法苑珠林 28.23

28.23

At the Baima Temple in Heyin during the Jin dynasty, there was the Śramaṇa Shi Tansui. It is not known where he was from. In his youth, he left household life and resided at the Baima Temple in Heyin. He ate a vegetarian diet, wore hemp clothing, and recited the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, usually once every day. Furthermore, he had a subtle mastery of the sūtra's purport and also explained it for others. Once during the night, he suddenly heard a knock at the door, and someone said that they wished to invite the Dharma master to preach the Dharma for ninety days. Tansui did not consent, but after persistent requests, he went, while still as if in sleep. By the time he awoke, he found his body inside the shrine of the spirit of Baima Entrenchment, accompanied by one disciple. From then on, he secretly went there every day, without anyone else knowing. Later, monks of the temple passing by the front of the shrine saw two high seats: Tansui was on the north, and his disciple was on the south, with sounds as if expounding the teachings. They also smelled an extraordinary fragrance. Thereupon, monastics and laypeople alike spread the word, all calling it a divine anomaly. When the summer ended, the spirit made an offering of one white horse, five white sheep, and ninety bolts of silk. After the prayers of dedication were completed, each vanished. Tansui's whereabouts were ultimately unknown.