Preface to the Biographies of Eminent Monks of the Great Ming Dynasty

The Venerable Shì Rúxīng of the Cíyún Chan Temple on Mount Tiantai, in the Great Ming Dynasty

The World-Honored Shakyamuni was born in the Western Regions during the Zhou Dynasty, in the year of Jiayin under King Zhao. After attaining enlightenment and entering nirvana, over a thousand years passed until the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, when Kasyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna first brought Buddhism to China. The emperor established the White Horse Temple to house them. From then on, Buddhism flourished, and the community of monks gradually grew. Thus, figures such as Kang Senghui from the Wu Kingdom, Shi Dao'an, Bao Zhi, Sengchou, Zhi Dun, and Dharmakshema from the Jin Dynasty emerged. Holy monks and renowned masters left their traces across the land, their profound teachings and lofty discourses filling the records. How could historians remain silent? Therefore, during the Six Dynasties, Master Huiyuan of Mount Lu, the Vinaya Master Daoxuan of the Tang Dynasty, and Zanning of the Song Dynasty compiled monastic histories and biographies of eminent monks, each in several volumes.

Moreover, the Great Master Bodhidharma, knowing from afar that the time was ripe in China, traveled tens of thousands of miles to transmit the special teaching outside the scriptures. Through six generations, it reached Caoxi, where the Way flourished greatly. Passing further to Qingyuan, Nanyue, Mazu, and Shitou, its branches spread wide and its sources ran deep. Truly, it was like the transformation of Lu, reaching the ultimate Way. Later, Baizhang established the rules for monastic communities, and with the opening of halls, entering of chambers, raising of whisks, and lifting of staffs, the 1,700 cases of entangled vines spread throughout the world. First, Chan Master Daoyuan, Scholar Yang Dayan, and Imperial Son-in-Law Li Zunxu compiled various records of the transmission of the lamp, each in several volumes.

During our Great Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chengzu, in his leisure amidst myriad affairs, selected extraordinary accounts from monastic histories and lamp records, compiling them into the *Biographies of Divine Monks*, also in several volumes. Ah, this can indeed be called a grand compilation! Confucius wrote the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, and treacherous ministers and wicked sons feared; Sima Qian wrote the *Records of the Grand Historian*, and the unworthy of the world felt shame. Now, with such a work in our Buddhist tradition, it will not only prevent monastics from becoming parasites within the lion’s body but also inspire them to emulate the virtuous, silently comprehending what lies beyond words, thereby avoiding ruin. How immeasurable is its value!

However, monastic histories began with Emperor Ming of Han, and lamp records trace back to the Seven Buddhas, both ending with the Song Dynasty. Only the *Biographies of Divine Monks* extends to the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Since the rise of the Ming Dynasty, with Emperor Taizu founding the state, the nation’s governance has surpassed the Three Dynasties, and the flourishing of Buddhism has exceeded that of the Tang and Song. Yet, works such as monastic histories and lamp records remain scarce and unheard of—truly lamentable! However, those among us with power do not take it to heart, and those with aspiration lack the opportunity. Are the figures of our Great Ming Dynasty truly inferior to those of the Tang and Song?

In the year Gengzi, I collated and published the *Jintang Compilation* of previous dynasties. This year, I have gathered protectors of the Dharma from our Great Ming Dynasty to supplement what was missing. Occasionally, I found records of renowned monks in historical annals, collected writings, and literary collections. Moved by joy, I recorded them, compiling brief accounts of several individuals from the Southern Song Dynasty to the present. I have titled it *Biographies of Eminent Monks of the Great Ming Dynasty*, to serve as a resource for future historians. Thus, it is recorded.

Written at the Prajna Hall of the Shurangama Monastery in Jiaxing, on an auspicious day in mid-summer, the year Ding-Si of the Wanli era of the Great Ming Dynasty.

Great Ming Biographies of Eminent Monks, Volume 1

Compiled by Monk Shi Ruxing of the Ciyun Chan Temple on Mount Tiantai during the Great Ming Dynasty