續高僧傳 25.117

25.117

釋衛元嵩。益州成都人。少出家。為亡名法師弟子。聰頴不偶。嘗以夜靜侍傍曰。世人洶洶貴耳賤目。即知皁白其可得哉。名曰。汝欲名聲。若不佯狂。不可得也。嵩心然之。遂佯狂漫走。人逐成群。觸物擒詠。周歷二十餘年。亡名入關移住野安。自制琴聲。為天女怨心風弄。亦有傳其聲者。嘗謂兄曰。蜀土狹小不足展懷。欲遊上京與國士抗對。兄意如何。兄曰。當今王褒庾信。名振四海。汝何所知。自取折辱。答曰。彼多讀書。自為文什。至於天才大略非其分也。兄但聽看。即輕爾造關。為無過所。乃著俗服。關中却迴。防者執之。嵩詐曰。我是長安于長公家人。欲逃往蜀耳。關家迭送至京。于公曾在蜀。忽得相見。與之交遊。貴勝名士靡所不詣。即上廢佛法事。自此還俗。周祖納其言。又與道士張賓密加扇惑。帝信而不猜。便行屏削。嵩又制千字詩。即龍首青煙起。長安一代丘是也。並符讖緯。事後曉之。隋開皇八年。京兆杜祈死。三日而穌。云見閻羅王。問曰。卿父曾作何官。曰臣父在周為司命上士。王曰。若然錯追。可速放去。然卿識周武帝不。答曰。曾任左武侯司法。恒在階陛甚識。王曰。可往看汝武帝去。一吏引至一處。門窓椽瓦並是鐵作。於鐵窓中見一人極瘦身作鐵色著鐵枷鎖。祈見泣曰。大家。何因苦困乃爾。答曰。我大遭苦困。汝不見耳。今得至此。大是快樂。祈曰。作何罪業受此苦困。答曰。汝不知耶。我以信衛元嵩言毀廢佛法。故受此苦。祈曰。大家。何不注引衛元嵩來。帝曰。我尋注之。然曹司處處搜求。乃遍三界。云無不見。若其朝來我暮得脫。何所更論。卿還語世間人。為元嵩作福。早來相救。如其不至解脫無期。祈穌不忘冥事。勸起福助云。

Shi Wei Yuansong was a native of Chengdu in Yizhou. He underwent pravrajyā at a young age, becoming a disciple of Dharma Master Wangming. He was extraordinarily intelligent but unrecognized. Once, in the quiet of the night, while attending by his master's side, he said: 'The people of the world are turbulent and shallow, valuing their ears over their eyes; how could they possibly distinguish black from white?' Wangming said: 'If you wish for fame and reputation, unless you feign madness, you will not attain it.' Yuansong agreed in his heart. Thereupon he feigned madness and wandered aimlessly, with crowds of people following him. Whatever he encountered, he composed poems about it, traversing more than twenty years in this manner. When Wangming entered the Pass and moved to Ye'an, he composed his own zither melodies, making tunes like 'The Heavenly Maiden's Resentment' and 'Playing with the Wind in the Heart,' and there were those who transmitted his tunes. Yuansong once said to his elder brother: 'The land of Shu is narrow and small, insufficient to unfold one's aspirations. I wish to travel to the upper capital and measure myself against the nation's elite. What do you think, brother?' His brother said: 'Presently, Wang Bao and Yu Xin are renowned across the four seas. What do you know? You will only bring disgrace upon yourself.' He replied: 'They merely read many books and write verses of their own; as for heavenly talent and grand strategy, that is not their realm. Brother, just wait and see.' Thereupon, without ceremony, he went toward the Pass. Because he lacked a travel permit, he put on secular clothes and turned back inside the Pass. The border guards apprehended him, and Yuansong falsely claimed: 'I am a servant of Lord Yu the Eldest of Chang'an, and was only trying to flee to Shu.' The border post relayed him and escorted him to the capital. Lord Yu had previously served in Shu; suddenly meeting him, he befriended him. Yuansong went to visit every aristocrat and famous scholar, and thereupon submitted a memorial to abolish the Buddhadharma; from this point he returned to lay life. Emperor Wu of the Zhou accepted his words, and together with the Daoist Zhang Bin, they secretly fanned the flames of delusion. The Emperor trusted them without suspicion and forthwith abolished [Buddhism]. Yuansong also composed the 'Thousand-Character Poem,' which contains the lines: 'From the dragon's head blue smoke arises; Chang'an is an expanse of mounds.' These were all prophetic verses, understood only after the events took place. In the eighth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, Du Qi of the Capital District died and revived after three days. He said he had seen King Yama, who asked: 'What office did your father hold?' He replied: 'My father was Senior Officer of the Ministry of Fate under the Zhou.' The King said: 'If that is so, you were summoned by mistake; you may be released at once. However, do you recognize Emperor Wu of the Zhou?' He replied: 'I once served as Judicial Officer of the Left Military Guards; I was always at the palace steps and knew him well.' The King said: 'You may go and see your Emperor Wu.' An official led him to a place where the doors, windows, rafters, and tiles were all made of iron. Through an iron window, he saw an extremely emaciated person, whose body was iron-colored and who was bound in iron cangues and chains. Seeing him, Du Qi wept and said: 'Lord, why are you in such agonizing distress?' He replied: 'I have suffered great distress, which you did not see. Being able to reach this state now is already great joy.' Du Qi asked: 'What sinful karma did you commit to suffer this distress?' He replied: 'Do you not know? Because I believed the words of Wei Yuansong and destroyed the Buddhadharma, I suffer this agony.' Du Qi asked: 'Lord, why do you not register and summon Wei Yuansong here?' The Emperor said: 'I have already repeatedly entered his name, but the departmental officials have searched for him everywhere throughout the three realms, and they say he is nowhere to be found. If he were to arrive in the morning, I would be released in the evening; what else need be said? When you return, tell the people of the world to cultivate merit on Yuansong's behalf, so that he may come soon to save me; if he does not arrive, my liberation will be without date.' Du Qi, having revived, did not forget the affairs of the netherworld, and urged people to cultivate merit to assist him.