釋氏稽古略 3.73

3.73

The Water and Land Ritual Text. In the third month of the second year of Xianheng, an extraordinary person came to visit Chan Master Ying of Fahai Monastery in Chang'an and said, "Your disciple knows of the Water and Land feast, which can benefit the underworld. Since Emperor Wu of the Liang died, it has lapsed through neglect and has not been performed. Now, at Dajue Monastery, there is a monk from Wu named Yiji who preserves this ritual text. May the Master go and seek it, and perform it according to the Dharma on the fifteenth day of the coming month at Shanbei Monastery. If we are released from the prison of the netherworld, how could we dare not repay you?" Ying went directly to Yiji and indeed obtained the ritual text; then, on the appointed day, he performed it according to the Dharma at Shanbei Monastery. The following day at dusk, the extraordinary person of before and a dozen others came to express their gratitude, saying, "Your disciple is King Zhuangxiang of Qin." Pointing to his companions, he said, "This is Fan Ju, this is the Marquis of Rang, this is Bai Qi, this is Wang Jian, this is Zhang Yi, and this is Chen Zhen—all were Qin ministers. Each was held prisoner in the subterranean underworld on account of his own crimes; in the vast, dark night, none could rescue or protect us. Formerly, when Emperor Wu of the Liang held this feast at Jinshan Monastery, the ministers of King Zhou of the preceding dynasty were all freed from their suffering; your disciple also obtained temporary respite at that time. However, because our judicial cases were not yet resolved, we could not escape. Now, relying on the Master's holding of the feast, your disciple and these companions, together with the various feudal lords of the various states, have all mounted this virtuous power and are about to be reborn in the human realm. Fearing that in the next life we would be in different lands, we came here to offer thanks." Having finished speaking, he disappeared. From this time on, the ritual text spread throughout the empire, creating great benefits (from Chan Master Ze's *Weijiang ji*).