神僧傳 6.38

6.38

釋洪昉。本京兆人。幼而出家遂證道果。志在禪寂而亦以講經為事。門人常數百。一日昉夜初獨坐。有四人來前曰。鬼王閻羅今為小女疾止造齋請師臨赴。昉曰。吾人汝鬼。何以能至。四人曰。闍黎但行。弟子能致之。昉從之。四人乘馬。人持繩床一足遂北行。可數百里。至一山。山復有小朱門。四人請昉閉目。未食頃。人曰。開之已到王庭矣。其宮闕室屋崇峻非常。侍衛嚴飾頗侔人主。鬼王具冠衣降階迎禮。王曰。有小女久疾。今幸而痊。欲造少福修一齋。是以請師臨顧。齋畢自令侍送無慮。於是請入宮中。其齋場嚴飾華麗。僧且萬人佛像至多。一如人間事。昉仰視空中不見白日。如人間重陰狀。須臾王夫人後宮數百人皆出禮謁。王女年十四五。貌獨病色。昉為贊禮。願畢見諸人持千餘牙盤食到。以次布於僧前坐。昉於大床別置名饌甚香潔。昉且欲食之。鬼王白曰。師若長住此當飡鬼食。不敢留師。請不食。昉懼而止。齋畢。餘食猶數百盤。昉見侍衛臣吏向千人皆有欲食之色。昉請王賜之餘食。王曰。促持去賜之。諸官拜謝相顧喜笑。口開達於兩耳。王因跪曰。師既惠顧無他供養。有絹五百匹奉師。請為受八關齋戒。師曰。鬼絹紙也。吾不用之。王曰。自有人絹奉師。因為受八關齋戒。戒畢。王又令前四人者依前送之。昉忽開目已到所居。天猶未曙。門人但謂入禪不覺所適。昉忽開目命火照床。前五百縑在焉。弟子問之。乃言其故。昉既禪行素高聲價日盛。頃到鬼所但神往耳。而其形不動。未幾晨坐。有二天人其質殊麗。拜謁請曰。南天王提頭賴吒請師至天供養。昉許之。因敷天衣坐昉。二人執衣舉而騰空。斯須已到南天。王領侍從曲躬禮拜曰。師道行高遠。諸天願覩師講誦。是以輒請師。因置高座坐昉。其道場崇麗殆非人間過百千倍。天人皆長大身有光明。其殿堂樹木皆是七寶盡有光彩奪人目睛。昉初到天形質猶人也。見天王之後身自長大與天人等。設諸珍饌皆自然味。甘美非常。食畢王因請入宮。更設供具談話欵至。其侍衛天官兼鬼神甚眾。後忽言曰。弟子欲至三十三天議事。請師且少留。又戒左右曰。師欲遊觀所在聽之。但莫使到後園。再三言而去。去後昉念曰後園有何不利而不欲吾到之。伺無人之際竊至後園。其園甚大泉流池沼。樹木花藥處處皆有。非人間所識漸漸深入。遙聞大呻叫聲不可忍聽。遂到其傍見大銅柱。徑數百尺高千丈柱有穿孔左右傍達。或以銀鐺鎖其頂。或穿其胸骨者。至有數萬。頭皆夜叉也。鋸牙鉤爪身倍於天人。見禪師至叩頭言饑曰。我以食人故為天王所鎖。今乞免我。我若得脫但人間求他食。必不敢食人為害。為饑渴所逼。發此言時口中火出。問其鎖早晚。或云毘婆尸佛出世時。動則數千萬年。亦有三五輩老者。言誠志懇僧許解其縛。而遽還。斯須王至。先問師頗遊後園乎。左右曰無。王乃喜坐定。昉曰。適到後園。見鎖眾生數萬。彼何過乎。王憮然曰。師果遊後園。然小慈是大慈之賊。師不須問。昉又固問。王曰。此諸惡鬼常害於人唯食人肉。非諸天防護。世人已為此鬼食盡。此皆大惡鬼。不可以理待。故鎖之。昉曰。適見三五輩。老者頗誠言。但人間求他食請免之。若此曹不食之。餘者亦可捨也。王曰。此鬼言。何可信。昉固請。王目左右命解老者三五人來。俄而解至。叩頭曰。蒙恩釋放。年已老矣。今得去必不敢擾人。王曰。以禪師故放汝到人間。若更食人此度重來當令苦死。皆曰。不敢。於是釋去。未久忽見王庭前有神至。自稱山嶽川瀆之神。被甲面金色奔波。言曰。不知何處忽有四五夜叉到人間殺人食肉甚眾不可制。故白之。王謂昉曰。弟子言何如。適語師小慈是大慈之賊。此惡鬼言寧可保任。語諸神曰。促擒之。俄而諸神執夜叉到。王怒曰。何違所請。命斬其手足以鐵鎖貫胸。曳去而鎖之。昉乃請還。又令前二人送至寺。寺已失昉二七日。而在天猶如少頃。昉於陝城中選空曠地造龍光寺。又建病坊常養病者數百人。寺極崇麗遠近道俗歸者如雲。則為釋提桓因所請矣。昉晨方漱。有夜叉至其前。左肩頭施五色毯。而言曰。釋迦天王請師講大涅槃經。昉默然還坐。夜叉遂搩繩床置于左膊。曰請師合目。因舉其左手而伸其右足曰。請師開目。視之已到善法堂。禪師既至天堂天光眩目開不能得。天帝曰。師念彌勒。昉遽念之。於是目開不眩。而人身卑小仰視天形不見其際。天帝又曰。禪師又念彌勒佛。身形當大。如言念之。三念而身三長遂與天等。天帝與諸天禮敬言曰。弟子聞師善講大涅槃經。為日久矣。今諸天欽仰敬設道場。因請大師講經聽受。昉曰。講經之事誠不為勞。然昉病坊之中病者數百。恃昉為命。常行乞以給之。今若留連講經。人間動涉年歲。恐病人餒死。今也固辭。天帝曰。道場已成斯願已久。因請大師勿為辭也。昉不可忽空中有大天人身又數倍於天。天帝敬起迎之。大天人言曰。大梵天王有勅。天人既去。天帝憮然曰。本欲留師講經。今梵天有勅不許。然師已至。豈不能暫開經卷少講宗旨令天人信受。昉許之。於是置食。食器皆七寶飲食香美精妙倍常。禪師食已。身毛孔皆出異光。毛孔之中盡能觀見諸物。方悟天身勝妙也。既食設金高座敷以天衣。昉遂登座。其善法堂中諸天數百千萬。兼四天王各領徒眾同會聽法。階下左右則有龍王夜叉諸鬼神人非人等。皆合掌而聽。昉因開涅槃經。首講一紙餘。言辭典暢備宣宗旨。天帝大稱贊功德。開經畢又令前夜叉送至本寺。弟子已失昉二十七日矣。

Śramaṇa Hongfang was originally from the capital region. He renounced household life in his youth and subsequently attained the fruit of the Way. His mind was set on dhyāna stillness, yet he also took expounding the scriptures as his duty, and his disciples often numbered in the hundreds. One day, early at night as Hongfang sat alone, four men came before him and said, "King of Ghosts Yama is now holding a vegetarian feast because his young daughter's illness has ceased, and he invites you, Master, to attend." Hongfang said, "I am a human and you are ghosts; how could I reach there?" The four men said, "Ācārya, simply proceed; we disciples are able to bring you there." Hongfang complied with them. The four men mounted horses, each holding one leg of a rope-bed, and then traveled north for about several hundred li to a mountain. In the mountain there was a small vermilion gate. The four men asked Hongfang to close his eyes. In less than the time of a meal, the men said, "Open them, we have already arrived at the king's court." Its palaces and halls were exceedingly lofty and steep, and the attendants and guards were splendidly arrayed, quite equal to a human sovereign's. The ghost king, fully adorned in cap and robes, descended the steps to greet him with bows. The king said, "I have a young daughter who was long ill, and now she is fortunately recovered. Desiring to produce a little merit, I have arranged a vegetarian feast, and for this reason invited you, Master, to grace us with your presence. When the feast is concluded, I shall naturally have attendants send you back, so have no concern." Thereupon he invited him to enter the palace. The feast ground was adorningly decorated and magnificent, with nearly ten thousand monks and exceedingly many Buddha images, just like human affairs. Hongfang looked up at the sky and did not see the bright sun, appearing like heavy overcast in the human realm. Soon, the king's consort and several hundred women of the inner palace all came out to pay homage. The king's daughter was fourteen or fifteen years old, her complexion alone retaining a sickly pallor. Hongfang chanted praises and made vows for her. When it was finished, he saw people carrying more than a thousand ivory platters of food arrive, which were arranged in order before the seats of the monks. On a large bed for Hongfang, famous delicacies were separately placed, exceedingly fragrant and pure. As Hongfang was about to eat, the ghost king addressed him, saying, "If the Master were to dwell here long, you should partake of ghost food; but I dare not detain you, Master, so please do not eat." Hongfang was frightened and stopped. When the feast was over, the leftover food still amounted to several hundred platters. Hongfang saw that nearly a thousand attendant officials and ministers all wore an expression of desiring to eat. Hongfang asked the king to bestow the leftover food upon them. The king said, "Hurry, take it and bestow it upon them." The various officials bowed in thanks, looked at one another and laughed happily, their mouths opening all the way to their ears. The king then knelt and said, "Since the Master has kindly visited, I have no other offering, but I have five hundred bolts of fine silk to present to the Master; I request you to administer the eight precepts of abstinence." The Master said, "Ghost silk is paper; I have no use for it." The king said, "It is truly human silk presented to you, Master." Thereupon he administered the eight precepts of abstinence to him. When the precepts were completed, the king again ordered the former four men to escort him back as before. Hongfang suddenly opened his eyes and had already reached his residence; dawn had not yet broken. His disciples had merely thought he had entered dhyāna, unaware of where he had gone. Hongfang suddenly opened his eyes and ordered a torch to illuminate the bed; the five hundred bolts of silk were right there before him. When his disciples asked about it, he then told them the reason. Since Hongfang's dhyāna practice was originally exalted, his renown grew daily. His recent journey to the realm of ghosts had been merely his spirit going, while his physical form had not moved. Not long after, while sitting in the morning, two heavenly beings of extraordinarily magnificent appearance bowed and requested, saying, "Heavenly King of the South, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, invites the Master to heaven for an offering." Hongfang agreed to it. They then spread out a heavenly robe to seat Hongfang on; the two beings held the robe, raised it, and soared into the sky. In an instant, they had already reached the southern heaven. The king led his attendants, bowed deeply, and said, "The Master's path of practice is lofty and distant; the gods wish to see the Master expound and chant, and for this reason I have boldly invited the Master." Thereupon he set up a high seat and seated Hongfang. The bodhimaṇḍa was magnificent and beautiful, surpassing the human realm by hundreds of thousands of times. The heavenly beings were all tall and large, their bodies having light; the palace halls and trees were all of the seven jewels, completely possessing brilliance that dazzled human eyes. When Hongfang first arrived in heaven, his physical form was still that of a human; after seeing the Heavenly King, his body naturally grew tall and large, equal to the heavenly beings. Various rare delicacies were served, all possessing natural flavors, exceedingly sweet and delicious. When the meal was finished, the king then invited him to enter the palace, further arranged offering utensils, and conversed most cordially. His attendant heavenly officials together with ghosts and spirits were very numerous. Later he suddenly said, "I, your disciple, wish to go to the Heaven of the Thirty-three to deliberate on affairs; I ask the Master to stay a short while. He also admonished his attendants, saying, "Wherever the Master wishes to tour and view, allow it; but do not let him go to the rear garden." Having said this repeatedly, he departed. After he left, Hongfang thought, "What harm is there in the rear garden that he does not want me to reach it?" Waiting until a time when no one was around, he secretly went to the rear garden. The garden was very large, with flowing springs and ponds; trees, flowers, and medicinal herbs were everywhere, none of which were known to the human realm. Going gradually deeper, he heard from afar a loud groaning and screaming that was unbearable to hear. He then went beside it and saw a great bronze pillar several hundred feet in diameter and a thousand zhang high; the pillar had perforated holes passing through left and right. Some were locked around the crown of their heads with silver fetters, and some had their chest bones pierced through, numbering up to several tens of thousands; their heads were all yakṣas, with saw-like teeth and hooked claws, their bodies double the size of the heavenly beings. Seeing the dhyāna master arrive, they kowtowed and said they were hungry, saying, "Because we ate humans, we were locked up by the Heavenly King. Now we beg you to release us. If we obtain deliverance, we will only seek other food in the human realm, and certainly not dare to eat humans and cause harm. We are pressed by hunger and thirst!" When uttering these words, fire came out of their mouths. When he asked when they had been locked up, some said it was during the appearance in the world of Vipaśyin Buddha, easily several tens of millions of years ago. There were also three to five elderly ones whose words were sincere and earnest in resolve; the monk promised to untie their bonds, and then hurried back. In an instant the king arrived, and first asked, "Did the Master tour the rear garden at all?" The attendants said, "No." The king was pleased and sat down. Hongfang said, "Just now I went to the rear garden and saw several tens of thousands of sentient beings locked up. What was their fault?" The king said disheartenedly, "The Master indeed toured the rear garden! However, small compassion is the thief of great compassion; the Master need not ask." Hongfang persistently asked again. The king said, "These evil ghosts constantly harm humans and only eat human flesh. Were it not for the protection of the gods, the people of the world would have already been devoured entirely by these ghosts. These are all greatly evil ghosts and cannot be treated with reason; therefore they are locked up." Hongfang said, "Just now I saw three to five elderly ones whose words were quite sincere, saying they would only seek other food in the human realm; I ask to pardon them. If this group does not eat [humans], the others may also be released." The king said, "How can the words of these ghosts be trusted?" Hongfang earnestly requested it. The king looked at his attendants and ordered them to untie the three to five elderly ones and bring them. Presently they were untied and arrived, kowtowing and saying, "We have received the grace of being released. Our years are already old; now that we are able to go, we will certainly not dare to disturb humans." The king said, "Because of the dhyāna master, I release you to the human realm. If you eat humans again, when you are brought back this time, I shall cause you to die painfully." They all said, "We dare not." Thereupon they were released. Before long, suddenly a deity was seen arriving before the king's court, calling himself the spirit of the mountains and streams, clad in armor with a golden-colored face, running in haste. He said, "From an unknown place, four or five yakṣas have suddenly arrived in the human realm, killing people and eating flesh in great numbers, and cannot be restrained; therefore I report it." The king said to Hongfang, "How about what I, your disciple, said? Just now I told the Master that small compassion is the thief of great compassion; how could the words of these evil ghosts be vouched for?" He said to the deities, "Hurry and capture them." Presently the deities captured the yakṣas and arrived. The king said angrily, "Why did you violate your petition?" He ordered their hands and feet to be severed, their chests pierced with iron chains, and that they be dragged away and locked up. Hongfang then requested to return. He again ordered the former two persons to escort him to the monastery. The monastery had already lost Hongfang for two times seven days, but in heaven it seemed like only a short while. In the city of Shan, Hongfang chose an open expanse of land to build Longguang Monastery, and also established an infirmary to constantly support several hundred sick people. The monastery was extremely lofty and magnificent, and monastics and laypeople from far and near came to take refuge like clouds. Then he was invited by Śakra Devānām Indra. In the morning, as Hongfang was just rinsing his mouth, a yakṣa arrived before him, with a five-colored felt blanket draped over his left shoulder, and said, "King of the Gods Śakra invites the Master to expound the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra." Hongfang silently sat back down. The yakṣa then grasped the rope-bed with his hands, placed it on his left shoulder, and said, "I ask the Master to close his eyes." Then raising his left hand and extending his right foot, he said, "I ask the Master to open his eyes." Looking, he had already arrived at the Sudharmā Hall. After the dhyāna master arrived in the heavenly hall, the heavenly light dazzled his eyes so that he could not open them. The Heavenly Emperor said, "Master, be mindful of Maitreya." Hongfang hurriedly became mindful of him; thereupon his eyes opened without being dazzled. But his human body was low and small; looking up at the heavenly forms, he could not see their bounds. The Heavenly Emperor also said, "Dhyāna master, be mindful of Maitreya Buddha again, and your body's form will become large." He was mindful as told; with three thoughts, his body grew three times larger, subsequently becoming equal to the gods. The Heavenly Emperor and the various gods paid homage and said, "We disciples have heard of the Master's skill in expounding the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra for a long time. Now the gods admire and have respectfully set up a bodhimaṇḍa, and thereby invite the Great Master to expound the scripture and let us listen and receive it." Hongfang said, "The matter of expounding the scripture is truly no labor; however, in Hongfang's infirmary there are several hundred sick people who rely on Hongfang for their lives, and I constantly practice begging to supply them. If I now linger to expound the scripture, in the human realm it will easily involve years, and I fear the sick people will starve to death. Now I firmly decline." The Heavenly Emperor said, "The bodhimaṇḍa is already completed and this vow has been held for a long time; therefore I request the Great Master not to decline." Hongfang would not agree. Suddenly in the sky there was a great heavenly being whose body was again several times larger than the gods; the Heavenly Emperor respectfully arose to greet him. The great heavenly being spoke, saying, "The Great Brahmā Heavenly King has a decree." When the heavenly being had departed, the Heavenly Emperor said disheartenedly, "Originally I wished to detain the Master to expound the scripture, but now Brahmā has an order not permitting it. However, since the Master has already arrived, could you not briefly open the scriptural scrolls and expound a little of the essential doctrine to cause the heavenly beings to believe and receive it?" Hongfang consented. Thereupon food was served; the eating vessels were all of the seven jewels, and the food and drink were fragrant, delicious, exquisite, and marvelous, double the ordinary. After the dhyāna master had eaten, all the pores of his body emitted extraordinary light, and from within the pores he could view all things; only then did he realize the superior marvel of a heavenly body. Having eaten, a high golden seat was set up, spread with heavenly robes; Hongfang then mounted the seat. Within the Sudharmā Hall were hundreds of thousands of myriads of gods, together with the Four Heavenly Kings each leading their retinues, assembling together to listen to the Dharma. Below the steps to the left and right were dragon kings, yakṣas, various ghosts and spirits, humans, non-humans, and the like, all joining their palms and listening. Hongfang then opened the Nirvāṇa-sūtra and expounded a little more than one sheet from the beginning, his words elegant and fluent, fully proclaiming the essential doctrine. The Heavenly Emperor greatly praised the merit. When the opening of the scripture was finished, he again ordered the former yakṣa to escort him to his original monastery. His disciples had already lost Hongfang for twenty-seven days.