神僧傳 5.30

5.30

Shi Senglang, also named Falang, had the lay surname Xu and was a native of Nanyang. When he was in his twenties, he joyfully desired to renounce household life, and soon underwent tonsure. His dwelling was not fixed, and he mostly resided in Ezhou. Eating and drinking like a layperson, he was held in light esteem by his contemporaries. He regularly kept a monkey and a dog; they were large in build and both yellowish-red in color. They were not intimate with others, attaching themselves only to Lang, following him day and night without ever leaving. When it was mealtime, Lang would receive food in a wooden bowl; when he had eaten his fill, he would feed the remainder to them. After they had finished eating from the same vessel, the monkey would take the bowl, wear it on its head, ride upon the dog's back, and walk ahead of Lang. If anyone tried to snatch it away, they were invariably bitten. Lang let the dog wander at will, having scarcely any regular routine. Between the end of the Chen and the beginning of the Sui, he roamed south of the Yangtze and the mountain ridges. His robes were coarse and tattered, his deportment breached proper order, and carrying a staff he walked on foot, preserving and sustaining life. From time to time he chanted various sūtras, particularly devoting his aspirations to the Lotus Sūtra. He was originally lacking in vocal melody, with a voice neither clear nor rich. He then cleansed himself and recited it seven times in a single sitting. Before long, his voice moved like thunder, by which he realized that the power of merit could be attained step by step. His recitation was always regulated by sets of seven, reaching seventy, seven hundred, seven thousand, and even up to seventy thousand. The tones and rhythm were harmonious and fluid, rising freely at will, like zithers and flutes, clear and distinct as they sounded forth. Therefore, when he chanted the sūtra, the sight and hearing of bystanders watching were completely captivated. Lang's lips did not move, yet the chanting resonated up from his throat, clear and penetrating far and near, whereby he became famous. Furthermore, his arms, legs, and hands could extend and contract at will, like a tortoise retracting its limbs; at times they became like a lump of flesh. Or when staying at a drinking banquet, joining in with the various revelers, he would chew and eat pork, without anyone discerning where it came from. Therefore, people of the time said: "Lotus Lang contracts his five extremities all at once, his mouth and throat stuffed full of pork." Or again, he would travel up and down the Yangtze with hands folded inside a boat, with the monkey and dog beside him, without any oars or rudders, going wherever he pleased; though braving winds and waves, in the blink of an eye he would reach his destination. There was a bhikṣuṇī possessed by a ghost, who showed transcendent comprehension and profound understanding, explaining and debating the scriptural texts; leading assemblies and lecturing, listeners gathered like clouds, none able to fathom her, all praising her intelligence and discernment. Hearing of this, Lang said, "This is the doing of an evil ghost; how could there be any correct principle in it? I must inspect and correct her later." One clear morning, with the monkey and dog walking ahead, he went straight to the nunnery. Lang went in, bowed to the Buddha, circumambulated the stupa, and went to the front of the lecture hall, where the nun was still lecturing. Lang then scolded her in a stern voice, saying, "Little maidservant, now that I have come, why do not step down from the seat?" Upon hearing his voice, the nun collapsed from the seat and ran out, standing opposite Lang before the hall; from the hour of the rabbit to the hour of the monkey, she stood upright without moving from her spot, sweating profusely all over the ground, silent without a word. Hearing her previously famed wisdom and understanding, she suddenly became as if deaf and foolish. Only after a hundred days did she return to her original nature. His subduing of spirits and spiritual responses were all of this kind. He passed away at the end of the Daye era.