弘贊法華傳 8.21

8.21

釋正則。俗姓張氏。幼而出家。脂腴不犯。五十餘年。戒行無缺。誦法華經一部。文句通利。晝夜誦念。不曾棄口。時人號為則法華也。褚惲家甚敬信。於居宅之內。別為一院。立佛堂僧房。則。緣眾事出城。即居停宅內。忽遇患彌篤。遂終褚家。死後輿還本寺。則去之後於所臥房。但聞異香氛氳。七日乃歇。則初大漸。經二日。氣息纔屬。至墓方穌。乃謂諸弟子曰。吾向一處來。見宮殿崇麗。七寶莊嚴。寶樹金池。非常奇特。亦不可以世間能比。又見無量諸聖僧。快樂不可言。後經信宿乃絕。年七十餘矣。

Śramaṇa Zhengze, whose secular surname was Zhang, went forth from home in his youth. He did not touch meat or rich foods, and for over fifty years, his conduct in the precepts was without flaw. He recited the complete Lotus Sūtra, fluent in words and phrases, reciting and chanting day and night without it ever leaving his lips. People of the time called him Ze of the Lotus. The household of Chu Yun revered and had faith in him, and built a separate compound within their residence with a Buddha hall and monastic quarters. Whenever Ze went out of the city on collective business, he stayed in their residence. Suddenly he fell gravely ill and ultimately passed away in the Chu residence. After his death, his body was carried back to his monastery. After Ze departed, an extraordinary fragrance was scented billowing in the bedroom where he had lay, ceasing only after seven days. When Ze was first in critical condition, for two days his breath barely continued; only at the grave did he revive, whereupon he said to his disciples, "I went to a place and saw grand and magnificent palaces adorned with the seven treasures, jeweled trees, and golden ponds, exceedingly wondrous and incomparable to anything in the secular world. I also saw countless holy monks, experiencing joy beyond words." After two nights he passed away, at an age of over seventy.