佛祖統紀 41.42

41.42

In the fourth year, an edict summoned Chan Master Weikuan for an audience to ask about the essentials of Chan, and ordered him to reside at Anguo Temple. Bai Juyi asked the Master, 'Since you are called a Chan master, why do you expound the Dharma?' The Master said, 'Unsurpassed Bodhi—when worn on the body, it is the Vinaya; when spoken by the mouth, it is the Dharma; when practiced in the mind, it is Chan. The Vinaya is just the Dharma, and the Dharma is not separate from Chan.' The Wife of Mr. Ma appeared in Shaanxi. Formerly, the customs of this place were practicing riding and archery, and the name of the Three Jewels had never been heard. Suddenly, a young woman arrived and said to the people, 'If someone can master the "Universal Gate Chapter" overnight, I will become his wife.' The next morning, twenty people had memorized it thoroughly. She then gave them the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra; by morning, ten people had mastered it. She then gave them the Lotus Sūtra, setting a limit of three days to master it thoroughly. Only the son of the Ma family was able to master it. Thereupon, he prepared the rituals to welcome her. When the woman arrived, she asked to stay in another room due to illness. Before the guests had dispersed, the woman died. In a moment she decayed and decomposed, so they buried her. A few days later, an old monk in a purple robe came to the burial place, poked her corpse with his staff, and lifted out a golden locked bone, saying to the assembly, 'This is the Holy One Samantabhadra, who manifested expedient means out of pity for the heavy hindrances of you people.' Then he flew into the sky and departed. Qi Junzuo of Wu Commandery, poor and destitute despite his diligent study, went to Tianzhu Temple seeking food; starving, he could not advance. An Indian monk looked at him and smiled, saying, 'Dharma Master, do you not remember lecturing on the Lotus Sūtra at Tongde Temple?' Zuo said, 'I do not remember.' The monk took a date from his bag and gave it to him to eat. Zuo immediately awakened to his previous life as a sūtra-lecturing monk. The monk said, 'Of the five people at that time, only I attained deliverance. Because you expounded deviant heresies from the lion seat, causing students to doubt, your precepts were deficient and your disposition degraded; this retribution is natural.' Having spoken, he disappeared. Zuo immediately went to Lingyin Temple to become a monk, changed his name to Jiankong, and established lofty practice.