續高僧傳 26.70

26.70

釋寶憲。鄭州人。寶鎮律師之學士也。童稚依止即奉科條。審量觀能具承大法。受具之日但奉文言。至於行模並先具委。有師資焉有弘業焉。開皇之始。與鎮同來住大興善。威儀調順言無涉俗。仁壽奉勅。置塔洪州。即豫章之故地。初向彼州。路由江阻。既失正溜泥濘不通。人力殆盡無前進理。程期又逼道俗遑懼。憲乃憑心舍利請垂通涉。忽降白鳥船前緩飛。乍來乍去如有引導。即遣隨逐遂逢水脈。通夕汎舟安達無障。憲還京室。尋事卒也。

Śramaṇa Baoxian was a native of Zhengzhou. He was a disciple of the Vinaya Master Baozhen. While still a youth under [Baozhen’s] tutelage, he already observed the disciplinary regulations. Discerning and assessing his own capacities, he fully received the great Dharma. On the day he received the full precepts, he simply observed the textual injunctions; as for the models of conduct, he was already thoroughly familiar with them beforehand. In him, disciple and master were united; in him, the great vocation was magnified. At the beginning of the Kaihuang era, he accompanied Zhen to reside at Daxingshan Temple. His deportment was harmonious and disciplined, and his speech never touched upon secular matters. Receiving an imperial edict in the Renshou era, he was ordered to establish a pagoda in Hongzhou, the former territory of Yuzhang. Setting out for that prefecture, his route was blocked by the river: having lost the main current, the ship was trapped in mud and could not advance. Their strength nearly exhausted, there was no way forward; as the deadline drew near, both monastics and laity were filled with anxiety. Xian therefore placed his trust in the relics and prayed for safe passage. Suddenly, a white bird descended, flying slowly in front of the boat, flitting to and fro as if guiding them. He immediately ordered the boat to follow it, whereupon they found a channel of deep water. Sailing through the night, they arrived safely without impediment. Xian returned to the capital and died of an illness shortly thereafter.