English
English version: A certain disciple, with palms together, guided him southward. After awakening, he said, 'The saints have blessed me. Do they wish me to inquire among my friends in the south?' At that time, Chan Master Yuanzhao's reputation was flourishing in Wuzhong (southern Jiangsu area). (The disciple) went to visit him, silently comprehending his teachings, diligently serving for five years, and fully grasping its essence. Later, he traveled to Mount Fu, admiring the beauty of the rocky forests, and aspired to spend his life there. Thus, he resided at Daji Rock. After a long time, he emerged to propagate the Dharma in Shuanglin, Wuzhou (Jinhua, Zhejiang area) and eastern Zhejiang, where Daoists and laypeople revered and admired him, saying he was the reincarnation of Layman Fu Dashi (Fu Xi, a lay Buddhist in the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, who promoted Buddhism as a layman). Later, he moved to Jingci Temple in Qiantang (Hangzhou), succeeding Chan Master Yuanzhao. He had over a thousand Chan disciples. Emperor Shenzong (reigned 1067-1085) issued an edict for him to reside at Fayun Temple in the capital (Beijing), bestowing upon him the title of Greatly Penetrating Chan Master. Succeeding Chan Master Yuantong, princes, dukes, and nobles filled the gate with offerings, building ten thousand rooms, painted with gold and intricate patterns, like a treasure pavilion emerging from the earth. When he ascended the Dharma hall to preach, it was like the Elephant King (a metaphor for the Buddha) looking back. Many learners attained enlightenment because of this. On the Jiazi day of the twelfth month of the third year of the Daguan era (1109), he bent three fingers and said to those around him, 'There are only three days left.' Soon after, he passed away. Strange birds circled and cried in the courtyard before departing. On the evening before his death, several monks from Yue (Zhejiang area) dreamed of the Chan Master returning to the clouds of Tushita Heaven (the fourth heaven of the desire realm in Buddhism). A stupa containing his whole body relics was built above, making him the thirteenth generation disciple of Chan Master Dajian (Huineng) and the seventh generation descendant of the Yunmen School. Dharma Master Zhide His Dharma name was Yunyan. He was a native of Changliu (area of Gaoqing County, Shandong today). He left the secular world in his childhood, listening to and studying sutras and treatises, fully comprehending their profound meanings. Emperor Yuan Shizu (Kublai Khan) summoned him, bestowed upon him a purple robe, and appointed him to preside over the Tianxi Jingzhong Temple. He lectured daily on commentaries of the 'Lotus Sutra', 'Avatamsaka Sutra', 'Diamond Sutra', and 'Vijnaptimatrata Sastra'. He was specially granted the title of Great Master of Buddha Light. Whenever he conferred precepts upon the seven assemblies (bhikshus, bhikshunis, sramaneras, sramanerikas, upasakas, upasikas, and siksamana), he always instructed their parents and siblings to teach each other not to violate the precepts, even burning incense, burning the top of the head, and burning fingers as lifelong vows. Therefore, he constantly used the precepts to discipline his disciples. If anyone used the Sangha's (communal) property for personal use, even by mistake, they would be fined a hundredfold the value, and those who repeatedly violated would be expelled. Residing at Tianxi Temple for over thirty years, he never changed his one robe and one pair of shoes. He did not eat after noon and sat upright until dawn every night. Due to diligently reciting the scriptures, he lost his eyesight. Suddenly, he dreamed of a Brahma monk welcoming him to a high seat in the inner court of Tushita Heaven, with flowers scattering in the air like rain. Thus, he showed a slight illness. On the seventh day of the second month of the second year of the Zhizhi era (1322), he was still reciting the scriptures without stopping. Soon after, he bid farewell to the assembly and passed away peacefully in a seated posture. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
而化。世寿八十八。龛留二十一日。颜貌红润如生。茶毗。舍利无数。 成慈尼 慈。字戒刍。广州番禺沙湾人。俗姓何。生而敏杰。不类群婴。五岁即不茹荤膻。亲知非俗所留。遂送女庵中事佛。执劳无惮。多觉少寐。年既渐长。立性坚贞。执行持心。不狗余情。听讲思义。颖悟异人。崇祯庚辰岁。年四十有一。始得剃染。时由尼众甚希。故滞年稔矣。从受具来。专攻律藏。研究性遮。故得持犯炳然。戒德冰雪。而灵趣宿发。趣向高迈。志在大乘利人为急。深厌有漏。欲释形拘。尝闻西方下品生者。数劫乃得见佛。皆非己志。欲再生世间。亲近知识。又疑隔阴之昏。虽得人身。贪嗔易染。况末劫知识难值。未免退坠。忽一日阅藏经。见有上生兜率内院。亲觐弥勒菩萨。一生即便见佛闻法。无有迟速之品阶。遂坚志上求。因请余决曰。上生宗旨。可得闻乎。余遂授与上生经一卷。彼即恳请讲释。余乃按经。示以依正宗趣。彼时依经作观。持名不辍心口。体虽多病。精爽过人。素好坐禅。胁罕着席。后住广州总持庵。约徒甚严。于崇祯丙戌四月望日告病。越五月十七日午时。忽于坐定中。见一菩萨。侍人忘其名。焂然引至兜率内院。睹种种庄严。光明耀目。慈氏菩萨相好难述。彼遂举身敬礼。礼已。白云。 现代汉语译本： 然后圆寂。世寿八十八岁。入龛（存放僧人遗体的容器）二十一日，颜貌红润如同活着一般。荼毗（火葬）后，得到无数舍利（佛教圣物）。 成慈尼（比丘尼的名字） 慈，字戒刍，广州番禺沙湾人。俗姓何。生来就聪敏杰出，与一般的孩子不同。五岁开始就不吃荤腥。亲人知道她不是凡俗之人，于是送她到庵中侍奉佛。承担劳务不畏惧，睡眠很少。年龄渐长，立性坚贞，执行戒律，持守本心，没有多余的杂念。听讲经义，领悟能力异于常人。崇祯庚辰年（1640年），年四十一岁，才得以剃度出家。当时因为比丘尼很少，所以耽搁多年。受具足戒后，专心研究律藏，研究性戒和遮戒（佛教戒律的两种分类），所以能够清楚地辨别持戒和犯戒，戒德如同冰雪般纯洁。而且灵性夙发，志趣高远，立志于大乘佛教，以利益他人为急务。深深厌恶有漏之身，想要摆脱形体的束缚。曾经听说往生西方极乐世界下品的人，需要经历数劫才能见到佛，这都不是她的志向。想要再生于世间，亲近善知识。又担心隔阴之昏昧，即使得到人身，也容易被贪嗔所染污，何况末法时代善知识难以遇到，难免会退堕。忽然有一天阅读藏经，看到有往生兜率内院，亲自觐见弥勒菩萨的方法，一生就能见到佛，听闻佛法，没有迟速的品阶之分。于是坚定志向上求。因此请我决断说：‘往生兜率天的宗旨，可以听闻吗？’我于是授予她《上生经》一卷，她就恳请我讲解。我于是按照经文，向她阐释了依正的宗旨和趣味。她当时依照经文作观，持念名号不间断，心口相应。身体虽然多病，但精神却异于常人。平时喜欢坐禅，很少躺卧。后来住在广州总持庵，约束徒众非常严格。于崇祯丙戌年（1646年）四月十五日告知生病。到了五月十七日午时，忽然在坐禅入定中，见到一位菩萨，侍者忘记了他的名字，忽然引导她到了兜率内院。看到种种庄严，光明耀眼。慈氏菩萨（弥勒菩萨的别称）的相好难以描述。她于是举身敬礼。礼拜完毕，（她）说：
English
English version: Then she passed away. Her lifespan was eighty-eight years. Her remains were kept in a niche (a container for a monk's remains) for twenty-one days, and her face remained rosy and lifelike. After cremation (cremation), countless Śarīras (Buddhist relics) were obtained. Bhikṣuṇī (nun) Cheng Ci Ci, styled Jiechu, was a native of Shawan, Panyu, Guangzhou, with the surname He. She was born intelligent and outstanding, unlike ordinary children. From the age of five, she abstained from meat and strong-smelling foods. Her relatives knew she was not destined for a secular life, so they sent her to a nunnery to serve the Buddha. She took on tasks without hesitation and slept very little. As she grew older, her character became firm and steadfast. She practiced the precepts, maintained her mind, and had no extraneous thoughts. She listened to lectures and contemplated their meaning, with an understanding that was extraordinary. In the year Gengchen of the Chongzhen era (1640), at the age of forty-one, she was finally ordained. At that time, there were very few Bhikṣuṇīs, so there was a long delay. After receiving the full precepts, she devoted herself to studying the Vinaya Piṭaka (monastic rules), researching the nature and prohibitive precepts (two categories of Buddhist precepts), so she could clearly distinguish between upholding and violating the precepts, and her virtue was as pure as ice and snow. Moreover, her spiritual nature was awakened early, and her aspirations were lofty. She was determined to follow the Mahāyāna path, making the benefit of others her urgent task. She deeply loathed the defiled body and wanted to be free from the constraints of form. She had heard that those who are reborn in the lower grades of the Western Pure Land would have to wait for many kalpas (eons) to see the Buddha, which was not her aspiration. She wanted to be reborn in this world to be close to good teachers. She was also concerned about the confusion of the intermediate state, that even if she obtained a human body, she would easily be tainted by greed and anger, and that in the degenerate age, it would be difficult to meet good teachers, and she would inevitably fall back. One day, while reading the Tripiṭaka (Buddhist scriptures), she saw a method for being reborn in the inner court of the Tuṣita Heaven, personally meeting Maitreya Bodhisattva (the future Buddha), and seeing the Buddha and hearing the Dharma in one lifetime, without the distinction of slow or fast grades. So she firmly resolved to seek upward rebirth. Therefore, she asked me for a decision, saying, 'Can I hear about the principles of rebirth in Tuṣita Heaven?' I then gave her a copy of the 'Sheng Jing' (Sutra on Rebirth), and she earnestly requested me to explain it. I then explained to her the principles and interests of the dependent and the proper, according to the sutra. At that time, she practiced contemplation according to the sutra, and recited the name of the Buddha without interruption, with her mind and mouth in harmony. Although her body was often ill, her spirit was extraordinary. She usually liked to sit in meditation and rarely lay down. Later, she lived in the Zongchi Nunnery in Guangzhou, and her discipline of her disciples was very strict. On the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the Bingxu year of the Chongzhen era (1646), she announced that she was ill. On the seventeenth day of the fifth month, at noon, suddenly in the midst of sitting meditation, she saw a Bodhisattva, whose name the attendant forgot, who suddenly led her to the inner court of the Tuṣita Heaven. She saw all kinds of adornments, and the light was dazzling. The appearance of Maitreya Bodhisattva was difficult to describe. She then prostrated herself in reverence. After bowing, she said: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
愿世尊摄受我。大士告曰。汝却后七日来生此处。又于二十一日。坐静中。忽睹慈氏菩萨现在其前。自见己身成童子相。即趋下禅床。拜求摄受。次日告诸来问疾者曰。我明日行矣。当留步送吾上山茶毗云云。翌日午时。唤众称弥勒如来名。寂然而逝。时同学尼戒芳。并侍病者口述。余笔随录之。 释开晢 晢字远目。广州番禺郑氏子。生即卓异。幼便能书。笔法天成。不因传习。年十二。丁内艰。诵蓼莪。痛念劬劳。莫能少报。后读佛书。知有采菽之方。遂谨奉归戒。如护鹅珠。偶一日阅胞胎经。达生死过患。深厌尘网。启父出家。父怜其矢志坚勇。喜而从之。复追裴相国之遗风。具词躬送。礼韶之英邑。西来山。本师在和尚为侍者。时年十有七岁。张枢部尚公。高尚其事。由是挥赞印其词末焉。十九剃发。执劳服役。未尝少惮。事师则必敬必慎。禅诵则夜以继旦。禀识才藻。质同水镜。目不邪观。顾如象王。卧类师子。不易言。不齿笑。处众无愠色。对客有怡颜。循循善诱。渊默自若。诚具大人之器度。故缁白一见。莫不敬伏。时洪宗伯天擢。睹其澄神。肃侍师侧。嘉羡无已。谓真堪为法门绳范焉。至其发问难义。非人可及。闻即领旨。理不再询。尝披上生经。不离欲界。即觐弥勒。不假断结。便阶 现代汉语译本： 愿世尊（Bhagavan，指佛陀）摄受我。大士（菩萨摩诃萨）告诉他说：‘你却后七日后来生到这个地方。’又在二十一日，坐禅入静中，忽然看见慈氏菩萨（Maitreya Bodhisattva）显现在他面前，自己看见自己的身体变成童子的模样，就快步走下禅床，拜求慈氏菩萨摄受。次日告诉前来问候病情的人说：‘我明日就要走了，应当留步送我上山荼毗（火葬）。’第二天午时，呼唤众人称念弥勒如来（Maitreya Tathagata）的名号，寂静地去世了。当时同学尼姑戒芳，以及侍候病人的人口述，我用笔随手记录下来。 释开晢 开晢法师，字远目，是广州番禺郑氏的儿子。出生就非常杰出，年幼就能写字，笔法天成，不是因为传授学习而得来的。十二岁时，遭逢母亲去世，诵读《蓼莪》篇，悲痛地想到父母养育的辛劳，无法稍微报答。后来读佛书，知道有采菽报恩的方法，于是谨慎地奉行归戒，如同保护鹅的宝珠一样。偶然有一天阅读《胞胎经》，通达生死轮回的过患，深深厌恶尘世的束缚，禀告父亲要出家。父亲怜悯他志向坚定勇敢，高兴地答应了他，又追随裴相国（裴休，唐朝宰相，曾送子出家）的遗风，亲自写下文辞送他出家。到韶州的英邑，西来山。在本师在和尚处做侍者，当时十七岁。张枢部尚公，非常赞赏这件事，因此挥笔赞扬，把赞词印在他的文末。十九岁剃发，承担劳苦的事务，没有丝毫懈怠。侍奉师长必定恭敬谨慎，禅修诵经则夜以继日。禀赋的才华，如同水镜一样清澈。眼睛不斜视，顾盼如同象王。卧姿如同狮子。不轻易说话，不轻易露齿而笑。与众人相处没有愠怒的脸色，对待客人有和悦的容颜。循循善诱，深沉寡言，确实具备大丈夫的器度，所以僧俗之人一见到他，没有不敬佩信服的。当时洪宗伯天擢，看到他澄澈精神，肃敬地侍立在师父身边，嘉奖赞叹不已，认为他真正可以成为佛门中的典范。至于他发问辩难义理，不是一般人可以比得上的。一听就能领会旨意，道理不再需要询问。曾经披阅《上生经》，不离开欲界，就能觐见弥勒菩萨，不需要断除烦恼，就能登上阶梯。