法華傳記 2.36

2.36

Shi Fayun, whose secular surname was Zhou, was a native of Yangxian in Yixing. At the time of his birth upon the grass, clouds and vapors were seen filling the room; hence he was named Yun ("Cloud"). Also, a turtle suddenly appeared bearing three scrolls of text inscribed: "This Yun will lecture on the commentary on the meaning of the Lotus Sūtra preached by Vipaśyin Buddha, which is now entrusted to Yun," and so on. At the age of seven, he went forth from the household and changed his name to Fayun. Following his master, he resided at Zhuangyan Monastery. At thirteen he first undertook study. When he reached the age of thirty, at the beginning of summer in the fourth year of the Jianwu era, he expounded the prefaces to the two sūtras, the Lotus Sūtra and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, at Miaoyin Monastery. The marvel of his lectures on the scriptures was without peer in that era. He once went into a secluded ravine and lectured on this scripture in solitude, setting up stones as listeners and using pine needles as a chowrie whisk, chanting and guiding on his own, thoroughly penetrating what was difficult to comprehend. For this reason his fame was handed down through the Liang dynasty, and his genuine achievements were renowned. Yet his commentaries and subcommentaries were dense and layered, the preceding and following sections richly echoing one another; relying on them for chanting and reciting posed obstacles to steady practice. He once brought a lecture on this scripture to a close at a monastery, when heavenly flowers suddenly manifested in response, resembling flying snow, descending like mica filling the sky; extending into the hall, they soared in the air without falling, departing only when the lecture concluded. There was the divine monk Baozhi, whose transcendent ways surpassed the worldly realm; few could fathom his inner state. He and Yun held mutual respect and affection for each other, and [Baozhi] called him "Dharma Master of the Great Forest." Whenever he came to Yun's quarters, he would stay for a couple of nights. He once said, "I wish to understand the Lion's Roar; please, Dharma Master, expound it for me." [Yun] thereupon analyzed and explained it for him, and Zhi snapped his fingers in praise, saying, "Excellent! Sublime, sublime!" Yuan Ang, Specially Advanced with the Dignity of the Three Officers, of the Chen Commandery, recounted: There was a monk who regularly provided offerings and studied Yun's Lotus Sūtra, making vows day and night in hopes of attaining an equivalent understanding of wisdom. He suddenly dreamed of an extraordinary monk who said, "Master Yun had already lectured on this scripture in the time of the Buddha Dīpaṃkara; how could he be matched so quickly?" Furthermore, when Emperor Wu wished to pray for rain, Master Zhi said, "Yun can bring about rain; you must invite Master Yun." Master [Yun] opened a lecture session; when he reached the chapter on the "Medicinal Herbs," rain fell equally across all four quarters, falling in response to his preaching. Moreover, during one of his lectures, there was a man delivering iron who dreamed that Mañjuśrī was on the high seat lecturing on the scripture; upon waking, he sought it out and found it was Master Yun's lecture platform. The details are recorded in the written accounts. (Drawn from separate records.)