釋門自鏡錄 2.56

2.56

寧州道勝寺上座慧仙。都維那僧神英。俱為寺住。同事和睦。常住僧物用。無齊限借。便勝遊飲噉無數。因果業道素不關心。禪誦經行無不在意。雖居住僧侶。實點污緇風。道俗謗譏謂無報應。其上座慧仙染患身死。三年已後都維那神英去。萬歲通天年七月內。忽遇郭里師婆。因即問之。神英好否。師婆看神英云。師後常有一僧逐師。得過八月。即應無事。英謂言戲語。至八月初。寺家家人夜夢。見上座慧仙。共一人執赤索入寺。問家人。都師何在。其家人報云不在。上座慧仙云。吾共伊同知僧事。私破僧物。費散極多。吾緣此罪入磑輪地獄。晝夜受苦。何可言。伊不為作少功德。豈得遣吾獨受於苦。遂於寺內覓都師神英。遇見寺主八仁。其執赤索人即以索。剔取寺主八仁。八仁云。不關我事。即以手捉索。牽挽拒之。因即得脫踰牆而出。其家人夢。已後向諸人說。又見神英云。昨夜得一夢。大是不好。欲向都師說之。恐畏師瞋。都師報云。但說何畏。其家人即以上事。具述其夢。仍云。師此月不須在寺。其都師意悟與前師婆言同。懼而歸家。至八月二十一日。語家內云。寺上今日官齋無人歎佛。吾暫歸寺。家內云。師不宜在寺。何須去也。報云。豈由於此。暫往即來。因遂向寺。齋時未至。向厨頭。撿挍暫坐。人送麵食與都師。即取食之兩三口。體內熱悶。吾舊服藥。似不相宜。齋時既至。即自歎佛。至半氣力轉微不能得了。即向師主法凝云。神英體內不好。歸家將息。師云。吾觀汝以困。不宜久住。至家一夜明日不能起上。家內共看即見兩人相隨入來。神英云扶我。張王二都官已來。即向王都叩頭云。放神英更得一年修營功德。亦為都官造作功德。恩澤何猶可言。王都報言。必不可得。其上座慧仙早亡三年受磑輪地獄苦痛。何言他家待師甚急無已。神英求王都不得。即向張都叩頭云。與都官同姓。豈不相救。其張都即向王都云。英師與公作功德何意不放。王都報云。此事必不可得少時王至。豈得自由。乃約束神英云。更莫多言。王至瞋責。神英既求不得。即問家中云。有酥蜜不。家內報云。無酥蜜有果子在。即云移床鋪設。安果子十餘楪。擬供大王。少時間大王即至。身長八尺餘。騎紫騮馬。著紫袍。侍從極盛。一向三十餘人。來至臥處。張王兩都官。即下階側立。其神英即起坐。欲有辭謝。王語兩都官云。更待何時。急手反縛。其神英兩手。向後欲似反縛。向前挽之。竟不能得。王又云何不急棒。其神英呻吟苦痛。家人舉衣。看背上。背上闊兩手許。棒處青瘀。徹於胸前。日晚亡矣。

The sthavira Huixian and the karmadāna monk Shenying of Daosheng Monastery in Ningzhou both resided at the monastery. They worked together in harmony. They used the permanent property of the saṃgha without measure or restraint, indulging in excursions and feasting without limit. They never cared about cause and effect or the karmic path; in meditation, recitation, and walking meditation they had no interest whatsoever. Though residing among the saṃgha, they truly defiled the monastic ways, and both monastics and laity slandered them, claiming there was no retribution. The sthavira Huixian contracted an illness and died. Three years later, karmadāna Shenying went [out]. In the seventh month of the Wansui Tongtian reign era, he suddenly met a city shamaness and asked her whether Shenying's fate was good or bad. The shamaness looked at Shenying and said, 'Master, behind you there is always a monk pursuing you. If you can pass the eighth month, you should be free of harm.' Shenying took it as jesting words. At the beginning of the eighth month, a servant of the monastery dreamed at night of seeing the sthavira Huixian entering the monastery together with a person holding a red cord. They asked the servant, 'Where is Karmadāna?' The servant reported, 'He is not here.' The sthavira Huixian said, 'I managed monastic affairs together with him, secretly squandering saṃgha property and wasting away a great deal. Because of this sin, I have entered the Mill-Wheel Hell, suffering torment day and night beyond words! He has not performed even a little merit for me; how could I be made to suffer this torment alone?' He then searched the monastery for Karmadāna Shenying and ran into the vihārasvāmin Baren. The person holding the red cord used it to hook and seize the vihārasvāmin Baren. Baren said, 'It is no concern of mine!' He grabbed the cord with his hand, pulled and resisted, and thereby escaped, leaping over the wall to flee. After waking, the servant recounted the dream to everyone. Seeing Shenying again, he said, 'Last night I had a dream that was very bad. I wanted to tell you, Karmadāna, but feared you would be angry.' The Karmadāna answered, 'Just speak, what is there to fear?' The servant recounted his dream in full as above, and added, 'Master, you must not stay in the monastery this month.' Karmadāna realized this agreed with the shamaness's earlier words, and in terror he returned home. On the twenty-first day of the eighth month, he said to his family, 'At the monastery today there is an official vegetarian feast, and no one is praising the Buddha. I shall briefly return to the monastery.' His family said, 'Master, it is not suitable for you to be at the monastery; why must you go?' He replied, 'How could anything happen from this? I will go briefly and come right back.' He then went to the monastery. Before the mealtime arrived, he went to the kitchen to supervise, sitting down for a moment. Someone brought wheat food to the Karmadāna, and he took two or three mouthfuls. His body felt hot and stifled, and he said, 'The medicine I usually take seems not to agree with me.' When the mealtime arrived, he personally praised the Buddha; midway through, his breath and strength grew faint, and he could not finish. He then said to the master-prefect Faneng, 'Shenying feels unwell; I shall return home to rest.' The master said, 'I see you are exhausted; you should not stay long.' After he returned home for one night, the next day he could not get up. His family looked together and saw two persons coming in following one another. Shenying said, 'Support me! Du-officials Zhang and Wang have arrived!' He then kowtowed to Du Wang, saying, 'Grant Shenying one more year to cultivate and perform merit, and I will also perform merit for you, Du-official! How could such grace be described?' Du Wang answered, 'It is absolutely impossible. The sthavira Huixian died early, three years ago, and suffers the torment of the Mill-Wheel Hell beyond description. The other side waits for you with the utmost urgency!' Shenying begged Du Wang to no avail, and then kowtowed to Du Zhang, saying, 'We share the same surname; will you not save me?' Du Zhang then said to Du Wang, 'Master Ying will make merit for you; why not release him?' Du Wang replied, 'This is absolutely impossible. In a short while the King will arrive; how could we act at will?' He then admonished Shenying, saying, 'Speak no more! When the King arrives, he will be furious and rebuke you.' Having pleaded in vain, Shenying asked his family, 'Is there butter or honey?' The family answered, 'There is no butter or honey, but there are fruits.' He said, 'Move the bed and set things in order; place over ten dishes of fruit, intended as an offering for the Great King.' Shortly thereafter, the Great King arrived, over eight feet tall, riding a purple-bay horse, wearing a purple robe, with a splendid retinue of over thirty people, coming directly to his bedside. The two Du-officials, Zhang and Wang, stepped down the stairs and stood to the side. Shenying sat up, intending to offer apologies. The King said to the two Du-officials, 'What are you waiting for? Bind his hands behind his back at once!' Shenying's two hands went behind him as if being bound backward, and though pulled forward, he could not bring them back. The King again said, 'Why do you not beat him swiftly?' Shenying groaned in agonizing pain. His family lifted his clothes to look at his back; across an area about two handspans wide, the beaten flesh was bruised black and blue, penetrating to his chest. By evening, he died.