法苑珠林 52.39

52.39

In the north shop of the Western Market in the Tang capital, there was a man named Wang Huishi. His mother had previously passed away, and the mourning period had concluded. During the second year of the Xianqing era, his family had a litter in which a yellowish-grey female dog was born. Because it stole food, Huishi's wife struck it several times with a staff. The dog then spoke in human language, saying: "I am your mother-in-law. Daughter-in-law, beating me is a great mistake! Because I was excessively harsh and cruel to the household, I incurred this retribution. Now that I have been beaten, I am ashamed to face your household." Thereupon it ran out. When Huishi heard this, he wept, picked it up, and brought it home, but it left again, repeating this four or five times. Seeing that its intention was determined, Huishi humbly invited it to the avenue north of the market, which was right behind the north wall of his own shop, where he built a small hut to house it and delivered food daily. Market people and travelers who went to view it were extremely numerous, and those who threw cakes to it could not be counted. This dog never left the hut, and once the hour for the noon meal passed, it refused to eat. After one or two years, it was unknown where it went.