弘贊法華傳 7

English (machine translation) 7

Language: English

A monk of Donglin at Lingyan Monastery under the Northern Qi
A tongue obtained from digging the earth while gazing at the mountain in Bingzhou under the Northern Qi
Śramaṇa Daoshu of the summit of Mount Shoumen under the Northern Qi
Śramaṇa Lingkan under the Northern Qi (with Master Laoju appended)
Śramaṇa Fa'ai, Monastic Rectifier of Jiaozhou, under the Chen
Śramaṇa Fahui of Qushui Monastery in Shouchun under the Chen (with the nun Huashou and the Eastern Ācārya appended)
Lady Zhang, wife of Chen Ling, Grand Master for Splendid Happiness, under the Sui
Śramaṇa Sengsheng of Lingyan Monastery in Qizhou under the Sui
Lay Buddhist Wang Fanhang of Langye under the Sui
Śramaṇa Huixiang of Jiangdu County under the Sui (with the nun Farun appended)
Śramaṇa Baotong of Gaomang under the Sui
Śramaṇa Sengying of Yongqi Monastery in Jiangyang under the Sui
Pure-faithful layman Lu Chun under the Sui
Śramaṇa Falang of Jingdao Monastery under the Sui
Śramaṇa Huibin of Chanju Bodhimanda under the Sui
Śramaṇa Huixie of Changle Monastery under the Sui
Śramaṇa Zhiyue of Mount Tiantai under the Sui
Śramaṇa Senglang of miraculous wonders in Ezhou under the Sui
Śramaṇa Xuanxiu of Suihua Monastery in Huangzhou under the Sui
Śramaṇa Huizhi of Shixing under the Sui
Śramaṇa Zhiye of Changle Monastery in Yangzhou under the Sui
Gao Shoujie, a native of Bingzhou, under the Sui

7.4

During the Northern Qi period, there was a monk whose name has been lost, who recited the Lotus Sūtra in the Eastern Forest of Lingyan Monastery. On every occasion, with utmost sincerity and devotion, purified internally and externally, he would burn incense and pay homage to the Buddha to seek confirmation and verification. At first, there were large snakes, pheasants, deer, and the like that all came to stand and listen, dispersing only when the recitation was completed. At midday, the mountain deity would personally bring food to offer him. Later, he suddenly saw a bright light descending from the eastern mountain: there was a great bodhisattva riding a six-tusked white elephant, surrounded by a great assembly, who came straight before him. The monk looked toward the light and bowed down, his joy and delight being profound and extreme. Obscure meanings and missing passages were all expounded and explained for him. The rest of the assembly only smelled an extraordinary fragrance, which disappeared only after a long time.

7.5

During the reign of Emperor Wencheng of the Qi, by the side of East Kanshan in Bingzhou, someone dug the earth and caught sight of a patch of soil whose color was yellow and white, distinct from that around it. Upon searching, he found an object shaped like two human lips, inside of which was a tongue of fresh and vivid crimson. The matter was reported to the throne, and when various learned scholars were consulted, none could explain it. Śramaṇa Grand Controller Fashang memorialized, saying, "This is the recompense of an upholder of the Lotus Sūtra whose six sense organs are undecayed. Having completed a thousand recitations, could this be its subtle verification?" An edict was then issued to high-ranking Secretariat Drafter Gao Zhen, saying, "You are a person of faith and devotion; go personally to inspect it. There will surely be miraculous signs. It should be transferred and placed in a pure location, and a vegetarian banquet should be established to make offerings." Zhen received the edict and arrived there, gathering various śramaṇas who upheld the Lotus Sūtra. Holding censers and maintaining purified fasts, they circumambulated and prayed, saying, "The Bodhisattva's nirvāṇa is far in the past; now the Semblance Dharma is in circulation. If those who revere it are without error, we pray that an efficacious response be manifested." No sooner had their voices arisen than these lips and tongue stirred and moved simultaneously; although there was no audible sound, it resembled chanting and recitation. Among all those who witnessed it, there was none whose hair did not stand on end. Zhen reported the condition to the throne, and an imperial decree was issued ordering that it be enclosed in a stone casket and moved into a stūpa chamber, and so on.

7.6

Śramaṇa Daoshu was a native of Shijian in Shouchun. Consuming vegetarian food and maintaining perpetual fasting, he recited the entire Lotus Sūtra. His meditative reflection was penetrating, and he was admired and revered far and wide. He resided at the summit monastery of Mount Shoumen, and occasionally stayed in the villages to attend vegetarian offerings. Whenever he begged for clothing or food from others, it was certainly to avert disaster on their behalf: if he took the item permanently away, calamities and obstacles would be transferred [away from them]; if the item were returned, disaster would not be extinguished. There was a man surnamed Zheng who invited Shu to stay overnight for a vegetarian fast. As soon as the recitation of the sūtra was concluded, [Shu] sat upright in contemplation and suddenly said, "The omens are unfavorable. I see a coffin breaking in from a certain place and emerging from a certain place." Thereupon, the whole family came in turn to inquire, and all were told that it was not them. Coming to the youngest bride, he said, "Perhaps it is you? You should take good care of your mind." A short time later, this woman died due to childbirth. On another occasion, several nuns were at Zheng's monastery collectively studying the recitation of the sūtra. Shu came to observe, and when he reached a certain śrāmaṇerikā, he knit his brows and spoke to her, saying, "You must repent. In another two years, you will suffer from a hundred-cattle illness and beg for life along the road." It turned out exactly as he had said. His advance prognostications were frequently verified. He died at over ninety years of age, during the Tianbao era.

7.7

Śramaṇa Lingkan, whose background is unknown, was perceptive and intelligent. He constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra. When he first completed reciting the sūtra, he contracted a terrible disease. He immediately complained to his master, saying, "Kan has heard that by receiving and upholding the Lotus Sūtra, one attains purity of the six sense organs. Why is it that when Kan recites it, he contracts such an illness?" His master said, "When you recited the sūtra, what manner of conduct did you employ?" He replied, "When reciting, sometimes I did not wash my hands, sometimes I bared my shoulders, sometimes I placed it behind my feet, and sometimes I set it at the head of the bed." The master said, "This is the good deities who protect the Dharma punishing you; it does not mean that the sūtra lacks efficacious virtue. You should repent." Thereupon, he made a casket of unadorned wood, carried the sūtra on top of his head, and practiced the Way inside the hall; except for defecating, urinating, eating, and drinking, he devoted himself to hardship and sincere devotion, even to the point of breaking his head and shedding blood, reproaching and blaming himself. Having passed three years in this manner, around the fifth watch near dawn, someone knocked on the door of the Buddha hall and called for it to be opened at once. Kan was initially unwilling, saying, "I am a guilty person; how would I have the leisure to open the door for you?" The calling did not cease, so he opened it for him. He saw an old man with pure white beard and hair, holding a staff in his hand, who immediately struck Kan repeatedly, saying, "From now on, will you dare to slight the Lotus Sūtra again?" Right as he was being struck, his bodily sores were cured, and the four great elements were restored to harmony. At daybreak, looking in front of the hall, he saw elephant footprints, and only then realized that this old man was the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra who had descended to extinguish his sins. From then on, he reformed, repented, and changed his ways, diligently practicing recitation. Later, his end was unknown.

7.8

Furthermore, Master Laoju also made the Lotus Sūtra his vocation. Whenever he recited and upheld it, he perceived a distinct sweet flavor in his mouth that was not of this world; therefore, when reciting it, he did not wish to stop.

7.9

Śramaṇa Fa'ai was a native of Changsha. He left home in his youth. He was not capable of a vegetarian regimen or ascetic practices, but he was exceptionally fluent in reciting the Lotus Sūtra and also listened to lectures on the Three Treatises. When the Sui expedition attacked Jiaozhi, it coincided with a rebellion by the people of Jiao. Fa'ai, as was typical, hid to escape, but was suddenly captured by five bandits. They placed him in a certain spot and said, "Wait until we finish eating, then kill the man of the Way." Fa'ai then saw a spear beside the wall; holding it under his arm, he went outside and ran straight to the north. Coming upon a large tree, he hid and stood beside it. When the bandits finished eating and got up, they seemed to see Fa'ai from afar and rushed toward him, but when they drew near, they could not see him. They said to one another, "Just now we saw the man of the Way from afar, but on arriving here he is not to be seen; he must have already gone." Fa'ai held the spear with single-minded focus and did not dare to move. The bandits turned their heads and gazed into the distance; appearing to spot something, they suddenly cried, "The man of the Way has already left! We should pursue him together!" and dashed off in pursuit. Fa'ai then ran northward to a bramble thicket and threw himself inside to hide. There he came upon two tigers lying curled around each other. When the tigers saw Fa'ai arrive, they both raised their heads and looked at him. Fa'ai became increasingly terrified and said, "Two dānapatis! This poor monk is being pursued by bandits and in haste has fled to you, dānapatis. May you promptly receive and rescue me!" The two tigers immediately went outside, pouncing aggressively and roaring frighteningly, and the bandits thereupon scattered and retreated. Fa'ai again ran northward, and the tigers followed behind him. Reaching the edge of a body of water, he saw a person holding several pieces of food and drink who gave them to Fa'ai. Fa'ai accepted and ate them; they were fried pastries of fat and flour, exceedingly delicious in flavor. He then crossed the water onto an islet, and the tigers also departed. He proceeded to lodge overnight on the islet, where he again met two people also lodging together. They provided a great spread of rare delicacies, parting only at dawn, and also instructed him, saying, "Just go northward, and you will naturally attain escape." Thereupon he went north for more than thirty li and met an old acquaintance who was also avoiding the bandits. Meeting each other with joy, he at last attained escape. Fa'ai later spoke of this to monks and laymen alike. It is not known how he ended.

7.10

Śramaṇa Fahui's family background is not known. After leaving home, he lived at Qushui Temple in Shouchun. He kept a vegetarian diet, observed constant fasting, and did not accept donations. Free of greed and anger, his mental conduct was subdued and virtuous. Wearing plain cloth and tattered rags, he did not dwell in a room, but had only a rope bed under the veranda walkways. He recited the entire Lotus Sūtra. When reciting, his mouth always emanated a subtle light; those who watched all saw it illuminate the eaves of the roof. He died at the age of seventy-five, which was during the time of Emperor Xuan of the Chen.

7.11

There was also the nun Huashou (Flower Hands) of Gaokuang County. She recited the Lotus Sūtra. Just as she became fluent in the first fascicle, a flower grew upon the nail of her right hand, shaped like water caltrop. In this manner, when she had recited five fascicles, five flowers grew upon the nails of her five fingers. Next, when she recited the sixth and seventh fascicles, two more flowers grew inside her palm, larger in shape than the previous ones. Because of this, throughout the prefecture she was called the Flower-Handed Nun. The nun also did not practice severe austerities. Emperor Wu of the Chen summoned her for an audience to see it. It is not known how she ended.

7.12

There was also the eastern ācārya of Changgan Temple. He recited the Lotus Sūtra and had very disciplined conduct. Whenever he recited, the water in his pitcher would be cold in summer and warm in winter, which served roughly as his regular sign.

7.13

The upāsikā Lady Zhang was the wife of Chen Ling, Right Grand Master of Splendid Happiness under the Sui. She recited the Lotus Sūtra, always lamenting that her four limbs were weak and exhausted, unable to endure prolonged recitation. Suddenly she dreamed of a monk holding a bowl of medicine that was yellow in color; he came before Lady Zhang and gave it to her, telling her to take it. After a short while, she was startled awake by abdominal pain. As the pain was severe, she immediately had Ling summoned, who arrived shortly. Lady Zhang said, "People of the world say that if one dreams of a man of the Way, it is usually a ghost. Tonight I suddenly dreamed of taking a man of the Way's medicine, which means taking a ghost's medicine; there is no doubt I will surely die." In the midst of speaking, she had Ling withdraw. In a moment, she had diarrhea that was purely of a dark-smoked color, resembling what she had seen in the dream. After the diarrhea ended, all her ailments were cured. From then on, her four limbs were healthy and robust; she was regularly able to read and recite once day and night, no longer suffering extreme fatigue.

7.14

Śramaṇa Sengsheng did not have a known family background; some say he was a native of Weizhou. In the sixth year of the Kaihuang reign era, he arrived in the territory of Qizhou. This man had no fixed dwelling; wherever there were saṅghārāmas, regardless of whether monks were present or not, he would stay there, begging for food and reciting the sūtra. Only after completing a quota of a thousand recitations would he move once. In that year, he arrived at the Baoshan bodhimanda on Mount Lingyan, dwelling in the araṇya to recite the sūtra. That night, the mountain deity brought several dozen people to listen. Sengsheng asked, "What deity is the dānapati?" The deity replied, "This disciple is the deity of the Northern Mountain. I have lived here for more than seven hundred years. Now, hearing the Dharma Master reciting the sūtra, I have come to listen. I humbly ask the Master to recite for me." After a long while, the deity departed. Thereafter it was always like this. Later, Sengsheng went out to Xiangzhou to construct a sūtra repository, completing it in a month. He wished to light lamps in his eyes as an offering, but could find no one who could extract eyeballs. Thereupon he procured a knife five to six inches long along with a string of one thousand cash, and went into the mountains to find a hunter. The master hunter said, "I do not need the Master's money; just give this disciple the knife." The hunter then extracted the eyes for him. His body turned livid with bruises, and only afterward did he revive. Having revived, he said to the hunter, "You may cauterize this wound with fire." The hunter cauterized it with fire, after which Sengsheng returned to Fazang Temple in Xiangzhou to light lamps in offering, reciting the sūtra without ceasing. If he wished to pray for śarīra, by composing his mind for a brief moment, three to five would descend; sometimes, when he meditated prostrate for seven days, they would number well over a hundred. Monks and laypeople from near and far deeply revered and admired him. He passed away in the seventh year of the Kaihuang reign era.

7.15

The upāsaka Wang, named Fanhang, was a native of Linyi in Langya. He lost both eyes when young. His mother, out of loving compassion, taught him the Lotus Sūtra by mouth. By the age of thirteen, he was fluent in the entire text. He continued to recite and practice day and night with single-minded devotion, reciting it seventeen thousand times. Although his eyes could not see, when walking about he needed no guide ahead, naturally recognizing pits and hollows. He was able to weave mats and hampers and sew clothes and write letters better than sighted people; all suspected that he possessed some special attainment. He kept a vegetarian diet and held the precepts of fasting, never marrying. At the age of seventy-one, he died in the sixth year of the Kaihuang reign era. In the forest graveyard among the grasses of the wilds, birds and beasts did not dare approach. After the flesh was entirely decomposed and only white bones remained, his tongue then emerged from his mouth, more than a foot long, colored like a lotus flower. His younger brother Huiyi placed it in a brick reliquary, and after a long time it still did not decay.

7.16

Śramaṇa Huixiang, whose secular surname was Liu, was a native of Pengcheng. He had great virtue in the Way and was well-known to the community. Reducing mundane affairs, he only recited the Lotus Sūtra. He came to Jiangdu County and stayed lodging in Guting Village. At the age of one hundred and two, he initially had no illness, but suddenly said, "This poor monk must depart and bid farewell to the dānapatis." Thereupon, sitting upright, he passed away. The villagers carried him out to the woods, not daring to bury him yet. After seven days, his corpse suddenly lay on its back of its own accord; first stretching out and then bending, it had already joined its palms, completely undecayed, and with the passage of time it merely dried up. The villagers buried him beside Tongshan. Woodcutters occasionally heard the sound of sūtra recitation, without knowing precisely where it was. Zhao Yuanke, Administrative Assistant in the Superior Area Command of Yangzhou, was passing by Huixiang's tomb on official business when he saw a single lotus flower growing upon dry ground. Surprised, he inquired about it, and the villagers said, "This is the tomb of Master Huixiang. During his life, this monk recited the Lotus Sūtra; perhaps this was brought about by that." They then excavated and examined it; inside the mouth of the white bones, his tongue remained as before, reddish and soft, not decayed at all. From this tongue-root grew this lotus flower. Consequently, they reported it to the throne to make known this wondrous sign, and also erected a seven-story brick stūpa; the stūpa is extant today.

7.17

There was also the nun Farun, whose surname was Chen, a native of Danyang. She resided at Sanmei Temple and recited the Lotus Sūtra, possessing great practice in the Way. After her death, her body was placed in the forest graveyard in the wilds to be given to insects and beasts. After resting for about a hundred days, though birds and insects had eaten away everything completely, only her tongue and heart remained intact together as before: the tongue was still red in color, while the heart was slightly blackish. The descendants of her family then collected them, buried them, and erected a stūpa.

7.18

Śramaṇa Baotong, whose family background is not known, was a native of Gaokuang. He had no other doctrinal understanding, only reciting several spells from the seventh fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra. Yet he suddenly began to see spirits and ghosts of his own accord. There was a woman of the Zhao family in Yangqiao Village who was possessed by the village deity. When Baotong passed by the deity's shrine, the deity arose to welcome him and invited him to sit. Baotong said to the deity, "Dwelling near a human village, you ought to bring them benefit; why do you continue to possess another's wife?" The deity said, "It is not this disciple's fault; this was done by my subordinates. I will punish them for you." He immediately dispatched petty officers, who brought the possessing spirit to the courtyard, where they flogged him a hundred times until blood flowed. Because of this, the Zhao woman was cured. Baotong also asked the deity, "Is that deity of Bailu Village related to you or not?" The deity said, "He is also related." Baotong said, "In that village there is a woman of the Hao family who is possessed by that village's deity. Can you make her recover?" The deity said, "It can be done." He immediately sent for the deity of Bailu Village and likewise flogged him a hundred times. The Hao woman soon recovered. Later on, the old affliction of Zhao's wife flared up again, singing and chanting all day. The head of the household informed Baotong, and when Baotong went there, he saw the previously flogged deity beside the sick woman. Baotong said to him, "Previously you said you would leave forever; how can you come now? I shall recite the spells!" The deity then kowtowed, begging for mercy to be allowed to return: "Do not trouble yourself with the spells!" The deity thereupon departed far away, and she was permanently cured as a result.

7.19

Śramaṇa Sengying's family background and place of residence are not known. He left home in his youth and lived at Yongqi Temple in Jiangyang, reciting the Lotus Sūtra. Down into his old age, his recitation and practice never ceased. He shared adjoining rooms with a Dharma Master, who constantly disliked the loudness of his sūtra recitation, which hindered his own reading and study, and asked Master Qian to remonstrate with him. On that night, during the first watch, the moon was bright. Sengying recited the sūtra as usual, and Master Qian was about to go to admonish and stop him. Opening the door and looking out, he saw several thousand men in front of Sengying's room, clad in armor, holding bows, and wearing weapons, with folded hands and kneeling on both knees, listening to the recitation of the sūtra. Master Qian immediately retreated to his room. The next day, he fully recounted what he had seen the previous night to that Dharma Master, and together they went to repent for their transgression of disliking and blaming him. Whenever Sengying walked about on ordinary occasions, he constantly heard what seemed to be the sounds of armor and weapons before and behind him. During the Kaihuang reign era, he passed away in the temple.

7.20

The upāsaka Lu Chun was a native of Wu. He recited the entire Lotus Sūtra, kept a vegetarian diet, and observed constant fasting. In the fifth month of the second year of the Daye reign era, he contracted a very grave illness. After more than ten days, for the last four days and four nights, he lay on his back looking at the roof, never blinking for a moment. An acquaintance, Master Rui, came to visit the sick and asked, "What do you see?" He replied, "The Buddha predicted that Chun should be reborn in the Yāma Heaven. Now I see that heaven's palaces, halls, forests, city walls, watchtowers, and the retinues of devas; gazing upon them brings such joy that I feel no weariness." After four days, he passed away.

7.21

Shi Falang, whose secular surname was Zhang, was a native of Wucheng in Hebei. He left home [to become a monk] while young, solely cultivating austere practices. He resided at Jingdao Temple on the Southern Mountain in Pengcheng Commandery. When he was a śrāmaṇera, he recited the Lotus Sūtra. From youth to old age, his recitation and practice never flagged. At the age of fifty-three, he died in the thirteenth year of the Kaihuang reign era (593 CE). After seven days had passed, he saw King Yama. Before the king were six people of the Way. The king asked the first monk, "What virtuous deeds have you performed?" The first man replied, "I recited the Vimalakīrti Sūtra." The king said, "Cross over and stand to the south side." He asked the second monk, "What virtuous conduct have you performed?" He replied, "I recited ten rolls of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra." The king said, "Stand also to the south side." He asked the third monk, "What virtuous deeds have you performed?" He replied, "I recited the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra." The king said, "Stand also to the south side." He asked the fourth monk, "What practice and karma have you performed?" He replied, "I expounded the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra." The king said, "Cross over and stand to the west row." He asked the fifth monk, "What virtuous conduct have you performed?" He replied, "I expounded the Daśabhūmika-śāstra." The king knit his brows and spoke, saying, "Cross over and stand to the north row." He asked the sixth, Falang, saying, "What practice and karma have you performed?" He replied, "I recited the Lotus Sūtra." The king said, "Cross over and stand to the east row." When he finished questioning the six monks, he dispatched attendants to lead those standing in the north row toward the realm of the hells; to lead those standing in the west row toward the realm of animals; and to lead the three monks in the south row toward the realm of humans. He spoke to those going to the three realms, saying, "Go, you may not return." Next, he spoke to Falang, commanding that he be led to the heavenly realm to let him see his place of rebirth, and that he might be released to return home, granting him a lifespan of eighty-five years. Falang subsequently returned from the heavenly palace, and suddenly revived. Looking at his left arm, there were faintly red characters, reading "eighty-five years of age."

7.22

Shi Huibin, whose secular surname was Hu, left home [to become a monk] and resided at the Chanju Daochang in Yuzhang Commandery. Later he served Tiantai Zhiyi as his master, having earnestly prayed to leave home. He ate vegetables and observed constant fasting, enduring extraordinary hardship and austerity. He lived in seclusion in the Yue Mountains, cutting himself off from worldly contacts, and recited the Lotus Sūtra. When he finished reciting the sūtra for the first time, he promptly burned the fourth finger of his left hand as an offering. He kept a daily quota of three recitations in this manner. From then on, over the course of many years, there was always an extraordinary fragrance perfuming his room, and the sound of snapping fingers was heard, deeply moving his neighbors. In the eighth month of the eighth year of the Daye reign era (612 CE), he gave up his life at the age of forty-four. Before he died, he personally beheld a divine being manifesting a form several zhang tall, who bowed in veneration to him, praising the merit of upholding the sūtra, and then said, "The Dharma Master is about to depart; I personally wish to accompany and attend you." Moreover, the temple monk Zhihai, who was a true practitioner, dreamed that the Dharma Master said, "I am now to be born in Tuṣita Heaven. As there is no means for us to meet and serve [together], I bid you farewell here." He earnestly exhorted and instructed Zhihai to practice the Way alongside others. After Huibin died, his body grew large, twice its normal size. When shrouded in his old robes, they covered only one third of it. Clergy and laity alike were astonished, none comprehending the reason. In his final testamentary instructions, he ordered that his body be donated [as food] to sentient beings. His fellow student, the monk Sengyi, helped fulfill his wish, collected his bones, and erected a square tumulus at the place of the śītavana on the cliff of Hongjing.

7.23

Shi Huixie, whose secular surname was Liu, was a native of Hailing. He left home at the age of nine, serving Dharma Master Ying of Changle Temple in Jiangdu Commandery as his disciple. When he reached the age of seventeen, he began to recite the Lotus Sūtra. When he was eighteen, his master passed away; only the portion following the "Apparition of the Jewel Stūpa" Chapter in the fourth roll remained unmastered. At the age of twenty-two, he contracted an epidemic illness. Desperately ill at the time, he single-mindedly concentrated on Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, as well as the sūtra he recited, praying for rescue from distress. Suddenly he dreamed that someone came to summon him and Zhida of the same temple, leading them away. They traversed steep mountains and trod through thorns and weeds, arriving shortly at a place like a modern government office. Courtyard walls, chambers, and corridors were complete and distinct, with ranks of heavily armed guards holding weapons. Entering the gate and looking ahead, he saw a person wearing a black silk cap and white robes, with a very fine beard and face, seated in the hall; it was said to be King Yama. There were no guards at his side. The summoner presented the documents, unfolding them on the desk before the king. The king immediately judged that the two of them, Xie and his companion, should be taken as personal attendants. Xie pleaded, "I vow to recite the Lotus Sūtra, but half a roll remains untraversed, and my merit is not yet complete; therefore my heart is not at ease." The king then made a judgment releasing Xie; looking from afar, the character "Release" was clearly visible. The king immediately called the one who had brought Huixie to come and strip off his clothes; he also summoned a person with horns on his head, resembling a ghost-soldier of today, holding a long whip, to flog this summoner. Xie then awoke with a start, calling upon Avalokiteśvara and Maitreya. In an instant, he saw an Indian monk holding a willow branch in his hand, and there was also a layman resembling a modern statue of Vimalakīrti, holding a bronze bowl of water with both hands. This monk brushed Xie with the willow branch, took water, and gave it to him to rinse his mouth, asking, "How many days have you been ill?" Xie replied, "Five days." The monk said, "On the sixth day you will surely recover." By the next morning, blood flowed from his nose, and he was completely sobered and revived. Shortly after Xie recovered from his illness, Zhida contracted the ailment, and within seven days, from beginning to end, he passed away. Xie was fully restored as before. Thereafter, he gave up all his bodily possessions to make images of Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and also copied more than twenty sūtras, including the Lotus Sūtra and the Sigālovāda Sūtra. By the twelfth year of the Daye reign era (616 CE), Xie was forty-three years old; his end was subsequently unknown.

7.24

Shi Zhiyue, surnamed Zheng, was a native of Nanyang. He left home in his youth and parted early from defilements and secular life. Later, arriving in Jinling, he met Zhizhe. Turning north in respect, he offered his sincere devotion, and Zhizhe bestowed upon him the methods of meditation. He deeply penetrated the five gates and thoroughly mastered the six wondrous aspects. He recited the Lotus Sūtra more than ten thousand times; the water in his pitcher would fill of itself, which was the power of the sūtra. Although the students were numerous, he was counted as the foremost among them. At the Lu Shan Vihāra in Linhai, there were great spiritual wonders; Zhizhe often had him serve as his respondent. After Zhizhe concealed his traces [passed away], the entire assembly of Mount Tiantai turned to him. On the twenty-third day of the eleventh month in the twelfth year of the Daye reign era (616 CE), he took to his bed with an illness for ten days, and passed away lying on his right side at the age of seventy-four. On the day of his demise, the mountains collapsed and the earth quaked, seen and heard by all the clergy and laity in the region.

7.25

Shi Senglang, also named Falang, whose secular surname was Xu, was a native of Nanyang. When he was twenty-odd years old, he rejoiced in the desire to leave home, and soon received tonsure. He had no fixed dwelling place, mostly residing in Ezhou. His appearance was distinct from the worldly, possessing extraordinary features; his eating and drinking were like those of commoners, so he was held in contempt by his contemporaries. He regularly kept a monkey and a dog of great size, both yellowish-red in color. They were not intimate with other people, but attached only to Lang, following him morning and evening without ever parting. When it was time to eat, he received food in a wooden bowl; once Lang had eaten his fill, he fed the rest to them. Having eaten together from the bowl, the monkey would take the bowl and wear it on its head, ride on the dog's back, and walk ahead of Lang. If anyone tried to seize it, they were invariably bitten by the dog. Lang let the dog roam as it pleased, with hardly any regular pattern. At the end of the Chen dynasty and the beginning of the Sui, he traveled beyond the Jiangling region; his clerical robes were coarse and tattered, his deportment lacked proper order, and he walked on foot with a staff, protecting living beings. From time to time he would read and recite various sūtras, making the Lotus Sūtra his particular aspiration. Being naturally deficient in vocal clarity, he made a pure vow to recite it seven times in a single sitting. Before long, his tones became harmonious and fluent, sometimes like zithers and flutes, sometimes like wind and thunder. Giving free rein to cadences and modulations, the phrases and sentences were distinctly clear, yet his lips did not move, the sound welling up from within his throat. Observers standing by lost their senses of sight and hearing. In his recitation, he always took seven as the period, up to seventy, seven hundred, seven thousand, reaching even seventy thousand. Moreover, his arms, legs, and fingernails would retract into his bosom at will, like a tortoise hiding within its shell, appearing at times like a lump of flesh. Sometimes he would go to banquets to drink with others, chewing and gnawing on pork, with no one knowing where it came from. Therefore the world had a saying: "Falang of the Lotus Sūtra: the five limbs retract simultaneously, and his mouth and belly are full of pork." At other times, he would navigate the river against or with the current, clasping his hands in a boat with monkey and dog at his side, without using oar or rudder; wherever he pleased to go, though braving wind and waves, he would reach the destination in the twinkling of an eye. In the closing years of the Daye reign era, before the dust [of rebellion] had arisen, Lang’s mouth only shouted, "Rebels!", unceasing day and night. The officials feared he was misleading the multitude, so they imprisoned and executed him. Falin of Xiangyang had long associated with him, revered his profound attainments, and recorded this on the basis of the facts.

7.26

Shi Xuanxiu, whose clan and place of origin are unknown, left home while young and resided at Suihua Temple in Huangzhou. By nature pure, prudent, gentle, and respectful, he took constant recitation of the Lotus Sūtra as his aspiration. Often feeling subtle anomalies, he did not consider them extraordinary. Once, during the sweltering summer heat, his companions sought the cool and sent for Xiu to come, wishing to converse and joke with him. When they reached the front of his room, they saw only solemn guards and towering people and horses; frightened, they returned to report this. Going together to look, it was just as before, no different. Moving to the back door, the company was even more numerous; looking up into the sky, it was packed without limit, many riding elephants and horses, a mingling of ghosts and spirits. They realized this was his spiritual resonance, so they dropped their intent and returned. The next morning they apologized with shame, and his companions ceased their intrusions. Xiu devoted himself solely to this practice, and passed away at the temple at the end of the Sui dynasty.

7.27

Shi Huizhi, whose clan is unknown, was a native of Shixing. From his youth, he had a taste for the Way, diligently listening and practicing, reciting the Lotus Sūtra more than three thousand times in all. At the age of twenty-three, while attending lectures on the vinaya, he suddenly contracted an epidemic illness. After several decades of days, he dreamed that someone led him to a walled compound, painted red and white just like an official residence. Entering the gate, he immediately saw a nobleman, eight or nine chi tall, wearing a crimson-purple robe and a black silk cap; he was said to be King Yama. The king asked, "What virtuous deeds have you performed, Master?" Zhi replied, "Since youth, I have recited the Lotus Sūtra." The king said, "You may recite it." Zhi then found himself ascending a high seat facing west, and recited the second roll of the Lotus Sūtra; when he reached the passage in the "Parable" Chapter, "It is as if an elder had a great mansion...", he stopped. The king promptly rose and said, "Dharma Master, you may return." He ordered two men to escort him; one was surnamed Chen, and the other's name was not remembered. Escorting him out to the roadside, they led Zhi into a bramble thicket, cut Zhi's body into two halves, each held one half, brought them to the riverbank and washed them, and then cast them onto the opposite bank. Thereupon he awoke, and his illness also abated. Within a few days he had recovered as before, and was able to listen to and recite [the teachings]. Moreover, when he was fifty-five, his body again contracted an illness. He suddenly dreamed that he was standing atop the pagoda of Guoxin Temple in Shixing, and someone pushed him down, saying, "I grant you more than eighty years of life." Thereupon he immediately recovered. By the thirteenth year of the Daye reign era (617 CE), he was eighty-two years of age; his end was subsequently unknown.

7.28

Shi Zhiye, whose secular surname was Yang, entered the monastic life at an early age and lived at Changle Temple in Yangzhou. He diligently practiced the precepts and recited the Lotus Sūtra; his recitation of the text and phrases was smooth and fluent, like water poured from a pitcher. In the final years of the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, Yuwen Huaji rebelled in Yangzhou and assassinated Emperor Yang in the palace. At that time, the empire fell into turmoil and the common people starved; the inhabitants scattered like waves, and a single sheng of rice cost ten thousand coins. Zhiye was then staying in a detached cloister, residing in a small hut, where he devoted himself to recitation without ceasing. He ultimately starved to death in his room, with no one to collect and bury him. The hut then collapsed, and Zhiye's bones were left beneath it. In the early Yining era, after the rebellion was pacified, a single stalk of lotus suddenly grew in that spot, its colors blooming with extraordinary freshness and beauty. Monastics and laypeople gasped in amazement, none knowing the reason. An elder monk of the temple then realized, saying: "In this place there was once a monk who devoted himself to reciting the Lotus Sūtra. At that time of turmoil, he gave up his life here and no one buried him. His bones must be here; this surely comes from that monk's spiritual resonance." They then dug down to find the root of the flower and indeed found the bones. The blue lotus had grown from beneath the root of the tongue inside the skull. The tongue was just as it had been in life, not decayed at all. The monastic assembly then brought the tongue and the flower up to the hall, struck the bell to gather the assembly, and chanted the Lotus Sūtra for it. When the tongue heard the sūtra, it was still able to tremble and move. Monastics and laypeople heard of this, and the onlookers were like a wall; all sighed in admiration, and all aroused supreme resolve.

7.29

During the Sui dynasty, there was a man of Bingzhou named Gao Shoujie. His family had believed in and revered [the Dharma] for generations, and Shoujie was exceptionally dedicated. When he was sixteen or seventeen years old, he once traveled to Daidu. On the road he met a śramaṇa, around sixty years of age, who called himself Haiyun. Conversing with him, the monk asked: "Son, can you recite sūtras?" He replied: "That is truly my original wish." Haiyun then took him toward Mount Wutai. Arriving at a place, he saw three thatched huts, barely large enough to hold a person. They stayed there, and the monk taught him to recite the Lotus Sūtra, while going outside to beg in order to supply him with food and clothing. Shoujie repeatedly saw a foreign monk arrive and talk and laugh with his master, departing in the end. Haiyun would always ask: "Do you recognize the foreign monk just now?" He answered: "I do not." Haiyun said as if in jest: "He is Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva." Although Shoujie repeatedly received this statement, he did not grasp its import. Later, Haiyun suddenly sent Shoujie down the mountain to a village to fetch some goods, yet admonished him: "Women are the root of all evils; they ruin the path of bodhi and destroy the fortress of nirvāṇa. When you go into the human world, you must be extremely cautious." Shoujie respectfully agreed, accepted the instruction, and went down the mountain. On the road, he saw a woman of fourteen or fifteen years, dressed in fresh, bright clothing, with an elegant and beautiful appearance. Riding a white horse, she headed straight toward him, bowed her head to Shoujie, and said: "I have an urgent ailment and must dismount. The horse likes to leap about, and I cannot control it. I hope you, sir, will support and help me, saving this humble life." Shoujie then recalled his master's words and never once looked back. The woman pursued him for several miles, speaking in earnest and sorrowful words, but Shoujie held firmly to his resolve as before. Soon she was nowhere to be seen. Upon returning to his place, he recounted the matter in detail. His master said: "You are a true man! Nevertheless, that was Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva." Shoujie still did not realize it, still taking it for a joke. Thus, he recited the sūtra there for a total of three years, mastering the entirety of the Lotus Sūtra with great purity. Later, hearing that ordinations were being granted in Chang'an, he wished to shave his head. Morning and evening, seeking an opportunity, he consulted his master about wishing to leave. The master said: "Having recited the Lotus Sūtra, the seed of the Great Vehicle is now complete in you. If you must go, you should seek out a good master. After this parting, it will be difficult to see each other again. In the capital, at the Chanding Bodhimanda, you may rely on Chan Master Wolun." Shoujie entered the capital to seek ordination, but did not attain his wish. He then went to Master Lun's place. Lun asked: "Where do you come from?" He answered: "I come from Mount Wutai. My upādhyāya sent me to become your disciple." Lun asked: "What is your upādhyāya's name?" He answered: "His name is Haiyun." Lun was greatly amazed and sighed, saying: "Mount Wutai is where Mañjuśrī dwells. Bhikṣu Haiyun is none other than the third great spiritual friend of the youth Sudhana in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra! Why did you abandon such a sage? Across a thousand or ten thousand kalpas, there is no way to encounter him again. How mistaken you were!" Shoujie only then realized his origins and regretted that he had not crushed his own flesh and bones [in devotion]. Yet his foolish affection lingered, and he still hoped to see him again. He took leave of Lun and retraced his steps, racing day and night. When he arrived at the former place, he saw nothing at all.

7.30

Accounts in Praise of the Lotus Sūtra, Fascicle 7

Linked texts (1)

弘贊法華傳 — Classical Chinese