Portrait of the Buddhist Master, Zongyi from the 12th year of Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty

The stele of the monk Zongyi, engraved on the funeral monument of the monk Shibei, records Shibei's life, spiritual practice, virtues and contribution to Buddhism, praising his spiritual heritage and influence.
Inscription summary: Shibei was a member of the Xie family from the Min district of Fuzhou, born in the ninth year of the Taihe era (835 AD) under Emperor Wenzong of the Tang dynasty. At the beginning of the Xiantong era (around 860 AD), he became a monk and shaved his head under the guidance of Master Chan Lingxun on Mount Furong.
Later, he received the complete precepts from Master Daoyuan at the Kaiyuan Temple in Yuzhang (today Nanchang, Jiangxi). Back in his homeland, the monk Shibei practised asceticism, dressing in coarse fabrics and eating only according to a strict counting of days. He led an extremely simple life, sitting in silent meditation. Shibei was a spiritual brother of Master Yicun, whom he greatly respected, and was famous for his austere ascetic practice, he was known as ‘Beitoutuo’. Buddhist Master Yicun explained the Surangama Sutra day and night in front of disciples, inspiring them with his teachings and preaching in places like Huangxuefeng.
He worked hard to build temples, completing each task with care and explaining the Dharma without difficulty. Although he received the correct Dharma transmission from Xuefeng, his heart was more perfect than that of the master. His words were like the steps of a lion, his actions like a vajra, sharp as a sword, shining like a clear mirror and bright as the rays of the sun. He mastered the Dharma, held the precepts perfectly and taught living beings the truth of the equality of the mundane and the sacred, sharing with them undivided compassion and common realisation. His teachings spread widely and were respected by the Zhongyi King of Minyue, Wang Shenzhi, who asked the emperor to bestow upon him the purple mantle and the title of Zongyi Buddhist Master.
Initially invited to reside at the Puyingyuan in Louxi, he then moved to Mount Yuansha, where he taught and guided people for over thirty years. Inheriting the tradition of Master Shitou (Shitou Xiqian), he transmitted the Dharma in all directions, taking in many disciples and resolving their doubts. He taught disciples during the twelve hours of the day, with the doors always open, and had up to eight hundred students, of whom Luohan Guichen was the best known. In the regions of Fujian and Zhejiang, his teachings spread widely. In the year 908 AD, the second of the Kaiping era, he reached nirvana at the age of seventy-four, after forty-four years of practice. Shenzhi had a pagoda built for him. He said that the Buddha's path is remote, and that the spirit of the ancients remains unchanged for millennia. In the twelfth year of the Yongzheng era (1734 AD) of the Qing dynasty, he was honoured as the Buddhist Master Chao Yuan Zhen Jian ZongYi. The infinite universe of the forty directions is devoid of dust and its own nature. Everything is devoid of intrinsic essence: in silence there is movement, in movement there is silence. This is the true figure of the place Yuanshashan.