Tanwujie: Reciting the Universal Gate Chapter, Lion and Vulture Scatter the Beasts
Person：Tanwujie (Dharmodgata)
Period：Early Yuanjia era, Liu Song (a pilgrim to the Western Regions)
Agrees in period with the pilgrim Tanwujie recorded in the Gaoseng zhuan who left for the Western Regions in the Yuanjia era.
Reading preferences
事見《法華經顯應錄》「高僧」門「三藏竭法師」條，夾注「法苑珠林」。《持驗記》未收此條。以下白話譯註依《顯應錄》。
故事
劉宋元嘉初年，黃龍有一位沙門曇無竭，精勤苦行，常誦《法華經・普門品》。他與徒眾二十五人西行天竺求法，一路備經險難，志向愈挫愈堅。
到達舍衛國的路上，一行人遇到成群的大象擋路。曇無竭虔心誦念普門品，便感得師子從林中衝出，象群立刻奔逃四散。
又一次，成群的野牛吼叫著衝將過來，眼看就要傷人。曇無竭如初精勤誦念，忽然有一隻大鷲飛來，牛群驚散無蹤，一行人因此得免於難。
編者省思
本則的結構，完全對應〈普門品〉的經文承諾：「若遇惡獸圍繞，利牙爪齒……念彼觀音力，疾走無邊方。」師子卻象、大鷲散牛，等於把偈文「演出」了一遍。對編者而言，這正是「經文—感應」互證的典型：先有經文的承諾，後有行者的記錄。
讀者也應留意：這是一則西行求法的附帶記載，主角的本務是取經，誦普門品是旅途中的護身行。感應不是目的，平安走完求法之路才是。
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