University of Virginia Library

4. The Liang Dynasty
(502-557)

52. Ching-hsiu

[OMITTED]

The nun Ching-hsiu (Pure Refinement) (418-506) of Meditation
Grove Convent

Ching-hsiu's secular surname was Liang,[1] and her family was originally
from Wu-shih in An-ting [northwest of the old northern capital
of Ch'ang-an].[2] Her grandfather, Liang Ch'ou, was a military commander
of the title marshal in charge of subjugating barbarians; her
father, Liang Ts'an-chih, was the marquis of Tu-hsiang in Lung-ch'uan
County [in the far south of the country].[3]

Ching-hsiu, when still very young, besides being intelligent, liked
performing compassionate deeds. At the age of seven she took up the
observance of the Buddhist vegetarian regulations on her own. The
family had requested monks to come to recite the Nirvāna Scripture,
and, when Ching-hsiu heard the section that talks about giving up fish
and flesh, she thereupon became a vegetarian, but she did not dare to
let her parents know.[4] If she was served any flesh food, she would
secretly throw it away. After receiving the obligation for the five fundamental
precepts of Buddhism from the foreign monk P'u-lien, she
kept them scrupulously without once transgressing.[5] Day and night
she ceaselessly offered worship and recited and chanted the scriptures.
When she was twelve, she sought to leave the secular life, but her parents
forbade it. After she had learned to write, she often copied out
scriptures. Whatever valuables she had she used entirely for meritorious
deeds, neither enjoying secular pleasures nor wearing silks and
brocades nor applying any cosmetics. In this way she lived until she
was twenty-nine years old, at which time she finally received permission
to become a nun.[6]

Ching-hsiu became a disciple of the nun Yeh-shou (no. 30) of Green
Garden Convent, whom she served in absolute sincerity, all the while
fearing that she was not coming up to the mark. Day and night, without
remiss, she cultivated the threefold Buddhist work [of morality,
meditation, and wisdom]. In every communal effort she took the lead,
laboring without stint and taking on the most difficult matters. Benevolent
deities were always nearby respectfully protecting her. At that
time a certain Mr. Ma, whom the world considered divinely sagacious,
saw Ching-hsiu and predicted, "This nun will be born in the
Tushita Heaven."

One night three nuns were sitting in meditation in the Buddha Hall
when they suddenly heard a voice in the air like the bellowing of a
bull, which frightened two of them. Ching-hsiu alone retained her
composure and went to her room to fetch a candle. After her return to
the hall, as soon as she began to go up the steps they again heard a
voice saying, "Nuns, make way, Master of Meditation Ching-hsiu is
returning."

On another occasion she was sitting in meditation with several
other nuns in the meditation hall. One of the nuns who had dozed off
was snoring. In her sleep she saw a person supporting the hall with his
head who said, "Do not startle the nun Ching-hsiu with your snoring."
Another time after that when she was sitting in meditation together
with all the other nuns, one of them briefly stood up to return to her
room, but she saw an apparition of a person who clapped his hands to
stop her, saying, "Do not disturb the nun Ching-hsiu."

In her behavior toward everyone Ching-hsiu followed all the
monastic regulations and standards.

She wanted to request the master of the law Yao[7] to lecture on the
text The Sarvāstivāda Monastic Rules in Ten Recitations,[8] but she had
only one thousand in cash and was distressed that the money might
not be enough to complete the arrangements. That night in a dream
she saw a flock of ravens, magpies, mynahs, and sparrows, each riding
in a carriage appropriate to its size and singing together, "We are
going to help the nun Ching-hsiu arrange the lecture," and, when she
began to plan for it, seventy donors vied to give her fine offerings.

Later, she also invited the master of monastic rules Fa-ying (416482)
to give a lecture again on The Sarvāstivāda Monastic Rules in
Ten Recitations.[9] On the first day of the lectures the water in the water
jar became fragrant spontaneously. On that day, because she was the

only one sitting in attendance for the lecture and she feared that she
might be transgressing the rule [forbidding a nun from sitting alone
with a monk], Ching-hsiu consulted the master of monastic rules who
replied, "You are not transgressing the rule."

Ching-hsiu, observing that the rest of the nuns were not living in
complete accordance with all the requirements of the religious life,
lamented, "[The Buddha] the great fountain himself, is not yet so far
in the past; but the springs of his teaching are slowing to a trickle.[10] If
I do not rectify myself, how can I guide others?" Therefore she carried
out the mānatta ceremony for the confession of offenses against the
monastic rule, she herself confessing her own faults.[11] When the
Assembly of Nuns saw what she was doing, they, too, followed suit
and, reflecting on their behavior and desiring to make amends, confessed
their faults in a spirit of contrition.

In the seventh year of the yüan-chia reign period (430) of Sung, the
foreign monk Gunavarman (ca. 367-ca. 431) arrived at the capital.[12]
His knowledge and practice of the monastic rules and regulations were
of the highest caliber, and from him Ching-hsiu received once again
the full obligation to observe the monastic precepts. Nevertheless,
because the rest of the nuns at Green Garden Convent had a different
understanding, she wished to live elsewhere so that, exteriorly—
observing strictly the monastic rules—and interiorly—resting peacefully
in the silence of meditation—she might come near to satisfying
her religious intentions.

In the seventh year and eighth month of the ta-ming reign period
(463), the princess of Nan-ch'ang of Sung and Huang Hsiu-i together
donated a suitable piece of land to build a convent. In the construction
work Ching-hsiu, wearing hempen clothing and eating coarse vegetables,
personally carried mud and tile, laboring strenuously from morning
until night. In the building of the shrines and the making of the
statues, there was nothing that was not provided to complete the project.
The more-than-ten nuns who lived together with Ching-hsiu in
the new convent all practiced meditation as their work, and, in the
third year of the t'ai-shih reign period (467), Emperor Ming (439465-472)
decreed that the convent should be named Meditation
Grove Convent to identify the work of those who had gathered
there.[13]

Ching-hsiu copied many scriptures in her own hand and placed
them on a specially built scripture platform housed in the convent.

Throughout the day the two Sāgara Dragon King brothers, to show
their protection and support, left footprints that were seen by everyone
who came to the convent.[14] Each time she made offerings to the
Holy Monk [Pindola] strange tracks appeared on the fruit and food.[15]

As another example of her sanctity, once she held a seven-day offering
ceremony for the holy arhats, solitary Buddhas, and bodhisattvas.[16]
From the beginning to the end of the ritual she concentrated her
mind and fixed her thoughts, whereupon she saw two foreign monks
gesticulating and talking. One was called Mikhala and the other
Bhikhala. Because the color of the robes that they wore was like ripe
mulberry fruit, Ching-hsiu then dyed her clothing with mud to match
the color she had seen.[17] On another day she held a ceremony for the
five hundred arhats of the Himalayan Lake Anavatapta and for the
five hundred arhats of Kashmir.[18] Finally, she invited the monks in the
capital to attend a two-day assembly.[19] On the second day a foreign
monk appeared, and everyone there thought it suspicious. When they
made an inquiry, he said that he had come from Kashmir a year ago.
They asked the gatekeeper to keep watch on him. Many people saw
him go out through the Sung-lin Gate, walk ten-some steps farther and
then suddenly disappear.

On another occasion when she held a ceremony of inviting the Holy
Monk Pindola to bathe, all was quiet both within and without the
hall, except for the sound of the dipper ladling water, indicating that
Pindola was truly present.[20] Ching-hsiu's auspicious omens and unusual
spiritual experiences were all of this type.

The Ch'i heir apparent, Wen-hui (458-493), and the prince of
Ching-ling, Wen-hsüan (460-494), treated her with great honor,
making donations to her all the time.[21] Ching-hsiu grew old and feeble
and was unable to walk. In the third year of the t'ien-chien reign
period (504) of the Liang dynasty she received imperial permission to
ride in a sedan chair to the imperial palace. On the seventeenth day of
the sixth month of the fifth year (506), she became severely ill and
depressed, unable to eat or drink. On the nineteenth day of the sixth
month the master of the law Hui-ling of P'eng-ch'eng Monastery
dreamed of an extraordinarily beautiful pavilion that he was told was
the palace in Tushita Heaven.

When he saw Ching-hsiu within it, Hui-ling requested of her,
"When you attain birth in that excellent place, do not forget to receive
me there."

Ching-hsiu replied, "Because you, Master of the Law, are a great
man widely conversant in the scriptures and religion of Buddhism, you
shall surely live in this superlative land."

When Hui-ling heard that Ching-hsiu was sick, he went to see her
and to tell her about his dream.

On the thirteenth day of the seventh month, she improved slightly,
and in a dream she saw people on the west side of the Buddha Hall
welcoming her with banners, parasols, and musical instruments; on
the twenty-second day she invited all the religious whom she knew to
gather together so that she might bid them farewell; on the twenty-seventh
day she told her disciples, "I am ascending to the palace in the
Tushita Heaven."[22] As soon as she finished speaking, she died. Ching-hsiu
was eighty-nine years old.

53. Seng-nine

[OMITTED]

The nun Seng-nien (Remembrance of the Sangha) (415-504) of
Meditation Grove Convent

Seng-nien's secular surname was Yang, and her family was from Nan-ch'ang
in T'ai-shan Commandery [in northeast China].[23] Her father,
Yang Mi, was an assistant to the provincial governor. Seng-nien was
the aunt of Master of the Law T'an-jui of Chaturdesha Monastery.

From early on Seng-nien's noble character was remarkable; her
understanding was clear. She was established in virtue while still very
young. At age 10 she left the secular life to become a disciple of the
nun Fa-hui and live with her in Empress Dowager Convent. Living a
strict and ascetic life, Seng-nien's practice of meditation was very profound.
She read widely and comprehended much; her literary compositions
were admired both for their form and for their meaning. As she
grew older, she was even more intensely devoted to her vegetarianism
and religious practices. For example, she would chant the Flower of
the Law Scripture seven times through in a day and a night.[24]

The Sung dynasty emperors Wen (407-424-453) and Hsiao-wu
(430-454-464) often provided for her material needs.[25]

During the yung-ming reign period (483-493) of the Ch'i dynasty
she moved to Meditation Grove Convent, where her standard for the
practice of meditation flourished and where those who sought instruction

from her were many. The minister of education, the prince of
Ching-ling [Wen-hsüan (460-494), second son of Emperor Wu of
Ch'i], provided for her the four requisites of clothing, food, bedding,
and medicine.[26]

In the third year of the t'ien-chien reign period (504) of the Liang
dynasty she died at the age of ninety and was buried in Chung-hsing
Village in Mo-ling County [very close to the southwest outskirts of the
capital].

54. T'an-hui

[OMITTED]

The num T'an-hui (Radiance of the Dharma) (422-504) of
Enduring Joy Convent in Ch'eng-tu

T'an-hui's secular surname was Ch'ing-yang and her given name Pai-yü.
She was from Ch'eng-tu [a city in the far-western region of Shu].[27]

When she was a child T'an-hui delighted in the thought of practicing
the [Buddhist] religion, but her parents would not permit it. Nevertheless,
in the ninth year of the yüan-chia reign period (432), when
the foreign master of meditation Kālayashas entered the region of Shu
to propagate the practice of meditation and contemplation, T'an-hui,
eleven years old at the time, asked her mother to invite the master of
meditation to visit them, for she wished to consult him about methods
of meditation.[28] Her mother agreed to do so. The moment Kālayashas
saw T'an-hui he marveled at her natural propensity and ordered her to
cultivate the practice of meditation and also requested the nun Fa-yü
to keep her under supervision. T'an-hui's mother, however, had
already arranged her betrothal to the son of T'an-hui's paternal aunt.
Because the day for the marriage had been set and was not to be
changed, the nun Fa-yü took her in secret to the convent.

T'an-hui made a solemn vow, saying, "If I cannot carry out my
intentions to lead the religious life but instead am compelled to marry,
then I shall burn myself to death."

When the governor [of I Province],[29] Chen Fa-ch'ung, heard about
this he sent an envoy to summon T'an-hui.[30] He gathered together
greater and lesser officials, as well as other prominent individuals, and
then requested all the monks and nuns to investigate the difficult problem
thoroughly.

Chen Fa-ch'ung asked, "Are you truly able to lead the life of a Buddhist
nun or not?"

T'an-hui replied, "It has been my humble wish for a long time, and I
especially beg your help in my distress."

Chen Fa-ch'ung said, "I approve," and he sent an envoy to consult
with her aunt, who then obeyed his instructions and released T'an-hui
from her betrothal.

T'an-hui had just turned thirteen when she entered the religious life
as a disciple of the nun Fa-yü, under whom she learned the practice of
contemplation. When she had first received instruction, one time near
the end of a meditation period she entered into a state of samādhi, or
deep mental concentration, in which she saw two rays of light in the
east, one bright like the sun and the other darker like the moon. While
still in that state of concentration she had the thought, "The bright
light must symbolize the way of the bodhisattva and the darker one
the way of the hearer. If this is truly so, then the darker ray should
fade away and the white one should blaze forth even brighter."[31] Then
in response to her thought the darker ray vanished and the bright ray
shone in full splendor. When she arose from her concentration, she
told the nun Fa-yü what had happened. Fa-yü, skilled in the way of
contemplation, was very happy when she heard about this and praised
her accomplishment. At that time the nuns who had been sitting
together with her, more than forty in number, all marveled at this
rarity.

Later, when T'an-hui was sixteen years old, her fiancé, suspecting
that he had been deceived, took some other fellows with him to seize
her and take her back with him, but T'an-hui, because her maidservant
helped to protect her, did not suffer violation, and there was
nothing the fiancé could do. The case was again reported at the provincial
level.

The governor, appreciating the unusual nature of the case, conferred
with the monk Kālayashas who said, "This woman is very intelligent,
so be careful not to oppose her. If there is insufficient money for
her fiancé's family to break the engagement, I have an old servant who
can go from place to place, collecting money for that purpose."

Later in meditation she herself came to understand the immutability
of the Buddha nature and other doctrines of the Mahāyāna, or Great
Vehicle, of Buddhism, none of which she had learned from her
teacher.[32] At that time famous Buddhist masters exerted themselves to

the utmost in posing difficult questions for her to answer, but none of
them could stump her. Thus her reputation spread far and wide, and
everyone looked up to her.

In the nineteenth year of the yüan-chia reign period (442) of the
Sung dynasty, when the prince of Lin-ch'uan (403-444) went to his
administrative post in the province of Nan Yen,[33] he invited T'an-hui
to come to the town where he had his headquarters [a short distance to
the northeast of the capital].[34] She was then twenty-one years old.
When the general of the cavalry governing the region of Shan[35] invited
her to accompany him to the district of southern Ch'u,[36] twelve hundred
persons, male and female, religious and lay, welcomed her as
their spiritual sovereign. Nevertheless, as the months and years
slipped by, she thought of her mother more and more and finally
insisted that she be allowed to return to her native place.

Because of her virtuous conduct, T'an-hui's disciples increased daily
in number. Northwest of the town bridge she built a pagoda and a
temple in which the halls, rooms, side rooms, and porches were completed
most quickly.[37] She also built three convents wonderfully fast,
and everyone marveled in admiration, saying that she had the power
of the divine.

T'an-hui died in the third year of the t'ien-chien reign period (504)
at the age of eighty-three.

Earlier when Chang Chün was with his father in I Province,[38] he
once went unexpectedly with more than thirty other persons to visit
T'an-hui without giving advance notice.[39] Nevertheless, they had no
sooner sat down when they were served with fruit, dumplings, and
other seasonal delicacies. The provincial governor, Liu Chün (ca.
439-499), also went to visit T'an-hui, and the same thing happened.[40]

The prince of Hsüan-wu (d. 500)[41] of the Liang dynasty once sent
supplies to T'an-hui for her to prepare a feast for one hundred monks
and originally said he would not go.[42] When the time came, however,
he himself went. When he arrived, in addition to three hundred
monks, there were also various government officials bringing the
number close to four hundred persons. Just as the religious ceremony
was about to begin, he sent a maidservant to ask for the assistants to
help serve the food, but, when T'an-hui sent them in, everyone saw
that there were only two disciples and two serving maids setting out
and offering the food entirely without additional help. The prince
again admired her immeasurable capacity.

Someone once asked T'an-hui, "Because your disciples seem to have

only an average amount of material goods, and yet what you have
built has been said to be like a divine transformation, how is this
possible?"

She replied, "Often I have nothing saved up, and, if I must pay any
expenses, I use a few coins and that is all. Immediately I have more
available, but I do not know how this happens."

The one who had talked to her about this therefore thought that she
had a miraculous inexhaustible treasury.[43]

At that time there was also the nun Hua-kuang, whose secular surname
was Hsien-yü. She deeply comprehended abstruse elements of
profound meditation and subtle contemplation. She was thoroughly
versed in all the Buddhist scriptures as well as in the teachings of the
non-Buddhist philosophers of the Hundred Schools. Especially skilled
in literary composition, she wrote an encomium for T'an-hui that was
both appropriate in content and elegant in form.

55. Nun Feng

[OMITTED]

Nun Feng (409-504) of Capital Office Convent in the illegitimate
kingdom of Kao-ch'ang[44]

Nun Feng[45] was a native of Kao-ch'ang [in the far northwest].[46]
Because the people there respected her very much, they called her by
her original surname of Feng. When she was thirty years old she
became a nun in Capital Office Convent in Kao-ch'ang. She ate vegetables
for her one meal a day, and her observance of the monastic rules
was very strict. As an offering to the Buddha she burned six fingers
down to the palms of her hands.[47] She was able to chant through the
entire Great Final Nirvāna Scripture in only three days.[48]

At that time there was a master of the law Fa-hui (d. ca. 500),
whose vigor in the practice of religion surpassed all others.[49] He was
the chaplain for all the nuns in the kingdom of Kao-ch'ang.

Later, for she was the chaplain's spiritual friend of good discernment
and influence, Nun Feng suddenly said to Fa-hui, "You, āchārya,
are not yet perfect.[50] You may go to the kingdom of Kucha in central
Asia to Gold Flower Monastery, where you should listen to the
monk Chih-yüeh, and then you will surely attain the superlative
teaching."[51]

Fa-hui heeded her advice and went to that monastery to see Chih-yüeh,

who delighted by his arrival, gave him a pint of grape wine and
bid him to drink.

Fa-hui, startled, said, "I have come to seek the superlative teaching,
but instead you have offered me that which is unlawful and that which
I am therefore not willing to drink."

Chih-yüeh pushed him around and quickly ordered him to leave.
Fa-hui thought to himself, "Because I have come a long way but have
not yet come so far as to understand the purpose of this, perhaps I
should not disobey," and gulped it down. Drunk, he vomited and,
dazed and confused, passed out, while Chih-yüeh betook himself elsewhere.
When Fa-hui regained consciousness, realizing that he had violated
the monastic rule against drinking wine, in his great shame he
struck himself and, in penance for what he had done, wished to take
his own life. As a consequence of this reflection he attained the third
fruit [of Buddhist practice].[52]

Chih-yüeh returned and asked him, "Have you got it now?"[53]

Fa-hui replied, "Yes," whereupon he returned to Kao-ch'ang.

Fa-hui was still over two hundred Chinese miles away when, without
advance verbal or written news of his impending arrival, Nun
Feng summoned the Assembly of Nuns to go out to wait for him.
Examples of her foreknowledge were all like this.

All the nuns of Kao-ch'ang revered Nun Feng as a teacher. When
she was ninety-six years old, she died in the third year of the t'ien-chien
reign period (504) of the Liang dynasty.

56. Hui-sheng

[OMITTED]

The nun Hui-sheng (Victorious Wisdom) (425-505) of Solitude
Convent of Liang

Hui-sheng's secular surname was T'ang. Her family was originally
from the city of P'eng-ch'eng [in northeast China], but her father,
T'ang Seng-chih, took up residence in Chien-k'ang [the capital of the
Liang dynasty].

When still a child Hui-sheng wanted to leave the household life to
become a nun. She was upright in character and restrained in speech;
her deeds matched her words. Lacking any tendency to frivolity, she
would remain indoors for as long as ten days. All who saw her
respected her extraordinary qualities.

In the twenty-first year of the yüan-chia reign period (444) of the
Sung dynasty, when Hui-sheng was eighteen years old, she left the secular
life and lived at Meditation Grove Convent as a disciple of the
nun Ching-hsiu (no. 52). After her reception of the obligation to
observe all the monastic precepts, she lectured on the Flower of the
Law Scripture. Under the tutelage of the nun Hui-hsü (no. 48) of Collected
Goodness Convent she studied the five ways of meditation.[54]

Later, under Hui-yin of Grass Hall Monastery and Fa-ying of Spiritual
Root Monastery, Hui-sheng cultivated the practice of contemplation
in which she grasped to an exceptional degree the marvellous realization
of the [Buddhist Way].[55] Whenever others perceived this and
asked her about it, she always replied, "Sins, whether serious or slight,
should be disclosed at once. Confess them diligently day and night."

Exalted and humble alike respected her, giving her offerings without
cease.

In the fourth year of the t'ien-chien reign period (505) of Liang
she died at the age of eighty-one and was interred on Bare Plank
Mountain.

57. Ching-hsien

[OMITTED]

The nun Ching-hsien (Pure Virtue) (431-505) of Eastern Green
Garden Convent

Ching-hsien, whose secular surname was Hung, was originally from
Yung-shih [to the southeast of the capital].[56] She lived in the capital in
Eastern Green Garden Convent. Capable and talented, she liked to
practice meditation; well read in both the scriptures and the books of
monastic precepts, her words were certainly elegant and seemly.
Although she did not give lectures on these texts, she had thoroughly
examined their essential teachings.

Emperor Wen (407-424-453) of the Sung dynasty held her in
esteem.[57] When the prince of Hsiang-tung [eleventh son of Emperor
Wen] was a young child, he often had nightmares.[58] After the emperor
ordered him to take the Three Refuges [in the Buddha, in his teaching,
and in the monastic assemblies] from the nun Ching-hsien, the prince's
disturbed sleep was cured. The emperor thus esteemed her all the
more and generously honored her with gifts, and everyone both within
and without the palace personally rewarded her.

When the prince ascended the throne as Emperor Ming (439-465472),
he treated her with even greater courtesy and presented gifts in
even greater abundance. Religious feasts and meetings for talks on the
scriptures were held one after another, and all the famous scholars of
that time honored and respected her.

Later she was in charge of the convent for more than ten years. She
died in the fourth year of the t'ien-chien reign period (505) of Liang at
the age of seventy-five.

There were also the nuns Hui-kao and Pao-yung, who were both
famous. Hui-kao practiced meditation and chanted the scriptures in
addition to diligently managing the affairs of the Assembly of Nuns.
Pao-yung expounded on the Flower of the Law Scripture and was
adept in the practice of contemplation.[59]

58. Ching-yüan

[OMITTED]

The nun Ching-yüan (Pure Profundity) (436-506) of Bamboo
Garden Convent

Ching-yüan's secular surname was Shih, and her family originally was
from the Chü-lu region [in far north China].[60] When she was a child,
she had the wisdom of an adult, and at the age of five or six she used
to pile up sand to make little pagodas and carve wood to make little
images.[61] Burning incense and offering worship, the whole day was
not long enough for her. Whenever she heard people discussing anything,
she would relentlessly pursue the topic to grasp the essential
principles.

When she was twenty, Ching-yüan left secular life to become a nun.
Out of devotion to her parents she did not eat or sleep and drank only
water to keep her fast.[62] She went on like this, not acquiescing to
remonstrances, until seven days were over, after which she always
kept a vegetarian diet. Ching-yüan observed all the monastic precepts
most diligently, needing no exhortation or encouragement from others.
Her teachers and friends respected her; those far and near commended
her. The Ch'i heir apparent Wen-hui (458-493) honored her
greatly,[63] giving her the four necessities of a monastic life, while messages
and envoys came thick and fast.[64]

Ching-yüan died in the fifth year of the t'ien-chien reign period
(506) at the age of seventy-one.

59. Ching-hsing

[OMITTED]

The nun Ching-hsing (Pure Conduct) (444-509) of Bamboo
Garden Convent

Ching-hsing was the nun Ching-yüan's (no. 58) fifth younger sister.
While yet a child she had remarkable intelligence and great foresight;
ardent in determination and elegant in behavior, in every way she
stood far above the crowd.

When Ching-hsing was young she was acquainted with Madame
Tsang, the wife of Kuo Hsia, who was the district magistrate of Tamo.
Kuo Hsia wanted to murder his wife, and, when word of his
intention leaked out, Ching-hsing requested her elder brother to
remonstrate with him, but Kuo Hsia refused to listen. Ching-hsing
secretly spoke to his wife, but she did not believe her. Holding
Madame Tsang's hands, Ching-hsing wept sorrowfully and then
departed. A day or two later Kuo Hsia indeed killed his wife.

When Ching-hsing was seventeen years old, she left secular life,
becoming a nun under the direction of the nun Fa-shih and living in
Bamboo Garden Convent, where she studied the Discourse on the
Completion of Reality, the Discourse on the Abhidharma, the Nirvāna,
and the Flower Garland. Whenever she first encountered a
topic, she immediately grasped the essential meaning and tirelessly
searched out its nuances and profundities.[65]

Hsiao Tzu-liang, the Ch'i prince of Ching-ling, Wen-hsüan (460494)
[second son of Emperor Wu], abundantly provided her with
material goods.[66] The two masters of the law Seng-tsung (438-496)
and Pao-liang (444-509) regarded her highly.[67] Whenever she was
asked to give lectures on the Buddhist scriptures and teachings, the
audiences numbered several hundred persons. In official residences
and in convents religious activities were carried out continuously. No
scholars were able to confound her. The prince of Ching-ling, when
later ranking the Assembly of Nuns with the intention of composing
records about them,[68] found that none could equal Ching-hsing.

Later there was a very intelligent and accomplished nun who was
extraordinarily competent in disputation. Ching-hsing was especially
intimate with her, and the whole community considered her to be a
talented and bright woman of the younger generation who could be
favorably compared to Ching-hsing.

In her old age Ching-hsing especially liked to practice meditation,
and she rigorously maintained her vegetarian diet. When the emperor
heard of her, he praised her highly.[69] In the eighth year of the t'ien-chien
reign period (509), she died at the age of sixty-six and was
buried on Bell Mountain [located immediately to the northeast of the
capital].

60. Shih Ling-yü

[OMITTED]

The nun Shih Ling-yü (Esteemed Jade) (in the lineage of
Shākyamuni) (434-509) of Southern Chin-ling Convent

Ling-yü's secular surname was Ts'ai, and she was from [the capital
city of] Chien-k'ang. While still very young she left secular life and
went to live in the meditation hall of Empress Ho Convent as a disciple
of the nun Ching-yao, whose adherence to the monastic precepts
was perfect and whose intellect was superior to others.

Ling-yü as a young girl served her instructor with great respect and
diligence, and, when she first received the ten initial precepts of a novice,
one could already behold her great dignity of behavior. After she
received the obligation to keep all of the monastic precepts, her observation
of the prohibitions was as pure as snow.

She widely perused the texts of the five sectarian divisions of Buddhist
monastic rules, admirably delving into the deep teachings with
an excellent capacity for transmitting them to others.[70]

The prince of Shao-ling (?470-479) of the Sung dynasty [seventh
son of Emperor Ming (439-465-472)], very much respected her and
requested her to serve as abbess of Southern Chin-ling Convent, but
she firmly declined to accept the position.[71] Because the prince was
unable to make her submit to his request, he reported it [to his elder
brother who was the emperor] during the yüan-hui reign period (473477).[72]
[When the emperor] during the yüan-hui reign period issued
an imperial decree repeating the request she was unable to avoid
accepting the position that she then held for many years. During that
time she maintained a dignified but not overbearing manner and was
serious without being severe.

In the eighth year of the t'ien-chien reign period (509), Ling-yü died
at the age of seventy-six.

In the same convent there were also the nuns Ling-hui, Chieh-jen,
and Hui-li, all of whom had illustrious reputations. Ling-hui chanted
the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law,[73] the Vimalakīrti, the Shrīmālā,[74]
and other scriptures, kept a rigorous vegetarian diet, and was
an eminent example for the Assembly of Nuns. Chieh-jen was very
bright and excelled in studies; whatever she read she did not forget.
Hui-li was spiritually accomplished and not given to contention.

61. Seng-shu

[OMITTED]

The nun Seng-shu (Transmitter for the Sangha) (430-513) of
Solitude Convent

Seng-shu's secular surname was Huai. Her family was originally from
[the northeastern city of] P'eng-ch'eng, but her father Huai Seng-chen
had moved to [the capital city of] Chien-k'ang.

When Seng-shu was a child, she set her mind on the practice of religion
and at age 8 undertook a vegetarian diet. When she was nineteen,
in the twenty-fourth year of the yüan-chia reign period (447) of Sung,
she left the secular life under the direction of the nun Ching-hsiu (no.
52) of Meditation Grove Convent. She was extremely rigorous in her
practice of morality, keeping all the regulations without fail. She
widely read both the scriptures and the texts of monastic precepts,
carefully perusing them all, and later made a particular study of the
Sarvāstivāda Monastic Rules in Ten Recitations, whose meaning she
thoroughly comprehended.[75] Further, under the direction of the two
masters of meditation, Fa-yin and Seng-shen (416-490), she received
instruction in all the many abstruse methods of meditation.[76]

Seng-shu then took up residence in Meditation Grove Convent as
the head of meditation studies, but, because the hubbub of all the people
coming, going, and gathering together became too great, she
resolved to live in seclusion. When Lady Chang, mother of the prince
of Lin-ch'uan, heard about this she gave up her own residence, intending
to convert it into a convent for Seng-shu, but at that time regulations
forbid her to do this.[77] It was not until the first day of the ninth
month of the second year of the yüan-hui reign period (474), when
Wu Ch'ung-hua, the mother of the prince of Ju-nan, requested an
imperial decree, that the convent was allowed to be built. There were

altogether over fifty units of halls, shrines, and cells. Seng-shu,
together with her companions, twenty women in all, delighting in the
quiet of meditation, named their new convent Solitude.

In all circumstances Seng-shu held fast to her own sense of propriety
and did not encourage any outward ostentation. At the close of both
the Sung and Ch'i dynasties the world was in turmoil, but Seng-shu,
sitting in the quietude of meditation, was not at all vexed by the
clamor of worldly affairs.

The Ch'i heir apparent, Wen-hui (458-493), and the prince of
Ching-ling, Wen-hsüan (460-494), treated her with great courtesy
and respect.[78] They refurbished and adorned the entire convent, giving
everything remarkable splendor. They provided for her necessities
throughout the four seasons without cease.

When the great Liang dynasty came to power,[79] and the empire
once again was established in order and good principles, both religious
and laity paid her great respect, gathering like clouds from the
four directions, but Seng-shu did not store up any of the material
goods offered to her. Rather, she distributed them as soon as she
received them. Sometimes she used the wealth she received to help the
Buddhists of the four groups—the monks, nuns, laymen, and lay-women.
Sometimes she used it to buy freedom for captured animals.
She begged for donations to commission five golden images, all of
which were of magnificent beauty. She also commissioned the copying
of more than a thousand scrolls of Buddhist scriptures and texts of
monastic precepts, the cases and rollers of which were adorned with
precious ornaments.

Seng-shu died in the twelfth year of the t'ien-chien reign period
(513) at the age of eighty-four and was buried on the south side of Bell
Mountain [close to the northeast outskirts of the capital].

62. Miao-wei

[OMITTED]

The nun Miao-wei (Wonderful Beauty) (444-513) of Western
Green Garden Convent

Miao-wei's secular surname was Liu, and her family was from [the
capital] Chien-k'ang. When she was a very small child, her extraordinary
capacities were abundantly evident, and while still a young girl she

left secular life to take up residence at Western Green Garden Convent.
Her spotless practice of the monastic precepts, her highly awakened
spiritual sensibilities, and her sincere faith that spread kindness
led everyone to cherish her.

Miao-wei liked conversation and was particularly good at witticisms.
She lectured on the Great Nirvāna Scripture, the Flower of the
Law, and the Ten Stages, altogether over thirty times.[80] She promoted
the Mother of Monasticism Scripture[81] of the Sarvāstivāda sect of
Buddhism. In all circumstances she benefited a great number of people
with her skillful guidance.

In the twelfth year of the t'ien-chien reign period (513), she died at
the age of seventy.

63. Shih Hui-hui

[OMITTED]

The nun Shih Hui-hui (Radiance of Wisdom) (in the lineage of
Shākyamuni) (442-514) of Joyful Peace Convent

Hui-hui's secular surname was Lo, and her family was from Ch'ing
Province [some distance northeast of the capital].[82] When she was six
years old, she wanted very much to delight in the religious life, but her
parents would not hear of it. At age 11 [to conform to the monastic
precepts], she stopped eating all strong-flavored vegetables such as
garlic and onions.[83] Clear and placid in mind and elegant in manner
she recited the Great Nirvāna Scripture and chanted the Flower of the
Law Scripture.[84] When she was seventeen, she went with her father to
the capital, where, resolute in her vigor, she accomplished in her practice
of religion what others could not achieve. Her parents, filled with
affection on account of her efforts, permitted her to fulfill her aspirations,
and, when she was eighteen, she left secular life to take up residence
in Joyful Peace Convent.

Hui-hui received instruction in the Discourse on the Completion of
Reality, the Nirvāna,[85] and other scriptures from the four masters of
the law T'an-pin (407/411-473/477),[86] T'an-chi, Seng-jou (431494),
and Hui-tz'u (434-490),[87] and in ten-some years her learning
became as well established as a veritable forest, and all the nuns in the
capital turned to her as their instructor. Thus religious activities were
set up one after another, drawing together people from all directions

like clouds. Hui-hui continuously carried on her lectures as well as her
meditation and chanting of scriptures. Her mind a standard of upright
thought, she went day and night forgetting to sleep. Royalty, nobility,
and commoners all greatly respected her, coming from everywhere to
bestow gifts in great number throughout the year. The wealth that she
received she used for copying scriptures, making images, and distributing
as alms wherever appropriate. At that time someone, whose
name has not come to light, renovated Joyful Peace Convent, refurbishing
everything so that it looked new.

Hui-hui died in the thirteenth year of the t'ien-chien reign period
(514) at the age of seventy-three and was buried at Stone Top Hill [in
the southwestern part of the capital].

At that time there was also the nun Hui-yin, whose particular vocation
was engaging in the ritual of offering worship [to the Buddha] and
in the chanting [of scriptures].

64. Shih Tao-kuei

[OMITTED]

The nun Shih Tao-kuei (Honor of the Dharma) (in the lineage of
Shākyamuni) (431-516) of Ti Mountain Convent

Tao-kuei's secular surname was Shou, and her family originally was
from Ch'ang-an [the old capital in the north]. As a child she was pure
and serene and fond of searching out the principles of things. Energetic
in her determination, her efforts surpassed others. Vowing to
spread the Buddhist religion she did not eat flesh or strong-flavored
vegetables, and, devoting herself to the salvation of all living beings,
she was content to wear ragged clothing. Tao-kuei chanted the Shrīmālā[88]
and Infinite Life Scriptures,[89] keeping to the task day and
night. With loving thoughts her parents allowed her to take up the
practice of religion, and, when she was seventeen, she left the secular
life to become a nun.

Tao-kuei read widely in the scriptures and monastic texts, fully
investigating their content. Coveting neither name nor fame, she took
the practice of religion as her calling, and in the realm of contemplation
she entered into meditative trance that did not cease regardless of
her activity. When confessing her faults or making her vows, her
words of sincere entreaty greatly moved those who heard them.

Hsiao Tzu-liang (460-494), the prince of Ching-ling, Wen-hsüan,[90]
of the Ch'i dynasty, regarded her with great respect and built
Peak Mountain Convent for her to have a place to bring together a
community of nuns devoted to the practice of meditation.[91] When he
asked her to serve as the manager of affairs of the new convent she
firmly refused, but, when he asked her to serve as the model for the
practice of meditation, she agreed.

Thus Tao-kuei lived for the rest of her life in the convent in Cassia
Park.[92] Although repeatedly the gathered clouds might obscure every
view or deep snow might bury the whole mountain, she circumspectly
cultivated her practice of sitting in meditation, never becoming weary
in spirit. With whatever donations she received from the faithful she
widely promoted good works, keeping not a penny to benefit herself.

Tao-kuei died in the fifteenth year of the t'ien-chien reign period
(516) at the age of eighty-six and was buried on the south face of Bell
Mountain.

65. Shih Fa-hsüan

[OMITTED]

The nun Shih Fa-hsüan (Comprehensive Law) (in the lineage
of Shākyamuni) (434-516) of Beckoning Clarity Convent in
Shan-yin

Fa-hsüan's secular surname was Wang, and her family came from Yen
[near Kuei-chi, southeast of the capital].[93] Her father, Wang Tao-chi,
continued his family's profession of the True Law [of Buddhism].
Already as a child Fa-hsüan had determined to leave the secular life
and become a nun, and beginning at age 7 she undertook a vegetarian
diet and other austerities. At age 18 she chanted the Flower of the Law
Scripture and fully studied and understood its purport from beginning
to end.[94] Whether sitting or lying down for sleep, Fa-hsüan always
had a vision of a canopy hovering over her.[95]

Unexpectedly a matchmaker appeared to arrange a betrothal, but
Fa-hsüan made a vow that she would not be married. When she was
twenty years old,[96] her parents took her to the nun Teh-leh (no. 51) of
Brightness of Ch'i Convent in Yen where she donned the garb of a nun
and undertook to follow all the precepts of the monastic life. From
that day forward the vision of the canopy vanished.

Fa-hsüan read widely in the scriptures, fully savoring the flavor of
their doctrines. After she received the full obligation of a monastic life,
her contemporaries in the region all looked up to her, acknowledging
her excellent practice [of Buddhism].

At the time of the end of the Sung dynasty (420-479) the master of
the law Seng-jou (431-494) traveled around eastern China preaching
and explaining the scriptures and commentaries, going from T'u and
Sheng mountains in Yen [north] to Yü Cave on Kuei-chi Mountain, or
[going on farther west] to ascend Ling-yin Mountain, or [going on
farther north to Ku-su Mountain, way up in Wu Commandery].[97] Fa-hsüan
took pleasure in the subtleties of Seng-jou's explication of the
trends of thought in the commentaries to the scriptures, and she
looked deeply into the profundities of the essentials in the scriptures
themselves as explained by Hui-chi (412-496), another master of the
law who had also been traveling in the region.[98] During the yung-ming
reign period (483-493), she received instruction in the Sarvāstivāda
Monastic Rules in Ten Recitations[99] from the master of the law Hui-hsi.[100]
Thus, day by day her knowledge increased in both breadth
and depth.

Fa-hsüan then moved to Beckoning Clarity Convent in Shan-yin
County, where she repeatedly lectured on the scriptures and the books
of monastic rules until her fame spread beyond the immediate region
[which included what was, in olden times] the kingdom of Yüeh.[101]
Rather than build up a private fortune for herself she used the donations
given her to renovate the convent buildings, whose reconstruction
was so splendid that it seemed to be of divine workmanship. She
had scriptures copied and images made, and there was nothing that
was not completed to perfection.

Chang Yüan of Wu Commandery, Yü Yung of Ying-ch'uan[102] and
Chou Ying[103] of Ju-nan,[104] famous literary men of the time, all went
personally to Fa-hsüan to pay their respects. When Hsiao Chao-chou,
the Ch'i dynasty prince of Pa-ling, was serving as the administrator of
Kuei-chi, he treated her most generously.[105] [Hsiao] Yüan-chien (d.
519), prince of Heng-yang of the Liang dynasty, asked her to serve as
his mother's religious instructor when he came to the commandery.[106]

Fa-hsüan died in the fifteenth year of the t'ien-chien reign period
(516) of the Liang dynasty at the age of eighty-three.