法華傳記 5.44

5.44

天水郡隴城縣志通。年未弱冠。住持齋戒。讀誦法華金剛般若等經。六時禮懺不曾闕。年二十即節黠。入請德府衛士。名樹軍團。奉勅差征南蠻。從家至彼一萬餘里。在路晝夜禮誦不闕。至南蠻之界。官軍戰敗。兵士散走。當時侶一百餘人。不知所投。多被傷殺。志通惶迫。奔走無路。忽有五人。並乘牝馬。在通前後。有一人走馬告通曰。莫怕莫怕。汝具修功德。前後圍繞。不能為害。行可七里有餘。至一塔廟。即入其中藏隱。蠻即還營。忽有二僧來通所。語通云。檀越誦金剛般若法華。禮念諸佛。不可思議故遣救汝。向者五人乘馬在汝前後者。並是法華般若之力。亦同救汝恐賊傷害。汝身好修福業。誦持經典。莫生懈怠。一切諸善神王。恒相衛護。作是語訖。即乘空而去。通經日不得食。非常飢乏。須臾有二童子。將一鉢飯并醬菜及餅。與通而食。食訖又告通。勤修功德。誦般若經。莫令廢闕。訖亦乘空而去。通涕淚悲泣。深心懺悔。即投大軍。頻經三陣。不被寸鐵所傷。據此因緣。並是法華般若之力。於蠻破官軍放還。專心誦持法華般若。不敢怠慢。又云。貞觀八年正月二十八日身患。至二月八日夜命終。遂被將向王前。閱過徒眾甚多。通在後而立。其典唱名。王即問其善惡之業。亦依次而配。末後始唱通過。具問生在作何福業。通即啟王言。一生已來。誦持金剛般若法華經等。常持齋戒。六時禮佛。王聞此言。即合掌恭敬言。善哉善哉。此人功德不可思議。語使當取之。日據何簿帳。而追付主司。細撿文籍。不枉將來。其主司關天曾捨報。此人更有六年壽命。未合即死。王乃索安。自尋果然非謬語左右侍者。取床几將來。即於南廂。持金床玉几至王前。即遣殿上西邊安置。鋪種種氈褥。遣通上座誦經。便誦般若法華各一卷。並悉通利。又使典藏中取其誦經及修功德文簿。典與通向西相遂往取。可行二里。有大經藏。所有功德簿帳咸在其中。並七寶嚴飾。使者於最下中。取得一卷。可有一紙。題名表志通造功德簿。即持向王邊開捻其中。注通誦般若經萬遍。誦法華經千遍。禮佛齊戒功德。總在其中。王語使人。其通所造功德其深。領將地獄觀看。知其罪福。使者奉勅引通。出城西北五里有餘。有一大城。樓櫓却敵鐵網垂下。門中有四獄卒。頭如羅剎。口出火炎。身形長大。手持鐵叉。左右而立。有二銅狗。在門兩廂。口吐融銅。流灌獄所。注射罪人。一切受苦之人。並從此門而入。十八地獄。並在此城。通見如此。身心戰慄。無以自安。領時詣王白言。見地獄訖。王語通云。汝今具見受罪福業。好勤精進讀誦莫廢。汝今命六年。在放汝還家。莫生退心。落入惡道。無人救汝。必須讀誦。不退菩提。於汝長年。至老命終。必生淨土。通蘇說此事。彌修彌誦。經六年後而卒。異香滿室。得淨土迎矣。

Zhitong of Longcheng County in Tianshui Commandery, before reaching the age of twenty, maintained the fasts and precepts and recited scriptures such as the Lotus Sūtra and the Diamond Prajñā[-pāramitā Sūtra]. His repentance and worship during the six periods of the day were never omitted. At the age of twenty he was robust and clever. He was enrolled as a guardsman in the Qingde Garrison, registered in the Shujun militia. He received an imperial command sending him on an expedition against the southern barbarians, more than ten thousand li from his home. On the road, day and night, his worship and chanting never ceased. When they reached the territory of the southern barbarians, the imperial army was defeated in battle, and the soldiers scattered and fled. At that time, a group of more than a hundred men did not know where to turn, and many were wounded or killed. Zhitong was terrified and had nowhere to run. Suddenly, there were five men, all riding mares, surrounding Tong in front and behind. One of them rode up and told Tong, "Do not fear, do not fear! You are fully endowed with cultivated merits; surrounded in front and behind, harm cannot befall you." They traveled for some seven-odd li and reached a pagoda temple. They entered inside to hide, and the barbarians then returned to their camp. Suddenly, two monks came to where Tong was and said to Tong, "Patron, you chant the Diamond Prajñā and the Lotus Sūtra, and worship and mind the Buddhas; this is inconceivable, which is why [we] were sent to rescue you. The five men who just rode horses surrounding you in front and behind were all the power of the Lotus Sūtra and Prajñā; they also jointly rescued you, fearing the brigands would harm you. Diligently cultivate meritorious deeds, chant and uphold the scriptures, and do not give rise to negligence. All the good spirit kings will constantly protect you." Having spoken these words, they ascended into the air and departed. Tong had not had food for whole days and was extremely hungry and exhausted. In an instant, two young boys brought a bowl of rice with pickled vegetables and flatbread, and gave it to Tong to eat. Having finished eating, they also told Tong, "Diligently cultivate merit, chant the Prajñā-sūtra, and do not let it fall into neglect." When they finished, they also ascended into the air and departed. Tong wept with tears, repenting from the depths of his heart. He then joined the main army and went through three battles without being wounded by an inch of iron. Relying on these conditions, this was all the power of the Lotus Sūtra and Prajñā. When the barbarians routed the imperial army, he was released and returned, and single-mindedly chanted and upheld the Lotus Sūtra and Prajñā, daring not to be negligent. It is also said that on the twenty-eighth day of the first month in the eighth year of Zhenguan, his body fell ill, and on the night of the eighth day of the second month, his life came to an end. He was then brought before the King [of the Underworld]. The crowd inspected and passed through was exceedingly large; Tong stood at the rear. The clerk called the names, and the king asked about their karmic deeds of good and evil, allocating them in sequence. At the very end, Tong's name was called. [The king] questioned him in detail as to what meritorious deeds he had done while alive. Tong then reported to the king, "Throughout my life, I have chanted and upheld the Diamond Prajñā and the Lotus Sūtra, constantly maintained the fasts and precepts, and worshiped the Buddha during the six periods." When the king heard these words, he pressed his palms together reverently and said, "Excellent, excellent! This man's merit is inconceivable." He told the messengers who brought him, "According to which ledger was he summoned? Hand it over to the officer in charge to examine the records carefully, so that he was not brought here in error." The officer in charge reported that Tian had previously cast off his life, but this man still had six years of lifespan remaining and was not yet due to die. The king then asked for the records, inspected them himself, and indeed it was not an error. He said to the attendants on his left and right, "Fetch a couch and table." Thereupon, from the southern wing, they brought a golden couch and a jade table before the king. He ordered them placed on the west side of the hall, spreading various felt mats, and ordered Tong to take the upper seat and chant the scriptures. Tong then chanted one fascicle each of the Prajñā and the Lotus Sūtra, both with complete fluency. [The king] also sent a clerk into the repository to fetch the ledger recording his scripture-chanting and cultivated merits. The clerk and Tong went westward together to fetch it. After walking about two li, there was a great scripture repository; all the ledgers of merit were within it, all adorned with the seven jewels. From the very bottom, the messenger retrieved one scroll, which had about one sheet of paper, titled "Register of Merit Cultivated by Zhitong." He brought it to the king, who opened and unrolled it. Inside it was noted that Tong had chanted the Prajñā-sūtra ten thousand times and the Lotus Sūtra a thousand times; his merits from worshiping the Buddha and observing the fasts and precepts were all contained within. The king said to the messenger, "The merit cultivated by Tong is exceedingly deep. Lead him to view the hells, so that he may know [the consequences of] sin and merit." The messenger obeyed the order and led Tong out of the city to the northwest for more than five li. There was a great city, with watchtowers and breastworks, and iron nets hanging down. In the gate were four hell wardens, their heads like rākṣasas, fire spewing from their mouths, their bodies tall and massive, holding iron pitchforks, standing on the left and right. There were two bronze dogs at the two wings of the gate, spitting molten copper from their mouths, which poured and flooded into the hells, spraying over the sinners. All the people undergoing suffering entered through this gate. The eighteen hells were all inside this city. Seeing this, Tong trembled in body and mind, unable to calm himself. The guide then brought him to the king and reported, "He has finished viewing the hells." The king said to Tong, "You have now seen in full the karmic fruits of suffering for sins and receiving merit. Diligently advance in recitation and do not abandon it. You still have six years of lifespan; I release you to return home. Do not give rise to a regressing mind and fall into the evil destinies where no one will save you. You must chant and recite, and not regress from bodhi. Throughout your remaining years until your life ends in old age, you will certainly be born in the Pure Land." Tong revived and recounted this matter, cultivating and chanting all the more. After six years had passed, he died. An extraordinary fragrance filled the room, and he was welcomed to the Pure Land.