法華傳記 4.20

4.20

Śramaṇa Huiguo was a native of Yuzhou. From his youth he applied himself to austere vegetarian living. In the beginning of the Song, he traveled to the capital and resided at Waguan Temple, reciting the Lotus Sūtra and the Daśabhūmika. Once, at a privy, he saw a ghost who paid homage to Guo, saying: 'In the past I served as karmadāna for the saṅgha, but committed minor infractions against the Dharma, and fell among the dung-eating ghosts. Master of the Dharma, your virtue has long been lofty and luminous, and your intention is also compassionate; I pray that you aid me with a means of deliverance.' He also said: 'In the past I had three thousand coins buried beneath the roots of a persimmon tree. I pray that you take them to make merit.' Guo thereupon informed the assembly and dug them up, indeed obtaining the three thousand. For [the ghost's] sake he produced a copy of the Lotus Sūtra and held an assembly. Later he saw this ghost in a dream, who said that he had already obtained rebirth in another realm, vastly superior to former days. Through the power of his chanting and recitation, Guo attained minor supernatural powers. He died in the sixth year of the Taishi era of the Song at the age of seventy-six.