法華傳記 4.44

4.44

Shi Huixian was a man of the kingdom of Baekje. He left home in his youth and, with a diligent and focused mind, took the recitation of the Lotus Sūtra as his vocation. He prayed for blessings and made vows, most of which were fulfilled. Hearing lectures on the Three Treatises, he went to listen and receive them; once the Dharma tinged his spirit, his resolve grew all the more. At first he dwelt at Sudeok Monastery in the northern part of his country; whenever there was an assembly, he would lecture, and when there was none, he would recite clearly. People near and far heard of his reputation and crowded the mountain in clamorous gatherings. He then went to Mount Dana in the south. The mountain was extremely deep and perilous, with layered precipices and solid crags; even if people wished to visit, the climb was arduous and dangerous. Xian sat quietly within it, his focused practice remaining as before. He eventually ended his life there. His fellow students carried his corpse and placed it in a stone cave. Tigers devoured his body and bones entirely, leaving only his cranium and tongue. After three weeks, his tongue became even redder, soft and supple beyond the ordinary. Only afterward did it turn purple and hard as stone. Monastics and laypeople marveled at it and revered it, and together sealed it in a stone stūpa. He was fifty-eight years of age, which was the first year of the Zhenguan era (627 CE).