法苑珠林 57.34

57.34

漢雒陽有沙門安清字世高。安息國王正后之太子也。幼以孝行見稱。加又志業聰敏剋意好學。外國典籍及七曜五行醫方異術。乃至鳥獸之聲無不綜達。嘗行見有群燕。忽謂伴曰。燕云應有送食者。頃之果有致焉。眾咸奇之。故俊異之聲早被西域。高窮理盡性。自識宿緣業多有神迹。世莫能量。初高自稱。先身已經出家。有一同學多瞋分衛。值施主不稱情每輒懟恨。高屢加訶諫終不悛改。如此二十餘年。乃與同學辭訣云。我當往廣州畢宿世之對。卿明經精勤不在吾後。而性多恚怒。命過當受惡形。我若有力必當相度。既而遂適廣州。值寇賊大亂。行路逢一年少。唾手拔刀曰。真得汝矣。高笑曰。我宿命負卿故。遠相償卿之忿怒故。是前世時意也。遂申頸受刀。容無懼色。賊遂殺之。觀者盈路莫不駭其奇異。而此神識還為安息王太子。即今時世高身是也。高游化中國宣經事畢。值靈帝之末關雒擾亂。乃振錫江南云。我當過廬山度昔同學行達䢼亭湖廟。此廟舊有靈威。商旅祈禱乃分風上下各無留滯。嘗有乞神竹者。未許輒取。舫即覆沒。竹還本處。自是舟人敬憚莫不懾影。高同旅三十餘人。船主奉牲請福。神乃降祝曰。舫有沙門可更呼上。客咸驚愕請高入廟。神告高曰。吾外國與子俱共出家學道。好行布施。而性多瞋怒。今為䢼亭廟神。周迴千里並吾所治。以布施故珍玩甚豐。以瞋恚故墮此神報。今見同學。悲欣可言。壽盡旦夕。而醜形長大。若於此捨命穢污江湖。當度山西澤中。此身滅後恐墮地獄。吾有絹千匹并雜寶物。可為立法營塔使生善處也。高曰。故來相度何不出形。神曰。形甚醜異眾人必懼。高曰。但出眾不怪也。神從床後出頭。乃是大蟒。不知尾之長短。至高膝邊。高向之梵語數番贊唄數契。蟒悲淚如雨。須臾還隱。高即取絹物辭別而去。舟侶颺帆。蟒復出身登山而望。眾人舉手然後乃滅。倏忽之頃便達豫章。即以廟物造東寺。高去後神即命過。暮有一少年。上船長跪高前受其呪願。忽然不見。高謂船人曰。向之少年即䢼亭廟神。得離惡形矣。於是廟神歇滅無復靈驗。後人於山西澤中見一死蟒頭尾數里。今潯陽郡蛇村是也。高後復到廣州。尋其前世害己少年。時少年尚在。高徑投其家說昔日償對之事。并敘宿緣。歡喜相向云。吾猶有餘報。今當往會稽畢對。廣州客寤高非凡。豁然意解。追恨前愆。厚相資供。隨高東游遂達會稽。至便入市。正值市中有亂。相打者誤著高頭。應時殞命。廣州客頻驗二報。遂精勤佛法具說事緣。遠近聞知莫不悲歎。明三世之有徵也。

In Luoyang of the Han dynasty, there was the śramaṇa An Qing, courtesy name Shigao. He was the crown prince of the principal queen of the king of Parthia. In his youth, he was praised for his filial conduct; moreover, his aspirations and talent were acute and he devoted himself to learning. There were no foreign texts, astrology of the seven luminaries, five phases, medical recipes, esoteric arts, or even the cries of birds and beasts that he did not master comprehensively. Once, while travelling, he saw a flock of swallows and suddenly said to his companion: 'The swallows say that someone should be bringing food.' Shortly afterward, someone indeed brought food. All marveled at him; thus his renown for exceptional brilliance was early known in the Western Regions. Shigao thoroughly grasped principle and fully understood nature; knowing his past karmic conditions, his actions had many divine anomalies beyond the world's measure. At first, Shigao stated of himself that in a previous life he had already renounced household life. He had a fellow student who was prone to anger during alms-gathering (piṇḍapāta): whenever an almsgiver did not fulfill his wishes, he would harbour resentment. Shigao repeatedly admonished him, but he never amended his ways. After more than twenty years like this, Shigao bade farewell to his fellow student, saying: 'I must go to Guangzhou to settle an account from a past life. Your understanding of the scriptures and your diligence are not behind mine, but your nature is prone to rage. After your life ends, you will surely receive an evil form. If I have the power, I will certainly deliver you.' Thereupon he went to Guangzhou, where he encountered a major rebellion by bandits. On the road, he met a young man who spat on his hands, drew his sword, and said: 'I have truly found you!' Shigao smiled and said: 'Because I owed you in a past life, I have come from afar to repay you; your rage is also the intention from that former life.' He then stretched out his neck to receive the sword without any look of fear. The bandit thereupon killed him. Those watching filled the road, and all were astonished by the strange event. This conscious spirit then became the crown prince of the King of Parthia, who is none other than the present Shigao. After Shigao traveled and converted people in China and his work of expounding the scriptures was complete, the Han capital region of Guan-Luo fell into turmoil at the end of the reign of Emperor Ling. Thereupon he shook his mendicant staff and went south of the Yangtze River, saying: 'I should pass Mount Lu to deliver my former fellow student.' Traveling onward, he reached the shrine at Lake Gongting. This shrine had long possessed divine power: when merchant travelers prayed, the wind was divided into headwind and tailwind so that each traveled without delay. Once, someone asked the god for bamboo; before permission was granted, he took it, whereupon his boat capsized and the bamboo returned to its original place. From then on, boatmen revered and feared the deity, none failing to tremble before his shadow. Shigao was travelling with more than thirty companions; when the boat master offered animal sacrifices to pray for blessings, the god descended upon a medium and said: 'There is a śramaṇa on the boat; he may be invited up.' The guests were all astonished and requested Shigao to enter the shrine. The god said to Shigao: 'In a foreign land, I renounced household life and studied the Way together with you. I was fond of practicing dāna, yet my nature was prone to wrath. Now I am the god of Gongting Shrine; a perimeter of a thousand li is all my domain. Because of my dāna, rare treasures are very plentiful; because of my anger, I have fallen into this divine retribution. Now seeing my fellow student, my grief and joy are beyond words. My lifespan will end morning or evening, yet my ugly form is huge and long. If I abandon life here, it will foul the rivers and lakes; I must cross over into the marsh west of the mountain. After this body perishes, I fear I will fall into hell. I have a thousand bolts of silk along with miscellaneous precious objects; you may erect Dharma sites and build a stūpa on my behalf so that I may be born in a good realm.' Shigao said: 'I came expressly to deliver you; why not reveal your form?' The god said: 'My form is exceedingly ugly and strange; the crowd will surely be terrified.' Shigao said: 'Just come out; the crowd will not be shocked.' The god stuck his head out from behind the dais: it was a great python, its tail of unknown length. It came up beside Shigao's knees. Shigao spoke to it in Sanskrit several times and chanted praises in several verses. The python wept tears like rain, and in a moment disappeared again. Shigao then took the silk and goods, bade farewell, and departed. As the voyagers hoisted sail, the python showed its body again, climbed the mountain, and gazed at them; the people raised their hands, and only then did it vanish. In an instant, they reached Yuzhang, where he used the shrine's goods to build Dongsi Temple. After Shigao left, the god passed away. In the evening, a youth boarded the boat, knelt before Shigao, received his blessing, and suddenly vanished. Shigao said to the boatmen: 'The youth just now was the god of the Gongting shrine; he has managed to escape the evil form.' Thereupon the shrine deity's manifestations ceased and had no further efficacy. Later, people found a dead python in the marsh west of the mountain, measuring several li from head to tail; this is the present Snake Village of Xunyang Commandery. Later, Shigao went again to Guangzhou to seek the young man who had killed him in his previous life. The young man was still alive at the time. Shigao went straight to his house, recounted the settlement of the account from the past, and described their past karmic connection. Facing each other with joy, Shigao said: 'I still have a residual retribution; I must now go to Kuaiji to settle the account.' The man of Guangzhou realized that Shigao was no ordinary man, had a sudden awakening of understanding, regretted his former transgression, and generously provided provisions for him. Following Shigao on his eastward journey, they reached Kuaiji. Upon arrival, they entered the market; there happened to be a brawl in the market, and one of the brawlers struck Shigao on the head by mistake, killing him on the spot. Having repeatedly verified both retributions, the man of Guangzhou diligently practiced the Buddha-Dharma and described the affair in full. Near and far, all who heard of it lamented, demonstrating that the three times truly have verification.