PICTORIAL BIOGRAPHY OF THE VENERABLE MASTER HSU YUN

continued from issue #71      
COMPOSED BY THE VENERABLE MASTER HSUAN HUA

Illustrated by a student of Prajna

Translated by Bhikshu Heng Yo

TAKES PART IN STUDY AT T'ZEN NING MONASTERY
IN CH'ANG CHOU 
#37

      The T'ien Ning Monastery in Ch'ang Chou county of Chiangsu province is known within Chinese Buddhism as the monastery as large as the ten directions. The monastery's property and wealth were plentiful and its blessings were abundant. Both the Dhyana and Teaching schools were practiced there, and in recitation, it was foremost. The Venerable Ch'ing Kuang was the Abbot at this time. Students who were a thousand miles away did not consider it far to come to draw near to him. The Master was 39 years old at this time when he went there to undertake the regulations of dhyana meditation, and passed the winter there.

The Gatha says:

The ancient T'ien Ning Monastery
was said to possess the Way,
Its setting was right and people heroic
an elephant and tiger were hidden1.
And thus the students from all ten directions
gathered together  here;
To sit in dhyana and study the teachings
expressed in pristine  voice.

1geomantic terms for certain land characteristics