法苑珠林 75.51

75.51

晉桓道愍者。譙人也。晉隆安四年喪婦。道愍內顧甚篤。纏痛無已。其年夜始寢。視屏風上見有人手。驚起炳炬照屏風外。乃其婦也。形貌莊嚴具如生平。愍了不畏懼。遂引共臥。言語往還陳敘存亡。愍曰。卿亡來初無音影。今夕那得忽還。答曰。欲還何極。人神道殊。各有司屬。無由自任耳。新婦生時差無餘罪。正常疑君憐愛婢使。以此妬忌之心受報地獄。始獲免脫。今當受生為人。故來與君別也。愍曰。當生何處。可得相尋知不。答曰。但知當生。不測何處。一為世人。無容復知宿命。何由相尋求耶。至曉辭去洟泗而別。愍送至步廊下而歸。已而方大悑懼恍惚積日。

In the Jin dynasty, Huan Daomin was a man of Qiao. In the fourth year of the Long'an era of Jin, his wife died. Daomin's devotion to his wife was exceedingly profound, and his grief was endless. That year, as he was about to sleep one night, he saw a human hand above the folding screen. Startled, he arose, lit a torch, and shone it outside the screen; it was indeed his wife. Her appearance was dignified, completely as in life. Min was not at all afraid, and brought her in to lie down with him; they exchanged conversation, recounting life and death. Min said: 'Since you passed away, there was never any trace or message from you; how is it that you have suddenly returned tonight?' She replied: 'How could there be any limit to my desire to return? But the ways of mortals and spirits are different, each under their own jurisdiction, with no means to act on our own. In life, your bride committed almost no offenses, except that I constantly suspected you of doting on the maidservants; for this jealous mind, I received retribution in the hells and have only just been released. Now I am due to be reborn as a human, which is why I came to bid you farewell.' Min said: 'Where will you be born? Can I seek and find you?' She replied: 'I only know I am to be reborn, but cannot tell where. Once a person of the world, there is no way to know one's past lives; how could you seek and find me?' At dawn she bid farewell, parting with tears streaming. Min escorted her as far as the covered walkway before returning. Only afterward did he feel immense terror, remaining in a daze for days.