弘贊法華傳 3.7

3.7

Shi Farong's secular surname was Wei. He was a man of Xinting in Yanling, Danyang. From his youth he was intelligent and insightful, neither practicing rigid discipline nor conceit, but conducting himself naturally and reading widely in the classics and histories. At the age of twenty, he donned monastic robes, left the secular life, and hid his traces in the mountain forests, carrying his book-box in search of teachers without considering a thousand li too far. He then relied on Dharma Master Daming of Fengle Temple on Mount Mao, listening to the Three Treatises, as well as the Avataṃsaka, Pañcaviṃśati (Dapin), Mahāsaṃnipāta, Vimalakīrti, and Lotus sūtras. Devoting himself wholeheartedly for many years, he subtly probed the profound subtleties. Although he remained a companion of the school for a long time, people did not yet recognize his stature. After Daming died, he also listened to Dharma Master Sui of Yanguan lecturing on various sūtras and treatises. At that time, scholars under the seat were like a forest, each brandishing the point of their words and vying to loose arrows of eloquence; yet Rong hid his light and concealed his abilities, quietly tallying with the truth in his mind. In moments of leisure, he raised doubts and asked questions, his statements and reasoning so refined and subtle as never heard before. The lecturer was astonished and sighed in admiration, treating him with deep reverence, and privately said to others: 'In the future, this master will surely be an eightfold negation in the Buddha-Dharma! Yet his nature is unconstrained and lacks constancy, so he is not appreciated by his contemporaries.' Later, there were Dharma Master Kuang of Yong'an Temple in Yongjia, Dharma Master Min of Yiyin Temple in Kuaiji, and Dharma Master Min of Dinglin Temple on Mount Zhong—all oceans of meaning in their time; Rong visited all their seats and rejoiced in his unique comprehension. Later he returned to Youqi Temple on Mount Niutou in Danyang, built a separate small hut, and diligently cultivated his former practice; scholars from near and far gathered to him like a flock. Thereupon, before the rocky valley, he lectured on one complete copy of the Lotus Sūtra. At that time it was midwinter, and congealed frost covered the trees; yet at the lecture hall, three stalks of golden lotus flowers suddenly sprang up. The assembly was greatly astonished, praising it as unprecedented. When the text of the sūtra was concluded, the flowers also disappeared. There was also a large deer that regularly arrived at the scheduled time to listen to the lecture; after the Dharma ceased, its traces vanished and it came no more. His disciples who gave rise to the aspiration [for awakening] all took the Lotus Sūtra as their primary practice. Later, where he ended his days is not known.