神僧傳 9.19

9.19

Master Azu's origins are unknown. His physical appearance was foolish and murky, his spirit lacking cleverness. Yet whenever he spoke, there was nothing he did not foreknow. Though he had no fixed residence, he mostly lodged in Wenxiang. People bustled back and forth, vying for the road to pay him homage; gifts piled like mountains, yet he never looked at them. When people were troubled or sick, those who obtained his guidance found its efficacy miraculous and swift. At that time in Shanzhou there was a wealthy man named Zhang Zhen whose fortune ran into the tens of millions. He had only one son, about seventeen years old, who was born foolish and dull: his hands and feet were crippled, his speech was unintelligible, and he craved only food and drink, his mouth like a mountain gorge. His parents doted on him, attending to him with all their might, inviting doctors and seeking medicine without shrinking from thousands of leagues. After more than ten years, the family estate was almost exhausted. Someone said to them: "Azu is a sage, a living Buddha in this world. Why not turn to him and pray, hoping for a cure?" Zhen and his wife went to Wenxiang, kowtowed, wiped away their tears, and begged for his deliverance. After a long while, Azu said to Zhen: "Your karmic enmity has not yet dissipated; ten more years are still required. Pitying your sincere devotion, I will dispel it for you." He then had them choose a day to hold a vegetarian feast by the river, summoning a great crowd to witness the deliverance together, and ordered them to bring the son along to the bodhimanda. The crowd thought there would be divine transformations, and onlookers stood as thick as a wall. While they were craning their necks, Azu pointed to three or four strong men to seize and drag the son and throw him into the river. Zhen and all the attendees could not fathom his intent. Azu looked back and said to Zhen: "The disaster has been eliminated for you." After a long time, the son suddenly stood on the water's surface several tens of paces downriver, pointed with his fingers, and said to his parents: "I was your karmic enemy from former lives. Relying on meeting this holy one, the bond has been swiftly unraveled. If not for this, there would have been no end to it!" Standing tall, he called out loudly, not foolish in the least. In a moment he sank into the water, and none knew where he went.