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HUIJIN ¶1355²1436·

A BIOGRAPHY

The Dharma Master whose canonical name was Huijin ‘eminent monk’) and ordered to reside at Tianjiesi (Nanjing),
(‘Wisdom Advanced’) had for his personal name Qiyan, and where outstanding monks were selected to study with him.
Zhiweng for his sobriquet. He was a native of Lengquan village, Huijin was also ordered, ‰rst, to take charge of eminent monks
Lingshi county, Shanxi. His secular surname was Song, and at the Linggusi (also in Nanjing) who were editing the Sanzang
his parents enjoyed doing good works. He was born on 20th fashu [Categories of Buddhist Concepts in the Tripitaka], and
January 1355 during the Yuan dynasty. While still quite young then to accompany the Emperor to Beijing, where he took up
he could recite sayings of the Buddha from memory. Only at residence at the Haiyinsi and was by imperial decree placed in
eight years of age, when he lost the support of his parents due charge of monks and nuns all over the empire.
to a local military con˜ict, did he begin to weave chaste-tree Outside the Great Ming Gate he held a massive Buddhist
twigs together to make baskets and so managed to support service dedicated to releasing all sentient beings from
his grandparents, who later passed away as well, due to su¯ering, and over a month gave lectures on the three
warfare. Resolved to renounce secular life, he took the tonsure categories of pure precepts, which e¯ectively addressed
and was ordained as a monk by His Eminence Jian at the issues both recondite and manifest. Massive rice cauldrons
Dayunsi (Hunyuan county, Shanxi) and took up the scriptures glittered and tall pennants ˜uttered in the wind. For this
to study. Saved thanks to the imperial grace newly bestowed service, Huijin was conferred a scripture impressed with the
during the Hongwu period (1368-1398), he went to the Gufeng imperial seal and a gold-thread kasaya and was promoted
fashi (‘Ancient Peaks Dharma Master’) in Bianliang (Kaifeng) to Recti‰er of the Left (in the Buddhist Registry) and made
to study the fundamental teachings of the Avatamsaka Sutra, Supreme Supervisor of all literary Confucian scholars and
while secondarily becoming pro‰cient in treatises concerned eminent monks in the empire.
with the hundred Dharmas of the Yogacara (‘conscious-only’)
tradition. In the course of time Huijin advanced to become When he was engaged in collating the Tripitaka at the Sutra
an authorized lecturer and was so admired and universally Printing Hall of the Haiyinsi, he memorialized the Emperor
trusted that he acquired the reputation of a veritable Dharma thus: “Since we are printing these Tripitaka teachings in
Lord. order to assist moral transformation of the people through
governance, it is only right that Your Majesty compose a
When the Yongle Emperor (r. 1403-1424) heard of his preface to the work, for the instruction provided in it should
reputation, he dispatched a eunuch to summon him to the spread near and far.” The Emperor agreed and personally
palace in Nanjing post-haste. He questioned him about the composed thirteen introductions to the Sutras in thirteen
main points of the Surangama Sutra, and after Huijin had Colophons to the Eulogies for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
responded personally in response to the imperial command, Huijin was then summoned to the Incense Hall, where he was
he was conferred a purple robe (indicating his elevation as an

72 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比