[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [弘贊法華傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067) › 8.12 # 弘贊法華傳 8.12 弘贊法華傳 8.12 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [8.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.8.12) 釋法喜。俗姓李。襄陽人也。七歲出家。事顥禪師。為其津導。荊州青溪山寺四十餘僧。喜為沙彌。親所供奉。晝即炊煮薪蒸。夜便誦習經典。山居無炬。燃柴取明。每夕自課誦通一紙。如是累時。所緣通利。雖學諸經部類。而遍以法華為宗。常假食息中間。兼誦一卷。餘即專以禪業念在前。纔有昏心。便有溫故。又以顥師去世。意欲冥祐靈爽。願誦千遍法華。因即不處舊房。但巡遶寺塔。行坐二儀。誓窮本願。數滿八百。精厲晨宵。繫心不散。覺轉𠇾健。同寺僧。見白牛駕。以寶車入喜房內。追而觀之。了無縱緒。方知幽通之感。有契教門。武德四年。蕭瑀召住津梁寺。後退居驪阜。而卑弱自守。營救在懷。諸有疾苦。無論客舊。皆周給瞻問。親為將療。至於屎尿膿吐。皆就向𠲿之。都無污賤。情倍欣懌。以常業也。貞觀六年春。創染微疾。自知非久。強加醫療。終無進服。至十月十二日。乃告門人。無常至矣。勿事囂擾。當默然靜慮。津。吾去識。勿使異人。輒入房也。時時唱告三界虛空但是一心。大眾。忽聞林北音樂車振之聲。因以告之。喜曰。世間果報。久已捨之。如何更生樂處。終是纏累。乃又入定。須臾聲止。香氣充滿。達五更初。端坐而卒。春秋六十有一。形色鮮潔。如常在定。 > Śramaṇa Faxi, secular surname Li, was a native of Xiangyang. He went forth from home at the age of seven and served Chan Master Hao as his guide. There were more than forty monks at the Qingxishan Temple in Jingzhou; Xi, as a śrāmaṇera, personally waited upon and served them. By day he cooked and gathered firewood, and by night he recited and practiced the scriptures. Living in the mountains without torches, he burned firewood to get light; each evening he set himself the task of mastering and reciting one sheet of paper. Continuing thus for a long period, whatever he turned his attention to became smooth and fluent. Although he studied the various classes of sūtras, he consistently took the Lotus Sūtra as the primary focus. He often used the intervals of eating and resting to recite a fascicle, while otherwise devoting himself exclusively to the practice of dhyāna with mindfulness foremost; whenever drowsiness arose, he immediately refreshed what he had learned. Furthermore, because Master Hao had passed away, he wished to grant unseen assistance to his departed spirit, vowing to recite the Lotus Sūtra a thousand times. Thereupon he ceased residing in his old room, merely circumambulating the temple stūpa, walking and sitting in both postures, vowing to fulfill his original resolve. Having completed eight hundred recitations, striving diligently morning and night with mind focused and undistracted, he felt increasingly robust and vigorous. A monk of the same temple saw a white ox drawing a jeweled carriage into Xi's room; following it to look, there was no trace of it whatsoever, and only then was it known that this hidden spiritual resonance was in accord with the teachings. In the fourth year of the Wude era (621), Xiao Yu summoned him to reside at Jinliang Temple. Later he retired to Lifu, maintaining humility and forbearance, keeping the rescue of others in mind. Whenever anyone was sick or suffering, whether visitors or old acquaintances, he gave provisions to all and inquired after them, personally attending to their medical care. Even when it came to feces, urine, pus, and vomit, he would approach and tend to them, never regarding them as defiled or base, his heart all the more joyous, taking this as his regular practice. In the spring of the sixth year of the Zhenguan era (632), he first contracted a slight illness. Knowing he would not last long, he was urged to take medicine, but ultimately made no progress. On the twelfth day of the tenth month, he told his disciples: 'Impermanence has arrived. Do not make noise or disturbance; remain silent in quiet contemplation to guide my departing consciousness. Do not let strangers enter the room.' From time to time he called out, 'The three realms are empty space; they are only one mind.' The assembly suddenly heard north of the forest the sound of music and vibrating carriages, and informed him of it. Xi said, 'I cast away worldly retributions long ago; why should I be reborn into a place of pleasant rebirth? It is still an entanglement.' He then entered samādhi again. In a short while the sounds ceased, and a fragrant scent filled the air. When the fifth watch began, he passed away sitting upright, at the age of sixty-one. His countenance remained fresh and clean, as if constantly in samādhi. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 8.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.8.11) - [Next: 8.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.8.13) - [Up: 8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.8) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067~en-mt.8.12) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.8.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2067.8.12) · Pramāṇa