弘贊法華傳 7.7

7.7

釋靈偘。未詳何人。識見聰敏。每誦法華。初誦經竟。便感惡疾。即訴其師云。偘聞。受持法華。得六根清淨。云何偘誦。乃感斯疾。其師云。汝誦經時。作若為方法。答云。誦時。或不洗手。或復袒。乍安脚後。乍置床頭耳。師云。此是護法善神。讁罰汝也。非關經無感德。汝可懺悔。於是。作素木函。盛經頂載。在殿內行道。除大小便及以食飲。專自苦到。乃至頭破血流。自咎自責。如是經歷三年。於五更向曉。有人叩佛殿戶。喚令便開。偘初不肯云。其是罪人。何處有閑傭相與開門。喚之不已。遂為開之。見一老公。鬚鬢皓白。手捉一杖。即連打偘云。汝從今去。更敢輕慢法華經耶。應打之時。身瘡除愈。四大平復。天明視殿前。見有象跡。始知此老公是普賢菩薩。來降滅罪也。自爾。改懺悛革。精勤習誦。後不知所終。

Śramaṇa Lingkan, whose background is unknown, was perceptive and intelligent. He constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra. When he first completed reciting the sūtra, he contracted a terrible disease. He immediately complained to his master, saying, "Kan has heard that by receiving and upholding the Lotus Sūtra, one attains purity of the six sense organs. Why is it that when Kan recites it, he contracts such an illness?" His master said, "When you recited the sūtra, what manner of conduct did you employ?" He replied, "When reciting, sometimes I did not wash my hands, sometimes I bared my shoulders, sometimes I placed it behind my feet, and sometimes I set it at the head of the bed." The master said, "This is the good deities who protect the Dharma punishing you; it does not mean that the sūtra lacks efficacious virtue. You should repent." Thereupon, he made a casket of unadorned wood, carried the sūtra on top of his head, and practiced the Way inside the hall; except for defecating, urinating, eating, and drinking, he devoted himself to hardship and sincere devotion, even to the point of breaking his head and shedding blood, reproaching and blaming himself. Having passed three years in this manner, around the fifth watch near dawn, someone knocked on the door of the Buddha hall and called for it to be opened at once. Kan was initially unwilling, saying, "I am a guilty person; how would I have the leisure to open the door for you?" The calling did not cease, so he opened it for him. He saw an old man with pure white beard and hair, holding a staff in his hand, who immediately struck Kan repeatedly, saying, "From now on, will you dare to slight the Lotus Sūtra again?" Right as he was being struck, his bodily sores were cured, and the four great elements were restored to harmony. At daybreak, looking in front of the hall, he saw elephant footprints, and only then realized that this old man was the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra who had descended to extinguish his sins. From then on, he reformed, repented, and changed his ways, diligently practicing recitation. Later, his end was unknown.