法華傳記 10.4

10.4

Śramaṇa Huishao: His clan and ancestry are unknown. As a small child, whenever his mother fed him fish or meat he would invariably vomit, yet he swallowed vegetables without hesitation; thereupon he took to a vegetarian diet. At the age of eight, he left household life to become a monk. Later, following Yao, he stayed at Zhaoti Monastery in Linchuan. He recited the Lotus Sūtra, and whenever he came to the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', he secretly formed the aspiration to burn his body. He often hired men to chop firewood, piling it several fathoms high in a stone chamber on the Eastern Mountain. In the center he opened a niche sufficient to hold his own body. He then returned to the monastery to bid Yao farewell. On the day of burning his body, he held a grand assembly on the Eastern Mountain to take his leave. His acquaintances and the entire region came rushing—carriages, horses, crowds of people, as well as those bringing gold and valuables, were beyond count. At the first watch of the night, while circumambulating and reciting the sūtra, Shao personally offered incense, held a torch, lit the firewood, entered inside, and sat down. He recited the 'Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Bhaiṣajyarāja'. When the assembly could no longer see Shao, they realized he had already gone. Before their prostrations were finished, all arrived [to find] the ghee fully consumed and ablaze, yet the sound of his sūtra recitation had not ceased. When the fire reached his brow, he was heard to chant 'One Mind', and with these words he expired. The great assembly all saw a star as large as a bushel measure descend straight into the smoke and, after a moment, ascend to heaven. Those who saw it at the time all said that the heavenly palace was welcoming Shao. After three days, the pile of firewood was finally exhausted. Before approaching his end, he had told his fellow practitioners: 'At the place where I burn my body, a wutong tree will grow. Be careful not to fell it.' Three days after he burned his body, it indeed grew.