Forest of Pearls From The Dharma Garden Volume V

Chapter Twenty-four

Supernatural Beings

(This chapter consists of two parts:) (1) Introduction and (2) Quoted Testimonies. 1. Introduction

Regarding supernatural beings, Gan Bao's [Soushen] ji (Records of Inquiries of the Spirits) says:

[Supernatural beings] are likely those who are haunted by vital energy. When the internal vital energy is disordered the [haunted] substance changes into outward form. The body and spirit, the substance and the vital energy, function with the influence between inside and outside. If you know the foundation of the five primary elements (i.e., metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) and are versed in the five faculties (i.e., facial expression, language, vision, hearing, and thought), although [all things] disappear or appear, ascend or descend, and change or move in complicated ways, all these signs, whether good or ill, can be discerned and discussed. This is the common people's familiar view and it has not reached the Great Sage's law of cause and effect. If we examine the changes of these signs to be collections of sentient beings' good or bad acts done in previous existences, accordingly we sense that the maturation of karma in the present existence just reveals itself. Cause and condition converge upon each other and the law of nature is inevitable. Therefore, there are these signs. This is not worthy of feeling surprised by.

2. Quoted Testimonies

Just as the Fo benxingji jing (T. 190) says:

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At that time the Buddha said to all the bhikṣus, "I remember that in ancient times there was a king of horses, called Keśi. His countenance was well formed. His body was as perfectly clean as white agate, snow, silver, a complete full moon, or white lotus (Skt. kumuda) flowers.160 His head was of a deep purple color. He ran as swiftly as the wind. His voice sounded like a wonderful drum.

"During his reign there were five hundred merchants in Jambudvīpa, and all the merchants wished to go onto the great sea. They purchased equipment and provisions and traveled to [the shore of] the great sea. Then they prayed to the god of the sea, prepared all the ships, and hired five crew members. They [were traveling in order to] seek for valuables. At that time all the people going by sea abruptly happened to meet a violent wind, which blew the ships to Rākṣasīdvīpa, the country of numerous rākṣasīs. When the ships were about to arrive at that country, a gale blew and struck the ships, completely destroying them. All the merchants at that time swam through the current and floated away, and they were about to reach the shore of that country.

"At that time the rākṣasīs heard that there were ships wrecked in the great sea, and they [thought that they should] immediately go to meet and save [the victims]. [They planned] to take hold of the five hundred merchants at a time and together with them they would indulge in the pleasures of the five desires and be very happy. After giving birth to boys and girls [fathered by] the merchants they would confine the merchants in an iron city and subsequently the merchants would settle there. "The [rākṣasīs] transformed from their original forms, making themselves well-featured. They were more attractive than human women but not as good as heavenly women. They bathed themselves using heavenly fragrant water, dabbed balm on their bodies, adorned themselves with various garments and necklaces of precious stones, put on heavenly caps of beautiful flowers, and hung treasured bells.

"Quickly running to where the merchants were they said to them, 'All you sages! Do not fear! Do not have any worry! Give us your hands! Give us your arms! Give us your wrists!' At that moment, the merchants ultimately feared death and wished to protect their lives. Accordingly they 188

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thought that [the rākṣasīs] were real [human] women and reached out their hands and arms [to the rākṣasīs].

"When the rākṣasīs had saved all the merchants [from the great sea], they said with mercy and sympathy, "From where have you come such a long way? You should become our husbands. Have pity on us and become our masters for our sakes! We have no one who loves and thinks of us. Please be the object in which we can take refuge, and remove and destroy our worries and afflictions! You must become the heads of our families for our sakes. We will follow and serve you and not cause you to have any deficit or loss."

"At that time all the merchants felt anguish. They wept and wailed aloud, breathing heavily [in distress]. They comforted and advised each other, and gained peace of mind by turns.

"They went to the city of the rākṣasīs, [Rākṣasīnagara]. Before arriving, midway in the journey, they saw a place where the land was spacious and completely flat and straight. In the forest there were luxuriant flowers, fruits, branches, and leaves. Various kinds of birds flew around and gathered. There were incalculable kinds [of birds] such as [parrots, mynahs, and kokilas]. Moreover, there were ponds and swamps filled with flowers and birds. Seeing this, the people were delighted and their worries and afflictions were wiped out.

"The city of rākṣasīs was surrounded by four pure walls, which looked like jade and snow or an iceberg. This city was sitting on the ground, yet if observed from at a distance, it appeared to be a group of white clouds rising up from the earth. The city was adorned, just as is fully explained in the sutra (i.e., the Fo benxingji jing).

"At that time all the rākṣasīs proceeded to the city, leading all the merchants. They had [the merchants] remove their old clothes to bathe in hot water of various fragrances, then seated them on various kinds of beautiful seats and amused them by means of the five desires. The [rākṣasīs] made all the sounds of the five notes of traditional music before [the merchants]. [The merchants] greatly enjoyed themselves for a long time. Afterward, the rākṣasīs said to all the merchants, 'Good! Sages! You cannot go out to the south of this city to visit a certain place.' 189

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"[The chief] merchant (Skt. sārthavāha), whose intelligence was profound and exquisite, who was bright and astute, promptly felt suspicious and thought, 'Why will they not allow us to travel to the south? I will watch for a chance. When all the women are asleep, I will seek out the place they forbid us to go in order to see the good or bad things that are there.' At that time, having thought of this, the chief merchant then waited and watched for when all the rākṣasīs fell asleep. He then got up calmly, not making any sound, and holding a sword he went out of the house. "He made inquiries, pursuing his intent. He advanced slowly and [eventually] arrived at a small area where he saw a narrow path and a fearful place without any grass or trees. It was very horrible. Then he heard someone crying out in great agony. It sounded like the cries of pain in Raurava Hell. On hearing this his hair stood on end and he stopped, remaining silent. After a while the gasping abated. He returned to the path and went on slowly. He saw an iron city (Skt. ayomaya-nagara), high and huge. This was the place from where the agonizing cries had come. He approached the city and went around [its perimeter walls] but did not find a gate. When he came to the north side, there was a tree called a silk tree (Skt. śirīṣa) growing near the city. The tree was lofty and rose over the city wall. The chief merchant saw this, promptly climbed the tree, and looked down at the interior of the city. He saw numerous dead people, more than a hundred, in the city. There were dead people whose [bodies] had already been halfeaten, those who had not yet died and whose bodies were dismembered, those who sat on the ground, suffering from hunger and thirst, or those who were [completely] emaciated, whose bodies were only skin and bones. Their eyes were sunken deep in their heads and they looked like heavenly bodies in the bottom of a well. They were deluded and agonized and laid on the ground. Their hair was disheveled and their bodies were covered with dust. Though they were very emaciated, they cut others' flesh and devoured one another. For this cause and condition, they cried out in great agony. It was just like the place of King Yama. [The chief merchant] saw all sentient beings suffering greatly [in this way]. On seeing this, the great chief merchant was also [frightened]. He grapsed the silk tree with his hands and shook it. When a branch moved, all the other branches and leaves of the tree rubbed against each other and made a sound. 190

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"At that time, all the suffering people heard the sound and looking up above the city wall, they saw the chief merchant in the silk tree. On seeing him, they mournfully shouted, 'What are you? Are you a deity, a dragon, a yakṣa, Śakra-devendra, or King Mahābrahman? We are in great hardship. Did you come here to save us from suffering out of pity for us?' On that occasion, joining their palms, the people worshiped him from a distance by touching their heads to the ground. With mournful loud cries, looking up at him they spoke in this way, 'Good! Virtuous One! Are you going to save us from suffering and allow us to reach a place we love?' Hearing these words from those suffering people, the chief merchant was then depressed and unhappy. Sad and troubled in mind and body, he replied to them, 'All of you should know that I am neither a deity, nor a dragon, nor even King Mahābrahman. We were, however, born in Jambudvīpa, from where we reached here. Seeking wealth we traveled out on the great sea. As we were about to reach land we encountered a sudden gale and our ships were broken apart [and destroyed]. We met various ladies who approached and saved us from hardship. Since then we have been enjoying pleasure together with all the ladies and receive happiness in this way. How can I now relieve you from suffering?'

"At that moment the chief merchant again asked them, 'All you people! Why are you here and having trouble like this?' The suffering people immediately replied, 'Good! Good man! We were also like that. We traveled with five hundred people, too. Our ships were destroyed and we reached a shore where we also met rākṣasīs. Together with them we enjoyed the [pleasures of] the five desires. The[rākṣasīs then] led us and imprisoned us in this iron city. Since the time we came into this city, two hundred and fifty people have been already eaten by them. Now only two hundred and fifty people remain. We also mated with them and had boys and girls. The rākṣasīs' language is delicate and their voices are pleasant and attractive. They, however, greedily eat flesh. Therefore, even the children we had together have all been eaten. All of you! Be cautious! Do not receive pleasure and give pleasure together with them! Why? Because they are very fearful and they have no compassion.'

"At this point the chief merchant again asked them, 'You people! Are there any expedient means to be able to escape from this hardship?' They 191

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promptly responded, 'There is one expedient means.' The chief merchant again asked, 'Good! What is that expedient means? Please explain it for me!' They replied, 'On the fifteenth day it will be a full moon, the great day of pleasure of the fourth-month festival. When the moon meets with the Pleiades and becomes full (Skt. kārtikapūrṇamā), there will be a king of horses called Keśi (called Duomao, "Hairy," in the Sui dynasty.) His countenance is well-formed, and those who see him enjoy [his appearance]. He is as white as a ke shell.161 His hair is of a dark purple color. He goes as swiftly as the wind. His voice sounds like a wonderful drum. In any place where he stops there is [spontaneously produced] nonglutinous rice (Skt. śāli),162 which has no husk and bran originally and [the rice kernels] are very large, bright white, and completely fragrant and delicious. This is what that horse eats. After having the rice he will come to the seashore and reveal half of his body. Speaking in a human voice he will say, 'Who wishes to be saved from the great sea of painful hardship?' He will repeat this three times. 'I must now enable the people to smoothly cross over to the yonder shore.' If you meet a horse like this, you will be able to escape from hardship. There is no other way [to be rescued] except for this. If you want to escape from all hardship, do not speak of this to others!'

"Again the chief merchant asked, 'Have you ever seen the horse king? If you have seen him, why did you not feel an affinity with him? Why did he not let you cross over [to the yonder shore]? From whom did you first hear of this matter?' They replied, 'We heard the voice like this from the sky, and there was one who believed it. Seeking the voice from the sky, he visited the horse king's place in Uttarakuru. Even though he went to that place he did not receive the horse king's words and returned. We were all attached to the rākṣasīs. Therefore we are like this now, suffering from this difficulty.' "The chief merchant again said to them,163 'Leave here and come with us to visit that horse king's place together.' They responded, 'We want to climb the city wall but it rises up higher [when we try to do so]. We dig a hole in the ground in order to escape, but then the hole closes up. We have no hope of extricating ourselves from this place. We will certainly be eaten by the rākṣasīs. How can we see our parents and dependents again? You people! Be careful! Do not be self-indulgent! Leave here as you like! Quickly go to your parents and your own dependents! Return 192

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to your home villages! We only wish for you to be harmonious in your intentions. We were originally born in a certain town of a certain city of such-and-such place. Ah! If you go to that place, please visit our parents and all our good friends for our sakes!' After saying this, they further told him,164 'Do not resolve later to go out on that great sea. Why? There are various fearful things in the great sea. Just stay in your place and live in accordance with proper ways! Remain with your parents, wives, children, and dependents! Do not separate from them again! Practice generosity well, do many meritorious acts, and strictly observe purification and the precepts. These are primary.'

"At this point, after hearing their words, the chief merchant felt great fear. He immediately descended from the tree. At this moment, all the people exclaimed, screaming and crying for a short time, 'Alas! This is extremely painful. How can we see the subtle land (i.e., their home land) in Jambudvīpa again? If we had known of this distressing place from the first, we would rather have remained there and eaten cattle's dung to survive. We would not have come here seeking wealth.' "At that time, the chief merchant, following the former path, returned to the place he had left [his party]. He saw that his fellow merchants and all the rākṣasīs were still asleep as before. At that moment the chief merchant went back to sleep. "At daybreak he thought, 'How can I make all the merchants understand this matter? If I abruptly speak of this, it will leak out immediately. If the rākṣasīs hear of it, I am afraid that they will take us to the place of hardship. My words about this matter must be concealed. So, on the day of the festival in the fourth month when the horse king [Keśi] is coming, I will tell them. Why? From former days a verse says:

Generally in a place of knowledgeable people,

If one carelessly speaks his mind,

That matter must leak out.

Everyone who hears it transmits it.

On this account he is blamed.

In that case he receives great suffering.

Therefore a wise man does not

Carelessly spread his words.

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"At that time, the chief merchant concealed the matter and remained silent. When the happy festival day of the fourth month came, then for the first time he told all the merchants about the matter. [He said,] 'All of you! Be cautious now! Do not be self-indulgent! Neither feel a persistent attachment to passions, be covetous of women, nor be greedy for food or other wealth! I am overwhelmed with pity for you, so I now secretly tell you this.' All the merchants heard now what the chief merchant said. It was just as when in a mountain forest a lion suddenly roars loudly, all the lesser beasts near that mountain hear its roar and feel great fear. All the people said to each other, 'We have not yet escaped from hateful events of the great sea.'

"A day passed and at nightfall the merchants saw all the rākṣasīs sleeping deeply and peacefully. [The merchants] secretly and stealthly got up from their beds and went together to the designated place. They arrived there and then addressed the chief merchant, 'Good! Chief merchant! We wish you tell us what you saw.' At that time the chief merchant explained the events he had witnessed. The people were sad and melancholy after hearing it. They addressed the chief merchant, 'Oh, chief merchant! We must quickly go to the horse king's place. We wish to stay in a proper place so that we will be able to reach our original birthplace of Jambudvīpa.' Thereupon, all the merchants went to the horse king's place. "At that time the horse king [Keśi] came to the seashore. Revealing half his body he chanted three times in a human voice, 'Who wishes to cross over the sea of [painful] hardship to the yonder shore? I will smoothly carry [that person] on my back to cross over, and allow him to reach the other shore.' After hearing the horse king said this, all the merchants were so overjoyed that their hair stood on end. Joining their palms, they all worshiped the horse king by touching their heads to the ground. They said, 'Good! Horse king! We wish to cross over and we want to reach the yonder shore. We pray to you to save us and take us from this shore to the yonder shore.' "At that time the horse king said to all the merchants, 'You must know that those rākṣasīs will soon be here. Some of them will lead boys and the other will lead girls. They will pitifully and mournfully weep and show their misery. You cannot give rise to a mind of a persistent attachment to passions at that moment. If you do so, even if you are riding on my 194

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back, you will definitely fall down and be eaten by those rākṣasīs. If you think like this, 'She is neither my betrothed nor mine. They are not my children,' even if you grasp only a single piece of my hair with your hand and hang on to it, at that point I will smoothly take you to the yonder shore promptly.' After saying this, [the horse king Keśi told all the merchants,] 'Now you should ride on my back or grasp a part of my body, feet, or legs.' Thereupon, all the merchants followed his words and grabbed onto him. The horse king then carried those merchants on his back, speaking in a compassionate voice. He flew in the sky and traveled as swiftly as a wind. "At that time all the rākṣasīs heard the horse king's compassionate voice. They also heard the sound of the horse's galloping, like that of a violent wind. They suddenly awoke and looked for the merchants, but they had all disappeared. They searched for them here and there, and then they saw in the distance the merchants riding on the horse king, having fled during the [rākṣasīs'] unguarded moment. After seeing this, [the rākṣasīs] quickly led the children and ran to the seashore. They shouted in pitiful voices and mournfully wept and wailed; they were in great distress. "Each of them said, 'You! All the sages! Now you are leaving us. Where are you going? You cause us to have no husbands. You are our husbands. You previously fell into the great fear of a disaster at sea, from which we saved you. We only wish you to remain together with us as our husbands. Now you abandon us and cast us away. Where are you going? You have no sense of moral obligation. Why do you give us up? If we have made a violation we now supplicate you for a chance to repent of it. From now on we will never make evil acts. Those who do not need us in that way should now take these children and leave together with them.' Even though the rākṣasīs made such pitiful groundless statements at that time, the horse king Keśi still carried the five hundred merchants away, smoothly crossing over the great sea to the yonder shore, and they arrived in Jambudvīpa. "Bhikṣus! What do you think? What an extraordinary figure the horse king Keśi of that time was! He was precisely me, myself. What a remarkable man the chief merchant among the five hundred merchants was! He was precisely Śāriputra. What great people the five hundred merchants were! They were all precisely the wanderer Sañjaya[-vairaṭī]'s five hundred disciples. At that time, when all those five hundred merchants came to the 523c

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place of hardship, I delivered them from the hardship and caused them to reach the yonder shore. Then they returned to Sañjaya in the place of wrong views. Śāriputra led them to my place after educating them. In the wild land of wrong views I edified them and caused them to attain liberation from the sea of birth and death. For this reason, you must give rise to a mind of reverence and respect in the Buddha's place." Furthermore, the Jiu zapiyu jing (T. 206) says:

In ancient times five Buddhists were traveling together. When they encountered a snowstorm, they went to a shrine to [seek shelter and] sojourn. In the [shrine] building there were images of spirits, which were respectfully worshiped by the people. Four of the travelers said, "This evening it is very cold. We should take these wooden images and burn them to use in cooking." The other traveler said, "These [images] are worshiped by the people. You cannot damage them." So they left [the images] as they stood without burning them.

In this room evil spirits always ate human beings. They said to one another, "We will eat just the one man as only he is afraid of us. The other four are evil and we should not attack them." The one who dared not destroy [the images] heard the spirits' speaking in the night. He got up and shouted to his companions, 'I am leaving." The other four then said, 'Why don't we destroy the images and burn them to use in cooking?' Then they took [the images] and burned them. The cannibalistic spirits were frightened and promptly ran away.

A person's learning of the [Buddhist] Way is also like this. He continually needs a strong will. He should not be timid and enable evil spirits to harm human beings.

Therefore, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa (T. 475) says, "For instance, it is just as when a person is frightened, nonhuman beings take advantage of it." The Pusa chutai jing (i.e., Pusa cong Doushutian jiangshen mutai shuo guangpu jing; T. 384) further says:

At that tme the World-honored One told Zhi[qing]jing ("Purity of Intelligence") Bodhisattva, "A bodhisattva who will take up a [buddha's] place in the next existence (Skt. eka-jāti-pratibaddha) was born into a humble 196

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family by way of skillful expedient means. He wished to be able to manifest himself and to remove the defilement of ignorance (Skt. avidyā-saṃyojana). He stayed in his mother's womb for ten months. On the day he was born he manifested himself without hands and feet. His parents saw him and thought he was an evil spirit. They deserted him in a wild plain and let no one see him. Several days after that, the mother became pregnant again. When full ten months had passed, she gave birth to a boy. The boy had regular features that were extremely wonderful and very rare in the world. He was born in the daytime and died the night [of the same day]. His parents wept aloud, hitting their chests and facing toward heaven. [They said,] 'God of mountains! God of trees! Why do you not sympathize with us? Previously we had a child but he [was born] with no hands and feet. So we deserted him in the wild plain. Now we had a child whose regular features were matchless and whose appearance was just like that of gods in heaven, but now again [we lost our son]; he was born in the daytime and died that night. Our hearts are broken! How can we deal with this?'

"Again, several months passed and the mother became pregnant again. After ten full months she gave birth to another boy, who had three heads, eight feet, four eyes, and eight arms. Those who saw him had goosebumps [in fear]. His parents and whole family were willing to part with him and intended to get rid of him. The bodhisattva's incarnation made them unable to get rid of him. The parents asked him, 'Are you a heavenly being, a dragon, or a spiritual being?' At that time the newborn promptly said to his parents in verse:

I am neither a heavenly being, a yakṣa,

An asura, nor a garuḍa.

To remove ignorance for my mother's sake,

I was reincarnated in my parents' house.

Their previous child [born] without hands and feet was Also myself.

The one who was born in the morning and died in the evening was A supreme revered one of the eighth stage [of the bodhisattva's path]. I have now received the form

Of three heads, eight hands, and eight feet.

Why do you give me up and get rid of me?

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Your path goes to the gate of hell. You destroy the foundation of wholesomeness by burning. You seek extinguishment and also want hardships. I now recover my body

And reveal my original form of regular features. Observing the precepts and not losing my vow, I entrust my life to my parents' family. I abandon my life from beginning to end. [My lives] are as numerous as particles of fine dust. Sentient beings' diseases are numerous. I prescribe the medicine of nectar. I urge and cause them to enter the [Buddhist] Way and examine themselves.

I do not cause them to enter wrong paths. All heavenly beings receive happiness. Nectar is the medicine to get rid of diseases, And a medicine that does not go against the sacred teaching. It is the medicine for liberation and nirvana. Verses say:

[Merchants] sought treasures, lost ships, and failed to cross the sea. They floated around thinking of human beings who would rescue them. Many illusory seductive women just then came in haste. The goblins deceived human feelings. Under a false pretext they approached and saved [the men] from a disaster at sea.

Deceptively using affectionate voices. If [the men] were not carried on the horse king [Keśi]'s back, They would be in danger and difficulty contrary to peace. Miracle Stories

(Twenty-six stories are briefly cited.) [The Mystery of Blood that Happened to Liu Chong from Dongyang] Liu Chong from Dongyang (in present-day Zhejiang province), whose pseudonym is Daohong, lived in Hushu (in present-day Jiangsu province). 198

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Every night several sheng of blood flowed to the gate and into the yard. It was unknown from where [the blood] flowed. This incident happened for three or four [nights in a row].

Later, Chong became Assault Resisting General and was dispatched on an expedition to the north. Before he left he cooked some rice, but all [the rice] changed into worms. Other members of his family steamed or stir-fried [rice], but it all turned into worms as well. The hotter the fire became, the more vigorous the worms were. Chong consequently went on an expedition to the north. His army was defeated at Tanqiu, and [Liu Chong] was killed by Xu Long. [The Mystery of Dragons in the Time of Lord Zhao of Lu State] In Lord Zhao's nineteenth year of the state of Lu (524 B.C.E.), dragons fought each other in the deep waters of the Wei River outside the gate of Shi in Zheng state.

The Jing Fang Yizhuan (Annotation of Changes) says, "When people's minds are uneasy, it gives rise to the mishap that dragons fight in their town." [The Mystery of Dragons in the Reign of Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty] In the morning of the first day, the Guiyou day, of the first month of the second year of Emperor Hui of the Han dynasty (193 B.C.E.), two dragons appeared in the well of Zuowenling in Tingdong village, Lanling county (in present-day Shandong province).

The Jing Fang Yizhuan says, "When a man of virtue is murdered, it gives rise to the mishap that dragons appear in a well. When a punishment is too cruel, it gives rise to the mishap that a black dragon comes out of a well." [The Mystery of Snakes in the Reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty] In the tenth month of the fourth year of the Taishi era during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty (93 B.C.E.), a snake appeared in Zhao;165 it came into the city from outside the city wall. The snake fought with a snake of the city near the shrine of Emperor Xiaowen, and the city's snake was killed. In the fall, two years later, the incident of Crown Prince Wei was caused by Jiang Chong, a man from Zhao.166

[The Mystery of a Serpent in the Reign of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty] When Emperor Huan of the Han dynasty ascended the throne (147), a large serpent appeared in Deyang Hall of the Imperial Palace. Chunyu Yi, 524c

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Market Director of Luoyang, said, "That the snake has scales is an omen of warfare."

[The Mystery of Fishes that Happened during the Taikang Era of the Jin Dynasty]

During the Taikang era (280-289) of the Jin dynasty, two carp appeared on the roof of an arsenal. An arsenal is a storehouse of weapons, and [a fish's] hard scales are a kind of weapon (i.e., armor), too. Moreover, fish are of extreme yin and a roof is of grand yang. The emergence of a fish on a roof symbolizes that the extreme yin offends the grand yang by means of the disaster of warfare. Later, at the beginning of Emperor Hui's reign period (290-306), Yang Jun, father of the empress dowager, was killed [by Empress Jia] when arrows flew around above a palace gate. [The empress dowager] was dethroned to the staus of a commoner. She died in a room deep in the recesses of a palace. At the end of the Yuankang era (299) Empress Jia controlled a dictatorship, and she slandered the Crown Prince and killed him. Soon thereafter she was dethroned [and killed], too. In the past ten years misfortune fell upon the emperor's mother and wife. Since that time on, disorder was brought upon the world. The Jing Fang Yizhuan (Annotation of Changes) says, "Fish strangely coming out of water and jumping onto a road indicates entering into a war." [The Mystery of Rats in the Reign of Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty] In the ninth month of the fourth year of the Jianshi era (29 B.C.E.), during the reign of Emperor Cheng of the Han dynasty, south of the city of Chang'an there were some rats that took the yellow dead leaves of cypress trees in their mouths, went up into trees such as cypress and elm, and built nests in the trees in the graveyard of the local residents. Among these trees, paulownia and cypress were in the majority. In the nests there were no baby rats, but instead several sheng of dried-up dung. At that time a courtier commentator said, "I am afraid that a fire will break out."

Rats, [however], are small thieving animals; they go out during the night and hide in the daytime. Yet just now they had came out of a den and climbed up a tree [to make nests]. This is an omen that a humble person is going to occupy a high-ranking position. Tongbo county (in present-day Henan province) is the place where Empress Wei Si's garden was located.167 200

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After that, Empress Zhao ascended the most august position from a humble station, just as Empress Wei [Si] had done, but she did not have a son after all and was killed. This symbolizes that in the following year (28 B.C.E.) a hawk burned its nest and killed its babies.

The Jing Fang Yizhuan (Annotation of Changes) says, "If a vassal embezzles public funds and deceives his sovereign, it causes the weird case where rats make nests [in trees]."

[The Mystery of a Dog in the Reign of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty] In the third year of the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty (154 B.C.E.), a dog mated with a domestic pig in Handan (in present-day Hebei province). At that time, the king of the state of Zhao rose in revolt in league with six states. He contacted the Xiongnu from outside [of the Han territory] and took them as reinforcements.

According to the book Wuxingzhi (Annals of the Five Primary Elements), the king of the state of Zhao was muddled and confused and caused a peculiar affair in which a pig mated with an animal of another species. The Xiongnu are like a race of dogs and pigs.

[The Mystery of Evil Spirits in the Reign of Emperor Zhang of the Han Dynasty] Shou Guanghou, who lived during the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Han dynasty (76-88), was able to denounce various evil spirits and cause them to bind and reveal themselves.

Among the people of the county in which he lived, there was a woman who had an illness caused by an evil spirit. When Guanghou performed an exorcism, a large snake, several zhang long, died outside of the gate of [her house]. There was a tree in which a dryad lived. People who rested [under the tree] died, and any birds that flew over it fell to the ground. When [Guang]hou exorcised it, even though it was the middle of summer the tree withered and a large snake, seven or eight zhang long, died and hung from a branch. Emperor Zhang heard about this and summoned [Guanghou] to question him. [Guanghou] said, "There are such things." The emperor said, "In this palace building there are evil spirits. After midnight, several people wearing red clothes with disheveled hair always walk in a line, holding a lamp. Can you exorcise them?" Guanghou replied, "Yes, I can do it. They are merely minor evil spirits."

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The emperor had his three attendants disguise themselves as the evil spirits. When [Shou] Guanghou performed the exorcism, the three fell down to the ground and ceased to breathe. The emperor, terrified, said, "These were not mischievous spirits. I was just testing [your power]!" He immediately had [Guanghou] unbind them by a spell.

[The Mystery of a Buzzard that Happened to Jia Yi]

When Jia Yi was Grand Mentor for the king of Changsha, on the gengzi day of the fourth month a buzzard flew into his house and perched on the corner of his seat. The buzzard stayed there for a while and then flew away. Yi looked in a book to divine it, and it said, "If a wild bird flies into a room, the master will soon be leaving the house." Yi was afraid of this, so he composed the Funiao fu (Poem of a Buzzard), in which he expressed [the wish] to see life and death as equal, fortune and misfortune to be the same, and to make determinations by means of leaving his fate to heaven.168 [The Mystery of a Public Inn in the City of Anyang]

In the south of the city of Anyang (in present-day Henan province), there was a public inn, but it was impossible to lodge there. Those who stayed there were killed. A scholar who was passing by, however, intended to stay overnight there. An inhabitant of the village said, "You cannot stay in this [inn]. From the beginning up to today, of those who have taken lodging for the night no one has survived." The scholar replied, "This is nothing difficult. I can settle the matter by myself." Consequently he stayed in the inn. The scholar then sat up straight, reading a book aloud. He stopped after a while. After midnight someone wearing black single-layer clothing came and called the manager of the inn from outside the door. When the manager of the inn responded to her, she asked, "Is there anyone in the inn?" The manager answered, "Until a few minutes ago a scholar was reading a book here. He just stopped, but he does not seem to have gone to sleep." The person clicked her tongue and departed. Soon another person wearing a red cloth headdress came and called the manager of the inn. When the manager responded to him, he asked, just as the previous person had done, "Is there anyone in the inn?" The manager answered in the same way as before. The man clicked his tongue and left as well. The scholar then thought that no one else was there and arose. He [disguised himself] and went to where [the two 202

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persons] had previously called out, and called the manager of the inn. The manager replied again. [The scholar] asked if anyone was staying in the inn. The manager replied in the same way as he had done previously. [The scholar] then asked, "Who is the one in black clothing who came awhile ago?" [The manager] answered, "It is a sow from next door on the north side." [The scholar] asked again, "Who is the one wearing a red cloth headdress who just came?" [The manager] answered, "It is an old rooster from next door on the west side." [The scholar] asked, "Who are you?" [The manager] answered, "I am an old scorpion." So, the scholar secretly recited from a book and did not dare sleep until the morning light.

After dawn the villager came to see [the scholar] and said with surprise, "How is it you're still alive?" The scholar said, "Go and get a sword for me, and I will slay the mischievous spirits with you." So they dug the place where the manager had spoken the night before, and as expected they found an old scorpion as large as the musical instrument pipa. Its tail with its venomous stinger was several chi long. They found an old rooster next door on the west side and a sow next door on the north side. They killed all three. The deadly nature of the inn was consequently suppressed. There was no longer any disastrous violence there. [The Mystery of a Serpent in Minzhong Prefecture in the Eastern Yue Region] In Minzhong prefecture (in present-day Fujian province) in the Eastern Yue region there is Mount Yongling which is several tens of li high. In the cave north of its base there was a huge serpent, seven or eight zhang long, with a girth of one zhang. The people of the local community were always in fear of it. Since [the serpent] took a heavy loss of lives, the Commandant of Dongye county and the Senior Subalterns of the cities within the county offered sacrifices of a cow and a sheep [to the serpent],169 but there was no good result. Appearing in a person's dream or divined by a sorcerer [the serpent] demanded a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl to eat. The Commandant, the District Magistrate, and the District Chief were all very concerned about this, but the [the serpent's] ferocity never ceased. Together they asked for girls born of slaves as well as from criminal families and raised them. On the day of the sacrificial offering, the first day of the eighth month, they sent one of the girls to the entrance of the serpent's cave. The serpent came out 203

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at night and gulped the girl down. This situation was repeated every year and nine girls were sacrificed up to that time.

At that time (i.e., in the tenth year of this awful incident) [the officials] recruited and searched for a girl beforehand but they could not find one [for the sacrifice]. The family of Li Dan of Jiangle county had six daughters but no son. The youngest daughter, called Ji, wished to respond to the call but her parents would not allow her. Ji said, "You, my parents, are not blessed in your progeny; you only have six daughters and no son. Although you have children, it is as if you have no children. I have no opportuity to perform a feat and rescue my parents just as Ti Ying did.170 I am incapable to offer provisions to you. On the contrary, I idly spend food and clothing [given by you]. I would rather die than to live bringing no benefit for you. If you sell my body [to be used as a sacrifice], you can obtain some money and in this way I can offer provisions to you. Wouldn't that be good?" Her parents loved [Ji] and pitied her, and they would not allow her to go. So Ji secretly left home; [her parents] could not stop her.

[Ji] went and asked the high-ranking officials for a good sword and a dog that would [attack and] bite a snake. On the first day of the eighth month she went to a shrine [near the snake's cave] and sat there, concealing a sword in her bosom, with a dog. She had previously prepared cakes from several dan of rice, smeared them with honey and roasted wheat powder, and placed them at the entrance of the cave.

The serpent came out that night. Its head was as large as a granary, and its eyes were just like mirrors, two chi in diameter. [The serpent] sniffed fragrant rice cakes and ate them first. Thereupon, Ji loosed the dog on it and the dog bit it. Ji cut [the serpent] from behind and wounded it. Since [the serpent] could not stand severe pain, it rushed out of the cave and reached the courtyard [of the shrine], where it died. Ji went into the cave and found the skulls of the nine girls. She took them all out and shouted with anger, "You were weak and cowardly. Therefore, you were eaten by the serpent. You are very pitiable." Thereafter, the girl Ji walked slowly home. The king of Yue heard about this. He married Ji and made her the queen. Her father was appointed governor of Jiangle county and her mother and sisters were all granted rewards. From that time on in Dongye county there was no more evil demon. A folk song [in praise of Ji] remains even today. 204

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[The Mystery of a Mouse that Happened to Wang Zhounan from Zhongshan] During the Zhenshi period (240-253) [of the Wei kingdom], Wang Zhounan from Zhongshan (in present-day Hebei province) was the Magistrate of Xiangyi county (in present-day Henan province). A mouse came out of a hole and climbed into his office. The mouse said, "Zhounan, you will die on a certain day of a certain month." Zhounan walked hurriedly [to the mouse] and did not respond to it. The mouse then returned into the hole. Later, on the day [mentioned by the mouse] it came out again. This time it wore a headdress and black clothes and said, "Zhounan, you will die at high noon." Again, Zhounan did not respond to it and the mouse went back into the hole, but it soon came out once again and then went back into the hole once more. Going back and forth [between the hole and the office] the mouse repeatedly spoke, just as it had done before. Just at high noon the mouse again said, "Zhounan, if you do not respond to me, what more can I say?" When the mouse finished speaking, it fell down and died. Thereupon, the [mouse's] headdress and clothes disappeared. Zhounan hurried over to look at it and it was completely just like an ordinary mouse. [The Mystery of a Tree that Happened to Zhang Yi in Guiyang] Zhang Yi, the Governor of Guiyang prefecture (in present-day Hunan province) and a man from the Jiangxia area (in present-day Hubei province), whose pseudonym is Shenggao, resided in Yanling (in present-day Henan province). In a field there was a big tree measuring ten arm-lengths and it covered six mu of land; the branches and leaves of the tree cast shade on the ground underneath and grain and plants would not grow there. [Shenggao] sent his workers to cut down the tree. When the workers chopped the tree several times, there was a rush of blood-red sap [from the gashes in the tree]. The workers were astounded and returned to tell Shenggao about it. Shenggao cried out in anger, "Since the tree is old, the sap is red. How is this strange?" Accordingly, he went to cut the tree himself and [saw] a great deal of blood-red sap flowed out. Shenggao tried again to cut the branches. There was a hollow in [the tree] from which an old gray-haired man, four or five chi tall, jumped out and came toward Shenggao. Shenggao drew his sword and he killed all four or five old men [who had jumped out of the hollow in the tree one after another]. All the people by his side fell prone on the ground in horror. [Only] Shenggao, a man of marvelous mind, 205

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remained calm as before. All the people slowly examined [the old men]. They were creatures who were part human being and part beast. Is this what [Confucius] described, "Evil spirits of senseless beings are demons called kui or wangliang"?171

In the year Shenggao cut the tree, he was summoned by the Minister of Works and appointed as the Censor and the District Magistrate of Yanzhou. [The Mystery of a Public Inn that Happened to Song Daxian in Nanyang] [This is a story of] a man of Nanyang called Song Daxian. In the west suburbs [of Nanyang] there was a public inn but no one could lodge in it, [because] anyone who stayed at the inn would be harmed. Daxian considered himself to be not at risk since he kept to the right path. He stayed on the second floor of the inn, where he played a Chinese zither (qin). He had neither a weapon nor a stick.

In the middle of night an apparition came up the stairs and spoke to Daxian. [The apparition] glared hatefully at him and gnashed his teeth; he had a forbidding countenance. Daxian, however, kept playing the Chinese zither. Thereupon, the apparition left.

[The apparition] returned, bringing the severed head of a dead person from a marketplace and said to Daoxian, "You should rather cook and eat it." Accordingly he threw the head in front of Daxian. Daxian said, "Very good! I was going to sleep without a pillow tonight. I now have this [as a pillow]." [The apparition] left.

[The apparition] again came back after awhile and said, "Would you like to wrestle with me?" Daxian replied, "All right!" Before he had finished replying, [the apparition] drew close to him and Daxian then grasped its waist in advance. The apparition anxiously cried out, "Murder!" Daxian then killed it. The next morning, [Daxian] examined [the apparition], which was an old fox. Thereafter, no evil incident happened in the inn; there were no longer any harmful or fearful things there.

[The Mystery of Evil Spirits in an Inn of Luling County during the Wu Kingdom]

During the period of the Wu kingdom (222-280), evil spirits frequently appeared in a two-story inn in a city in Luling county. Those who lodged there were inevitably killed. Later no envoys or officials dared to stay at the inn. 206

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At that time, there was a brave and strong man from Danyang (in present-day Jiangsu province) whose family name was Tang and whose first name was Ying. When he arrived at Luling as an envoy he went to the inn to take lodgings. A [local] official informed him that he should not stay in the [inn], but Ying did not listen to his admonition and sent all his followers outside to stay alone there. He had only a large sword.

[Ying] lay down [to sleep]. At midnight,172 someone knocked on a small side door, and far away from [the door] Ying asked whom it was. The person answered, "The Regional Retainer Clerk is here to greet you." Ying replied, "Show him in." After exchanging greetings [the Regional Retainer Clerk] left. After a short while there was again a knock on the door just as before and the person said, "The Commandery Governor is here to greet you." Ying again let [the Commandery Governor] in. Even after [the Commandery Governor,] who wore black clothes, had left, Ying thought he was a human being without doubt. Soon thereafter, [however,] again someone knocked on the door and said, "The Regional Retainer Clerk and the Commandery Governor are here to visit you." Ying then felt suspicious and thought, "This time of night is not appropriate for [official] visits. Moreover, the Commandery Governor and the Regional Retainer Clerk should not travel together." He realized that they were evil spirits. Holding his sword, [Ying] invited in [the Commandery Governor and the Regional Retainer Clerk]. He saw that they were both dressed up. They together stepped forward and seated themselves. The one referred to as the Commandery Governor spoke to Ying.

Before [the Commandery Governor] had finished speaking, the Regional Retainer Clerk jumped up and went behind Ying. Ying turned around and struck him with his sword. [The one referred to as] the Commandery Governor left his seat and ran away. Ying hurriedly chased him and caught up with him at the wall at the rear of the inn. Ying slashed at him and inflicted several wounds. Ying then went back [to his room] to sleep.

At daybreak Ying led the people to search the place. They found traces of blood, and following them they caught all [the evil spirits]. The one referred to as the Commandery Governor was the evil spirit of an old fox, and the one referred to as the Regional Retainer Clerk was the evil spirit of a large old wild cat. After that, there were no more strange incidents and never again any evil spirits.

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[The Mystery of an Old Man in Eastern County During the Jian'an Era] During the Jian'an era [of Emperor Xian of the Han dynasty (196-219)], there were strange incidents in a household in Eastern County. For no reason, an earthenware vessel spontaneously made loud noises, just as if someone had struck it. Plates and a table suddenly disappeared before one's eyes. Every time a hen laid an egg it disappeared. This situation lasted for several years. [The family] was bitterly disgusted with it.

[The family members] then made a lot of good dishes, covered them, and placed them in a room. They hid behind a door and watched [what would happen]. Just as they had thought, [the strange incident] happened again: [the earthenware] made [the same] noises as before. Immediately they closed the door and tried to find [the cause of the noises] in the room, but nothing could be seen. So they began randomly striking the floor with a stick. After a while, they struck something in a corner of the room and someone groaned. Intending to kill it, they opened the door and found an old man, about one hundred years old. They could not communicate to him in language at all. In appearance he looked like a beast.

Subsequently they investigated [the old man]. Then they found [the old man's] family living several li away, and they said that more than ten years had passed since the old man had disappeared. They were grieving and were happy that he had been found.

More than a year later, [the old man] disappeared again. It was known that in the Chenliu area (in present-day Henan province) an apparition just like this one appeared. People of that time considered that it was the same old man.

[The Mystery of an Old Fox Disguised as a Father during the Jin Dynasty] During the Jin dynasty period, in Wuxing (in present-day Zhejiang province) there was a man who had two sons. When [the boys] were working in the fields, their father came and scolded and beat them. They went home to tell their mother. The mother asked their father [why he had acted in such a bad way]. The father was very surprised [to hear of it], but then realized that it had been done by an evil spirit. He ordered [his sons] to kill it [when it returned].

The evil spirit then became inactive and did not return to them. The father was worried his sons might be troubled by the evil spirit, so he personally 208

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went to see how they were. The sons thought that he was the evil spirit, so they killed and buried [their own father]. The evil spirit then went to their home [ahead of them], disguising itself as their father, and said to the family members, "My two sons have already killed the evil spirit." When the sons returned home in the evening they rejoiced over it along [with the family members]. Consequently, no one was aware of [what had heppened] for years. Later, a [Dharma] master stopped by [to visit] the family and told the two sons, "Your father has a serious malicious vapor." The sons reported this to the father, who became very angry. The sons went out to the door and told the [Dharma] master, "Please leave here quickly." The [Dharma] master, however, raised his voice and came into [the house]. The father then revealed himself to be a large old fox and crept under the bed, but it was finally caught. [The two sons then realized that] they had killed their real father. They reinterred their father's body and went into mourning. One of the sons committed suicide, and the other died in anger and resentment.

(The eighteen stories above are found in the Soushen ji [Records of Inquiries of the Spirits].)

[The Mystery of Crows Building Nests in a Palace Building in Nanjing during the Jin Dynasty]

The Nanjing siji (Records of Monasteries of Nanjing) of the Jin dynasty says: Bodi Monastery is located in Qingling city in Xinlin, Moling county (in present-day Jiangsu province). Emperor Jianwen raised it in the second year of the Xian'an era (372) of the Jin dynasty, and it was originally called Xinlin Monastery.

At that time Daorong, a nun of Wujiang Monastery in Liyang prefecture (in present-day Anhui province), practiced asceticism and was able to communicate with spiritual beings. She could foretell fortune or misfortune. She was known as a sage nun in the world.

At the beginning of the Xian'an era (371) some crows built nests in a palace building. The emperor often had a fortune-teller interpret this. [The fortune-teller] said, "There is a female master in the southwest. She should be able to dispel this strange incident."

[The emperor] immediately dispatched a messenger to Wujiang and invited the sage nun. He asked her if this incident was auspicious or 209

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inauspicious. The nun said, "If you cultivate virtue, you will be able to exorcise disasters. If you observe purification in your mind and body, you will be able to avoid and defend from [misfortunes], too." The emperor then set up a seven-day purification rite; he worshiped [the Buddha] and repented of his sins devotedly and diligently. Before the Dharma assembly came to an end, the flock of crows suddenly left, carrying away their nests. [The palace building] was quickly emptied [of the crows' nests]. The emperor's respect for and faith in [the Buddha] deepened and increased. Accordingly, for the sake of the sage nun, [Emperor Jianwen] erected this monastery. [The Mystery of a Wild Cat Disguised as a Man's Wife during the Jin Dynasty]

In the time of Lord Haixi (i.e., Sima Yi, the dethroned emperor; r. 365-371) there was a man whose mother had died, but since his family was poor he had no money to bury her. So he moved the coffin with her corpse deep into the mountains. At the side [of her grave] he made wooden shoes day and night without taking a rest.

Toward the evening a woman holding a child in her arms came and stayed overnight [at his place]. When night came, the filial son had not yet finished making wooden shoes, and the woman repeatedly asked him to go to sleep. Then she went to sleep near the fire. In reality [the filial son saw] a wild cat clutching a dark-colored chicken, so he beat them to death and threw them into a pit in the back yard.

The next day a man came and asked him about [the woman] in detail, "Where is the one who came here yesterday and who stayed here last night?" The filial son replied, "There was only a wild cat. I promptly killed it." The man said, "You have killed my wife under a false accusation. How can you say that she was a wild cat? Where is it now?" Therefore together they went to the pit and saw that the wild cat had become a woman. The man then bound the filial son and turned him over to government officials, who [ruled that] he must atone for his crime with death. [The filial son], however, said to the director, "This is in fact an evil spirit. Just bring a hunting dog and you will know whether or not it is an evil spirit."

[The man] came again to urge them to put to death the filial son. The director then asked him about the task of a hunting [dog]. "Can we unleash a [hunting] dog?" [The man] replied, "I am afraid of dogs by nature. Do not 210

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unleash it!" [The director] released the dog, and [the man] then transformed to an old wild cat. Therefore it was shot and killed. The woman had already changed back to a wild cat.

[The Mystery of a Wild Cat Disguised as a Woman that Gave Birth to Babies during the Jin Dynasty]

During the Taiyuan era (376-396) of the Jin dynasty, Chun Yujin, who was young and fair-skinned, resided in front of a stupa of Waguan Temple [in Jinling in present-day Jiangsu province]. He sent a guest south of Shitou city [two li west of Jinling], where he met a girl who had a beautiful face and figure. [Yu]jin was glad to meet her. While speaking, they felt they were getting along with one another. He took her to the northern corner of the city, where they both had a thoroughly good time. Afterward they separated from each other, but they set a time for their next meeting. Moreover, [Yujin] said that he wanted to marry her. The girl said, "If I were to take a husband like you, I would not regret it even if I died. I have many brothers, and both my parents are well. You must ask my parents [for permission to marry me]." Thereupon, [Yu]jin had the girl's maidservant ask her parents' intention. Without objections, her parents approved their marriage. Accordingly, the girl ordered her maidservant to take a hundred catties of silver and a hundred rolls of silk fabric to [Yu]jin as dowry for their marriage. Some time later, they had two children. [Yujin's wife told him,] "You will become the Directorate of the Palace Library." The next day, just as she had said, horse-mounted messengers came to summon [Yujin] and led him [to the capital] on vehicles and horses and with drum and fife bands before and after [the procession].

Shortly after, as a hunter passed by and greeted [Yu]jin, several tens of dogs owned by [the hunter] attacked [Yujin's] wife and children and mauled them to death. [The woman and children] all turned into wild cats, and at the same time the silk fabric, gold, and silver became grass and human skeletons. [The Mystery of a Girl Possessed by an Evil Spirit in the Time of Zhang Chun of the Jin Dynasty]

During the Yongchu era of the Jin dynasty (420), Zhang Chun became Governor of Wuchang. At that time a man had married off his daughter, but before [the girl] boarded the carriage, she suddenly lost consciousness. She 211

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then went out and attacked the people, taking advantage of the circumstances, and said, "I am not happy to marry and do housework." A vulgar sorcerer said, "This is an evil spirit." [The sorcerer] took the girl to the riverside. (The three stories above are found in the Youming lu [Records of the Other World and This World].)173

[The Mystery of Evil Spirits in the House of Liang Daoxiu during the Song Dynasty]

During the time of the Song dynasty (420-479), Liang Qing, a man from Anding (present-day Jingchuan in Gansu province), whose pseudonym was Daoxiu, lived in Huan Xuzhou's former residence near the Right Directorate for Imperial Manufactories of Yangzhou.

In the second month of the fourteenth year of the Yuanjia era (437), a strange luminous object often appeared, and the sound of a bamboo fence tearing apart could be heard. [Qing] ordered a maidservant called Song Luo to go and see [what happened]. She found a man who said, "My family name is Hua and my first name is Furong. I am a messenger of the Most August Liujia, and I came down from Taiweizi Palace. I stopped by here, my former residence." Thereupon, he stayed [in Qing's house] and would not leave. Moreover [Hua Furong had] the head of a bird and a human body. Whenever someone looked at [Furong], he struck that person. [Furong] threw excrement and filth at Qing. [Furong] was intimidated by shooting a bow and disappeared at [the sound of] the bowstring. At the same time he dyed the arrow with a deep red-colored fluid.

Furthermore, [Furong] manifested himself as something resembling an ape, which hung down from trees. [Qing] ordered his man to stab [Furong]. Pierced in the buttocks, [Furong] fell down to the ground and immediately disappeared. A day later [Furong] returned, walking with a limp on the roof. He approached a maidservant and begged for food. [The maidservant] made rice balls and gave them to him. He ate two sheng [of rice] at once. Several days later, numerous evil spirits came in groups. Their ugliness was unspeakable. Dust and stones flew about on the curtain around Song Luo's bed and did not stop until morning for many days in succession. A maidservant called Caiju met an evil spirit on a street. [This evil spirit] wore clothes and a headdress, rode a horse, and was guarded by several tens 212

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of subordinates. He said to Caiju, "I am a transcendent from heaven. Do not call me an evil spirit." [Caiju] asked him, "Why do you always throw filth?" He answered, "Excrement and filth are a symbol of wealth. Throwing them is a sign of relocating soon."

Soon, as had been expected, Qing became a military general as well as Governor of Beilu prefecture. Since [Liang] Qing had been harassed by the vice and maliciousness [of evil spirits] for a long time, he summomned a foreign monk called Poluodie to chant a spell. All the evil spirits were afraid. Some went over a wall or ran into a hole in a wall. All cried out in voices like a bird's chirping. Thereafter, they stopped [coming out]. Shortly after Qing had settled down in the prefecture of his appointment, Song Luo again saw at midnight that several tens of thousands of people [were carrying] weapons in a dignified manner. One of them, who wore a headdress, gave her a letter in which about seventy Chinese characters were written on coarse paper. The handwriting was beautiful; it was modeled after the style of the former [calligraphers Wang] Xi[zhi] and [Wang] Xian[zhi]. Furthermore, the spirit sang a song, "I ascend the Peacock Tower. I hear the sound of the phoenix drum coming from the distance. I descend to the vicinity of Mount Zou from where the states of Liang and Lu are seen." This evil spirit had an uncle called Cao. When [Cao] died, he wept and offered condolences in the same way as the people of this world. He [wished] to hand down an instruction, so he asked Song Luo for a box of paper [and wrote a message], the title of which read, "The late Kong Xiuzhi's blank letter with awe in order to offer condolences on his uncle's death." The description was full of sadness [about the deceased], and the writing was well arranged in order.

Moreover, he said [to Qing], "Recently, when I went to the west, I saw a śramaṇa who called himself Damocha. He asked me for news of you and entrusted to me five balls of incense to give to you." Qing had once taken an official trip to Dunhuang and remembered that he had seen the monk [there]. After a maidservant gave birth to a baby in Qing's house, the evil spirits stopped [appearing] there.

In Langye (in present-day Shandong province) Wang Chengzhi's wife, who was from the Xie family of Chen prefecture, gave birth to a son. His childhood 213

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name was Nuzi ("Slave"). Years later, Wang sent for his wife and maidservants and made [his wife from] the Xie family a concubine in order to benefit himself. In the eighth year of the Yuanjia era (431) [the concubine] died of an illness. The great tomb of the Wang family was in Guiji [in Zhejiang province]. [The concubine] was temporalily buried on the east ridge of a mountain in Jiankang. After [Wang Chengzhi] returned from the burial and performed the rites to pacify the spirit of the diseased (yü), he entered the memorial hall with the spirit. He [was seated,] leaning on an armrest, when suddenly he was thrown into the air and fell to the ground. Then an angry voice said, "Why did you not sing a funeral song? Would you cause me to go all the way [to the other world] quietly?" Chengzhi said, "This is not a formal funeral. Therefore, I simply did not prepare complete rites." (The two stories above are found in the Yiyuan [Park of Wonders].) In the Zhou dynasty, Zhongni (i.e., Confucius) said to Ji Huanzi, "I have heard that evil spirits of senseless beings are called kui or wangliang."174 (Wei Zhao's annotation says: "Lifeless things mean mountains. Kui yizu is a hill man so called by the Yue people, or it is called duzu ("one foot"). Wangliang is a mountain spirit. It is fond of imitating a human voice and confuses human beings.")

This story is found in the Guoyu (Talks of States).

The Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) says, "The First Emperor of the Qin dynasty said, 'The mountain spirits merely foresee things a year ahead.'"175

[The Mystery of Men Who Ate Shrimp and Crab in the Western Mountains] Deep in the mountains in the western direction, there are men who are more than one chi tall. They bare their bodies and catch shrimp and crab. It is not their nature to be afraid of people. When they see a person staying in the mountain, they are happy and broil shrimp and crab depending on that person's fire. They watch until the person is out and then they steal their salt in order to eat the crab. They are called shanxiao. They have voices that sound like spontaneous crying. People always use bamboo chopsticks to set off firecrackers in a fire. ([In the two Chinese characters for the word "firecracker"] the first character is pronounced pu and the second is pronounced bi.) Accordingly all shanxiao are afraid of [firecrackers]. If you offend them, they will cause you to have a 214

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chill or fever. (Even though they have the form of humans, they are simply a kind of evil spirit. They are found everywhere in the mountains.) (The story above is found in the Shenyi jing [Scripture on Miracles].) [The Mystery of Wood Caught in a Crab Weir Made by the Wang Family during the Song Dynasty]

At the beginning of the Yuanjia era (424) of the Song dynasty, a man from Fuyang (in present-day Zhejiang province), whose family name was Wang, set up a crab weir in the backwaters of a river.

In the morning when he went to inspect it, he found a piece of wood, about two chi long, had caught in the weir and broken it, [so] all the crabs had escaped [from the weir]. [Wang] then repaired the weir and took out the piece of wood and put it onto the bank. The next morning he went back to inspect the weir again and found that the piece of wood had been caught in the weir and broken it, just as before. So Wang again repaired the weir and took out the piece of wood. The following morning he saw that the same thing had happened. Wang suspected that the piece of wood was mysterious so he put it into a crab cage, tied it to a pole, and left for home carrying it on his shoulder. [He said,] "When I get home, I will cut up [this piece of wood] with an axe and then burn it." Three li before he reached his house, he heard [something] suddenly move [in the crab cage]. He turned his head and saw that the piece of wood [which he had put in the cage] previously had transformed into a monster, with a human face and the body of a monkey, with one arm and one leg. [The monster] said to Wang, "In my nature I am fond of crabs. It was I who entered the water, broke your crab weir, and went into it to eat the crabs these days. I feel ashamed of what I did. I hope you will understand and forgive me. Please open the cage and let me out. I am a mountain deity. I will surely help you and cause you to catch lots of crabs in your weir." Wang, [however,] said, "You are the one who committed the savage act. [You committed] numerous offenses from the first to the last. Naturally you must die." By all possible means the monster entreated [Wang] to release him, [but] Wang looked the other way and did not respond to him. The monster said, "What is your full name? I want to know it." He asked the question repeatedly. Wang still did not answer. When they approached the house, the monster said, "Since you will not release me and you will not tell me your full name, either, 215

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume V

what more can I do? I must simply die." When Wang reached his house, he made a fire and burned [the monster].

After that, there was no longer anything strange at all. The local people said [the monster] was called a shanxiao (mountain dryad, nymph, or sprite). If it knows someone's full name it can harm that person. The reason [the monster] repeatedly asked Wang [his full name] is that it intended to kill him and save itself.

(The story above is found in the Shuyi ji [Records to Give Accounts of Extraordinary Things].)

[The Mystery of Zhang Liang, a Traitor during the Tang Dynasty, and a Thunderclap]

Zhang Liang, a traitor of the Tang dynasty, was formerly Commander-in-Chief of Youzhou. While he was worshiping at Zhiquan Monastery, he saw a large [buddha] statue whose major and minor physical characteristics were perfect. Thereupon, he made an exceptionally [generous] offering [to the statue].

[One time] Liang was struck by a thunderbolt. A pillar of the hall exploded, and a piece of the wood [pillar] hit Liang on one of his temples, but he was not gravely injured. So he went to the monastery to worship the statue, and one of the statue's temples was seen to have a broken part. This is found in the Mingbao ji [Records of Rewards and Retributions from the Unseen World].

Furthermore, during the Zhenguan era (627-649), this same statue suddenly had a mark around its neck. The large [mark] looked like a thread. At that time all people who saw it considered it to be an inauspicious omen. Soon afterward, just as they thought, Liang was executed as punishment. The mark [around the statue's neck] actually remains today.

(This is found in the Mingbao shiyiji [Gleanings of Anecdotes of Rewards and Retributions from the Unseen World].)

[End of] Fascicle Thirty-one of A Forest of Pearls

from the Dharma Garden

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