法苑珠林 52.38

52.38

The śramaṇa Huiru of Zhenji Temple in the capital during the Tang was diligent and practiced austerities from his youth. He served Xinxing as his master, and after Xinxing passed away, he revered and upheld his teaching. During the Daye era of the Sui, while practicing seated meditation and cultivating concentration, he remained motionless for seven days. The assembly all marveled at this, considering that he had entered samādhi. Soon after, Huiru opened his eyes, with tears streaming down his face. The monastic assembly asked him in surprise about it, and he answered: "My foot has been burned by fire and is painful; wait until I have examined the wound before I speak." The assembly pressed him with questions in astonishment. Huiru said: "I was invited by King Yama to practice the Way for the completion of seven days. The king asked, 'Do you need to see any of your deceased spiritual acquaintances?' I replied that I wished to see two persons. The king immediately sent for one of them, but only a turtle was seen coming, which licked my foot, shed tears from its eyes, and left. Regarding the other person, [the king] said: 'Their sins are grave; they cannot be summoned, but you may be led to go see them.' An envoy led me to the gates of hell. The gates were closed very securely. The envoy called for the keeper, and someone responded. The envoy told me, 'Master, quickly step aside and do not stand facing the gate!' Just as I stepped aside, the gates opened, and a great fire surged out from the gate, bursting like iron sparks from a forge. It struck my foot and burnt it. Looking up at the gates, they had already closed shut, and in the end I was unable to see them. The king presented me with thirty bolts of silk; I firmly declined, but he would not permit it, saying that he had already sent them to my rear chamber." The monks rushed to his room to look, and the silk was indeed on the bed. The burn wound on his foot was as large as a coin and only healed after more than a hundred days. In the early years of the Wude era, he died. Zhenji Temple is the present Huadu Temple. (The above verification is from the Mingbao ji.)