續高僧傳 25.41

25.41

釋法力。未詳何人。精苦有志德。欲於魯郡立精舍。而財不足。與沙彌明琛。往上谷。乞麻一載。將事返寺。行空澤中忽遇野火。車在下風無得免理。于時法力倦眠。比覺而火勢已及。因舉聲稱觀。未逮世音。應聲風轉火焰尋滅。安隱而還。又沙門法智者。本為白衣獨行大澤。猛火四面。一時同至自知必死。乃合面於地稱觀世音。怪無火燒。舉頭看之。一澤之草纖毫並盡。惟智所伏僅容身耳。因此感悟出家為道。厲精翹勇眾所先之。又沙門道集。於壽陽西山遊行。為二劫所得。縛繫於樹將欲殺之。惟念觀世音守死而已。劫引刀屢斫皆無傷損。自怖而走。集因得脫。廣傳此事。又沙門法禪等。山行逢賊。惟念觀音。挽弓射之。欲放不得。賊遂歸誠投弓於地。又不能得。知是神人。捨而逃走。禪等免脫所在通傳。並魏末人。別有觀音感應傳。文事包廣。不具敘之。

Śramaṇa Fali: it is not known who he was. He was ascetic and possessed firm resolution and virtue. Desiring to erect a vihāra in Lu Commandery but lacking sufficient funds, he went with the śrāmaṇera Mingchen to Shanggu to solicit a cartload of hemp. As they were returning to the monastery with their task complete, traversing an open marsh, they suddenly encountered a wildfire. Since their cart was downwind, there was no way to escape. At that time, Fali was asleep from exhaustion; by the time he awoke, the fury of the flames had already reached them. Raising his voice, he called out 'Guan—', not yet finishing 'shiyin', when immediately the wind shifted, and the flames were instantly extinguished. They returned in peace and safety. Moreover, śramaṇa Fazhi had originally been a layman. Traveling alone through a vast marsh, ferocious flames converged simultaneously from all four quarters. Knowing that he was certain to die, he pressed his face to the ground and called upon Guanshiyin. Wondering why he was not being burned, he raised his head to look: every shred of grass throughout the entire marsh was completely consumed, save for the space where Zhi lay, which was just large enough to fit his body. Moving him to awakening through this, he left home to pursue the Way, striving with vigor and valor such that he preceded the rest of the assembly. Moreover, śramaṇa Daoji wandered in the Western Mountains of Shouyang and was captured by two bandits, who tied him to a tree and were about to kill him. He only recollected Guanshiyin, awaiting his death. The bandits drew their swords and struck repeatedly, but none caused any injury. Frightened by this, they fled, and Ji thus obtained his release; this matter was widely related. Moreover, when śramaṇa Fazhan and others were walking in the mountains, they met with robbers. They only recollected Guanyin. The robbers drew their bows to shoot them, but when they wished to loose the arrows, they were unable to do so. The robbers then submitted in good faith and tried to throw their bows to the ground, yet they could not release them either. Knowing that these were holy men, they abandoned their efforts and fled. Zhan and the others were spared, and this was everywhere reported. All of these were figures from the end of the Wei. There is separately a Record of the Spiritual Resonances of Guanyin, whose accounts are vast and extensive, so they are not recounted in detail here.