冥報記 2.17

2.17

河南元大寶。貞觀中為大理丞。一生不信因果之事。與同僚張散冊。友善。常謂曰。二人若先死者。當來報因果之有無也。元以十一年。從駕幸洛陽病卒。散冊在京未知。一夕夢。元來告曰。僕已死矣。生平不信善惡之有報。今乃定有不虛。故來報。君其勉修福業。張問其狀。答曰。冥報因不可說。他亦不可噵。但報君知定有耳。張寤。向同僚說之。二日而喪問至。張勘其夢乃死之後日也（張自向臨說云爾也）。

Yuan Dabao of Henan was an assistant in the Court of Judicature and Revision during the Zhenguan era. Throughout his life he did not believe in matters of cause and effect. He was close friends with his colleague Zhang Sance and would often say to him: 'Whichever of the two of us dies first shall return to report whether cause and effect truly exist or not.' In the eleventh year, Yuan accompanied the imperial cortege to Luoyang, fell ill, and died. Sance was in the capital and did not yet know of it. One night he dreamed that Yuan came and announced to him: 'I have already died. In life I did not believe that good and evil bring retribution; now I know for certain that it is not false. That is why I have come to inform you. You should strive to cultivate meritorious deeds.' Zhang asked him what it was like, and he replied: 'The causes of netherworld retribution cannot be spoken of, nor can the rest be told; I only report to let you know that it definitely exists.' Zhang awoke and told his colleagues. Two days later, news of the death arrived. When Zhang verified the date, the dream had occurred the day after his death. (Zhang related this to Lin himself.)