PureInsight | April 16, 2007
[PureInsight.org] Yu Falan was
born in Gaoyang and showed unique qualities from the time he was young.
Falan became a monk when he was fifteen. He was so diligent that he
studied the Buddhist scriptures day and night. Whenever there was a
forum discussing dharma, Falan was always the most active student.
By nature Falan was very fond of living beside springs and rocky
mountains, especially in the snowy cold winter. Once, a tiger went to
the place where he was living. Falan showed no fear and maintained his
calmness, so the tiger became very docile and left until the snow
stopped on the second day. The divinities of the mountain also often
came to receive dharma, so they were also enlightened by Falan's virtue.
Later on, Falan learned that Shan County has the most spectacular
scenery along the East River. He walked a long way there and resided at
the foot of Stone Town Mountain where today's Yuanhua Temple is
located. When Falan was in Shan County, he once sighed: "Even though
the dharma is popular, scriptures are insufficient. I would gladly die
in order to get to know the Perfect Teaching." Therefore, Falan decided
to seek the real dharma in the Western Regions. Unfortunately he caught
an illness when he was in Jiaozhou and died in Xianglin.
(From the Legends of Holy Monks, Vol. 4)
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2007/4/9/42894.html
