釋門自鏡錄 2.45

2.45

Shi Daoming was surnamed Yuan, a native of Xiangzhou. From his youth he was lofty and pure, possessing many extraordinary virtues; his reputation for meditation and chanting was heard far and wide. In the third month of the first year of Daye, he passed away at his home monastery. In the seventh month of that year, Xuanxu, a monk who had shared his room, was walking in the countryside when dusk fell. He suddenly came upon a monastery and went to seek lodging. Arriving at the gate, he saw Daoming just coming out of the monastery, his appearance and speech no different from when he was alive. He then led Xu to his room. Xu privately wondered at this, but did not press him with questions. In the later watch of the night, Ming arose and said to Xu, "This is no ordinary place. Venerable, be very careful not to go up into the hall." When the dawn bell struck, he came again and told Xu not to go up into the hall, yet his body had suddenly wasted away and his complexion was radically changed. After Ming left, Xu went to the rear window of the refectory to observe what was happening. Bowing to the Buddha and walking with incense were all according to the monastic regulations. After the karmadāna announced the offering of gruel, people were seen carrying in gruel, all of which appeared like blood. As the food was distributed all around, the monks were seen bursting into flames all over their bodies, writhing and fainting in agony. After the span of a single meal, the karmadāna struck the mallet, and all the monks at once no longer showed signs of suffering. Terrified, Xu returned to his room. Shortly thereafter, Ming arrived, looking even more haggard. Xu questioned him, and he said, "This is hell; the suffering is beyond words." Xu asked again, "For what crime did you come to this, Sir?" Ming said, "Because in the past I took a bundle of firewood belonging to the saṃgha to boil dye for my robes and forgot to make restitution. I must endure the penalty of having my feet burned for one year." Ming then pulled up his robes with his hands: from the knees down, both legs were scorched black. Weeping bitterly, he said, "May the Venerable in his compassion rescue and deliver me!" Xu said in astonishment and lamentation to Ming, "If even a man of your refinement is like this, how much more so for the rest of us? I do not know how you may be freed." Ming said, "Buy one hundred bundles of firewood to compensate the resident saṃgha, and copy one copy of the Lotus Sūtra." Xu said, "I will exhaust all I possess to manage this for you; may you soon be freed from this suffering!" Thereupon they parted. Xu immediately returned to the monastery, made restitution according to his words, copied the sūtra, and went again to seek him out, but found nothing at all.