弘贊法華傳 7.13

7.13

清信女章氏。隋右光祿大夫陳陵妻也。誦法華經。每悔四體羸乏。不堪久誦。忽夢僧。持一椀藥作黃色。來在章前。與之令服。已經少時。因腹痛驚覺。腹痛既甚。即使喚陵尋至。章云。世人道。若夢見道人。多是鬼。今夜忽夢服道人藥。即是服鬼藥。決死不疑。語頃乃令陵避。須臾下痢。純作薰色。似夢所見。痢竟。所患都差。自後四體休健。常能讀誦。日夜一遍。無復困極也。

The upāsikā Lady Zhang was the wife of Chen Ling, Right Grand Master of Splendid Happiness under the Sui. She recited the Lotus Sūtra, always lamenting that her four limbs were weak and exhausted, unable to endure prolonged recitation. Suddenly she dreamed of a monk holding a bowl of medicine that was yellow in color; he came before Lady Zhang and gave it to her, telling her to take it. After a short while, she was startled awake by abdominal pain. As the pain was severe, she immediately had Ling summoned, who arrived shortly. Lady Zhang said, "People of the world say that if one dreams of a man of the Way, it is usually a ghost. Tonight I suddenly dreamed of taking a man of the Way's medicine, which means taking a ghost's medicine; there is no doubt I will surely die." In the midst of speaking, she had Ling withdraw. In a moment, she had diarrhea that was purely of a dark-smoked color, resembling what she had seen in the dream. After the diarrhea ended, all her ailments were cured. From then on, her four limbs were healthy and robust; she was regularly able to read and recite once day and night, no longer suffering extreme fatigue.