弘贊法華傳 10.9

10.9

釋某。失其名。隋大業中。行至太山廟。求寄宿。廟令曰。此無別舍。唯神廟廡下可宿。然此來寄宿者。輒死。僧曰。無苦也。令不得已從之。為施床於廡下。僧至夜端坐誦經。可一更。聞屋中環佩聲。須臾神出。為僧禮拜。僧曰。聞此宿者多死。豈檀越害之耶。願見護念。神曰。遇其死時將至。聞弟子聲。因自懼死。非殺之也。願師無慮。僧延坐。談說如人。良久。僧問曰。聞人傳說。太山案鬼。寧有之耶。神曰。弟子薄福有之。豈欲見先亡乎。僧曰。有兩同學僧先死。願見之。神問名。一人已生人間。一人在獄。罪重不可喚。與師就見可也。僧甚悅。因共起出門。不遠而至一所。多見廂獄。火光甚盛。神將僧入一院。遙見一人在火中。號呼不能言。形變不可復識。而血肉燋臭令人傷心。神曰。此是也。師不復欲歷觀耶。僧愁愍求出。俄而至廟。又與神坐。因問。欲救同學。有得理耶。神曰。可得耳。為寫法花經者便免。既而將曙。神辭僧入堂。旦而廟令視僧不死。怪異之。僧因為說。仍即為寫法花經一部。莊嚴畢。又將經就廟宿。其夜。神出如初。歡喜禮拜。慰問來意。僧以事答。神曰。弟子知之。師為寫經。始書題目。彼已脫免。今久出生不在也。然此處不淨潔。不可安經。願師還送經向寺。言說久之將曉。辭訣而入。僧送經於寺。

Monk So-and-so lost his name. During the Daye era of the Sui dynasty, he was traveling and arrived at the Mount Tai shrine, where he asked for a place to stay the night. The director of the shrine said, "There are no other quarters here; one can only lodge under the veranda of the spirit's shrine. However, those who come here to lodge usually die." The monk said, "There is no harm in it." Having no choice, the director complied, and set up a bed for him under the veranda. When night fell, the monk sat upright and recited the sūtras. Around the first watch, he heard the tinkling of pendant gems in the hall. In an instant, the deity came out and bowed down in reverence to the monk. The monk said, "I have heard that many who lodge here die; could it be that the donor harms them? I hope you will look upon me with protection and care." The deity said, "It happens that the time of their death is near at hand; hearing this disciple's voice, they simply scare themselves to death; it is not that I kill them. Please do not worry, Master." The monk invited him to sit, and they talked just like human beings. After a long while, the monk asked, "I have heard people relate that Mount Tai investigates ghosts; does such a thing truly exist?" The deity said, "This disciple, through slight merit, has charge of such matters. Would you perhaps wish to see those who have previously passed away?" The monk said, "I have two fellow-student monks who died earlier; I wish to see them." The deity asked for their names: one had already been reborn among humans, while the other was in hell, his offenses so heavy that he could not be summoned; "It would be best if I go with the Master to see him." The monk was very pleased. Thereupon, they got up together and went out the gate. Before long they arrived at a place where many wing-prisons could be seen, with flames burning intensely. The deity led the monk into a courtyard. From afar, they saw a person amidst the fire, crying out and unable to speak, his form so altered that he could no longer be recognized, while the stench of scorched flesh and blood broke one's heart. The deity said, "This is he. Does the Master wish to view any more?" Distressed and pitying, the monk asked to leave. In a moment they arrived back at the shrine and sat down again with the deity. He then asked, "If I wish to save my fellow student, is there any way?" The deity said, "It can indeed be done: if you copy the Lotus Sūtra for him, he will be delivered." As dawn approached, the deity took leave of the monk and entered the hall. At daybreak, the director of the shrine saw that the monk had not died, and marveled at it. The monk then explained it to him, and immediately set about copying one set of the Lotus Sūtra for his friend. When it was fully adorned, he again took the sūtra to the shrine to lodge for the night. That night, the deity came out as before, bowed in joy and reverence, and inquired about the purpose of his coming. The monk answered with the facts. The deity said, "This disciple already knows. When the Master copied the sūtra for him, as soon as you wrote the title, he was already delivered; he was born elsewhere long ago and is no longer here. However, this place is not clean and pure, and the sūtra should not be kept here. I hope the Master will take the sūtra back to the monastery." After talking for a long time, as it was about to dawn, he bid farewell and entered within. The monk delivered the sūtra to the monastery.