法苑珠林 76.67

76.67

晉永嘉年中。有天竺國人。來度江南。言語譯道而後通。其人有數術。能截舌續斷。吐火變化。所在士女聚共觀試。其將截舌先吐以示賓客。然後刀截。流血覆地。乃取置器中。傳以示人。視之舌頭。觀其口內唯半舌在。既而還取含之。有頃吐已示人。舌還如故。其續斷絹布與人。各執一頭。對剪斷已而取兩段。合持祝之。則復還連。與舊無異。時人多疑以為幻作。陰而試之。猶是己絹。其吐火者。先有藥在器中。取一片與黍糠含之。再三吹吁而張口火出。因就熱處取以爨之。則便火熾也。又書紙及繩縷之屬投火中。眾詳共視。見其燒然。消磨了盡。乃撥灰中。舉而出之。故是向物。如此幻術作者非一。時天下方亂云。建安霍山可以避世。乃入東冶不知所在也。

During the Yongjia era of the Jin dynasty, there was a man from India who crossed the Yangtze to the south. His speech was communicated only after interpretation. He possessed magical arts: he could cut his tongue and join what was severed, spit fire, and perform transformations. Wherever he was, men and women gathered together to watch and test him. When he was about to cut his tongue, he first stuck it out to show the guests, and then cut it with a knife, blood flowing and covering the ground. He then took [the severed piece], placed it in a vessel, and passed it around to show the people. They looked at the tip of the tongue, and observing inside his mouth, saw that only half a tongue remained. Soon after, he took it back, put it in his mouth, and held it there. After a short while, he spat it out to show the people, and his tongue was restored as before. When he joined severed pieces of silk or cloth with others, each held one end; after it was cut in two across [the middle], he took the two pieces, held them together, and chanted an incantation over them. They then reunited, no different from the original. The people of the time were largely suspicious, believing it to be trickery, and secretly tested it; it was indeed their own silk. As for his spitting fire, he first had medicinal powder in a vessel, took a piece of it along with millet husks, and held it in his mouth. Blowing and puffing repeatedly, he opened his mouth and fire came forth. Taking it over to a warm stove to cook with it, the fire then flared up brightly. Furthermore, when things like writing paper, ropes, and threads were thrown into the fire, the crowd looked carefully and saw them burning, completely destroyed and reduced [to ashes]. He then stirred the ashes, picked [the object] up, and brought it out; it was still the former object. Magicians who performed such arts were not few. At that time, as the realm was just falling into disorder, it was said that Mount Huo in Jian'an could be used to escape the world; he then entered Dongye, and his whereabouts became unknown.