樂邦遺稿 2.51

2.51

The Leisurely Readings of Dunzhai records: 'When Duke Ouyang Wenzhong governed Yingzhou, there was an official slave girl named Lu Mei'er whose appearance was elegant and refined, and who was skilled in conversation and laughter. Her mouth constantly produced the fragrance of a lotus flower, which dispersed and filled the entire room. Everyone marveled at her, but none could fathom the cause. Soon, a monk came from the Shu region who was quite knowledgeable about people's past lives. The Duke spoke with him about her. The monk said: "In her past life, this girl was once a nun and chanted the Lotus Sūtra for thirty years. Through an error in a single thought, she drifted and fell into this state." The Duke did not yet believe it, so he asked her, saying: "Have you ever read the Lotus Sūtra?" The slave girl said: "Having fallen into this condition, I have had no leisure for that." The Duke ordered that this sūtra be fetched and shown to her; with one glance she immediately chanted it as if she had long been familiar with it, yet if another sūtra was substituted, she could not. The monk's words were truly to be believed.'