法苑珠林 18.11

18.11

東晉孝武之前常山沙門釋道安者。經石趙之亂。避地于襄陽。注般若道行密迹諸經。析疑甄解二十餘卷。恐不合理乃誓曰。若所說不違理者。當見瑞相。乃夢見胡道人頭白眉長。語安曰。君所注經殊合道理。我不得入泥洹住在西域。當相助弘通可時時設食也。後十誦律至。遠公云。昔和上所夢乃是賓頭盧也。於是立坐飯之。遂成永則。

Prior to Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin, the śramaṇa Shi Dao'an of Changshan passed through the disorders of Shi Le's Zhao state and sought refuge in Xiangyang. He commented on various scriptures, including the Perfection of Wisdom, Daoxing, and Miji, producing over twenty fascicles of analysis of doubts and discerning explanations. Fearing they might not accord with the principle, he vowed: 'If what I have expounded does not contradict the principle, may I see an auspicious sign.' He then dreamed of a foreign monk with white hair and long eyebrows, who said to An: 'The scriptures you have commented upon accord extraordinarily well with the principle. I have not been permitted to enter nirvāṇa and reside in the Western Regions; I shall assist you in propagating them widely, and you may offer me food from time to time.' Later, when the Daśādhyāya-vinaya arrived, Master Yuan said, 'The one whom the Upādhyāya dreamed of in the past was none other than Piṇḍola.' Thereupon he set up a seat and offered food to him, which subsequently became an everlasting rule.