法苑珠林 95.56

95.56

During the Tang dynasty, Chan Master Che of Xianquan Temple on Mount Nangu in Fengzhou once encountered a leper living in a cave while traveling. Che brought him out into the mountains, excavated a cave for him, and provided him with food, having him recite the Lotus Sūtra. He was completely illiterate and, moreover, crude and obstinate; [Che] taught him sentence by sentence, never showing weariness. When the recitation of the scripture was half completed, he dreamt that someone was instructing him, and from then on, he gradually became intelligent. By the time he reached the fifth or sixth fascicle, his sores gradually began to heal. When he had finished the entire scripture, his beard and eyebrows were restored, and his skin color became normal. Therefore, the scripture says: "It is an excellent medicine for illnesses." These words are indeed verified. (The preceding verification is from the Mingbao shiyi.)