弘贊法華傳 7.6

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.