法華傳記 7.66

7.66

楚宣宗家大富。有三男二女。小男遭病頓卒。宣發癡狂。裸身叫走一月餘。時大興國寺有沙門慧超。安慰宣宗云。生涯無常。父子永不存。誰人常住不變。親子相見。若欲再相見。當為造法華經。宣公歡喜。為書法華。晝夜戀慕其兒。夢有一比丘。謂宣曰。若欲見兒。將從我去。即隨沙門去。到於華園。園中有百千童子。遊戲快樂。沙門指一童子年五六云。公少男也。歡喜欲抱早走不從。宣云。我戀慕汝寤寐未息。汝何不近。童子曰。我且生公家。無常父子。有何恩愛。若為我寫經。我暫相見。若欲當生得見者。深心造經。以為業。同生佛剎。永俱相會。復此言已捨去。宣公白沙門。我既覺悟。既不相追。沙門亦還去。宣隨去。夢覺對慧超說此事。發深心信寫經為業。後出家得淨土迎。更示他矣。

Chu Xuanzong’s household was very wealthy. He had three sons and two daughters. The youngest son fell ill and died suddenly. Xuan fell into madness, running about naked and crying out for over a month. At that time, in Daxingguo Monastery, there was a śramaṇa named Huichao who comforted Xuanzong, saying: “Life is impermanent; fathers and sons do not remain together forever. Who remains permanent and unchanging? Yet parents and children may see each other again. If you wish to see him again, you should make a copy of the Lotus Sūtra for him.” Lord Xuan rejoiced and copied the Lotus Sūtra for him. Day and night he longed for his boy. In a dream a bhikṣu appeared and said to Xuan: “If you wish to see your boy, follow me.” He thereupon followed the śramaṇa and came to a flower garden. In the garden were hundreds of thousands of boys playing joyfully. The śramaṇa pointed to a boy of five or six and said: “This is your young boy, sir.” Xuan rejoiced and wished to embrace him, but the boy ran off quickly and would not comply. Xuan said: “I have longed for you without ceasing waking or sleeping. Why do you not draw near?” The boy said: “I was merely born into your household for a time; in impermanence, what affection can there be between father and son? Because you copied the sūtra for me, I have met with you briefly. If you wish to see me in future lives, cultivate the making of sūtras with a deep mind as your life's work, and we shall be reborn together in a Buddha-field, to be united forever.” Having spoken these words, he departed. Lord Xuan addressed the śramaṇa: “Now that I am awakened, I will pursue him no longer.” The śramaṇa also went back, and Xuan followed him back. Upon waking from the dream, he related this matter to Huichao. He gave rise to deep faith and took the copying of sūtras as his lifelong practice. Later he went forth from the household, was welcomed by the Pure Land, and manifested this to others.