樂邦遺稿 2.65

2.65

The Record of Signs from the Unseen Realm says: 'Wang Min, Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Liu Song, was at that time a friend beyond worldly bounds with an Indian monk. Whenever the monk beheld Min's extraordinary demeanor, he would say to his peers: "In a future life, if I can become this man's son, my wish will be fulfilled." Min secretly heard of this, and one day playfully asked him: "Dharma Master, your talent is high and your conduct lofty; whose son will you become in another day?" The monk nodded and did not reply, and on a later day suddenly fell ill and died. Over a year later, Min's wife gave birth to a son. As soon as he could speak, he understood foreign languages, and as for rare goods from distant lands, there were none he did not recognize. Since Min was certain of his former incarnation, he gave him the child-name Alian; later he became a person of great renown.'