弘贊法華傳 10

English (machine translation) 10

Language: English

10.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Huixiang of Langu

Emperor Gao, Grand Ancestor of the Qi
Prince Wenxuan of Jingling of the Qi, together with his Heir Apparent
The former disciple of Shi Daochao of the Northern Qi
The nun of refined practice in Hedong of the Sui
Yan Gong and his son in Yangzhou of the Sui
The guest monk rescuing his fellow student of the Sui
Dou Jin, younger brother of Sikong Dou Kang of the Sui
Ma Heng, a native of Beizhou of the Tang
Shi Tanyun of Mount Biqian of the Tang
Linghu Yuangui of Baxi of the Tang
Miaozhi of Mingzhou of the Tang
Chen Fazang, a native of Yongzhou of the Tang
Xiao Song, Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, and his son of the Tang
Shi Zhiye of Hongfu Temple of the Tang
He Xuanling, a native of Luozhou of the Tang
Old Man Liu of Liang County in Ruzhou of the Tang
Mrs. Xu of Lantian of the Tang
Mr. Wu, Commandant of the Guards, of the Tang
Shi Xuanji of Wuzhen Temple of the Tang

10.4

Emperor Gao, Grand Ancestor of the Qi, had the surname Xiao, the taboo personal name Daocheng, and the courtesy name Shaobo. He contemplated and aspired to the True Vehicle, and fixed his mind upon the precious ground. Leaving the burning house, he galloped afar; surpassing the conjured city, he pointed directly [to the goal]. Ordaining monks and establishing temples, he opened wide the gate of merit; casting images and upholding sūtras, he repeatedly cultivated wise karma. On every fifteenth day of the seventh month, he sent [Ullambana] basins to all temples, making offerings to three hundred monks. On the days of the new and full moon, he forbade the taking of life. Furthermore, amidst his leisure from the myriad affairs of state, he hand-copied the Lotus Sūtra, whose ornamentation was outstanding, and constantly presented offerings to it.

10.5

Xiao Ziliang was a native of Nanlanling, enfeoffed as the King of Jingling. In the seventh year of the Yongming era of the Qi, Master Zhi went to the King of Jingling with four thousand cash to hold an eightfold precept retreat. He said to the king, 'You may invite Yunfu, for he is a true monastic.' The king then invited Fu as a spiritual friend to produce a thousand copies of the Lotus Sūtra together with the king. The king dreamt that a person asked him, 'Do you desire to attain merit?' The king said, 'I desire it.' [The person] then pointed to merit within the water. The king stepped into the water and obtained a scroll of the Lotus Sūtra. Upon waking, he felt profound joy. He thereupon cleansed himself inwardly and outwardly, and hand-copied one set of the Lotus Sūtra and one set of the Guanshiyin [Sūtra]. The Heir Apparent, the Prince of Baling, also hand-copied one set of the Lotus Sūtra. Fu again dreamt that a person riding a white horse came through the sky from the east and conferred an auspicious banner upon Fu. Furthermore, at the end of the fourth month in the eleventh year of the Yongming era, he dreamt that a person delivered a scroll of a sūtra, saying: 'There is an error in the text.' The next day, he happened to obtain a set of the Lotus Sūtra. Trying a brief glance through it, he then saw in the Lifespan Chapter of the fifth scroll that there was an anomalous sentence reading: 'One dust, one kalpa.' At that time, he gathered several tens of sets of the sūtra, none of which had this sentence. Examining the doctrine by the words, it was indeed the ultimate reach of the Lotus Sūtra. For this reason, as soon as he compiled the sūtra text, a white sparrow came soaring down in response as an auspicious omen. Where Fu ended his days is not known.

10.6

Shi Daochao: it is not known where he was from. He became a monk and lived in a mountain monastery in Qi commandery. His conduct was pure and clean. He had a disciple whose name is lost, aged fifteen, who was reciting the Lotus Sūtra and had mastered one fascicle, when he suddenly died of illness. This disciple was diligent in study by nature, had a bright and spirited bearing, and was endowed by nature with benevolence and filial piety. His master loved him dearly. From the time he passed away, his master sorrowfully remembered him morning and night. Qi commandery was not far from the Mount Tai shrine. Daochao thought to himself: "I have always heard that when a person dies, their conscious spirit must first pass before the Lord of Mount Tai, and only then do they obtain rebirth. Though the hidden and manifest realms are separated, where there is sincerity there is surely a response. Let me try asking the Lord of Mount Tai; perhaps I can learn the place of my disciple's rebirth." Thereupon, holding his tin staff and burning incense, he went to the mountain shrine and fully stated the purpose of his coming. After he had addressed the deity three times, the wooden spirit tablet suddenly gave voice and replied, saying: "Since you, Dharma Master, have pure and sincere adherence to the precepts, and the intent of your coming is earnest, on the matter you ask, how would I dare not inform you?" He then commanded an attendant spirit of wood to call the officer in charge. The attendant spirit went into the eastern wing and summoned a man. The Lord of the Prefecture then asked: "Where is the deceased disciple now?" This man answered, saying: "He is detained here; he has not yet obtained a place of rebirth." Daochao then begged to see him. The Lord of the Prefecture had him follow that man to the eastern wing. Ten or so paces away, he saw his disciple, his appearance and clothing just as in life. Master and disciple wept sorrowfully. After a long while, [the master] asked him: "How are your karmic retributions of suffering and joy?" The disciple answered, saying: "Being detained right now, there is neither suffering nor joy. But my place of rebirth is not yet determined, and I urgently need the support of merit. If I have no roots of goodness, I fear I will be born in an evil realm." The master asked: "What kind of meritorious goodness can be done to adorn and assist you?" The disciple answered, saying: "I wish that you, master, would make one copy of the Lotus Sūtra and hold a vegetarian feast for one hundred monks." The master said: "This matter can be managed." Thereupon he took leave of the disciple and again saw the Lord of the Prefecture. The Lord of the Prefecture fully inquired: "What was said in your meeting?" The master recounted the matter of needing to hold a feast and make the scripture. The Lord of the Prefecture said: "The dark paths have great need of merit. Master, you should urgently arrange to complete it, and then come see me again." Daochao thereupon returned to his dwelling, immediately prepared paper and brushes, and hired someone to copy the scripture. He also held a feast in celebration. When the meritorious work was completed, he returned to the shrine and met with the Lord of the Prefecture, explaining that the cultivation of merit was finished and he had come seeking his disciple. The Lord of the Prefecture again commanded the attendant spirit to summon the previous officer in charge. When the officer arrived, the Lord of the Prefecture asked: "Is the disciple here or not?" The man answered, saying: "He has already been born in an exalted place." Daochao asked: "When did he receive rebirth?" He answered, saying: "When the scribe initially wrote the character miào (妙), and the component nǚ (女) was just completed but he had not yet written shǎo (少), precisely at that moment, he obtained his place of rebirth." Daochao asked again: "Where is he born now?" The divine being answered, saying: "He has been born into the household of Wang Wu in Qi commandery. Wait until he is two or three years old, and you may go search for him." Daochao kept the deity's words in his mind, took leave of the Lord of the Prefecture, and withdrew. After three years had passed, he went to the Wang household and asked, saying: "The dānapati has a son; this poor monk wishes to see him." This family was a wealthy household that revered and had faith in the Three Jewels, but they had never had a son, which was known far and wide. Later, when they had this son, they did not speak of it to distant or close relatives. Gentleman Wang denied and concealed it, not saying he had a son. Daochao said: "My disciple came to be born in the dānapati's house and has already reached three years of age; why not show him to me?" He then fully recounted the circumstances of his inquiry to the Lord of Mount Tai. Hearing this from within the inner quarters, his mother said to the father: "If the Dharma Master has spiritual efficacy like this, how can we conceal it?" She immediately carried the boy and placed him outside the doorway of the inner quarters, several zhang away from Daochao. [The boy] then ran straight from afar into Daochao's embrace and wept for a long time. When he grew up, he left home and served Daochao as his disciple once again. This was the fifteenth year of the Kaihuang reign [595 CE]. It is not known at what age the master and disciple each passed away.

10.7

The nun Lianxing was a person of Hedong. Her original name is not known, but because of her strict ascetic restraint and single-minded dedication, diligently urging herself on without indolence, the worldly called her "Lian" (Trained/Disciplined), and she was named after this. She constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra and aspired to copy it. She sought out a skilled scribe, paid several times the standard wage, and set up a separate purified room, adorning its interior and exterior. Every time the scribe arose [from his seat], he bathed; he burned incense to perfume his clothes. Furthermore, in the wall of the room for copying the scripture, a hole was pierced leading outside, and a bamboo tube was inserted. The scribe was instructed that whenever he was about to exhale, he must hold the bamboo tube in his mouth and breathe out through the wall to the outside. He copied seven fascicles of the scripture, taking eight years to finish. Her offerings to it were solemn and heavy, exhausting her reverence. The monk Faduan of Longmen constantly assembled a great congregation to preach on the Lotus Sūtra. Because this nun's copy of the scripture was meticulously accurate, he sent someone to request it. The nun firmly declined and would not give it. Faduan reproached her. Having no choice, the nun delivered it herself. When Duan and the others unrolled it to read, they saw only yellow paper, completely devoid of characters. When they opened the other fascicles, all were likewise. Faduan and the others were ashamed and frightened, and immediately returned it to the nun. Weeping sorrowfully, the nun received it, washed the scripture case with scented water, bathed, placed it atop her head, and circumambulated the Buddha, performing the rite for seven days and nights without resting for an instant. Thereafter, when she unrolled and looked at it, the characters were as before (and so forth).

10.8

Yan Gong, whose courtesy name was Jinli, was originally a man of Quanzhou. His family was wealthy, and he had no brothers. His parents loved Gong and never went against his words. At the beginning of the Dajian era of the Chen dynasty, when Gong had just reached the capping age of twenty, he asked his parents for fifty thousand coins, wishing to go to the market in Yangzhou to buy goods. His parents consented. Gong took a boat laden with the money and headed downstream. When he was several tens of li away from Yangzhou on the river, he met a boat carrying giant softshell turtles, taking them to the market to sell. Gong inquired and learned the reason. Feeling compassion that the turtles were about to die, he asked to ransom them. The turtle owner said, "My turtles are large; they can only be had for one thousand coins apiece." Gong asked, "How many are there?" He answered, "Fifty." Gong said, "I happen to have fifty thousand coins; I wish to ransom them with this." The turtle owner gladly took the money, handed over the turtles, and left. Gong released all the turtles into the river, and took his empty boat to Yangzhou. After parting from Gong, the turtle owner traveled a little over ten li when his boat sank and he died. On that day, Gong's parents were at home. At dusk, fifty guests dressed in black robes came to their gate seeking lodging, and delivered fifty thousand coins to Gong's parents, saying, "Your son is in Yangzhou; he sent this money back with us. Please accept the full amount." Gong's parents were astonished and bewildered, suspecting that Gong had died, and questioned them insistently. The guests said, "Your son is well; he simply did not need the money, so he sent it back, that is all." Gong's father accepted it, noticing that it was the original money, all wet with water. He invited the guests to stay and provided food for them. The guests stayed, and departed the next morning. More than a month later, Gong returned home. His parents were overjoyed. Afterward, they asked the reason for sending the money back. Gong said, "I did no such thing." When his parents described the appearance of the guests and the date the money was delivered, it coincided with the very day he ransomed the turtles. Thereupon, they realized that the fifty guests were all the turtles he had ransomed. Father and son marveled at this. Consequently, moving his household to Yangzhou, he devoted himself diligently to works of merit. He frequently read the Lotus Sūtra. When he reached the Apparition of the Jeweled Stūpa Chapter, he paused reading the sūtra and sighed, saying, "Within a single stūpa, there are two Tathāgatas, and the number of emanation buddhas is not small. Why is it that today I do not meet a single holy one?" He lamented for a long time. That night, he suddenly dreamt of an Indian monk who called himself Fatuo. He spoke to Gong, saying, "If you copy this sūtra and also lecture upon it, if you wish to see the buddhas, this matter can be attained." Gong thereupon made a vow to produce one hundred copies of the Lotus Sūtra. Before long, he suddenly fell gravely ill, whereupon he vowed to produce one thousand copies and lecture on it five hundred times. Thereupon, he built extensive halls and chambers as rooms for the sūtras, making them magnificent, adorned, and pure, and providing abundantly for them. There were usually several tens of scribes there. The monastics and laity of Yangzhou revered him together, calling him "Lotus Yan". After his illness was cured, his aspirations were fulfilled even more. Once, when Gong was to the north of the sūtra hall, an extraordinary monk, about eighty years old, came and told Gong, "Hearing that you produce sūtras, I wish to request one set. Moreover, I understand that you do not yet have the Devadatta Chapter; now I leave this chapter with you, and it may be placed after the Apparition of the Jeweled Stūpa Chapter. This poor monk has come from the kingdom of Kucha and is now heading for Luofu Mountain. Having obtained one set of the sūtra, I have briefly browsed through it, and I leave behind a vase of gold weighing thirty catties to be devoted to the Lotus Sūtra. Next year during the summer, I shall send [further] items." He also said, "Just now I saw that the dhāraṇī in the Samantabhadra Chapter lacks one phrase; you should seek to complete it." Having finished speaking, he withdrew. Gong looked after him, but he was nowhere to be found. Later, Dhyāna Master Baogong of Qixia Monastery sent some fifty fragmentary scrolls of the Lotus Sūtra, asking Gong to complete them so they could be put into circulation. There was a seventh scroll, which had been produced by Song Yi in the twenty-ninth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty. Collating the Samantabhadra dhāraṇī, it indeed lacked the three characters ba-luo-di (varate), which formed the sixteenth phrase. Thereafter, when copying the sūtra, he always completed it accordingly. Gong once had an acquaintance who borrowed ten thousand coins from the sūtra funds. Out of necessity, Gong gave it to him. The borrower received the money and took it home by boat. Halfway there, the boat capsized, and the borrowed money fell into the water, though the people on board did not drown. On that day, Gong entered the treasury and saw ten thousand wet coins, as if freshly pulled from the water. Gong found it very strange. Later, he met the man who had borrowed the money, and realized that the wet coins were the borrowed sum. When the summer of the following year arrived, Hou Zhi, a man of Lujiang, was traveling down from Poyang Commandery to Lake Gongting, when he suddenly encountered a violent gale. Many of his companions were drowned; only Zhi's boat seemed to be held and guided, cutting across the wind and breaking through the waves, until it arrived from afar at a shrine. He saw a deity twenty feet tall, clad in armor and bearing a sword, with one person sitting beside him. He questioned Zhi about all the transgressions of his lifetime, and every one of them was a true record. Zhi submitted and confessed to all of them. The deity further asked, "Do you know Yan Gong of Jiangzhou, who produces the Lotus Sūtra, or not? I now send ten thousand coins to contribute to his merit; you may deliver them to him." Having finished speaking, he disappeared. Zhi did not know where the money was to come from; he only remembered Yan Gong's name. Then, meeting a favorable wind, he sailed smoothly, and after traveling for two days arrived at Dangtu County. Just as his boat moored at the shore, suddenly a man who called himself Xu came seeking Hou Zhi, saying, "During the Chen dynasty, I once purchased four bolts of brocade from you in Kuaiji, and still owed a small balance. Now I wish to repay you." He then left ten thousand coins, pressing Zhi to accept them. Zhi recalled that there had been a transaction, but did not remember any remaining balance. Having left the money, the man departed and his whereabouts were lost. Only then did Zhi understand in his heart that the deity's money and this money were one and the same. Arriving in Jiangning County, he sought out Gong, gave him the money, and related the above events in detail. Gong's joy was doubled, and his devotion and dedication grew even more fervent. Thereupon he made a vow to produce three thousand copies and lecture on it one thousand times. Later, Li Zhan, a man of Jiangxia Commandery, requested a copy of the sūtra to take back to his native place for veneration. At Sanshan he encountered a storm, and his boat was lost; Zhan himself also drowned. After five days had passed, the people of the Xinlin Ward suddenly looked out upon the water and saw several tens of crows and kites gathered around an object, gleaming in the sunlight, drifting downstream with the current. They took a light boat to retrieve it and obtained a lacquered box. Going ashore, they opened it; the sūtra was not moistened at all. The ward people presented it to the Regional Inspector Zhang Xi. When Xi examined the back of the sūtra, he found that it had been produced by Yan Gong. He sent it back to Gong's residence, and upon checking the register, it was precisely the set requested by Li Zhan. Furthermore, a man from the household of the Prince of Qi, whose name has been forgotten, requested a set of the sūtra to take home. Crossing the river, he met a storm and the boat sank; his property was entirely lost, and only his own life was saved. One box of the Lotus Sūtra remained in the river for half a day, bobbing up and down with the waves as if it were being held securely. Later, someone retrieved it, examined it, and found it was neither damaged nor wet. It was returned to Gong's residence, and checking the register revealed that it was the sūtra requested by the man from the Prince of Qi's household. Gong also once went to the market to buy paper, but happened to be short of money. Suddenly, he saw a person holding three thousand coins, who handed them to Gong, saying, "To assist you in buying paper." Having finished speaking, he vanished. Occurrences like this happened more than once. Toward the end of the Kaihuang era of the Sui dynasty, Gong died, and his sons and grandsons carried on his work. At the end of the Sui, when bandits reached Jiangdu, they all made an agreement among themselves: "Do not enter the neighborhood of Lotus Yan." The people of the neighborhood relied on this to be preserved intact. The copies written from first to last totaled over two thousand five hundred sets.

10.9

Monk So-and-so lost his name. During the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, he was traveling and arrived at the Mount Tai shrine, where he asked for a place to stay the night. The director of the shrine said, "There are no other quarters here; one can only lodge under the veranda of the spirit's shrine. However, those who come here to lodge usually die." The monk said, "There is no harm in it." Having no choice, the director complied, and set up a bed for him under the veranda. When night fell, the monk sat upright and recited the sūtras. Around the first watch, he heard the tinkling of pendant gems in the hall. In an instant, the deity came out and bowed down in reverence to the monk. The monk said, "I have heard that many who lodge here die; could it be that the donor harms them? I hope you will look upon me with protection and care." The deity said, "It happens that the time of their death is near at hand; hearing this disciple's voice, they simply scare themselves to death; it is not that I kill them. Please do not worry, Master." The monk invited him to sit, and they talked just like human beings. After a long while, the monk asked, "I have heard people relate that Mount Tai investigates ghosts; does such a thing truly exist?" The deity said, "This disciple, through slight merit, has charge of such matters. Would you perhaps wish to see those who have previously passed away?" The monk said, "I have two fellow-student monks who died earlier; I wish to see them." The deity asked for their names: one had already been reborn among humans, while the other was in hell, his offenses so heavy that he could not be summoned; "It would be best if I go with the Master to see him." The monk was very pleased. Thereupon, they got up together and went out the gate. Before long they arrived at a place where many wing-prisons could be seen, with flames burning intensely. The deity led the monk into a courtyard. From afar, they saw a person amidst the fire, crying out and unable to speak, his form so altered that he could no longer be recognized, while the stench of scorched flesh and blood broke one's heart. The deity said, "This is he. Does the Master wish to view any more?" Distressed and pitying, the monk asked to leave. In a moment they arrived back at the shrine and sat down again with the deity. He then asked, "If I wish to save my fellow student, is there any way?" The deity said, "It can indeed be done: if you copy the Lotus Sūtra for him, he will be delivered." As dawn approached, the deity took leave of the monk and entered the hall. At daybreak, the director of the shrine saw that the monk had not died, and marveled at it. The monk then explained it to him, and immediately set about copying one set of the Lotus Sūtra for his friend. When it was fully adorned, he again took the sūtra to the shrine to lodge for the night. That night, the deity came out as before, bowed in joy and reverence, and inquired about the purpose of his coming. The monk answered with the facts. The deity said, "This disciple already knows. When the Master copied the sūtra for him, as soon as you wrote the title, he was already delivered; he was born elsewhere long ago and is no longer here. However, this place is not clean and pure, and the sūtra should not be kept here. I hope the Master will take the sūtra back to the monastery." After talking for a long time, as it was about to dawn, he bid farewell and entered within. The monk delivered the sūtra to the monastery.

10.10

Minister of Works Dou Kang, Duke of Chenrong, stepped onto the central avenue early and long knew the place of jewels. Although he attained the highest ministerial rank, he concentrated his mind on wonderful awakening. Thereupon, he renounced pure wealth and founded the Jingfa Monastery, whose adornments and magnificent architecture rivaled the celestial palaces. His younger brother Jin fulfilled the difficult duty of filial respect in his demeanor and was devoted to rescuing beings from the evil destinies. On behalf of his deceased father, the Duke of Anfeng, and his deceased mother, Princess Chengan, he reverently produced one set each of the Lotus Sūtra and the Diamond Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. Endowed with wonderful thoughts and divine ingenuity, his hidden sentiments attained singular realization. Whenever the lotuses were about to bloom, he would wash his body and clothes, personally pluck the petals of the white lotuses in the pond, dry them purely in the sun, and pound them into paper. Thereupon, he adorned the sanctuary, personally copied the sūtras, and pierced his chest to draw blood, using it as ink. This affair has rarely had an equal since antiquity, and by all reason must have yielded many auspicious signs. Yet Jin was modest, yielding, cautious, and secretive, refusing to let it be known outside, so that later generations heard nothing of it. How regrettable! These sūtras were sealed in a jeweled depository, and exist to this day.

10.11

Ma Heng was a native of Luoshui in Juzhou. When his parents passed away, he built a hut beside their graves and constructed three burial mounds, personally carrying the earth for all of them. Only after three years was it completed. The mounds were extremely high and steep, commanding the admiration and deference of others. Whenever he lodged and slept in the hut, there was always a large white snake that draped its body across the roof of the hut and hung its head down over the door. Whenever [Ma Heng] was about to go out or come in, the snake would draw back its head to avoid him. This was a constant occurrence, and it never harmed him, appearing as though it were guarding him. There was also a white wolf that constantly came and went, lying down and rising beside the hut.

When the work on the mounds was finished, the man had another thought: 'Although I have built these graves for my parents, I have not yet cultivated separate merits on behalf of their departed spirits.' He thereupon made a vow to copy the Lotus Sūtra to aid their souls along their path. He then selected a pure spot beside the graves, sprinkled the ground with scented water, gathered paper-mulberry seeds, and planted them. After they sprouted, he regularly irrigated and nourished them with scented water. When they had grown into trees, he stripped the bark and made paper in accordance with the proper rules. He also mixed mud with scented water to build a hut beside the graves. He invited a scribe to copy the sūtra, strictly guarding ritual purity and observing vegetarian fasting; every time [the scribe] went out or came in, he changed his clothes. Moreover, [Ma Heng] provided him with the four requisites of support without lack. When the copying of the sūtra was completed, before it had been mounted and bound, he wrapped it in three layers of paper and placed it on the wall of the small hut.

Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a great wind and rainstorm arrived. When dawn came, the hut was blown down and wrecked by the wind and rain; the grasses and trees were entirely gone, and the water on the ground was several feet deep. The whereabouts of the sūtra were lost. After two full days, once the flood had subsided, he recovered the copied sūtra from beneath the water. Only the top layer of paper was wet; reaching the second layer, it was completely dry and clean, utterly undamaged, neither wet nor soiled. When this man had first lost the sūtra, he had wept, wailed, and despaired, his grief surging day and night. When he saw that the sūtra was intact, he leaped for joy, experiencing something unprecedented. He was then able to have it mounted, completed, and kept as a perpetual offering.

10.12

Shi Tanyun was a native of Dingzhou, seventy years of age. During the upheavals and chaos at the end of the Sui, he secluded himself on Mount Bigan in Lishi. He constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra and wished to copy the sūtra, but there was no one who shared his aspiration. Years passed in this way. Suddenly, a scribe arrived out of nowhere, saying that he could practice whatever purifications were desired. Thereupon, early in the morning after finishing his meal, [the scribe] would bathe, put on pure clothes, receive the eight precepts, hold incense in his mouth, burn incense, and silently transcribe the text, only coming out when dusk fell. The next day was again like the first, and he never complained of fatigue. When the sūtra was finished copying, [Tanyun] reverently presented it in accordance with the rules and saw [the scribe] out the door; in an instant, he was nowhere to be seen. Even as to its mounting and ornamentation, it was entirely in accordance with the correct rules.

Tanyun maintained and read it, wrapping it in seven layers of cloth; for each layer, he washed his hands with scented water each time, never neglecting this for a moment. Later, encountering barbarian raiders, he placed the sūtra in a box and set it on a high cliff. After a year, when the raiders were quelled, he went to look for it but could not find it. Searching anxiously and thoroughly, he finally retrieved it beneath the cliff: the box and the wrapping cloth were rotten and decayed, but when he examined the sūtra, it was as fresh and pristine as before.

10.13

Linghu Yuangui reverently believed in the Buddhadharma and wished to copy sūtras such as the Lotus and Diamond Prajñā. In the fifth year of Zhenguan, he served as magistrate of Baxi County in Longzhou. Having no way to oversee it personally, he entrusted Chan Master Gui of that region to inspect and supervise it. Gui had it copied in accordance with the rules of purity at a monastery. In the late autumn, [Yuangui] returned to his estate in Qizhou; the copied sūtras were left in the estate's quarters together with Laozi's Five Thousand Characters, kept in the same place. Suddenly, a fire from outside spread and burned it down; since the hall was thatched with grass, it was reduced to ashes in an instant. The household called out to one another to sift through the ashes to retrieve the gilded-bronze sūtra rollers. Having brushed away the outer ashes, they found all the sūtras intact as before, their yellow colour unchanged; only the box had turned to ashes. When they searched for the Laozi, it had been consumed by the fire. The villagers marveled in wonder, voicing their praise and admiration. Only on one scroll of the Diamond Prajñā were the characters of the title scorched black. When they inquired into the reason, it turned out that when the sūtra was first titled, there was a prefecture official skilled in calligraphy; the man was in a hurry, did not observe ritual purification, and directly stood to write the title—and because of this, it was burned. Yuangui, who was then serving as magistrate of Fengyi, was startled and delighted upon hearing of this, and his faith and understanding were profoundly deepened.

10.14

Zhang Wanfu, during the Zhenguan era, was transferred from prefect of Jinzhou to prefect of Mingzhou. By nature he was rough and aggressive, not very reverent or faithful. When he first arrived at his post, he questioned his attendants: 'What monks of virtuous conduct are there within my jurisdiction?' His attendants reported: 'Below the outer wall there is a nun named Miaozhi, who is extremely vigorous. She has also produced a copy of the Lotus Sūtra, which she upholds and makes offerings to in accordance with the Dharma; for this reason, her fame fills the villages.' At that time, Wanfu asked: 'How many bolts of cloth were used to produce this sūtra?' They answered: 'This nun used one thousand five hundred bolts of cloth.'

Wanfu was greatly astonished and said: 'In the capital, when the very best calligraphers copy a set, it only costs up to seven or eight bolts. Why did she use so much cloth? Go fetch the sūtra for me to examine.' When the nun heard that the prefect was demanding the sūtra, she refused to give it up because the prefect did not observe ritual purity and had not purified himself through fasting. Wanfu was furious and sent someone again. The nun then dared not retain it; she immediately prepared scented bathwater for the messenger to bathe in and gave him new clothes. Only after he put them on did she hand over the sūtra.

After Wanfu received the sūtra, without washing his hands, he took the sūtra and opened it: inside the scroll, it was all yellow paper, completely devoid of a single character. Wanfu flew into a great rage and said: 'How can this wicked old hag be tolerated!' He immediately ordered his attendants to arrest the nun and bring her in. The messenger went and told the nun: 'Master, there is not a single character in your sūtra. The prefect is furious and has ordered your arrest.' The nun was extremely anxious and terrified, not knowing the reason, and sweat drenched her entire body. She then followed the messenger.

When she reached the prefect's command gate and entered through the screen wall, the nun saw a pair of Vajrapāṇis holding clubs and pestles in their hands, appearing as if handing them to the nun. Thereupon the nun felt at ease. She then entered and stood before the prefect; all the characters of the sūtra were in mid-air, transformed into golden characters. When the prefect saw the nun arrive, and also saw the Vajrapāṇis and the golden characters in the sky, he was terrified. He jumped up, ran down from the hall, wept bitterly and wailed, apologized for his offense, repented, and bowed in reverence. He thereupon had a change of heart, turned toward faith, and made a vow to copy one thousand sets of the Lotus Sūtra to be offered throughout the ten directions, while personally upholding it without daring to be indolent.

He then asked the nun the origins of how the sūtra was produced. The nun said: 'When I wished to produce the sūtra, I first planted paper-mulberry trees in the mountains, constantly watering them with scented water so that they would flourish. After the trees had grown, I pre-mixed mud with scented water to build a paper-making hut. When the paper-making hut was finished, I stripped the bark and hired craftsmen to make paper cleanly with scented water in accordance with the Dharma. Once it was ready, I recruited scribes who could maintain purity, regardless of whether their skill was clumsy or fine, or whether their status was noble or base. Three years passed without finding the right person. Later, there was a man of Jiangnan, about twenty-four or twenty-five years of age, who responded to the recruitment to write it. For the hut in which he wrote the sūtra, mud was again mixed with scented water to cleanly build the hut. After the hut was finished, the scribe put on new, pure clothes; for forty-nine days prior to writing the sūtra, he observed ritual purity and a clean fast, and only then began to write. Every time he went out or came in, he had to change his clothes and bathe before proceeding to write. While he wrote, I held an incense burner in my hands, knelt on both knees before the sūtra, and made offerings; when the scribe stopped, I stopped. If the scribe slept at night, I would also rise with him, burning incense and circumambulating, never failing in this. When the sūtra was completed, it was mounted; after mounting was finished, I made clothes for four classes of people—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—ten sets of each. Whenever people came to borrow the sūtra, whether to chant it, read it, or copy it, they were required to observe purity for seven days in advance, and were also given new clothes to wear before the sūtra was handed to them. Revering it in this manner, it was never neglected. Those near and far revered it, and it brought great benefit.' Because of this, after the prefect converted, everyone took the Lotus Sūtra as their religious practice.

10.15

Chen Fazang was a native of Baqu in Wannian County, Yongzhou, and served as a palace caterer. In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, he went on duty in Luozhou. After he departed, his wife died. When his shift ended and he was on his return journey, about ten li from his home village, he met his deceased wife on the road. The wife said: 'I am now dead; several days have passed.' In an instant, Fazang suddenly saw eight or nine houses resembling the dwellings of the poor. Fazang sat in a thatched hut. Shortly thereafter, his wife was called away. Fazang followed behind to look, and saw his wife being pierced through with an iron fork by an ox-headed jailer and thrust into a cauldron of boiling soup, her bones and flesh separating; when the fork was pulled out, she revived. After this was repeated seven times, she was released to meet him. Her appearance was terribly gaunt and haggard. She said to Fazang: 'I became your second wife; your first wife died on her own, not because I harmed her. You have five hundred coins in your bundle, and at home there is an ox worth about one thousand five hundred. When you reach home, speak to mother and urge her to copy the Lotus Sūtra on my behalf; then I can escape this suffering. Take these words of mine and consult mother.'

Fazang returned home, consulted his mother, and sold the ox, obtaining exactly one thousand five hundred coins. He immediately summoned a scribe and purchased paper. Fazang then walked out to search again for the place where his wife had stayed. As soon as Fazang knocked on the gate, he heard someone from inside this house call out from afar: 'Your bride was already reborn in heaven yesterday when the paper was bought!' The man was startled and delighted, and his faith grew even more earnest. With whatever wealth he acquired, he constantly copied the Lotus Sūtra. In the nineteenth year, he went to Xingshan Monastery to provide for officials and practice the Dharma, recounting the entire affair to the monks.

10.16

Xiao Yu, the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and Duke of Song, deeply revered the Buddhadharma. He established a monastery within the borders of Lantian County in Yongzhou, summoned eminent monks, provided the four requisites of support, and petitioned the throne for an official name plaque, which was called Jinliang Monastery. Although Yu was of the highest ministerial nobility and occupied the seat of a chief minister, he constantly maintained the fasting precepts and regularly recited the Lotus Sūtra once each day. Wearing a patchwork mountain robe, he practiced circumambulation and repentant prostrations in the retreat hall, ate alongside the monks in their ranks, and took the lowest seat behind the śrāmaṇeras. He donated his precious wealth to copy the Lotus Sūtra, totaling one thousand sets; in matters of paper and ink, he exhausted all elegance and subtlety, and the scribes were pure, fragrant, and clean.

Whenever someone wished to receive and uphold a copy, they were required to make earnest requests three times before he would bestow it. Outside the middle gate, a square blue stone was placed; he always had those requesting the sūtra stand on this stone, while Yu personally held the sūtra box, placed it upon his head, and conferred it. For all those who upheld the sūtra, Yu wrote down their names and bowed in reverence to them once a day. His reverence for the Dharma and respect for persons were entirely of this kind.

One day, in the Buddhist shrine of Yu's household, śarīra welled forth and overflowed. When others took portions to make offerings to them, the relics suddenly vanished on their own, and the śarīra returned to Yu's home. Throughout the capital, both court and commoners knew of this.

His son Rui was enfeoffed as Duke of Xiangcheng and駙馬都尉 (commandant-consort), and inherited his father's noble title as Duke of Song. His splendid career during the Zhenguan era originated from his family instructions. He was composed, resolute, and broadly magnanimous, and was skilled in clerical script; the plaque of Jinliang Monastery was written in his hand. He crafted a great statue in the Buddha hall and also copied one thousand sets of the Lotus Sūtra. He once served as administrator of the Yizhou superior prefecture. In the prefecture there was a pond with tens of thousands of fish, which the officials in the prefectural office constantly caught. By nature full of compassion and benevolence, Rui told the officials: 'Although fish have lowly bodies, their form and life are equal [to ours]. Cutting into their hearts and livers to delight our mouths and bellies is truly unbearable. I will now ransom them forever; I hope you gentlemen will follow suit.' When this benevolent transformation was enacted, everyone complied with joy. Whenever sūtra lectures were held in monasteries, he would go there, sitting on the ground among the congregation; if the monks wished to provide a seat, he refused to accept it to the end. His next son, Qian, prefect of Lizhou, and his other son Qi, judicial administrator of Qizhou, both recited the Lotus Sūtra and from time to time lectured on their father Yu's doctrinal commentaries (and so forth).

10.17

Śramaṇa Zhiye was a native of Jiangzhou. When he first left household life, he resided at Xilin Monastery on Mount Lu. He had lofty sentiments and an elegant manner, remarkably endowed with the air of one beyond the mundane world. He was handsome in appearance, skilled in chanting, and his voice was vigorous and smooth, never tiring after several fascicles. During the Sui dynasty he was summoned to enter Riyan [Monastery], and under the Tang fortunes he was called to dwell at Hongfu [Monastery]. Moreover, in the Dharma assemblies of the capital, events followed in unbroken succession; had it not been for this man, who could have borne that responsibility? Furthermore, he was quite skilled in calligraphy, and was particularly fond of [cultivating] the gate of merit. Every day he constantly spurred himself on, copying five sheets of the Lotus Sūtra. Even as his years reached their autumn, he was never remiss in this work. Whenever he acquired external wealth, he immediately copied this sūtra; including those [copied] by his own hand, there were over two thousand sets. All day long he would sit level on a rope chair, and a wondrous fragrance filled the room. At that time he was eighty years of age.

10.18

He Xuanling, a native of Luoyang in Luozhou, died in the capital in the second year of Longshuo (662 CE). The underworld tribunal appointed him as a recorder. During the Linde era (664–665 CE), a villager from Xuanling's home village died and reached the underworld paths, where he met Xuanling. Xuanling asked the villager, "Why have you come here?" He answered, "I was summoned here." Xuanling said, "I see that the officer in charge of the case is delaying you; you have come in vain. I will let you return." As the villager parted from Xuanling and was about to leave, he saw an old woman from his village, who said to him, "Since you have come here, will you not take a look at the place where I suffer punishment?" Thereupon he saw a cauldron boiling vigorously, cooking and boiling sinners. The old woman said, "You may tell my husband to produce a copy of the Lotus Sūtra for me. If he grants this, ten days from now you may report back to me at the head of the water south of the village." When the villager revived, he immediately called her husband and told him to copy the sūtra. The husband urgently bought paper for him and commissioned the copying. When the previously appointed day arrived, the villager went to the waterside, but instead saw another old woman, who said to him, "Are you the one previously asked to commission the copying of the sūtra?" The villager said, "I am." The old woman said, "On the day the previous woman's husband bought the paper for her, she was already reborn in heaven. That is why she could not come to meet you today at the appointed time. She left a message bidding me to report this to you." When she finished speaking, she was no longer to be seen.

10.19

Within the boundaries of Lantian County in Yongzhou, there was a village where the ground suddenly sank down more than a hundred feet. In the village was a man surnamed Xu, in whose house was a shrine room; it was located right where the ground sank. There was a copy of the Lotus Sūtra that Xu had constantly upheld and made offerings to. Where it had sunk, an earthen pillar formed to support this shrine room, standing loftily erect and never collapsing. All who saw it marveled at it, and it was a sign of having copied [the sūtra] in accordance with the Dharma.

10.20

During the Yifeng era (676–679 CE), north of Liang County in Ruzhou, there was a man of the Liu family in Liang Village whose personal name is lost. Previously, having taken part in the expedition east to attack Goguryeo, he had been captured and made a slave, herding horses on the eastern shore of the Liao Sea. While sleeping there, he repeatedly dreamt of a monk who called to him to enter the sea and return home with the sea. This happened more than once. The son of the Liu family thought to himself, "Wandering adrift is no different from death; having repeatedly received this dream, I will throw myself into the cove." In the water he grabbed a bundle of chrysanthemum-weed, and drifting with the waves, he floated west until he reached the shore. After walking more than a li, he thought, "This plant was able to save my life; I must turn back to retrieve it." He untied the bundle and laid it out to dry, and inside it he found the sixth fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra. He then carried it back home. His father, Old Liu, because his son had previously been lost in foreign territory, had produced a copy of the Lotus Sūtra for him, copying it purely and making every matter solemn and clean. When he saw his son arrive, they embraced each other in weeping and joy, and [the father] marveled and asked the reason. The son of the Liu family related the previous events in detail. Father and son then went together into the shrine room and opened the sūtra case to look; it was indeed missing the sixth fascicle. Examining the one the son had found in the sea, it was truly the sūtra the father had made for his son: the sets and scrolls were complete, the paper and ink were identical, with no difference between them, matching perfectly. Thereupon, father and son became deeply devoted to the Three Jewels and rigorously cultivated their precepts.

10.21

Commander Wu, whose personal name is forgotten, went on an expedition east to Goguryeo and captured the fortress of Mayi. Setting fire to the buildings, [the blaze] extended to a temple. Looking from outside the fortress, smoke and clouds rose straight up, and in their midst was an object like a white ribbon, flying high into the clouds; after a moment it fluttered down into the grass east of the fortress. Commander Wu rode his horse over to inspect it and saw yellow paper spread out on the ground; approaching to examine it, it was none other than the seventh fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra. Thereupon, he took it back to the camp and placed it atop his tent for the night. Suddenly there was a violent rainstorm, but when he took it down the next morning, it was not wet at all. Later, when he was returning to the capital, he held a celebratory vegetarian feast at the former residence of General Li Yichang in Jing'an Ward. Śramaṇas Wanxiang and Xuanji of Xingshan Monastery personally saw the sūtra and each read it once. Commander Wu promised to submit it to the inner court, saying, 'This was achieved through pure karma produced by copying in accordance with the Dharma; thus it has shown such a special omen in order to awaken all beings.'

10.22

Shi Xuanji, also named Jingwu, had the secular surname Liu and was a native of Linan. His great-grandfather Hu was the regional inspector of Qizhou under the Sui. His grandfather Ting was a guoyi commandant of the Xuanfan garrison under the Sui. Both exemplified righteousness for the state from their family, excelled in both civil and military arts, awakened early to the profound pearl [of truth], and were particularly adept in the Buddha's teachings. His father Tong long studied Confucianism, lived in seclusion behind a simple door, did not compete in the noisy dust of the world, and was untroubled by court or market. Because Xuanji possessed extraordinary endowments in his youth, with a refined and alert spirit, Tong valued his lofty caliber and allowed him to leave household life. Thus, as soon as he reached the age of eleven, his hair was shorn. Thereupon he purified himself in the stream of the Dharma, bathed in the true transformation, and, like an arrow fitted with feathers, plunged deeply [into practice]. After receiving full ordination, he devoted himself strictly to self-examination in conduct and was reverently meticulous about ritual decorum, being uniquely qualified to be a model teacher. At thirty-two, he was chosen to serve as the karmadāna (weina) of Xingshan Temple, but this was not to his liking. By nature fond of mountains and streams, and deeply yearning for quietude and solitude, in the Xianheng era he took refuge at Wuzhen [Monastery], where he took the recitation of the Lotus and Prajñā sūtras as his constant practice. When he first completed two thousand recitations of the Lotus, he dreamt that he ascended a great hall, within which four sides were golden mountains whose light shone brilliantly through. Between the mountains were image niches, all containing Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. He bowed his head, circumambulated them, and wept with joy for a long time. Then he saw a lapis lazuli vase containing a śarīra; he took it with his hand and suddenly awoke with a start. When he completed five thousand recitations, sitting during the daytime, he suddenly dreamt of several hundred sandalwood shrines in the sky. Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, pulling himself up by holding his hands, gradually approached him. He also saw countless golden pearls in the sky flowing down from above, radiantly lovely. Xuanji caught and swallowed them with his mouth, and his body and mind were filled with joy; after the span of two meals, feeling sated, he awoke. From then on, his body and mind were at ease, and he maintained his recitation without abandoning the work of merit, reciting five times each day and night. When he reached nine thousand recitations, while he was in the courtyard of the Northern Peak as the sun approached the corner, suddenly a strange bird appeared, shaped like a kingfisher, with a white breast, yellow bones, a black bill, and vermilion feet. It flew in from outside straight into his bosom. He then took it before the Buddha, whereupon it flew up into a flowering tree, and freely wandered about incense cases and sūtra shelves. When offered fruit or food, it ate nothing at all; only when it encountered incense or wax would it peck at it from time to time. By day it flitted about the courtyard, and by night it rested in the hall. After seven days and seven nights, it suddenly flew away. Soon after, he dreamt of a person about seven or eight feet tall, handsome and upright in appearance, just like an image spun of white silk, adorned with variegated colors from the waist down. Xuanji rejoiced, bowed his head, and addressed him as Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. He then approached the Bodhisattva, held his feet, and chanted the name of the Great Compassionate One. The Bodhisattva reached out, stroked, and rubbed his crown several times. Xuanji reached up with his hands, suckled his breast several times, swallowed for a short while, and then woke with a start. Whenever he rested day or night and the time for recitation drew late, he would hear the sound of bells and chimes alerting him. He recited the Lotus Sūtra twelve thousand times, and the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā ten thousand times; in between, he recollected the names of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and recited the Dhāraṇī for Eradicating Sin and Fulfilling Wishes and others, his meritorious deeds exceeding even the above. There was a pure believer, proofreader in the Palace Library Liu Xuanyue, whose style was An. Born of a noble lineage of official caps and ribbons, his literary talent was preeminent; his spirit accorded with the Buddhist gate, and his mind aspired to the jewel of the Dharma. He had long been an intimate, wordless friend of Xuanji, deeply committed to pure blessings. In the second year of the Yifeng era, relying on the reading chamber in the compound of Dhyāna Master Jishi, they purified the inside and outside, plastered it with fragrant mud, hung banners, scattered flowers, and guarded its purity severalfold. They engaged a skilled scribe, Xingzheng, ordering that each time he entered he must bathe, put on fresh, clean clothes, burn incense, and hold cloves in his mouth, reverently copying the text. Xuanji exhausted his own resources to support the work, continuing without pause morning and evening. When the Lotus was first copied, before a single sheet was filled, in the depth of the night Xingzheng dreamt of a divine monk handing him exquisite incense. He also heard the sound of prostrations of repentance several times within the flower altar in front of the sūtra chamber. Wondering at it, he went to look, but it was quiet with no one there. Because of this, Xingzheng could not sleep and sat alone in solemn silence; soon he heard the strike of a bell in the sky. When copying the second fascicle, at the chen hour (7–9 a.m.), he saw a brāhmaṇa monk enter the sūtra chamber, with a very imposing bearing, standing with palms joined for a long time. When copying the first fascicle of the Vajracchedikā Prajñā, he dreamt of a light above his heart, about the size of a bowl. When copying the second fascicle, upon reaching the Five Eyes, the brush and inkstone emitted light, turning entirely golden. Xingzheng was especially terrified and calmed his mind to continue copying; the light first arose at the characters of the passage, blazing brightly, passing through: 'Bodhisattvas are also like this; if they make this statement: “I shall extinguish and save limitless sentient beings”'—a total of eighteen characters—before extinguishing. Reaching the third fascicle, the core roller of the sūtra itself again emitted light, more than two feet long, shining directly onto the window. At that time, Xuanji, Huayan Master Xianshou, and more than ten others witnessed it in person. They said to one another, 'We late students are far removed from the sage. Now, as we copy the venerable scripture, miraculous signs have suddenly appeared. How can we not express our sincerity to build a stupa for this magnificent deed?' Thereupon, from beginning to end with pure minds and clean deeds, they reverently built a hall in that place to enshrine the complete body and write out the full text. On the twenty-sixth day of the seventh month, each renounced their robes and bowls and placed them before the sūtra chamber, burning incense, scattering flowers, and jointly making a great vow. In the third month of the following year, dozens of clerics and laypeople practiced the Way for a night, cleared away the old building, and laid a new foundation. They had four faithful laymen keep the precepts, bathe, and wear fresh clean clothes. The monks, with fragrant flowers and music, offered wholehearted worship and led these four men in designing the layout. Even when carrying baskets of earth and overturning hampers, fragrant flowers were scattered over them. At that time, even the ignorant and lowly brought forth the aspiration for the Way. Later, the śramaṇas Zhikuan and Wenli of the temple personally engaged in the rammed-earth construction; with each lift of the mallet and pestle, they chanted the Buddha's name once. The remaining pure believers merely observed the precepts and transported the earth. After the foundation was completed, the sounds of bowing to the Buddha and chanting sūtras were frequently heard. In the tenth month of that year, at the Northern Peak, they separately constructed a pure chamber for sūtras, ornate both inside and outside. They summoned the skilled craftsman Lu Zhen and others, who poured fragrant decoctions over the timber before applying their axes; immediately, the sound of a great bell striking several times was heard from the sky. At night, they dreamt of flower banners and two spirits over ten feet tall standing at the construction site. They also sent Mao Puda, a man of the county, to log pillars for the hall in Sangu. He saw a solitary pine soaring atop a high ridge, very far from water, which the carpenters had therefore rejected. When this man felled the tree, it toppled without taking days; where its branches struck, a spring welled up from the ground, which the craftsmen used to relieve their thirst and hunger, and thus ten pillars were completed. The hall was to be further decorated with carvings and was not completed immediately. Drawing from the authentic scriptures, it was named 'Good Dharma' (Shanfa); the rest awaited completion to be entrusted to capable hands. Xuanji secluded his brilliance amid the forests and springs for more than thirty years. His cold illness recurred frequently, until it became incurable. When the clerics and laypeople heard of it, their grief resounded through the cliffs and valleys. His age was sixty-seven; it was the first day of the third month of the second year of Shenlong (706 CE). Xuanji was always compassionate and gentle by nature, harboring salvation in his heart. He did not enter markets, nor did he frequent convents. Moreover, he diligently cultivated meritorious works, never complaining of weariness; beyond his worship and recitation, he had hardly any spare time. As for receiving guests and colleagues, he responded to circumstances as they arose; his words and deeds were impeccable, and all praised him together. Therefore, Vice Minister of Personnel Liu Xuanting, Vice Minister of War Liu Xuanji, Director of the Forestry Bureau Xu Zhao, and the worthy scholar Xu Renze, admiring his elegant demeanor and respecting his luminous deeds, continuously sent offerings and formed friendships beyond worldly dust with him. The magistrate of Lantian County, Zheng Nanjin, reached a complete understanding with him in a single conversation, opened his heart, made a pact of friendship, and reverently partook of his exemplary manner, praising him thus: 'Master Xuanji is calm and detached, effortless and without desire; he treats all beings with compassion and dwells in contentment. Trees in spring are merely luxuriant; ponds in autumn are yet greener. How splendid is this superior man, pure as gold and jade!' Such was the esteem in which the worthy contemporaries held him.

First 22 of 33 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

弘贊法華傳 — Classical Chinese