法苑珠林 74.32

74.32

隋大業八年。宜州城東南四十餘里有一家。姓皇甫。居家兄弟四人。大兄小弟並皆勤事生業。仁慈忠孝。其第二弟名遷。交游惡友不事生活。於後一時母在堂內。取六十錢欲令市買。且置床上。母向舍後。其遷從外來入堂。左右顧視不見人。便偷錢將出私用。母還覓錢不得。不知兒將去。遂勘合家。良賤並云不得。母恨不清合家。遂鞭打大小。大小皆怨。至後年遷亡。託胎家內母猪復中。經由三五月產一㹠子。年至兩歲。八月社至。須錢賣遠村社家得錢六百文。社官將去。至於初夜。遂警覺合家大小。先以鼻觸婦。婦眠夢云。我是汝夫。為取婆六十錢。枉及合家唐受拷楚。令我作猪。今來償債。今將賣與社家。社家縛我欲殺。汝是我婦。何忍不語男女贖我。婦初一夢。忽寤心驚。仍未信之。復眠還夢如是。猪復以鼻觸婦。婦驚著衣向堂報姑。姑已起坐。還夢同新婦。兒女亦同夢見一夜裝束令兒及將遷兄。并持錢一千二百。母報兒云。社官儻不肯放。求倍與價。恐天明將殺。馳騎急去。去舍三十餘里。兒既至彼。不說己親。恐辱家門。但云不須殺。今欲贖猪。社官不肯。吾今祭社時至。猪不與君。再三殷勤不放。兄兒怕急。恐慮殺之。私憑一有識解信敬人曾任縣令。具述委曲實情。後始贖得。既得猪已驅向野田。兄語猪云。汝審是我弟。汝可急前還家。兒復語猪。審是我父。亦宜自前還家。猪聞此語馳走在前還舍。後經多時鄉里並知兒女恥愧。比隣相嫌者並以猪譏罵。兒女私報猪云。爺今作業不善受此猪身。男女出頭不得。爺生平之日。每共徐賢者交厚。爺向徐家。兒女送食。往彼供爺。猪聞此語。瀝淚馳走向徐家。徐家離舍四十餘里。至大業十一年內。猪徐家卒。信知業報不簡親疏皎若目前。豈不慎歟。長安弘法寺靜琳法師。是遷隣里。親見其猪。法師傳向道說之。

In the eighth year of the Daye era of the Sui (612 CE), more than forty li southeast of the city of Yi Prefecture, there was a family surnamed Huangfu. There were four brothers living at home; the eldest brother and the younger brothers were all diligent in their livelihoods, benevolent, compassionate, loyal, and filial. The second brother, named Qian, associated with evil companions and did not attend to a livelihood. Later, on one occasion, their mother was in the main hall and took sixty cash, intending to buy things at the market, and placed it temporarily on the bed. The mother went to the rear of the house. Qian came into the hall from outside, looked left and right and saw no one, whereupon he stole the money, took it out, and spent it for his private use. When the mother returned, she could not find the money. Not knowing that her son had taken it, she investigated the entire household. Both free and bondservant said they did not have it. The mother, aggrieved that the whole house was dishonest, whipped both young and old, and both young and old harbored resentment. The following year Qian died. He was reincarnated in the womb of the sow in the household, and after three to five months, she gave birth to a piglet. When it reached two years of age, the August community sacrifice arrived. In need of money, they sold it to the village community-sacrifice guild in a distant village for six hundred cash. The guild officer took it away. In the early night, it startled and awakened the entire household, young and old. It first touched its wife with its snout. In her sleep, the wife dreamed that it said: ‘I am your husband. Because I took sixty cash from Mother, falsely implicating the whole house to suffer beatings in vain, I was made to become a pig and have now come to repay the debt. Now I am to be sold to the community-sacrifice guild, and the guild will bind me and kill me. You are my wife; how can you bear not to tell our sons and daughters to ransom me?’ At this first dream, the wife suddenly woke up with a startled heart, but still did not believe it. When she slept again, she dreamed the same thing. The pig again touched the wife with its snout. The wife, alarmed, put on her clothes, went to the hall, and reported to her mother-in-law. The mother-in-law had already sat up, having had the same dream as the daughter-in-law. The sons and daughters had also dreamed the same. In that single night, they prepared their gear, sent the son and Qian’s elder brother, and took one thousand two hundred cash. The mother told the son: ‘If the guild officer is unwilling to release it, ask to pay double the price. Fearing they will kill it at dawn, gallop your mounts and go quickly.’ The place was more than thirty li from the house. When the son arrived there, he did not speak of his relation, fearing it would disgrace the family name; he merely said: ‘There is no need to slaughter it; we now wish to ransom the pig.’ The guild officer refused: ‘The time for our community sacrifice has arrived; I will not give the pig to you.’ Despite repeated earnest requests, he would not release it. The brother and son were anxious and panicked, fearing it would be killed. Privately, they relied upon a discerning, faithful, and respected man who had once served as a county magistrate, recounting to him the complete details of the true circumstances, and only then did they manage to ransom it. Having obtained the pig, they drove it toward the open fields. The elder brother said to the pig: ‘If you truly are my younger brother, you can hurry ahead and return home.’ The son also said to the pig: ‘If you truly are my father, you should also go ahead on your own and return home.’ Hearing these words, the pig galloped ahead and returned to the house. Much time later, the villagers all came to know of it; the sons and daughters felt ashamed, and neighbors who bore grudges against them all mocked and reviled them over the pig. The sons and daughters privately told the pig: ‘Father created unwholesome karma and received this pig's body, so your sons and daughters cannot hold up our heads. During Father's lifetime, you were always on intimate terms with Worthy Xu. If you go to the Xu family, your children will deliver food there to provide for you.’ Hearing these words, the pig shed tears and galloped toward the Xu family. The Xu family was more than forty li from the house. During the eleventh year of the Daye era (615 CE), the pig died at the Xu family. From this, one truly knows that karmic retribution does not discriminate between close and distant relations, and is as clear as what is right before one's eyes. How could one not be cautious? Dharma Master Jinglin of Hongfa Temple in Chang’an was Qian’s neighbor and saw the pig with his own eyes; the Dharma Master personally related the account to me.