CHAPTER VIII.

ON CHI-K'AI AND THE T'IEN-T'AI SCHOOL OF BUDDHISM.

T'ien-t'ai, a place of great note in Chinese Buddhism--Chi-k'ai resided there in the sixth century--His cloak and rice bowl--Fu-lung-feng--Fang-kwang si and the rock bridge--Legend of the Lo-hans--Twelve monasteries founded--He taught the Fa-hwa-king--System of threefold contemplation--Six connectives--Eight modes of characterising Buddhism--Ten steps in progress--Derived much from Nagarjuna--T'ien-t'ai, a middle system--Regulations.

THERE is no Buddhist establishment better known in China than T'ien-t'ai. It has much natural beauty, but its interest, so far as it is historical, centres chiefly round the ancient monk who is the subject of this notice. It had been visited before by Tauist recluses, but it was he that by selecting it for his abode gave it its high reputation as a spot consecrated to the meditative life.

The cluster of hills that compose T'ien-t'ai terminate abruptly to the south-west. Ch'ih-ch'eng, an imposing hill crowned with a pagoda, is conspicuous from the timeworn walls of the city of T'ien-t'ai, 180 miles south-east of Hang-cheu. This is the southern extremity of the hilly region known by the same name. From a valley on its left flows a mountain stream, which, increasing in width as it traverses the plain, is capable of bearing boats of considerable size when it reaches the busy little city just mentioned. Passing on it bends to the south-east, and arriving at T'ai-chen, an important sea-port, pours its

waters, after a short course of ten or fifteen miles, into the ocean.