法苑珠林 27.52

27.52

The monk Huihe of the Song was a monk of Zhongzao Temple in the capital. During the rebellion of Yijia in the Song, He was still a layman and was suspected of being under Liu Hu's command. Hu once dispatched dozens of officers and soldiers, and encountering scouts moving east, He also went along with them. When they reached Quezhu, they encountered the imperial army advancing west. The scouts scattered, each fleeing into the marshes. He managed to flee downriver, and outside Xinlin he met an old rustic whose clothes were tattered and torn. He exchanged his neat tunic and trousers for the old man's clothes, carrying a basket and shoulder pole like a farmer. At that time, mobile detachments were capturing these scattered scouts; seeing He's appearance and demeanor, they grew suspicious and interrogated him. He's replies were disjointed and evasive, and he was beaten and scourged. When he was about to be beheaded—since he had fled from the dispersal—he had constantly recited the *Avalokiteśvara Sūtra*, and when about to be executed, his prayers grew even more fervent. Then, as the soldier swung the blade, it repeatedly slipped; raised three times, it broke three times. Startled, they released him. He thereupon went forth into the monastic life and achieved diligent practice.