續高僧傳 10.29

10.29

釋法總。姓段氏。并州太原人也。少以誦涅槃為業。既通全部。志在文言。未遑聽涉。十餘年中初不替廢。後聽玄義便即傳講。前後二紀領悟非一。而寬厚遜仰為物歸投。開皇中年。勅召為涅槃眾主。居于海覺。聚結四方常敷至理。無捨炎燠。仁壽歲初。勅送舍利于隋州之智門寺。掘基三尺。獲神龜一枚。色黃且綠狀如彩繡。頭有八字云。上大王八萬七千年。腹下有王興二字。馳步往來都無所食。及舍利所。由令人治道。於隋侯。橋側柳樹又雨甘露。狀如雨下。香甜濃潤眾共飲之。總乃表聞。帝敬謁靈祥。恒以此龜置於御座。與臣下觀之。有經年月。帝遊北苑放之清池。雖汎泳少時。還出遶池。隨逐帝躬前後非一。陪衛咸覩共欣徵感。及四年春。又勅送舍利于遼州下生寺。放光分粒其相極多。石函變為錦文及童子之象。函之北面現於雙樹。下有臥佛。又於函南現金剛捉杵擬山之相。又於函東現二佛俱立。并一騏驎。又於凾西現一菩薩并一神尼。曲身合掌向於菩薩。更有諸相。略不述之。又放大光聊亂而起。動眩人目從冥達曉。諸燈雖滅而光續照不異日月之明。爾夕陰雨。佛堂鵄吻放於黃光。飛移東南。三百餘步。外人謂火。走赴知非。尋光所發。乃從堂中舍利處。出眾皆通見大發道心。八日將下五色雲蓋覆于塔上。又感奇鳥素身烏尾赤觜口銜片雲狀如華蓋亦現塔上。斯瑞之感。五萬餘人一時同見。及墳下訖雲鳥皆滅。四月九日基上放光。分為五道直西而去。色如采畫。數百里引之。見者非一。總躬臨此瑞。喜發內心。具圖上聞。勅封祕閣。後因故業講誦不疲。大業年中卒於海覺。春秋七十矣。門人行等。玄會嗣續擅名。見于別傳。

Śramaṇa Fazong, whose secular surname was Duan, was a native of Taiyuan in Bingzhou. In his youth, he took the recitation of the *Nirvāṇa [Sūtra]* as his occupation. Having completely mastered the whole work, his aspiration lay in its phrasing and words, and he had not yet had leisure to attend lectures. For more than ten years he never lapsed or gave it up. Later, having heard its profound meanings, he immediately transmitted and lectured on it. Over the course of twenty-four years, his realizations were not few. Being generous, gentle, deferent, and humble, he was someone to whom all beings turned. In the middle of the Kaihuang era, an imperial decree summoned him to serve as the Head of the Nirvāṇa Assembly, residing at Haijue [Monastery]. Assembling followers from the four directions, he constantly expounded the ultimate principle, without desisting even in the scorching heat. At the beginning of the Renshou era, an imperial decree sent him to deliver relics to Zhimon Monastery in Suizhou. Digging the foundation to a depth of three feet, they obtained a divine tortoise, yellow and green in color, patterned like polychrome embroidery. On its head were eight characters reading: 'Ascend to the Great King: eighty-seven thousand years.' On its belly were the two characters 'King Flourishing.' It scurried back and forth, eating nothing at all. Upon reaching the place of the relics, along the road that men had been ordered to repair, beside the bridge of the Marquis of Sui, sweet dew also rained down from a willow tree, falling like rain, fragrant, sweet, thick, and moist, and the crowd all drank it together. Zong then submitted a memorial reporting it. The Emperor reverently visited the miraculous omen, constantly placing this tortoise upon the imperial seat to view it with his ministers. After months and years had passed, the Emperor was touring the Northern Park and released it into a clear pond. Although it swam about for a brief while, it came back out and circled the pond, following behind the imperial person on more than one occasion. The accompanying guards all witnessed it and rejoiced together at the miraculous response. In the spring of the fourth year, an imperial decree again sent him to deliver relics to Xiasheng Monastery in Liaozhou. It emitted light and multiplied into grains, with extremely numerous auspicious signs. The stone casket transformed into brocade patterns and images of boys. On the northern face of the casket appeared twin trees, beneath which was a reclining Buddha. Furthermore, on the southern face of the casket appeared a vajra holding a pestle pointing toward a mountain. On the eastern face of the casket appeared two Buddhas standing together, along with a qilin. On the western face of the casket appeared a bodhisattva and a divine nun, bowing her body with palms joined toward the bodhisattva. There were still other signs, which are omitted and not recounted here. It also emitted a great light that arose flickering and dazzling, confounding human eyes from dark until dawn. Although the lamps were extinguished, the light continued to shine, no different from the brightness of the sun and moon. That evening there was overcast rain; the owl-tail ridge ornament of the Buddha hall emitted a yellow light that flew more than three hundred paces to the southeast. Outsiders thought it was a fire and ran toward it, only to realize it was not. Tracing where the light originated, it had emerged from the relics within the hall. The crowd all saw it clearly and gave rise to great aspirations for the Way. On the eighth day, as they were about to lower [the casket], a five-colored cloud canopy covered the pagoda. A wondrous bird was also elicited, with a white body, black tail, and red beak, holding in its mouth a wisp of cloud resembling a flower canopy, which likewise appeared above the pagoda. Over fifty thousand people simultaneously witnessed this responsive miracle. When the interment in the mound was concluded, the clouds and bird both vanished. On the ninth day of the fourth month, light was emitted from the foundation, dividing into five paths heading due west, colored like painted designs and extending for hundreds of li; those who saw it were not few. Zong personally witnessed these portents, and joy welled up from within his heart; he drew them all and submitted a memorial reporting them, and an imperial decree sealed them in the secret archives. Later, continuing his original occupation, he lectured and recited without fatigue. During the Daye era, he passed away at Haijue [Monastery] at the age of seventy. His disciples Xingdeng and Xuanhui continued his line and achieved fame, as seen in their separate biographies.