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卷四傳十一西青園寺妙禕尼

妙禕。本姓劉。建康人也。齠綺之年而神機秀發。幼出家住西青園寺。戒行無點神情超悟。敦信布惠莫不懷之。雅好談說尤善言笑。講大涅槃經法華十地。並三十餘遍。十誦毘尼每經敷說。隨方導物利益弘多。

年七十天監十二年卒也

4.11 (Tsai no.62) Miao-wei

The nun Miao-wei (Wonderful Beauty) (444-513) of Western Green Garden Convent

Miao-wei's secular surname was Liu, and her family was from [the capital] Chien-k'ang. When she was a very small child, her extraordinary capacities were abundantly evident, and while still a young girl she left secular life to take up residence at Western Green Garden Convent. Her spotless practice of the monastic precepts, her highly awakened spiritual sensibilities, and her sincere faith that spread kindness led everyone to cherish her.

Miao-wei liked conversation and was particularly good at witticisms. She lectured on the Great Nirvāna Scripture, the Flower of the Law, and the Ten Stages, altogether over thirty times. She promoted the Mother of Monasticism Scripture of the Sarvāstivāda sect of Buddhism. In all circumstances she benefited a great number of people with her skillful guidance.

In the twelfth year of the t'ien-chien reign period (513), she died at the age of seventy.

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