The Tenth T’ien T’ai Patriarch
The Venerable Kuang Hsiu

By Venerable Master Hua
Translated by Bhiksuni Heng Ch’ih
Reviewed by Bhiksuni Heng Tao

      THE VENERABLE KUANG HSIU OF THE T’IEN T’AI SCHOOL HAD THE LAYNAME LIU AND WAS FROM HSIA PI IN TUNG YANG.

      HE BECAME A DISCIPLE OF MASTER TS’UI AT AN EARLY AGE. HE EXAMINED IN DEPTH THE TEACHING OF CONTEMPLATION WITH A SINGLE MIND AND SINCERE PRACTICE. DAILY HE RECITED THE DHARMA FLOWER SUTRA, THE VIMALAKIRTI SUTRA, THE BRIGHTNESS SUTRA, THE BRAHMA NET SUTRA, AND THE FOUR CATEGORIES OF PRECEPTS. THIS WAS HIS DAILY RITUAL. IN THE SIX PERIODS of the day and night HE PRACTICED REPENTANCE.

      AS HE GREW OLDER HE INCREASED THE VIGOR OF HIS PRACTICES. FOR FORTY-NINE DAYS OUT OF EVERY YEAR HE WOULD PRACTICE A SAMADHI ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. THIS HE WOULD NEVER NEGLECT EVEN WHEN OLDER MATTERS PRESSED.

      THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR WEI HSING OF T’IEN T’AI REQUESTED HIM TO LECTURE ON STOPPING AND CONTEMPLATING. RIGHT AT THAT ASSEMBLY HSING HAD A PROFOUND AWAKENING. ALL WHO HEARD THE MASTER WERE DELIGHTED.

      IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE HUI CH’ANG REIGN PERIOD, HE ENTERED THE STILLNESS. HE WAS BURIED AT CHIN TI BODHIMANDA. HIS DISCIPLE LIANG HSU PLACED HIM IN A STUPA AND CREMATED HIM. FROM THIS SARIRA WHICH NUMBERED MORE THAN A THOUSAND WERE OBTAINED, SOME OF WHICH WERE AS LARGE AS BEANS. IN HIS OLD ABODE THEY ERECTED A STUPA AND PLACED THE SARIRA WITHIN IT.

      A VERSE SAYS:

      HE WELL ENTERED THE TEACHING OF CONTEMPLATION

      AND JUMPED FOR JOY AT THE WONDERFUL PRINCIPLE.

      HE WAS EVER MORE SERIOUS IN HIS DAILY PRACTICE,

      AND YET HIS PRACTICE WAS BASICALLY EFFORTLESS.

      BENEATH THE DUST HIS OWN SPIRITUAL WISDOM WAS VAST AND WIDE.

      STORED IN CHIN TI ARE JEWELS THAT EMIT A DAZZLING LIGHT.

      ANOTHER VERSE IN HIS PRAISE SAYS:

      WHEN THERE IS TEACHING BUT NO CONTEMPLATION, THAT IS USELESS.

      TO ONLY CONTEMPLATE AND IGNORE THE TEACHING IS DANGEROUS.

      HIS THOROUGH INVESTIGATION AND WONDERFUL AWAKENING FUSED IN PERFECT PENETRATION.

      HIS UNDERSTANDING OF PRINCIPLES AND SERIOUS PRACTICE WERE A SINGULAR DOOR TO
      EXCELLENCE.

      WHEN CONDITIONS RIPENED AND THE TIME HAD COME, HE WAS SUDDENLY TRANSFORMED.

      WHEN HIS POTENTIAL MET WITH A RESPONSE, HE LEFT BEHIND SELF AND OTHERS.

      EVERYONE STOPPED TO REGARD THE LOFTINESS OF T’IEN T’AI MOUNTAIN.

      HIS MIND WAS SET ON THE ASPIRATION TO VOW TO COME BACK AND HELP.

RECORDS OF THE LIFE OF THE VENERABLE MASTER HSUAN HUA, VOL. I. This book is a treasure of records relating to the Master’s early life in Manchuria. Filiality, virtue, compassion, healing, and mastery of the Dharma manifest in the Master’s life with appropriateness, gentleness, thoroughness, and enduring firmness. To learn by such an example is to have an opportunity rare in the world. Paperbound, 66 pages. NOW AVAILABLE.