106. SHAMAN LI
During the Taiyuan reign, in Linhai Commandery there was a shaman surnamed Li.49 No one knew where he was from. He was able to tell fortunes by divination and reading faces. He made magical water to treat patients, and many of them were healed. He also worshiped Buddha and read sutras.
He told others, “Next year there will be a great plague and this area will be the worst place. After another two dozen years, in the big commandery to the northwest of this place, stiff corpses will block the road.”
At that time Zhou Shudao of Runan had resigned from the position of Magistrate of Linhai, and he was temporarily staying at home. The shaman said, “This time when Magistrate Zhou leaves, it is inappropriate to go southward; otherwise he will certainly suffer a sudden death.” Then he pointed to the northern mountain, saying, “There will be unusual things to be seen.” After more than ten days, a huge stone dropped one hundred zhang down from the mountain, with a thump resembling thunder.
Yu Kai was the Governor of Linhai Commandery. While passing by Runan, he visited Zhou. Zhou gave a feast with girl singers to treat him. When night came, Yu returned to his boat. At dawn, Yu pushed open the wind screens himself, shouting loudly, “Shudao, why are you so silly that you still have not got up?” The attendants felt their master’s body and looked at his face, and found that he had stopped breathing quite a while ago.
The next year, several thousand people in the county died of illness.
(GXSGC, #128. 390; TPYL, 735. 3258b–59a)
107. NORTHERN DIPPER SAVED MR. GU FROM DEMONS
A man of Wuzhong by the name of Gu set out for a farmhouse50 in the daytime. When a little more than ten li away from the farmhouse, he heard an indistinct sound coming from the northwest. Lifting his head, he found that four to five hundred people, wearing red clothes and measuring twenty feet tall, had arrived swiftly and encircled him in three rings. Gu’s breathing almost ceased, and his body could not move.
When it was near evening, the siege had still not ended. He could not move his mouth to speak, so he chanted the name of the Northern Dipper in his mind. Within the period of time it takes to eat a meal, the demons said to each other, “He holds his mind toward gods; we should release him.” Suddenly it was as if the fog had been removed.
Gu went back to his house and lay down in exhaustion. That night, in front of his door was a fire that was raging yet not burning. The ghosts approached him in succession. Some left and some came. Some summoned Gu to talk with them, some entered to remove his quilt, and some stood on his head yet were as light as a goose feather. At dawn they disappeared.
(GXSGC, #212. 413–14; TPGJ, 319. 2526–27)
____________
1. Yuhang, see footnote 14 in chapter 1.
2. Shangyu 上虞 County, present-day Shangyu in Zhejiang.
3. Yu qunchen 與群臣, “with the entire body of his ministers,” was added based on BTSC (144. 305a) and TPYL (886. 3837a). Weiyang gong 未央宮, “Endless Palace,” was a palace of the Han located at modern Xi’an, Shanxi.
4. Dongfang Shuo, see footnote 13 in chapter 2.
5. In Chinese the graph zu 足 means “foot” and “enough” as well.
6. Huzi 瓠子 River is in Puyang 濮陽 County, Henan.
7. Jiangsheng 江乘 County; its administrative seat was in modern Gourong 句容, Jiangxi.
8. Gongting 宮亭 Lake is part of Poyang 鄱陽 Lake in Jiangxi, so named because of the Gongting Temple at the foot of Mount Lu 廬山.
9. Taiyuan 太原 Commandery, western part of modern Shanxi 山西 during Western Jin. Its administrative seat was present-day Jinyang 晉陽. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 3. 39–40.
10. For Huan 桓, GXSGC mistakes it as Bo 柏.
11. Dai Commandery 代郡, the area from Yanggao 陽高, Shanxi, to Wei 蔚 County, Hebei. Its administrative seat was at modern Wei County, Hebei.
12. Shan 剡 county, see footnote 2 in chapter 1.
13. Huainan 淮南 Commandery; its administrative seat during Eastern Jin and the [Liu] Song period was located in Huyang 湖陽 County, present-day Dangtu 當塗 County, Anhui.
14. The General Conquering the North refers to Liu Yigong 劉義恭 (413–465), the Prince of Jiangxia 江夏. In the ninth year of the Yongjia reign, he garrisoned Guangling (present-day Yangzhou) as General Conquering the North and Governor of Southern Yanzhou 兗州.
15. In the Six Dynasties period (220–589), daoren 道人 frequently referred to a Buddhist monk.
16. Jinling 晉陵, modern Changzhou 常州, Jiangsu.
17. Xi Zaochi 習鑿齒, styled Yanwei 彦威, was a historian of Eastern Jin and the author of Han Jin chunqiu 漢晉春秋 (History of Han and Jin).
18. Huan Wen 桓溫, styled Yuanzi 元子, was the son-in-law of Emperor Ming 明帝 of the Jin. At first he was the Governor of Jingzhou; later he wielded power arbitrarily as the Da sima 大司馬 (Commander-in-Chief). He schemed to replace the Jin himself, but died before he succeeded. After his son Huan Xuan (369–404) temporarily usurped the Jin throne in 403 as the emperor of Chu 楚, he was posthumously honored as Emperor Xuanwu 宣武帝. His biography can be found in Jin shu, 98. 2568–83.
19. Xie Kun 謝鯤, styled Youyu 幼舆, was the Governor of Yuzhang 豫章 and a noted unconventional scholar during the Eastern Jin dynasty. See Jin shu, 49. 1377–79.
20. Chen 陳 Commandery, the area of modern Zhoukou 周口, seat in Huaiyang 淮陽, Henan; Chen Commandery was established temporarily at Hefei 合肥 in the fifth year of the Xianhe 咸和 reign (330) during Eastern Jin.
21. Guiji 會稽 Commandery during the Han covered the modern southern part of Jiangsu and western part of Zhejiang. It covered only the area of modern Shaoxing 紹興 and Ningbo 寧波 in Zhejiang during the Jin and Southern dynasties.
Mao 鄮 County, east of modern Ningpo, Zhejiang.
22. For 有神人将重到一官府, TPYL reads 有人梏将重到一官府.
23. Beisi 北寺, Northern Monastery, refers to the Bao’en si 報恩寺 at the northern suburb of Suzhou, the seat of Wu Commandery. It was built by Sun Quan, the emperor of Wu (222–280), during the Three Kingdoms period to show his gratitude toward his mother.
24. For Huan Wen, YWLJ (95. 1659), TPYL (911. 4037b) and (440. 3587) all read Huan Xuan.
25. Zheng (3. 82) takes it as shu chuan 數船 (several boats) of cash. Yet both YWLJ and TPYL read shuwan 數萬錢. Even though the Ming edition of TPGJ reads shuchuan 數船, but no qian 錢 follows it.
26. Prince of Qi 齊 refers to Cao Fang 曹芳 (r. 204–254), the third emperor of Wei 魏. He was enthroned when still a child, so the administration was shared by Cao Shuang 曹爽 (d. 249) and Sima Yi 司馬懿 (179–251). In 254 he was demoted to his original title, Prince of Qi.
27. Xiangyi 襄邑 County, present-day Sui 睢 County, Henan.
28. Qinghe 清河 Commandery; its administrative seat was in modern Qinghe County, Hebei.
29. Wuxing, see footnote 18 in chapter 2.
30. Linhuai 臨淮 Commandery covered ten counties south to the Huai River during the Jin dynasty; its seat was in modern Xuchi 盱眵 County, Jiangsu.
31. Xincheng 新城 County, west of modern Fuyang 富陽, Zhejiang.
32. Lord Haixi 海西公, Lord Haixi, refers to Sima Yi 司馬奕, Emperor Fei 廢帝 of Eastern Jin, who was dethroned by Huan Wen in 371.
33. TPGJ reads 穆帝末年桓溫府… Huan Wen, see footnote 18 in this chapter.
34. Jingzhao 京兆 Commandery was established during the Wei and Jin periods, covering the area around Xi’an. It was temporarily established at Xiangyang (modern Xiangfan) durin
g Eastern Jin.
35. Yingchuan 穎川 Commandery; its administrative seat was in modern Xuchang 許昌, Henan, during Western Jin.
36. Qisang 稽顙, kowtow.
37. Guangling 廣陵, present-day Yangzhou 揚州.
38. As a practice, the deity statue was used in funerals.
39. Hongnong 宏農 Commandery, seat in modern Lingbao 靈寶, Henan.
40. Raksasas is one of the most noted Buddhist demons, transmitted into China along with Buddhist teachings. Yiqiejing yinyi 一切經音義 [Pronunciation and meaning of all the scriptures] says, “Raksasas are evil demons. They eat the flesh of people. Some of them fly in the air while some walk on the ground. Both types are nimble, quick, and terrible.” “Raksasa is the name of violent and evil demons, which are extremely ugly as males and extremely beautiful as females. But both of them eat people. In addition, there is a state of female raksasas that is located on an island in the ocean.” See Huilin 慧琳 (fl. 5 century), Yiqiejing yinyi (Taibei: Datong shuju, 1970), 25. 510, 7.130; cf. Taishō Tripitaka, 54. 464. For a study of the evolution of raksasas in both India and China, see Zhenjun Zhang, “Buddhist Impact on the Creation of New Fictional Figures and Images in the Youming lu,” 145–168.
41. Qian Teng 牽騰, a general of Eastern Jin under Zu Yue 祖約 (d. 330), the General Conquering the West and Governor of Yuzhou 豫州. In 328 Zu Yue joined Su Jun’s 蘇峻 rebellion and captured Jiankang, yet soon was defeated and surrendered to Shi Le 石勒, the emperor of Later Zhao 後趙 (319–351). Qian Teng also surrendered to Shi Le.
Pei 沛 Commandery; its seat was in modern Xiang 項 County, Anhui, from Han to Jin.
42. Yuhang, TPGJ (294. 2342) reads Yuyao 余姚.
43. TPGJ reads yuzhen 玉枕, “a jade pillow.”
44. Houguan 侯官 County, modern Minhou 閩侯, Fujian.
45. Moling 秣陵, present-day Nanjing.
46. Nankang 南康 Commandery; its seat was modern Ganzhou 贛州, Jiangxi.
47. Rinan 日南 Commandery, in modern Vietnam.
48. Gaozu 高祖, named Liu Yu 劉裕 (r. 420–422), the founder of [Liu] Song dynasty (420–479).
49. Linhai 臨海 Commandery, modern Linhai County, Zhejiang.
50. Wuzhong 吳中, modern Wu County, Jiangsu.
4
THE REALM OF GHOSTS
108. RESTORING THE PO SOUL1
Cai Mo (281–356) sat in the hall of his government office.2 Suddenly he heard the sound of his neighbor on the left calling back the po soul. He went out of the front hall to watch, and saw an old woman dressed in a short-sleeved yellow silk shirt and a light green skirt ascending to heaven slowly and lightly from the home where someone had just died. On hearing the call, she looked back. This was repeated several times, and she ascended and descended with the calls for quite a while. When the calling stopped, the old woman vanished.
Cai Mo inquired of the dead woman’s family, and they told him that she was dressed in exactly the same clothes he had seen on the figure.
(GXSGC, #77. 374; TPGJ, 320. 2533)
109. THE GREEN SUBSTANCE OF CORPSES
Zhu Zongzhi, the grand judge of Guiji State,3 frequently saw that when a dead body was placed into a coffin, a green substance resembling an inverted urn in shape would appear about three feet away from the head of the corpse. When a person stood at that place the green stuff disappeared, yet when the person left it appeared again.
It was also said that, “When a dead body is placed into a coffin, its ghost will come back to face it.”
(GXSGC, #223. 417–18; TPGJ, 360. 2854)
110. A TALL GHOST
At the beginning of the Long’an reign (397–401), Mr. Yin of Chen Commandery was the Magistrate of Linxiang.4 A ghost in this county was more than three zhang tall. When he sat on the roof of a house, his feet could still touch the ground.
As soon as Yin entered his office, the ghost came. Each time Yin ordered him to leave, he would shake the screen and rattle the windows. Yin’s annoyance grew.
His younger brother observed the ghost, and he also saw this. He always drew his knife at his brother’s side to quarrel with the ghost.
The ghost said, “Don’t curse me. Otherwise I’ll hit you and break your mouth!” Suddenly the ghost hid its form, hitting his mouth until it was bleeding.
Later his jaw went askew, and he became disabled.
(GXSGC, #142. 394; TPGJ, 319. 2526)
111. A HAIRY GHOST
Yin Zhongzong entered Shu at the beginning of the Long’an reign (397–404) to be an adjutant of Mao Qu.5 After entering Fuling Commandery,6 he lodged in an official inn for the evening. Suddenly, a ghost appeared before him, its whole body covered in hair. Through the window he seized Zhong’s arm and pulled Zhong toward him. Zhongzong yelled loudly. People nearby came to save him, and then the ghost left.
(GXSGC, #145. 395; TPYL, 883. 3924b)
112. A GHOST STRETCHES HIS TONGUE
At the end of the Wu Kingdom (222–280), a gentleman attendant in the Palace Secretariat,7 whose name has been forgotten, read books at night.
His home had multiple gates. Suddenly he heard all the outer doors open. He feared there would be an urgent imperial edict.
Furthermore, the inner door opened as well. A man about eight feet tall, wearing black clothes and a black cap and holding a stick, sat on the bed. They looked at each other for quite a while, then the man stretched his tongue down to his knee. The gentleman attendant was greatly terrified, and he tore his books to make a fire.
When it was dawn and the rooster crowed, the ghost left. All the doors were closed as before, and the man was safe and sound.
(GXSGC, #59. 368; TPYL, 469. 2157b)
113. EVIL GHOST IN A TOWERING TOMB
During the time of Wu, Chen Xian took business as his profession. Once, driving a donkey on his way, he passed an empty residence with broad buildings and a red gate, where nobody was to be seen. Xian led his donkey in to lodge there for the night.
At night, he heard someone say, “This petty man has no fear, he ventures to make trouble here!” Then a man came to Xian and blamed him by saying, “How did you dare enter this official residence without permission?”
At that time the moonlight was hazy. Xian saw that the man’s face had a dark birthmark, eyes without pupils, and upturned lips with teeth exposed, and his hands held a yellow silk rope.
Xian quickly ran to a village behind the residence, and told people there what he had seen. The elderly said, “In the old days, there were evil ghosts there.”
The next day, Xian looked at the place where he had seen the residence. He found that there were both towering tombs and deep ditches.
(GXSGC, #58. 368; TPGJ, 317. 2512)
114. A NEW GHOST SEARCHES FOR FOOD
There was a new ghost, whose form was thin and spirit tired. Suddenly, he saw a ghost friend he had known when he was alive, who was fat and strong. After exchanging greetings, his friend asked, “Why do you look like this?” The new ghost replied, “I am so hungry that I almost cannot hold myself together. You know a variety of ways to live better, you should teach me.” The ghost friend said, “This is extremely easy. You need merely to haunt people, then they will be terrified and shall offer you food.”
The new ghost went to the east end of a big village and entered the house of a family worshiping Buddha and vigorously observing the Dharma. In their western wing room there was a millstone. The ghost approached and turned it in the way a human would. The head of this family said to his children, “Since our family is poor, the Buddha takes pity on us and lets the ghost turn the millstone for us.” Then they husked some wheat and gave it to him to grind. When dusk arrived, he had ground several hu of wheat. Feeling tired, he left.
Afterward he cursed his ghost friend, “How come you deceived me?” The ghost friend said,
“Just go again, and you will naturally get food.”
Again the ghost entered a house at the west end of the village. This family practiced Daoism. At the gate there was a stone mortar. The ghost sat on the mortar and pounded with a pestle, as though he were human. The man said, “Yesterday, the ghost assisted someone else, today he came again to help me. We may prepare some unhusked rice to gave him.” He also gave his serving maid a winnowing fan and a sifter. At dusk, the ghost was exhausted. Yet the host did not give the ghost food to eat.
The ghost returned in the evening, saying angrily, “Since I have a relationship with you by marriage, no others could be compared with you. Why did you cheat me? I assisted others for two days, yet did not get a single bowl of food.” The ghost friend replied, “You yourself did not meet the right people. Those two families worshiped Buddha or served the Dao; it is naturally hard to move them with feeling. Now go to a commoner’s home to haunt them, and you will certainly get food.”
The ghost left again and found another home. By its gate there was a bamboo pole. The ghost entered the door, seeing that there was a crowd of women eating together in front of the window. When he arrived in the courtyard, there was a white dog. The ghost held the dog and let it walk in the air. Seeing this, the family was surprised, saying, “There has never been such a strange thing.” The diviner said, “There is a guest seeking food. You may slaughter the dog, together with sweet fruit, wine, and rice, and offer it as a sacrifice in the courtyard. Then you will be able to avoid abnormal disasters.” The family followed the diviner’s words, and the ghost indeed had a big meal.
Afterward, the ghost constantly haunted people, because his ghost friend had taught him how.
(GXSGC, #255. 431; TPGJ, 321. 2544)
115. A GHOST LIVING WITH HIS FAMILY
Hidden and Visible Realms Page 14