法苑珠林 85.29

85.29

Under the Wei, there was the monk Zhizhan of Xiancao Temple on Mount Rentou in Mount Taiyue. He was a native of Shanren county in Qizhou, and a disciple of Master Lang's great-grand-disciple. His conduct was genuine and solid; he simplified his affairs and spoke little. He lived at Xiancao Temple, which had been founded by Guṇavarman of the Song. He roamed among birds and beasts without alarming them, and constantly recited the Lotus Sūtra as his regular practice. On the day he was about to pass away, the śramaṇa Baozhi reported to Emperor Wu of Liang: "The monk of Shanzhuang county in the north who lives at Xiancao Temple is a srotāpanna noble one; today he enters nirvāṇa." When the clergy and laity of the capital of Yang[zhou] asked Zhi, he sent them all to pay remote homage. [Zhizhan] expired sitting upright, each of his hands extending one finger. A monk from Western India explained: "If he were a noble one of the second fruit, each would extend two fingers; Zhan extending one finger certainly means he is [of] the first fruit." He was buried on Mount Rentou and a stūpa was built to inter him; birds and beasts do not defile it, and it still stands today. Furthermore, in Yongzhou there was a monk who also recited the Lotus Sūtra and lived in seclusion on Mount Bailu; he moved a boy [spirit] to constantly attend upon him. When he died, his corpse was placed beneath a cliff; the rest of the bones dried and decayed, but his tongue remained uncorrupted for many years. Also, during the reign of Wucheng of Northern Qi, someone beside Mount Dongkan in Bingzhou dug the earth and found a patch of soil whose colour was yellowish-white, different from the surrounding area. Digging further, he found an object shaped like two human lips, with a tongue inside that was fresh vermilion-red. This was reported to the throne. When all the monks were questioned, none could explain it. The śramaṇa Master of the Great Bureau memorialized: "This was one who upheld the Lotus Sūtra, which keeps the six sense-faculties uncorrupted; reciting it attentively a thousand times will surely produce this sign." The Emperor then decreed to the Secretariat Drafter Gao Zhen: "You are a man of faith; go and see it yourself. There must be a spiritual anomaly. It should be transferred to a pure place and offerings made with a vegetarian feast." Receiving the imperial decree, Zhen went there, gathered śramaṇas who upheld the Lotus Sūtra, each holding an incense burner, purified their bodies and circumambulated it, praying: "The Bodhisattva's nirvāṇa is far in the past; as the semblance Dharma circulates, we uphold it without error. We pray that you manifest a spiritual sign." No sooner had the voice sounded than the lips and tongue began to move together; though no sound reached them, it seemed as if it were reciting. None of those who witnessed it failed to have their hair stand on end. Zhen reported the circumstances to the throne, and an imperial decree was issued to store it in a stone casket and move it to a mountain chamber. Also, in the first years of the Taihe era of the Wei, a court eunuch in the northern capital of Dai lamented that his mutilated body could not compare to other men. He soon memorialized asking to enter the mountains to cultivate the Way, and an imperial decree was issued granting it. He then took a copy of the Avataṃsaka, recited it day and night, and bowed in repentance without slackening. He returned to the mountain at the beginning of summer; by the end of the sixth month, his beard and moustache had fully grown, his male organ reappeared, and his manly appearance was completely restored as before. When the details were reported to the throne, Gaozu's faith increased and the inner palace was astonished. From this time on, the Avataṃsaka flourished even more in the land of Northern Dai. (The above two confirmations are seen in Hou Junsu's collection.)