弘贊法華傳 7.9

7.9

釋法愛。長沙人也。少而出家。不能蔬節苦行。誦法華經甚通利。兼聽三論。隋陽晉征交阯。值交人反亂。愛隨例藏避。忽為五賊所得。置在一處。口云。待我食竟。殺却道人。愛乃見壁邊有一槊子。挾將出外。向北直走。值一大樹。隱立樹邊。賊食竟起。遂遙似見愛。竟往趣之。近便不覩。自相謂曰。向者遙見道人。比至不見。當是去竟。愛一心捉槊不敢動。賊迴首遠相望。如有所矚。忽云。道人已去。宜共逐之。遂奔馳竟往。愛。於是向北走。到一棘林。即投中隱避。乃遇兩虎相抱而臥。虎見愛來。並舉頭看愛。愛轉惶懼。口云。二檀越。貧道被賊逐。急投檀越。願時將接救護。二虎即出外。奮迅驚吼。賊便退散。愛又北走。虎隨追之。到一水邊見人。持數片飲食授與愛。愛受而食之。乃是煎膏䉽也。氣味甚美。即便渡水上洲。虎亦捨去。仍宿洲上。又遇二人。亦同在宿。大設異味。至曉方別。仍又囑云。但北向行。自當得脫。於是北出三十餘里。乃逢知舊。亦同避賊。相見歡喜。始得免脫。愛後向道俗說之。不知所終。

Śramaṇa Fa'ai was a native of Changsha. He left home in his youth. He was not capable of a vegetarian regimen or ascetic practices, but he was exceptionally fluent in reciting the Lotus Sūtra and also listened to lectures on the Three Treatises. When the Sui expedition attacked Jiaozhi, it coincided with a rebellion by the people of Jiao. Fa'ai, as was typical, hid to escape, but was suddenly captured by five bandits. They placed him in a certain spot and said, "Wait until we finish eating, then kill the man of the Way." Fa'ai then saw a spear beside the wall; holding it under his arm, he went outside and ran straight to the north. Coming upon a large tree, he hid and stood beside it. When the bandits finished eating and got up, they seemed to see Fa'ai from afar and rushed toward him, but when they drew near, they could not see him. They said to one another, "Just now we saw the man of the Way from afar, but on arriving here he is not to be seen; he must have already gone." Fa'ai held the spear with single-minded focus and did not dare to move. The bandits turned their heads and gazed into the distance; appearing to spot something, they suddenly cried, "The man of the Way has already left! We should pursue him together!" and dashed off in pursuit. Fa'ai then ran northward to a bramble thicket and threw himself inside to hide. There he came upon two tigers lying curled around each other. When the tigers saw Fa'ai arrive, they both raised their heads and looked at him. Fa'ai became increasingly terrified and said, "Two dānapatis! This poor monk is being pursued by bandits and in haste has fled to you, dānapatis. May you promptly receive and rescue me!" The two tigers immediately went outside, pouncing aggressively and roaring frighteningly, and the bandits thereupon scattered and retreated. Fa'ai again ran northward, and the tigers followed behind him. Reaching the edge of a body of water, he saw a person holding several pieces of food and drink who gave them to Fa'ai. Fa'ai accepted and ate them; they were fried pastries of fat and flour, exceedingly delicious in flavor. He then crossed the water onto an islet, and the tigers also departed. He proceeded to lodge overnight on the islet, where he again met two people also lodging together. They provided a great spread of rare delicacies, parting only at dawn, and also instructed him, saying, "Just go northward, and you will naturally attain escape." Thereupon he went north for more than thirty li and met an old acquaintance who was also avoiding the bandits. Meeting each other with joy, he at last attained escape. Fa'ai later spoke of this to monks and laymen alike. It is not known how he ended.