法苑珠林 46.52

46.52

唐雍州長安縣高法眼。是隋代僕射高頴之玄孫。至龍朔三年正月二十五日。向中臺參選。日午還家。舍在義寧坊東南隅。向街開門。化度寺東即是高家。欲出子城西順義門。城內逢兩騎馬逐後。既出城已漸近逼之。出城門外。道北是普光寺。一人語騎馬人云。汝走捉普光寺門。勿令此人入寺。恐難捉得此人依語馳走守門。法眼怕不得入寺。便向西走復至西街金城坊。南門道西有會昌寺。復加四馬騎。更語前二乘馬人云。急守會昌寺門。此人依語走捉寺門。法眼怕。急便語乘馬人云。汝是何人敦逼於我。乘馬人云。王遣我來取汝。法眼語云。何王遣來。乘馬人云。閻羅王遣來。法眼既聞閻羅王使來。審知是鬼。即共相拒。鬼便大怒云。急截頭髮却一鬼捉刀即截法眼兩髻。附肉落地。便至西街悶絕落馬暴死不覺。既至大街要路。踟蹰之間看人逾千。有巡街果毅瞋守街人。何因聚眾。守街人具述逗留。次西街首即是高宅。便喚家人輿向舍。至明始蘇便語家內人云。吾入地獄見閻羅王。昇大高座瞋責吾云。汝何因向化度寺明藏師房內食常住僧菓子。宜吞四百顆熱鐵丸令四年吞了。人中一日當地獄一年。四日便了。從正月二十六日至二十九日便盡。或日食百顆。當二十六日惺了之時。復有諸鬼取來法眼。復共鬼鬪相趁力屈不加。復悶暴死至地獄令吞鐵丸。當吞之時咽喉開縮。身體燋捲變為紅色。吞盡乃蘇。蘇已王又語言。汝何因不敬三寶。說僧過惡。汝吞鐵丸盡已。宜受鐵犁耕舌一年。至二十九日既吞鐵丸了。到正月三十日平旦復死至地獄中。復受鐵犁耕舌。自見其舌長數里。傍人看見吐出一尺餘。王復語獄卒。此人以說三寶長短。以大鐵斧截却舌根。獄卒斫之不斷。王復語云。以斧細剉其舌。將入鑊湯煮之。煮復不爛。王復怪問所由。法眼啟王云。臣曾讀法華經。王初不信。令檢功德部。見案內有讀法華經一部。王檢知實始放出來。其人見在蘇惺如舊。觀者如市見者發心。合門信敬勵志精勤。檀忍不虧誡誠無倦。京城道俗共知不煩引證。

Gao Fayan of Chang'an County in Yongzhou under the Tang was the great-great-grandson of Gao Jiong, Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs under the Sui dynasty. On the twenty-fifth day of the first month in the third year of the Longshuo reign, he went to the Department of State Affairs to participate in the civil selections. At noon he returned home; his residence was at the southeast corner of Yining Ward, with its gate opening onto the street, and immediately east of Huadu Temple was the Gao residence. Wishing to exit the Shunyi Gate to the west of the imperial city, he encountered two mounted horsemen pursuing behind him inside the city. Having exited the city, they gradually pressed close to him. Outside the city gate, north of the road, was Puguang Temple. One person said to the horsemen: 'Run and seize the gate of Puguang Temple! Do not let this man enter the temple, lest it be difficult to catch him.' This man galloped according to the words to guard the gate. Fayan was frightened that he could not enter the temple, so he ran west and came again to Jincheng Ward on the west street. To the west of the south gate road, there was Huichang Temple. Four more horsemen were added, who further said to the previous two riders: 'Quickly guard the gate of Huichang Temple!' This man ran to seize the temple gate according to the words. Fayan was frightened and in urgency said to the horsemen: 'Who are you to press me so urgently?' The horseman said: 'The King has sent me to take you.' Fayan said: 'Which king sent you?' The horseman said: 'King Yama sent us.' When Fayan heard that King Yama's messengers had come, he clearly knew they were ghosts, and so resisted them. The ghost then became very angry, saying: 'Quickly cut off his hair!' One ghost drew a knife and immediately cut off both of Fayan's hair knots, falling to the ground flush with the flesh. Thereupon reaching the west street, he fainted, fell from his horse, and died suddenly without awareness. Having reached a major thoroughfare and pivotal road, in the hesitation and commotion more than a thousand people came to watch. A street-patrolling intrepid officer angrily asked the street guards why a crowd was gathering. The street guards recounted the delay in full. Next to the head of the west street was the Gao residence, so they called his family members to carry him home in a litter. Only at dawn did he revive, and he said to his family: 'I entered hell and saw King Yama ascending a grand, high seat, who angrily rebuked me, saying: "Why did you go to the chamber of Master Mingzang at Huadu Temple and eat the fruit belonging to the permanent Saṃgha? You ought to swallow four hundred red-hot iron pellets, taking four years to swallow them all. One day among humans corresponds to one year in hell, so in four days it will be completed." From the twenty-sixth to the twenty-ninth day of the first month, they were exhausted, eating a hundred pellets a day. When I regained consciousness on the twenty-sixth day, various ghosts came again to take me, Fayan. I fought with the ghosts again, but being pursued and exhausted of strength, I could do no more. I fainted and died suddenly again, going to hell to be made to swallow the iron pellets. When swallowing them, my throat dilated and contracted, and my body was scorched and curled up, turning red. Only after swallowing all of them did I revive. When I revived, the King said to me again: "Why did you not venerate the Three Jewels and speak of the faults and misdeeds of the Saṃgha? After you finish swallowing the iron pellets, you ought to undergo having an iron plow plow your tongue for one year." When the iron pellets had been swallowed on the twenty-ninth day, at dawn on the thirtieth day of the first month, I died again and arrived in hell, where I again underwent having an iron plow plow my tongue. I saw my own tongue several li long, while bystanders saw it sticking out more than a foot. The King further said to the hell wardens: "Since this man spoke of the merits and defects of the Three Jewels, cut off the root of his tongue with a great iron axe." The hell wardens chopped at it, but it would not sever. The King said again: "Chop his tongue finely with an axe, and take it into the boiling cauldron to boil it." When boiled, it still did not soften or decompose. The King was again astonished and asked the reason. Fayan reported to the King: "Your servant once read the Lotus Sūtra." The King at first did not believe it and ordered the Bureau of Merits inspected. They saw in the records that there was one reading of the Lotus Sūtra. Only after the King inspected and verified it was I released to come out.' This person is currently alive and revived as before. Those who looked on were like a marketplace, and those who saw it gave rise to the aspiration [for awakening]. The whole family faithfully venerates, exerting their wills in energetic diligence; dāna and kṣānti are not lacking, and precepts and sincerity are without weariness. Both the monastics and laity of the capital know of it, so there is no need to adduce further proof.