法苑珠林 94.57

94.57

宋京師瓦官寺有釋慧果。婺州人。少以蔬食苦行自業。宋初游京師止瓦官寺誦法華十地。嘗於廁前見一鬼。致敬於果云。昔為眾僧作維那。小不如法墮在噉糞鬼中。法師德素高明。又慈悲為意。願助以拔濟之方也。又云。昔有錢三千文。霾在柿樹根下。願取以為福。果即告眾掘取。果得錢三千文。為造法華一部。并設齋。後夢見此鬼云。已得改生大勝昔日。果以宋太始六年卒。春秋七十有六。

In the capital of the Song dynasty, at Waguan Temple, there was Shi Huiguo. A man of Wuzhou, in his youth he dedicated himself to a vegetarian diet and ascetic practice. At the beginning of the Song, he traveled to the capital, stayed at Waguan Temple, and recited the Lotus Sūtra and Daśabhūmika-sūtra. Once, in front of the privy, he saw a ghost who paid homage to Huiguo, saying: 'In the past I served as the karmadāna for the Saṃgha. Because of a minor infraction against the rules, I fell among the dung-eating ghosts. Master, your virtue is inherently lofty and bright, and your mind is filled with compassion; I beg you to assist me with a means of rescue.' He also said: 'In the past I had three thousand cash buried beneath the roots of a persimmon tree. I wish that you take it to generate merit.' Huiguo immediately told the assembly and dug it up, and indeed found three thousand cash. On his behalf, he had a copy of the Lotus Sūtra made and held a vegetarian feast. Later, he saw this ghost in a dream, saying that he had already attained rebirth far superior to former days. Huiguo died in the sixth year of the Taishi reign period of the Song (470 CE), at the age of seventy-six.