弘贊法華傳 6.34

6.34

Śramaṇa Baojue was the younger brother of Zhang Xiaoxiu. He left home and lived at Kuangshan Monastery, reciting the Lotus Sūtra with great fluency and ease, yet he could not properly restrain his body and speech. Prince Shaoling of the Liang resented him and secretly sent two men at night to kill Jue. At that time, Jue was resting in bed when he suddenly dreamed of four men coming before his bed; shaking Jue with their hands, they said, "Prince Shaoling has sent men to kill you! How can you sleep peacefully?" Jue was startled awake, immediately got up, and opened the rear door, while still hearing the sound of people entering from the front door. His heart became even more terrified. Going out behind the room, there was originally a pond whose water he had never waded into, so he did not know its depth. In a daze, he suddenly saw a boat with two men leaning on punting poles waiting for him. Jue then boarded the boat. As soon as he reached the other bank, he saw the two men sent by Prince Shaoling already at the pond's edge, but obstructed by the water, they could not cross. From then on, Jue mended his ways and devoted himself to reading and chanting, becoming exceedingly skilled at phrasing and cadence, serving as a model for others. The people of the time called him "the Master of Cadence of Mount Lu," and he was indeed so.