Huijiao claimed that ＂many biographies written in the past primarily focused on monk's fame, however, fame should be subjected to actuality,＂ therefore he was determined to compile The Biographies of Eminent Monks to acknowledge the ＂virtues＂ and ＂actuality＂ of monks. However, how could ＂eminence＂ be determined? First, Huijiao divided monks' merits into ten categories and called them ＂Ten Categories of Moral Conducts and Merits.＂ He then evaluated contributions made by monks to determine whether they could be included in The Biographies of Eminent Monks. The ＂Ten Categories of Moral Conducts and Merits＂ included contributions made by monks to ＂monastic life,＂ however, these monks' intentions were to bring Buddhist teachings to the populace and save them. Consequently, assessments made by the ＂secular＂ world validated monks' actual performance in terms of the ＂Ten Categories of Moral Conducts and Merits,＂ which was why Hujiao repeatedly mentioned factors associated with the ＂secular＂ world in monks' biographies. These factors included: 1. Acceptance by ＂people of the time,＂ including monks' titles, nicknames for unique physical features, speculations on the levels that monks attained in self-cultivation, monks' ability to engage in witty conversations, etc. 2. Comparisons of monks to famous scholars, Hujiao quoted literati's comparison of monks to famous scholars as signs of acceptance by the secular world; 3. Acceptance of monks' ability to conduct themselves like famous scholars, Huijao considered this ability to be indications of true feelings; 4. Acceptance of ＂righteousness＂ and ＂filial piety,＂ Huijiao's criteria for ＂actuality＂ and ＂virtues＂ were based on monks' reactions when their states suffered devastating misfortunes, on the other hand, he considered monks' filial acts to be evidence of ＂virtues＂ and ＂actuality.＂ These ＂secular＂ factors effectively exemplified monks' virtues and demonstrated that the ＂Ten Categories of Moral Conducts and Merits＂ were not detached from the real world, but deeply rooted in the human world.
