高僧傳 11.72

11.72

Whenever he entered samādhi, he would not rise for several days. Later, he suddenly heard the sound of wind and thunder, and in a moment saw a person holding an official tablet step forward, announcing the arrival of General Zhendong, Yan. In an instant a person arrived, of very handsome appearance, with fluttering feathered escorts, who descended from his seat to pay respects, saying of himself: 'Your disciple lives at Qili, and my jurisdiction encompasses this area. Having learned that the Dharma master has arrived, I have come to pay my respects: Last winter, the people of Fuyang County quarried the base of Mount Lu to make bricks, encroaching upon and damaging the dragon chambers. The dragons were enraged together, and caused three hundred days without rain. It has now been over one hundred days; wells and ponds are dried up, and agricultural planting has completely ceased. Since the Dharma master's virtue and Way penetrate the divine, I wish to humbly entreat you to go forward; you will surely be able to move them to bring moisture to the common people, and the merit will belong to you.' Chao said: 'Raising clouds and bringing rain are fundamentally the power of the dānapati; what can a poor monk do?' The deity said: 'My subordinates can only raise clouds, but cannot bring rain; that is why I have come to entreat you.' Chao then assented, and the deity vanished in an instant. Chao then journeyed south; after five days, he reached Mount Chiting, where he made praṇidhānas and preached the Dharma for the dragons from afar. When night fell, all the dragons transformed into humans, came to Chao, and made obeisance. Chao further expounded the Dharma to them, whereupon they begged to receive the three refuges and declared themselves to be dragons. When Chao asked them to bring rain, they looked at one another without speaking. That night, they appeared to Chao in a dream, saying: 'We originally took an oath out of anger, but since the Dharma master has guided us with goodness, we dare not disobey your command; tomorrow at the late afternoon hour (bushi) rain shall fall.' The next morning Chao immediately went to Linquan Temple and sent someone to inform the county magistrate, telling him to prepare boats on the river to turn the Sāgara-nāgarāja-sūtra. The county magistrate immediately invited monks to float boats at Shishou. Just as the turning of the sūtra was completed, heavy rain poured down. High lands and low lands were all amply watered, and the harvest was secured that year.