法苑珠林 24.64

24.64

Under the Sui, Shi Tanyan of Yanxing Temple in the capital was surnamed Wang and was a native of Wanquan in Puzhou. He came from a prominent and noble family whose official careers spanned Northern Qi and Northern Zhou. His surname was recorded in historical records, and his native region praised him. Exploring the profound tenets, he understood them clearly without error. Wishing to compose a great commentary on the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*, but fearing he might be hampered by ordinary sentiments, he constantly prayed with sincerity whether waking or sleeping, hoping to obtain an auspicious sign. In a night dream, he saw a person wearing white clothes riding a white horse whose mane and tail brushed the ground, instructing him in the sūtra's meaning along the road. Tanyan held the horse's mane with his hand, requesting discourse with him. After waking, he thought, 'This must be Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa instructing me in the essential points of the meaning. Grasping the mane signifies knowing its central tenet; approaching the matter will yield something worth beholding.' Although he evoked this auspicious sign, he still feared it might not accord with principle. Holding the sūtra and commentary before the śarīra stūpa of Renshou Temple in Chenzhou, he burned incense and vowed: 'With my ordinary estimation, I look up to gauge the sage's mind. The interpretation is now complete, as detailed in the separate fascicles. If its profound import has attained some subtle penetration, I pray you show a bright spiritual sign; if there is no response, I vow not to transmit it.' Having spoken, the scrolls of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* all emitted light, displaying auspiciousness throughout the night, and clergy and laity rejoiced. The śarīra within the stūpa also emitted light, its brilliance uninterrupted for three days and three nights, illuminating the Heavenly River above and shining upon the mountains and rivers below. People from the entire region gazed at the light and came to pay homage. Having evoked such auspicious signs, the multitude submitted and received his teachings; as for a person whose virtue was so esteemed by sovereign and ministers, rare indeed was anyone like him. On the thirteenth day of the eighth month in the eighth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, he passed away at Yanxing Temple at the age of seventy-three.