釋氏稽古略 3.45

3.45

Lord Gao of Fengjing: Śramaṇa Facong was preaching the Dharma in the counties of Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Jiaxing in western Zhejiang. There was a deity named Lord Gao, who descended upon his spirit medium, saying: "Invite Dharma Master Cong here for me to receive the bodhisattva precepts." The local residents acted on his words and invited him; the precepts having been administered, the deity again descended upon the medium, saying: "From this day forward, wine, meat, and the five pungent roots are all completely severed. In the future, if you pray for blessings, you may invite the monastic assembly to host a vegetarian feast and practice the Way in my temple." Two years passed. A deity of Haiyan County in Xiuzhou, named the Prefectural Lord of Poyang, descended upon a medium during a regular sacrifice, saying: "Invite Dharma Master Cong for me to lecture on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra." The assembly then welcomed the master to give the lecture. The deity again descended upon the medium, saying: "The karmic hindrances of the divine path bring many afflictions. Since listening to the Dharma, the tiny insects gnawing beneath my scales have already ceased to afflict me. I request you to ask the master to lecture further on the Large Prajñāpāramitā for me." The master lectured on it again for him, and the deity descended upon the medium to give thanks (Biographies of Eminent Monks).