佛祖歷代通載 9.28

9.28

(19) The Emperor himself received the upasampadā. His living quarters were much like those of a śramaṇa. Although in the imperial palace, he would always allow monks to wander and sightsee at will, forbidding only the imperial throne. One day Master Zang ascended the hall and stepped onto it. The attendants shouted at him to stop. Zang said, "This poor monk is a scion of Dīpaṃkara and the Golden Wheel; why should I be ashamed of this seat? If I am put to death, I have no fear of lacking a place to be reborn." When the Emperor heard this, he let it go and did not punish him. When Zang was young, he met a physiognomist who said, "The Dharma Master's lifespan will not exceed thirty-one." Zang, terrified at the end of the year, daily recited the Diamond Prajñā. When the time came, he dreamt that the same person returned to tell him, "Because of the power of prajñā, the Dharma Master's lifespan is doubled for monks." He also once dreamt that Vimalakīrti descended into his room and spoke with him, and upon departing gave him a white chowry and left. From this time on, Zang's abstruse eloquence became fresher by the day.