佛祖統紀 42.56

42.56

中和元年。黃巢犯長安。自號大齊。上幸成都。詔知玄國師赴行在所引對大說。上自製號悟達國師。留行宮久之辭歸九隴。定中見菩薩摩頂說法。言訖即隱。俄見一珠入玄左服。隆起痛甚。上有晁錯二字。玄知夙業。即右脇安臥而逝。世言玄之前身乃漢川三學山知鉉法師。臨終感病與今正類（漢書。文帝時吳太子入見。得侍皇太子。飲傅爭道不恭。皇太子引博局提殺之。吳王由此稱疾不朝。始有反謀。太子家令晁錯數上書言。吳過可削。文帝寬不忍罰。及景帝即位。錯說上曰。吳王前有太子之却。誘天下亡人謀作亂。令削之亦反。不削亦反。及楚趙膠西三王皆以罪削郡縣。廷臣方議削吳。吳王因遣使。約七國俱反。以誅錯為名。吳相袁盎入見。上方與錯調兵食。上問盎。盎願屏左右。錯趨避東廂甚恨盎。對曰。吳楚相遺書言。賊臣晁錯擅適諸侯削奪其地。以故反。欲共誅錯復故地。方今計獨有斬錯發使赦七國復其故地。則兵可毋血刃而俱罷。上良久曰。吾不愛一人以謝天下。上令丞相劾奏錯要斬東市）隆興琇師曰。世稱知玄是袁盎後身。自漢文至僖宗七百餘年。盎償錯亦應畢矣。今尚蒙惡報而斃何哉。蓋盎與錯始有私憾。及錯議削七國而七國畔。盎因此時請遂斬錯。景帝畏而從之。終非本意。及錯誅而七國之兵不退。則是盎假畔人以報私憾耳。是宜歷十生而宿對相尋不已。可不畏哉。

In the first year of Zhonghe, Huang Chao attacked Chang'an, calling his regime the Great Qi. The Emperor fled to Chengdu. He summoned National Preceptor Zhixuan to the temporary residence; the audience pleased him greatly. The Emperor personally composed the title National Preceptor Wuda. After remaining in the temporary palace for a long time, Zhixuan took his leave to return to Jiulong. In samādhi, he saw a bodhisattva rub his head and preach the Dharma; having spoken, the bodhisattva vanished. Presently, he saw a pearl enter his left sleeve; it swelled up with extreme pain, bearing the two characters 'Chao Cuo.' Zhixuan recognized his past karma, immediately lay down peacefully on his right side, and passed away. The world says that Zhixuan's previous life was Dharma Master Zhixuan of Mount Sanxue in Hanchuan; the illness he experienced near death was of precisely the same kind. (The Han Shu states: In the time of Emperor Wen, the Crown Prince of Wu came for an audience and was able to attend upon the Crown Prince. While drinking and playing liubo, they disputed over the board with a lack of respect; the Crown Prince took the board and killed him. From this, the King of Wu pleaded illness and did not attend court, and began to plot rebellion. Chao Cuo, Household Director to the Crown Prince, repeatedly submitted memorials saying that the faults of Wu warranted reductions of territory. Emperor Wen was lenient and could not bear to punish him. When Emperor Jing took the throne, Cuo persuaded the Emperor, saying: 'The King of Wu formerly had a grudge regarding the Crown Prince, and has harbored fugitives from across the realm plotting rebellion; now if you reduce his territory he will rebel, and if you do not reduce it he will also rebel.' When the three kings of Chu, Zhao, and Jiaoxi all had commanderies and counties reduced due to crimes, the court ministers were just discussing reducing Wu. The King of Wu therefore dispatched envoys, making an alliance with the seven states to rebel together under the pretext of executing Cuo. Yuan Ang, Chancellor of Wu, came for an audience when the Emperor was just organizing troops and provisions with Cuo. The Emperor questioned Ang; Ang requested that attendants be dismissed. Cuo hurried away to the eastern veranda, resenting Ang deeply. Ang replied: 'The letters sent between Wu and Chu say that the treacherous minister Chao Cuo has arbitrarily punished the feudal lords and seized their lands; therefore they rebelled, wishing together to execute Cuo and recover their former territories. At present, the only plan is to execute Cuo, send envoys to pardon the seven states, and restore their former lands; then the troops can all be dismissed without staining their blades with blood.' The Emperor remained silent for a long while and said: 'I will not begrudge one man in order to apologize to the realm.' The Emperor ordered the Chancellor to impeach and memorialize Cuo, cutting him in two at the waist at the Eastern Market.) / Master Xiu of Longxing said: 'The world calls Zhixuan the later body of Yuan Ang. From Emperor Wen of the Han to Emperor Xizong is more than seven hundred years; Ang's repayment to Cuo should also have been concluded. Why was he still struck by an evil retribution and died? Because Ang and Cuo originally had personal grievances. When Cuo proposed reducing the seven states and the seven states rebelled, Ang seized on this moment to request the execution of Cuo. Emperor Jing feared [the rebellion] and complied, which was never his original intent. When Cuo was executed and the troops of the seven states still did not withdraw, it was simply that Ang made use of the rebels to avenge a personal grudge. That he should undergo ten rebirths with their past enmity pursuing him without end—is this not something to be feared?'