弘贊法華傳 8.22

8.22

The layman Yin Mingguang was a man of Xiaozou Village in Danyang. In his youth he had once gone forth from home, and having no other practice, he recited the complete Lotus Sūtra. Later he returned to lay life, took a wife, and had children. Engaging in household agriculture, he was sometimes conscripted into government labor and sometimes worked hard at home. His livelihood was extremely poor, unable to sustain food and clothing, yet his mouth constantly recited the scripture without pausing even for a moment. Except for sleeping, eating, and attending to official or private affairs, it never left his lips. Later, in the middle of the night, he suddenly heard someone in the sky calling, "Yin Mingguang! Yin Mingguang!" very clearly. Guang arose and answered. The person in the sky spoke again, "Arise! I will give you gold and treasure. The treasure is at the eastern end of the field south of the village, beneath a large Chinese goldthread tree. You may go and take it." Mingguang rejoiced, immediately arose, called his son, took fire, a hoe, and a mattock, and went together to the field. Seeing his father going, the son was still skeptical and resentful, saying, "How could one suddenly take gold in the middle of the night? The old man has gone mad." The father stubbornly went on. Arriving under the tree, they dug a pit but saw no gold at all. The son rebuked the father again. In a short while, they heard a voice in the sky saying, "You may move a bit closer!" Following the instruction, they dug and indeed obtained it. Consequently, his livelihood expanded, and he was no longer distressed by poverty and cold. The villagers found it strange that his spending was extraordinary and suspected other causes; Guang then recounted the matter in full to the village elders, and recited and practiced with even greater diligence.