Master Tanyi: Samantabhadra Comes to Test Him — a Mind Like the Moon in Water
Person:Tanyi
Period:Eastern Jin (d. after c. 421)
Entered Mount Qinwang in 417; posthumously titled 'Master Feiyun' by the King of Wuyue. For his earlier incarnation see S015.
Reading preferences
事見《法華經顯應錄》「高僧」門「天衣飛雲大師」條,並見《法華經持驗記》晉朝「晉釋曇翼」條(開頭兼載聽經雉因緣,即本站 S015)。以下白話譯註以《顯應錄》詳本為主。
故事
曇翼既已出家(前身因緣已見前篇),隨方參學問道。他先到廬山,依止遠法師,了悟宗乘;續入關中,禮見羅什,參預講譯經論,通達無礙,得大辯才。
後來他與同學曇學東遊會稽,抵達秦望山。此山五峰雙㵎,氣象雄勝。於是伐石誅茆,為住山之計,專誦《法華經》,將近一紀(十二年)。
一天黃昏,將近日暮,有一位女子,身披彩服,手提竹籠,籠內有一隻白豕、兩根大蒜,站在師前,哭泣著說:「妾是山前某家的女子,入山采薇,路上遇到猛虎,奔逃到這裡。天色已晚,草木陰陰翳,豺狼縱橫,歸家已無生路,敢求法師容我一宿可乎?」
曇翼以嫌涉男女,堅決推卻。女子淚流哀求不已。曇翼不得已,讓她宿於草床之外,自己蒙頂誦經。
到了三更,女子號呼疾作,自稱腹中疼痛,希求師一視。曇翼投藥與她,痛得更厲害,叫聲不絕,說:「若得師為我按摩臍腹之間,或可稍安;不然即死。佛法以慈悲方便為本,師忍心坐視,不肯伸手相救嗎?」
曇翼說:「我是持大戒的僧人,按摩女身,這是什麼道理?」懇求既然急切,他便以巾布裹住錫杖頭,遙遙為她按摩。過了一會,女子說:「已經不必了。」
翌日清晨,女子步出庭院——彩服化為祥雲,白豕變為白象,大蒜化為雙蓮。女子足踏蓮華,跨象乘雲,對曇翼說:
「我是普賢菩薩。因為你不久當歸我眷屬之眾,特來相試。觀你心中,如水中之月,不可染污。」
言畢,縹緲而去。其時天上雨華,大地震動,鄉人聞見,莫不稱歎。
這一天,太守孟顗清晨視事,忽見南方祥雲氤氳,光射庭際,雲下隱隱有金石絲竹之音。查訪之下,得到曇翼普賢示化的始末,便連同他的道行一起上聞朝廷。朝廷奉敕建寺,額號「法華」——時為東晉安帝義熙十三年(417)。這座寺,就是今天的天衣寺。
曇翼享年七十,在此山圓寂。寺僧以真身加以髹漆供奉。經歷唐武宗廢佛之難,寺眾把他的像藏於寺南樹腹之中,得不毀壞。吳越國武肅王特賜諡號「飛雲大師」。
編者省思
這是本站「現世安樂」主題中流傳最廣的一則,也是〈普賢勸發品〉(本站 S002)最生動的一次「應驗」:經文說受持者「若行若立讀誦此經,我時乘六牙白象……現身供養守護」,曇翼所得的,正是白象現身——只不過以「試探」的方式出現。
試探的設計極具匠心:深夜、孤山、絕色女子、求宿、求按摩,層層進逼;曇翼的應對也層層有度——堅卻、讓床、蒙頂誦經、投藥、布裹錫杖遙為按摩。最後謎底揭曉:豕變白象(六牙白象的異寫)、蒜化雙蓮(蓮華清淨的對照)。「心如水中月,不可染污」八個字,是全部感應錄文獻中最美的驗語之一。
讀者也請留意原書的史筆:普賢明言「不久當歸我眾」——這是預記其命終歸入普賢眷屬,而非往生西方。本站如實分類,不把這則「白象感應」誤讀為淨土往生記載。
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