經律異相 37.33

37.33

There was an upāsaka who originally served non-Buddhist traditions; abhorring suffering, he offered prayers and sacrifices. Leaving them behind, he entered the Dharma, upholding the precepts and striving diligently. He earnestly recited the sūtras, took delight in giving without seeking return, bore forbearance in his mind, and constantly harbored a compassionate heart. Suddenly contracting a violent illness, he passed away. When he was on the verge of death, he instructed his parents, saying: 'If my illness proves fatal, do not encoffin me for seven days.' Abruptly, as if dead, his corpse was kept for eight days. His relatives all said: 'He should be encoffined and buried immediately.' His parents said: 'He has not become swollen or foul-smelling; we wish to keep him until the tenth day.' At the moment of these words, they saw his eyes open, though he was not yet able to move. His parents were delighted and watched over him until the tenth day, whereupon he sat up on his own and was well able to speak. When they asked where he had come from and everything he had seen, he replied, saying: 'Officers and soldiers came and took me to a great city. Inside the city there was a prison. The prison was pitch black, with iron walls on all four sides. The city gates were all made of iron glowing red-hot from burning. People confined in the prison sat in the midst of fire, which blazed thoroughly from top to bottom, with blue smoke rising up. Some people cut their flesh with knives and ate it. The king of the prison asked me, saying: "What sort of person are you? What crime have you committed to have come here? Here we punish the five heinous crimes, failure to be filial to parents, and failure to serve one’s lord with loyalty and trustworthiness." I replied, saying: "When young, I was deluded by evil people, serving non-Buddhist traditions in foolish ignorance. I also drank alcohol, killed living beings, and sacrificed to heaven and earth. Moreover, in the marketplace, I sought wealth and gain, using dry measures and length measures wishing to enrich myself. Later, I met a good teacher who led me into the Buddha’s path. I saw a śramaṇa, a man of the Way, who conferred the five precepts upon me and taught me to practice the ten wholesome deeds. From that time until today, I have committed no more evil. I rely upon the radiant king's pity on my shortcoming." I then bowed my head. The king immediately stood up, clasped his hands, and said to me: "Stop, stop! A person of pure faith should not do this." He then offered me a seat, summoned an officer, and asked him: "This is a disciple of the Unsurpassed, True and Correct [One]. You all ought to attain deliverance through such a person! Only when such a person's life span comes naturally to an end should he die. His consciousness and spirit follow his deeds: if he is to be born in heaven, the heavenly spirits welcome him; if he is to be born among humans, the human realm welcomes him. How could you bring this person here and have him enter this place for the five heinous crimes?" The officer replied to the king, saying: "In the world there are many of this kind of people: they do not fear the king's law; they do not fear the four seasons; they are not bound by the Five Phases; they run rampant under heaven along with heaven and earth's ghosts and spirits. They cannot be left unquestioned. There are teachers called śramaṇas who, having shaved their hair, wear coarse and crude garments; through this they are arrogant, taking many disciples east, west, south, and north. They are even more extreme than this; they ought to be punished." The king said: "Stop, stop! Those wearing the Dharma robes are honored and respected by people, and feared and deferred to by others. The various Śakras, Brahmās, kings within the sun and moon, and down to emperors, kings, ministers, and commoners—those who honor and serve such people obtain immeasurable merit, while those who slight and insult them bring sin and suffering upon themselves. Quick, examine the register to see whether his life span should be ended or not." The officer said: "He should not yet be dead. He still has twenty years of remaining life. Because of sins he had previously committed, we therefore took him, so as to humble his kind a little." The king said: "The Buddha's disciples who have precepts and vigor are honored by the heavenly spirits. With great compassion, the Buddha rescues and protects all, down to flying and wriggling creatures; the heavenly spirits, earthly deities, and all ghosts and dragons honor and revere him. How could he be constrained by royal signs, the four seasons, or the Five Phases? The Buddha’s grace is like the four oceans, which cannot be measured." The officer said: "Does the Great King uphold the Buddha's precepts?" The king said: "Because I did not uphold the Buddha's precepts, I incurred guilt and was made this king of the prison. If someone has already entered the True Dharma and later regrets it and returns to non-Buddhist traditions, even if he lives a thousand years, he will encounter the nine untimely deaths. If precept-holding bhikṣus and their disciples diligently practice the six perfections, cut off the six decays, and sever the twenty matters (also found in the sūtra text), and contemplate the Buddha's merit, it is like a vast ocean, unfathomable." The officer said: "It is truly as the king says. I failed to distinguish the true from the false. Quickly dispatch him, take leave with an apology, and let him go." Falling from a high place, I suddenly revived.' Together with his parents, he went to the Jetavana, reflecting upon and disciplining himself, receiving the five precepts, and practicing the ten wholesome deeds (From the Sūtra on the Disciple Who Died and Returned to Life).