卷二傳二建福寺法盛尼

法盛。本姓聶。清河人也。遭趙氏亂避地金陵。以元嘉十四年於建福寺出家。才識慧解率由敏悟。自以桑榆之齒流寓皇邑。雖復帝道隆寧。而猶懷舊土。唯有探頤玄宗。可以遣忘老耳。遂從道場寺偶法師受菩薩戒。晝則披陳玄素。夕則清言味理。漸染積年神情朗瞻。雖曰暮齒有逾壯年。常願生安養。謂同業曇敬曇愛曰。吾立身行道志在西方。

十六年九月二十七日。塔下禮佛晚因遇疾稍就綿篤。其月晦夕初宵假寐。如來垂虛而下。與二大士論二乘。俄與大眾騰芳蹈藹臨省盛疾。光明顯燭一寺咸見。僉來問盛此何光色。盛具說之。言竟尋終。年七十二。

豫章太守吳郡張辯。素所尊敬。為之傳述云

2.2 (Tsai no.15) Fa-sheng

The nun Fa-sheng (Flourishing Law) (368-439) of Establishing Blessings Convent

Fa-sheng's secular surname was Nieh. Her family was originally from Ch'ing-ho [in north China, north of the Yellow River], but, during the fighting when the [non-Chinese] dynasty of Latter Chao (319350) was coming to power, the family fled south to Chin-ling [that is, to the southern capital, on the Yangtze River].

In the fourteenth year of the yüan-chia reign period (437) of the Sung, Fa-sheng, who was talented, intelligent, and very quick to understand everything, became a nun [at the age of seventy] in Establishing Blessings Convent in the capital city. She had sojourned there in her old age, but, even though once again the imperial capital was peaceful and prosperous, she still longed for her old home. Only by delving deep into the mysteries [of Buddhism] was she able to leave behind sorrow and forget old age.

Fa-sheng accepted responsibility for keeping the vows of a bodhisattva [or Buddha to be] from the master of the law Ou who came from the Site of the Way Monastery [also in the capital]. By day, Fa-sheng set forth the profound fundamentals of Buddhism; by night she gave lucid discourses on the flavor of the principles. Continuously immersing herself in these activities she became, despite her old age, radiantly healthy, surpassing those in the prime of life.

Fa-sheng had always expressed the wish to be reborn in the Western Paradise [of Amita Buddha]. To her sisters in religion, T'an-ching and T'an-ai, she said, "I have devoted myself to following the [Buddhist] Way, and my will is fixed on the Western Paradise." Thus it happened that in the sixteenth year (439), ninth month, and twenty-seventh day, she worshipped the Buddha at the pagoda, and that evening she became ill. The illness grew worse, and on the evening of the night of the new moon, the last day of the month, as she lay asleep [Amita Buddha] the Tathāgata, appeared in the air together with his two bodhisattva attendants [Kuan-shih-yin on the left and Ta-shihchih on the right], with whom he discussed the two types of Buddhism [namely, the Mahāyāna, or Great Vehicle, and the Hīnayāna, or Small Vehicle]. Suddenly [Amita Buddha] with his entire entourage soared over in a fragrant mist, descending to visit the sick woman. Rays of light gleamed, filling the whole convent for all to see. When everyone came to Fa-sheng to ask about the light, she explained what it was, and as soon as she had finished speaking, she died. She was seventy-two years old.

The governor of Yü-chang, Chang Pien, a native of Wu Commandery [southeast of the capital], who from the first had had high regard for her narrated this account.