釋門自鏡錄 2.42

2.42

天台山智者禪師。誡知事曰。昔有一寺師徒數百。晝夜禪誦時不虛棄。有一淨人。竊聽說法。係念存習。忽踞坐竈前。寂然入定。火滅湯冷。維那恐廢眾食。來白上座。上座云。此是勝事。眾宜忍之。慎勿驚觸。聽其自起。數日方覺。往上座前。具陳所證。敘法轉深。上座止曰。爾向所言皆我境界。而今所說非我所知。勿復言也。因而顧問。頗知宿命。答云。薄知。又問何罪為賤。何福易悟。答云。賤身者。前世時。乃是今日徒眾老者之師。徒眾所學皆昔所訓。爾時多有私客。恒自約制不敢侵眾。忽有急客。過輒取眾僧少菜。忘不陪備。由此譴責。今為眾奴。前習未久。薄修易悟。宿命罪福其事如是。一眾聞此悲不能勝。

Meditation Master Zhizhe of Mount Tiantai admonished the administrators, saying: "Long ago, there was a monastery with several hundred masters and disciples who practiced meditation and recited texts day and night without wasting a moment. There was a monastery servant (śuddhavihāra) who secretly listened to the Dharma teachings, kept them in mind, and practiced them. Suddenly, he sat cross-legged before the hearth and entered serene absorption. The fire went out and the hot water grew cold. The karmadāna, fearing that the community's meal would be disrupted, came and reported this to the senior elder. The elder said, 'This is an extraordinary event; the assembly should bear with it. Be careful not to startle or disturb him; let him rise on his own.' After several days he finally awoke, went before the senior elder, and fully related what he had realized, his exposition of the Dharma growing ever deeper. The senior elder stopped him, saying, 'What you spoke of earlier is entirely my own realm; but what you now speak of is beyond my knowledge. Say no more.' Thereupon, the elder inquired, 'Do you know much of past lives?' He replied, 'I know a little.' The elder further asked, 'Through what sin are you of lowly station? Through what merit did you easily attain awakening?' He replied, 'As for my lowly body, in a past life I was actually the master of the elderly members of today's congregation. What the community practices is all what I taught in the past. At that time, I often had private guests; I always exercised self-restraint and dared not infringe upon the community. But once, when unexpected guests arrived, I arbitrarily took a few vegetables belonging to the community monks and forgot to make restitution. Because of this censure, I am now a slave of the community. Yet because my past practice was not long ago, with slight cultivation I easily awakened. The karmic sins and merits of past lives are just like this.' When the entire assembly heard this, their sorrow was overwhelming."