31. Fa-pien
[OMITTED]
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.[108] 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.[109]
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.[110] 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.[111] 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].[112] 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.
[108]
Such as onions and garlic, prohibited by the monastic rules. For example,
the Mi-sha-se pu ho hsi wu fen lü (Mahīshāsaka-vinaya), T. 22, no. 1421,
86.c.7ff and 176.a.11ff.
[109]
Yü, Lang-yeh prince, governor of Yang Province. No biography in the
dynastic histories.
[110]
Kālayashas (biography in Kao seng chuan 3:343.c). He was known
for his prowess in meditation because every time he sat down in contemplation
he remained there for a week.
[111]
Ch'ao-pien (biography in Kao seng chuan 12:408.b). The second
character of the name is supplied by the Sung, Yüan, and Ming editions.
[112]
The six perfections are the six practices that are to be perfected by the
individual aspiring to supreme, perfect enlightenment. They are (1) charity or
donation; (2) morality; (3) patience or forbearance; (4) vigor, energy, or diligence;
(5) concentration or meditation; and (6) wisdom or insight. The six are
supposed to be cultivated simultaneously. See Robinson and Johnson, Buddhist
Religion, pp. 77-78.
