holds one hundred sheng (baisheng).

Upon reaching Xiangyang, the Master began propagating and teaching the Buddha-Dharma. At that time, Xi Zuochi of Xiangyang possessed penetrating eloquence and was renowned throughout the age. He had previously heard of the Master, so when he learned that the Master had arrived in Xiangyang, he immediately came to visit and engage him in discussion. As soon as he had taken his seat, he introduced himself:

– Xi Zuochi of the Four Seas!

The Master immediately replied:

– Shi Dao'an Who Fills the Heavens!

People of the time regarded this as a marvelous exchange.

The Master composed commentaries on the scriptures, but fearing that they might not accord with ultimate truth, he made this vow: “If these commentaries do not stray far from the truth, may I behold an auspicious sign!”

The Master then dreamed of a white-haired practitioner whose long eyebrows descended low upon his face. He came and said to the Master:

– Your scriptural commentaries accord very well with the truth. I have not entered nirvana and shall remain in the Western Regions to help you propagate this scripture widely. You should regularly arrange vegetarian offerings for me!

Later, when the Ten Recitations Vinaya appeared, Venerable Huiyuan learned that the one whom the Master had seen in his dream was the venerable Pindola Bharadvaja.

On the twenty-seventh day of the first month in the twenty-first year of the Jianyuan era of the Qin dynasty ⁽³⁶⁵⁾, a strange monk of unattractive appearance suddenly entered the monastery and asked to stay overnight. All the monastery's rooms, however, were already full, leaving only the Dharma hall. That night, the karmadana on duty in the main shrine saw this monk entering and leaving through a rear window, so he hurried to report the matter to the Master. Astonished, the Master went to bow at the monk's feet and asked:

– For what purpose have you come here?

The monk replied:

– I have come here for your sake!

The Master said:

– I reflect that my transgressions are grave; can I possibly attain liberation?

The monk replied:

– You can attain liberation!

The Master asked where he would be born in his next life. The monk then raised his hand and traced a line through space toward the northwest. The clouds opened, and all the wondrous and supremely excellent blessed rewards of Tusita Heaven appeared. The monk further said:

– You must bathe the holy monks, and only then will your wish be fulfilled!

At the same time, he explained in full the method for bathing holy monks. The Master afterward arranged everything according to these instructions, and suddenly saw several dozen children enter the monastery. Presently, the sound of flowing water was heard from the bathing chamber, and after a short while it ceased. The Master opened the door of the bathing chamber and found the towels wet and the water diminished.

On the eighth day of the second month that year, the Master told the assembly:

– I must now depart!

That day, though free from illness, the Master passed into stillness. His stupa was erected at Wuceng Monastery in the capital. This occurred in the tenth year of the Taiyuan era of the Jin dynasty ⁽³⁸⁶⁾.

***

ZHU TANYOU

The Master was also known as Fayou and was a native of Dunhuang^[4]. From an early age, he cultivated meditative concentration. Later, he traveled about teaching and came to Mount Shicheng in Shan County, in the region east of the Yangtze, where each day he went out for alms and practiced seated meditation. On one occasion, he went to seek alms from a household specializing in raising venomous creatures. When the Master had finished reciting the blessing, a centipede suddenly crawled out of the food. He nevertheless ate as usual, as though nothing had happened.

Sometime later, the Master went to Chicheng^[5] in Shifeng and cultivated meditative concentration in a stone cave. One day, while he was reciting a scripture, several dozen tigers suddenly came and sat before him. The Master calmly continued his recitation. When one tiger dozed off, the Master tapped it on the head with his ruyi staff and said:

– Why are you unwilling to listen to the scripture?

Before long, the tigers departed. Immediately afterward, an enormous serpent appeared. It crawled around, then raised its head and gazed at the Master before crawling away a short while later.

The next day, a deity appeared and said to the Master:

– Dharma Master, your awe-inspiring virtue is very great. Now that you have come to dwell here, this disciple respectfully offers this chamber to you.

The Master said:

– This humble practitioner came to this mountain hoping to form a spiritual fellowship with you. Why do you not remain here with me?

The deity replied:

– This disciple also wishes to do so, but my subordinates have not yet been imbued with the teachings and are therefore difficult to restrain in speech. I fear they may offend those who come here from afar. Humans and deities are different, so this disciple must depart.

The Master asked:

– What deity were you originally? How long have you dwelt here, and where do you now intend to move?

The deity replied:

– This disciple is a son of Emperor Xia and has dwelt upon this mountain for more than two thousand years. Mount Hanshi is governed by my maternal uncle, and this disciple will go there. Having spoken, the deity concealed his form and returned to the temple north of the mountain. As he was about to take his leave, the deity joined his palms and presented the Master with three boxes of incense. Then drums and horns resounded, and the deity mounted the clouds and flew away.

At Tiantai, the cliffs rise precipitously, and the mountain peaks soar into the heavens. The ancients transmitted the following account:

– Atop that mountain stands a beautiful monastery inhabited by those who have attained the Way. It can be approached only by a single stone bridge spanning a mountain stream, but a boulder obstructs the passage, and green moss makes it slippery. Thus, from ancient times until now, no one has been able to reach that place.

When the Master arrived beside the stone bridge, he heard a voice in the air saying:

– I know that your resolve is sincere, but you cannot cross today. You should return and come here again ten years from now.

Sorrowful at heart, the Master turned back. On the way, he passed a stone chamber and entered it to rest. Suddenly, dense black clouds enveloped the place, and cries and clamor resounded throughout the chamber. The Master remained perfectly calm, and his expression did not change.

The next morning, a man wearing an unlined robe and a headcloth came and said to the Master:

– This is my dwelling place. Because I was away yesterday, those alarming events occurred. I am truly ashamed.

The Master said:

– If this is your home, I shall return it to you!

The deity replied:

– My family has already moved away; please remain here.

Around the Taihe era (366–371) of the Jin dynasty, an ominous star appeared. The emperor issued an edict throughout the realm requiring virtuous śramaṇas to practice diligently and pray for the calamity to be dispelled. The master therefore established a ritual altar and made supplications with utmost sincerity, secretly eliciting a response. On the morning of the sixth day, he saw a child dressed in blue come to seek repentance:

– I have troubled the Dharma master without cause!

That evening, the star disappeared.

At the end of the Taihe era ⁽³⁷¹⁾, the master serenely entered quiescence in his mountain retreat. His body remained as it had been while he was alive, although his entire body had turned blue.

Some time later, people climbed to the mountain summit and found that the master’s physical body was still wholly intact and had suffered no decay.

***

ĐÀM DỰC

The master’s family name was Diêu. He was of the Qiang people. He entered monastic life at the age of sixteen, took Master Đạo An as his teacher, and resided at Đàn Khê Monastery.

Đằng Xá Chi, the Jin governor of Trường Sa, converted his residence in Giang Lăng into a monastery. He asked Master Đạo An to send a monk to serve as its leader. Đạo An said to Đàm Dực:

– The people of Kinh and Sở desire a teacher to guide them. If the one capable of skillfully transforming them is not you, then who could it be?

The master therefore packed his belongings and journeyed south, where he constructed monasteries and stupas. Later, when the people fled vicious invaders encroaching upon Nam Hán, the entire populace of Giang Lăng took refuge at Thượng Minh, and the master built another monastery there. When all traces of warfare had vanished, he returned to Giang Lăng and restored Trường Sa Monastery.

Through his utterly sincere supplications, he received relics of the Buddha in response. He placed them in a golden vessel, enshrined them upon the ceremonial dais, bowed before them, and made this vow: “If these are indeed relics left behind by the Buddha, may they emit radiant light.” At midnight that very night, five-colored rays gradually shone from within the vessel and illuminated the entire monastery. The whole assembly was astonished, and everyone deeply revered the master’s miraculous response.

On one occasion, the master entered Quân Mountain in Ba Lăng to fell timber and encountered a white snake several dozen thước long lying across the path. He had no choice but to return to the monastery, where he said to the mountain deity:

– I am felling trees to build a monastery. I earnestly hope that the mountain deity will join me in creating merit!

That night, the master dreamed that the mountain deity came and said:

Dharma master, since you will use the timber for the Three Jewels, I take particular delight in your merit. But do not allow anyone else to cut the trees down!

The next morning, the master returned by the same path, and the snake had disappeared. He then felled the trees and floated them downstream. Among those who had gone to help him cut timber, one person secretly felled some trees for himself. When they reached the monastery, all the master’s timber was delivered in full, but the timber secretly stolen was seized by the authorities. Such was the response elicited by the master’s sincerity.

On one occasion, the master lamented:

– The monastery has been completed and the monastic community is also fully assembled, but sacred images are still lacking. At present, the auspicious images made by King Aśoka^[6] are enshrined in many places, yet because our sincerity has not elicited a response, none has come here!

Thereupon, day and night, the master prayed fervently, hoping to elicit a response.

On the eighth day of the second month in the Jiǎwǔ year, corresponding to the nineteenth year of the Taiyuan era ⁽³⁸⁴⁾, a Buddha image appeared north of the city, its radiant light penetrating the heavens. The monks of Bạch Mã Monastery arrived first to receive it, but the image would not move. The master then came, bowed before the Buddha image, and said to everyone:

– This is the Buddha image bestowed by King Aśoka upon Trường Sa Monastery.

Having said this, the master instructed three disciples to receive the image, and they lifted it with great ease. Amid rejoicing and a bustling procession of horses and carriages, everyone escorted the image back to the monastery.

Later, the meditation master Tăng-già-nan-đà of Kế-tân traveled from the land of Thục to worship at the monastery. Seeing a svastika upon the image’s halo, he said:

When did this Buddha image of King Aśoka arrive here?

Only upon hearing this did the people of that time realize that the master’s earlier words had not been mistaken in the slightest.

At the age of eighty-two, the master entered nirvana. On that very day, the halo upon the image suddenly disappeared, and no one understood why. Everyone believed it to be a numinous response connected with the master.

***

ĐÀM THỈ

The master was a native of Quan Trung. From the time he entered monastic life onward, numerous extraordinary wonders attended him. At the end of the Taiyuan era ⁽³⁹⁷⁾, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin dynasty, the master carried several dozen sets of sutras and Vinaya texts to Liêu Đông^[7] to propagate the teachings. There he expounded the Dharma of the Three Vehicles and conferred the Three Refuges and Five Precepts.

In the first year of the Yixi era ⁽⁴⁰⁵⁾, the master returned to Quan Trung and provided guidance and instruction throughout the Tam Phụ region^[8]. The soles of his feet were fairer than his face, and even when he waded through mud, his feet were never soiled. Everyone called him the “White-Footed Venerable.”

At that time, the uncle of Vương Hồ in Trường An, who had died several years earlier, suddenly appeared and led him throughout the hells, clearly showing him the various karmic retributions. When Vương Hồ was about to take leave and return, his uncle told him:

– You have clearly seen cause and effect. You must serve the monk whose feet are white.

After awakening, Vương Hồ made inquiries among all the monks, but only the master had feet fairer than his face. From then on, he wholeheartedly supported the master.

Toward the end of the Jin dynasty, Hách Liên Bột Bột, a Xiongnu leader in the north, invaded and occupied Quan Trung, killing countless people. The master was also attacked at that time, but swords and blades could not kill him. Bột Bột greatly admired the master and consequently spared all the śramaṇas from death. From then on, the master lived secluded in the mountains, practicing the dhūta austerities.

Later, Thác Bạc Đảo conquered Trường An, and his might shook the entire Quan-Lạc region^[9]. At that time, there was a man from Bác Lăng named Thôi Hạo^[10], who had practiced heterodox ways since childhood and harbored jealousy toward Buddhism. After Thôi Hạo became a military commander, he gained the confidence of Thác Bạc Đảo. He said to the Celestial Master^[11] of the Khấu family:

– Thác Bạc Đảo’s faith in Buddhism is not only improper but also harms the interests of the people.

They therefore incited Đảo to abolish Buddhism, and Bạc Đảo was deceived by their words.

In the seventh year of the Taiping era under Northern Yan ⁽⁴¹⁵⁾, Bạc Đảo ordered the destruction of the Buddha-Dharma. He commanded soldiers to burn and demolish monasteries and forced every monk and nun throughout the realm to renounce the path. Whenever anyone fled, he ordered troops to pursue and capture them, after which they were beheaded and their heads hung from trees. Thus, not a single śramaṇa remained visible anywhere in the region. Only the master took refuge deep within the forest, where the soldiers could not find him.

Toward the end of the Taiping era, the master knew that the time had come to teach and transform Thác Bạc Đảo. On New Year’s Day, he went to Bạc Đảo’s palace. An attendant entered and reported:

– A man of the Way whose feet are fairer than his face has entered the palace gate.

Thác Bạc Đảo ordered that he be executed according to military law. The soldiers struck him repeatedly with their blades, yet the master remained completely unharmed. They hastened to report this, and Bạc Đảo, enraged, personally drew the sword at his side and struck the master. The master’s body suffered no injury; where the blade touched him, it left only a slight mark as fine as a thread.

At that time, there was a tiger enclosure north of the palace garden. Bạc Đảo ordered the master to be taken there as food for the hungry tigers, but the tigers were terrified and dared not approach him. Đảo then had the Celestial Master of the Khấu family brought near, whereupon the tigers roared ferociously. Only then did Thác Bạc Đảo realize that the Buddha-Dharma was truly wondrous and profound, beyond comparison with Daoism. He immediately invited the master into the hall, bowed before him, and repented of the wrongs he had committed.

The master expounded the Dharma and explained cause and effect and karmic retribution. Đảo felt exceedingly ashamed and afraid.

Later, Bạc Đảo contracted leprosy and suffered greatly. Thôi Hạo and the Celestial Master likewise contracted that incurable disease in succession.

It was later unknown where the master entered parinirvana.

***

SHI FAXIAN

The master’s family name was Gong. He was a native of Wuyang in Pingyang. He had three elder brothers, all of whom died in childhood. Fearing that the same calamity might befall him, his father sent him to a monastery at the age of three, where he left the household life and became a novice monk. He was later brought home, but after living there for several years, he became gravely ill and was near death. His father again took him to the monastery, and within two days he recovered. From then on, he refused to return home.

When he was ten years old, his father died. On the pretext that his aged mother was alone and could not live by herself, his uncle tried to compel him to return to lay life. The master said:

– I did not leave the household life merely because I had a father. I entered the Path because I wished to free myself from worldly life.

His uncle praised these words and no longer pressured him. Before long, the master’s mother also passed away. Being naturally endowed with qualities surpassing those of ordinary people, after burying his mother he returned to the monastery.

Once, the master and several dozen fellow students were harvesting rice in the fields. At that time, a band of starving robbers came intending to seize the grain. All the other novices fled, leaving only the master behind. He said to the robbers:

– If you need the rice, simply take it. Yet it is because you did not practice generosity in past lives that you are now poor and hungry. Today you again plunder the possessions of others; I fear that in future lives you will be poorer still. This humble monk is truly concerned for you!

Having said this, the master returned to the monastery. The robbers likewise left the rice behind and departed. When the members of the Sangha saw this, they all admired him.

After receiving the full precepts, his wisdom grew ever more lucid, and his deportment and observance of the rules became still more impeccable.

The master often lamented that the scriptures and Vinaya were incomplete, and therefore made a vow and firmly resolved to seek them out. In the third year of the Long’an era of the Jin dynasty ⁽³⁹⁹⁾, he and fellow students such as Huijing set out westward from Chang’an and crossed the desert. Hot winds and evil spirits were common along that route, and whoever encountered them would die.

Entrusting his life to circumstances, the master continued onward, passing through many dangers until he reached the Congling Mountains. These mountains were covered in ice throughout the year, and malevolent dragons breathed poisonous winds and sent down rains of sand and stones. The mountain paths were precipitous and perilous, with cliffs a thousand ren^[12] high.

The master passed through more than seven hundred such regions. When they reached the Lesser Snow Mountains, fierce, freezing winds arose. Huijing became so cold that he could go no farther and said to the master:

– I am going to die here. Brother, continue onward; do not let both of us lose our lives.

As soon as he finished speaking, he died. The master embraced Huijing and said:

– How can you depart before our original vow has been fulfilled!

Left alone, the master continued his journey across the perilous mountains.

He traveled through more than thirty kingdoms. As he approached India, at a place more than thirty li from the city of Rajagriha, there was a monastery where he lodged for the night. The next morning, he wished to go to Mount Gridhrakuta. All the monks in the monastery advised him:

– The road there is extremely difficult and dangerous. Many ferocious lions there have devoured people. How can you possibly go?

The master replied:

– I have journeyed tens of thousands of li from afar to come here, vowing that I would enter Vulture Peak. Death gives no prior appointment, and human life lasts only for the span of a breath. Having come this far, how could I now abandon the aspiration I have cherished for so long? Therefore, no matter how dangerous or difficult it may be, I am not afraid.

Unable to dissuade him, they sent two monks to guide him. By the time they reached the mountain, night was about to fall, and the master wished to stay there overnight. The two monks perceived the danger and, becoming afraid, returned ahead of him. Remaining alone on the mountain, the master burned incense and paid homage. Deeply moved by the ancient traces there, he felt as though he beheld the countenance of the Buddha. When night came, three lions approached and sat before him, licking their lips and swishing their tails. The master continued reciting the scriptures without pause and single-mindedly recollected the Buddha. The lions lowered their heads, tucked in their tails, and lay down submissively at his feet. The master stroked their heads with his hand and said:

– If you wish to harm me, wait until I have finished reciting the scripture. But if you wish to test me, you should withdraw.

A short while later, the lions departed.

The next morning, when the master set out to return, the path had become clear, with no more tangled trees obstructing it. Before he had traveled a single li, he suddenly encountered a practitioner about ninety years old. His appearance and clothing were plain and coarse, yet his spiritual presence shone brilliantly, wholly unlike that of an ordinary person. Although the master knew that this man possessed extraordinary qualities, he did not realize that he was a sage. Later, he met a young monk and asked:

– Who was the old man I saw just now?

The monk replied:

– He was Mahakasyapa, the great dhutanga practitioner and foremost disciple of the Buddha.

On hearing this, the master was filled with regret.

In Central India, at the Monastery of the Heavenly King south of King Ashoka’s stupa in the town of Pataliputra in the kingdom of Magadha, the master obtained the Mahasanghika Vinaya, together with such works as the Digest of the Sarvastivada Vinaya, the Miscellaneous Abhidharma Heart Treatise, and the Vaipulya Nirvana Sutra. He remained there for two years and also obtained the Mahisasaka Vinaya^[14], the Dirgha Agama Sutra^[15], the Samyukta Agama Sutra^[16], and the Miscellaneous Canon^[17]. None of these scriptures and Vinaya texts yet existed in the land of Han.

Afterward, the master secured passage home by sea aboard a large merchant vessel carrying approximately two hundred people. When violent wind and rain arose, everyone aboard became terrified and began throwing cargo and belongings into the sea. Fearing that they would also cast his scriptures and images overboard, the master single-mindedly invoked the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and, from afar, bowed in homage to the monks of the land of Han. Thereupon, the ship sailed smoothly before a favorable wind and suffered no damage whatsoever.

Traveling south from the Monastery of the Place of Enlightenment, the master arrived at the capital. Together with the foreign meditation master Buddhabhadra, he translated the Mahasanghika Vinaya, the Vaipulya Nirvana Sutra, and the Miscellaneous Abhidharma Heart Treatise, amounting in total to more than a million words. The Great Nirvana Sutra^[18] translated by the master circulated widely and became known to everyone.

There was a family of unknown surname living near the Zhuque Gate who had believed in the Buddha-Dharma for many generations. They copied this scripture by hand, recited it, and made offerings to it. However, because they had no separate repository for scriptures, they kept it together with secular books. One day, the wind carried burning embers onto their house, setting it ablaze. All their possessions were reduced to ashes, yet the Nirvana Sutra alone remained entirely intact. News of this spread throughout the capital, and everyone praised it as miraculous. The master had not yet translated the other scriptures and Vinaya texts.

Later, the master went to Jingzhou and entered parinirvana at Xin Monastery at the age of eighty-six.

FAKUANG

The master’s family name was Gao. He was a native of Xiapi and resided in Wuxing. His parents died when he was young, and he was renowned for his filial devotion to his stepmother. When his stepmother passed away, the master devoted himself wholeheartedly to arranging her funeral rites. After completing the mourning period, he left the household life and became a disciple of the sramana Zhu Tanyin.

Once, Venerable Tanyin became gravely ill. For seven days and seven nights, the master paid homage and practiced repentance with utmost sincerity. On the seventh day, a brilliant light suddenly appeared and illuminated Tanyin’s entire room. At that moment, Tanyin felt as though someone had touched his body with a hand, and his illness immediately vanished.

Afterward, the master bade farewell to his teacher and traveled from place to place. He journeyed everywhere, seeking instruction in the essential meaning of the scriptures, and then returned to dwell in a stone chamber on Mount Qianqing.

Emperor Jianwen of the Jin dynasty instructed the governor of Qu’an in Tangyi to send a letter from afar inquiring after the master’s health, asking him about the manifestations of inauspicious stars, and requesting his assistance. The master and his disciples observed the fast and practiced repentance. Before long, all the calamities ceased.

When the people of China were afflicted by an epidemic, the master prayed on their behalf, and they immediately recovered.

A man from that region who possessed the ability to see ghosts and spirits told everyone:

– Several dozen ghosts and spirits are always gathered around the master.

People at the time all praised the master as an extraordinary person.

At the beginning of the Yuanxing era ⁽⁴⁰²⁾, the master passed away at the age of seventy-six, having completed fifty-two summer retreats.

***

HUIYUAN

The master’s family name was Jia, and he was a native of Loufan in Yanmen. From childhood, he was exceedingly fond of reading. At the age of thirteen, he accompanied his maternal uncle, Linghu Shi, to study in Xuluo. Thus, while still young, he was already an accomplished scholar^[19], thoroughly versed in the Six Classics^[20] and proficient in the teachings of Zhuangzi and Laozi^[21]. His aspirations were lofty and far-reaching, and his bearing was outstanding. Whether learned Confucian scholars or men of exceptional talent, all admired his profound and extensive knowledge.

At the age of twenty-one, the master wished to travel to Jiangdong^[22] to live with Fan Xuanzi. At that time, however, Shi Hu had died, the Central Plains were in turmoil, and the route south was beset with obstacles, so his aspiration could not be fulfilled.

At that time, the śramaṇa Shi Dao’an established a monastery at Mount Heng in the Taihang range, where he propagated the true Dharma and became renowned everywhere. The master immediately went there to take refuge under him, honoring him wholeheartedly and regarding Dao’an as his true teacher. When he heard Dao’an expound the Prajnaparamita Sutra, he suddenly awakened.

Together with his younger brother Huichi, he shaved his head and entered monastic life, forgetting himself in the study of the Way. Once he had entered the path, the master surpassed others. Single-mindedly upholding the essential framework of the Dharma and taking the true Dharma as his responsibility, he devoted himself day and night to study and to reciting and retaining sutras and verses.

Although he lived on meager fare and wore coarse, tattered robes, the brothers never once grew negligent. At that time, the śramaṇa Tanyi provided the master with lamps and candles every day. When Dao’an heard of this, he was greatly pleased and said:

– He truly knows how to recognize a worthy person.

At the age of twenty-four, the master began to lecture. Once, while listening to him teach, a member of the audience lamented that the meaning of “true reality” had remained obscure to him despite long reflection. The master then explained it through analogies drawn from the teachings of Zhuangzi, whereupon the man immediately understood. From that time onward, Dao’an made a special exception permitting the master to consult non-Buddhist texts.

Dao’an had two disciples, Fawu and Tanzheng, both intelligent and talented, with brilliant aspirations and accomplishments; both held the master in great esteem. Later, the master accompanied Dao’an southward to Fanmian.

In the ninth year of the Jianyuan era ⁽³⁵¹⁾ under the Former Qin, the Qin general Fu Ping raised a rebellion in Xiangyang. Dao’an was detained by Zhu Xu and could proceed no farther, so he dispersed his disciples, each departing in a different direction according to his own aspiration. He gave instructions to everyone, yet said nothing to the master. The master knelt and asked:

– Master, why have I not received instructions like my Dharma brothers?

Dao’an replied:

– With someone like you, what cause have I for concern?

The master then traveled south with several dozen other disciples to Shangming Monastery in Jingzhou. Later, he intended to go to Mount Luofu, but upon reaching Xunyang, he saw that the pure and tranquil scenery of Mount Lu was especially suitable for the cultivation of meditation, so he remained there. At first, he stayed at Longquan Hermitage, which was far from any water source. The master struck the ground with his staff and said:

– If I have the karmic affinity to remain here, a spring will gush forth from this ground.

As soon as he had spoken, a clear, cool stream burst powerfully from the earth, forming a spring.

Not long afterward, Xunyang suffered a drought. The master went beside a pond and recited the Sea Dragon King Sutra^[23]. Suddenly, a dragon rose from the pond and flew into the sky, and within moments rain poured down like a cataract. Because of this, the hermitage was renamed Longquan Monastery.

While Tao Kan was still stationed in Guangzhou, a fisherman saw a wondrous light appearing over the sea every evening. The light grew ever broader and more radiant, continuing for an entire week. Astonished, the fisherman reported it to Tao Kan.

Upon making a careful investigation, Tao Kan discovered that it was a Buddha image commissioned by King Ashoka. He then invited the image to Hanxi Monastery in Wuchang. One day, the monastery’s abbot, a monk named Sengzhen, traveled to Xiakou.

That night, he dreamed that the monastery had caught fire, but that the chamber enshrining this Buddha image was protected by dragon deities. When he awoke and returned, he found that the monastery had indeed burned to the ground, with only the chamber enshrining the Buddha image remaining, exactly as he had seen in his dream.

Later, Tao Kan was appointed to another post. Knowing the image to possess numinous power, he sent an envoy to invite it. Several dozen men carried the image to the riverbank, but when they placed it aboard a boat, the boat began to sink. Alarmed, the envoy returned the image to the monastery.

After the master had finished building his monastery, he went to offer prayers and invite the image. It was then transported to his monastery with ease and without obstruction. Thereupon, the master led the assembly in cultivation, never tiring by day or night. Through this, the teaching work of Shakyamuni Buddha flourished.

From the time the master came to dwell on Mount Lu, he did not leave the mountain for thirty years. Whenever seeing guests off, he customarily took Tiger Stream^[24] as the boundary.

In the eighth month of the twelfth year of the Yixi era ⁽⁴¹⁷⁾ under the Jin dynasty, the master serenely passed away at the age of eighty-three.

***

KUMARAJIVA

Kumarajiva, whose name in Chinese means “Youthful Longevity,” was a native of India and was proficient in the sutras, Vinaya, and treatises. He taught in the Western Regions and later traveled eastward to the kingdom of Kucha. The king of Kucha had a golden lion throne^[25] made in order to invite the master to teach.

At that time, Fu Jian had usurped the throne in Guanzhong. The King of Qianbu and the younger brother of the king of Kucha then came to pay court to Fu Jian, who granted them an audience. The two princes said to him:

– The Western Regions possess a great many rare treasures. We ask Your Majesty to send troops to pacify them and cause them to submit to the imperial court.

In the first month of the thirteenth year of the Jianyuan era ⁽³⁵⁶⁾, the Grand Astrologer memorialized the emperor:

– A star has appeared over the territory of the Western Regions. A person of great wisdom will come to China.

Fu Jian said:

– We have heard that there is a Kumarajiva in the Western Regions. Could this not be the fulfillment of that omen?

Fu Jian immediately dispatched an envoy to invite him.

In the ninth month of the eighteenth year of the Jianyuan era ⁽³⁶¹⁾, Fu Jian ordered the general Lü Guang to lead seventy thousand troops in a campaign against the kingdom of Kucha. Before the army departed, Fu Jian held a farewell banquet for Lü Guang at Jianzhang^[26] and said:

– An emperor should govern the country in accord with the mandate of Heaven, taking loving care of the myriad people as his own children as the foundation. We employ troops only because we desire a person of talent to assist the realm, not because we covet territory. We have heard that Kumarajiva of the Western Regions profoundly understands the characteristics of dharmas, is skilled in yin and yang, and serves as a model for later students. We greatly desire to obtain this man. A sage is a treasure of the nation. If you subdue Kucha, quickly escort Master Kumarajiva here.

Before Lü Guang’s army arrived, the master said to Bai Chun, king of Kucha:

– The fortunes of the kingdom are about to decline. A powerful enemy will come from the east. Your Majesty should submit to them and must not resist.

Bai Chun did not heed the master’s words and raised troops to give battle. Lü Guang defeated Kucha, killed Bai Chun, and installed Chun’s younger brother Bai Zhen upon the throne.

Having invited Kumarajiva to return with him, Lü Guang encamped at the foot of a mountain during the journey. The officers and soldiers had already settled down to rest, but the master said:

– We should not remain here, for danger will befall us. The army should move to higher ground.

Lü Guang did not heed him. That night, torrential rain indeed poured down, and raging floodwaters rose several zhang, killing several thousand people. Only then did Lü Guang inwardly come to revere the master. Later, the master said to Lü Guang:

– This place is inauspicious; you should not remain here long. According to the course of your destiny, you should return quickly. Along the way, you will surely find an auspicious place in which to dwell.

Lü Guang followed his advice.

Upon reaching Liangzhou, Lü Guang heard that Fu Jian had been killed by Yao Chang. He and his troops all held mourning rites south of the city of Dalin.

At that time, Lü Guang occupied the region beyond the passes, usurped the imperial title, and established the era name Da’an.

In the first month of the second year of the Da’an era, a great wind arose in Guzang. The Master said:

– This wind is an inauspicious omen! Someone will surely rebel, but there will be no need for strenuous effort; order will be restored of itself.

Thereafter, Liang Qian and Peng Huang rebelled one after another, but before long they were both destroyed.

In the second year of the Longfei era under Lü Guang (337–399), in the regions of Zhangye, Linsong, and Lushui, the Hu chieftain Juqu Nancheng and his younger brother Mengxun rebelled, installing Jian Kang’s Grand Administrator, Duan Ye, as their commander. Lü Guang ordered his second son, the Duke of Taiyuan, Lü Zuan, who was Inspector of Qinzhou, to lead fifty thousand troops against them. At the time, everyone considered Duan Ye’s forces a disorderly rabble, while Duke Zuan’s army possessed great might and would surely prevail. Lü Guang went to consult the Master.

The Master replied:

– Looking closely at this campaign, I see no advantage for us!

Not long afterward, Duke Zuan was defeated at Heli. Guo Nu then raised another rebellion. Zuan fled for his life, and the main army was annihilated by Guo Nu.

Lü Guang’s Director of the Imperial Secretariat, Zhang Zi, wrote with great elegance, and Lü Guang held him in high regard.

When Zhang Zi fell ill, Lü Guang issued orders to seek physicians everywhere to treat him. At that time, a foreign religious practitioner named Rakṣa said:

– I can cure him!

Lü Guang was delighted and provided for him most generously.

The Master knew that Rakṣa was a fraud, so he said to Zhang Zi:

– Rakṣa cannot cure your illness; he will only cause you to waste your wealth! Though the course of destiny is hidden, it may be tested by one deed.

The Master then took threads of five colors and knotted them into a cord. He burned it to ashes, cast the ashes into water, and said:

– If the ashes rise upon the water and become a cord again, your illness will not be cured.

In a moment, the ashes gathered together and formed the cord as before. Rakṣa treated the illness, but to no effect. A few days later, Zhang Zi died.

Not long afterward, Lü Guang also passed away, and his son Lü Shao succeeded to the throne. After only a few days, Lü Guang’s second son, Lü Zuan, killed Shao and usurped the throne, changing the era name to Xianning. In the second year of the Xianning era, a sow gave birth to a three-headed piglet. A dragon appeared in a well beside the eastern row of buildings, flew before the palace hall, and lay there coiled until it vanished near dawn. Zuan regarded this as an auspicious omen and named the great hall the Hall of the Soaring Dragon.

Not long afterward, a black dragon again flew up from the Jiugong Gate in the south, so Zuan named it the Gate of the Rising Dragon.

Kumārajīva memorialized the king:

– In recent days, strange events have occurred, such as the appearance of dragons and the birth of a malformed piglet. Moreover, the dragon is a creature belonging to yin; it should conceal or reveal itself only at the proper time. Yet dragons now appear frequently. Calamity is certain to occur, and someone is surely plotting rebellion. Your Majesty should discipline yourself, cultivate benevolence, and accumulate virtue, thereby responding to Heaven’s admonition.

Zuan refused to heed him.

One day, while Zuan and the Master were playing a board game, Zuan placed a piece and said:

– Behead Hu Nu!

The Master said:

– You cannot behead Hu Nu; Hu Nu will behead a man.

These words carried a hidden meaning, but Zuan failed entirely to perceive it. Lü Guang’s younger brother had a son named Chao. In childhood, Chao’s familiar name was Hu Nu. Later, Hu Nu did indeed behead Zuan and install his own elder brother as king. Only then, upon reflecting on the matter, did everyone realize that the Master’s words had come true.

Kumārajīva remained in the state of Liang for many years, but Lü Guang and his sons did not support the propagation of the Buddha-Dharma. Therefore, the Master had no opportunity to transmit to others his profound realization of the Buddha-Dharma. Fu Jian had already died, so Kumārajīva was unable to meet him. When Yao Chang seized the throne, he too admired the Master’s exalted reputation and wholeheartedly invited him to come. However, Lü Guang saw that Kumārajīva possessed extraordinary intelligence and strategic ability. Fearing that the Master would become Yao Chang’s military adviser, he refused to allow him to enter the eastern lands.

After Yao Chang died and his son Yao Xing ascended the throne, Yao Xing again dispatched envoys to request the Master’s presence.

In the first month of the third year of the Hongshi era ⁽⁴⁰¹⁾, a pair of interjoined trees^[27] grew before the ancestral temple courtyard, while scallions in the Xiaoyao Garden transformed into grass. Yao Xing regarded these as auspicious omens and predicted that a wise and virtuous person would soon arrive.

In the fifth month, Yao Xing ordered the Duke of Longxi, Yao Shuode, to lead troops westward on a campaign against Lü Long. Lü Long’s army suffered a crushing defeat.

In the ninth month, Lü Long submitted a memorial of surrender, and only then was Yao Xing able to welcome the Master back.

On the twentieth day of the twelfth month, the Master arrived in Chang’an. Yao Xing received him with the rites accorded to a National Preceptor and bestowed his wholehearted favor upon him.

The bhikshu Bei Du in Pengcheng heard that the Master was in Chang’an and sighed:

– This man and I have been separated for more than three hundred years. In the obscurity of time, I know not when we shall meet again. I hope we may meet in a future life.

Several days before his death, the Master felt the four great elements within his body fall into disharmony. He recited a mantra three times and instructed his foreign disciples to chant it in order to heal him. Before they could exert themselves fully, however, the Master sensed that his illness had become critical. He forced himself to assemble the community, bade them farewell, and instructed them:

– Through the Buddha-Dharma, we have been able to meet one another. Yet before we could devote our hearts and exert ourselves to the utmost, I must already depart. How deeply sorrowful this is! I fear that, in my ignorance, I may have made errors in translation. Of the more than three hundred fascicles of sutras and treatises that I translated, only the Ten Recitations Vinaya has not yet been revised; as for the other translations, their essential meaning surely contains no errors. I hope that all these translated scriptures will be widely disseminated to future generations. Now, before the assembly, I sincerely make this vow: ‘If my translations contain no errors, then after my cremation, my tongue shall remain intact.’

On the twentieth day of the eighth month in the eleventh year of the Hongshi era ⁽⁴⁰⁹⁾, the Master serenely entered final nirvana in Chang’an, during the Yixi era (405–419) of the Jin dynasty. His cremation was conducted in the Xiaoyao Garden according to the rites of India. After the cremation, his entire body had been consumed, yet the Master’s tongue remained intact, fresh, and rosy.

***

FA’AN

The Master was also named Xu Qin. His place of origin is unknown. A disciple of Master Huiyuan, he was devoted to observing the precepts, expounding the scriptures, and cultivating meditative concentration. He skillfully transformed the ignorant, leading them to abandon the false and return to the true.

During the Yixi era (405–419) of the Jin dynasty, Xinyang County suffered from a plague of tigers. In the county, a shrine to a deity had been built beneath a great tree, and several hundred households lived around it. Every night, one or two people would be devoured by tigers.

Once, when the master arrived in this county, it was already dark. He intended to enter the village and ask for lodging, but because they feared the tigers, the villagers closed the village gates very early. The master therefore went directly to the foot of the tree and sat in meditation throughout the night.

Near dawn, he heard a tiger carrying a person and casting the victim down north of the tree. Upon seeing the master, the tiger was both delighted and afraid; it leapt forward and knelt before him. The master expounded the Dharma and transmitted the precepts to the tiger.

It remained kneeling motionlessly and departed after a while. At daybreak, the people pursued the tiger and, upon reaching the foot of that tree, encountered the master. Everyone was astonished and regarded him as a divine man.

News of this spread throughout the county, and officials and commoners alike revered him. As a result, the plague of tigers also came to an end. The people then converted the shrine into a monastery and invited the master to remain there.

All the surrounding fields and gardens were donated to the monastery.

Later, the master wished to use copper-acetate pigment to paint an image of the Buddha, but none could be found. That night, he dreamed that someone came to his bedside and said:

– There are bronze bells beneath this place.

Upon awakening, the master immediately had people dig there, and indeed they found two bells. From them, they obtained copper-acetate pigment for painting, and the image was completed.

Later, the master donated one bell to Venerable Huiyuan to cast an image of the Buddha. The other was borrowed for inspection by Xiong Wuhuan, the governor of Wuchang, who kept it permanently.

It is not known where the master later entered nirvana.

***

TANHUO

It is not known where the master came from; it is known only that during the time of Tufa Rutan, he arrived from Henan. Holding his khakkhara, the master told everyone to kneel and said:

– This is the eye of prajna. Those who follow it may attain the Way.

Everyone held him in the highest esteem and treated him with exceptional favor.

Once, someone offered him robes. The master accepted them and threw them into the river. A day later, the robes returned to their original owner without the slightest stain. The master traveled as swiftly as the wind and accurately foretold wealth and poverty, life and death, without the slightest error. On one occasion, someone hid his khakkhara. The master cried aloud several times, closed his eyes for a moment, then rose and went to retrieve it. Everyone marveled at his unfathomable spiritual powers. Because of this, many people came to honor and uphold the Buddha-Dharma.

Li Lugu had a younger brother named Rutan, who temporarily held the office of General of Agile Cavalry and wielded the greatest power in the realm. Everyone he suspected or resented was put to death.

The master said to Rutan:

– You should cultivate goodness and honor the Buddha so as to accumulate merit for future lives.

Rutan said:

– My ancestors did not honor the Buddha. If I were to do so now, I fear that I would depart from the path of my forebears. If, for seven days, you neither eat nor drink and yet your countenance remains unchanged, then the Buddha’s Way must indeed be wondrous, and this humble man will honor it.

After saying this, he ordered men to guard the master closely for seven days, but the master showed no sign of hunger or thirst. Rutan secretly sent the śramana Zhixing to bring cakes and offer them to him, but the master steadfastly refused to eat. Rutan esteemed and revered him all the more. The master often said to Rutan:

– If you can abide peacefully, keep your mind empty and tranquil, and accord with the natural order, the realm will enjoy peace and the fortunes of the state will flourish for ten thousand generations. But if you delight in dispatching armies to slaughter others, calamity will come upon you.

Rutan refused to heed him. When Rutan’s daughter became gravely ill, he came and asked the master to heal her. The master said:

– Human life and death are predetermined. Even a sage cannot turn calamity into blessing; how could I, Tanhuo, prolong your daughter’s life? I can only know whether her death will come sooner or later.

Rutan nevertheless continued earnestly to implore him. At that time, the gate of the inner palace^[28] was closed. The master said:

– Quickly open the gate of the inner palace. If it is opened in time, she will live; if it is too late, she will die.

Rutan ordered the gate opened, but it was too late, and his daughter died.

Later, warfare and disorder arose, and it is not known where the master went.

***

TANYONG

The master’s family name was Yang, and he was a native of Guanzhong. In his youth, he served as General of the Guard in the state of Qin. He stood eight chi tall and surpassed others in martial valor.

In the eighth year of the Taiyuan era ⁽³⁸⁴⁾, he accompanied Fu Jian on a southern military campaign. Defeated by the Jin army, he had no choice but to return to Chang’an. Thereafter, he followed Venerable Dao’an and entered monastic life. After Venerable Dao’an entered nirvana, he again took Huiyuan as his teacher. Later, the master built a thatched hermitage southwest of the mountain and practiced meditation together with his disciple Tanguo.

Once, Tanguo dreamed that the mountain deity requested to receive the five precepts. Tanguo said:

– My teacher is here. You should go and request them from him.

Not long afterward, the master saw a man wearing an unlined robe and a cap, with an elegant and refined bearing, accompanied by about twenty followers. He came and asked the master to confer the five precepts upon him. Because of Tanguo’s previous dream, the master knew that this was a divine being, and he therefore expounded the Dharma and transmitted the precepts to him. The divine being offered the master foreign chopsticks and spoons, then bowed and took his leave. In an instant, he had vanished.

When Venerable Huiyuan was about to enter nirvana, the master hurried back and wept with profound grief. Later, he went to Jingzhou^[29] and entered nirvana at Bamboo Grove Monastery.

SHI SENGLANG

The master’s family name is unknown. He was a native of Jingzhao. In his youth, he traveled to study the Way in Chang’an and later returned to Guanzhong.

The master devoted himself to lecturing and expounding the teachings. Once, while traveling with his Dharma companions to attend a vegetarian offering, he suddenly told everyone along the way:

– Someone at your monastery is stealing robes and other articles.

Upon hearing this, they turned back, and it was indeed so.

Later, the master went to Jinyu Cave in the Kunlun Mountains^[30], where he established a monastery and constructed several dozen buildings and rooms. Hearing of his reputation, more than a hundred disciples gathered around him. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to instructing them and never complained, however weary he became.

King Fu Jian of Qin (351–394) greatly admired the master’s virtue and sent an envoy bearing articles as offerings.

Later, Fu Jian dismissed the assembly of monks, but for the master alone he issued an edict saying:

– Dharma Master Lang’s virtue in observing the precepts is pure as ice and frost, and his disciples are all outstanding persons. Therefore, the Kunlun Dharma center shall not be harmed by this decree.

Formerly, Jinyu Cave was plagued by ferocious tigers, so those who passed through it usually carried staffs and traveled in groups. After the master settled there, the wild beasts submitted, and both monastics and laypeople could come and go morning and evening without obstruction. Everyone praised the master’s meritorious conduct beyond measure. For this reason, people today call Jinyu Cave the Valley of Master Lang.

Whenever people were coming to the monastery, the master could foretell their number one day in advance and ordered his disciples to prepare sufficient food. Everyone praised his predictions as divinely accurate.

Later, the master passed away in the mountains at the age of eighty-five.

BUDDHAYASHAS

Buddhayashas is translated into Chinese as “Awakened Renown.” The master was a native of Kashmir and belonged to the Brahmin caste. For many generations, his family had followed non-Buddhist paths.

One day, a śramana came to his home to beg for food. The master’s father became angry and ordered someone to beat him. At that very moment, the father’s hands and feet contracted, leaving him unable to walk or stand, so he went to consult a ritual specialist. The specialist said:

– Because you offended a worthy man, ghosts and spirits have caused this affliction.

He immediately invited that śramana to return and sincerely begged for forgiveness and repented. Several days later, his illness was cured. Because of this, he permitted Yashas to follow the śramana, enter monastic life, and become his disciple. At that time, the master was only thirteen years old.

The master often accompanied his teacher on distant journeys. One day, while they were crossing a wilderness, they saw a tiger. His teacher was about to flee, but the master said:

– This tiger has already eaten its fill and will not harm anyone!

A short while later, the tiger went away. Master and disciple continued onward, and indeed they saw by the roadside the flesh and bones left over from the tiger’s meal. The master secretly held him in reverence.

When the master was fifteen, each day he could recite from memory tens of thousands of words from the sutras. The monks in his monastery often went out to seek alms and consequently neglected their recitations; only the master remained in the monastery reciting the sutras. An arhat esteemed his keen intelligence and therefore often brought back alms food to offer him.

At nineteen, the master had memorized several million words from the Mahayana and Hinayana scriptures.

At twenty-seven, the master received full ordination. Later, he traveled to the kingdom of Sa-lặc. At that time, the king of that realm had fallen ill and therefore held a vegetarian feast to make offerings to the Sangha. When the crown prince met the master, he greatly admired him and immediately invited him to remain in the inner palace to receive offerings.

There, the Venerable La-thập studied under the master and held him in the highest reverence. Later, La-thập traveled to Quy-tư and was detained by Lã Quang, while the master remained in Sa-lặc for more than ten years before going to Qui-tư, where his teaching flourished greatly.

At that time, La-thập was in Cô Tang and sent someone to invite the master. The master wished to go, but everyone earnestly pressed him to remain, so he stayed for about another year. He then told his disciple:

– I wish to seek out La-thập. Prepare the traveling provisions and robes so that we may depart, but do not let anyone know.

The disciple said:

– I fear that tomorrow morning they will pursue us and compel us to return.

The master immediately mixed medicine into a bowl of pure water, recited a mantra over it several dozen times, and gave it to his disciple to wash his feet. That very night, they set out. By daybreak, they had already traveled several hundred li.

The master asked his disciple:

– How did you feel?

He replied:

– I heard only the sound of a fierce wind, and tears streamed from my eyes.

The master again gave him water over which a mantra had been recited and told him to wash his feet and rest.

In the morning, the people set out in pursuit, but the master was already several hundred li away, so they could not overtake him. When he reached Cô Tang, La-thập had already entered Trường An. Hearing that Diêu Hưng had forced La-thập to accept wives and concubines and compelled him to engage in acts contrary to the Dharma, the master lamented:

– La-thập is like a piece of beautiful silk; how could one allow it to become entangled in a thorny thicket?

When La-thập heard that the master had arrived in Cô Tang, he immediately urged Diêu Hưng to welcome him, but his request was not yet accepted. Not long afterward, Diêu Hưng ordered La-thập to translate the scriptures. The Venerable replied:

– Anyone who propagates the teachings must thoroughly understand both the wording and the meaning. Although this humble monk is familiar with the scriptural texts, I have not yet penetrated their principles. Only the Venerable Phật-đà Da-xá has attained their profound and wondrous import. He is presently in Cô Tang; Your Majesty should invite him here. Whenever even a single word is to be translated, it must be carefully considered before being written down. Only then will the wondrous words of the scriptures remain free from error and inspire faith for a thousand years.

Diêu Hưng followed his counsel and immediately sent an envoy to welcome the master, offering him many precious gifts. The master accepted none of them and merely smiled, saying:

– Since the imperial decree has been issued, I ought to set out. However, the donor must treat this scholar with generous respect. If I am to be treated as La-thập was, this humble monk would not dare accept the invitation.

The envoy returned and reported everything in full. Diêu Hưng praised the master for his prudence.

When the master arrived in Trường An, Diêu Hưng personally went to inquire after him. He established a separate monastery for him in Tiêu Dao Garden and provided the four requisites, but the master accepted none of them. At the proper time, he went out seeking alms and ate only one meal each day.

Previously, the master had memorized the Đàm Vô Đức Vinaya. The Colonel-Director of Retainers, Diêu Sảng, invited him to recite it. Wishing to test the master, he asked him to read a medical treatise in the Khương language containing about fifty thousand words. The master looked through it for only one day, then closed the book and recited it without making a single error. Everyone marveled at his memory.

In the twelfth year of the Hoằng Thỉ era ⁽⁴⁰⁸⁾, the master completed the recitation of the Four-Part Vinaya, comprising forty-four fascicles, as well as other works such as the Dīrgha Āgama. At that time, the śramaṇa Trúc Phật Niệm of Lương Châu translated them into Chinese, while Đạo Hàm transcribed the translation^[31]. In the fifteenth year of the Hoằng Thỉ era ⁽⁴¹¹⁾, the translation assembly temporarily concluded its work.

Diêu Hưng bestowed ten thousand bolts of silk upon the master, but he declined them all. Đạo Hàm and Trúc Phật Niệm each received one thousand bolts of silk, and five hundred eminent and virtuous śramaṇas all received generous offerings. After taking his leave and returning to the Western Regions, the master reached the kingdom of Kế-tân, where he obtained a one-fascicle Scripture of the Treasury of Space Bodhisattva^[32].

He then entrusted it to merchants to deliver to the Sangha in Lương Châu.

It is not known where the master later passed into nirvana.

***

ĐÀM VÔ KIỆT

Đàm-vô-kiệt is translated into Chinese as Pháp Dũng. His family name was Lí, and he was a native of Hoàng Long in U Châu. He received the śrāmaṇera precepts while still a child, devoted himself to upholding the precepts and reciting the scriptures, and was respected by the Sangha. Once, upon hearing that Venerable Pháp Hiển and others had journeyed alone to the land of the Buddha, he was profoundly moved and vowed to disregard his own life for the sake of the Dharma.

In the first year of the Vĩnh Sơ era ⁽⁴²⁰⁾ under the Liu Song dynasty, the master gathered like-minded śramaṇas, including Tăng Mãnh, and together they carried such offerings as banners, streamers, and jeweled canopies to Western India. First, the master traveled to the kingdom of Hà Nam, crossed Hải Tây Commandery, traversed the desert, and reached the kingdom of Cao Xương. He then passed through such kingdoms as Qui-tư and Sa-lặc, ascended the Thông Lãnh range, crossed the Snow Mountains, and arrived in the kingdom of Kế-tân, where he paid homage to the Buddha’s alms bowl.

He remained there for more than a year to study Sanskrit and obtained a Sanskrit copy of the Scripture of Avalokiteśvara’s Prophecy^[33]. The master then traveled to the Tân-đầu-na-đề River, followed the river westward into the kingdom of Nguyệt Thị, paid homage to the Buddha’s cranial bone, and saw a boat propelled by steam. Afterward, he went to Thạch Lưu Monastery, south of Mount Đàn-đặc. More than three hundred monks resided in this monastery, studying the doctrines of the Three Vehicles. The master remained there and requested full ordination.

Afterward, the master continued to Central India^[34]. The route was desolate, and he carried only rock sugar as provisions. Although he repeatedly encountered dangers and hardships, he constantly kept in mind the Scripture of Avalokiteśvara that he carried with him. As he was nearing the kingdom of Xá-vệ and passing through a deserted forest, he encountered a herd of wild elephants. The master immediately invoked the name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. At that very moment, a lion sprang forth, and the terrified elephants scattered and fled.

Later, after crossing the Ganges, he encountered a herd of wild buffaloes that bellowed and advanced, intending to harm him. As before, the master invoked the Bodhisattva’s name, whereupon a great vulture flew down. The wild buffaloes were frightened and scattered in all directions, and thus the master escaped danger.

Later, from Southern India, the master traveled by ship across the sea to Quảng Châu, where he translated the Scripture of Avalokiteśvara’s Prophecy. This scripture is now circulated throughout the capital.

It is not known where the master later passed into nirvana.

***

PHẬT-ĐÀ-BẠT-ĐÀ-LA

Phật-đà-bạt-đà-la, translated into Chinese as Giác Hiền, originally bore the family name Thích. He was a native of the kingdom of Ca-tỳ-la-vệ and a descendant of King Cam Lộ Phạn. The master lost his parents at an early age. His paternal granduncle, Cưu-bà-lợi, hearing of his intelligence and pitying him for being orphaned, took him in and ordained him as a śrāmaṇera.

At seventeen, the master and several fellow students devoted themselves to study and recitation. When studying the same scripture, the others required a month to memorize it, while the master needed only one day. His teacher praised him, saying:

– What Giác Hiền learns in one day is equal to what thirty people can learn.

After receiving full ordination, the master diligently cultivated pure karma, studying and mastering a great many scriptures. In his youth, through his wholehearted devotion to meditation and observance of the Vinaya, his reputation spread far and wide.

The master and his fellow student Tăng-già-đạt-đa traveled to the kingdom of Kế-tân and remained there for many years. Although Đạt-đa admired the master’s intelligence, he did not yet know whether the master was a sage or an ordinary person.

Later, when Sanghadatta entered a private chamber, shut the door tightly, and sat in meditation, he suddenly saw the Master arrive. Startled, he asked:

“Where have you come from, Elder Brother?”

The Master replied:

“I have just returned from the Tusita Heaven^[35], where I paid reverence to Maitreya Buddha.”

Having said this, the Master vanished.

Datta knew that the Master was a holy man, but he could not yet fathom the depth of his spiritual attainment. Later, after witnessing the Master manifest supernatural transformations on many occasions, Datta revered him wholeheartedly and often followed him to study and inquire. Only then did he learn that the Master had attained the fruit of a non-returner^[36].

The Master wished to travel widely to propagate the Dharma and learn about the customs of various regions. At that time, a Chinese śramaṇa named Zhiyan arrived in the kingdom of Kashmir. Seeing that the Sangha there was pure, he sighed with emotion and, turning toward the Eastern Land, said:

“Our Dharma companions all possess the aspiration to seek the Way, but unless they encounter an eminent teacher, they will never be able to attain awakening.”

Master Zhiyan then went throughout the kingdom, asking the monks who among them could travel to the Eastern Land to teach and transform its people. Everyone said:

“Only Buddhabhadra can do so.”

Zhiyan earnestly entreated him, and the Master consented.

Thus, the Master bade farewell to his teacher and the assembly, gathered his traveling provisions, and set out eastward. Only after three years and countless hardships did he reach the Congling Mountains. He passed through six kingdoms, and their kings, moved by the great distance he had traveled to spread the teaching, revered him wholeheartedly and presented him with offerings.

Upon reaching Jiaozhi, the Master boarded a ship and sailed along the coast. As they passed a small island, he pointed toward it and said:

“Have the ship stop here!”

Hearing this, the captain replied:

“The journey ahead is still long, and we must value our time. It is difficult to encounter a day with winds as favorable as today, so I cannot stop.”

After they had sailed more than two hundred li, the wind suddenly changed direction and carried the ship back to the island. Seeing this, everyone realized that the Master possessed extraordinary powers, and they all served and revered him. From then on, whether the ship sailed or stopped was decided by the Master.

Not long afterward, when favorable winds arose, all the other ships weighed anchor. The Master told the captain:

“We should not depart!”

The captain obeyed him.

Before long, all the ships that had gone ahead sank, and not a single person survived.

Later, in the middle of the night, the Master again instructed all the ships to set sail. The other ships refused to heed him; only the Master’s ship weighed anchor and departed. Before long, bandits descended upon them, and all the ships that had remained behind were plundered, their passengers slain.

The Master’s ship reached Donglai Commandery in Qingzhou. Hearing that Kumarajiva was in Chang’an, the Master immediately went there. Kumarajiva was greatly delighted to meet him. Together they discussed the characteristics of dharmas and elucidated profound and subtle principles, thereby greatly deepening Kumarajiva’s realization.

At that time, Yao Xing, ruler of the Qin dynasty, deeply revered the Buddha Dharma and invited more than three thousand monks to the palace to receive offerings. All of them attended, but the Master alone maintained his quiet way of life and did not participate.

Later, the Master said to his disciples:

“Yesterday, I saw five ships depart together from my homeland and sail here!”

Afterward, one of his disciples related this to the assembly. When the senior monks of the Guanzhong region heard it, they accused the Master of fabricating wonders to delude people. Monks such as Daoheng and others all said:

“The Buddha originally forbade anyone from declaring his own attainments. He foretold that five ships would arrive here, but this is untrue. Moreover, his disciple has also deluded and deceived others, stirring up controversy with fabricated tales. Since this violates the precepts, we should not allow him to dwell with us. He must be expelled from the assembly and cannot be permitted to remain!”

Hearing this, the Master said:

“My body is like drifting duckweed; coming and going are very easy. I am saddened only because my aspiration has not yet been fulfilled, and thus I feel the deepest regret!”

Thereupon, the Master departed with more than forty disciples, including Huiguan and others. His resolve did not waver in the least, nor did his countenance change at all. All who understood the truth lamented his departure. When the Master left, more than a thousand monastics and laypeople accompanied him to see him off. When Yao Xing heard that the Master had departed, he was deeply grieved and said to Daoheng:

“Śramaṇa Foxian brought the Buddha Dharma here from a thousand li away in the hope of propagating it, yet he departed before he could expound it. This is truly lamentable! How could you leave countless people without guidance merely because of one minor transgression?”

Yao Xing then ordered an envoy to invite the Master to return. The Master told the envoy:

“I am truly grateful to the Great King, but I cannot obey his decree!”

That very night, the Master led his followers southward to Mount Lu^[37]. Master Huiyuan had long admired the Master’s conduct and integrity. When he heard of the Master’s arrival, he was overjoyed, as though meeting an old friend. Huiyuan understood that the Master had been expelled because of the fault of one of his disciples. His foreknowledge that five ships would arrive had merely been uttered spontaneously and did not amount to a violation of the Vinaya.

With this in mind, Huiyuan sent his disciple Tanyong with letters to Yao Xing and the Sangha of Guanzhong, clearly explaining the circumstances of the Master’s expulsion. Later, Huiyuan invited the Master to translate scriptures concerning meditation.

Because he wished to travel widely and teach, the Master did not remain settled in one place. After one year on this mountain, he again set out, this time for Jiangling. On the way, he encountered the captain he had previously seen in a dream. Upon making inquiries, he learned that five ships had indeed come from India, just as he had foreseen. The people of Jiangling then vied with one another to pay homage to him and serve him. The Master accepted none of their offerings. He carried only his alms bowl and begged for food without distinguishing between rich and poor.

At that time, Yuan Bao of Chen Commandery had formerly served as Chief Clerk to Emperor Wu of Song when the latter was still Grand Commandant. When Emperor Wu of Song led a southern campaign against Liu Yi, Yuan Bao accompanied him to Jiangling. The Master instructed his disciple Huiguan to go to Yuan Bao’s residence to beg for food. Yuan Bao had never possessed faith or reverence for the Three Jewels, so he treated the Master very poorly. Before the Master had eaten his fill, he bade farewell and prepared to leave. Bao said:

“It appears that you have not eaten your fill. Please remain and have a little more!”

The Master said:

“The donor’s offering was not made with sincerity, and so all the food that was served has already been exhausted!”

Yuan Bao immediately called his servants to bring more rice, but the rice had indeed run out. Yuan Bao was deeply ashamed and asked Huiguan:

“What kind of person is this śramaṇa?”

Huiguan replied:

“My teacher’s virtue is lofty and profound; ordinary people cannot fathom it.”

Yuan Bao was filled with admiration and reported the matter to the Grand Commandant, who sent someone to invite the Master. Upon meeting him, the Grand Commandant treated him with the utmost reverence and offered him many necessities. Not long afterward, when the Grand Commandant returned to the capital, he invited the Master to accompany him and asked him to reside at Daochang Monastery.

In the sixth year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³⁰⁾, the Master entered final nirvana at the age of seventy-one.

***

TAN CUI

His place of origin is unknown. It is known only that he entered monastic life at an early age and resided at White Horse Monastery^[38], north of the Yellow River. He ate simple food, wore coarse robes, and devoted himself to reciting and upholding the Lotus Sutra. He had penetrated the scripture’s essential meaning and also expounded it so that everyone could understand.

One night, at midnight, the Master suddenly heard someone knocking at the door and saying:

“I wish to invite the Dharma Master to expound the Dharma for nine weeks^[39].”

The Master declined, but they continued to entreat him. At last, he consented and followed them, though he was still asleep. When he awoke, he found himself in the shrine of a deity in White Horse Village.

From then on, every day the master secretly went there with one disciple, without anyone knowing. Later, monks from the monastery passed by the shrine and saw two elevated seats: the master sat on the northern seat, and his disciple on the southern one. They also faintly heard the sound of a scripture being expounded and perceived an extraordinary fragrance. News of this wondrous event spread everywhere.

At the end of the summer retreat that year, the deity brought as offerings to the master one white horse, five white goats, and ninety bolts of silk. After the master recited a prayer of blessing, the deities vanished.

MASTER DENG

The master resided at Dalin Monastery^[40] on Mount Kuanglu^[41], where he devoted himself to reciting and upholding the Lotus Sutra throughout both day and night.

One day, the master suddenly saw a silver palace in the sky slowly descend into his room and transform into a golden palace. He then entered the palace, sat down, and recited the sutra, continuing thus for three years. The fourfold assembly from near and far reverently brought flowers and incense and asked him to confer the precepts. The master said:

– During the day there is much noise and commotion, and the mind is easily distracted; therefore, you should receive the precepts in the stillness of the night.

That night, just as the master explained the characteristics of the precepts^[42] and the Three Refuges, rays of light streamed from his mouth and illuminated the entire assembly. Seeing this, everyone vied with one another to bow in homage, creating a great commotion. The master immediately fell silent, and the rays of light also disappeared. He said:

– Your essential purpose in coming here is to receive the precepts, yet as soon as you saw the rays of light, you all became uproarious! The appearance of light was merely an auspicious sign accompanying the reception of the precepts; it was not the principal condition for attaining the precepts. Now listen again from the beginning.

Everyone immediately became silent, but as soon as the master began expounding the precepts, rays of light again streamed forth, and once more they became uproarious. Seeing this, the master fell silent and taught no further. The following day, when everyone returned, the master took his leave and went back to the mountain, where the golden palace appeared again just as before. One day, the master suddenly told everyone:

– Today I shall ascend to the golden palace and never return.

Then, on that very day, the master serenely entered parinirvana.

***

BAO THONG

The master maintained lofty and pure conduct, devoting himself to reciting and upholding the Dharani Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, and manifested certain miraculous powers.

At that time, in Yangqiao Village, the wife of a man surnamed Zhao had her soul seized by a spirit, and the family invited the master to recite a mantra. When the master arrived, the spirit revealed its true form. The master said:

– As the deity of this village, you should create blessings for its people. Why, then, have you seized another person's soul?

The deity replied:

– This was not done by your disciple, but by a lesser ghost under my command.

Having said this, the deity summoned the lesser ghost and punished it. Through this, the wife of the man surnamed Zhao recovered from her illness.

Not long afterward, the illness of Zhao's wife recurred, and she sang throughout the night. The family again invited the master. Once more, he saw the ghost that had previously been reprimanded standing beside the afflicted woman:

– I admonished you before. Why have you now transgressed again? If you refuse to leave, I shall recite a mantra and cause your head to split into seven pieces, like the branches of the arjaka tree^[43].

Hearing this, the ghost knocked its head upon the ground and pleaded:

– There is no need to trouble you to recite the mantra! I shall leave at once.

From then on, the woman was completely cured, and the ghost no longer dared to return and trouble her.

***

HUI SHAO

It is not known where the master came from. When he was young, whenever his mother fed him fish or meat, he vomited it up. From then on, he no longer ate meat.

At the age of eight, the master entered monastic life. He thoroughly understood the Lotus Sutra and diligently practiced asceticism without interruption.

Later, the master followed his teacher to reside at Zhaoti Monastery in Linchuan. Ever mindful of the Buddha's profound grace, he vowed to relinquish his body in recompense. The master then hired people to cut firewood and carry it to a stone chamber on East Mountain. They piled it one zhang high, leaving an empty space in the middle like a shrine niche. He then returned to the monastery and informed his teacher. Although his teacher tried to dissuade him, the master would not listen. On the appointed day, he went into the mountain and convened an assembly to observe the Eight Precepts. People from throughout the surrounding region hastened there, while clouds covered all the mountain valleys.

That night, the master circumambulated the pyre, lit it with a torch, and then entered and sat within the niche, reciting the chapter on Bodhisattva Medicine King's relinquishment of his body. Even when the flames reached his head, the sound of his sutra recitation could still be heard. The assembly suddenly saw a star as large as a peck measure fall into the blazing pyre and, a moment later, rise back into the sky. Everyone regarded this as a sign that beings from the heavenly palace had descended to welcome him.

The master had once told his fellow disciples:

– At the place where I burn my body, a parasol tree will grow. No one is permitted to cut it down.

Three days after the master's death, a parasol tree indeed sprouted there, exactly as he had said. Monastics and laypeople alike regarded this as miraculous.

*

WU QUAN

The master was a native of the kingdom of Shu^[44]. His religious name was Juehai, and he was endowed with an intelligent nature.

In Xiazhou there was a wealthy man named Cheng Dibo, twenty-nine years of age. One day, he saw his deceased father appear in a dream and tell him:

– You will die this year. Therefore, you must go and ask Master Juehai for guidance.

Bewildered, he did not know whether the dream was true. One day, a physiognomist monk suddenly appeared, carrying a signboard inscribed with the name Juehai. Cheng Dibo hastily invited the master to examine him. He asked:

– How long is my lifespan?

The master said:

– Bring me a bowl of water!

The master breathed upon the bowl of water, instructed Cheng to drink it, and said:

– Tonight, an extraordinary sign in a dream will inform you.

That night, he dreamed that he went to a government office. In the corridor on the left, men and women wore fine robes and caps, talking and laughing merrily, while the corridor on the right was filled entirely with people bound in cangues and chains, weeping piteously. A person beside him said:

– Those in the corridor on the left are people who constructed and repaired bridges and roads. Those on the right are people who destroyed bridges and roads. If you wish to extend your lifespan, you must choose for yourself.

After awakening from the dream, Cheng Dibo resolved to construct and repair bridges and roads within a radius of one hundred li. When the work was complete, the master came again and said:

– By performing this good deed, your life has been extended by ten years.

From then on, Cheng Dibo devoted himself tirelessly to constructing bridges and roads. Through this, his lifespan was prolonged to ninety-two years, and his family enjoyed wealth and honor for five generations.

End of Volume Two

Notes:

^[1] The Bianyi Sutra 辨意經: A sutra in one fascicle, translated by Dharma Master Fazhuang. Its contents concern the Buddha's answers to questions posed by the Elder's Son.

^[2] The Chengju Guangming Sutra 成具光明經: An abbreviated title of the Chengju Guangming Dingyi Sutra.

^[3] Nihuan 泥洹 (Ch.: Nirvana, Nirvana-na, etc.). Its original meaning is “blowing out,” or the state of having been extinguished. Later, the term came to denote the complete extinguishing of the fires of affliction and the attainment of the realm of awakening. According to the Tiantai school, expedient pure nirvana refers to the Buddha's manifestation of an illusory provisional body in order to liberate sentient beings and, when the necessary conditions have ended, his entry into nirvana.

^[4] Dunhuang 燉煌: The Dunhuang archaeological site in Gansu Province. Many Buddhist cultural artifacts from ancient China are found there.

^[5] Chicheng 赤城: The name of a mountain containing much red earth and stone. Resembling Chengdie Mountain north of Tiantai County in Zhejiang Province, it forms the southern gateway to Mount Tiantai.

^[6] King Ashoka 阿育王: Ch.: King Without Sorrow. The third king of the Maurya dynasty in Magadha, Central India. He lived around the third century BCE, unified India, and was one of the figures who contributed most greatly to supporting and protecting Buddhism.

^[7] Liaodong 遼東: A region east of the Liao River, corresponding today to the eastern and southern parts of Liaoning Province.

^[8] Sanfu 三輔: A region near the capital.

^[9] Guanluo 關洛: Guanzhong and Luoyang.

^[10] Cui Hao 崔浩: Prime minister during the Northern Wei dynasty, a native of Qinghe, with the courtesy name Boyuan.

^[11] Celestial Master 天師: An honorific title for a person possessing mastery of Daoist arts in ancient times.

^[12] Ren 仞: The Zhou dynasty established eight chi as one ren (approximately six chi, four cun, and eight fen in modern measurement).

^[13] Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya 摩訶僧祇律 (S: Mahasangha-vinaya): A Vinaya text in 40 fascicles, jointly translated by Buddhabhadra and Faxian during the Eastern Jin dynasty in China; included in volume 22 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. This is the Vinaya of the Mahāsāṃghika school of Sectarian Buddhism.

^[14] Mahīśāsaka Vinaya 彌沙塞律 (S: Mahiśāsakāḥ): A Vinaya text in 30 fascicles, translated by Buddhajīva and Zhu Daosheng during the Liu Song dynasty; included in volume 22 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka.

^[15] Dīrgha Āgama Sūtra 長阿鋡經 (S: Dīrghāgama): A scripture in 20 fascicles, jointly translated by Buddhayaśas and Zhu Fonian in 413 during the Later Qin dynasty in China; included in volume 1 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. (It is one of the four Āgama collections of the Northern transmission.)

^[16] Saṃyukta Āgama Sūtra 雜阿含經 (S: Saṃyuktāgama; P: Saṃyutta-nikāya): A scripture in 50 fascicles, translated by Guṇabhadra during the Liu Song dynasty in China; included in volume 2 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. It is one of the four Āgama collections of the Northern transmission.

^[17] Miscellaneous Piṭaka 雜藏: The collection comprising sacred texts concerning the teachings and practices of bodhisattvas; one of the four piṭakas.

According to the Introductory Chapter of the Ekottarika Āgama Sūtra, the Mahayana Vaipulya scriptures and all sūtras are called the Miscellaneous Piṭaka. According to fascicle 32 of the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya, verses concerning past practices, causes and conditions, and so forth, spoken by pratyekabuddhas and arhats themselves, constitute the Miscellaneous Piṭaka. According to fascicle 1 of the Treatise on the Discrimination of Merit, because this piṭaka includes the Buddha’s teachings, the words of his disciples, praises or discourses by celestial beings, and accounts of the past causes from which bodhisattvas arose throughout three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, and because its texts and meanings are diverse and more numerous than those of the three piṭakas, it is called the Miscellaneous Piṭaka.

^[18] Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra 大泥洹經: A scripture in six fascicles, translated by Faxian during the Jin dynasty in China. The first portion of this scripture contains 18 chapters. It is a scripture taught by the Buddha when he was about to enter nirvana.

^[19] Learned scholars 諸生: People of great learning.

^[20] Six Classics 六經: The six classics of Confucianism: the Book of Odes, Book of Documents, Book of Rites, Book of Music, Book of Changes, and Spring and Autumn Annals.

^[21] Zhuang and Lao 莊老: Zhuangzi and Laozi, two eminent philosophers of ancient China.

^[22] Jiangdong 江東: The region of the Yangtze River at Wuhu.

^[23] Sāgara Nāgarāja Sūtra 海龍王經 (S: Sāgara-nāga-rāja-paripṛcchā): A scripture in four fascicles and 20 chapters, translated by Dharmarakṣa during the Western Jin dynasty in China; included in volume 15 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. This scripture records the Buddha’s discourse to Sāgara, the Nāga King, at Vulture Peak near the city of Rājagṛha.

^[24] Tiger Stream 虎溪: The name of a stream before Donglin Monastery on Mount Lu, south of Jiujiang City in Jiangxi Province. According to tradition, during the Jin dynasty, Dharma Master Huiyuan lived there. When escorting guests on their departure, the master would never cross this stream; if he went beyond it, a tiger would immediately roar. It was therefore called Tiger Stream.

ó Lion Throne 師子座 (S: siṃhāsana; P: sīhāsana): The seat of the Buddha or of a venerable master.

^[26] Jianzhang 建章: In full, Jianzhang Palace, the name of a palace in Chang’an during the Han dynasty.

^[27] Conjoined tree: A tree with one trunk and two branches joined together.

^[28] Inner Palace 後宮: The large residential buildings at the rear reserved for the emperor’s empress and imperial consorts.

^[29] Jingzhou 荊州: A region on the northern bank of the Yangtze River in Hubei Province, bordering the Han River basin to the north. In ancient times, it was a strategically important area on the transportation routes between northern and southern China.

^[30] Kunlun Mountains 崑崙山: Lofty mountains situated south of Xinjiang and north of Tibet, towering between the Tianshan and Karakoram ranges.

^[31] Written transcription: To record in writing.

^[32] Ākāśagarbha Sūtra 虛空藏經: A scripture in one fascicle, translated by Buddhayaśas during the Yao Qin dynasty in China; included in volume 13 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. It tells how the bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha came from the dwelling place of the Buddha Victorious Flower-Robe Treasury and, through spiritual power, transformed the Sahā world into a Pure Land. He then caused wish-fulfilling maṇi jewels to appear in the hands of everyone in the assembly, with all kinds of treasures pouring forth from those jewels. It next teaches dharanis that dispel illness and bring merit; those who recite these mantras will have all their wishes fulfilled.

^[33] Sūtra of Avalokiteśvara’s Prophecy 觀世音受記經: A scripture in one fascicle, translated by Dharmodgata during the Liu Song dynasty in China; included in volume 12 of the Taishō Tripiṭaka. This scripture relates how the Buddha taught the unsupported Dharma by which the bodhisattva Flower-Virtue Treasury attained the Illusion-Like Samādhi. It then explains the causes and conditions through which the bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta aroused the aspiration to seek the true path, and states that after Amitābha Buddha enters nirvana, the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara will attain Complete and Perfect Enlightenment with the title Tathagata Universal-Light King of the Mountain of Merit.

^[34] Central India 中天竺: The central region among the five regions of ancient India, or a general designation for the whole of India. During the medieval period, all of India was divided into five regions, called the Five Indias; the countries in the central region were called Central India.

^[35] Tuṣita 兜率 (S: Tuṣita): The fourth of the six heavens in the Desire Realm, measuring eighty thousand yojanas across. It lies between the Yāma Heaven and the Heaven of Delight in Transformation. This heaven has two courts: the inner court of Tuṣita, the dwelling place of bodhisattvas destined soon to become Buddhas; and the outer court of Tuṣita, which belongs to the Desire Realm and is inhabited by celestial beings who enjoy abundant sensual pleasures but rarely hear the Dharma.

^[36] Fruition of Non-Return 不還果 (S: Anāgāmin; Sino-Vietnamese transliteration: A-na-hàm): The third noble fruition in the śrāvaka vehicle. One who has attained this fruition will no longer be reborn in the Desire Realm.

^[37] Mount Lu 廬岳: Mount Lu.

^[38] White Horse Monastery 白馬寺: A monastery east of Luoyang County in Henan Province, China, built in the year 75 during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han dynasty. According to tradition, Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna used a white horse to carry scriptures from India to China. Emperor Ming then issued an edict to build a monastery for the two masters outside the Western Yong Gate of the city of Luoyang and named it White Horse Monastery.

^[39] Xun: In China, one xun is equivalent to ten days in our country.

^[40] Dalin Monastery 大林寺: A monastery below Dalin Peak on Mount Lu, Jiujiang County, Jiangxi Province, China. According to tradition, it was founded during the Eastern Jin dynasty by Tanshen (361–440), who belonged to the lineage of Patriarch Huiyuan of Mount Lu.

^[41] Kuanglu 匡廬: Mount Lu in Jiangxi. According to tradition, near the boundary between the Shang and Zhou dynasties, seven brothers of the Kuang Xu family built thatched huts and lived there in seclusion; hence it was called Kuanglu.

^[42] Characteristics of the precepts 戒相: The distinctive characteristics manifested in the observance of the precepts. According to whether the precepts—such as the five precepts, the ten precepts, and up to the 250 precepts—are upheld or violated, and whether the offense is grave or minor, each category has different characteristics. Ordinarily, “characteristics of the precepts” refers to the features of compliance with the Vinaya.

^[43] Branch of the ali tree 阿梨樹枝: A type of fragrant tree.

^[44] State of Shu 蜀: The land of Shu, corresponding to present-day Sichuan Province.