釋門自鏡錄 1.95

1.95

釋僧妙。居于江陵上明村。妙至大明年初。游乞零陵。因居郡治龍華精舍販貨。蓄聚米至數千斛大明八年卒。龍華寺災焚蕩盡。妙臨終以財物付弟子法宗。令造講堂僧房。法宗立堂畢頗弛懈未時建房。至泰始三年正月。被疾甚篤。時有道猛比丘。隨泉陵令高陽許靜慧在縣。縣即郡治之邑也。猛往看宗疾。入寺數步見一沙門著桃花布裙衣單黃小被。行且罵云。小子法宗違我處分。不立僧房。費散財物云云。既而迴見道猛。如驚羞狀以被蒙頭。入法宗房。猛常往來此寺。未甞見此沙門。不欲干突之。先告法超道人。說所聞見。超疑詐妄。撿問形狀音氣猛具言之。超曰。即法宗之師也。亡來數載。共歎悵之。其夕即靈語使急召法宗。宗既至數罵甚嚴。猶以僧房為言。音聲氣調不異平生。法宗稽謝畢問。和尚今生何處善惡云何。妙曰。生處復粗可耳。但應受小讁。二年方可得免。兼有小枉橫。欲訴所司。為無袈裟不能得行。可急為製也。法宗曰。袈裟可辨未審和尚云何得之。妙曰。請僧設供以袈裟為䞋我即得也。法宗如言飯僧䞋衣。道猛時在會。又見僧妙倚于堂戶之外拱手聽經。飯䞋既畢。猛即見袈裟已在妙身。仍進堂中。欲依僧次就坐。問猛年臘。猛曰。吾忘其年。是索虜臨江歲之二月也。妙云。與吾同臘見大一月耳。乃坐猛下。猛即狹膝空一坐位。妙端默聽經。至坐散乃不復見。時一堂道俗百餘人。零陵太守羊闡亦預法集。自猛與妙講論往反。眾但聞猛獨言。所以咸知驗實者。猛與妙不相識。說其形色舉動年臘宿少。莫不符同。法宗始疾危。困始命至靈語日。沈疾即愈。靈語所著蓋是弱僮而聲氣音詞。聽者莫辨其殊。故並信異之。初闡不甚奉法。因是大興敬悟連建福集。即其年設講於此寺持齋布施。

Shi Sengmiao lived in Shangming Village in Jiangling. Around the beginning of the Daming era, Miao went begging in Lingling, and consequently resided at the Longhua Hermitage in the commandery seat, trading goods and accumulating up to several thousand bushels of grain. In the eighth year of Daming, he died. Longhua Monastery was destroyed by fire, burnt to the ground. On his deathbed, Miao entrusted his wealth to his disciple Fazong, instructing him to build a lecture hall and monks' quarters. Fazong completed the lecture hall, but became lax and did not build the quarters in time. In the first month of the third year of Taishi, he fell gravely ill. At that time, there was the bhikṣu Daomeng, who accompanied Xu Jinghui of Gaoyang, magistrate of Quanling, staying in the county, which was the seat of the commandery. Meng went to visit Fazong in his illness. A few steps after entering the monastery, he saw a śramaṇa wearing a peach-blossom-patterned cloth skirt and a plain yellow short robe, walking while cursing: 'That boy Fazong disobeyed my instructions! He did not build the monks' quarters and squandered my wealth!' and so forth. Turning around and seeing Daomeng, looking surprised and bashful, he covered his head with his robe and entered Fazong's room. Meng frequently visited this monastery and had never seen this śramaṇa; not wishing to confront him rashly, he first informed the monk Fachao, recounting what he had seen and heard. Chao suspected deceit, and questioned him about the appearance and tone of voice; Meng described them in full. Chao said: 'That is Fazong's master! He has been dead for several years.' Together they sighed with sorrow. That evening, a spirit spoke through a medium, demanding that Fazong be urgently summoned. When Zong arrived, the master reprimanded him severely several times, still pressing the matter of the monks' quarters, his voice and demeanor being no different from when he was alive. After prostrating in apology, Fazong asked: 'Upādhyāya, where have you been reborn now, and how are your good and bad [karmic conditions]?' Miao said: 'My place of rebirth is passable, but I must undergo a minor reprimand; only after two years can I be released. Moreover, there is a minor injustice; I wish to appeal to the authorities, but because I lack a kaṣāya, I cannot proceed. You must urgently make one for me.' Fazong said: 'A kaṣāya can be prepared, but I do not know how the Upādhyāya can receive it.' Miao said: 'Invite the saṃgha, set out an offering, and present the kaṣāya as a donation (dakṣiṇā); then I shall obtain it.' Fazong fed the monks and offered the robe as instructed. Daomeng was present at the assembly, and again saw Sengmiao leaning outside the hall doors with folded hands, listening to the sūtra. When the meal and offering were concluded, Meng saw that the kaṣāya was already on Miao's body. He then entered the hall, intending to take a seat according to monastic seniority. He asked Meng his monastic age; Meng said: 'I have forgotten the year; it was the second month of the year when the Suo barbarians reached the Yangzi River.' Miao said: 'Your monastic seniority is the same as mine, just one month older than me,' and sat below Meng. Meng pulled in his knees to leave a seat vacant. Miao listened quietly and attentively to the sūtra, and was seen no more once the assembly dispersed. At that time, over a hundred monastics and laypeople were in the hall; Yang Chan, the governor of Lingling, also took part in the Dharma assembly. While Meng and Miao were conversing back and forth, the assembly heard only Meng speaking alone. The reason all knew this to be authentic was that Meng and Miao were unacquainted, yet Meng's description of his appearance, demeanor, and monastic age matched completely. When Fazong's illness had first become critical, his life hung by a thread, but on the day the spirit spoke, his chronic illness was cured immediately. The one possessed by the spirit was merely a young servant boy, yet the voice and diction were identical, such that the listeners could not discern any difference; hence all believed this wondrous occurrence. Originally, Yang Chan had not paid much respect to the Dharma, but because of this, he was deeply inspired to reverence and awakening, repeatedly holding meritorious assemblies. In that very year, he sponsored lectures at this monastery, observed the fast, and practiced generosity.