法苑珠林 36.63

36.63

Xiao Zimao, Prince of Jin'an of the Southern Qi, styled Yunchang, was a son of Emperor Wu. When he was just seven years old, Lady of Grace Ruan fell critically ill. Monks were invited to perform ritual practice. Someone offered a lotus flower to the Buddha. The monks filled a copper jar with water and submerged the flower's stem, hoping to keep it from withering. After three days, the flower was even fresher. Zimao wept, prostrated before the Buddha, and vowed: 'If my mother may thereby achieve superior harmony, I pray that by the power of the Buddha, the flower will not wither until the fast is completed.' When the seven-day fast ended, the flower was even more freshly red. Looking into the jar, there were slight roots and filaments. His mother's illness soon subsided. His contemporaries praised his filial resonance. Zimao's younger brother, Xiao Zihan, Prince of Nanhai, styled Linghua, had a mother, Lady of Splendid Countenance Yue, who fell sick and took to her bed. Zihan prostrated himself day and night. At the time, bamboo was used as a lamp-stand to hold the lamp; it shone through the night with extreme brilliance. Overnight, this stand sprouted lush branches and leaves. His mother's illness was soon cured. (The matter appears in Wu Jun's Annals.)