It was said that at that moment nineteen thousand people were able to come out, and then the hells were empty.52 It was seen that ten people who should go up to heaven were summoned while the carriages and horses waited for them, and they rose into the void and left.
Further, Zhao Tai saw another city that was more than two hundred square li, and its name was City of Receiving Transformation. It was said that those who had never heard of the teaching of Buddha and whose interrogation in hell was finished would receive their karmic retribution through transformation in this city.
Zhao entered the city from the northern gate and saw that there were hundreds and thousands of earthen buildings. In the middle there was a tile-roofed house; its width was more than fifty steps. In the basement of the house were more than five hundred officials who faced each other and recorded people’s names and the good or bad deeds they did.
The kind of transformations each person would receive followed what each had done: those who killed living creatures were said to become mayflies, which are born in the morning and die in the evening;53 if they were to become human beings, they would die young. Those who stole and robbed were to become pigs or sheep, to be slaughtered and given to people for food. Those who had committed acts of sexual wantonness were to become cranes, ducks, or snakes. Those who had instigated trouble between people were to become owls that make evil cries; people who hear them all curse them and wish that they would die. Those who refused to pay their debts were to become species such as donkeys, horses, oxen, fish, or turtles. Under this big house there was a basement facing north with one door facing south. People were summoned and entered through the northern door. All those who went out the southern door had their shapes transformed into those of animals.
He saw another city that was one hundred square li. In it were peaceful and pleasant tile-roofed houses. It was said that people who, while alive, did not do evil things or good things would stay in this ghost realm, and after one thousand years they would be able to go out and become human beings.
He saw another city that was five thousand steps wide and was called Center of the Earth. Those who were punished there could not bear the suffering. There were around fifty or sixty thousand men and women, all naked; they helped each other in hunger and fatigue. Seeing Zhao Tai, they kowtowed to him and cried.
Having finished inspecting the hells, Zhao Tai returned. The supervisor asked him, “Aren’t the hells as the dharma says? You committed no sins, so you were invited to be Supervisor of Waterworks. Otherwise, you and the others in this hell would be treated in the same way.”
Tai asked, “What should a person do while he is alive in order to be happy after his or her death?”
The supervisor replied, “Only the followers of Buddha who make great efforts in practice and never violate the precepts will be happy.”
Tai asked further, “If the piled-up sins committed by a person before he believed in Buddha were as high as a mountain, but then he began to follow the dharma, would those sins be wiped out?”
The supervisor replied, “All of the sins would be wiped out.”
The supervisor again summoned the Emissary of Record Keeping and asked, “What was the cause of Zhao Tai’s death?”
The emissary opened a rattan box and examined the old records, saying, “He still has another thirty years to live. His life was absurdly taken by an evil ghost. Now he should be sent back home.”
From then on, Zhao’s family, old and young, determined to serve Buddha. To seek good fortune on behalf of his grandparents, his parents,54 and his two younger brothers, Zhao Tai hung streamers and canopies, and he chanted the Lotus Sutra as well.
(GXSGC, #247. 424–27; TPGJ 109. 739–41)
176. SCHOLAR WANG ZIZHEN’S GHOST FRIEND55
In the past there lived Wang Zizhen, a native of Taiyuan.56 Loving him greatly, his parents once sighed, saying, “Our son has not yet been well educated.” So they sent him to study with Mr. Bian Xiao, the Erudite of Dingzhou.57
Mr. Bian was a native of Xinyi in Chenliu.58 He broadly involved himself in the study of ancient ways and had answered numerous scholarly inquiries. After Confucius’s death, Mr. Bian was the only one who had three thousand disciples.59 He was peerless, so scholars within the Four Seas all went to Bian to study with him.
Having walked thirty li after entering the territory of Dingzhou, Zizhen took a rest under a locust tree by the side of the road. A ghost who had changed into the form of a living man also rested under the same tree.
Zizhen believed that he was a living man, not a ghost, so he asked, “Where are you from?”
The ghost also asked Zizhen, “Where is this young man from?”
Zhen replied, “My parents thought I lack knowledge, so they sent me to study with Mr. Bian of Dingzhou. That is all.”
The ghost asked Zizhen further, “What is your name?”
Zizhen replied, “My surname is Wang and courtesy name Zizhen, a native of Taiyuan.”
The ghost said, “I am a native of Bohai, surnamed Li and named Xuan. My parents died early, and I live together with my older brother. Considering that I have never studied in school, my older brother sent me to study with Mr. Bian. From now on, I’ll study together with you as your classmate.”
Seeing that Li was older, Zizhen stood up to bow to him, and they became brothers. After walking together and arriving at the host’s home in Dingzhou, they drank wine and pledged to be friends and would never break the vow under any circumstances.
During the three years of learning, Li Xuan’s talent and skill surpassed Mr. Bian’s. Mr. Bian asked Li Xuan, “Are you a sage? Why are you so smart, differing greatly from others? In the past, I considered myself talented. Now I am not as talented as scholar Li. Do you have any other skills? I wish you would tell us.”
Li Xun bowed to Mr. Bian twice, saying, “It was destined for me, your disciple, to meet you and receive your instruction, but I don’t know why I have been able to achieve so much.”
Thus Mr. Bian appointed Li Xuan his teaching assistant. All of his disciples were in awe of Li Xuan.
In the school, nobody ventured to disobey the regulations—if any did, he would be punished. In his private room, Li Xuan taught Zizhen to understand the meaning of the classics. Whenever Zizhen could not understand, he would be punished. Zizhen took Li Xuan’s words as his master’s, and he never made a decision himself. Because of this, Zizhen achieved success in his learning.
Later, Wang Zhongxiang, a retainer of the Heir Apparent and a native of Taiyuan, joined them. Zhongxiang was a distant relative of Zizhen, so he came to him to study briefly as a visiting scholar. One night, when he lived together with Zizhen, he noticed that Li Xuan was a ghost.
On his way back the next day, when the two men were holding each other’s hands to bid farewell, Zhongxiang said to Zizhen, “As your relative and friend, I cannot but tell you the anomaly I have seen. Your current friend is not a good man.”
Zizhen questioned him, “In terms of learning, Li Xuan is a Confucian scholar and a gentleman; in terms of appearance, he is matchless. Why do you say that he is not a good man?”
Zhongxiang replied, “What I speak of is not about general human affairs and his appearance. You, my younger brother, are a living man, but Li Xuan is a ghost. The living and the dead go different ways. How can he be your friend? If you don’t believe me, you may fetch a bundle of thatch and spread it to sleep on. You may lie on the thatch together, with heads facing opposite directions. When you get up in the morning and look at the thatch, you will find that the thatch you slept on is solid but the thatch he slept on is still fluffy and bulky.”
Later, when Zizhen picked up thatch, spread it, and observed it after rising the next morning, it was truly as Zhongxiang had said. Zizhen then knew that Li Xuan was a ghost.
At a proper time, Zizhen asked Li Xuan, “There is gossip, saying that you are a ghost. Is this true?”
Xuan replied, “I am a ghost. Last night Wang Zh
ongxiang came and noticed. Therefore I let you, my younger brother, know that I am a ghost in the form of a man, as well as who else knows it. Seeing that I was young, the King Yama appointed me Department Clerk. The king thought that my knowledge was not broad enough, so he sent me to study with Mr. Bian. If I reached my goal in three years, he would appoint me Assistant Magistrate of Taishan; if I could not reach the goal, I would be sent back as a commoner. Thanks to the instruction of Mr. Bian, I reached the learning goal within a year. I was appointed Assistant Magistrate of Taishan, and it has been two years since then. I am only here because you are not going home yet; my bond with you has prevented me from leaving this place. Now that you know I am a ghost, you will be afraid of living closely with me. I also don’t have to travel with you anymore. It is the proper time for me to return.
“Previously I suffered back pain. It was because someone who sued your father said that I was forming a clique to pursue selfish interests and should not have been involved in the trial. Not even asking whether I had done right or wrong, the king directly decided to punish me by flogging me a hundred strokes. That was why I suffered back pain. Recently the king even dealt with trials himself. Your father showed up today. The king truly intended to put him on the list [of condemned]. You should go home right away. If your father still has breath, please offer wine and jerky as sacrifice to me at an intersection and call my name three times. Then I will come to save him, and he will surely live. If he has already has no breath, there will be no way to save him. Then what can we do? What can we do?
“Now you have achieved success in learning. You should try your best to establish yourself and behave cautiously. I can prolong your life span and, by entreating the High God’s approval, offer you the positions of Prefect of Taiyuan Commandery and Governor of Guangzhou.”
Consequently, Zizhen parted with him and arrived at home. Seeing that his father still had breath, he carried pure wine and venison jerky to an intersection and offered them as sacrifice to Li Xuan, while calling his name three times. Wearing a tall cap and surrounded by numerous horsemen and attendants, Li arrived in time on the back of a white horse. It was extremely magnificent. Besides, two boys in blue led him to meet Zizhen, in the same way they had met previously as classmates.
Li Xuan immediately asked about Zizhen’s father’s illness. Zizhen replied, “My father lost his voice and cannot speak. There is little breath left. I hope you can save his life.”
Li Xuan told Zizhen, “My younger brother, just close your eyes. I’ll bring you to see your father.”
Then Zizhen closed his eyes. In a moment, Li Xuan brought Zizhen to the gate of the palace of King Yama, and they both stood facing the north. Xuan said to Zizhen further, “Previously I intended to bring you to see your father, but your father is now fettered in jail, wan looking. It would be unbearable to see him, so you don’t have to meet him. Now there will be a man in white pants, walking barefooted, wearing a purple silk cap, and holding a document. This is the man who sues your father. He will walk toward us from the back of the court. Now I have a bow and some arrows for you to wait especially for him. When you see that he is coming in the distance, shoot and kill him; then your father’s illness will vanish. Otherwise, your father will be put on the death list and in the end will not live.”
Before Li Xuan finished speaking, the man had come. Xuan reminded Zizhen, “This is the man. You should shoot him carefully. I have to go see the head judge, so I cannot stay here for long to avoid being blamed by others.”
After Xuan left, the man approached to pass Zizhen. Zizhen then drew his bow to shoot and hit him in his left eye. The man dropped his document and, covering his eyes with his hands, ran away.
Zizhen picked up the document and looked at it. He found it was only two pieces of paper, both bearing the name of his father.
Xuan said to Zizhen, “King Yama smelled the breath of a living person. You should not stay here for long. Please leave as soon as possible. Where did you shoot your enemy?”
Zizhen replied, “In his left eye.”
Xuan said, “You didn’t hit the fatal place. When his eye heals, he will come back to harm your father again. Your father now has a while to relax. When you get home, you should find your enemy and kill him. Only then will your father escape calamity.”
Zizhen replied, “I really don’t know who my enemy is.”
Xuan said further, “Just kill those who have an old grievance with you.”
Zizhen parted from Li Xuan with worry.60
Then Zizhen arrived at home. He found nobody who had an old grievance with him. It was only that he had lost a white rooster. It had not crowed for seven days, and nobody knew where it was. He searched for it everywhere, and finally found it lying in a cage with a blinded left eye.
Zizhen said, “My enemy is precisely this creature. Its left eye was shot by me. The white pants were its body, the bare feet were its claws, and the purple silk cap was the crest on its head. This is my family’s enemy.”
Thereupon, he killed the rooster and cooked it into soup to feed his father. Consequently, his father’s illness healed.
Later, Zizhen became the Prefect of Taiyuan Commandery. During the reign period of Emperor Jing of the Han, Zizhen was appointed Governor of Guangzhou. He lived to 138 years old and passed away in a natural death.
Among those who were helped by a ghost, nobody has surpassed Wang Zizhen. Therefore, there is a saying:
A white rooster is not suitable to be raised;
If it is raised, its host will be harmed.
A white dog is unable to be raised;
If it is raised, it brings disaster to its host.
It is talking about the case in this story.
(From Wang Zhongmin 王重民 et al., eds., Dunhuang bianwen ji 敦煌變文集 [Beijing: Renmin wenxue chubanshe, 1984], 879–82)
____________
1. Chen Fan 陳蕃, styled Zhongju 仲舉, grand tutor during the regency of the Empress Dowager Dou 竇 (147–167). He joined the regent marshal Dou Wu 竇武 (d. 168) to curb the power of eunuchs yet was killed by them. Cf. Hou Han shu (History of Later Han), 96.
2. Another version reads Huang Jia 黃甲 for Huang shen 黃申 (TPGJ 316. 2502).
3. Yuzhang 豫章 Commandery, the area west of modern Nanchang, Jiangxi. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 4. 25–26.
4. TPYL (361. 1665a) quotes this story (a bit different at the end) from SSJ and notes, “It is the same in the Youming lu.” For an English translation of that item, see DeWoskin and Crump, In Search of the Supernatural, 236.
5. Langye 琅邪 Commandery, the area of modern Linyi 臨沂 and Zhecheng 諸城, Shandong (see Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 3. 51). Eastern Jin established Langye Commandery at Baixia 白下 (north of modern Nanjing).
6. TPGJ (383. 3051) reads ming Zhi 名志, “named Zhi,” for wangming 忘名, “his name forgotten.”
7. Qiantang 錢塘, modern Hangzhou.
8. Taiyuan 泰元 should be Taiyuan 太元 (376–396), reign of Emperor Xiaowu 孝武 (r. 373–396) of Eastern Jin.
9. Ziyou 子猷, named Huizhi 徽之, was the fifth son of Wang Xianzhi 王羲之 (390–c. 365), the well-known calligrapher of Eastern Jin. He was known as an eccentric and undisciplined man. Zijing 子敬, named Xianzhi 獻之, was the seventh son of Wang Xizhi and a famous calligrapher. He was the Zhongshu ling 中書令, president of the Central Secretariat, before his death. For their biographies, see Jin shu 80. 3103–06).
10. This paragraph is quoted in TPYL (371. 1712a) as from YML. But the death of Ziyou depicted in the SSXY (17. 645) is totally different:
Wang Hui-chih and his younger brother, Wang Hsien-chih, were both critically ill at the same time, but Hsien-chih died first (388). Hui-chih asked his attendants, “Why don’t I hear any news at all? This must mean he’s already dead.” A
s he spoke he showed no hint of grief. Immediately ordering a sedan chair, he came to Hsien-chih’s house to offer condolences, still without weeping at all. Since Hsien-chih had always been fond of the seven-stringed zither (ch’in), Hui-chih went directly in and sat on the spirit bed (ling-ch’uang). Taking Hsien-chih’s zither, he started to play, but the strings were not in tune. Throwing it to the ground, he cried out, “Tzu-ching! Tzi-ching! You and your zither are both gone forever!” Whereupon he gave himself up utterly to his grief for a long while. In a little more than a month he, too, was dead. (Mather, SSXY, 17. 328)
11. Beidi 北地 Commandery covers the area around modern Yao 耀 County, Shanxi (see Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 3. 43–44).
12. Pei 沛 was a state in the Western Jin period, but it became a commandery during the Eastern Jin. The seat of Pei Commandery was located northwest of the modern city of Huaibei, Jiangsu. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 4. 7–8.
13. Reng 仍, “still,” in the text should be nai 乃, “then.”
14. Qu’e was located at the modern city of Danyang 丹陽, Jiangsu. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 3. 55.
15. Zhong you 中有 was originally niu yi 牛以, and it has been changed here according to a hand-copied version of the Ming.
16. Xu You 許攸, styled Ziyuan 子遠, was a native of Nanyang 南陽 and a noted military advisor in the Three Kingdoms period. Being arrogant because of his achievement, he was killed by Cao Cao 曹操 (155–220), the posthumous Emperor Wu of Wei.
17. Wang Ju 王矩, styled Lingshi 令式, was the prefect of Nanping 南平 of Jin. He was appointed the Governor of Guangzhou of Jin in 360 and died not long after that. See Jin shu, 100. 2625.
18. Hengyang Commandery, see note 58 in chapter 2.
19. Guangzhou in Western Jin covered most areas of modern Guangdong and Guangxi. Its seat was Fanyu 番禺, modern city of Guangzhou. See Tan Qixiang, Zhongguo lishi dituji, 3. 57–58.
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