法華傳記 5.40

5.40

秦州上邦縣人慕容文策。年十七誦持金剛般若法華經。齋戒不關。隋大業七年四月十五日夜。忽有兩鬼。來至床前。手持文牒云。王今遣取公來。文策良甚忙怕。乃遂使者而去。將至一大城。樓櫓嚴峻城郭六重。將入第一第二門。極大光明。至第三門。其門相去四里已上。並皆黑闇。都不見道。使者引之而過。至五六門內。復大光明。去門三里。即有宮室殿堂。四邊持杖宿衛。還如見在宮闕無異。王宮殿而坐。所將男夫婦女僧尼道士及女等。外國六夷不可稱數。策在後行典。唱名而過。王一一問其在生福業。有福効驗。在西而立。無福驗者。在東而立。末後始唱策名。王問。一生作何福業。策即分疎。一生已來。唯誦持金剛般若法華八部。般若晝夜轉讀。又持齋戒一日不闕。王聞此言。合掌恭敬歎言。功德甚深。付主司細撿文簿。不錯將來。其典執案諮王。未合身死。王即放還。且遣西行。立未去之間有沙門。可年十五六。執一明炬。於策前而過。續後又一沙彌。執明炬而過。策即捉袈裟挽住。願師救弟子。使者錯追將來。蒙王恩澤。撿文簿放還。不知去處。願師慈悲救護弟子。示其來路。二僧語策。檀越持般若。轉讀大乘經典。好牢持齋戒故來救之。師云。我執明炬在前。檀越但從我後。還於六重城門而出還。詣黑闇二門。二僧手執明炬。喻如日出光明。皆現出於六重門外。二僧即語策云。檀越以知地獄處否。策云。不知。二沙彌即舉手。指城西北角處。有一大城。相去四里。此是地獄之城。二沙彌云。將檀越於此城觀看。從師至彼。其城高峻。有大城門。並鐵網垂下。有四羅剎。手執鐵叉。侍立左右。二僧云。是地獄之門。一切罪人配入。並從此門而過。即將策入門。可行二百步。見一灰河。其中一切受苦之人。身在河中。唯見其頭百千萬億。猛火熾燒此罪人。苦痛號叫。不可具說。又四邊皆是鐵床釰樹。有四獄卒。手持鐵叉。畔上行走。叫喚之聲。甚可怖畏。二僧云。十八地獄。咸在此城。策見心中怕懼。唯正念佛。心中恒誦經不絕。二僧即將策出城門。至於本來之道。五箇道相近。意中荒迷。不知本從家之道。二僧即欲別策而去。禮拜求請。五道之中。不知弟子從何道去。願師慈悲。示其道處。二僧即於中道引前。可行十里許。有一大門。塞其道口不得而已。二僧以錫杖開之。即語策云。努力勤修功德。誦經莫生懈怠。必得長壽。策別師至家。體中醒悟。父母親知並忙怕。以禮慰喻。說其因緣。蒙放還家。功德之力。聞者欣悅。心意泰然。以此誦經齋戒功德。勸化一切。各各發心。讀誦一日不闕。更加精進。又得長年矣。

Murong Wence was a native of Shangbang County in Qinzhou. At the age of seventeen he recited and maintained the Diamond Prajñā and the Lotus Sūtra, never missing the vegetarian fasts. On the night of the fifteenth day of the fourth month in the seventh year of the Daye era of the Sui, two ghosts suddenly appeared before his bed holding documents, saying: "The King has now sent us to fetch you, sir." Wence was extremely flustered and frightened, and thereupon followed the messengers away. They approached a great city with imposing watchtowers and six concentric walls. As they were about to enter the first and second gates, there was an extremely great brilliance. When they reached the third gate, the gates were more than four li apart, and all was pitch dark; no road could be seen at all. The messengers led him through. Inside the fifth and sixth gates, there was again great brilliance. Three li from the gate, there were palace halls and chambers, with attendants on night watch holding staves all around, not different from the imperial palaces seen in the present world. The King sat in the palace hall. The men, women, monks, nuns, Daoist masters, and maidens brought there, along with six barbarian tribes of foreign lands, were beyond reckoning. Ce was walking behind the record-keeper; as names were called out, they passed before him. The King questioned them one by one regarding the karmic merits of their lives. Those with proof of merit were stationed to the west; those without proof of merit were stationed to the east. At the very end, Ce's name was finally called. The King asked: "What karmic merits have you accomplished in your lifetime?" Ce explained in detail: "Throughout my life, I have only recited and maintained the eight fascicles of the Diamond Prajñā and the Lotus, revolving and reading the Prajñā day and night; I have also kept the vegetarian fasts without missing a single day." When the King heard these words, he pressed his palms together in reverent admiration and said: "The merit is exceedingly deep!" He handed him over to the presiding official to examine the registers carefully to ensure he had not been brought by mistake. The record-keeper held the files and reported to the King: "His physical death is not yet due." The King immediately released him to return, and sent him walking westward. While he was standing there before departing, a śramaṇa aged about fifteen or sixteen, holding a bright torch, passed before Ce. Following behind him, another novice passed by holding a bright torch. Ce grabbed his kāṣāya and held him back: "I beseech the master to save this disciple! The messengers mistakenly arrested and brought me here; having received the King's grace, my registers were inspected and I was released to return, but I do not know where to go. May the master have compassion and protect this disciple, showing me the road by which I came!" The two monks said to Ce: "Because the dānapati upholds the Prajñā, revolves and reads the Mahāyāna scriptures, and firmly maintains the vegetarian fasts, we have come to save you." The master said: "I will hold the bright torch in front; the dānapati need only follow behind me." They returned out through the six concentric city gates, and went back to the two pitch-black gates. The bright torches held in the hands of the two monks were like the radiance of the rising sun; all emerged outside the six concentric gates. The two monks then said to Ce: "Does the dānapati know where the hells are?" Ce said: "I do not know." The two novices raised their hands and pointed to the northwest corner of the city, where there was a great city four li away: "This is the city of hell." The two novices said: "We shall take the dānapati to view this city." Following the masters thither, the city was lofty and precipitous, with a great gate hung with iron nets. Four rākṣasas held iron pitchforks, standing in attendance to the left and right. The two monks said: "This is the gate of hell. All sinners assigned here pass through this gate." They immediately led Ce through the gate; after walking about two hundred paces, he saw a river of ashes. All the suffering people therein were immersed in the river, with only their heads visible, hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of them. Fierce flames blazed around these sinners; their agony and cries could not be fully described. Moreover, on all four sides were iron beds and sword-trees, and four hell wardens held iron pitchforks, running along the banks; the sounds of their shouts were terrifying indeed. The two monks said: "The eighteen hells are all in this city." Seeing this, Ce was terrified in his heart, and only held proper mindfulness of the Buddha, constantly reciting sūtras in his mind without ceasing. The two monks then led Ce out of the city gate, returning to the original path. There were five pathways close together; in his confusion, he did not know the path that led to his home. As the two monks were about to take leave of Ce and depart, he bowed down and pleaded: "Among the five paths, this disciple does not know which path to take. May the masters have compassion and show me the path!" The two monks thereupon led the way along the middle path. After walking about ten li, there was a great gate blocking the mouth of the path, making it impossible to pass through. The two monks opened it with their khakkhara staffs, and said to Ce: "Strive diligently to cultivate merit and recite sūtras; do not give rise to laxity, and you will surely attain a long life." Ce bade farewell to the masters and reached home, waking up in his body. His parents and relatives were all flustered and frightened; he comforted them with proper etiquette and recounted the circumstances of his release and return home through the power of merit. Those who heard of it rejoiced, their minds peaceful and serene. With this merit of reciting sūtras and observing the vegetarian fasts, he exhorted and transformed everyone; each gave rise to the aspiration to read and recite without missing a single day, increasing their diligence, and he too lived to an advanced age.