冥報記 2.2

2.2

During the Kaihuang era of the Sui, Cui Yanwu of Boling, Regional Inspector of Weizhou, arrived at a settlement while inspecting his department. Astounded and pleasantly surprised, he said to his attendants, “In a past life, I was once a woman in this settlement, a man's wife. Now I know where the house is.” Turning his horse, he entered a long lane, turned into a house, and knocked on the gate, calling for the master. The master was aged, and he ran out to bow and pay homage. Yanwu entered the house and first ascended its hall. Looking at the eastern wall, where there was a prominence six or seven chi from the ground, he said to the master, “The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra that I used to read in the past, together with five gold hairpins, are hidden within this wall; the raised place is it. On the paper behind the end of the seventh fascicle of the sūtra, fire burned away the text. To this day, every time I recite this sūtra, whenever I reach the end of the seventh fascicle, I invariably forget and lose it, unable to remember.” Thereupon, he ordered his attendants to chisel into the wall, and indeed they retrieved the sūtra case. When they opened it, the end of the seventh fascicle and the gold hairpins were all just as he had said. The master wept and said, “When my late wife was alive, she constantly read this sūtra; the hairpins were also my late wife's possessions. My wife died in childbirth, and their location was lost. I did not imagine that the regional inspector would point out their location!” Yanwu also said, “Before the courtyard locust tree, when I was about to give birth, I loosened my own hair and placed it inside the hollow of this tree.” When he had someone feel inside to test it, they indeed obtained the hair. Thereupon the master was filled with sorrow and joy. Yanwu left behind clothes and goods, generously providing for the master, and departed. Minister Cui Dunli recounted it thus. In past years I met Lu Wenli, who also told the same story, but said it was the Regional Inspector of Qizhou without getting his name; it was not as complete as Cui’s account, so I still follow Cui's record.