法華傳記 6.42

6.42

女揚氏。少亡父母。中年喪其夫。孤寡而住。偏厭無常。兼厭女身。從師訪道。授以提婆品。精誠勤誦。一年中諳誦。晝夜不疲。夢自坐蓮華中誦經。覺白師。師曰。經曰。蓮華化生其事也。彌勵慇志。又夢自身頓為丈夫。百千眷屬圍繞。具白師。師言。經曰。具丈夫相。夢表當來相。汝所願必定無疑。女信心貞潔發願。願我父母并亡夫諸親友。依誦經功必脫苦。夢父母亡夫諸親友來告女。吾等依汝恩得蓮華座。以所夢復白師。師言。依汝誦力得淨土迎。女歡喜言。我亦不樂欲樂。以今身善迴向極樂。生十方佛前。文豈簡西方。發願晝夜誦經。臨壽之時白師。我諸親友并觀音來迎。先生淨土。待師語訖而卒。微細音樂。聞於外縣。希有香薰。依寡婦咸。男女持提婆一品者多。是故長安舊本。多無此品。不勘書寫。功大部品故也。

The woman Lady Yang lost her parents when young, and in middle age lost her husband, living alone as a widow. She particularly loathed impermanence and also loathed the female body. Seeking the Way from a master, she was instructed in the “Devadatta Chapter.” With sincere devotion she diligently recited it, memorizing and reciting it within one year, untiring day and night. She dreamed that she was sitting in a lotus blossom reciting the sūtra. Upon waking, she informed her master, who said, “The sūtra says, ‘born by transformation from a lotus blossom’—it refers to this matter.” She was all the more encouraged in her earnest resolution. Again she dreamed that her own body suddenly became a man, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of retinue members. She reported this in detail to her master, who said, “The sūtra says, ‘endowed with the marks of a man.’ The dream indicates your future mark. What you vow will certainly come to pass without doubt.” The woman's faithful mind was chaste and pure, and she made a vow: “May my parents, my deceased husband, and all my relatives and friends certainly escape suffering through the merit of reciting the sūtra.” She dreamed that her parents, deceased husband, and relatives and friends came to tell her, “Relying on your grace, we have obtained lotus seats.” She reported what she had dreamed to her master again, who said, “Relying on the power of your recitation, they have obtained reception into the Pure Land.” The woman rejoiced and said, “I also do not take pleasure in sensual desires. I dedicate the wholesomeness of my present body to Sukhāvatī, to be born before the Buddhas of the ten directions. Does the text make an exception for the Western Direction?” She made a vow to recite the sūtra day and night. When her life was coming to an end, she told her master, “All my relatives and friends, together with Avalokiteśvara, have come to welcome me to be born in the Pure Land first.” Waiting until her master finished speaking, she passed away. Subtle music was heard in the outer districts, with rare fragrance wafting. Due to the widow’s influence, many men and women upheld the single “Devadatta Chapter.” For this reason, many of the old manuscripts in Chang'an lacked this chapter, because they were not collated and copied [together], as the merit of the chapter itself was so great.