神僧傳 8.56

8.56

State Preceptor Wuda, Zhixuan, had a chance encounter with a monk in the capital. At the time, the monk was afflicted with kāmalā disease; no one knew his extraordinary nature, and all loathed him. Zhixuan attended upon him without any look of weariness. Later, upon parting, the monk said to Zhixuan, "If you face misfortune in the future, you may seek me out at Mount Chalong in Pengzhou of Western Shu; two pine trees will mark the place." Later Zhixuan resided at Anguo Monastery. Emperor Yizong personally attended his Dharma assembly and bestowed upon him a seat of eaglewood, holding him in very high favor. Suddenly, a human-face sore grew on his knee, equipped with eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and teeth. Whenever he fed it with food and drink, it would open its mouth and swallow, no different from a human being. He sought medical treatment, but to no effect. Recalling the former words, he entered the mountains to search for the monk. Seeing two pines amidst the mists and clouds, he knew that the agreement had not been false. He hastened toward the place, where a Buddhist monastery stood splendid and imposing. The monk was standing at the mountain gate and received him with great joy. When night fell, he lodged there, and Zhixuan told him of his suffering. [The monk] said, "No harm done; there is a spring in the mountain. Wash with it at dawn and you will be cured." At daybreak, a boy led him to the spring. Just as he was cupping the water, the sore suddenly spoke in a human voice, saying, "Do not wash yet! Have you ever read the Book of the Western Han, sir?" He said, "I have." [The sore said,] "Since you have read it, do you not know how Yuan Ang killed Chao Cuo? You, sir, were Yuan Ang, and I was Chao Cuo. When Cuo was cut in two at the waist in the Eastern Market, how great was my grievance! Life after life I sought retribution against you, but for ten lives you were a monk whose discipline was pure and strict, so I could find no advantage for revenge. Now you have received gifts that are overly extravagant, and thoughts of fame and gain have arisen, which is why I was able to harm you. Having received the grace of the Venerable Kanaka, who washes me with the Dharma water of samādhi, from this day forth I shall no longer hold a grievance." At that time Zhixuan was frightened out of his wits; he quickly cupped the water and washed it. The pain pierced his marrow so that he fainted and then revived, and the sore soon healed. Looking back, the monastery had vanished into wild overgrowth and was no longer to be seen. Thereupon he pitched a hermitage at the site, which subsequently became a great monastery. Zhixuan, moved by this extraordinary encounter and reflecting that grievances accumulated over successive lives could not have been released without encountering a sage, composed a repentance ritual in three fascicles. Taking the meaning of the water of samādhi washing away karmic grievances, he titled it the *Water Repentance*.