三寶感應要略錄 2.9

2.9

唐朝散大夫孫宣德。雍州永安縣人也。德依因緣發願。將造花嚴經。間觸事生不信。即捨廢無惡不造。後射獵落馬悶絕。經一日醒覺悲泣投地。悔過自責。謂思邈曰。吾初死之時。見三人冥官驅沒官。到於大城前。五道大臣位次敘列。閻魔大王安處。於嗔呵吾言。汝癡人人恣造惡。依所殺禽獸愬非分召汝。即見庭中。吾所殺生百千萬。向王各各白非分奪命由。王彌嗔怒。時有一童子。自稱善財。忽至王所。王恭從座下。合掌向童子。童子曰。汝可放宣德。彼發造花嚴未果。所願之時。無不信心。豈以後惡捨前善。王歡喜曰。理實如然。宜可放還。即童子示歸路得醒悟。大花嚴經功德不思議。仍悔先愚。更盡所有書寫之。八十有六而卒。對親友曰。吾寫花嚴。生兜率天。奉事慈氏矣。

Sun Xuande, Chaosan Dafu of the Tang dynasty, was a man of Yong'an County in Yongzhou. Relying on causes and conditions, Xuande made a vow that he would produce a copy of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. Along the way, encountering worldly affairs, doubt arose; thereupon he abandoned it, leaving no evil uncommitted. Later, while hunting, he fell from his horse and was knocked unconscious. After a day, he regained consciousness, weeping bitterly and throwing himself to the ground, repenting of his faults and reproaching himself. He said to Simiao: 'When I first died, I saw three underworld officials driving condemned officials to the front of a great city. The great ministers of the five destinies were arranged in order of rank, and King Yama was seated. In anger he rebuked me, saying: "You foolish person! You indulged in committing evil. In accordance with the complaints of the birds and beasts you killed, you have been summoned contrary to your span!" Then in the courtyard I saw the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of living beings I had killed, each reporting to the king the circumstances of their lives being taken contrary to their allotted span. The king grew increasingly enraged. At that time there was a youth who called himself Sudhana, who suddenly came to the king's presence. Reverently stepping down from his seat, the king joined his palms toward the youth. The youth said: "You should release Xuande. Although he did not fulfill his vow to produce the Avataṃsaka, at the time he made the vow, there was none who lacked faith. How could later evil cause earlier good to be discarded?" The king rejoiced and said: "The principle is indeed so. He should be released and sent back." The youth then showed me the path of return, and I was able to awake. The merit of the Great Avataṃsaka-sūtra is inconceivable!' Repenting of his prior foolishness, he further gave all his possessions to copy it. He died at eighty-six. Addressing his relatives and friends, he said: 'Having copied the Avataṃsaka, I shall be born in Tuṣita Heaven to serve Maitreya.'