法華傳記 4.54

4.54

During the Yongchu reign period of the Song, there was a śrāmaṇera of Huanglong named Dharmodgata, who chanted the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra and purely cultivated ascetic practices. Together with twenty-five companions, he set out to seek the lands of the Buddha. Having traversed desolate perils, his resolute aspiration grew all the firmer. When they arrived at Śrāvastī in India, they encountered a herd of wild mountain elephants along the road. Dharmodgata held the sūtra, recited, and took refuge by invoking the name. A lion emerged from the forest, and the elephants fled in terror. Later, a herd of wild oxen came charging and bellowing, about to do them harm. Dharmodgata again took refuge as before; a great vulture flew down, and the oxen scattered in panic, so that he was able to escape harm. Such was the resonance of his sincere heart, overcoming perils and achieving deliverance (Regarding this account, masters such as Jiaxiang cited it as an efficacy of the Avalokiteśvara Chapter. Looking now into the Biographies of Monks, this Avalokiteśvara Sūtra is not the Avalokiteśvara Chapter, but the Avalokiteśvara-vyākaraṇa-sūtra. In order to make the difference known, it is nevertheless recorded and compiled here).