法苑珠林 26.36

26.36

During the Song dynasty, at Mount Kunlun, there was Shi Tandi, surnamed Kang. His ancestors were people of Kangju who, during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han, migrated and submitted to China. During the disturbances at the end of Emperor Xian's reign, they moved to Wuxing. Di's father, Rong, once served as Attendant Officer of Jizhou. His mother, Lady Huang, was taking a midday nap and dreamed that she saw a monk calling Huang "Mother," leaving with her a fly-whisk and two iron-carved paperweights. Upon waking, she saw that both items were present. Consequently, she became pregnant and gave birth to Di. When Di was five years old, his mother showed him the fly-whisk and other items; Di said, "They were given by the King of Qin." The mother said, "Where did you put them?" He replied, "I do not remember." At the age of ten, he left the household; in his study, he did not follow a teacher, but his awakening arose naturally. Later, accompanying his father to Fan and Deng, he happened to meet the monk Qiao Daoren from Guanzhong. Suddenly he called out Qiao's name. Qiao said, "Why does a child call an elder by name?" Di said, "Just now I spoke without thinking: Ashang was Di's novice monk; while gathering vegetables for the saṃgha, he was injured by a wild boar. Without realising it, I blurted it out." Qiao had previously been a disciple of Dharma Master Hongjue; while gathering vegetables for the monks, he was injured by a wild boar. Qiao initially did not remember this, so he went to Di's father. Di's father related the whole story from beginning to end and showed him the paperweights, fly-whisk, and other objects. Qiao then realized it, wept, and said, "You are indeed my late master, Dharma Master Hongjue! The Master once lectured on the Lotus Sūtra for Yao Chang, and I served as the reciter (dujiang). Yao Chang presented two items to the Master, which are now here!" Calculating back to when Hongjue passed away, it was precisely the day the objects were left behind. Remembering also the matter of gathering vegetables, his grief and veneration grew even deeper. Later, whenever Di looked over scriptures and books, he remembered whatever met his eyes. In his later years, he entered Huqiu Temple in Wu, where he lectured on the Rites, the Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals seven times each, and the Lotus Sūtra, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra, and the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa fifteen times each. He was also skilled in literature, and a collection of six fascicles circulated in the world. By nature, he loved woods and springs. Later, he returned to Wuxing and entered Mount Kunlun in Guzhang, living in leisure and drinking from mountain streams for more than twenty years. At the end of the Yuanjia era of the Song, he died at his mountain dwelling at the age of over sixty. (The above one verification is from the Liang Gaoseng zhuan.)