神僧傳 2.40

2.40

蜀僧悟詮。號覺海。有慧性。峽州富人程夷伯年二十九。一夕夢其父曰。汝今年當死可問覺海。其人茫然不曉。一日有僧說相。負覺海字。程請一相。問云。我壽幾何。覺海曰。老僧皆無求。但覓水一杯。呵氣入水中。令程飲之曰。今夜有吉夢可相報。即夜夢至一官府左廊下。男子婦人衣冠嚴整。皆相忻悅。右廊盡枷鎖縲紲之人。哀號涕泗。傍有人云。左廊是修捨橋路人。右廊是毀壞橋路人。若爾要福壽可自擇取。程即夢覺發心。凡百里之內橋梁路道一一修整。工畢覺海復來云。汝作此事何延十年。程自是於道路上用工不倦。壽九十二。五世昌盛。

The Shu monk Wuquan was styled Juehai. He possessed an insightful nature. Cheng Yibo, a wealthy man of Xia Prefecture, was twenty-nine years old. One night, he dreamed of his father, who said, “You are destined to die this year; you may inquire of Juehai.” Cheng was completely baffled and did not understand. One day, there was a monk telling fortunes by physiognomy, carrying the characters ‘Juehai’. Cheng requested a reading and asked, “How long is my lifespan?” Juehai said, “This old monk seeks nothing, but only asks for a cup of water.” He blew his breath into the water and told Cheng to drink it, saying, “Tonight you will have an auspicious dream; you can report it to me.” That very night, [Cheng] dreamed that he arrived below the corridors of an official pavilion. In the left corridor, men and women were dressed neatly in formal robes and caps, all rejoicing with one another. In the right corridor, it was filled with people bound in chains and fetters, wailing and shedding tears. Someone beside him said, “Those in the left corridor are people who built and donated bridges and roads; those in the right corridor are people who destroyed bridges and roads. If you desire blessings and longevity, you may choose for yourself.” Cheng then awakened from his dream and brought forth the resolve: within an area of a hundred li, he repaired every single bridge and road. When the work was completed, Juehai came again and said, “Since you performed these deeds, how could your life not be extended by ten years?” From then on, Cheng worked tirelessly on the roads. He reached the age of ninety-two, and his family prospered for five generations.