弘贊法華傳 10.7

10.7

比丘尼練行。河東人也。不知其本名。但以苦節專心。勤策無怠。俗稱練。因以名之。常誦法花。志欲抄寫。訪工書者一人。數倍酬直。別為淨室。莊嚴中表。經生。一起一沐。燃香薰衣。仍於寫經之室。鑿壁通外。加一竹筒。令寫經人。每欲出息。輒含竹筒。吐氣壁外。寫經七卷。八年乃畢。供養嚴重。盡其恭敬。龍門僧法端。常集大眾。講法花經。以此尼經本精定。遣人請之。尼固辭不與。法端責讓之。尼不得已。乃自送付。端等開讀。唯見黃紙。了無文字。更開餘卷。皆悉如此。法端等慚懼。即送還尼。尼悲泣受之。以香水洗函。沐浴頂戴。遶佛行道。於七日夜。不暫休息。既而開視。文字如故（云云）。

The nun Lianxing was a person of Hedong. Her original name is not known, but because of her strict ascetic restraint and single-minded dedication, diligently urging herself on without indolence, the worldly called her "Lian" (Trained/Disciplined), and she was named after this. She constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra and aspired to copy it. She sought out a skilled scribe, paid several times the standard wage, and set up a separate purified room, adorning its interior and exterior. Every time the scribe arose [from his seat], he bathed; he burned incense to perfume his clothes. Furthermore, in the wall of the room for copying the scripture, a hole was pierced leading outside, and a bamboo tube was inserted. The scribe was instructed that whenever he was about to exhale, he must hold the bamboo tube in his mouth and breathe out through the wall to the outside. He copied seven fascicles of the scripture, taking eight years to finish. Her offerings to it were solemn and heavy, exhausting her reverence. The monk Faduan of Longmen constantly assembled a great congregation to preach on the Lotus Sūtra. Because this nun's copy of the scripture was meticulously accurate, he sent someone to request it. The nun firmly declined and would not give it. Faduan reproached her. Having no choice, the nun delivered it herself. When Duan and the others unrolled it to read, they saw only yellow paper, completely devoid of characters. When they opened the other fascicles, all were likewise. Faduan and the others were ashamed and frightened, and immediately returned it to the nun. Weeping sorrowfully, the nun received it, washed the scripture case with scented water, bathed, placed it atop her head, and circumambulated the Buddha, performing the rite for seven days and nights without resting for an instant. Thereafter, when she unrolled and looked at it, the characters were as before (and so forth).