法華傳記 8.6

8.6

釋惠道豫州人。惠果同母之弟也。不修行業。善於興販。當眾倉厨。私自食用。知僧帛方便割盜。後遇疾而死。胸上暖。三日蘇云。吾冥官被驅。向幽遠闇路。路遇一沙門。謂道曰。汝不信兄言。恣用僧物。王若推問罪福如何答之。道更不知所答。沙門曰。汝應作是言。我昔有造法華經八部願。故授此言已忽然不見。道既至閻魔王所。王問。汝修何功德。答吾有造法華經八部願。然料理僧務未果所願。王微笑曰。汝昔雖不發此願。今既云有願。即當發願。盜用僧物。其罪深重。造法華經八部者。必脫八獄。依此一言。放還人間。須歸人間如實而修。乃以一人官。示歸路得蘇活。盡所有捨衣鉢。造八部法華經。其經見在矣（新錄）。

Shi Huidao was a man of Yuzhou, the younger maternal brother of Huiguo. He did not cultivate religious practice, but was adept at commerce. Put in charge of the community's granary and kitchen, he privately consumed the provisions, and being in charge of the Saṃgha’s silk, he used expedients to embezzle and steal it. Later he contracted an illness and died, with his chest remaining warm. After three days he revived, saying: “I was driven by underworld officials down a distant, dark road. On the road I met a śramaṇa who said to Dao: ‘You did not believe your brother's words, and used the Saṃgha’s property at your own pleasure. If the King interrogates you about your sins and merits, how will you answer him?’ Dao did not know what to answer. The śramaṇa said: ‘You should say: “In the past, I made a vow to produce eight sets of the Lotus Sūtra.”’ Having imparted these words, he suddenly disappeared. When Dao arrived before King Yama, the King asked: ‘What merit have you cultivated?’ He answered: ‘I have a vow to produce eight sets of the Lotus Sūtra, but because of managing monastic affairs, I have not yet fulfilled my vow.’ The King smiled faintly and said: ‘Although you did not make this vow in the past, now that you say you have a vow, you must make that vow. Stealing and using the property of the Saṃgha is a grave sin. One who produces eight sets of the Lotus Sūtra will surely escape the eight hells. On the basis of this single statement, I release you back to the human realm; you must return to the human realm and cultivate it in accordance with truth.’ Then an official was dispatched to show me the way back, and I was revived.” He gave up all his robes and almsbowl to produce eight sets of the Lotus Sūtra. Those sūtras are still extant. (New Record).