法苑珠林 89.123

89.123

唐華州鄭縣人張法義。年少貧野不修禮度。貞觀十一年入華山伐樹。遇見一僧坐巖穴中。法義便就與語。會天晦冥不歸留宿。夜僧設松柏末以供養之。謂法義曰。貧道久不欲外人知。檀越出慎勿言相見。因為說俗人多罪累死皆惡道。至心懺悔可以滅之。乃令淨浴清淨被僧衣為懺悔。旦而別去至十九年法義病死。埋於野外。貧無棺椁以新木瘞之。而蘇自推木出歸家。家人驚愕審問。知活乃喜。法義自說。初有兩人來取乘空行。至官府入大門。又巡街南行十許里。街左右皆有官曹。門閭相對。不可勝數。法義至一曹見官人。遙責使者曰。是華州張法義也。本限三日至何因乃淹七日。使者云。法義家狗惡。兼有呪師。呪神見打甚困。袒衣而背青腫。官曰。稽過多咎。與杖二十。言杖亦畢。血流灑地。官曰。將法義過錄事。錄事署發文書。令送付判官。判官召主典。取法義按。按簿甚多盈一床。主典對法義前披檢云。去簿多先朱句畢。有未朱句者。則錄之曰。貞觀十一年法義父使刈禾。義反顧張目私罵不孝。合杖八十。始錄一條。即見昔巖穴中僧來。判官起迎問何事。僧曰。張法義是貧道弟子。其罪並懺悔訖滅除。天曹案中已句畢。今枉追來不合死。主典云。經懺悔者。此案句了。至如張目罵父。雖蒙懺悔事未句了。僧曰。若不如此。當取案勘之。應有福利。抑判官令典將法義過王。王宮東殿宇宏壯侍衛數千人。僧亦隨至王所。王起迎僧。王曰。師當直來耶。答曰。未當次直。有弟子張法義被錄來。此人宿罪並貧道句訖。未合死。主典又以張目視父事過王。王曰。張目懺悔此不合免。然師為來請。可特放七日。法義白僧曰。七日既不多。後來恐不見師。請即住隨師。師曰。七日七年也。可早去。法義固請隨僧。僧因請王筆。書法義掌中作一字。又請王印。印之曰。可急去還家。憑福報。後來不可見我。宜以掌印呈王。王自當放汝也。法義乃辭出。僧令送出至其家內止黑。義不敢入。使者推之。遂活。覺在土中甚輕薄。以手推排得出。因入山就山僧修福。義掌中所印之處文不可識。然皆為瘡。終莫能愈。至今尚存。隴西王博與法義隣近委之。王為臨說（右一驗出寘報記）。

Zhang Fayi was a native of Zheng County in Huazhou during the Tang dynasty. In his youth, he was poor and rustic, observing no propriety or standards. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, he entered Mount Hua to cut trees and met a monk sitting in a rock cavern. Fayi approached and spoke with him. It happened that the sky grew dark, so he could not return and stayed the night. In the night, the monk set out powdered pine and cypress to offer him, and said to Fayi: 'For a long time, I, a poor monk, have not wished outsiders to know of me. When you leave, Danapati, be careful not to say we have met.' He then explained to him that laypeople have many karmic burdens and upon death all fall into evil paths, but through sincere deśanā these can be eradicated. He then had him bathe cleanly, put on monastic robes, and perform deśanā for him. At dawn they parted. In the nineteenth year, Fayi died of illness and was buried in the wilds. Being poor, he had no inner or outer coffin, so he was buried with fresh logs. Yet he revived, pushed the logs out himself, and returned home. His family was astounded, and upon close inquiry, they rejoiced to learn he was alive. Fayi himself recounted: 'At first, two men came to take me, traveling through the air. We reached an official bureau and entered the main gate, then went along a street southward for about ten li. To the left and right of the street were official departments, their gates facing each other in countless numbers. Fayi reached one department and saw an official, who from afar rebuked the messengers: "This is Zhang Fayi of Huazhou. The original deadline was three days; why have you delayed for seven days?" The messengers said: "Fayi's dog was vicious, and moreover there was an incantation master. The incantation spirits struck us severely; we were greatly distressed." They bared their clothes, and their backs were bruised and swollen. The official said: "The delay incurs much blame; give them twenty strokes of the cane." As soon as he spoke, the caning was finished, and blood splattered the ground. The official said: "Take Fayi across to the recording clerk." The recording clerk's office issued a document ordering him to be sent to the judge. The judge summoned the chief clerk to fetch Fayi's dossier. The dossier volumes were very numerous, filling a whole table. The chief clerk unrolled and examined them in front of Fayi, saying: "Most of the previous register has already been ticked off in red vermilion. For those not yet ticked, record them." He then noted: "In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, Fayi's father had him harvest grain. Fayi looked back with glaring eyes and secretly cursed him, being unfilial; he deserves eighty strokes of the cane." Just as he began to record this one item, the monk from the rock cavern of former days arrived. The judge rose to welcome him and asked what business brought him. The monk said: "Zhang Fayi is my disciple. His offenses have all been confessed and eradicated through deśanā, and already ticked off in the dossiers of the Heavenly Bureau. Now he has been wrongfully summoned; he is not supposed to die." The chief clerk said: "What underwent deśanā has been ticked off in this dossier. As for glaring and cursing his father, although it received deśanā, the matter has not yet been ticked off." The monk said: "If it is not so, you should fetch the dossier to check it; there should be merit and fortune." Overriding the judge, he had the clerk take Fayi across to the King. The eastern hall of the King's palace was magnificent, with several thousand attendants and guards. The monk also followed to the King's presence. The King rose to welcome the monk and asked: "Has the Master come on his shift of duty?" He replied: "It is not yet my turn for duty. My disciple Zhang Fayi was recorded and brought here. This man's past karma was completely ticked off by me; he is not yet meant to die." The chief clerk again reported to the King the matter of glaring at his father. The King said: "As for the deśanā for glaring, this cannot be pardoned. However, since the Master has come to plead for him, he may be specially released for seven days." Fayi said to the monk: "Seven days is not long; when I come back later, I fear I will not see the Master. I beg to stay now and follow the Master." The monk said: "Seven days means seven years. You should leave quickly." Fayi stubbornly begged to follow the monk. The monk then requested the King's brush, wrote a character in Fayi's palm, and further requested the King's seal to stamp it, saying: "Go quickly and return home. Rely on the recompense of merit. When you come later, you will not be able to see me. You should present the seal in your palm to the King, and the King will naturally release you." Fayi then bowed and departed. The monk had him escorted out until he reached his home, which was pitch-black inside. Fayi dared not enter, but the messenger pushed him, and he revived. Feeling that the earth above him was very light and thin, he pushed it aside with his hands and was able to get out. Consequently, he entered the mountains to cultivate merit alongside the mountain monk. The writing where the seal was stamped in Fayi's palm was illegible, yet it all turned into a sore that could never heal, and still remains today.' Wang Bo of Longxi, who was a neighbor of Fayi, knew the details and recounted it for Lin. (The above one proof is from the Mingbao Ji.)