唐護法沙門法琳別傳 3.12

3.12

勅云。汝所著辯正論信毀交報篇言。念觀音者臨刀不傷。既有斯靈。朕今赦汝七日之內。爾其念哉。俟及刑科能無斷不。法師既羈縲紲復迫刑期。氷炭交懷控告無所。至第六日夜。盤桓悵怏徙倚沈吟。步朗月以惘然。慨浮生之如寄。不覺潛涕。因言志云。草命如懸露。輕生類轉蓬。所嗟明夜月。難與古人同。法師因揮涕昌言。仰天而歎曰。昔鄒衍拘齊獄。燕丹質秦邦。尚感夏景零霜烏頭變白。豈可獨於琳也。偏無徵應者哉。言訖俄有神人身長丈餘。素服衣冠踰垣戾止。而謂法師曰。既能亡形殉道。再紐頹網。冥衛寔繁。幸無勞慮。語訖而失。法師因乃恭虔五體默念三尊。遂得思逸胸懷釋然無懼。至七日旦。

An imperial decree was issued: "In the chapter 'Mutual Retribution of Faith and Slander' of your Bianzheng lun, you stated that those who mindfully recite Guanyin will not be harmed when facing a blade. Since there is such spiritual potency, I now grant you a reprieve of seven days; do you mindfully recite him! When the time for execution arrives, we shall see whether you are severed or not." As the Dharma Master was bound in chains and pressed by the deadline of execution, conflicting passions churned in his breast, having nowhere to turn for help. When the night of the sixth day came, he paced back and forth in distress, hesitating and lost in deep reflection. Walking beneath the bright moon, bewildered, he lamented that this fleeting life is like a lodging, and unknowingly wept in secret. He then expressed his feelings, saying: "A grassy life is like hanging dew; a slight life resembles tumbling tumbleweed. What I lament is that the moon of tomorrow night / will be difficult to share with the ancients." The Dharma Master then wiped his tears, spoke boldly, and sighed looking up to heaven: "In ancient times, Zou Yan was imprisoned in Qi, and Prince Dan of Yan was held hostage in the state of Qin; their sincerity moved summer skies to drop frost, and crows' heads to turn white. How could it be that for me alone, Lin, there is uniquely no omen of response?" When he finished speaking, suddenly a divine man over ten feet tall, dressed in plain white clothing and cap, leaped over the wall and arrived. He said to the Dharma Master: "Since you are able to sacrifice your body for the sake of the Way and re-tie the collapsed net, the unseen protections are indeed manifold. Fortunately, do not trouble yourself with worry." Having finished speaking, he vanished. The Dharma Master thereupon reverently bowed with his five limbs and silently recited the Three Honored Ones. His thoughts then soared, his mind relaxed, and he was completely free of fear. At dawn on the seventh day,