續高僧傳 25.56

25.56

釋僧朗。一名法朗。俗姓許氏。南陽人。年二十餘欣欲出家。尋預剃落。栖止無定。多住鄂州。形貌與世而殊有奇相飲噉同俗。為時共輕。常養一猴一犬。其狀偉大皆黃赤色。不狎餘人惟附於朗。日夕相隨未曾捨離。若至食時以木盂受食。朗噉飽已餘者用餧。同器食訖。猴便取盂戴之騎犬背上。先朗而行。人有奪者輒為所咋。朗任犬盤遊略無常度。陳末隋初。行於江嶺之表。章服麁弊威儀越序。杖策徒行護養生命。時復讀誦諸經。偏以法花為志。素乏聲哢清靡不豐。乃潔誓誦之。一坐七遍。如是不久聲如雷動。知福力之可階也。其誦必以七數為期。乃至七十七百七千逮于七萬。聲韻諧暢任縱而起。其類箏笛隨發明了故所誦經。時旁人觀者視聽皆失。朗脣吻不動。而囀起咽喉。遠近亮澈。因以著名。然臂脚及手。申縮任懷。有若龜藏。時同肉聚。或往酒席。同諸醼飲而嚼㗱猪肉。不測其來。故世語曰。法華朗五處俱時縮。猪肉滿口顙。或復巡江洄泝。拱手舟中。猴犬在旁。都無艤棹隨意所往。雖凌犯風波。眴息之間便達所在。有比丘尼為鬼所著。超悟玄解統辯經文。居宗講導聽採雲合。皆不測也。莫不讚其聰悟。朗聞曰。此邪鬼所加。何有正理。須後撿挍。他日清旦。猴犬前行徑至尼寺。朗隨往到禮佛遶塔至講堂前。尼猶講說。朗乃厲聲呵曰。小婢。吾今既來。何不下座。此尼承聲。崩下走出堂前。立對於朗從卯至申。卓不移處。通汗流地默無言說。問其慧解奄若聾癡。百日已後方服本性。其降行通感皆此類也。大業末歲猶未塵飛而朗口惟唱賊。朝夕不息。官人懼以惑眾。遂幽而殺之。襄陽法琳素與交遊。奉其遠度。因事而述。故即而敘之。

Shi Senglang, also named Falang, had the secular surname Xu and was a native of Nanyang. In his twenties, he joyfully desired to leave secular life (pravrajyā) and soon underwent tonsure. He had no fixed dwelling and mostly stayed in Ezhou. His appearance was different from ordinary people, having unusual features, yet his eating and drinking were like the vulgar worldly, so that he was generally despised by his contemporaries. He always kept a monkey and a dog; they were large in stature and both yellowish-red in colour. They did not become familiar with other people, attaching themselves only to Lang. They followed him day and night without ever leaving him. When it was time to eat, he received food in a wooden bowl; after Lang had eaten his fill, he fed the rest to them. Having finished eating from the same vessel, the monkey would take the bowl, wear it upon its head, and ride upon the dog's back, walking ahead of Lang. If anyone tried to snatch it away, they were immediately bitten. Lang roamed about freely following the dog, without any regular rule. In the late Chen and early Sui, he traveled beyond the Jiang and the Ling ranges. His clerical garments were coarse and ragged, his deportment unconstrained by formalities. With staff in hand he went on foot, preserving and protecting living beings. From time to time he also recited scriptures, fixing his aspiration especially upon the Lotus Sūtra. He was by nature deficient in vocal modulation, his tone lacking clarity and beauty. Thereupon he made a pure vow to chant it, seven times in a single sitting. Before long, his voice became like rolling thunder; he knew that the power of merit can be climbed step by step. His recitations always took the number seven as their term, even up to seventy, seven hundred, seven thousand, and reaching seventy thousand. His voice and cadence became harmonious and flowing, rising up freely; it resembled zithers and flutes, clear and distinct with every utterance, so that while reciting the scriptures, bystanders watching were struck dumb and deafened. Lang's lips did not move, yet the modulation arose from his throat, carrying clear and penetrating far and near, whereby he became famous. Moreover, his arms, legs, and hands could be stretched or contracted at will, like a tortoise retracting its limbs, at times resembling a lump of flesh. Sometimes he would go to banquets, drinking alongside others and chewing pork, none knowing where it came from. Therefore the worldly said: 'Lotus Lang shrinks all five parts together; pork fills his mouth and throat.' Or again, he would travel the river up and down stream, folding his hands inside the boat, with monkey and dog at his side, using neither mooring line nor oars, going wherever he pleased. Even when braving wind and waves, he would reach his destination in the blink of an eye. There was a bhikṣuṇī possessed by a ghost, who attained transcendent understanding and profound comprehension, possessing eloquent mastery of the scriptures; she occupied the chief seat to lecture and guide, her audience gathering like clouds, none being able to fathom her, and everyone praised her brilliant awakening. When Lang heard of it, he said, 'This is an affliction caused by an evil ghost. How could there be genuine principle in it? I must inspect it later.' On a clear morning of another day, the monkey and dog walked in front straight to the convent. Lang followed, reaching the place, and after worshipping the Buddha and circumambulating the stupa, he went before the lecture hall. The nun was still giving her lecture. Lang shouted sharply in rebuke: 'Little bondmaid! Now that I have come, why do you not come down from the seat?' Hearing his voice, the nun tumbled down and ran outside to the front of the hall. She stood facing Lang from the hour of the rabbit to the hour of the monkey, standing upright without moving from her spot, bathed in sweat running down to the ground, silent without speech. When asked about her wise understanding, she suddenly became as if deaf and idiotic; only after a hundred days did she regain her original nature. His deeds of subjugation and spiritual resonances were all of this kind. In the final years of Daye, before the dust of war had risen, Lang repeatedly cried out 'Bandits!' without ceasing morning and night. The officials feared that he would mislead the multitude, so they imprisoned and executed him. Falin of Xiangyang had formerly associated with him and esteemed his far-reaching nature. Because of the circumstance, he recorded it, and so I have set it forth accordingly.