法苑珠林 18.24

18.24

陳楊州嚴恭者本是泉州人。家富於財而無兄弟。父母愛慕言無所違。陳太建初。恭年弱冠請於父母。願得五萬錢。往楊州市易。父母從之。恭船載物而下。去楊州數十里。江中逢一船載黿。將詣市賣之。恭念黿當死。因請贖之。謂黿主曰。我正有五萬錢。願以贖之。黿主喜取錢。付黿而去。恭盡以黿放江中。而空船詣楊州。其黿主別恭行十餘里。船沒而死。是日恭父母在家。昏時有烏衣客五十人詣門寄宿。并送錢五萬付恭父母曰。公兒楊州附此錢歸。願依數受也。父怪愕恭死。因審之。客曰。兒無恙。但不須錢故附歸耳。恭父受之。記是本錢。而皆小濕。留客為設食。客止明旦辭去。後月餘日恭還家。父母大喜。既止而問附錢所由。恭答無之。父母說客形狀及付錢月日。乃贖黿之日。於是知五十客皆所贖黿也。父子驚歎。因共往楊州起精舍。專寫法華經。遂徙家向楊州。其家轉富。大起房廊為寫經室。莊嚴清淨供給豐厚。書生常數十人。楊州道俗共相崇敬。號為嚴法華。甞有親知從貸經錢一萬。恭不獲已與。貸者受錢以船載歸。中路船傾。所貸之錢落水。而船沒人不被溺。是日恭入錢庫見一萬錢。濕如新出水。恭甚怪之。後見前貸錢人。乃知濕是所貸者。又有商人至宮亭湖。於神廟所祭酒食并上物。其夜夢神送物還之。謂曰。倩君為我持此錢奉嚴法華以供經用。旦而所上神物皆在其前。於是商人歎異送達恭處。而倍加厚施。其後恭至市買經紙少錢。忽見一人。持錢三千。授恭曰。助君買紙。言畢不見而錢在。其怪異如此非一。開皇末恭死。子孫傳其業。隋季盜賊至江都。皆相與約。勿入嚴法華里。里人賴之獲全其家。至今寫經不已。州邑共見。京師人士並悉知委（右一驗出冥報記）。

In the Chen dynasty, Yan Gong of Yangzhou was originally a native of Quanzhou. His family was wealthy, and he had no brothers. His parents doted on him and never went against his words. At the beginning of the Taijian era of the Chen, when Gong was about twenty years old, he requested from his parents, wishing to obtain fifty thousand cash to go trade in the markets of Yangzhou. His parents granted it. Gong loaded a boat with goods and traveled downstream. A few dozen li from Yangzhou, he encountered a boat on the river carrying softshell turtles, about to go to the market to sell them. Gong reflected that the turtles were going to die, and thereupon requested to redeem them. He said to the owner of the turtles: "I happen to have fifty thousand cash; I wish to redeem them with it." The owner of the turtles was delighted, took the cash, handed over the turtles, and departed. Gong released all the turtles into the river and proceeded with an empty boat to Yangzhou. The owner of the turtles, having parted from Gong for ten-odd li, capsized his boat and drowned. On that day, Gong's parents were at home. At dusk, fifty guests clad in black robes came to their gate seeking lodging, and delivered fifty thousand cash, handing it to Gong's parents, saying: "Your son in Yangzhou sends this money back; please accept it according to the count." The father was startled and feared Gong had died, and so questioned them. The guests said: "Your son is without harm; he simply had no need for the cash and so sent it back." Gong's father accepted it and noted it was the original money, but all slightly damp. He kept the guests and prepared food for them; the guests stayed and took leave the next morning. More than a month later, Gong returned home. His parents were overjoyed. When he settled, they asked the reason for sending the money, and Gong answered that he had not done so. His parents described the guests' appearance and the month and day the money was handed over, which was precisely the day the turtles were redeemed. Thereupon they knew that the fifty guests were all the redeemed turtles. Father and son marveled in wonder. Thereupon they went together to Yangzhou to build a hermitage, dedicated exclusively to copying the Lotus Sūtra. They then relocated their family to Yangzhou. His family became increasingly wealthy, constructing large halls and corridors as sūtra-copying chambers, adorned and pure, with lavish supplies, constantly hosting several dozen scribes. The clergy and laity of Yangzhou collectively revered them, naming him "Lotus Yan." Once, an acquaintance borrowed ten thousand cash of the sūtra funds from him; Gong could not refuse and gave it. The borrower received the money and carried it home by boat. Mid-route, the boat capsized; the borrowed money fell into the water, yet the boat sank without the person drowning. On that day, Gong entered the treasury and saw ten thousand cash, wet as if freshly brought out of the water. Gong found it extremely strange. Later, he met the borrower from before, and only then learned that the damp money was what had been borrowed. Furthermore, a merchant came to Lake Gongting and offered wine, food, and goods at the spirit shrine. That night, he dreamed the spirit returned the goods to him, saying: "I ask you to take this money on my behalf and present it to Lotus Yan to provide for the sūtras." At dawn, the offered sacred items were all before him. Thereupon the merchant marveled, delivered them to Gong's place, and doubled his lavish donations. Later, Gong went to the market to buy sūtra paper but lacked money. Suddenly he saw a person holding three thousand cash, who handed them to Gong, saying: "To assist you in buying paper." Having spoken, he disappeared, but the money remained. Such strange marvels were not singular. At the end of the Kaihuang era, Gong died, and his descendants carried on his vocation. At the end of the Sui, when bandits reached Jiangdu, they made a pact with each other: "Do not enter Lotus Yan's neighborhood!" The people of the neighborhood relied on this to preserve their households. To this day, the copying of sūtras has not ceased; the prefectures and cities have all witnessed it, and the scholars and gentry of the capital know it thoroughly. (The above one verification is taken from the Mingbao ji).