法華傳記 9

English (machine translation) 9

Language: English

9.1

11. The Benefits of Hearing, with an Appended Account of the Retribution for Disparagement and Contempt

1. The Woman Prabhāvatī
2. The Deva Viśiṣṭamatī
3. The Ancient Merchant Leader
4. The Caṇḍāla Boy
5. The Pigeon Boy
6. The Son of Fan Liang
7. The External Śrāmaṇera
8. Guang Fayu
9. The Venomous Snake
10. The King of Śrāvastī
11. The Woman of Xunyang
12. The Śrāmaṇera of Yongzhou
13. Lang's Monkey-Dog
14. The Bat of the Wei
15. The Macaque of the Sui
16. The Ghost of the Yuezhi
17. The Virgin of Yang
18. Vimalamitra
19. The Nun Zhitong
20. The Śrāmaṇera Zang
21. The Monk Xiaoci
22. The Jealous Woman of the Tang

9.3

1. The Woman Prabhāvatī during the Buddha's Lifetime

9.4

Anciently, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a person named the woman Prabhāvatī. Originally, through hearing the Lotus Sūtra, this person was born at the end of her life in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. Her parents gathered her bones and erected a stūpa to make offerings. At that time, their celestial child saw them with her divine eye, descended, and addressed her parents, saying: "I was your child. During my life, I heard the Lotus Sūtra once. Nor did I go to hear it of my own accord; I only accompanied others who led me along to hear the Lotus Sūtra, and so I took an accompanying seat for a short while to hear the Dharma. Relying on this good cause, I was able to be born in heaven." Her parents did not believe it, and asked further: "How can we know that you are our child?" At that time, the celestial child said: "Inside my chest, ten pieces of white jade given by my parents were placed. You may know me by these things." At that time, the parents opened the chest and saw that, just as the deva had said, ten pieces of white jade were stored inside. The celestial child said: "One who was urged by another to hear it was still born in heaven; how much more so those who personally advance to hear it, or recite and chant it themselves! Fortunately, I hope my parents will do as I have done." Then she suddenly disappeared. At that time, the parents, longing for their child's virtue, practiced diligence together, and were born in that heaven. (From the Yaoji.)

9.5

2. The Devaputra Viśiṣṭamatī during the Buddha's Lifetime

9.6

Anciently, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a deva who came to the Buddha's place. Having praised the Buddha, he returned to heaven. Ānanda addressed the Buddha, saying: "What past merit does this deva have, with such extraordinary majesty and virtue, to see the Buddha and hear the Dharma?" The Buddha said: "This devaputra was an attendant of King Ajātaśatru. Carrying a palanquin, he came to the Buddha's place and heard the Lotus Sūtra. Relying on the goodness of hearing the Dharma, he was born in the Fourth Heaven. At the time of his initial birth, he immediately recognized his past lives and came to the Buddha's place. In a future age, he will attain Buddhahood, named Viśiṣṭamatī, endowed with the ten titles. All of this is due to the power of hearing the Lotus Sūtra." (From the same collection.)

9.7

3. The Merchant Leader in the Age of the Semblance Dharma of Kāśyapa Buddha

9.8

Anciently, during the mleccha age of Kāśyapa Buddha, there were several unnamed people who formed a party to gather jewels, heading for the ocean route. A gaṇḍī was sounded. One person among the group was a merchant leader; he asked: "What is taking place?" Someone answered, saying: "They are lecturing on the Lotus Sūtra." One person urged his companions, but they did not dare to follow along. He alone went forward to participate in the assembly. When the lecture ended, he withdrew from the seat and dispersed, and finally entered the ocean. Seeking no wealth, they suddenly encountered a fierce wind; the ship capsized and all the people died, with only this one person surviving. That night, an instructional dream said: "You heard the lecture on the 'Life Span of the Tathāgata' chapter of the Lotus Sūtra; by virtue of this merit, you were spared the mortal disaster." That one person at that time was none other than the present Devadatta. Those who drowned were Kokālika, Añgulimāla, and others. At that time, the merchant leader took refuge in the Lotus Sūtra, established a monastery, and passed down his fragrant name, which is also praised within the teaching of Śākyamuni. (From the same collection.)

9.9

4. The Caṇḍāla Boy of Rājagṛha

9.10

Formerly, in the city of Rājagṛha in the land of Magadha in India, there was a caṇḍāla named Evil Will. He had a son. At the time of his birth, a shower of various poisons fell upon the residence; thus he was called Venomous Will. He slaughtered living creatures with a heart devoid of mercy. If someone broke the law, the king would send for Venomous Will, whereupon they were cast into a fire pit, never to survive. Indulging in wine and meat, his complexion was as red as blood; whoever saw him was terrified and lost their wits. Once, intending to commit theft, he went at night to a monastic chamber. A bhikṣu was reciting a sūtra and expounding its meaning as he went along; it was the abstruse verses of the 'Parable' chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. Hearing them, Venomous Will felt a repentant mind. He returned home immediately, and before long he contracted a demon illness, vomited blood, and died. His parents cast him into a cemetery. Yet the foxes, tigers, jackals, and wolves dared not feed upon him; he lay there like a rotten log. After seven days had passed, he revived. Weeping in the cemetery, he threw himself onto the ground. When relatives and friends came to inquire, he dared not reply. Thereupon his parents thought him bewitched by an apparition, and they all abandoned him and left. At that time, a śramaṇa went to the cemetery to contemplate foulness and impurity, and next saw Venomous Will. He asked, 'Are you a ghost or an apparition?' He replied, 'No.' The śramaṇa asked again, 'Why are you weeping?' He answered, 'I am Venomous Will, born of the caṇḍāla Evil Will in the city of Rājagṛha. Ignorant and stubborn, I did not recognize karma; indulging in wine and meat, my occupation was the slaughter of living beings. When my lifespan ended and I first died, I saw eight aban yakṣas: three held iron rods, two carried fire-carts, one held an iron rope, one held a magic bag, and one held a fire basket. They drove me into the fire-cart, holding their fists ready. Their ranks stood on three sides, and the fire basket was placed over my head; whenever they shook it, fire burst out like molten iron. The rope-wielders led ahead, each spewing flames from their mouths and rebuking me: "You wicked man of Jambudvīpa, can you endure this evil retribution?" At that moment my five limbs were scorched and broken, and my agony was immeasurable. Just as we reached outside the gate of the great city, King Yama and the great officials of the five destinies were seated in the open ground outside the gate. Criminals in handcuffs, stocks, and chains, bound behind their backs or face-to-face, numbered by tens of thousands in the courtyard. The officials were investigating the gravity of their crimes and beating them with staves. Seeing me arrive, they rebuked me: "Because of your past karma you were born into a caṇḍāla family, yet you multiplied your grave offenses. Your retribution lies in Avīci! Throughout immeasurable kalpas you shall not hear the name of the Three Jewels, nor obtain a human body." Thereupon they summoned the rod-bearing ranks, preparing to beat me. At that time, a holy practitioner came to the king's presence. The king, his ministers, and the nether officials bent before him like grass before the wind. The king knelt reverently. The practitioner said to the king: "All these three realms are now mine; I alone can rescue and protect them. Since Venomous Will has already heard the verses of the Lotus Sūtra, his sins are made light; let him not be prevented from returning to the human realm." The king reverently addressed him: "I wish only, Honored of Men, that you grant him an act of clemency!" and he immediately released Venomous Will. Thereupon the practitioner indicated the path of return with his khakkhara. After seven days I revived. When relatives came to ask, I did not reply, for they are all bad companions whom one should not associate with. My only wish is that the śramaṇa will compassionately shelter me and allow me to leave household life.' The śramaṇa then brought him back to the temple and ordained him as a śrāmaṇera. He practiced with diligent vigor. When his various relatives heard of this, they gave rise to the resolve and also left household life together, and in this very life they saw the Buddha (from the Chuyao zhuan).

9.11

5. The Doves of Zhenguan

9.12

At Shibisi in Bingzhou, there was an elder monk whose practice was meditation and recitation, devoted to diligent cultivation. At the end of the Zhenguan era, doves nested on the pillar in his room and reared two fledglings. Whenever the monk had leftover food, he constantly approached the nest and fed them. Although the dove fledglings gradually grew larger, their wings were not yet fully formed. They attempted to fly together, fell to the ground, and died. The monk gathered and buried them. After a ten-day period had passed, the monk suddenly had a dream at night in which two young boys addressed him, saying, 'Because of minor past faults, we received bodies as doves. Recently, we heard the chanting and reciting of the Lotus Sūtra and the Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra. Having heard the wondrous Dharma, we have obtained human bodies. Now, more than ten li beside this temple, in such-and-such village and in the house of such-and-such family, we have taken rebirth as male children. After ten months, we will be born.' The monk went at the appointed time to look, and saw that a woman of this household had given birth to two sons at the same time. On that account, he held a fasting feast of the meritorious month for them. When the monk called, 'Dove children!', they both answered, 'Yes!' They began speaking when they were only a little over a year old. If birds who hear the sūtra still become human beings, how much more so for human minds!

9.13

6. The Son of Wei Fanliang of Chang'an County

9.14

Wei Fanliang of Chang'an County was very wealthy but lacked an heir. He prayed to the numinous image of Changsha, and a boy was born. He began speaking as soon as he was born, and by age three he could distinguish ordinary speech and knew the graphs of the books and classics; everyone called him a divine child. Without a teacher, he naturally chanted through the third and fourth fascicles of the Lotus Sūtra, but could not recite the rest. When his parents died, he grew weary of the worldly life and left household life, taking the name Faxiang. He deeply understood the doctrinal meaning of these two fascicles, but the remainder was not yet clear to him. Living on a vegetarian diet and in austere discipline, whether in recitation or interpretation, it was only these two fascicles that came to him without effort. Xiang's mind harbor doubts and confusion, wishing to know his past karma. He prayed and made vows for many days, and was granted a dream that said: 'In your past life, by the karma of your offenses, you received the body of a rat in the Xiaoyao Garden. Entering the Sūtra Translation Hall, you heard the third and fourth fascicles of the Lotus Sūtra, but had not yet heard the rest when the monks drove you out. Because you heard the Dharma, your retribution was changed, and you were born into the human realm as a male child. Because you had previously heard them, you naturally understood them; because of the lack of past causes for what you had not heard, you could neither recite them nor understand their meaning. If you cultivate practice in your present life, you will attain awakening in the future. Diligently uphold it, without abandoning it even for a moment, and for kotis upon myriads of kalpas you will hear this sūtra. Strive hard, and do not let it pass in vain!' Xiang wept, repented his faults, and reproached himself.

9.15

7. The Foreign Śrāmaṇera Who Attained Abhijñās

9.16

Formerly, a king of a foreign land harbored disbelief and worshipped only Maheśvara. At that time, there was a śrāmaṇera over twenty years of age who had deeply penetrated non-arising and had largely attained supernormal gnosis, knowing the events of the three times. Hearing of his divine wonders, the king sent an envoy to invite him to discourse on the principles of the Buddha's Dharma. The king gave rise to faithful confidence, abandoned heterodoxy, and took refuge in the true Dharma. The śrāmaṇera then said to the king, 'Great King, you are now about to hear the true Dharma.' The king said, 'What merit is there in hearing the Dharma?' The śrāmaṇera replied, 'The merit of hearing the Dharma is inconceivable, and its blessing is immeasurable. When our Great Master Śākyamuni first gave rise to the aspiration [for awakening], he abandoned his body for a single verse, ultimately attaining Buddhahood. It is also as the Lotus Sūtra says: "If someone hears the Dharma and joyfully praises it, / Even uttering just a single word, / They have already made offerings / To all the Buddhas of the three times." Could its merit be slight? Formerly, there was a jeweled stūpa in the Great Snow Mountains, in which was enshrined an Indic manuscript of the Lotus Sūtra. An elder monk dwelt there, upholding, reading, and reciting it. Beside the stūpa was a stone cave, in which two jackals had long resided. When the elder bhikṣu first arrived, one jackal was frightened and fled far away, roaming in the groves and thickets. The other jackal remained in the cave, constantly hearing the bhikṣu recite the sūtra. At that time the wind was cold, and deep snow obliterated the paths; yet out of love for the sound of the Dharma, it stayed in the cave. It starved to death and was reborn in the human realm, awakening to the wondrous Dharma, deeply penetrating non-arising, and seeing face-to-face the Buddhas of the ten directions. As for the jackal that fled in fear, because it dwelt under the shade beside the stūpa, that blessing caused it to become a king; but because it had not heard the true Dharma, the wondrous Dharma had not yet imbued its mind. Could that departing jackal be someone else? It was you, Great King! The jackal that heard the Dharma is now myself. Because we were friends of old, impelled by past conditions, I have transformed and awakened the Great King.' Having spoken these words, he manifested supernormal powers and suddenly disappeared. Deeply moved to realization, the king shed tears, entrusted his royal throne to the crown prince, and left household life to study the path, attaining ānulomikī-kṣānti (from the Xiguo zhuan).

9.17

8. Fayu of Guangzhou

9.18

Fayu of Guangzhou was coarse and wicked by nature, committing every evil imaginable. When his life ended, he arrived at the court of King Yama. The king ordered the recording officials to inspect the slips of offenses and blessings wrought by this man. The recording officials ordered the horse-headed and ox-headed rākṣasas of great strength to bring the slips. At that time, six beings arose from their seats and went toward the northeast; entering a great iron-doored treasury, they brought out iron slips that filled three carts. The six strongmen pulled with all their might and brought them before the court. The king ordered the various record clerks to inspect them, but there were only records of evil and no slips recording good. The clerks addressed the king, 'There is entirely no record of good.' The king said angrily, 'You are most wicked! You entered the jewel mountain and returned empty-handed!' He asked the clerks, 'Have all the slips of the three carts been examined?' The clerks replied, 'Two carts are exhausted; the third cart is nearly exhausted.' The king said, 'Search and examine more closely!' In accordance with the king's order, they examined them more closely, and on the tip of a small slip from the middle period, a single good deed was appended: namely, that Fayu had visited a saṅghārāma where the Lotus Sūtra was being expounded and had briefly listened to the sermon. They reported this to the king according to the slip. The king said: 'Splendid! Fayu possesses great merit. The merit of the fiftieth person who rejoices in accord still surpasses the highest sages of the two vehicles; how much more so for one who listens in the initial assembly! How could his sins not be eradicated? Now, because he heard the Lotus Sūtra, his sins are immediately eliminated. This man may be born in heaven!' He was then released back to the human realm. The king further ordered the officers, 'Although evil karma is immeasurable, it is not equal to a single good deed. Why not reward his single good deed? You should take the slips recording evil and burn them.' In accordance with the king's order, they burned the slips recording evil. Fayu sat watching with wide eyes, conceiving an extraordinary thought. Receiving clemency, he was revived, and he told his relatives of these causes and conditions, repenting and apologizing.

9.19

9. The Venomous Snake Reborn in Heaven

9.20

Formerly, in a foreign land, there was a bhikṣu who sat in meditation and recited the Lotus Sūtra. Cities and towns are noisy and bustling, and tranquility and distraction conflict with one another; so he abandoned the clamor of villages and moved to dwell deep in the mountains, where only birds could traverse and human traces were forever cut off. Day and night he sat in meditation, reciting the sūtra during intervals from meditation. On the shaded side of the mountain there was a great snake, which, due to the causes and conditions of evil karma, had gathered immeasurable venomous insects that bit and fed on it. Smelling the scent of a human from afar, it wriggled on its belly and approached the monk's place. This snake had formerly been a disciple of the Buddha; hearing the sound of the Dharma, its tears fell, the insects ceased their feeding, its agony was temporarily removed, and rejoicing, it did not harm the bhikṣu. It constantly stayed beside the monk to listen to the sūtra. The monk did not know of the great snake. After begging for food, he returned to his dwelling and saw the great snake coiled up. Becoming terrified, he said to the wicked snake, 'Leave quickly, leave quickly! If you have no evil intent, you may dwell nearby.' Hearing these words, the snake drew near and constantly stayed there, listening to the sound of sūtra recitation. When the meal hour came, it brought fruit in its mouth as an offering. It came every day in this manner. Later, for a long while it did not come. Finding it strange, the bhikṣu climbed the peak and looked down into a dark, foul ravine. Going down, he saw the snake suspended from a high tree branch, having vomited fruit and died. Seeing this, the bhikṣu felt pity, recited spells and prayers to repay its kindness, and returned to his dwelling. At that time, flowers of various kinds rained from the sky, filling the mountain valley, and descended to the bhikṣu's monastic chamber, making various offerings to him and soaring into the air. The bhikṣu asked, 'What god are you?' The reply came: 'I was your disciple, the great snake on the shaded side of the mountain. Through the power of hearing the Dharma, I cast off that body and was reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. I have now descended only to repay your kindness.' The deva further said: 'When I was born in heaven, I saw a son of the gods whose hands emitted light, outshining all the gods. When I asked the cause, he replied, "In the human realm, I copied the Lotus Sūtra and was born in this heaven; by this cause, my hands emit light." Another deva had light radiating from his mouth. When I asked the cause, he replied, "In my previous life I read the Lotus Sūtra." Most of all the celestial hosts are people who practiced the Lotus Sūtra without understanding.' Having spoken of this matter, he returned to his own heaven. The bhikṣu wrote down this record with his own hand and placed it inside a pillar of his room (from the Waiguo ji).

9.21

10. King Pasenadi of Śrāvastī

9.22

Anciently, within fifty years after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, there was a king in the city of Śrāvastī named Pasenadi-kāra (Prasenajid-kara). He was the great-great-grandson of King Pasenadi (Prasenajit). He had two great ministers: one named Liushui (Flowing Water) and the other named Xingyu (Raining). They assisted the king and nurtured the people. Once, Liushui was riding in his chariot, intending to enter the royal palace. In that foreign land there was an arhat, a holy one, named Viśeṣaśrīmitra (Pishashilimituo). His appearance and deportment were upright, and his walking was paced and orderly. Seeing him, Liushui gave rise to deep respect, turned his chariot, and inquired of him: "From where does the Holy One come? What do you seek?" He replied: "I am a monk of Mount Wuxing in this foreign country, a disciple of the holy one Dhakura (Tuojuluo). My teacher instructed me to inspect this realm, and therefore I have come here." Liushui invited the holy one, saying: "I only pray that the Venerable One, out of compassion, condescend to visit my home; I wish to make offerings." The arhat silently assented. Liushui returned home, bathed in scented water, and prepared the holy rites. Having served the meal, he requested that minor Dharma teachings be spoken. The Venerable One expounded the twelve links of dependent origination and moreover praised the profound purport of the Mahāyāna. In this way three days passed. The king summoned Liushui. Liushui feared disobeying the royal command. The king inquired in full of the reason for his failure to come. Liushui explained to the king. The king became greatly enraged, and deliberated on his crime with the other ministers. At that time, Xingyu said to the king: "Great King, summon him to produce candana wood and three stalks of blue lotus blossoms." The king agreed. When reproaching him with this, Liushui said to the king: "Allow me seven days." The king granted it. He then returned home, put on tattered clothes, and was sorrowful. It was the winter season; where could blue lotuses be found? As for candana, it grew on Mount Malaya, where poisonous snakes encircled the trees so that none could approach; and even if the snakes departed, similar trees were plentiful, so how would he distinguish the wood? At that time, the holy one Viśeṣaśrīmitra was on Mount Wu. Viewing with the divine eye, he knew the situation completely. He came to Liushui's residence, inquired after him, and comforted him. Although knowing, he asked, and Liushui recounted the circumstances above. The holy one said: "On the summit of Mount Wu there is a great pond; in all four seasons aquatic flowers bloom. On the bank of the pond there is candana wood, guarded by a great dragon. When you go to that pond, call out 'Namo Buddhāya'. The dragon will know you are a disciple of the Buddha and will not dare harm you." Liushui then relied on the holy power and reached the edge of the pond. He called out 'Namo Buddhāya'. The dragon gave rise to a mind of compassion, concealed its form, and remained still. Liushui took the blossoms and the wood and was about to return along his original route. The dragon transformed into the shape of an upāsaka and said to the minister: "I am the father of your sovereign, the Great King Pasenadi-kāra; my name was Rājā (Luotusha). Because I ruled the kingdom unrighteously and with evil intent did not have faith in the field of merit, nor did I practice the ten wholesome deeds myself, the people also followed the king in doing evil. On account of these causes and conditions, I received the body of a poisonous dragon. Hundreds of thousands of poisonous insects feed upon my flesh, and the suffering of the three heats is unbearable. I only pray that you cultivate karma for liberation on my behalf to rescue me from my suffering and affliction." Liushui said: "Great King, former sovereign, I uphold the Puṇḍarīka-sūtra spoken by the Buddha. If one hears it and accepts it in faith, one will certainly be born in heaven." He then recited one chapter of the sūtra. Tears flowed from the upāsaka's eyes, and recalling his past, he said: "Man of the Way, return quickly. By the power of hearing the Dharma, aiding my past practice, I shall be born in the Trayastriṃśa Heaven." They bid farewell to each other and parted. Liushui returned to the royal palace and presented the two kinds of items to the Great King. The king gave rise to a sense of wonder and asked of their origin, and Liushui answered in full. The king did not believe it, saying: "The former king ruled the realm and received the Buddha's precepts; how could he have been born in an evil realm as a poisonous dragon?" He then made a vow: "If these lotuses truly grew from my father's pond, may they not wither for three months." He placed them in a storehouse. After three months, the blossoms were as fresh as originally. The king and all the ministers came to have faith in this matter, opened the storehouse, and cultivated merit. The king and ministers went together to Mount Wuxing. The dragon was dead, and a foul odor filled the mountain. They gathered the bones, returned, and erected a stūpa. Above the stūpa there suddenly appeared a cloud-canopy of bright light, from the midst of which a deva addressed the great assembly: "I heard the Lotus Sūtra, which aided my past conditions; I was freed from suffering and attained bliss." They asked: "Where were you born?" He replied: "I was born in the Golden World." He then spoke a verse:

9.23

"Sentient beings after Śākyamuni's extinction, / Once they hear a four-line verse of the Lotus Sūtra, / Mañjuśrī will attend them and never forsake them; / According to their vow, they are immediately born in the Golden World."

9.24

Having spoken this verse, he vanished and was seen no more (from the same collection).

9.25

11. The Old Fisherwoman of the Lakes and Rivers of Xunyang

9.26

By the rivers and lakes of Xunyang, there was an old itinerant woman. None knew where she was from, and her surname was also lost. Addicted to fish and meat, she did not know cause and effect. Buying and selling fish, she coveted the profit to make a living; having no other occupation, her whole life passed in vain, forfeiting the benefits of human birth. When she died, she arrived at the court of King Yama. The king asked: "When you were born in the human realm, what wholesome roots did you cultivate?" The woman remained silent and said nothing. The king asked again: "Do you truly have no good deeds at all?" The woman recalled and knew: "Once, seeking profit from fish and meat, I went out to the market. Great clouds suddenly arose, a torrential storm poured down, and the rivers and lakes filled with water, so that I could not come or go. For half a day, I lodged in a shrine hall and heard an exposition of the Lotus Sūtra. Is this not a great good?" She answered the king with this. The king said: "This is an exceedingly subtle and wonderful good. Now I release you to return to the human realm. But can you see the places where those with sinful karma undergo suffering?" She answered: "I have not yet seen them." The king summoned an official of the underworld and sent them together to the seashore. She saw along the shore hundreds of thousands of fishermen, all with iron ropes binding their necks, and handcuffs, fetters, pillories, and irons entangled around their bodies. From mid-air, a great wheel of fire descended upon the heads of the sinners. The fire-wheel entered their bodies and in a kṣaṇa burned them entirely. In a short while, they died and were reborn more than thirty times. Each screamed out: "How agonizing! In the past we took life willfully to sustain our own lives, and now we suffer great agony!" Having cried out these words, they collapsed to the ground. Numerous hell-wardens, holding swords and blades in their hands, slashed the flesh of their bodies, broke their bones, and crushed their marrow. Having each eaten them, they vomited out the bones and flesh, and the sinners were revived as before. The places where such sinners underwent suffering were immeasurable and boundless. The underworld official said to the woman: "You should go to that place and ask what karma they committed to suffer this affliction." Terrified, she did not wish to ask. The official then asked: "What sinful karma did you commit to suffer this pain?" The sinners replied: "We were foolish; we killed fish and turtles for food, and bought fish and meat to seek profit for our livelihood. On account of these causes and conditions, we suffer this agony." Inspecting sequentially in this manner, there was a hell-warden who had no sinners to punish. The official then asked: "Why are your hands empty without any sinners to punish?" He replied: "By the rivers and lakes of Xunyang, there was an old woman; I am here to punish her karma. Because she heard the Lotus Sūtra, she was freed from hell, and therefore I sit with empty hands." At that moment, the old woman raised her voice and chanted these words: "Namo Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra!" Hearing these words, immeasurable sinners vanished in an instant. The official and the woman returned and reported to the king. The king said: "My mistake, my mistake! I sent you to let you see those undergoing suffering, but hearing the words of the Wonderful Dharma, their sins were extinguished and they were born in heaven. Return to the human realm and inform the people by the riverbank, so as to make clear the karmic retribution of wholesome deeds." (And so forth.) The old woman was revived, and recounted this matter to the people by the riverbank. What was directly heard and reported was indeed true.

9.27

12. The Novice of Liquan County in Yongzhou

9.28

Xu Gaosi of Liquan County had a young son. At seven years of age, he received the five precepts and became a novice, serving a venerable monk as his teacher. A physiognomist saw the novice and said: "This novice is intelligent and keen, endowed with all physical marks, but his life will be short." Hearing this, his parents were grieved and troubled. On account of an errand, the novice went to a neighboring county. Encountering rain, he entered a vihāra, where a monk was reciting the Lotus Sūtra. Hearing the sūtra, the novice rejoiced and said to the monk: "I shall bid farewell to my parents and come follow the master in service." When the rain stopped, he left the monastery. Three days after arriving home, the previous physiognomist was still there. Seeing the novice, he said: "Your proper lifespan has now become more than ninety years; what extraordinary technique do you have?" The novice said: "My mind took delight in hearing the sūtra; apart from this, there was nothing else." The physiognomist said: "Excellent! The Mahāyāna possesses inconceivable power; those who hear it will have their lifespan extended."

9.29

13. The Monkey and the Hound of Monk Falang of Nanyang

9.30

Śramaṇa Senglang, also named Falang, had the secular surname of Xu and was a native of Nanyang. When he was twenty-odd years old, he rejoiced in the desire to leave home, and soon received tonsure. He had no fixed dwelling, mostly residing in Ezhou. His appearance was extraordinary and distinct from the worldly, possessing wondrous signs. His eating and drinking were like those of common folk, and he was despised by the contemporaries. He constantly kept a monkey and a hound, both large in stature and of a yellowish-red color. They were not intimate with other people, but adhered only to Lang, following him morning and evening without ever parting. When it was time to eat, he received food in a wooden bowl; after Lang ate his fill, the remainder was fed to them from the same vessel. When the meal was finished, the monkey would take the bowl and wear it on its head, ride on the hound's back, and walk ahead of Lang. If anyone attempted to snatch it, they were invariably bitten by the animals. Lang let the hound wander at will, with scarcely any fixed routine. In the late Chen and early Sui dynasties, he traveled south of the Jiang and the ridges. His robes were coarse and tattered, his deportment went beyond the conventional rules, and he traveled on foot with a staff, protecting and nurturing living beings. From time to time he read and chanted various sūtras, but devoted his resolve especially to the Lotus Sūtra. He had originally lacked vocal resonance, his voice being faint, low, and not abundant. He then made a pure vow to recite it seven times in a single sitting. Before long, his voice moved like thunder, revealing that the power of merit can indeed be scaled. His recitations were always marked by cycles of seven, up to seventy, seven hundred, seven thousand, and even seventy thousand. The tones and rhythm were harmonious and flowing, rising unrestrained like the sound of zithers and flutes resonating clearly. Therefore, when he recited the sūtra, onlookers and listeners beside him would lose all track of seeing and hearing. Lang did not move his lips, yet warbled from his throat, echoing clearly near and far; because of this, he became famous. Furthermore, his arms, legs, and hands could extend and contract at will, like a turtle retracting its limbs, at times resembling a lump of meat. Sometimes he went to banquets and drank with others, chewing on pork, none knowing where it came from. Therefore the world had a saying: "Lotus Lang contracts in five places at once, his mouth and throat full of pork." Or again, he would travel along the river, upstream and downstream with hands folded, the monkey and hound beside him in the boat, without any oars or paddles, going wherever he pleased; though encountering winds and waves, in the blink of an eye he would reach his destination. Later, the monkey and the hound died. Someone dreamed that the monkey and the hound were Lang's friends from a past life; because of hearing the Lotus Sūtra, they relinquished their lives and were born in heaven. If beasts can still be intimate with an upholder of the sūtra and be born in heaven through hearing the sound of sūtra recitation, how much more so for human beings?

9.31

14. The Bats of Hengtang Vihāra in Changshan of the Wei

9.32

In Hengtang Vihāra in Changshan, there were several dozen bats fluttering about. A śramaṇa lodged in the temple and recited the Lotus Sūtra. The bats took delight in the sound of the Dharma while nestled in the wall. The wall suddenly collapsed, and they all died at once. Seeing them die, the monk made a prayer of blessing: "Since you have heard the Lotus Sūtra, you will surely be born in heaven." After three days passed, the monk dreamed of several dozen devas, their bodies bearing radiant light, coming to visit him and saying: "Because we heard the Dharma in this saṅghārāma, we cast off our bodies and were born in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings; we have come to bid farewell on account of our original connection." The monk took the bats and buried them in the earth, erecting a stūpa above them, calling it the Bat Stūpa.

9.33

15. The Macaque of Mount Huqiu in Wujun of the Sui

9.34

At the end of the Sui dynasty, there was an itinerant śramaṇa whose name is unknown. He entered Mount Huqiu and recited the Lotus Sūtra for the ninety days of a summer retreat. On that mountain was a troop of macaques, numbering over one hundred. Among the troop of macaques was an old monkey whose fur was pure white. Silent for several days, it listened to the sūtra from a nearby tree. At night it still remained in the tree without leaving; in the morning, it was found to have fallen and died. The monk gave rise to compassion, made a prayer of blessing for it, and buried it with stones. Later, reciting at night until the third watch, a voice in mid-air said: "I am the old macaque. By the power of hearing the Dharma, I was born in the Second Heaven. Wishing to repay your kindness, I have descended to present ten pearls to the master." Having spoken these words, there was no further sound. The next morning, looking before his cave, the pearls were indeed there. He gathered them to serve as rollers for the sūtra scrolls, and in dark nights they emitted light. When the sūtra was placed in the stone cave, from afar one could see light above the cave, which vanished when approached.

9.35

16. The Hungry Ghosts Seen by the Yuezhi Bodhisattva Somaya

9.36

In the past, there was a Great Vehicle Dharma-transmitting bodhisattva of the Yuezhi named Somaya. He transmitted and maintained the great treasury of the Great Vehicle, instructing and transforming teachers and disciples. In the ancient custom of the Yuezhi, he was called Mahāyānadeva Bodhisattva. Leading his disciples, he travelled around to convert various countries. Arriving at the seashore on the border of the Lion Country (Siṃhala), as he walked ahead on the road, he saw five hundred hungry ghosts (pretas). He suddenly gave a faint smile and paced back and forth without advancing. His disciples found it strange and asked the reason. He replied: "I see five hundred hungry ghosts, starved and destitute, who have not heard the name of food or drink. Seeing me approach, they shed tears and begged for deliverance. I then asked them: 'How long have you lived on this seashore?' They answered: 'We do not know how long; we have only seen this sea rise and fall seven times.' The Bodhisattva said: 'Samsara has no limit; how could you know the time?' He asked again: 'How has it been since you last had food or drink?' They answered: 'It has been seven hundred years since we caught a little spittle that touched our lips. For ages we have sought food and found none; even if we get a little urine, the moment it enters our mouths it turns to fiery ashes.' He asked again: 'What is your suffering like?' They replied: 'The suffering we undergo cannot be fully recounted. Moreover, the suffering we undergo in a single day differs at the three times. In the morning, numerous minions of Yama come, fill our mouths with red-hot iron pellets, and beat and strike us with iron clubs. Our bodies turn to fiery ashes and are completely destroyed piece by piece. When the cool wind blows, we revive as before. Then, spitting fire in anger, they berate us, saying: "Formerly you were greedy for food and ate it alone! Swallow your fill of hot pellets—do they taste delicious or not?" Having finished berating us, they leave. In the painful destiny of body and mind, we undergo ten thousand deaths and ten thousand births. At midday, hundreds of thousands of cavalry come, along with infantry and assorted laborers. Bringing cauldrons filled with molten copper, those holding iron thorns come forward first to strike our heads, making us sit on the seashore. Next, the cauldron attendants arrive and pour the molten copper down our throats, saying: "You slandered great beings, ate alone, and gave no alms. Does molten copper have any flavor?" Then the numerous cavalry gallop behind on horses and shoot us with flaming arrows, just as humans shoot at targets. Struck by the poisonous flaming arrows, we writhe and collapse on the ground. When the cool wind blows, we revive as before. In the evening, hundreds of thousands of iron dogs, iron crows, foxes, and wolves arrive. Their teeth are like blades; howling and roaring, they run about, fighting and tearing at us, snarling and devouring us until dawn before scattering. Suffering like this is not even one-hundredth part of it; it cannot be fully described. We pray for your compassionate protection!' Somaya told them: 'You yourselves performed these deeds, and you must receive the retribution yourselves; how can the power of another reach it?' He asked further: 'Do you remember the karma of your past lives?' They answered: 'By our own power, we remember what we did in the past. Immeasurable kalpas ago, we became renunciants, but did not maintain the pure precepts; we guarded fields and property, were stingy and greedy, and gave no alms. Whenever we obtained flavorful food, we ate it alone in secret places, beating and driving away dogs and crows. After death, we received this retribution.' The Bodhisattva gave rise to pity and compassion, and expounded for them profound dharmas such as the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra. The five hundred hungry ghosts shed tears of joy from their eyes, rejoiced, and experienced pleasure. The Bodhisattva went forward and reached the Lion Country. At night he lodged in an empty pavilion. At the third watch of the night, five hundred sons of devas came to the empty pavilion. Each made an offering of a genuine pearl to the Bodhisattva, and said: 'Great Being, we are the hungry ghosts from the seashore. Relying on the goodness of hearing the Dharma, we were born in the heavens. Remembering our gratitude for hearing the Dharma, we came with the blessings of heaven to make this initial offering.' Then they returned to the heavens. The Bodhisattva recorded these causes and conditions with his own hand; it is called the Record of Saving the Hungry Ghosts.

9.37

The Maiden of Xunyang, 17

9.38

During the Zongzhang era of the Tang, there was a foreign monk named Dharmabhadra, which in Chinese means Faxian. Owing to unavoidable circumstances, he came to Xunyang. His deportment was outstanding, and his appearance dignified. He chanted Mahāyāna scriptures such as the Lotus Sūtra, amounting to thirty thousand verses. His voice was graceful and pleasing, delighting all who heard it. At that time, there was an unmarried maiden of extraordinary beauty who fully understood the sixty-four amorous postures. When she first saw the monk, she conceived a mind of lustful attachment. In the quiet of the night, she approached the monk, who was staying the night and reciting the passage of the Dragon Girl from the Devadatta Chapter. Although the maiden did not understand the Sanskrit text, upon hearing the sound of the recitation she gave rise to faithful confidence, halted her defiled mind, and returned home. At that time, while sea waves tossed a drifting boat, there was a man who took hold of her and placed her on the shore without her clothes getting wet at all. In a dream that night, the former man said to the maiden: 'Because you listened to the Devadatta Chapter of the Lotus Sūtra and had a pure mind of faithful reverence, you escaped the disaster of drowning. If you can practice it, you will never again receive a female body.' Awakening from the dream, the maiden felt joy and sorrow, repented her faults, and sought the monk, but did not know where he had gone. Already weary of the female body, she left home to become a nun and went to Mount Wutai to dwell. She was the bhikṣuṇī Konghui.

9.39

Vimalamitra of the Western Regions, 18

9.40

In the past, there was a great master of treatises in the Western Regions named Vimalamitra, which the Qin language translates as Wugouyou ('Stainless Friend'). He was a native of Kaśmīra. He left home in the Sarvāstivāda school. Broadly learned and widely heard, he encompassed the profound meanings of the Tripiṭaka. Traveling throughout the five regions of India, he heard the extremely profound and sublime doctrines of the Avataṃsaka, Lotus, and Prajñā sūtras. His mind could not bear it, and he sighed, saying: 'The treatise master Vasubandhu indulged in belittling the Lesser [Vehicle's] tenets and making manifest the Great Vehicle teachings, composing treatises on the Daśabhūmika, the Lotus, and others, thereby obscuring the original tenets of our Sarvāstivāda school. When I go to the five regions of India, I shall exhaustively examine the original source of our school to the limits of what I know, and compose treatises to sever the Mahāyāna scriptures and erase the name of Vasubandhu, so that the single school of Sarvāstivāda will flourish in Jambudvīpa and the four seas will return to it like a tide.' Having spoken these words, he suddenly fell into mad confusion. Five tongues sprouted from his mouth, and hot blood streamed down his face. The treatise master knew his lifespan was at an end and repented, saying: 'The Great Vehicle is the ultimate teaching; its flavor of principle is deep and far-reaching, difficult to believe and understand. Due to my foolishness, I gave rise to a mind of deviant intellect, suppressed the Great Vehicle, and destroyed my body; it is only just! I venture to admonish students: here is your mirror of warning. Let each of you guard your aspirations and harbor no doubts or slander!' At that very moment, the earth shook and split open, and his body broke apart as his life ended. The place of his death caved in to form a deep pit. Sages and worthies who saw this sighed, saying: 'How lamentable! The treatise master used his three-inch tongue to revile the Great Vehicle, so in this life he sprouted five tongues; his obstinate clinging was so intense that he must fall into the Avīci Hell. How does he differ from Devadatta?' His disciples held a vegetarian feast for repentance on his behalf and praised the meaning of the Great Vehicle. The treatise master appeared in a dream, saying: 'I intended to destroy the Great Vehicle and fell into Avīci. However, because I heard the great doctrine of the Puṇḍarīka and other sūtras, the searing flames are like hot springs in the human realm. I preach the meaning of the Dharma in hell, like a dhāraṇī-bodhisattva and the like; those who hear it are freed from suffering. King Yama urged me to leave the hell, but I have stayed behind to preach the Dharma. If the Great Vehicle has been heard and planted in the storehouse consciousness, one enters and immediately leaves, never to enter again. Strive diligently to cultivate and learn the Great Vehicle; do not doubt or regret!' His disciples built a stūpa for him and enshrined the Dharma-śarīra.

9.41

The Nun Zhitong, 19

9.42

The nun Zhitong left home in her youth and lived at the Jianjing Monastery in the capital. Her faith in the Way was not sincere. In the ninth year of the Yuanjia era, her master died and she abandoned the Way, marrying Liang Xifu of Wei Commandery as a concubine, and gave birth to a boy. When he was six or seven years old, the family was extremely poor, with nothing to make clothes. When Tong had been a nun, she had several scrolls of plain silk sūtras such as the Amitāyus and Lotus Sūtras; she boiled and pounded them all to clothe her son. After living thus for a year, she fell ill, trance-like and palpitation-stricken. Her entire body peeled and ulcerated, resembling fire sores. There were tiny white worms, more than a sheng of which came out daily. The pain was miserable and the poison agonizing, and she wailed day and night. She constantly heard a voice in the air say: 'You destroyed the scriptures to make clothes, and receive this severe retribution.' She died in a little over ten days (Fayuan zhulin, fascicle 18, states that this comes from Mingxiang ji).

9.43

The Śrāmaṇera Yunzang, 20

9.44

The śrāmaṇera Yunzang left home in his youth and transmitted the Āgamas. As a poor practitioner lacking clothing, during the cold weather of winter, his body suffered from freezing cold. He entered an old vihāra and obtained five or six scrolls of the Lotus Sūtra, which he stitched together to make paper clothing. Those who saw it felt a chill in their hearts. Before the winter passed, he suddenly broke out in manifest leprosy: his eyebrows all fell out, and minute sores spread all over, at first like millet grains, then like beans. Within seven days, his body split open and he died. Those who saw it sighed, saying: 'How lamentable! Yunzang slighted the Great Vehicle, and lost the benefits of two lifetimes!'

9.45

Monk Xiaoci of Cimen Monastery, 21

9.46

The monk Xiaoci was about fifty years old. From his youth, he had relied on Dhyāna Master Xinxing, preaching the Three Stages Dharma and cultivating ascetic practices. He made begging for food his constant vocation, performed the six periods of prostration and repentance, and wore robes made of discarded rags. Wherever he went, he preached the Three Stages Dharma to guide the ignorant commoners. Whenever he preached the Three Stages Dharma, he would say: 'It is improper to read and recite the scriptures of the Great Vehicle. If you read and recite them, you will enter the Avīci Hells of the ten directions; you must urgently repent!' Later, at one time in Qizhou, he preached the Three Stages Dharma. At that time, there was an upāsikā who upheld the Lotus Sūtra and also encouraged those with affinity to chant and uphold the Lotus Sūtra. That Dhyāna Master Xiaoci exhorted the upāsikā and others who upheld the Lotus Sūtra, saying: 'You who uphold the Lotus Sūtra do not suit the spiritual capacity [of this age], and ought to enter hell.' He urged them to abandon its recitation, and consequently several upāsikās gave up upholding the sūtra. At that time, the Dhyāna Master stood among the assembly to perform repentance, taking upholding the Lotus Sūtra as the foremost sin. The upāsikā who encouraged upholding the Lotus Sūtra was indignant in her heart. Subsequently, on the day of a great vegetarian feast, the Dhyāna Master was preaching the Three Stages Dharma to the assembly. At that time, with nearly ten thousand people seated below, that upāsikā burned incense among the great assembly and made a vow, saying: 'If my upholding of the Lotus Sūtra does not accord with the Buddha's intent, I pray that I will contract a severe illness in this present life, so that the great assembly will all know that upholding the Lotus Sūtra receives this retribution of sin; I also pray that my living body will sink into the Avīci Hell, so that the assembly may witness it together. But if my upholding of the Lotus Sūtra accords with and follows the Buddha's intent, may the same befall the Dhyāna Master!' At the moment this upāsikā made her vow, the Dhyāna Master was struck by a spirit, lost his voice, and could not speak. The one on the high seat to the west who proclaimed the collections also lost his voice and could not speak. Below, five elder Dhyāna masters likewise lost their voices and could not speak. The several people who had previously abandoned reciting the Lotus Sūtra thereupon gave rise to the aspiration, and became even more earnest in reciting the Lotus Sūtra.

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法華傳記 — Classical Chinese