High Monk Shi Senglang dwelt at Tai Mountain in Jinyu Valley (金輿谷) as Abbot of Jinyu Retreat. His home was near Chang’an. When he was quite young he began, in his search for the Buddhadharma, looking for a “bright” teacher, a Good and Wise Advisor. He went far and wide and met a lot of Good and Wise Advisors. Then he left the home life and received the Complete Precepts. The Complete Precepts include the Ten Shramanera Precepts, the Two hundred and fifty Bhikshu Precepts, and the Ten Major and Forty-Eight Minor Bodhisattva Precepts.
Now, because it is the Dharma-Ending Age, there are those who, not having received the Shramanera Precepts, say they are Shramaneras. Some who have only taken the Shramanera Precepts say they are Bhikshus. Some who have not taken the Bodhisattva Precepts go ahead and call themselves Bodhisattvas. So, in the Dharma-Ending Age, people keep running out ahead in name only, while their practice lags far behind. They figure it like this: “First I’ll make a name for myself and then I will eventually get down to doing it.” This probably has a bit of scientific logic about it. In the scientific age, one first talks about something, and afterwards actually does it. For instance, twenty years ago there was news of going to the moon and travelling to the planets and stars. And now as it turns out, people have gone to the moon. But once they landed on the moon, they found there wasn’t anything to eat there, so they came back. They spent a lot of money to get there and then all they did was come back. So, although it has happened, it still has not actually been a success. Likewise, to say one is a Bhikshu or a Bodhisattva without having actually taken the appropriate Precepts is more or less similar.
After Dharma Master Senglang left the home life, he concentrated on reading and reciting the Sutras. He didn’t do anything but just read and recite the Great Vehicle Sutras. After reading and reciting more than a hundred Sutras, he began to lecture on them. His explanation of the doctrines was subtle and inconceivably wonderful.
One time he went with several monks from another temple to receive offerings. Half-way to the place where the offerings were to be made he said, “You should go back. Don’t go on to receive the offerings.”
“Why shouldn’t we go receive the offerings ?” they asked.
“Some thieves have come to your temple,” he replied.“ They’re going to rob your temple clean, because there isn’t anyone guarding it. Hurry up and go back.”
Now, those monks probably had some money, gold and silver in their temple—the kinds of things that are very heavy and hard to renounce. There were a lot of big heavy rocks there, but they didn’t return for them. They went back to save their gold. And when they got there, sure enough, there were thieves in the temple. When the thieves saw the monks returning, they ran away and the temple’s treasures were saved. Because of this, a lot of people said that Master Senglang had the power of prophesy.
He was a vegetarian. He never ate meat and never wore silk or fur, but only cotton. He was very pure and upright in his holding of Precepts. His resolve surpassed most people’s. Dharma Master Senglang built a monastery overlooking Jinyu Valley on Kunlun Mountain. The monastery was built on the very highest peak of the mountain. The location was so high that it was extremely dangerous. The slightest slip would have sent one plummeting. The rocks he used in building his monastery were extraordinarily strong. There was also an immense waterfall in the area which people found terrifyingly powerful. He built a lot of buildings and planted a flower garden on the mountain. A lot of people came to the place, lived there, and cultivated. Eventually, more than a hundred people had gathered to live there with him and listen to his lectures and Dharma talks. He lectured on the Sutras and spoke the Dharma every day. More often than not, Dharma Masters only lecture once a week on the Sutras, or at the most, two or three times. They are not like those of us here who give lectures every night on the Sutras. They say that if you speak every day, no one will come to listen. But we lecture every day, and so far there have always been people to listen. I believe if other places lectured every day, they too would have people come to listen, but the Dharma Masters are afraid of the extra work. It takes a lot of effort to lecture on the Sutras. You have to save up your strength to be able to project your voice when you speak.
Dharma Master Senglang lectured on the Sutras and spoke Dharma every day without rest and he never complained of being tired. The Emperor Fu Jian looked upon Dharma Master Senglang with great respect and admiration. He revered the Dharma Master’s virtuous conduct so much that he sent messengers to request him to come to the palace. But the Dharma Master did not go. On one occasion, Fu Jian “weeded out the Sangha,” which means he made an investigation to see if members of the Sangha were holding the Precepts and following the rules in their cultivation. Those who were not following the rules would be ordered to return to lay life. The only exception to this investigation was Dharma Master Shi Senglang’s monastery on Kunlun Mountain. “Don’t investigate that monastery,” said the Emperor, “because the Venerable Lang’s virtue is lofty and pure, and those who dwell with him are certainly also good cultivators. So there is no need to inspect his place. There is no need to go there and bother him.”
During the Yaoqin Period, Emperor Yao Xing was also especially respectful of Master Senglang. At that time, China was divided in two: North and South. The Emperor of the northern region also paid reverence to Master Lang and gave him two kingdoms as an offering.
Before Master Lang arrived, Jinyu Valley abounded with tigers and people travelling in the area had to go in groups of ten to twenty. No one would dare travel alone. After the Dharma Master came, the tigers all left and the people could come and go as they pleased. There was nothing to bother them. From this, the people of the area came to realize that this Dharma Master’s virtue was very lofty. From then on, no one called the valley, “Jinyu”; instead they called it, “Venerable Lang’s Valley.”
In those days, there weren’t any telegrams or letters and other forms of communication were not convenient, so if you wanted to visit a monastery you couldn’t give them any warning ahead of time. You would just turn up. But Dharma Master Senglang could tell the cook the expected number of guests in advance. He would say, for instance, “Tomorrow you should prepare food for this many more people.” And the next day when the food was all ready, that many people would show up. It was not like this just one day. He did it all the time. Before the people had arrived, he would say, “Tell the kitchen to prepare food for ’X’ number of more people.” Because he was always correct, people knew the Venerable Master Lang had the power to know the future. And this caused people to believe even more in him.
He died on the mountain at age eighty-five. They buried him there on Mount Tai next to the building he had lived in.
* * * * *
You should think it over, whether or not you want to imitate the High Masters. Do you want to be a high monk or would you rather imitate a low monk? Do you want to imitate a monk who is neither high nor low? Do you want to imitate a holy monk or a common monk? Do you want to imitate a vigorous monk or do you want to imitate a lazy monk? Each of you should consider this. You should not just listen to these records and let them pass by like wind blowing by your ears. If you do, then I have spoken in vain. On the other hand, if you can imitate these high monks with their sounds, appearances, cultivation, samadhi, and Precept power, then you can cast yourselves in their mold and they will serve as living models. In this country, I believe there are many high monks, Sagely monks, many vigorous monks, and many monks with inconceivable spiritual penetrations. Because if there are not these, then I fear there will not be even any common monks. In the beginning of the Proper Dharma in America, you should be leaders for people. Don’t consider yourselves useless. Don’t think that slacking off a little won’t matter. That’s not the way it is.
As for laymen, they should be like Vimalakirti and Anathapindada. When I lectured the Vajra Sutra (《金剛經》), I told how Anathapindada used his own gold to cover the earth and build a monastery. Be like him. Be like Vimalakirti, who was a layman with spiritual penetrations greater than those of the great Arhats. He was able to out-talk the brilliant Shariputra and others like him. You should use your true heart to protect the Triple Jewel. In this country there must be both laymen and Dharma Masters of such lofty quality.