弘贊法華傳 10.16

10.16

左僕射宋國公蕭瑀其崇佛法。乃於雍州藍田縣界。營置伽藍。召大德。四事供養。奏請名額。號曰津梁寺焉。瑀雖貴極人臣。位登台輔。恒持齊戒。常誦法花。每日一遍。被山衲袈裟。於精舍中。行道懺禮。同僧列食。居沙彌末筵。爰捨珍財。寫法花經。凡一千部。紙墨等事。盡妙窮微。書寫經生。清淨香潔。有人欲受持者。必慇懃三請。方始授之。中門之外。置一方青石。每令請經者。登此石立。瑀親捧經函。頂載授之。所有持經之人。瑀皆書其姓名。日禮一遍。其敬法重人。皆此類也。瑀家佛堂中。一朝。舍利流溢而出。他人分取供養者。忽然自失。舍利還歸瑀家。京師朝野。無不知矣。子銳。封襄城公駙馬都尉。襲父爵為宋公。妙業貞觀。本之庭語。然而沈毅有大量。善隷書。津梁寺額。是其迹也。造佛殿大像。又寫法花千部。甞為益府長史。州內有池。魚盈數萬。府內官寮。每恒採取。銳性蘊慈仁。告諸官曰。魚雖賤身。形命是等。切彼心肝。甘我口腹。誠不忍也。銳今永贖。願公等隨之。惠化既行。莫不悅服。諸寺若有講說。輒往其處。隨眾廗地。僧欲設床。竟不肯受。次子利州刺史錢。杞府法曹𫓏。並誦法花。時講父瑀之義疏（云云）。

Xiao Yu, the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Duke of Song, deeply revered the Buddhadharma. He established a monastery within the borders of Lantian County in Yongzhou, summoned eminent monks, provided the four requisites of support, and petitioned the throne for an official name plaque, which was called Jinliang Monastery. Although Yu was of the highest ministerial nobility and occupied the seat of a chief minister, he constantly maintained the fasting precepts and regularly recited the Lotus Sūtra once each day. Wearing a patchwork mountain robe, he practiced circumambulation and repentant prostrations in the retreat hall, ate alongside the monks in their ranks, and took the lowest seat behind the śrāmaṇeras. He donated his precious wealth to copy the Lotus Sūtra, totaling one thousand sets; in matters of paper and ink, he exhausted all elegance and subtlety, and the scribes were pure, fragrant, and clean.

Whenever someone wished to receive and uphold a copy, they were required to make earnest requests three times before he would bestow it. Outside the middle gate, a square blue stone was placed; he always had those requesting the sūtra stand on this stone, while Yu personally held the sūtra box, placed it upon his head, and conferred it. For all those who upheld the sūtra, Yu wrote down their names and bowed in reverence to them once a day. His reverence for the Dharma and respect for persons were entirely of this kind.

One day, in the Buddhist shrine of Yu's household, śarīra welled forth and overflowed. When others took portions to make offerings to them, the relics suddenly vanished on their own, and the śarīra returned to Yu's home. Throughout the capital, both court and commoners knew of this.

His son Rui was enfeoffed as Duke of Xiangcheng and駙馬都尉 (commandant-consort), and inherited his father's noble title as Duke of Song. His splendid career during the Zhenguan era originated from his family instructions. He was composed, resolute, and broadly magnanimous, and was skilled in clerical script; the plaque of Jinliang Monastery was written in his hand. He crafted a great statue in the Buddha hall and also copied one thousand sets of the Lotus Sūtra. He once served as administrator of the Yizhou superior prefecture. In the prefecture there was a pond with tens of thousands of fish, which the officials in the prefectural office constantly caught. By nature full of compassion and benevolence, Rui told the officials: 'Although fish have lowly bodies, their form and life are equal [to ours]. Cutting into their hearts and livers to delight our mouths and bellies is truly unbearable. I will now ransom them forever; I hope you gentlemen will follow suit.' When this benevolent transformation was enacted, everyone complied with joy. Whenever sūtra lectures were held in monasteries, he would go there, sitting on the ground among the congregation; if the monks wished to provide a seat, he refused to accept it to the end. His next son, Qian, prefect of Lizhou, and his other son Qi, judicial administrator of Qizhou, both recited the Lotus Sūtra and from time to time lectured on their father Yu's doctrinal commentaries (and so forth).