法華傳記 7.22

7.22

In the kingdom of Khotan, there was a saṅghārāma named Gomati. It was a Mahāyāna monastery where three thousand monks resided, who took their meals at the striking of the gaṇḍī. At that time, there was an attendant novice sixteen years of age. There was also a Nirgrantha skilled in physiognomy and divination. Seeing this novice, he said, "You are sixteen years old, and your remaining life is only one year. Even if you give up your robes and bowl, you cannot prolong your life." The novice was grieved and sorrowful. The sthavira took pity on him, and for the sake of his future wholesome roots, taught him the Lotus Sūtra. The novice had dull faculties and could not recognize written words; the sthavira imparted to him the two chapters that are foremost in the whole work, Upāyakauśalya and Āyuhpramāṇa. The novice focused his mind on revolving and reciting them. Later, the Nirgrantha saw the novice and, giving rise to wonder, asked, "What merit have you cultivated?" He replied, "I have merely recited one or two chapters of a sūtra." The Nirgrantha praised him, saying, "The power of the Great Vehicle is inconceivable! It has transformed a life of seventeen years into seventy years." He thereupon left home, entered the monastery, and recited Mahāyāna sūtras (from the Xiguo zhuan).