法苑珠林 5.29

5.29

魏西河石壁谷玄中寺沙門曇鸞。未詳氏族。雁門人。家近五臺山。神迹靈異怪逸于民。鸞因患氣疾。周行醫療。行至汾川秦陵故墟。入城東門上望青雲。忽見天門洞開。六欲階位。上下重復。歷然鸞覩。由斯疾愈。後往江南陶隱居處。求覓仙方冀益長壽。及屆山所接對欣然。便以仙方十卷用酬來意。還至浙江。有鮑郎子神者。一鼓涌浪七日便止。正值波初無由得渡。鸞便往廟所以情祈告。必如所請當為起廟。須臾神即現形。狀如二十。來告鸞曰。若欲渡者明旦當得。願不食言。及至明晨。濤由鼓怒。纔入船裏恬然安靜。依斯達到。梁帝見重。因出勅為江神更起靈廟。後辭帝還魏境。欲往名山依方修治。行至洛下。逢中國三藏菩提流支。鸞往啟曰。佛法頗有長生不死法勝此土仙經者乎。支唾地告曰。是何言歟。非相比也。此方何處有長生不死法。縱得長年少時不死。終輪三有。即以觀經授之曰此大仙方。依之修行當得解脫生死永絕輪迴。後移住汾州北山石壁玄中寺。一心依經作淨土業。春秋六十有七。臨至終日。幡華幢蓋高映院宇。香氣蓬勃音聲繁鬧。預登寺者並同矚之。以魏興和四年。卒於平遙山寺。年六十有七（右一出梁高僧傳）。

The śramaṇa Tanluan of Xuanzhong Monastery in the Shibigu valley of Xihe under the Wei dynasty was of unknown clan, a native of Yanmen. His home was near Mount Wutai, and his miraculous signs and divine wonders astonished the common people. Because Luan suffered from a qi disorder, he traveled about seeking medical treatment. When he reached the ancient ruins of the Qin tombs along the Fen River, he entered the city's east gate and looked up toward the azure clouds. Suddenly he saw the heavenly gate wide open, with the steps and ranks of the six desire heavens layered above and below, appearing distinct and clear to his sight. From this his illness was cured. Later, he went south of the Yangtze to the retreat of Tao Yinju, seeking recipes for immortality in hopes of prolonging his life. When he arrived at the mountain retreat, Tao received him joyfully and presented him with ten scrolls of immortality scriptures in fulfillment of his request. Returning as far as the Zhejiang River, there was the deity Master Baolang; when he stirred up the waves, they would only cease after seven days. It happened to be the beginning of the swell, so there was no way to cross. Luan went to the deity's shrine and prayed earnestly, promising that if his request was granted, he would build a shrine for him. In an instant, the deity manifested his form, appearing to be about twenty years of age, and came to tell Luan: 'If you wish to cross, you will be able to do so tomorrow morning. I hope you will not break your word.' When the next morning came, the waves were still raging furiously, but as soon as he boarded the boat, all became tranquil and still, and by this means he arrived safely. Emperor Wu of Liang held him in high esteem and issued an imperial decree to rebuild an efficacious shrine for the river deity. Later, taking leave of the Emperor to return to Wei territory, Luan wished to travel to famous mountains to practice according to the elixir recipes. When he arrived at Luoyang, he met the Tripiṭaka master Bodhiruci from India. Luan approached him and asked: 'In the Buddha's Dharma, is there any method of longevity and immortality superior to the immortality scriptures of this land?' Ruci spat on the ground and said to him: 'What kind of talk is that? They cannot be compared! Where in this land is there any method of longevity and immortality? Even if one attains longevity and does not die for a short while, in the end one still transmigrates within the three realms of existence.' He then handed him the Contemplation Sūtra, saying: 'This is the great elixir of immortality. If you practice in accordance with it, you will attain liberation from birth and death, forever cutting off saṃsāra.' Later, he moved to Xuanzhong Monastery at the Shibi cliffs on the northern mountain of Fenzhou, single-mindedly relying on the sūtra to cultivate Pure Land karma. His age was sixty-seven. On the day of his demise, banners, flowers, canopies, and parasols shone brilliantly over the courtyard and buildings, fragrant vapors billowed, and celestial sounds bustled in chorus. All those who ascended the monastery beforehand witnessed it together. In the fourth year of the Xinghe reign era of the Eastern Wei, he passed away at a mountain monastery in Pingyao at the age of sixty-seven. (The preceding one is from the Liang Dynasty Gao seng zhuan).