Eastern Jin - Huiyuan Transmission

The eminent monk of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (334-416), with the common surname Jia, was born in Yanmen Lou Fan (near Ningwu, Shanxi) and was the founder of the Pure Land Sect. In the sixth year of the Taiyuan reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (381 AD), he entered Mount Lu on the second day and gave lectures. He advocated the Amitabha Pure Land Dharma on Mount Lu and formed the Lotus Society with the eighteen sages. For more than thirty years, Bu Ju has not been able to leave the mountains. He wrote 'The Shameless Treatise on Kings'.
Li Shan's annotation in the Selected Works of Literature states: "Shi Huiyuan, originally surnamed Jia, was from Yanmen. He traveled to Xu and Luo, became a monk, and studied under the guidance of Shi Dao'an Fupi. Later, he returned to Wu, entered Xiangyang, and headed south to Jingzhou, intending to go to Luofu. He searched for Yang and saw Lufeng, so he settled there. For more than thirty years, he did not leave the mountains or become a commoner. At the end of the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Yixi of Jin
During the process of spreading the Dharma, many people converted to the seat of Master Huiyuan. In the fourth year of Taiyuan in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (379 AD), Master Dao'an was led by Fu Jian of the Former Qin Dynasty to Chang'an. His disciples scattered, and Master Huiyuan led dozens of disciples to plan a trip to Mount Luofu. They passed by Xunyang (now Jiujiang, Jiangxi) and saw the purity of Mount Lu, which was enough to calm down and focus on Taoism. Therefore, they settled in the Longquan Jingshe on Mount Xilu. Governor Huan Yi devoted himself to building Donglin Temple, and Master Huiyuan used Donglin as his dojo to cultivate himself and spread the Tao. He wrote books and speeches, and in his later years, he "did not become vulgar, nor did he leave the mountains." Due to Master Huiyuan's virtue, Donglin Temple became the center of southern Buddhism at that time. Chinese and foreign monks and laypeople look up at the wind from afar. To the east, I offer my heart to Lu Yue. "Yao and Chang'an in the north shared the land equally.
Master Huiyuan's imposing appearance immediately evokes awe and reverence. According to legend, there was a Master Huiyi who claimed to be strong and righteous, but refused to submit to others. He said to Master Huiyuan's disciple Huibao, "You are all a group of mediocre people, so you are extremely submissive to Huiyuan. You see me debating with him." When listening to Master Huiyuan's lecture on the Lotus Sutra, he repeatedly wanted to ask questions, but in the end, he trembled and sweated profusely, not daring to ask a word. Xie Lingyun, who relied on his talent and arrogance, was deeply impressed upon seeing Master Huiyuan. It is evident that Master Huiyuan is sensitive to the power of the human heart.
During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, although Buddhism had been continuously introduced, it was still incomplete. So there is still a continuous stream of Buddhist monks coming to China to promote enlightenment. Master Huiyuan felt that there was a deficiency in the Dharma and Taoism, and once sent disciples such as Fa Jing and Fa Ling to travel westward to obtain many Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, he set up a Prajnaparamita platform on Mount Lu to translate the scriptures, becoming the first person in the history of private translation in China.