樂邦遺稿 2.41

2.41

The Liang Biographies of Eminent Monks records the monk Tandi, a native of Wuxing. His father, Tong, served as Biejiu of Jizhou. His mother, Lady Huang, was taking a daytime nap and dreamt of a monk calling her mother, entrusting her with a chowry fly-whisk and two iron-carved paperweights. Awakening from sleep, she saw both items were physically present, and consequently she became pregnant and gave birth to Tandi. When Tandi was five years old, his mother showed him the two items. Tandi said: "In my previous life, I preached the Lotus Sūtra for the King of Qin, and he bestowed them upon me." At the age of ten he left the household, and following his father he met the Guanzhong monk Daochao. He suddenly called Daochao by his personal name. Chao said: "Why does a child call a senior scholar by his personal name?" Tandi said: "The Upādhyāya was Tandi's śrāmaṇera; while gathering herbs for the sangha, you were injured by a wild boar and cried out involuntarily." Chao realized and wept, saying: "You are indeed my late master, Dharma Master Hongjue." He then asked about the day Hongjue passed away; it was precisely the day the objects were entrusted. The facts were thus verified.'