大唐內典錄 10.68

10.68

The Grand Lady Dulu, mother of the Duke of Chen, had faith in blessings and chanted the Diamond Prajñā. When one sheet remained unrecited, on the following day at dusk she developed a headache and felt unwell in her four limbs. She thought to herself, 'If I should die, will the sūtra remain unfinished?' She immediately got up and forced herself to chant, but the lamp had already gone out. She ordered a maidservant to light a candle, but in the kitchen and the outer courtyard, searches for fire found none at all. The lady was deeply distressed. Suddenly she saw a lit candle in the courtyard, which ascended the steps, entered the hall, and came before her couch, about three feet away. No one was holding it, yet its bright light was like daylight. The lady was surprised and delighted, and her affliction was also dispelled. She took up the sūtra and chanted it. After a short while, the household struck a fire-drill, obtained fire, lit a lamp, and entered the hall; the candle flame in the hall immediately vanished. She then finished her recitation that night, and from then on made chanting it five times a day her constant practice, and so forth.