佛祖統紀 33.44

33.44

Offerings to the Ten Kings: Tradition relates that during the Tang dynasty the preceptor Daoming traveled in spirit to the underworld, where he saw the Ten Kings governing the deceased separately. From this, the names were transmitted to the world, and upon a person's death, many people arrange these offerings. Among the names of the Ten Kings, six can be verified from the scriptural canon and biographical records: King Yama and King of the Five Offices (these two names are seen in the Three Long Fasts citing the Tiwei jing); King of Impartiality (Huayan ganying zhuan: Guo Shenliang was summoned by emissaries to the presence of the King of Impartiality, where he was released and sent back because he recited the four-line verse 'If a person wishes to understand fully...'); King of Mount Tai (Yijing tuji: the śramaṇa Faju translated the Jingong Taishan shuzui jing; Xiaojing yuanshenqi: Mount Tai, grandson of the Heavenly Emperor, governs the summoning of human souls); King of the First River (Yijian zhi: Scholar Guo of Chizhou dreamed he entered the underworld, where the king bowed, offered him a seat, and told him, 'I am King Lang of Ximen. The underworld recorded that I was loyal, filial, upright, and did not harm living beings, and thus I attained the position of King of the First River for one cycle [of twelve years]'); and King of Qin Guang (Yijian zhi: After Scholar Chen of Nanjian died, his younger brother's daughter saw two ghosts lead her to a palace, saying, 'This is King Qin Guang.' The king told the girl, 'If you wish to relieve your uncle's suffering, you can recite the Bashi jing.' When the girl awoke, the family obtained the sūtra and invited monks to recite it a thousand times; the elder brother later appeared in a dream to thank his younger brother, saying that he had already attained rebirth in heaven). Ouyang Xiu also dreamed of the Ten Kings (seen in the Treatise on Prosperity and Decline, sixth year of the Jiayou era). Impermanence Bell: When Master Zhizhe was approaching his end, he said to the karmadāna, 'When a person's life ends, hearing the sound of the bell or chime increases right mindfulness; it should be prolonged, continuing until the breath ceases' (seen in the Basic Annals; this refers to the efficacy at the moment of passing). The Nanshan shichao states: 'When a sick person is about to pass away, strike the chime of impermanence.' The Ekottarika Āgama states: 'When the bell is struck, all the sufferings in the evil destinies cease altogether' (the root sūtra contains the method and regulation for sounding the bell). The Fu fazang jing states: 'Because the king of Jibin was fond of killing, upon dying he became a thousand-headed fish. Sword-wheels encircled its body, slashing it repeatedly as it regenerated. An arhat serving as karmadāna struck the bell at the appointed times; whenever the fish heard the sound, the sword-wheels halted in mid-air. The fish sent a message pleading for the striking to be prolonged; after seven days, its suffering ended' (this refers to proof after death). The First Sovereign of the Southern Tang, because he executed surrendered troops, was imprisoned in the dark purgatory; only when hearing the sound of a bell did his suffering temporarily cease. Someone who entered the underworld saw this and reported it to the Later Sovereign, who then cast a bell for Qingliang Monastery, engraving upon it: 'Dedicated to Emperor Xiaogao to be freed from darkness and delivered from distress' (Treatise on Prosperity and Decline, under Emperor Shao of Jin). This is a recent verification.