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卷二傳十八景福寺法辯尼

法辯。丹陽人也。少出家為景福寺慧果弟子。忠謹清慎雅有素檢。弊衣蔬飯不食薰辛。高簡之譽早盛京邑。楊州刺史瑯琊王郁甚相敬禮。後從道林寺外國沙門畺良耶舍諮稟禪觀。如法修行通極精解。每預眾席恒如睡寐。嘗在齋堂眾散不起。維那驚觸如木石焉。馳以相告。皆來就視。須臾出定言語尋常。眾咸欽服倍加崇重。大明七年而卒。年六十餘。

先是二日上定林寺超法師夢一宮城莊嚴顯麗。服玩光赫非世所有。男女裝飾充滿其中。唯不見有主。即問其故。答曰。景福法辯當來生此。明日應到。辯其日唯覺肉戰。即遣告眾。大小皆集。自云。有異人來我左右。乍顯乍晦如影如雲。言訖坐絕。其後復有道照僧辯。亦以精進知名。道照本姓楊。北地徐人也飯蔬誦經為臨賀王之所供養

2.18 (Tsai no.31) Fa-pien

The nun Fa-pien (Discussant of the Law) (ca. 403-463) of Luminous Blessings Convent

Fa-pien was from Tan-yang [just to the south of the capital]. When yet a child she left the household life and became a disciple of the nun Hui-kuo (no. 14) of Luminous Blessings Convent. Respectful and modest, she lived a life of utmost simplicity, wearing worn-out clothing and eating a simple vegetarian diet, never touching strong-flavored foods. Word of her eminent simplicity soon filled the capital, and the Lang-yeh prince, Yü, the governor of Yang Province, deeply admired and respected her.

Later, Fa-pien sought to receive instruction in meditation from the foreign monk Kālayashas (ca. 383-ca. 442), a meditation master who was living at Grove of the Way Monastery. Cultivating her meditation in accordance with the teaching, she reached the pinnacle of that spiritual practice. Whenever she joined in communal activities, she always seemed to be dozing, and, once in the refectory when the other nuns dispersed after the meal, she did not get up with them. In alarm the administrator touched her and found her body to be as inflexible as wood or stone. The administrator hurried to report the event, and everyone came to see, but a moment later Fa-pien came out of her meditative trance and spoke like her usual self. The other nuns in the community all respectfully submitted to her, redoubling their reverence for her accomplishments. Fa-pien died in the seventh year of the ta-ming reign period (463) when she was over sixty years old.

The day before her death, the master of the law Ch'ao-pien (420492) of Upper Grove of Concentration Monastery dreamed of a palace that was beautifully decorated, everything down to the last trifle glowed in an aura not of this world. Men and women dressed in fine array filled this palace, but no lord was to be seen. When in the dream the monk Ch'ao-pien asked why no lord was to be seen, he received the reply, "The nun Fa-pien of Luminous Blessings Convent is shortly going to be born here; she should arrive tomorrow."

On that day Fa-pien felt only that she was shivering, and she sent word to the community who, from highest to lowest, gathered around her. She said to them, "There are strangers approaching me, now visible and now faint, like shadows and clouds." Having spoken, she died as she sat there.

Afterward there were also the nuns Tao-chao and Seng-pien, who were known for their practice of the perfection of vigor [one of the six Buddhist perfections]. Tao-chao, whose secular surname was Yang, was from the northern province of Hsü. Keeping a vegetarian diet and chanting scriptures, she was supported with offerings from the prince of Lin-ho.

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IATHPublished by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003 by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia