法苑珠林 28.35

28.35

隋終南山楩梓谷釋普安。姓郭氏。癰州北涇陽人也。儀軌行法。獨處林野。不宿人世。專崇禪思。至于沒齒栖遲荒險。不避狼虎常讀華嚴。手不釋卷。遵修苦行亡身為物。常游山野用施禽獸。虎豹雖來嗅而不食。常懷耿耿不副情願。值周廢教常共碩德三十餘僧。避地終南安置幽谷。自身行乞資給豐足。雖被聞徹皆獲免難。時有藹法師。避難在義谷杜映世家。掘窯藏之。安被放還。因過禮覲。藹曰。安公明解佛法頗未寬多。而神志絕倫不避強禦。蓋難及也。安曰。今蒙脫難乃惟華嚴經力也。至隋文帝創歷佛教大興。廣募遣僧依舊安置。時楩梓一谷三十餘僧。應詔出家並住官寺。唯安一人習樂山居守素林壑。時行村聚慧益生靈。終寢煙霞不接浮俗。末有人於子午虎林兩谷合㵎之側。鑿龕結菴延而住之。初住龕日上有大石正當其上恐落掘出。逐峻崩下。安自念曰。願移餘處莫碎龕窟。石遂依言迸避餘所。大眾共怪。安曰。是華嚴經力也。未足異之。又於龕東石壁㵎左有索陀者。川鄉巨害縱橫非一。陰嫉安德常恐思誅。與伴三人持弓挾刃攘臂挽強。將欲放箭。箭不離弦手張不息。怒眼舌䶖立住經宿。聲相通振遠近雲會。鄉人稽首歸誠請救。安曰。素志不知。豈非華嚴力也。若欲除免但令懺悔。如語教之方蒙解脫。又龕西魏村張暉者。夙興惡念以盜為業。夜往安所私取佛油。甕受五斗背負而出。既至院門迷昏失路。若有所縛不能得動。眷屬鄉村同來為謝。安曰。余不知也。蓋華嚴力也。語令懺悔。扶取油甕。如語得脫。又龕南張卿者。來盜安錢袖中持去。既達家內寫而不出。口齽無言。卿尋歸懺服過而去。又有程郭村程暉和者。頗懷信向。常來安所聽受法要。因患身死。已經兩宿纏屍於地。伺欲棺斂。安時先往鄠縣返還在道。行達西南之德行寺。東去暉村五里。遙喚程暉和何為不見迎耶。連聲不已。田人告曰。和久死矣。無由迎矣。安曰。斯乃浪語吾不信也。尋至其村厲聲大喚。和遂動身。傍親乃割所纏繩令斷。安入其庭。又大喚之。和即忽起匍匐就安。安令屏除棺器。覆一竹筌以當佛坐。令和繞旋。尋服如故。更壽二十年。後遇重病來投乞救。安曰。放爾游蕩非吾知也。便遂命終。時安風聲搖逸道俗榮荷。其側眾也皆來請謁。興建福會多有通感。故於昆明池東北白村有老母。病臥失瘖。百有餘日。指揮男女思見安形。會其母意請來至宅。病母既見不覺下迎。言問起居奄同常日。遂失病苦。于時聲名更振。村聚齊集欲設大齋。大萬村中有田遺生者。家途壁立而有四女。妻著弊布至膝而已。四女赤露逈無覆身。大女名華嚴年已二十。唯有麁布二尺擬充布施。安引村眾次至其門。愍斯貧苦遂度不入。大女思念。由我貧煎不及福會。今又不修當來何救。周遍求物間無一物仰面悲號。遂見屋甍。一把亂穈穰。用塞明孔。挽取抖擻得穀十粒。揉以成米。并將前布擬用隨喜。身既無衣。待至夜暗匍匐而行趣齋供所。以前施物遙擲眾中。十餘粒米別奉炊飯。因發願曰。女人窮困。由昔種慳業今得貧報困苦如是。今竭貧行施用希來報。作此願已以此十粒黃米投飯甑中。必若至誠貧業盡者。當願所炊之飯變成黃色。如無所感命也奈何。作此誓已掩淚而返。於是甑中五石米飯並成黃色。大眾驚嗟未知所以。周尋緣搆。乃云。是用田遺生女之願力也。齋會齊率獲粟十斛。尋濟之。安辦法衣仍度華嚴。送入京寺。爾後聲名重振。弘悟難述。安居處雖隱每行慈救。年常二社血祀者多。周行救贖勸修法義。不殺生邑其數不少。嘗於龕側村社。縛猪三頭將加烹宰。安聞往贖。社人恐不得殺增價索錢十千。安曰。貧道見有三千已加本價十倍可以相與。眾各不同更相忿競。忽有小兒羊皮裹腹來至社會。助安贖猪。既見諍競因從乞酒。行飲行舞焜煌旋轉。合社老少眼並失明。須臾自隱不知所在。安即引刀自割髀肉曰。此彼俱肉耳。猪食糞穢爾尚噉之。況人食米理是貴也。社人聞見一時同放。猪既得脫。繞安三匝以鼻𧌮觸。若有愛敬。故使効之。南西五十里內雞猪絕嗣。乃至于今。其感發慈善皆此類也。性多誠信樂讀華嚴。一鉢三衣累紀彌勵。開皇八年頻勅入京為皇儲門師。長公主營建靜法。復延住寺。名雖帝宇常寢巖阿。以大業五年十一月五日。終于靜法禪院。春秋八十矣。

Shi Puan of Pianzi Valley in the Zhongnan Mountains during the Sui dynasty was surnamed Guo. He was a native of Jingyang in north Yongzhou. Observing the rules of conduct and the practices of the Dharma, he dwelt alone in the forests and wilds, never lodging in the secular world. He focused purely on venerating dhyāna contemplation, wandering in barren and perilous places until the end of his days. Avoiding neither wolves nor tigers, he constantly recited the Avataṃsaka, never letting the scroll leave his hand. He cultivated ascetic practices, sacrificing his body for living beings, often roaming the mountain wilds to offer it to birds and beasts. Though tigers and leopards came, they would only sniff him and not eat him. He was always troubled that his deep desire was not fulfilled. When encountering the suppression of the teachings under the Zhou dynasty, he fled to Zhongnan together with more than thirty monks of eminent virtue, settling in a secluded valley. He personally went on begging rounds to supply them with ample provisions. Although reports of him reached [the authorities], all managed to escape harm. At that time, Dharma Master Ai had taken refuge from the calamity at the home of Du Yingshi in Yigu, where they dug a cellar to hide him. When Puan was released and returned, he stopped by to pay his respects. Ai said, 'Venerable An's lucid understanding of the Buddha-Dharma is perhaps not yet vast and comprehensive, yet his spiritual resolve is peerless, unyielding before the mighty and oppressive. He is indeed hard to equal!' Puan replied, 'That I have now escaped calamity is solely through the power of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra.' When Emperor Wen of the Sui founded his dynastic calendar, Buddhism flourished greatly. He widely recruited and dispatched monks to settle in their former places. At that time, more than thirty monks from the single valley of Pianzi complied with the imperial edict to enter the monastic life, all taking up residence in official monasteries. Puan alone took delight in mountain living, maintaining his simplicity amid the forested ravines. From time to time he went among villages and gatherings, wisely benefiting living beings, but he always rested amid the mists and clouds, avoiding contact with worldly vanity. Later, someone carved a niche and built a hut by the side of the confluent ravine of the two valleys of Ziwu and Hulin, inviting him to reside there. On the day he first took up residence in the niche, there was a great boulder directly above it. Fearing it might fall, they dug it out, and it tumbled down following the steep slope. Puan thought to himself, 'May it move elsewhere and not smash the niche and cave.' The boulder then burst away to another place in accordance with his words. The assembly all marvelled at it. Puan said, 'This is the power of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra; it is not worth wondering at.' Moreover, east of the niche, by the stone cliff to the left of the ravine, there was a man named Suo Tuo, a great menace to the river valley whose unruly deeds were many. Harboring secret jealousy of Puan's virtue and always fearful [of his influence], he sought to kill him. Together with three companions, carrying bows and clasping blades, he bared his arms and drew a powerful bow, about to loose his arrow. The arrow would not leave the bowstring, and his hand remained locked in tension without ceasing. With glaring eyes and bared teeth, he stood transfixed through the night. The news spread and vibrated far and near, and people gathered like clouds. The villagers bowed their heads, showed sincere devotion, and begged for rescue. Puan said, 'From the start I had no intention of this; is this not the power of the Avataṃsaka? If you wish to be relieved, you need only repent.' As he instructed them to do so, [Suo Tuo] then obtained release. Furthermore, west of the niche in Wei Village, there was one Zhang Hui, who had long harbored evil thoughts and took theft as his occupation. At night he went to Puan's place and secretly took the Buddha's oil, carrying out a jar holding five dou on his back. Once he reached the courtyard gate, he became disoriented and lost his way, as if bound by something, unable to move. His family and fellow villagers came together to offer apologies. Puan said, 'I know nothing of this; it is merely the power of the Avataṃsaka.' He told them to repent and help him put down the oil jar; in accordance with his words, [Zhang Hui] was freed. Furthermore, south of the niche, one Zhang Qing came to steal Puan's coins, carrying them off in his sleeve. Once he reached home, he tried to pour them out but they would not come forth, and his mouth locked so that he could not speak. Zhang soon returned, repented, admitted his transgression, and departed. There was also one Cheng Huihe of Chengguo Village, who possessed a fair degree of faith and devotion, often coming to Puan's place to listen to the essentials of the Dharma. He fell ill and died; two nights had already passed, and the corpse was bound on the ground, awaiting encoffining. At that time, Puan had previously gone to Hu County and was on his way back. He arrived at the Dexing Monastery in the southwest, five li east of Hui's village. From afar he called out, 'Cheng Huihe, why have you not come to welcome me?' He called out repeatedly without stopping. A farmer informed him, 'He died long ago; there is no way for him to welcome you.' Puan said, 'These are idle words; I do not believe them.' He soon arrived at the village and cried out in a loud voice. He thereupon moved his body. His nearby kin then cut the binding cords to sever them. Puan entered the courtyard and shouted to him again. He immediately got up and crawled toward Puan. Puan had them clear away the coffin and equipment, overturned a bamboo fish trap to serve as a Buddha-seat, and made He circumambulate it. He soon recovered as before, and lived for another twenty years. Later, encountering severe illness, he came to seek rescue. Puan said, 'I allowed you to wander freely; this is beyond my doing.' He then passed away. At that time, Puan's fame spread far and wide; clergy and laity honored him, and the multitude from the surrounding regions all came to pay homage. When he initiated auspicious assemblies, there were many sympathetic resonances. Thus, northeast of Kunming Pool in Bai Village, an elderly mother had been bedridden and struck dumb for more than a hundred days. She gestured to her sons and daughters, yearning to see Puan's person. Comprehending their mother's intention, they invited him to their residence. When the sick mother saw him, she unconsciously stepped down to welcome him, speaking and inquiring after his well-being just as on ordinary days, and her painful illness vanished. Thereupon his fame resonated even more, and the villages assembled, wishing to offer a great vegetarian feast. In Dawan Village there was a man named Tian Yisheng, whose household was destitute, possessing only bare walls, yet he had four daughters. His wife wore tattered hemp that barely reached her knees, and his four daughters were stark naked, with nothing covering their bodies. The eldest daughter, named Huayan, was already twenty years old, and possessed only two chi of coarse cloth intended for an offering. When Puan led the village assembly and passed by their gate, pitying their destitution, he bypassed them and did not enter. The eldest daughter reflected, 'Because of our tormenting poverty, we cannot participate in the gathering of blessings. If I do not cultivate [merit] now, how can I be saved in the future?' Searching everywhere for something, she found not a single object. Looking up and wailing in sorrow, she then noticed in the ridgepole of the roof a clump of discarded foxtail-millet straw used to plug a skylight. Pulling it down and shaking it out, she obtained ten grains of grain, which she hulled into rice. Taking this together with the earlier cloth, she intended to rejoice and make her offering. Having no clothes on her body, she waited until the dark of night, crawling along toward the place of the vegetarian feast. From afar, she threw the former offering into the midst of the assembly, and offered the ten-odd grains of rice separately for cooking the meal. She then made a vow: 'As an impoverished woman, because I sowed the karmic cause of stinginess in the past, I now receive this retribution of poverty and suffer such distress. Now, giving up all my poverty, I practice generosity in hopes of future retribution. Having made this vow, I cast these ten grains of yellow rice into the cooking steamer. If my utmost sincerity can truly exhaust my poverty karma, may the cooked rice turn entirely yellow. If there is no sympathetic resonance, what can I do about my fate?' Having made this oath, she wiped her tears and returned. Thereupon, the five dan of rice in the steamer all turned yellow. The great assembly marvelled, not knowing the cause. Inquiring on all sides into the circumstances, it was said, 'This was through the vow-power of Tian Yisheng's daughter.' The vegetarian assembly joined together to collect and donate ten hu of millet, which they promptly gave to assist her. Puan provided her with monastic robes and ordained her as Huayan, sending her to a monastery in the capital. Thereafter, his reputation resounded anew, and his vast awakening was beyond description. Though Puan's dwelling was hidden, he constantly practiced compassionate rescue. Every year, at the two seasonal sacrifices to the earth god, blood offerings were numerous; he traveled around redeeming [the sacrificial beasts] and encouraging the cultivation of the Dharma's meaning, so that villages that did not kill living beings were not few. Once, at a village earth-shrine beside his niche, three pigs were bound and about to be slaughtered and cooked. Hearing of it, Puan went to redeem them. Fearing they would not be allowed to slaughter them, the shrine-folk raised the price and demanded ten thousand coins. Puan said, 'I, a poor monk, currently have three thousand, which already exceeds the original price tenfold; it can be given to you.' The crowd held divergent views and began to squabble angrily with one another. Suddenly, a young boy wrapped in a sheepskin around his belly came to the shrine gathering to assist Puan in redeeming the pigs. Seeing the dispute, he asked for wine, drinking as he danced, spinning dazzlingly around. The eyes of both old and young in the entire shrine were all struck blind. In an instant, the boy vanished of himself, and no one knew where he had gone. Puan then drew a knife, cut the flesh from his own thigh, and said, 'This and that are both just flesh. Pigs eat filth and excrement, yet you still devour them; how much more so is a human who eats rice noble by nature!' Hearing and seeing this, the shrine-folk released them all at once. Once the pigs were freed, they circumambulated Puan three times, nudging him with their snouts as though expressing affection and respect, causing others to emulate them. Within fifty li to the south and west, the lineages of chickens and pigs were terminated, lasting even until the present day. His inspiring of compassion and kindness was all of this sort. By nature, he possessed great sincerity and faith, and delighted in reciting the Avataṃsaka. With only one bowl and three robes, over many decades he became ever more diligent. In the eighth year of Kaihuang, he was repeatedly summoned to the capital by imperial edict to serve as master at the gate of the Crown Prince. When the Senior Princess constructed the Jingfa Monastery, she also invited him to dwell there. Though his name was recorded in the imperial precincts, he constantly slept in the rocky ravines. On the fifth day of the eleventh month in the fifth year of Daye, he passed away in the Dhyāna Courtyard of Jingfa Monastery at the age of eighty.