第五造釋迦像死從閻羅王宮被還感應(出傳)
Fifth Case: Being Resurrected After Visiting King Yama's Court for Creating a Shakyamuni Statue<note>from a record
凝觀寺僧法慶。開皇三年。造夾紵釋迦立像一軀。舉高一丈六尺。像功未畢。慶身遂卒。其日又有寶昌寺僧大智。死後經三日。亦便蘇活。遂向寺僧說云。於閻羅王前。見僧法慶有憂色。少時之間。又見像來。王前遽來。下階合掌禮拜此像。像謂王曰。法慶造我。今未畢。奈何令死。王自顧問一人曰。法慶令死未。答命未合終。而食斷已盡。王曰。可給荷葉。命終其福業也。俄而不見。大智蘇活。為寺僧說之。乃今於凝觀寺看之。須臾之間。遂法慶蘇活。所說與大智不殊。法慶蘇後。常食荷葉。以為佳味。及噉餘食終不得。下像之後數年乃卒。其像儀相圓滿。屢放光明。此寺雖廢。其像現存云云。
In the Ningguan Temple, a monk named Faqing, during the third year of the Kaihuang era (583 CE), began crafting a standing statue of Shakyamuni Buddha from lacquered cloth. The statue was designed to be sixteen feet tall. Before the statue was completed, Faqing suddenly passed away.
On that same day, another monk named Dazhi from the Baochang Temple died. After three days, he revived and told the monks at his temple: "In the court of King Yama, I saw the monk Faqing with a worried expression. Shortly after, I saw the statue arrive. It swiftly came before the King’s throne, descended the steps, and bowed to the King with palms together. The statue said to the King, 'Faqing is creating me, but the work is not yet finished. Why do you let him die?' The King turned and asked an attendant, 'Is it time for Faqing to die?' The attendant replied, 'His life is not yet over, but his food supply has run out.' The King said, 'Give him lotus leaves, and let his life end according to his good karma.' Then, in an instant, it all vanished."
After Dazhi revived, he told his fellow monks this story. They went to the Ningguan Temple to check. Shortly after, Faqing also revived. His account matched Dazhi’s exactly. After Faqing came back to life, he ate only lotus leaves, which he found delicious. If he ate any other food, he couldn't keep it down. Several years after completing the statue, he passed away.
The statue was perfectly crafted and often emitted a radiant light. Although the temple has since been abandoned, the statue still remains to this day.