宋高僧傳 24.4

24.4

釋行堅者，未知何許人也，常修禪觀，節操惟嚴，偶事東遊，路出泰山，日之夕矣，入嶽廟，謀之度宵。令曰：「此無別舍，唯神廊廡下可以。然而來寄宿者，必罹暴死之殃。吾師籌之。」堅曰：「無苦。」不得已從之，為藉[葶-丁+呆]於廡下。堅端坐誦經，可一更，聞屋中環𤧑之聲。須臾，神出，衣冠甚偉，部從焜煌。向堅合掌，堅曰：「聞宿此者多死，豈檀越害之耶？」神曰：「遇死者特至，聞弟子聲而自死焉，非殺之也。願師無慮。」堅固延坐談說。如食頃間，因問之曰：「世傳泰山治鬼，寧有之邪？」神曰：「弟子薄福有之。豈欲見先亡乎？」堅曰：「有兩同學僧已死，願得見之。」神問其名，曰：「一人已生人間；一人在獄受對，不可喚來，師就，可見也。」堅聞甚悅，因起，出不遠而至一處，見獄火光焰甚熾。使者引堅入牆院中，遙見一人在火中號呼，不能言語，形變不可復識，而血肉焦臭，令人傷心。堅不忍歷觀，愍然求出。俄而在廟廡下，復與神坐如故。問曰：「欲救同學，有得理邪？」神曰：「可，能為寫《法華經》，必應得免。」既而將曙，神辭僧入堂。

Shi Xingjian, whose origins are unknown, was devoted to the practice of dhyāna contemplation, and his moral discipline was exceptionally strict. Once traveling east, his path took him past Mount Tai. As the sun set, he entered the shrine of the sacred peak, intending to spend the night. The keeper of the shrine said: 'There are no spare rooms here; you may only stay under the veranda of the deity. However, those who come to board here inevitably suffer the calamity of sudden death. Master, please consider it.' Jian said: 'There will be no trouble.' Having no choice, the keeper yielded to him and laid out a mat of dried sedge under the veranda. Jian sat upright and intoned scriptures. At about the first watch, he heard the tinkling sound of jade pendants from within the hall. In an instant, the deity emerged, dressed in splendid robes and cap, accompanied by a glittering retinue. He clasped his palms toward Jian. Jian said: 'I heard that many who stay here die; could it be that the dānapati harms them?' The deity said: 'The deaths of those who perished were caused by themselves; upon hearing this disciple's voice, they died of their own accord—I did not kill them. Master, please have no anxieties.' Jian firmly invited him to sit and converse. After the space of a meal, he asked him: 'Tradition has it that Mount Tai governs ghosts; is that truly so?' The deity said: 'Because of this disciple's meager merit, I indeed govern them. Would you like to see those who have previously died?' Jian said: 'Two of my fellow student monks have died; I wish to see them.' The deity asked their names and said: 'One has already been reborn among humans; the other is in purgatory undergoing judgment and cannot be summoned here. If the Master goes there, you can see him.' Jian was delighted to hear this, so he arose and went out not far, arriving at a place where he saw the flames of hell blazing furiously. A messenger guided Jian into a walled courtyard, where from afar he saw a man wailing in the fire, unable to speak, his form distorted beyond recognition, with scorched blood and flesh giving off a foul stench that broke the heart. Unable to bear watching, Jian pitifully asked to leave. In a moment, he was back under the veranda of the shrine, sitting with the deity as before. He asked: 'If I wish to save my fellow student, is there a way?' The deity said: 'Yes. If you can copy the Lotus Sūtra for him, he will surely be delivered.' As dawn approached, the deity took leave of the monk and entered the hall.