[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法苑珠林](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122) › 65.78 # 法苑珠林 65.78 法苑珠林 65.78 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [65.78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.65.78) 唐武德初中有醴泉縣人。姓徐名善才。一生已來常修齋戒。誦念觀世音經。過逾千遍。每在京師延興寺玄琬律師所。修營功德。敬造一切經。至武德二年十一月。因事還家。道逢胡賊。被捉將去。至豳州南界胡賊凶毒所。捉得漢數千人。各被反縛。將向洪崖差人次第殺之。頭落懸崖。賢者見前皆殺。定知不免。唯念觀音剎那不輟。次到賢者。初下刀時。自見下刀。及至斫時。心不覺惺。當殺之時。日始在申。至於初夜。覺身在深㵎樹枝上坐去岸三百餘尺。賢者便自私念。我何故在此。良久始知今日被殺。何因不死身全在樹。便以手摩項覺項微痛。而無片傷。即知由念觀音得全身命。當時十五日。天時月朗其身無衣。兼不得食經由數日。極覺飢寒。旦漸下樹。循㵎東行二里。於其㵎內拾得一領羊裘。及得一量鞋靺。得著免寒。復行一里便得一魁桃棗。青翠赤白似新摘來。可有升餘得食免飢。自非觀音神力。豈能仲冬得新桃棗。既免飢寒得充氣力。漸上南坡到南岸上。反顧北看遙見賊營數里。人畜聲鬧猶未眠臥。賢者雖到南岸。恐賊來趁望家急行。可行五十里。知賊漸遠身心寧泰。在一樹下歇息跏趺誦念。身勞日久不覺坐至於四更。忽寤開眼見一青狼偉大。向賢者前蹲坐。將口拄賢者鼻。賢者見已還閉目。作念云。若實我讎願食我身以償宿殃。各捨怨結共發仁慈。若是觀音願救弟子令得安泰。作此語已開眼觀視不見遺跡。當知諸佛慈善根力。隨緣感現利益無窮。今時有誦不得力者。良由輕心。復由過現宿惡相資。所以難感。賢者平安到家。并將殘桃。棗呈示道俗。知實不虛（道年幼自見琬師說之耳）。 > In the early years of the Wude reign-period of the Tang, there was a man of Liquan County named Xu Shancai. Throughout his life, he had constantly practiced fasting and precepts, and recited the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra over a thousand times. Whenever he was in the capital, he stayed with the Vinaya Master Xuanwan at Yanxing Temple to cultivate merit and reverently sponsor the production of the entire canon of scriptures. In the eleventh month of the second year of Wude, he was returning home on business when he encountered Hu bandits on the road and was captured by them. They brought him to a cruel and ferocious band of Hu bandits at the southern border of Bin Prefecture, who had captured several thousand Han people. Each of them had their hands bound behind their backs, and the bandits were taking them toward a vast precipice, assigning men to kill them one by one. Their heads tumbled off the overhanging cliff. When the worthy saw that those ahead were all being slaughtered, he knew for certain he could not escape; he did nothing but recite the name of Avalokiteśvara without ceasing for a single instant. Next it was the worthy's turn. When the blade was first brought down, he himself saw the blade descend; but when it actually struck, he was unconscious of it in his mind. When the killing took place, the sun had just entered the hour of the monkey \[3–5 p.m.\]. By early nightfall, he felt himself sitting upon tree branches in a deep ravine, more than three hundred feet from the bank. The worthy then thought to himself: 'Why am I here?' Only after a long while did he realize: 'Today I was slaughtered; by what cause did I not die, my whole body remaining in a tree?' He then stroked his neck with his hand and felt a slight ache, yet there was not the slightest wound. He immediately knew that by mindfulness of Avalokiteśvara his life and whole body had been preserved. It was the fifteenth day at the time, and the weather was clear with a bright moon. He had no clothes upon his body, and moreover, having had no food for several days, he felt extremely hungry and cold. At dawn he gradually climbed down the tree and followed the ravine eastward for two li. Inside the ravine he found a sheepskin robe, as well as a pair of boots; having put them on, he was spared the cold. Walking another li, he then found a basket of peaches and dates, fresh green and bright red as if newly plucked. There was about a sheng or more, and eating them he was spared starvation. Were it not for the divine power of Avalokiteśvara, how could he have obtained fresh peaches and dates in midwinter? Having escaped hunger and cold and regained his physical strength, he gradually climbed up the southern slope and reached the southern bank. Looking back toward the north, he could see the bandits' camp several li in the distance, the clamor of people and livestock still not asleep. Although the worthy had reached the southern bank, fearing that the bandits might pursue him, he walked swiftly toward home. After walking perhaps fifty li, knowing that the bandits were gradually farther away, his body and mind grew calm and peaceful. Resting under a tree, he sat cross-legged and recited his prayers. Because his body had been weary for many days, he did not realize that he sat until the fourth watch. Suddenly awakening, he opened his eyes and saw a huge dark wolf crouching before him, pressing its mouth right against the worthy's nose. Seeing this, the worthy closed his eyes again and thought: 'If you are indeed my creditor, I am willing for you to eat my body to repay my past misfortunes. May we each abandon our grudges and knots, and together give rise to benevolence and compassion. If you are Avalokiteśvara, I pray you rescue your disciple and cause me to attain peace.' After he spoke these words, he opened his eyes and looked around, but not a trace was to be seen. One should know that the power of the roots of compassion and kindness of all Buddhas manifests sympathetically according to conditions, yielding inexhaustible benefits. Nowadays, there are those who recite but do not obtain efficacy; this is truly due to a light-minded attitude, and also because past and present past misdeeds reinforce one another, so that it is difficult to elicit resonance. The worthy arrived home in peace and safety, and showed the remaining peaches and dates to clergy and laity alike, so that they knew it was truly not false. (I, Daoshi, personally heard Master Xuanwan relate this in my youth.) > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 65.77](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.65.77) - [Next: 65.79](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.65.79) - [Up: 65](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.65) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.65.78) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.65.78](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.65.78) · Pramāṇa