神僧傳

DHARMARAKṢA

Dharmarakṣa was also known as Dharmakṣema. He was a native of India. At the age of six, he lost his father and lived with his mother. The śramaṇa Dharmayaśas accepted him as a disciple and taught him the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. Later, he met the White-Headed Chan Master and began studying the Great Vehicle. By the age of twenty, he had mastered more than two million words of the scriptures of both the Great and Lesser Vehicles. His elder cousin was skilled in taming elephants, but caused the death of the king’s great white-eared riding elephant. Enraged, the king ordered that he be put to death and proclaimed:

– Whoever dares come to claim the body of his kinsman shall have three generations of his clan exterminated.

None of his relatives dared come; only the Master wept and buried him. The king, in his anger, intended to kill the Master, but the Master said:

– Your Majesty put this man to death in accordance with the law, while I buried him out of familial affection. Neither of us has violated the great principles of righteousness. Why, then, are you angry with me?

All those around him were terrified, but the Master alone remained perfectly composed. The king admired his courage and resolve, and therefore kept him at court to make offerings to him. The Master was highly accomplished in incantatory arts, and whatever he prayed for was fulfilled with miraculous efficacy. For this reason, the people of the Western Regions called him the Great Master of Incantations.

One day, while accompanying the king up a mountain, the king became thirsty, but there was no water to drink. The Master silently recited an incantation, and a stream of water issued from a rock. Taking this occasion, the Master said:

– The gracious virtue of the great king has moved even the rocks to produce water.

When the people of neighboring lands heard this, they all praised the king’s virtue. At that time, the rains were timely, the winds favorable, and the people lived in peace and happiness.

After learning that this had come about through the Master’s spiritual arts, the king esteemed him even more highly. Before long, however, the king’s favor gradually waned. The Master thought that if he remained there much longer, the king would come to despise him, so he took his leave and went to the kingdom of Kashmir.

He wished to propagate the Great Vehicle in that land, but the conditions were unsuitable, so he set out for Kucha and then proceeded to Guzang. He lodged at an inn and, fearing that the scripture might be stolen, used it as a pillow while he slept. That night, someone pulled him down onto the floor.

Upon awakening, he assumed it was a thief. This happened for three nights. Then the Master suddenly heard a voice from the air saying, “This is the Tathagata’s treasury of liberation.

Why do you use it as a pillow?” The Master then understood and immediately placed the scripture in an elevated position. That night, a thief came to steal it, but no matter how hard he tried to lift it, the scripture did not move at all. At daybreak, the Master picked it up with ease.

Seeing this, the thief regarded the Master as a holy man and immediately came forward to bow and repent.

At that time, Juqu Mengxun, King of Hexi, had occupied the land of Liang. On one occasion, the Master told Mengxun:

– I see demons and spirits entering the villages. Many calamities and epidemics are certain to occur.

Mengxun did not believe him and wished to witness this personally. The Master then employed an incantatory art that enabled Mengxun to see them. When Mengxun saw them, he was utterly terrified. The Master said:

– You must sincerely observe fasting and the precepts, and then use a divine incantation to drive them away.

The Master recited incantations for three days and then told Mengxun:

– The demons and spirits have departed.

In that region there was a man capable of seeing spirits. He reported:

– I saw several hundred plague demons scrambling to flee.

Through this, the people of that region were restored to peace.

At that time, Tuoba Tao, King of Wei, heard that the Master possessed spiritual arts and sent an envoy to welcome him. Mengxun had long attended upon the Master and could not bear to part from him. Later, the envoy from Wei again used courteous words to request permission to escort the Master away. Mengxun was reluctant and refused, yet he also feared the might of Wei.

In the ninth month of the third year of the Yihe era, the Master requested permission to travel to the Western Regions to seek and obtain the latter portion of the Nirvana Sutra. Mengxun became angry and wanted to kill the Master, so he secretly devised a plot to harm him, while pretending to see him off and presenting him with many precious valuables. On the day of his departure, the Master shed tears and said to everyone:

– The time has now come for me to repay my karma; even the holy ones cannot save me. Yet I have made a vow and am determined not to abandon my undertaking!

On the day the Master set out, Mengxun indeed sent assassins to waylay and kill him. The Master died at only forty-nine years of age. This occurred in the tenth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty ⁽⁴³³⁾. People near and far all mourned him.

Afterward, even in broad daylight, Mengxun’s close attendants frequently saw spirits wielding swords and stabbing him. In the fourth month of the following year, Mengxun became gravely ill and died.

CUP-CROSSER

The Master’s personal and family names are unknown. People often saw him cross rivers riding in a wooden bowl, so they called him Cup-Crosser.

At first, the Master lived in Jizhou. He did not observe the minor rules of conduct, yet his spiritual powers were extraordinary, and no one in the world could fathom him.

Once, the Master stayed overnight with a family in the north. The household possessed a golden Buddha image, which the Master secretly took away. When the owner awoke, he sent men in pursuit. The Master walked very slowly, yet even though they galloped after him on horseback, they could not catch him. Upon reaching the Mengjin River, the Master again placed his wooden bowl upon the water to cross. Although there was no wind, it sped along as though flying. Before long, he reached the opposite bank and entered the capital. That year, the Master was about forty years old.

The Master usually wore tattered, filthy clothes that did not fully cover his body. He spoke as he pleased, and his joy and anger were unpredictable. At times he bathed in bitterly cold weather; at times he wore straw sandals into the mountains; and at times he went barefoot through the marketplaces. He carried only a reed basket and possessed nothing else. Once, the Master went to Yanxian Monastery, where the practitioner Fayi received him and lodged him in a private room.

One day, the Master wished to cross the river at Guabu. He approached a boatman and asked for passage, but the man refused. The Master then placed his feet inside his wooden bowl, looked around, and chanted verses in a drawn-out voice. The bowl naturally floated straight across and carried him to the opposite shore.

Upon reaching Guangling, the Master encountered an Eight-Precept fasting assembly at the home of the Li family in the village. Although he knew no one there, he walked directly inside, seated himself in the fasting hall, and placed his reed basket in the middle of the room. Seeing his ragged appearance, the people conceived disrespect for him. Mr. Li saw that the reed basket obstructed the passage and wished to move it against the foot of the wall, but even several men together could not lift it. After the fasting meal was over, the Master came, picked it up effortlessly, and carried it away, laughing as he said:

– The Four Heavenly Kings, the Li household!

At that moment, a child saw within the reed basket four little boys, each several inches tall, with handsome features and beautiful clothing. When the others came to look for them, there was no trace of them.

Several days later, people saw the Master sitting beneath the dense canopy of a tree east of the house. Mr. Li came to bow to him and invited him home, making offerings to him every day. The Master did not eat vegetarian food, but drank wine and ate meat just like an ordinary worldly person. When the people made offerings to him, he sometimes accepted and sometimes declined.

Liu Xingba, a native of the kingdom of Pei who served as governor of Yanzhou, sent an envoy to invite the Master. The Master brought his reed basket with him. Xingba ordered men to lift it to see what was inside, but even more than ten men could not raise it. Xingba personally came to inspect it and saw only a tattered robe and a wooden bowl.

Later, the Master returned to the Li household and remained there for more than twenty days. Early one morning, he suddenly said:

– I want a kasaya. It must be here by noon today.

Mr. Li did everything in his power to procure one, but by noon he still had not obtained it. The Master said:

– I am going out for a while!

By evening, the Master had not returned. Throughout the village, people faintly perceived an unusual fragrance. Becoming suspicious, they divided into groups and searched everywhere. At the foot of the mountain to the north, they found the Master lying upon a tattered kasaya, having peacefully entered nirvana. Fragrant lotus flowers had sprung up at both his head and feet, and they did not wither until a full day had passed. People from throughout the region joined together to arrange the Master’s funeral. Several days later, a man arriving from the north related:

– I met the Master carrying his reed basket on a shoulder pole and heading toward Pengcheng.

Upon hearing this, the people opened his coffin and found that only a pair of shoes remained.

When the master arrived in Pengcheng, the layman Huang Xin, who had profound faith in the Buddha-Dharma, came to pay homage and invited him to his home. His family was very poor and ate nothing but wheat, yet the master gladly remained there for half a year. One day, the master said to Xin:

– Find thirty-six reed baskets; I need to use them.

Xin said:

– My household has only ten. Since I have no money, I cannot buy any more. I fear I will be unable to obtain enough for you, Master!

The master said:

– Search carefully again; there must surely be enough in the house.

Xin searched everywhere and indeed found all thirty-six, which he then set out in the courtyard. Although there were enough, many were damaged and torn. Yet when Xin examined them one by one, they had all become new. The master secretly covered the baskets and then told Xin to open them. He saw that every basket was filled to the brim with money, silk, and other valuables. Those with understanding believed that the master had manifested emanation bodies in other countries to receive offerings and had returned to bestow them upon Xin. Xin accepted everything and used it to cultivate and establish merit.

About a year later, the master took his leave and departed. Xin prepared abundant provisions as an offering, but when he looked the following morning, the provisions remained entirely untouched, and he did not know where the master had gone.

Later, on the road to Wu Commandery, the master encountered a fisherman and approached him to ask for a fish. The man gave him a dead fish. The master took it, turned it over in his hands, and released it into the river, whereupon it came back to life and swam away.

A little later, he encountered another fisherman and again went to ask for a fish. The fisherman angrily cursed him and refused to give him one. The master picked up two stones and threw them into the river.

Suddenly, two oxen appeared, butting each other inside the net. When the net had been torn to pieces, the oxen vanished, and the master was also no longer there. Upon reaching the Song River, the master turned his parasol upside down and used it as a boat to cross the river.

He went to Shan County in Kuaiji and then ascended Mount Tiantai. After remaining there for several months, he returned to the capital. Wherever he stayed, it was only for a short time.

His comings and goings followed no fixed pattern, and when people invited him, sometimes he came and sometimes he did not.

At that time, in Nanzhou, there was a very wealthy family surnamed Chen. When the master arrived, the entire household honored and served him wholeheartedly. Hearing that there was another Bei Du in the capital, the father and his four sons of the Chen family did not believe it and went to see for themselves.

The man indeed looked exactly like Master Bei Du, who was staying in their home. Chen brought out a box of ginger preserves, a knife, and a handkerchief scented with frankincense. The master ate all the ginger preserves and placed the remaining articles upon his lap.

Everyone suspected that he was the same Master Bei Du who was staying in their home, so two of the younger brothers remained behind to watch him while the other three returned home. There they saw that Master Bei Du at their house also had the knife, scented handkerchief, and the other articles; the only difference was that he had not eaten the preserves. The master then said to Chen:

– This knife is far too dull. Please sharpen it for me!

The two younger brothers returned and reported that the other Master Bei Du had gone to Lingjiu Monastery.

One day, the master told Chen that he urgently needed two sheets of yellow paper to make a book. He then wrote the two words “Not Accomplished” on the reverse side. Chen accordingly came and asked the master what book he was writing. The master did not answer, and in the end no one ever understood his meaning.

At that time, Zhu Lingqi, an envoy of the state of Wu, was returning from a diplomatic mission to Goguryeo when his ship encountered a violent storm. After drifting for nine days, it strayed to an island on which stood a very high mountain. Lingqi entered the mountain to cut firewood and saw a traveler.

He led the others in following the man to ask for food. After traveling more than ten li, they heard the sound of a stone chime and smelled the fragrance of aloeswood incense. Together they bowed in homage and recited the Buddha’s name.

Before long, they saw an exceedingly magnificent monastery adorned with the seven treasures. They also saw more than ten figures made of stone. They bowed to them together and then turned to leave.

After taking only a few steps, they heard the chanting of the service.^[1] They turned back and looked carefully, but the figures were still made of stone. Lingqi and the others all believed them to be holy monks and said among themselves:

– Because we are sinful people, we are unable to see them!

Together they repented with utmost sincerity and immediately saw them as living people. The monks in the monastery prepared a meal and refreshments for them. Although the food also consisted of vegetables, its flavor was entirely unlike anything in the human world. After eating, they all paid homage and requested permission to return to their homeland. At that moment, a monk approached and said:

– This place is more than two hundred thousand li from the capital, but if you are single-minded, you will certainly travel very swiftly.

The monk then asked Lingqi:

– Do you know Venerable Bei Du?

Lingqi replied:

– Yes, I do!

The monk pointed to the northern wall, where a gourd, a khakkhara staff, and an alms bowl were hanging, and said:

– This is Master Bei Du’s dwelling. I now entrust you with this alms bowl and this letter-box to deliver to him.

He then separately gave him a bamboo staff and instructed him:

– Cast this staff into the sea directly before the bow of the ship. Close the doors and sit quietly. There will be no need to row or steer, yet the ship will travel swiftly.

After saying this, the monk bade them farewell and sent a novice monk to escort them to the gate. He further instructed them:

– Follow this path for seven li and you will see your ship. There is no need to return by the old route.

Following the monk’s words, they traveled west for about seven li and arrived at the ship. Lingqi did exactly as the monk had instructed. They heard only the sound of the ship gliding past trees and mountains and saw no water at all. Three days later, the ship stopped on the Huai River at Shi, and the bamboo staff could no longer be seen. The ship followed the Huai River to Zhuque, where everyone saw Master Bei Du seated aboard a large vessel. Holding an orchid branch, he struck the side of the ship and said:

– Horse! Horse! Why will you not move?

A great crowd stood along the road watching. From afar, Lingqi and everyone aboard the ship bowed to the master. The master disembarked and received the letter and alms bowl. He opened the letter and read it, but no one else could understand the writing. The master laughed loudly and said:

– Are they telling me to return?

Having said this, he tossed the alms bowl into the clouds and then caught it again, saying:

– It has been four thousand years since I last saw this bowl!

The master often stayed at Yanxian Monastery with Master Fayi. People at the time regarded the bowl as an extraordinary object and vied with one another to come and see it.

There was a servant named Yu Chang who stole some property and fled. Although people searched everywhere, they could not find him. They brought the matter before the master, who replied:

– He is dead! He is buried beside the river at Jincheng.^[2]

They went to investigate, and it was indeed so.

At that time, Kong Ningzi was serving as a court attendant and became afflicted with dysentery. He sent someone bearing a letter to invite the master. After performing an invocation, the master said:

– It will be difficult for him to survive, for I see that all four ghosts have been wounded.

Ningzi wept and said:

– Previously, when Sun En rebelled, our home was ravaged by soldiers, and my parents and uncle all suffered grievously.

Before long, Ningzi passed away.

Later, Lady Hu, the mother of Qi Jie, fell ill, but no one was able to cure her. The family arranged a vegetarian feast as an offering to the Sangha. A monk advised him to invite the master. After the master performed an invocation, her illness was completely cured. Qi Hai revered and admired him and asked to become his disciple. He subsequently wrote an account of the master’s life.

The master’s miraculous deeds, from ancient times until then, were too numerous ever to be fully recorded. In the ninth month of the third year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴²⁷⁾, the master bade farewell to Qi Hai and departed eastward. He left ten thousand taels of silver with Qi Hai, asking him to use it on the master’s behalf to prepare offerings for the monks. When the master reached the shore of the lake at Chishan, he fell ill and entered nirvana. In accordance with the master’s instructions, Qi Hai held a vegetarian feast for the Sangha and invited the master’s bodily remains back for burial on Mount Fuzhou in Jiankang Province.

In the fourth year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴²⁸⁾, there was a man named Shao Xin of Wuxing who venerated the Buddha-Dharma. He contracted typhoid fever, and no one dared to care for him. Weeping sorrowfully, he invoked Bodhisattva Guanyin. Suddenly, he saw a monk arrive and say:

– Do not grieve! I am a disciple of Master Bei Du. My master will come to treat you.

Shao Xin said:

“Master Bei Du passed into nirvana long ago; how could he have come here?”

The monk said:

“Is it so difficult to return to life?”

Having said this, the monk immediately took from his sash a box of finely ground medicine and gave it to him to drink. His illness was completely cured at once.

There was also Du Seng’ai, whose home was at the southern foot of the mountain. He had formerly attended upon the master. When his son became gravely ill, he grieved that the master was no longer there to invoke blessings for him. The following day, he suddenly saw the master arrive and converse just as he had when alive; the master then invoked blessings so that his son recovered from the illness.

In the third month of the fifth year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴²⁹⁾, the master returned to the home of Qi Hai. Lü Daohui was deeply moved when he heard the news, while Du Tian, Qi Shui, Qiu Xi, and the others were all astonished when they saw the master and came forward to pay homage. The master said to everyone:

“This year there will be a great calamity. You must diligently cultivate merit. Master Fayi possesses great virtue; go and rely upon him, and repair the monasteries so as to avert the calamity.”

A short while later, a monk outside the gate called to the master. The master then took his leave, saying:

“This poor monk shall return to Jiao and Guang and will not come back again.”

Qi Hai and the others paid homage and earnestly escorted him on his departure. The master then vanished. In recent times, people have also said that they have seen him.

SHI TAN DI

The master’s family name was Kang, and his ancestors were from the kingdom of Kangju. During the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han dynasty, his family moved to China. At the end of Emperor Xian’s reign, turmoil in the country forced them to move to Wuxing. His father, named Tong, served as an Assistant Governor in Jizhou. His mother’s family name was Huang. One night, she dreamed that a monk addressed her as his mother and entrusted to her a fly-whisk and two iron paperweights. Upon awakening, she found those objects beside her, and thereafter conceived the master.

When he was five years old, his mother brought out the fly-whisk and the paperweights. Upon seeing them, the master said:

“These are objects that the King of Qin gave me.”

His mother asked:

“Where did you keep them?”

The master replied:

“I do not remember.”

At the age of ten, the master entered monastic life. Although he did not study under a teacher, through his innate intelligence he understood everything. He accompanied his father to Fandeng,^[3] where he met Master Senglüe of Guanzhong and suddenly called that monk by name. The monk said:

“Novice! Why do you call this old monk by name?”

The master replied:

“I called you so just now without thinking because you were a novice under my disciple. Long ago, when you went to gather vegetables for the Sangha, you were attacked by a wild boar and involuntarily cried out.”

That monk had originally been a disciple of Dharma Master Hongjue and, while gathering vegetables for the Sangha, had indeed been attacked by a wild boar. Senglüe could not remember any of this, so he went to see the master’s father. The father related the entire story from beginning to end and brought out the two paperweights and the fly-whisk. Upon understanding, the monk burst into tears and said:

“These are indeed the possessions of my late master, Hongjue. My late master once went to the capital to expound the Lotus Sutra for Yao Chang. At that time, this poor monk served as the assistant lecturer^[4] and accompanied him. It was Yao Chang himself who presented these two objects. How have they now come to be here?”

When they calculated the date on which Dharma Master Hongjue passed into nirvana, it was precisely the day on which the master’s mother had dreamed that a monk came and entrusted those two objects to her. Senglüe then recalled the incident of gathering vegetables, and his affection and reverence deepened all the more. The master by nature delighted in mountain forests, and so he later returned to Wuxing, entered Mount Zhangkun, and lived there in serene simplicity for more than twenty years.

At the end of the Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty, the master manifested his passing. He was over sixty years old.

GUNAVARMAN

Gunavarman is translated into Chinese as “Armor of Merit.” The master belonged to the kshatriya caste, and for many generations his ancestors had ruled as kings of the kingdom of Kashmir. By the age of fourteen, he was already intelligent and widely learned, possessing profound wisdom. By nature, he was benevolent and gentle, revered virtue, and delighted in doing good. Once, his mother wished to eat game meat and told him to procure it. The master replied:

“All living beings cherish life and fear death. If one kills them, one cannot be called benevolent.”

At the age of twenty, the master entered monastic life and received the precepts. He became thoroughly versed in the nine divisions,^[5] acquired broad knowledge of the four Agamas,^[6] recited more than a million words of scripture, deeply understood the Vinaya-pitaka, and penetrated the essential purport of meditation. His contemporaries called him a Tripitaka Dharma Master. When the master was thirty years old, the king of Kashmir died without an heir. The ministers deliberated:

“Varman is of royal lineage and is fully endowed with both talent and virtue. We should go and ask him to return to lay life and succeed to the throne.”

More than a hundred ministers came and repeatedly entreated him, but the master would not consent. He then bade farewell to his teacher and the assembly, traveled throughout various regions, and afterward lived in seclusion deep within a forest. Later, he went to the kingdom of Java.

Before the master arrived, the queen mother of Java dreamed that a religious adept entered her country aboard a great ship. The next morning, the master indeed arrived. The queen mother had deep reverence and faith in the Three Jewels, so she asked the master to confer upon her the five precepts. Thereupon she exhorted the king:

“Because of the immense blessed affinity from former lives, we have become mother and son. Now I have received the precepts, yet you do not revere or have faith in the Three Jewels. I fear that in a future life we shall no longer possess this blessed affinity.”

The king immediately obeyed his mother, received and upheld the precepts, gradually abandoned all defiling desires, and devoted himself single-mindedly to cultivation. At that time, a neighboring kingdom sent troops to invade. The king said to the master:

“The enemy outside, relying upon its strength, seeks to invade our country. If I engage them in battle, many people will be harmed; but if I do not resist, this kingdom will face destruction. Now I can only rely upon you, Master, for I do not know what should be done!”

The master replied:

“When the enemy is violent, it must be resisted; yet you should arouse compassion and harbor no intention to kill!”

The king personally led his army on the campaign. As soon as the banners were raised and the drums sounded, the enemy scattered and fled at the first engagement. The king was struck through the leg by a stray arrow. The master immediately invoked blessings over water and used it to wash the king’s wound; after only two days, he recovered. Later, the king built a vihara for the master and personally hewed the timber. When he injured a toe, the master again invoked blessings to heal him, and he recovered in a mere moment. At that time, eminent and virtuous shramanas in the capital, such as Huiguan and Huitong, revered the master’s spiritual bearing from afar and all wished to visit him for instruction.

In the ninth month of the first year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴²⁴⁾, the people petitioned Emperor Wen to invite the master. Emperor Wen then ordered the governor of Jiaozhou to dispatch a great ship to welcome him. Shramana Huiguan and the others also sent shramanas such as Fachang, Daochong, and Daojun to invite him.

When Emperor Wen learned that the master had reached Nanhai, he ordered officials throughout the commanderies and counties to assist the master on his journey to the capital. The journey to Shixing took more than a year. At Shixing stood the lofty Mount Hushi.

The master said that this mountain resembled Gridhrakuta, and so renamed it Vulture Peak. He established a meditation hut several li from the monastery. Although he could not hear the sound of the chime, whenever the gandhi was struck, the master would already be present.

Even in torrential rain he was not wet, and when he walked through mud, his feet remained unstained. Both monastics and laypeople of the time revered him all the more. Within the monastery was the Baoming Hall.

On its northern wall, the master painted with his own hand an image of Rahula^[7] and a picture of the Youthful Brahmin spreading his hair before Dipamkara Buddha.^[8] After the paintings were completed, they emitted light every night, and this ceased only after a very long time.

At that time, Cai Maozhi served as governor of Shixing and held the master in profound reverence. When Cai was about to die, the master personally visited him, expounded the Dharma, and offered consolation. After Cai’s death, his family dreamed that he was in a monastery expounding the Dharma to the monks.

This mountain had many tigers, but from the time the Master came to dwell there, people could come and go safely morning and evening. At times, when he encountered a tiger, the Master would lightly tap its head with his khakkhara, and it would immediately depart. On one occasion, the Master sat in meditation in his private chamber for many days without emerging from samadhi. The monks of the monastery sent a novice to attend upon him. When the novice arrived, he saw a white lion standing against a pillar, while countless blue lotuses had sprung up around the chamber. Terrified, the novice cried out loudly. When everyone came to see, the lion vanished.

Before his passing, the Master composed a thirty-six-line testamentary verse recounting the causes and conditions through which he had attained the second fruit.^[9] He personally sealed it and entrusted it to his disciple A-sa-la, instructing him:

– After I pass away, take this letter to the monks in India, and at the same time inform the monks of this region.

After giving these instructions, the Master sat cross-legged upon a rope bed and peacefully passed away. His countenance remained unchanged, as though he had entered samadhi. Upon hearing the news, more than a thousand monastics and laypeople gathered. A wondrous fragrance filled the air, and everyone saw something resembling a dragon, more than one thất in length,^[10] shoot straight up into the sky from beside the Master's physical remains and never return. The assembly then carried the Master's body before the ordination platform in the Southern Grove and performed the cremation ceremony according to the customs of foreign lands. The Master was sixty-five years old.

SHI SENGLIANG

His native place is unknown; it is known only that the Master was renowned for his observance of the precepts. Wishing to create a Buddha image, he heard that the shrine of Wu Zixu in Xiangzhou contained many bronze objects. The Master asked the governor, Zhang Shao, for one hundred strong men and ten large boats. Zhang Shao replied:

– That shrine is exceedingly efficacious. Anyone who violates it will surely die. Moreover, barbarian tribesmen guard it. How could its objects possibly be taken?

The Master said:

– If merit and virtue are gained, my donor and I shall share them. If there is wrongdoing, I alone shall bear its consequences.

Zhang Shao then provided the men and boats. The Master and his company traveled for three days before reaching the shrine. Before it stood two cauldrons, each holding more than a hundred dou. From among them, a great serpent over ten zhang long crawled out and blocked the way. The Master held his khakkhara and uttered an invocation, whereupon the serpent immediately disappeared. Shortly afterward, a man holding a court tablet^[11] emerged and said:

– I have heard that your cultivation of the Way is extraordinary and that you regard the creation of merit as paramount. Today I am especially pleased to rejoice in and support your undertaking.

After speaking, he ordered men to transport the bronze objects from the shrine onto the boats. There were so many objects that taking only one-tenth of them filled the boats. On the return journey, they enjoyed favorable winds and smooth sailing. When the barbarian tribesmen learned of this, they called to one another and gave chase, but they could not catch up. Upon returning to the capital, the Master had the image cast. When the image was completed, however, it emitted no light. Emperor Wen therefore had a gilded aureole made for it, and it was then enshrined at Pengcheng Monastery. Around the Taishi era ⁽⁴⁶⁵⁾, during the reign of Emperor Ming, the image was brought to Xianggong Monastery.

ZHU DAOSHENG

The Master's family name was Wei, and he was a native of Julu.^[12] From childhood, he was exceptionally intelligent and gifted. His father knew that his son was no ordinary person and therefore cherished and esteemed him greatly. Later, the Master encountered the śramaṇa Zhu Fatai, whereupon he left the secular life and became a monk. At the age of fifteen, he ascended the Dharma seat to preach. His words and replies were lucid as pearls and jade. Famous scholar-monks and eminent men of the age were all overcome by his arguments, and none dared challenge him. After receiving full ordination, his understanding of the Buddha-Dharma grew even deeper.

The Master entered Mount Lu^[13] and practiced in seclusion for seven years. He always regarded wisdom and understanding as the foundation for entering the Way, and therefore constantly studied the sutras and sought teachers from whom to learn the Way. Even if they were ten thousand li away, he did not shrink from fatigue.

Later, he went to Chang'an and studied under Master Kumarajiva. The monks of the Guanzhong region all praised his seemingly divine power of realization. Afterward, the Master returned and resided at Qingyuan Monastery.^[14] Emperor Wen, Taizu of the Song dynasty, held him in great esteem.

On one occasion, Taizu convened an assembly and personally sat with everyone upon mats spread on the ground. Because the food took too long to prepare, everyone feared that the day was growing late. The emperor said:

– It is only noon.

The Master said:

– The sky is clear and bright, and the Son of Heaven says that it is only noon; then it must certainly be noon!

Having said this, the Master took up his bowl and ate with everyone. They all praised his words as most fitting.

At that time, the latter portion of the Nirvana Sutra^[15] had not yet been transmitted to China. The Master declared:

– Icchantikas^[16] can all attain Buddhahood. It is only because this sutra has not yet been transmitted here in its complete form that this is not known.

The bhikshus, clinging to the literal text, regarded the Master as teaching a heresy and expelled him.

Before the assembly, the Master vowed:

– If my words do not accord with the meaning of the sutra, may I suffer evil retribution in this very life. But if they accord with the mind of the Buddha, then when I relinquish this body, may I be seated upon the lion throne.

Having spoken, the Master shook out his robe and departed. He entered Mount Huqiu^[17] in Wu Commandery, arranged stones as his audience, and expounded the Nirvana Sutra. When he reached the passage, “Icchantikas possess Buddha-nature,” the Master asked:

– Do my words accord with the mind of the Buddha?

All the stones nodded their heads. During the summer of that year, thunder shook the Buddha hall at Qingyuan Monastery. Everyone suddenly saw a dragon ascend into the sky, its shadow appearing upon the western wall. Consequently, the monastery was renamed Longguang, “Dragon Light.” At that time, everyone lamented:

– The dragon has flown away; the Master will certainly depart.

Not long afterward, the Master returned to Mount Lu and practiced in seclusion in a mountain cave. The Sangha held him in great reverence.

Later, a complete text of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra reached the southern capital. Sure enough, the sutra contained the teaching, “Icchantikas all possess Buddha-nature,” in perfect accord with the Master's words. Having obtained this sutra, the Master immediately ascended the Dharma seat and expounded it.

In the eleventh year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³⁴⁾ of the Song dynasty, the Master ascended the Dharma seat on Mount Lu to expound the Nirvana Sutra. Just as he finished his discourse, the assembly suddenly saw the fly-whisk fall from his hand. The Master had peacefully passed away upon the Dharma seat.

DHARMAMITRA

Dharmamitra is translated into Chinese as Faxiu, “Dharma Eminence.” The Master was a native of Kashmir.^[18] At only seven years of age, he was already intelligent and perceptive. Whenever he witnessed a Dharma ceremony,^[19] he would naturally rejoice. His parents cherished and esteemed him greatly, and therefore allowed him to enter monastic life.

Kashmir had many worthy and talented masters, and thus he was always able to draw near to enlightened teachers. Consequently, he became thoroughly versed in all the sutras and was especially proficient in the methods of meditation, penetrating their profound and subtle meanings. He was a man of deep insight and wisdom, and his deportment was upright and proper. His eyebrows naturally met, and so people commonly called him “The Joined-Brow Meditation Master.”

In his youth, the Master delighted in traveling from place to place and resolved to spread the teachings. He journeyed through many countries and eventually reached Kucha. On the day before his arrival, the king dreamed that a deity told him:

– A person of great merit and virtue will enter this country tomorrow. You should make offerings to him.

The next morning, the king ordered the officials at the frontier passes:

– If a stranger arrives, report it to me at once.

Before long, the Master indeed arrived. The king personally went outside the city to welcome him and invited him to the royal palace. From then on, the king received the precepts from the Master and offered him the four requisites. Although the Master had obtained a dwelling place, he remained ready to depart at any time and placed no value on material offerings. After residing there for several years, he intended to leave. The deity again appeared to the king in a dream and warned him:

– That person of merit and virtue is going to leave you and depart.

The king awoke with a start and, together with his ministers, earnestly implored the Master to remain, but the Master did not consent.

The master crossed the desert and reached Dunhuang, where he established a monastery on vacant land, planted a thousand Nai trees,^[20] reclaimed a hundred mu of garden land, and built monastic quarters, groves, and ponds of great magnificence. After a short time, the master again went to Liangzhou, where he restored the monastery at the government seat. Great numbers of disciples followed him to study and practice, causing the teaching of meditation to flourish exceedingly.

The master often traveled to the capital in the Jiangzuo region, wishing to propagate the Dharma there. In the first year of the Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty ⁽⁴²⁴⁾, he went to Shu. Before long, he proceeded to Shan, then stopped in Jingzhou, where he constructed a meditation hall at Changsha Monastery and earnestly sought to invoke a relic. After more than ten consecutive days, a response occurred: sounds issued from a bronze vessel, and light filled the meditation hall. From then on, the faith of both monastics and laypeople grew ever more resolute, and everyone exerted themselves wholeheartedly.

Some time later, the master went to the capital, first staying at Zhongxing Monastery^[21] and, in his later years, residing at Qihuan Monastery. He taught throughout the various kingdoms, and his fame resounded far and wide. As soon as he arrived, the entire capital came to pay respects and inquire after him.

From Emperor Wen of Song to Empress Yuan, the crown prince, and the princesses, all held vegetarian feasts in the cassia palace^[22] and received the precepts in the inner palace. The emperor sent envoys every week to inquire after the master. At Qihuan Monastery, the master translated such scriptures as the Meditation Scripture, Essentials of the Methods of Meditation, Contemplation of Samantabhadra, and Contemplation of Akashagarbha.

He frequently taught the methods of meditation, and people came to study with him even from a thousand li away. People near and far all called him the “Great Meditation Master.”

The governor of Kuaiji, Meng Yi of Pingchang, had profound faith in the Buddha-Dharma, wholeheartedly served the Three Jewels, and revered the teaching of meditation. When he went to the Zheyou region, he invited the master to accompany him and built a mountain monastery for him in Mao County. In the eastern part of this region, most of the people followed spirit-medium practices. After the master arrived and taught them, they all abandoned error and returned to the true path, placing wholehearted faith in him.

In the tenth year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³³⁾, the master returned to the capital and stayed at Lower Dinglin Monastery^[23] on Mount Zhong. By nature, he was quiet and composed and delighted in mountain forests. He regarded Mount Zhong as a majestic sacred peak, equal in beauty to Mount Song and Mount Hua,^[24] and would often lament, “The foundations of the Lower Monastery lie close to a mountain stream, and the terrain slopes.” The master therefore selected a site on higher ground and built the Upper Monastery.

In the twelfth year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³⁵⁾, the master had trees felled and rocks cleared to construct the Upper Monastery. The people admired him and donated a great quantity of building materials. Its meditation quarters, monastic buildings, and halls were exceedingly magnificent.

At that time, monks came even from ten thousand li away to study with him. Their recitation and practice were solemn and dignified, and they sought instruction with utmost sincerity. The master’s fame spread everywhere, and his work of teaching was brought to fulfillment. Later, Meditation Master Da of Dinglin Monastery, an outstanding disciple of the master, propagated his teacher’s tradition, causing it to flourish ever more greatly. Thus, although the teaching had been transmitted for a long time, no one could replace him; his illustrious undertaking did not decline. This was due to the beneficent virtue bequeathed by the master.

From the Western Regions to the southern lands, wherever the master passed, he established assemblies for charitable giving and expounded the Buddha-Dharma. When he set out from Kashmir, the deity Kapila accompanied and protected him. On the road to Kucha, the deity wished to return, so he manifested his form and said:

“Your spiritual powers are boundless, and you come and go freely. I am unable to accompany you to the southern lands.”

After speaking, the deity vanished.

Upon reaching the capital, the master had an image of the deity painted on a wall of the Upper Monastery. From that time to the present, it has continued to display miraculous efficacy, and those who come to pray with sincere hearts obtain their wishes. On the sixth day of the seventh month in the nineteenth year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴⁴²⁾, the master entered nirvana at the Upper Monastery, having lived for eighty years.

GUNABHADRA

Gunabhadra is translated into Chinese as Juexian, “Awakened Worthy.” The master was a native of Central India. Because he studied the Mahayana, everyone called him Mahayana.

The master was of Brahmin lineage. From childhood, he studied the treatises on the Five Sciences.^[25] Later, upon reading the Miscellaneous Heart of the Abhidharma, he awakened, and from then on placed wholehearted reverence and faith in the Buddha-Dharma. His ancestors had followed non-Buddhist paths for many generations and did not permit contact with monks.

Therefore, the master left home and traveled afar in search of an enlightened teacher. He shaved his head, entered the monastic life, and devoted himself diligently to study and practice. After receiving the full precepts, he thoroughly mastered the Tripitaka.

When he reached the kingdom of Sinhala, the various kingdoms all sent envoys bearing gifts as offerings. The master had karmic affinities with the Eastern Land, and so he boarded a ship and crossed the sea. One day, the winds became still, and the supply of drinking water was exhausted.

Everyone aboard the ship grew fearful. The master said:

“We must all unite our minds and exert ourselves in recollecting the Buddhas of the ten directions and the name of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. How could there fail to be a response?”

Thereupon, they silently recited scriptures and mantras and sincerely performed obeisance and repentance. Before long, a wind indeed arose, dark clouds filled the sky, and heavy rain poured down. Thus, everyone aboard the ship was saved.

The Song dynasty chancellor, Prince Qiao Yi, who was stationed in Jingzhou, built a lecture hall and invited the master to expound such scriptures as the Avatamsaka Sutra.^[26] The master was troubled and felt ashamed because he was not proficient in the Chinese language. Day and night, he repented and prayed for a response from the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Before long, he dreamed of a man dressed in white who held a sword in his hand and carried a human head. Coming to the master’s side, the man asked:

“Why are you distressed?”

The master related the entire matter in full. After hearing him, the man said:

“There is no need to be so distressed!”

He then used the sword to cut off the master’s head and replaced it with a new one. He told the master to turn from side to side and asked:

“Does it hurt?”

The master replied:

“It does not hurt.”

At that moment, the master suddenly awoke, his spirits joyful and invigorated. That morning, when he read the scriptures, he thoroughly understood their language and meaning and had become proficient in Chinese. Thereupon, he ascended the Dharma seat and delivered a discourse.

Near the end of the Yuanjia era, around the year 432, Prince Qiao repeatedly dreamed of strange and ominous events. He brought the matter to the master and asked him about it. The master replied:

“The capital will soon fall into turmoil.”

Indeed, before a year had passed, Yuanxiong plotted rebellion.

In the first year of the Xiaojian era ⁽⁴⁵⁴⁾, Prince Qiao conspired to rebel. The master appeared displeased, and before he could speak, Prince Qiao asked him the reason. The master earnestly remonstrated with him, but his counsel was not accepted. Shedding tears, he took his leave and said:

“I truly do not wish this! This humble monk will not follow you.”

Prince Qiao believed that the people placed their trust in the master, so he compelled him to accompany the army. The rebel forces suffered a crushing defeat at Liangshan. Warships with blazing fires pursued them closely, while the riverbank was still very far away. Realizing that no one would come to his aid, the master could only single-mindedly invoke the name of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Holding a bamboo staff in his hand, he plunged into the river. The water reached only to his knees, but the current was swift, so he planted his staff in the water. At that moment, he saw a young boy approach from behind, take him by the hand, and lead him onward. The master turned and said:

“You are only a child. How could you possibly save me?”

While still in a daze, the master felt that he had walked scarcely more than ten paces, yet he had already reached the bank. He removed his patchwork robe, intending to repay the boy’s kindness, but when he turned to look, the boy was nowhere to be found. A chill ran through the master’s entire body.

At that time, Wang Xuanmo commanded the army advancing against Liangshan. Emperor Shizu ordered the soldiers to capture the master and make proper arrangements to escort him back to the capital. Before long, the master was captured and brought back to the capital. Shizu immediately ordered that he be brought for an audience and inquired after him with great solicitude. The emperor said:

“I have long yearned to meet you, and only now have I finally done so!”

The master replied:

– Bearing a grave offense, I should rightly have suffered shattered bones and mangled flesh. Yet today I have been granted an audience with the great king; truly, I owe a profound debt of rebirth.

Emperor Shizu asked:

– Why did you rebel?

The master replied:

– One who has left the household life does not take part in military affairs. Yet Zhang Chang, Song Lingxiu, and the others all compelled this poor monk to follow them. I simply never expected that, because of causes and conditions from a former life, I would now encounter such circumstances.

The emperor said:

– Do not be afraid!

That day, the emperor invited the master to reside in the inner palace, made offerings of provisions to him, and assigned attendants to serve him. When Zhongxing Monastery was completed, the emperor invited the master to become its abbot.

Later, the master built a monastery west of the Phoenix Tower at Moling. Every midnight, there would be sounds of knocking at the gate and calling out, but when people went out to look, no one was there. Moreover, members of the Sangha repeatedly had nightmares. Seeing this, the master burned incense and made a solemn invocation:

– In former times, you dwelt in this place. Now I have built a monastery here for cultivation, worship, and repentance, all for your sake. If you wish to remain here, then become benevolent spirits and protect the monastery; otherwise, you may go wherever you please.

Then, one night, more than ten monastics and laypeople alike dreamed that thousands of ghosts and spirits were carrying their belongings and departing together. From that time onward, the entire community in the monastery lived in peace.

In the sixth year of the Daming era ⁽⁴⁶³⁾, the realm suffered a drought. Although prayers had been offered to the mountains and rivers for many months, there had been no response. Emperor Shizu invited the master and said:

– You must obtain rain through prayer. If you do not, do not come before Us again!

The master said:

– Relying upon the majestic power of the Three Jewels and Your Majesty's heavenly authority, rain will surely descend from the sky. If my prayers do not succeed, I shall not appear before you again!

Having said this, the master went to the Angling Terrace at the Northern Lake, burned incense, and prayed. He paid no heed to food or drink, but single-mindedly recited sutras and made invocations with utmost sincerity. At noon the following day, a small cloud, the size of a carriage canopy, appeared in the northwest. By evening the wind had risen, clouds covered the sky, and rain poured down continuously for several days. Throughout this time, the master continued to hold the incense burner in prayer and never set it down. Whenever the master took his meal, birds would fly down, perch upon his hand, and receive food. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, offerings to the master became even more abundant.

In the first month of the fourth year of the Taishi era ⁽⁴⁶⁷⁾, feeling unwell, the master bade farewell to Emperor Taizong and the officials.

Three days before entering final nirvana, the master stood gazing at the sky for a long time and said, “I see celestial flowers and holy images.” At noon, he gathered his spirit and entered nirvana. He had lived for seventy-five years.

HUIDA

The master's family name was Liu and his personal name was Zuhe. He was originally from the Ji Hu tribe of Sancheng in Dingyang, northeast of Xianyang. At first, he neither venerated nor understood even the slightest part of the Buddha-Dharma. He died after becoming ill from drinking wine, and his consciousness experienced the sufferings of the hells. He later returned to life, left the household life, and went to reside in Wencheng Commandery.

In the first year of the Taiyan era ⁽⁴³⁵⁾, during the reign of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei dynasty, when his travels and teaching activities were nearly complete, the master journeyed westward for the benefit of the state. Upon reaching a place northeast of Fanhe Commandery in Liangzhou, he faced Yugu from afar and bowed in homage. No one understood why, so they asked him the reason. The master replied:

– An image will appear from this mountain cliff. If its sacred features are complete, the nation will flourish and the people will be at peace; but if it is incomplete, the nation will be in turmoil and the people will suffer.

Eighty-seven years later, in the first year of the Zhengguang era ⁽⁵²⁰⁾, wind and rain suddenly arose, thunder and lightning roared, and the mountains shook. At that time, a stone image appeared. Its body was one zhang and eight chi tall, and its form was solemn and majestic, but it had no head. People went up the mountain to select stone and had artisans carve a head and place it upon the image, but it repeatedly fell off, so they had no choice but to leave it as it was. Before long, the Wei dynasty declined and perished, and only then did people see that the master's words had indeed proved efficacious.

In the first year of the Zhou dynasty ⁽⁵⁵⁷⁾, Liangzhou was being restored. One day, beside a stream seven li east of the city, a beam of radiant light suddenly shone forth, illuminating even the darkest places. All who saw it considered it miraculous. When they went to investigate, they found that it was precisely the head of that image. They respectfully carried it away and installed it upon the image on the mountain. It fitted perfectly, and the auspicious marks were complete. From that time onward, the country enjoyed peace and prosperity.

In the first year of the Baoding era ⁽⁵⁶¹⁾, a monastery was established there and named the Auspicious Image Monastery. Those who knew the story then realized that the master's prediction had indeed been miraculous.

Later, the master went to a stream seven li west of the city in Jiuquan County, Suzhou, where he peacefully entered final nirvana. His relics formed tiny beads like sunflower seeds, through which cords could be threaded. To this day, an image of the master is venerated in an ancient monastery west of the city.

RATNAMATI

The master was a native of India. During the Northern Wei dynasty, he came to reside at Yongning Monastery in the capital, Luoyang. He was accomplished in the five sciences and in esoteric arts.

At that time, there was a man named Qimu Huaiwen, who served as Inspector of Xinzhou. Intelligent and resourceful, he was proficient in every craft, and was renowned in his time for impartiality, integrity, and uprightness. Whenever the state constructed palaces or manufactured weapons, he participated in the work. The emperor also issued an edict commanding him to renovate Yongning Monastery. Seeing that the master possessed extraordinary esoteric powers, Huaiwen frequently brought abundant offerings, hoping to learn from him. Yet the master treated him in an entirely ordinary manner and showed him no special favor whatsoever. Huaiwen became very angry.

At that time, at the Xuanwu Lodge south of Luoyang, there was a visiting monk of the Rouran tribe^[27], an old friend of the master from India. He rode a horse and wore garments of hide when he came to the monastery. The two were thoroughly congenial, laughing, conversing, and praising one another all day without wearying. Huaiwen heard that monk speaking the Rouran language and understood nothing. He then approached the master and said:

– This disciple earnestly wishes to learn. Therefore, recently I have attended upon you and made offerings, hoping only to receive your consideration, yet you have not bestowed even a single word upon me. As for that monk, he is a northern barbarian with a human face but the heart of a beast. He kills living beings and eats flesh—what is there in him worthy of esteem? I have no wish to face him and thereby become his enemy.

The master said:

– Do not look down upon him! Though you may have read ten thousand scrolls, your accomplishments may not surpass his.

Huaiwen said:

– If he has ability, let him compete with me.

The master said:

– What skills do you possess?

Huaiwen replied:

– There is no need even to mention mathematical calculation. Whether viewing a mountain or observing the sea, I can calculate its height, depth, and circumference without the slightest error.

The master laughed and said:

– These are merely children's games.

Before the courtyard stood a very large jujube tree laden with fruit. It was then the beginning of the seventh month, when the fruit was ripening. The master looked up at the jujube tree and said to Huaiwen:

– Do you know how many fruits are on this jujube tree?

Huaiwen was astonished. He laughed and said:

– Those who make calculations must rely upon standards of measurement; thus, even celestial patterns and terrestrial configurations may be ascertained. But the quantities of plants and trees follow no standard by which they may be calculated. To claim that one can calculate them is mere boasting.

The master pointed to the monk and said:

– He can know.

Huaiwen became angry and, refusing to believe it, immediately established the terms of a contest. All the senior monks came to watch and serve as witnesses. The master explained the entire matter to that monk. The monk smiled and accepted.

Huaiwen further demanded:

– He must state clearly how many fruits contain seeds and how many are spoiled and seedless.

After accepting the challenge to make the calculation, the monk took from the leather bag on his back an object resembling a scale weight, threaded it with a five-colored cord, and added a white pearl. He used this object to measure the jujube tree. At times he sighted upward and downward, measured to the left and right, then closed his eyes and paced back and forth for a long while. Afterward, the monk came over to the master, nodded with a smile, and stated the number of jujubes. The master had them all picked and invited everyone to count them; the result was exactly as the monk had said. Still unconvinced, Huaiwen personally cut them open to see whether the number of pits was correct, and the result proved entirely accurate. Ashamed, Huaiwen mounted his horse and returned home.

The master often saw people from the city of Luoyang ascend Shaoshi Peak on Mount Song to cut firewood, and thought to himself:

– How much hardship the people must endure! I would like temporarily to move the two mountain peaks to the headwaters of the Luo River,^[28] wait until everyone has cut enough firewood, and then carry them back. This would not be difficult; only a few minor arts would be needed. Yet I fear that those of little understanding would mistakenly regard me as a sage, and so I dare not do it.

Before his passing, the master instructed his disciples:

– I shall rest for two or three days before going to another place. You must remember to practice in accordance with the true Dharma and not cling to me!

Afterward, the master suffered a slight illness, closed his door, and lay down to rest. One disciple secretly peered through a crack in the door and saw the master lying on his back, his body not touching the bed. He immediately called his fellow disciples to come and look. One of them inadvertently cleared his throat. Hearing this, the master lowered himself onto the bed as before and called out:

– Who is outside the door? Why do you not come in? The bed was too warm, so I wished to cool myself a little. Do not be surprised.

Several days later, the master serenely passed away.

SHI SENGYI

It is not known where he came from. It is known only that the master was steadfast by nature and possessed profound powers of contemplation. Whenever he ascended the Dharma seat to preach, celestial flowers would scatter upon it.

During the Yuan Wei dynasty, the master went to reside at a monastery in Langgong Valley on Mount Tai. The monastery contained seven Buddha images from Goguryeo, all cast in bronze and enshrined in the main hall. The doors of the main hall were always open, yet no birds or beasts dared enter. The master devotedly attended and made offerings to them by himself.

On the night before his passing, the master saw a novice monk who had died long before appear, bow at his feet, and say:

– Ever since leaving you, Master, I have continually been ordered about by the Celestial Emperor,^[29] without a moment of leisure, and have neglected my cultivation. Before long, the Celestial Emperor will come to invite you to expound the sutras. I beg you to speak a word on my behalf so that I may be freed from this suffering.

The master immediately bathed, burned incense, and sat quietly in his chamber awaiting the appointed hour. At precisely that time, someone indeed came to the monastery and entered the master's room. He was fully attired in ceremonial robes and cap, and his entire retinue was imposing and dignified. When the monks of the monastery saw them, they thought to themselves, “What noble person has come to the monastery today to seek instruction?” Thus, they showed no surprise. That very day, the master passed away without illness, and only then did the assembly understand that this had been a miraculous portent.

SHI DAOFENG

The master's family name is unknown. His contemporaries praised him as one who had attained the Way. Together with three disciples, he lived in seclusion on Mount Gu in Xiangzhou, unconcerned with offerings or material support. The master understood all worldly crafts and occult arts. Whenever Emperor Gao of Northern Qi came to Jingye, he would visit the master for instruction, and the master answered every question immediately, without deliberation.

On one occasion, the emperor sent someone with wine and meat to offer him. The master did not refuse, but freely ate and drank. The emperor laughed heartily and said nothing to him. After the emperor had returned to the palace, the master told a disciple:

– Go in and clear away the food beneath the bed!

The disciple went in to clean up and found that all the food served earlier remained completely untouched.

At that time, a monk practicing meditation at Shiku Monastery would go west each day and see on the eastern mountain peak a golden Buddha image one zhang and eight chi tall. The monk was inwardly delighted, believing it to be an auspicious sign, and went every day to pay homage to it, continuing thus for two months. Later, while asleep in his room, he heard a voice issue from his pillow:

– Where under heaven is there a Buddha? Now that you have attained the Way, you yourself are the Buddha! You should properly care for your Buddha-body and not belittle yourself.

Upon hearing this, he immediately became arrogant and regarded the other monks as no better than grass and refuse. Before the assembly, he pointed at his own chest and said:

– Do you know that I am the Buddha? Those painted and sculpted images placed in earthen shrines cannot speak. What are you thinking, that upon seeing the true Buddha you refuse to pay homage? If you continue to look upon me with the same eyes as before, you will fall into Avici Hell.

He then became angry and shouted erratically.

Everyone knew that the monk had become deranged through meditation, though his condition was not yet severe, and they carried him to the master. The master asked:

– Is it true that for the past two months you have often seen a golden Buddha image appear on the eastern mountain?

The monk replied:

– Yes.

The master asked again:

– Did you hear a voice from your pillow telling you that you were the Buddha?

He replied:

– That is indeed so.

The master said:

– This has arisen because a disturbance of the wind element has made your mind unstable. Unless it is treated promptly, your madness will be difficult to restrain.

The master then inserted needles at three points, whereupon the monk's derangement ceased.

When the master was about to pass away, he told his disciples:

– I have dwelt on this mountain for a long time, causing you the hardship of carrying water from afar. Now I am departing and have nothing to leave you but a spring, so that you will no longer have to endure the toil of carrying water. You must strive diligently to advance in cultivating the Way!

Having said this, the master removed a square stone slab beside the hearth. A deep spring of perfectly clear water immediately appeared there, its level never rising or falling. That spring remains to this day.

SHI SENGCHOU

The master's family name was Sun. He was originally from Changli, but later moved to Yingtao in Julu. By nature, the master was noble-minded, gentle, and refined; he needed only to look through the sutras and treatises once to understand them. He entered monastic life and received ordination as a novice while still young. In his leisure time, he often amused himself by practicing martial skills with the other children, but because he was physically weak, his companions looked down upon him. Grieved and humiliated, the master entered the hall, closed the door, embraced the feet of the Vajra deity, and vowed:

– Because my strength is feeble, my companions humiliate me. You are renowned for your great strength; I beg you to help me. I shall hold up your feet for seven days, and you must grant me strength. If my wish is not fulfilled, I shall not relent even unto death.

At dawn on the sixth day, the Vajra deity appeared, holding a bowl of sinews, and told the master:

– Boy! If you wish to possess strength, eat this bowl of sinews!

Because he was observing the fasting precepts, the master refused. The deity threatened him with his pestle. Overcome with fear, the master ate them. When he had finished, the deity said:

– You now possess strength, but you must strive to practice diligently.

Having said this, the deity departed. Daylight had just broken, and the master returned to his room. The next day, while playing with his companions, he was again treated with contempt. The master then said:

– I now possess strength. I fear that none of you will be able to defeat me!

The children came forward and tried pulling his arms. Finding his sinews and bones hard and firm, unlike those of an ordinary person, they were greatly astonished. The master said:

– Come and test your skills against me!

Having said this, they entered the hall together. The master walked horizontally along the wall from west to east for several hundred paces. With another bound, his head struck a roof beam three or four ren high. He could also pull a weight of as much as thirty thousand jin. The master's strength and agility caused everyone to be both awestruck and filled with admiration.

On one occasion, the master was staying at a monastery on Mount Tung Nhạc. There was a stream there whose water was sufficient only for a hundred members of the Sangha. At that time, a young woman appeared, dressed in coarse, shabby clothing and holding a broom. She sat beside the steps listening to the Sangha recite sutras. Not knowing that she was a deity, everyone scolded her and drove her away. Angered, the young woman kicked the stream with her foot. The water immediately dried up, and the deity vanished as well. Everyone then reported the matter to the master. The master called out:

– Upasika!

After he had called three times, the young woman appeared. The master said:

– This is a place where the Sangha practices the Way. You ought to protect and support it.

The young woman then stirred the stream with her foot, and water immediately gushed forth. Everyone regarded this as a wondrous event.

Later, the master went to practice in seclusion on Mount Vương Ốc^[30], west of Hoài Châu. One day, hearing two tigers fighting and roaring so loudly that the mountains and forests trembled, the master took up his khakkhara and went to separate them. Both tigers then departed.

On another occasion, the master suddenly saw two volumes of immortalist scriptures upon his bed and said:

– I practice according to the Buddha. Would I seek longevity in this realm?

As soon as the master had spoken, the two volumes vanished. Later, he moved to Mount Thanh La, where people afflicted with leprosy came to make offerings to him. Although they reeked and were covered with sores, the master accepted their offerings without the slightest aversion. Once, after sitting for a long time, his legs became weary, so he stretched them out. A deity came to support him and helped him resume the full-lotus posture. From then on, the master frequently entered meditative concentration, each time for seven days.

The emperor issued an edict summoning the master to the palace, but the master did not obey. Only after the emperor earnestly invited him by every possible means did the master consent. On the day the master was about to depart, both sides of the mountain gorge suddenly trembled, and sorrowful sounds rang out, causing people to feel anxious and afraid, while birds and beasts panicked and scattered in flight and flight. This continued for three days. The master turned back and said:

– Even birds and beasts possess a nature that esteems virtue and cherishes benevolence. Is it not that affection is easy to become entangled in, while freedom cannot easily be bound?

Thus, the master did not yield to sentiment and remain there, but shook his staff and proceeded to Chương Phủ.^[31] On one occasion, a visiting monk arrived carrying a khakkhara. As arrangements were being made for his lodging, the master asked him how many summer retreats he had completed.

The monk replied:

– I have seen a monastery built on this site three times.

After saying this, the monk vanished. Later, while digging a well, someone found two ornaments that had once adorned the two ends of the monastery roof.

Before the cave where the master meditated was a deep stream. One day, a man wearing a fur garment appeared. He was tall and large, with features like those of a man from the Western Regions. He set down a cauldron and lit a fire beneath it. When the water was about to boil, a huge snake suddenly crawled out of the stream and tried to enter the cauldron. The master kicked the cauldron aside, whereupon the snake crawled back into the stream, and the fur-clad man also vanished.

That night, a deity came and bowed at the master’s feet, saying:

– Every year, the disciple’s children are devoured by an evil deity. Now, because the children cherish their lives and do not wish to be surrendered, and because this disciple is old, feeble, and near death, I have come to offer myself in their place. I beseech you to employ your awe-inspiring power and help this disciple escape this calamity.

The master immediately sprayed water upon him, and in an instant it turned into mist.

At that time, someone slanderously reported to Emperor Tuyên that the master was obstinate and contemptuous of the sovereign. Emperor Tuyên became enraged and intended to go personally to harm the master. Although the master had never before entered the kitchen, upon perceiving what was about to happen, he went down and instructed the Sangha:

– Tomorrow, an honored guest will come here. Prepare abundant food to receive him.

During the fifth watch, the master readied a carriage and went to the entrance of the mountain, more than twenty miles from the monastery, where he stood alone by the road. Before long, the emperor arrived and, astonished, asked the reason. The master replied:

– I feared that my blood might defile this monastery, so I came here to await Your Majesty.

The emperor said to Dương Tuân Ngạn, Director of the Department of State Affairs:

– How could such a true adept have slandered me!

The emperor then turned to the master and said:

– We have never witnessed a miraculous manifestation of the Buddha-Dharma. Can you show one to us?

The master replied:

– That is not the work of a śramaṇa.

But the emperor persisted in his request, so the master spread his kāṣāya upon the ground. The emperor ordered more than ten men to lift it, but they could not move it at all. The master then told a śrāmaṇera to try, and he picked it up with ease.

Lady Liễu, the wife of Đỗ Xương in Tung Dương,^[32] was deeply jealous. One day, while Đỗ Xương was washing his hair, he ordered a maidservant named Kim Kinh to comb it. Overcome with jealousy, Lady Liễu cut off two of Kim Kinh’s fingers. Before long, a fox bit off two of Lady Liễu’s fingers. There was also a maidservant named Ngọc Liên, who sang and played music beautifully. Đỗ Xương constantly praised and favored her. Seeing this, Lady Liễu cut out the woman’s tongue. Before long, Lady Liễu’s own tongue became ulcerated. When her illness grew critical, she went to the master to seek repentance. Having foreknown the matter, the master said:

– Your heart is deeply afflicted by jealousy. Formerly, you cut off two fingers of a maidservant, and so you yourself lost two fingers. Now you have cut out another person’s tongue, and thus your own tongue has become like this. If you repent with utmost sincerity, you may survive.

Lady Liễu earnestly bowed and repented. After seven days, the master loudly recited a mantra. At that very moment, two snakes, each more than a foot long, crawled out of Lady Liễu’s mouth. As the master continued reciting the mantra, they fell to the ground. Afterward, Lady Liễu’s tongue also recovered.

When the master was about to enter nirvana, many extraordinary fragrances filled the monastery, and all who smelled them gave rise to reverence. On that day, the emperor ordered the fourfold assembly^[33], the monasteries, and tens of thousands of people to bring a thousand pieces of fragrant wood to the monastery. At precisely noon, the cremation was held. Everyone wailed so grievously that the mountains and rivers seemed to tremble. Suddenly, several hundred white birds gathered around and above the cremation ground, uttering mournful cries. After a long while, they flew away.

BẢO CÔNG

The master was a native of Cao Thê in Tung Sơn. One morning, he set out from Lâm Lự and ascended Mount Bạch Lộc. Because he lost his way, it was nearly noon when he arrived.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a bell and followed it. After crossing rugged mountains, he saw a lofty monastery deep within the forest, facing south, majestic and resplendent. Approaching the gate, he saw a plaque inscribed “Linh Ẩn Monastery.” Outside the gate were five or six enormous dogs, their coats mottled black and white.

Some ran about while others lay down, glaring at him. The master was frightened and was about to turn back when he saw a monk from the Western Regions entering from outside. The master called to him, but the monk neither replied nor looked back, proceeding directly through the gate.

The pack of dogs followed behind him.

A short while later, the master saw many people entering the monastery one after another. Buildings and chambers were arranged on all four sides, but they were all tightly shut. The master entered the Dharma hall and saw many high seats, so he sat upon the one in the southwest. Before long, he suddenly heard a sound in the eastern chamber. Looking up, he saw an opening as wide as the mouth of a well. Some fifty or sixty bhikṣus flew in through that opening one after another and took their seats in order. They then asked one another:

– Where did each of you receive the meal offering today before coming here?

Some said they had gone to Dự Chương; others to Thành Đô, Trường An, Lũng Hữu, Kế Bắc, Lĩnh Nam, the Five Regions of India, and various other places everywhere. Some had traveled thousands or even tens of thousands of miles.

Finally, a monk descended through the air. Everyone asked him:

– Why have you arrived so late?

The monk replied:

– Today, at Bỉ Ngạn Monastery east of Tương Châu City, Chan Master Giám gave a Dharma discourse, and many people engaged in debate. There was an intelligent and talented young man whose probing questions were incisive and exceptionally brilliant. I continued listening and lost track of the time!

Previously, the monk had been a disciple of Chan Master Jian. Upon hearing this, he wished to go and pay him a visit. He therefore adjusted his robes, stood up, and addressed the Sangha:

– Chan Master Jian is this poor monk’s teacher!

The monks all looked at him. Suddenly, Lingyin Monastery and the entire Sangha vanished, leaving him alone, seated beneath a hewn tree,^[34] with not a person in sight. He saw only mountain caves and birds wheeling through the air and singing. The monk returned and related the matter to Dharma Master Shangtong. The Dharma Master said:

– That monastery was built by Fotudeng during the time of the Later Zhao under the Shi clan.^[35] Many years have passed since then. It is a place inhabited only by sages and holy ones. They appear and disappear, moving about without any fixed abode.

Even today, practitioners who visit this mountain can still faintly hear the sound of bells.

MASTER A NGOC

Neither the monk’s native place nor his personal and family names are known. It is known only that, before Erzhu was destroyed, he lived in Jinyang and traveled throughout its villages. He did not reside in a monastery but often entered populous settlements. His speech was strange, yet everything he said came true. Therefore, whenever he entered a marketplace, great crowds followed him. He would often point at his belly and cry aloud:

– How pitiable are the ignorant common people, who do not recognize this bald-headed master of Bingzhou!

From then on, everyone called him A Ngoc.

After Shenwu of the Qi dynasty moved the capital to Ye, he regarded the Jinyang region as a strategic base for military operations and the foundation of the royal enterprise, and therefore continually kept his headquarters in Bingzhou. At that time, the monk also came to the capital of Ye. Secret military affairs had not yet been conveyed beyond the army encampment, yet the monk had already disclosed them to the people beforehand. At the end of that year, Shenwu seized him and confined him within the city, ordering men to guard him closely and saying, “If you allow him to escape, you will be severely punished.”

That very day, apparitions of the monk were seen leaving through all three gates of Bingzhou. The officers and soldiers exerted every effort to stop him, but to no avail. Before long, a man arriving from Beizhou told everyone:

– On the eighth day of the fourth month, Master A Ngoc passed away at Yanmen. The local people brought incense and flowers and buried him outside the city.

When the people of Bingzhou heard this, they laughed in astonishment and said:

– On the eighth day of the fourth month, we all saw Master A Ngoc walking eastward from Fen Bridge, wearing a sandal on one foot while the other was bare. We simply did not know which village he was going to. How can you say that he died at Yanmen?

Upon hearing this, the man returned to Beizhou and reported it to the people of his settlement. Together they opened the monk’s grave and, sure enough, found nothing inside but a single sandal.

Later, the monk returned once more to Bingzhou. Shenwu of the Qi dynasty charged that he did not observe the rules and was always uttering reckless words that disturbed the populace, and so ordered him executed by the prescribed method for sorcerers. Because a sramana has no hair, a rope was fastened around his head. On the day he was led to the execution ground, all the people of Bingzhou came to watch. The monk merely remained silent and smiled.

Six or seven days later, a man arriving from the Hexi tribes said:

– On my journey here, I encountered Master A Ngoc. His appearance was the same as before, except that he carried with him a rope that had been tied around his head. I greeted him, but he did not reply and hurried westward.

SHI SENGDA

The monk’s family name was Li, and he was a native of Shanggu. He left home at the age of fifteen and traveled to seek instruction in Beidai, making the hearing of the Dharma and spiritual cultivation his life’s work.

After the monk had just left Yingshan Monastery and was nearing the mouth of the valley, a tiger suddenly blocked his path. He silently said:

– This poor monk wishes to establish a monastery to create merit for sentient beings throughout the netherworld. If you are willing to comply, please move aside.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tiger departed. When the monastery had been completed, great numbers of monks came from everywhere to practice there.

Later, the monk intended to return to the capital, Jianye. That night, a deity clad in yellow came, knelt before him, bowed at his feet, and said:

– This disciple is Dai Shanhu, ruler of this region of the Three Valleys. I have prepared all the necessary offerings. I beg you to remain here.

The monk said:

– The benefit I can bring on this mountain is not as great as that in Jingzhou. This poor monk teaches beings according to circumstances; please do not hinder me.

The following night, someone again came and knocked at the door, identifying herself as the wife of the mountain deity. She said:

– I had no time during the day, so I have come only now to bow at your feet.

Having spoken, she presented a basket of rice-flour cakes and continued:

– The members of the Sangha regard all equally. When you worship the Buddha and recite sutras, please invoke my name and pray on my behalf!

The monk replied:

– You should take the cakes back. From now on, whenever this poor monk worships the Buddha, I shall certainly invoke your name and pray for you.

From then on, whenever he worshiped the Buddha, he invoked her name with every bow. He also instructed his disciple Daoshuang to recite the Golden Light Sutra^[36] and pray on her behalf.

More than a month later, a tiger came and carried off a dog. Upon hearing the news, the monk immediately said:

– This must be because that young practitioner was negligent and failed to recite the sutra and dedicate the merit to the donor.

The monk questioned him, and the young practitioner replied:

– On that day, I recited only the Vimalakirti Sutra.^[37]

The monk then burned incense, worshiped the Buddha, and said:

– Although a different sutra was recited yesterday, the merit and virtue from it also belong to the donor. If there is a spiritual response, please release the dog and let it return.

The next morning, the dog indeed returned, with the mark of a bite still visible on its head.

One day, the monk fell slightly ill. Sitting upright upon his bed, he recited the Heart Sutra of Prajnaparamita.^[38] With body and mind serene, he peacefully passed away at Honggushan Monastery at the age of eighty-two.

SHI XUANSHUANG

The monk’s family name was Zhao, and he was a native of Jincheng in Hexi. When he was still a child, his family was slaughtered by Xiongnu raiders. As they were about to kill him, the enemy commander stopped them, saying:

– The light in this child’s eyes shines outward. He is no ordinary child.

Having said this, the commander released him. Thereafter, the monk went to Liangzhou and left home. Later, when the Xiongnu raiders became savage, destroying the Buddha-Dharma and killing sramanas, he alone escaped the calamity.

On the seventeenth day of the intercalary fifth month in the twenty-second year of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴⁴⁵⁾, the monk traveled from Pingcheng to Shanggu in Dai Commandery, then proceeded eastward, crossed the Taihang Mountains, and reached Youzhou and Jizhou. He then traveled south to Mengjin. He carried nothing but a bundle of willow twigs^[39] and scallion leaves. When the Xiongnu cavalry was about to overtake him, he used the bundle of willow twigs to stir up clouds of sand, preventing both men and horses from advancing. After a while, the sand settled and the raiders resumed their pursuit. The monk then plunged into the river, placed scallion leaves in his nostrils so that he could breathe, and swam across.

On the first day of the eighth month, the monk arrived in Yangzhou. By then, he had thoroughly mastered the sutras and Vinaya and deeply comprehended the essential principles of Chan. He could foretell auspicious and inauspicious events with remarkable accuracy.

Toward the end of the Song dynasty, the monk boarded a boat bound for Chengdu and resided at Dashi Monastery, where he personally painted images of sixteen deities, including Vajrapani Guhyakadhipati. In the third year of the Shengming era ⁽⁴⁷⁹⁾, he traveled west to view the scenery of the Min mountain ranges and reached Guangyang County, north of Minshan Commandery. There he saw the majestic Mount Qihou and resolved to remain there for the rest of his life, so he bound grasses together to make a hermitage beside a mountain cave.

Later, his disciple Faqi saw a divine being on horseback, clad in a blue unlined robe, circle the mountain once and then return to indicate the place where a stupa should be erected.

On the twenty-third day of the fourth month in the first year of the Jianyuan era ⁽⁴⁷⁹⁾ of the Qi dynasty, the monk established Qixing Monastery. Subsequently, Crown Prince Hui repeatedly sent emissaries bearing imperial decrees to invite him. Seeing that he could no longer decline, the monk boarded a boat and traveled eastward, but fell ill on the way. When he reached the capital, the fourfold assembly received him with reverence. Not long afterward, he passed away at the age of sixty-nine.

SHI TANCHAO

The master's family name was Zhang, and he was a native of Qinghe. He stood eight chi tall and had a dignified and handsome appearance. His diet was extremely simple; he ate only one meal a day and wore coarse cloth robes.

At first, the master resided at Longhua Monastery in the capital. Near the end of the Yuanjia era ⁽⁴³³⁾, he journeyed south to Shuixing and traveled throughout the mountains and rivers. He often slept alone beneath pine trees, yet tigers and leopards did him no harm.

Around the Daming era ⁽⁴⁵⁷⁾, the master returned to the capital. When Emperor Taizu of Qi ascended the throne, he issued an edict inviting the master to Liaodong to propagate the Dharma of meditation. The master remained there for two years, spreading the teachings.

Near the end of the Jianyuan era ⁽⁴⁸³⁾, the master returned to the capital. Before long, he went again to Mount Lingyin^[40] in Qiantang^[41]. Whenever he entered samadhi, he would often remain so for many days. Suddenly, one day, he saw a man come to pay homage and say:

– This disciple dwells at a waterfall seven li from here. Because the people of Fuyang County have excavated the foot of the mountain and damaged the dwellings of the dragons, the dragons became extremely enraged and vowed not to send rain for three hundred days. A hundred days have now passed, and the fields and soil are parched. Therefore, this disciple entreats a virtuous master to come and transform the dragons so that they will pour down beneficent rain to moisten all the people. If this can be accomplished, your merit will be immense.

When the master agreed, the deity immediately disappeared. Traveling southward, the master reached Mount Chicheng five days later and recited invocations on behalf of the dragons. That night, the dragons transformed themselves into human beings and came to pay homage. The master taught them the Dharma, whereupon they all requested refuge and disclosed that they were originally dragons. The master said:

– You should send down rain.

But they merely looked at one another and gave no reply. That night, the dragons appeared in a dream and reported:

– It was because of our anger that we made such a vow. Now that you have instructed us in goodness, we dare not disobey your words. At noon tomorrow, rain will fall.

Just as promised, heavy rain fell at noon the following day. Thanks to this, the people enjoyed a good harvest that year.

In the tenth year of the Yongming era ⁽⁴⁹²⁾, the master passed away at the age of seventy-four.

FADU

The master was a native of Huanglong and moved to Jinling during the Southern Qi dynasty. At that time, in Qi Commandery there was an eminent recluse named Sengshao who lived in seclusion on Mount Nie in Langya. Sengshao revered the master as a true cultivator and received him as his teacher.

After Sengshao died, the mountain where he had lived in seclusion was developed into Qixia Monastery. Previously, a Daoist priest had seized the monastery's land and built a Daoist temple there, but not long after taking up residence, he died. The Daoist temple was subsequently converted into a Buddhist monastery, yet everyone who stayed there was harassed by demons. From the time the master arrived, this ceased to occur.

More than a year later, the master suddenly heard the sounds of people and horses, drums, and horns. Before long, he saw a man approach him and say:

– This disciple's name is Jin Shang.

The master said:

– Come here!

Jin Shang was handsome and refined in appearance, and a great many attendants followed him. After bowing at the master's feet, Jin Shang said:

– This disciple has governed this mountain for more than seven hundred years. Deities possess laws of their own, which other kinds of beings do not have. From ancient times until now, those who came to reside here, if they were not upright persons, successively fell ill and died; that too was their destined fate. Dharma Master, you are a person of virtue. This disciple wishes to make offerings to you and vows to receive the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, thereby forming an affinity for a future life.

The master replied:

– Humans and deities are not alike, and it is difficult for them to live in harmony. Moreover, donor, you consume flesh and blood offered by people of the world, and this is forbidden by the Five Precepts.

Jin Shang replied:

– If so, this disciple will first instruct his followers to abandon killing living beings.

Having said this, the deity took his leave and departed.

The following day, a man came and presented the master with ten thousand coins, incense, candles, and other things, saying:

– These are offerings from this disciple Jin Shang.

On the fifteenth day of that month, the master established a vegetarian ritual assembly for Jin Shang. Jin Shang and his subordinates came to pay homage, practice walking meditation, and receive the precepts, after which they departed. Subsequently, spirit mediums at the shrine on Mount Nie dreamed that the deity told them:

– I have received the precepts from Dharma Master Du. From now on, no living beings may be killed in making sacrificial offerings!

From then on, only rice and vegetables were offered in the shrine.

On one occasion, the master fell asleep on the ground from exhaustion after working. He then saw Jin Shang enter from outside, stretch out his hands to touch the master's head and feet, and leave. Before long, Jin Shang returned carrying a crystal bowl filled with water and offered it to the master. When the master drank it, he found it sweet and cool, and all his weariness vanished. Such were the master's miraculous responses.

SHI HUIZHEN

The master's family name is unknown. He resided at Yuanmen Monastery in Shangdang. He strictly observed the Vinaya and devoted himself to meditation and repentance. Later, when the state destroyed the Three Jewels, the master carried scriptures and sacred images into concealment deep within the forest. One day, bandits came intending to rob him, but the master was entirely unaware of them. Suddenly, he saw a tall, imposing man with a full beard and handsome features, dressed in magnificent garments and riding a white horse with a red mane, come straight down from the mountain summit to stand before him. Dismounting, the man said:

– Bandits will come tonight. Master, you should flee at once.

At that time, the master was beside a deep precipice, with no other road anywhere around him. He thought that this person must be the mountain deity. He therefore said:

– Now that the Buddha-Dharma has been destroyed, this humble monk has nowhere to shelter and has therefore come to seek refuge with you, donor. If bandits come today, this humble monk can only stand and await death; I do not know where I could flee!

The deity said:

– Master, you have come here from afar. This disciple will do everything in his power to assist you.

Having said this, the deity immediately vanished. That night, a great snowstorm suddenly arose, piling snow more than a zhang deep and blocking every path. The master was thereby spared from the bandits. The next day, the sky cleared and the clouds dispersed; the snow melted, and the roads became passable. The bandits returned to search for the master. The deity then went to inform the villagers at the foot of the mountain:

– Bandits intend to kill Master Huizhen. You must quickly go and rescue him.

The villagers all took up knives and staves and entered the mountain to resist the bandits, who fled in terror. Through the awe-inspiring power of the deity, the master lived safely on the mountain. It is not known when he later entered nirvana.

SENGQUN

The master lived simply and frugally, eating only vegetables and fruit, and devoted himself wholeheartedly to reciting scriptures. He built a thatched hermitage at the foot of Mount Huo in Luojiang County. This mountain stood alone amid the open sea. On the mountain was a large stone bowl capable of holding water to a depth of six chi, and its water was always clear and cool. According to the accounts of the elders, this had been a dwelling place of immortals, and there the master abstained from food.

Between the master's dwelling and the stone bowl lay a small stream. The master placed a tree trunk across it as a bridge by which he went to fetch water. When he was one hundred and thirty years old, he one day saw a duck with a broken wing lying on the bridge. He intended to use his staff to help it up, but, fearing that he might injure it, he turned back. From then on, the master refused to drink water, and several days later he passed away. Before that, he had told his disciples:

– In my youth, I broke a duck's wing. Upon examining this event, it is indeed an omen!

Notes:

^[1] Changdao 唱導: lecturing on scriptures and teaching the Dharma.

^[2] Jincheng 金城: the imperial capital.

^[3] Fan and Deng 樊鄧: The name of a region belonging to the state of Fan during the Spring and Autumn period and the locality of Yizhi in the state of Deng; it is now in the vicinity of Rangfan Market in Hubei Province and Deng County in Henan Province.

^[4] Dujiang 都講: From the Wei and Jin dynasties onward, whenever a Buddhist assembly was opened to lecture on a scripture, one person would intone the scripture and another would explain it. The one who intoned the scripture was called the Dujiang, while the one who explained it was called the Dharma Master.

^[5] Jiubu 九部: the nine divisions among the twelve divisions of the scriptures, excluding three divisions: Vaipulya, Prophecies, and Spontaneous Discourses.

^[6] The Four Agamas: 四部阿含: the four classes of sutras in the Chinese-language Hinayana canon: the Dirgha Agama, Madhyama Agama, Ekottarika Agama, and Samyukta Agama.

^[7] La-vân 羅云: another name for Rahula.

^[8] Dīpaṃkara and the Youthful Brahmin Spreading Out His Hair 定光儒童布髮: a painting of the Youthful Brahmin Bodhisattva spreading out his hair for Dīpaṃkara Buddha to walk across.

^[9] The Second Fruit 二果: the second of the four fruits of the śrāvaka path, namely, the fruit of once-returning (sakṛdāgāmin).

^[10] Thất 匹: an ancient Chinese unit of length. In former times, four zhang in length constituted one thất.

^[11] Holding a Court Tablet 秉笏: a large tablet, made of bamboo in ancient times and later of ivory, which officials held in their hands when attending court. If they wished to present something to the king, they wrote it on this tablet.

^[12] Julu 鉅鹿: formerly named Huze; it is now situated north of Julu County, Hebei Province.

^[13] Mount Lu 廬山: the name of a mountain south of Jiujiang Market in Jiangxi Province.

^[14] Qingyuan Monastery 青園寺: a monastery at the foot of Mount Fuzhou, on the outskirts of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. It was founded by Empress Chu Gongsi during the Eastern Jin dynasty. Zhu Daosheng once resided at this monastery and lectured on the doctrine of sudden awakening and the attainment of Buddhahood.

^[15] The Later Chapter of the Nirvana Sutra 涅槃後品: the later chapter of the Nirvana Sutra.

^[16] Icchantika 闡提: (explanation: from “icchantika”); this refers to sentient beings who delight in and desire samsara and do not seek liberation from it. Therefore, the Lankavatara Sutra often says that icchantikas will never attain Buddhahood. The doctrine that icchantikas can attain Buddhahood originates in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra. Its fundamental idea is that Buddha-nature abides eternally and is possessed by all; even when the roots of goodness have been severed, this Buddha-nature still abides eternally and remains unchanged.

^[17] Mount Tiger Hill 虎丘山: a mountain northwest of Wu County, Jiangsu Province, China. At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, King Fuchai of the state of Wu buried his father, Helü, here. Tradition relates that three days after the burial, a white tiger appeared upon the grave mound, and it was therefore called Tiger Hill. Another account states that the mountain was so named because its shape resembles a seated tiger.

^[18] Jibin 罽賓: also called the country of Jibin or the country of Yebin, the name of a country in the Western Regions during the Han dynasty.

^[19] Dharma service 法事: a rite practiced by monks and nuns, such as making offerings to the Buddha, repentance, sutra recitation, and Dharma exposition.

^[20] The nai tree 柰: a kind of Western apple.

^[21] Zhongxing Monastery 中興寺: a monastery in Jianjiang, Jiangsu Province, now Ningjiang County, China. During the Jin dynasty, the bhikshu Zhu Fayi entered nirvana and was buried here. His disciples built a dwelling beside his grave, which later became a monastery.

^[22] The Cinnamon Palace 桂宮: a designation for the imperial palace.

^[23] Dinglin Monastery 定林寺: a monastery in Jiangling Village, at the foot of Mount Zhong, Nanjing, China, built by Huijue in 424. The monastery comprised two establishments: Lower Dinglin, the original monastery, and Upper Dinglin, built by Dharmamitra in 433.

^[24] Song and Hua 嵩華: a collective designation for Mount Hua and Mount Song.

^[25] The Five Sciences 五明 (Skt. pañca vidyā-sthānāni): the five branches of learning in ancient India. They are the science of language, the science of logic, the science of medicine, the science of arts and crafts, and the inner science.

^[26] Avatamsaka 華嚴: explanation: (from the Mahavaipulya Buddhavatamsaka Sutra), an important scripture of Mahayana Buddhism. It is also the Dharma teaching of inner realization that the Tathagata proclaimed to advanced bodhisattvas such as Bodhisattva Manjushri and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra after attaining enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree.

^[27] Rouran 蠕蠕: the name of an ancient northern tribe of China.

^[28] Luo River 洛水: the name of an ancient river, now the Luo River in Henan Province.

^[29] Lord of the Devas 天帝: the lord of the Trayastrimsha Heaven. His clan name is Shakra, and he is therefore called Shakra, Lord of the Devas.

^[30] Wangwu 王屋: the name of a mountain in Yangcheng, Shaanxi.

^[31] Zhang and Fu Rivers 漳滏: the names of rivers.

^[32] Songyang 嵩陽: situated south of Mount Song.

^[33] The Fourfold Assembly 四部: also called the four assemblies (Skt. catasraḥ parṣadaḥ; Pali: catasso parisā). These are bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas; alternatively, the four assemblies of renunciants: bhikshus, bhikshunis, shramaneras, and shramanerikas.

^[34] The zuo tree 柞木: a tree whose leaves have sharp serrations; in ancient times, its wood was used to make hair combs.

^[35] Shi 石: that is, Shi Le.

^[36] The Golden Light Sutra 金光明經 (Skt. Suvarṇaprabhāsottama-sūtra): a scripture in four fascicles, translated by Dharmakṣema during the Northern Liang dynasty of China and included in volume 16 of the Taisho Tripitaka.

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

^[37] The Vimalakirti Sutra 維摩經 (Skt. Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa; also called the Sutra Spoken by Vimalakirti, the Vimalakirti Sutra, and the Sutra of Inconceivable Liberation): a scripture in three fascicles and fourteen chapters, translated by Kumarajiva during the Later Qin dynasty and included in volume 14 of the Taisho Tripitaka.

The purpose of this sutra is to expound the Dharma gateway of inconceivable liberation realized by Vimalakirti. Grounded in the prajnaparamita teaching of emptiness, it elucidates the truth and practice of Mahayana Buddhism, while also clarifying the role of the bodhisattva path and the virtuous practices of lay householders.

^[38] The Prajnaparamita Sutras 般若經 (Skt. Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra): scriptures; this is the abbreviated designation for the collection of scriptures that expound the profound principle of prajnaparamita. The older translation is “Prajna Paramita Sutra,” while the newer translation is “Prajnaparamita Sutra.” There are ten collections, including the Larger Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Smaller Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Great Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Diamond Sutra; all belong to the Prajnaparamita scriptures.

^[39] Willow twig 楊枝 (Skt. danta-kāṣṭha; also called tooth wood): a small, thin piece of wood used to clean the teeth and scrape the tongue. It is one of the eight articles that the Buddha prescribed for a practicing bhikshu.

^[40] Mount Lingyin 靈隱山 (also called Mount Wulin, Lingyuan, and Xianju): situated beside West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, it is one of the five mountains of Chinese Buddhism.

^[41] Qiantang 錢唐: the name of an ancient county, now part of Zhejiang Province.