冥報記 3.24

3.24

Zhang Fayi was a native of Zheng County in Huazhou. In his youth he was poor and rustic, and did not cultivate etiquette or restraint. In the tenth year of the Zhenguan era, he went into Mount Hua to gather firewood, and encountered a monk sitting within a rocky cavern. Fayi went up and spoke with him. As it happened, the sky grew dark, and having sat for a long time he could not return, so he stayed the night there. The monk served him ground pine and cypress to eat, and said to Fayi, 'I, a poor monk, have lived here long and do not wish outsiders to know. When you go out, patron, be careful not to speak of our meeting.' He then explained to him that worldly people have many sins and entanglements, and upon death all enter the evil destinies; but through sincere repentance, they can be eliminated. He then had him bathe cleanly, put on monk's robes, and performed repentance for him. At dawn they parted. In the nineteenth year, Fayi died of illness and was buried in the wilds. Being poor and without an inner or outer coffin, he was covered only with firewood and not buried deep. After seven days he revived, pushed it away himself, and returned home. His family was shocked and terrified, but upon examining and questioning him they knew he was alive, and rejoiced. Fayi himself recounted: When he first died, two men came to take him, and traveled south through the sky to a government office. Entering the great gate, they moved through alleys; on both sides were government bureaus, with gates facing one another, too numerous to count. Fayi arrived at one bureau and saw an official, who rebuked the messengers from afar, saying, 'This is Zhang Fayi of Huazhou. His deadline was to arrive in three days; why was he delayed for seven days?' The messenger said, 'Fayi's household dogs were fierce, and moreover there was an incantation master whose spirits struck us severely.' He then bared his back and showed it; the back was all bruised and swollen. The official said, 'Being late is heavily blameworthy; give them twenty lashes.' As soon as he spoke, the lashing was finished, blood spilling on the ground. The official said, 'Take Fayi over to the recording secretary.' The recording secretary's office issued a document ordering him sent to the judge. The judge summoned the chief clerk to fetch Fayi's dossier. The dossier registers were very numerous, filling a couch. The chief clerk unrolled and examined them in front of Fayi. Most of the registers had previously been checked off with red marks; for those that had not been checked off, the clerk recorded them, saying, 'In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era, Fayi's father ordered him to reap grain; Fayi looked back with glaring eyes and secretly cursed him. This is unfilial; he should receive eighty lashes.' Just as he had recorded this one entry, they saw the monk from the rocky cavern arrive. The judge rose to greet him and asked the monk what business he had. The monk said, 'Zhang Fayi is this poor monk's disciple. His sins have all been eliminated through repentance, and have already been checked off in the records of the Celestial Bureau. Now he has been wrongly summoned here and ought not to die.' The chief clerk said, 'Those that have undergone repentance have indeed been checked off in this dossier. But as for glaring and cursing his father, although he received repentance, the matter has not yet been checked off.' The monk said, 'If that is not so, you should retrieve the dossier and investigate it; there should be meritorious blessings.' The judge ordered the chief clerk to take Fayi to consult the King. The palace was in the east, the halls magnificent, with several thousand attendants and guards. The monk also followed to the King's place. The King rose to greet the monk and said, 'Master, has your turn on duty arrived?' He replied, 'It is not yet my turn on duty. I have a disciple, Zhang Fayi, who was recorded and brought here. This man's past karma has all been checked off by this poor monk; he ought not to die.' The chief clerk also consulted the King regarding the glaring matter. The King said, 'The glaring occurred after the repentance; it ought not to be remitted. However, since the master has come to make this request, he may be specially released for seven days.' Fayi said to the monk, 'Seven days is not much time; if I come again, I fear I will not see you, Master. I request to stay and follow you immediately.' The monk said, 'Seven days means seven years. You should leave quickly.' Fayi firmly begged to follow the monk. Thereupon the monk requested the King's brush and wrote a character on Fayi's palm, and also requested the King's seal to stamp it, saying, 'You should leave quickly. Return home and cultivate merits. If later you do not see me, you should present this seal to the King, and the King will naturally release you.' Fayi then took his leave. The monk had someone escort him to his home. Inside the house it was pitch black, and Fayi did not dare enter. The messenger pushed him, and he revived. Feeling that he was in the earth, which was very light and loose, he pushed with his hands and was able to get out. He then entered the mountains and went to the mountain monk to cultivate the Way. The markings where he was stamped on his palm were unrecognizable, but they all turned into sores that could never heal, and they still remain to this day. Wang Bo of Longxi lived near Fayi and knew this thoroughly, and recounted it thus to me, [Tang] Lin.