法苑珠林 57

English (machine translation) 57

Language: English

57.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

57.2

Chapter 65: Debts
Chapter 66: Disputes and Lawsuits

57.3

Chapter on Debts (This has two sections)

Exhorting good and reproving fault is the constant mind of the great being; abandoning evil to cultivate blessings is the perpetual vow of the bodhisattva. Therefore, the operations of good and evil karma are like body and shadow that must correspond. The calamity and blame of debts plant the bitter fruit of the three retributions: there are debts in the present life with retribution in the present life, debts in the present life with retribution in the next life, and debts in the present life with retribution in subsequent lives. In this manner, throughout the three times, if one incurs a debt even by a single hair and refuses to repay it, one will certainly suffer torment. Therefore, the sūtra states: "A person who commits theft will first enter the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts. Later, upon obtaining a human rebirth, he receives two kinds of retribution: first, he constantly abides in poverty; second, although he gains a little wealth, it is always seized by others." These words are verified; examine yourself and consider others.

57.6

Section 2: Citing Testimonies

57.7

As the Sūtra of the Parables of the Dharmapada states: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, there was King Pukkusāti. When he entered Rājagṛha as a monk on his almsround, at the city gate a newly calved cow gored him to death. The cow's owner was terrified, and sold the cow to someone else. As that person was leading the cow to drink water, the cow again gored its master to death from behind. The master's family members were enraged; they took the cow, killed it, and sold its meat in the market. A rustic bought the cow's head, hung it on a carrying pole, and carried it home. Beside a field, he sat beneath a tree to rest and hung the cow's head from a tree branch. After a short while, the rope broke, and the cow's head fell directly upon the man; the cow's horn pierced him, and he died immediately. In a single day, it had killed three people in all. King Bimbisāra heard of this and thought it strange. Together with his courtiers, he went to the Buddha's place and asked in full about the matter. The Buddha told the king: "In the past, there were three merchants who went to another country to engage in trade. They lodged in the house of a lonely old woman, where they owed her the rental fee for the lodging. Seeing that the old woman was alone, they cheated her and did not wish to pay. Waiting until the old woman was away, they quietly left without paying. When the old woman returned and did not see the guests, she asked the neighbours, who all said they had left. The old woman was enraged; she pursued them and caught up with them, asking for the fee in exhaustion. The three guests reviled her: 'We already gave it to you before! Why are you asking again?' Unanimously, they resisted and refused to give the fee. The old woman was frail and solitary, and could do nothing. Grievously distressed, she swore an oath: 'I am now in poverty and distress; how can you bear to cheat and resist me? May it be that in whatever place I am reborn in future lives, if I meet you, I will certainly kill you! Even if you attain the Way, I will never let you go.'" The Buddha said to King Bimbisāra: "The old woman of that time was this cow. The three merchants were the three men, Pukkusāti and the others, who were gored to death by the cow." Thereupon, the World-Honoured One spoke this gāthā:

57.8

"Speaking evil and reviling others, / arrogant, overbearing, and scorning men; / when such conduct is aroused, / jealousy and resentment flourish.
Modest words and cautious phrases, / showing reverence to others; / discarding bonds and enduring evil, / jealousy and resentment naturally perish.
A man is born / with an axe in his mouth; / that which hacks his own body / arises from his evil words."

57.9

Also, the Udānavarga states: In the past, in the country of Kaśmīra, there were two brothers. The elder brother renounced the world and attained arhatship; the younger brother remained at home, managing their household affairs. The elder brother often came to instruct and exhort the younger brother to practise giving, maintain the precepts, cultivate goodness, and perform merits: "You will enjoy renown in the present life, and after death be reborn in a good realm." But the younger brother replied: "Elder brother, now that you have renounced the world, you do not worry about official or private matters; you do not think of wife and children, of fields, properties, or wealth. But I have these affairs!" Though his elder brother often instructed him, he did not heed his elder brother's teachings. Later, he fell ill and died, being reborn among cattle, driven by men to carry loads of salt into the city. The elder brother, coming out of the city, encountered him and preached the Dharma to him. When the ox heard it, it choked with sorrow and was distressed. Seeing this, the ox's owner said to the man of the Way: "What words have you spoken that have made my ox sorrowful and unhappy?" The man of the Way replied: "In its former life, this ox was originally my younger brother. In the past, he owed you a debt of one coin for salt; hence he fell into the state of an ox to repay your labor." When the ox's owner heard this, he said to the man of the Way: "Your younger brother was once a close friend of mine." Thereupon, the ox's owner said to the ox: "I now release you and will no longer make you work." Hearing this, the ox was deeply moved; with wholehearted mindfulness of the Buddha, it cast itself into a deep ravine and immediately died. It obtained rebirth in heaven, enjoying supreme happiness. By this cause and condition, if a person owes a debt, it must be repaid.

57.10

Also, the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra states: If a person owes a debt and does not repay it, he will fall among cattle, sheep, roe deer, stags, donkeys, horses, and the like to repay his past debt.

57.11

Also, the Avadāna-śataka states: The Buddha entered the city of Śrāvastī to beg for food. Arriving in an alley, he met a brāhmaṇa, who drew a line on the ground with his finger and would not allow the Buddha to pass. He said to the Buddha: "Give me back five hundred gold coins now, and only then will I let you pass. If you do not give them to me, I will never let you pass." The Buddha stood silently, unable to advance. When King Prasenajit and others heard that the Buddha was detained, each sent precious gems to the brāhmaṇa, but he refused to accept them. Hearing of this, Sudatta took five hundred gold coins and gave them to the brāhmaṇa, who then allowed the Buddha to pass. The monks asked the Buddha: "By what cause did this happen?" The Buddha said: "In the past, in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī, the crown prince of King Brahmadatta was named Kalyāṇamitra. While out wandering, he saw an actor playing dice with the chief minister's son, gambling five hundred gold coins. At that time, the minister's son lost money to the actor and was pressed for it, but did not repay. The prince said: 'If he does not give it to you, I will repay it on his behalf.' Yet in the end, it was not repaid. From then on, for immeasurable lifetimes, that actor has constantly sought money from me." The Buddha said: "The prince of that time is now myself; the minister's son is now Sudatta; and the actor of that time is now this brāhmaṇa."

57.12

Also, the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra states: In the past, in the country of Kaśmīra, there was an arhat named Revata, who was sitting in meditation in the mountains. At that time, a man lost his cow and, following its tracks, arrived at Revata's dwelling. At that moment, Revata was boiling plants to dye his robes. The robes spontaneously transformed into cowhide; the dye broth spontaneously transformed into cow's blood; the dye plants being boiled transformed into beef; and the bowl he held transformed into a cow's head. Seeing this, the cow's owner seized and bound him, and brought him before the king. The king committed him to prison. After twelve years, during which he always fed horses and cleared dung for the warden, Revata had five hundred disciples who were arhats. They searched for their master but did not know his whereabouts. When the karmic causes were about to be exhausted, one disciple perceived through contemplation that his master was in the prison of Kaśmīra. He came at once to inform the king: "My master is in prison. May the king judge the case." The king immediately sent someone to inspect the prison. When the envoy arrived in the prison, he saw only a man of haggard appearance, with very long hair and beard, feeding horses and clearing dung for the warden. The envoy returned and reported to the king: "In the prison, there is no śramaṇa to be seen at all." Revata's disciple again said to the king: "May the king issue an edict: wherever there are monks, let them all be released from prison." The king then proclaimed an order that all saṃgha members be released from prison. Hearing this, Revata's hair and beard fell off of their own accord, kāṣāya robes clad his body, and he leaped into the air and performed eighteen transformations. Seeing this matter, the king cast his five limbs to the ground and said: "Venerable one, please accept my repentance!" The king then asked: "By what karmic cause did you suffer torment in prison?" Revata answered: "In the past, I also once lost a cow. Following its tracks, I falsely accused another person for one day and one night. Thereafter, I fell into the three bad destinations and suffered immeasurable torment. Since the remnants of the disaster were not exhausted, even though I have now attained arhatship, I was still falsely accused and slandered. For this reason, all sentient beings should guard the karma of speech and not falsely accuse or slander others." The person Revata had falsely accused in the past was a pratyekabuddha; by this cause and condition, he received this retribution. In accordance with what the Lotus Sūtra says: 'Whether true or untrue, one who slanders a reciter of this sūtra will contract white leprosy in the present life.'"

57.13

Also, the Mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra states: It is heard that there was once a woman possessed by a hungry ghost. Using spells, [someone] questioned the ghost: "Why do you torment another woman?" The ghost answered: "This woman is my enemy; for five hundred lifetimes she constantly killed me, and for five hundred lifetimes I also cut short her life-faculty. If she can abandon her heart of ancient grudge, I too can abandon it." At that time, the woman said: "I have now abandoned my grudgeful mind." The ghost observed the woman: though her mouth spoke of abandoning it, her mind did not let it go; thereupon, the ghost severed her life.

57.14

Also, the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra states: Maudgalyāyana arrived at the bank of the Gaṅgā River and saw a flock of five hundred hungry ghosts coming towards the water. There was a ghost guarding the water who drove them off with an iron rod, so that they could not approach. Thereupon, the ghosts went straight to Maudgalyāyana, paid homage to Maudgalyāyana's feet, and each asked about their sins. One ghost said: "I received this body and constantly suffer from heat and thirst. Having previously heard that the water of the Gaṅgā River was clear and cool, I joyfully approached it, yet its boiling heat destroyed my body. When I tried to drink a mouthful, my five internal organs scorched and rotted, stinking unbearably. By what cause and condition do I suffer such a punishment?" Maudgalyāyana said: "In your former life, you were once a physiognomist reading people's fortunes and misfortunes, with little truth and much falsehood. Sometimes condemning, sometimes praising, you claimed to be precise in order to stir men's hearts, cheating and defrauding to seek wealth and profit, misleading sentient beings and causing them to lose their cherished goals."

57.15

Another ghost said: 'I am constantly [tied] at a devatā shrine. There are dogs with sharp teeth, red and white, that come to devour my flesh until only bones remain. When the wind blows, my flesh grows back again, and the dogs come back to devour it. What is the cause of this suffering?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were the master of a devatā shrine. You constantly taught sentient beings to slaughter sheep to sacrifice their blood to the devatās, while you ate their meat yourself. For this reason, you repay it today with your flesh.'

57.16

Another ghost said: 'My body is constantly smeared all over with dung, and I also eat it. What is the cause of this crime?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a brāhmaṇa of wicked views and lack of faith. A practitioner of the Way came begging for food; you took his bowl, filled it with dung, put cooked rice over the top, and handed it back to him. The practitioner returned and ate the rice with his hand, so that dung soiled his hand. For this reason, you receive this retribution today.' Another ghost said: 'My belly is huge like a vat, but my throat, hands, and feet are as thin as needles. I cannot eat or drink. What is the cause of this suffering?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a village chieftain. Relying on your nobility, you drank wine, ran wild, slighted others, and seized their food and drink, driving sentient beings into hunger and distress.'

57.17

Another ghost said: 'I constantly go to the latrine wanting to eat dung, but a large crowd of ghosts wielding clubs drives me away so that I cannot get near the privy. My mouth is rotten and foul, and I am famished and destitute. Why is this?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were the head of a monastery. When laypeople made offerings to the saṃgha and prepared provisions and food vessels, you served the coarse offerings to visiting monks and ate the fine ones yourself.'

57.18

Another ghost said: 'Tongues grow all over my body, and an axe comes to chop them off; no sooner are they severed than they grow back, relentlessly like this. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a practitioner of the Way. The saṃgha appointed you to make molasses syrup. Because the block of rock sugar was large and difficult to dissolve, you chopped it with an axe, and with a mind of theft you ate a mouthful. For this reason, your tongues are in turn chopped.'

57.19

Another ghost said: 'Seven hot iron pellets constantly go straight into my mouth, entering my belly and scorching my five viscera; after exiting, they enter again. For what reason do I suffer this retribution?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, when you were a śrāmaṇera distributing melons and fruit, you went to your master, and out of respect for him, you were biased and gave him extra—in fact, seven more.'

57.20

Another ghost said: 'Two hot iron wheels constantly spin under my two armpits, searing and charring my body. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, when you made cakes for the saṃgha, you took two of them with a mind of theft and clamped them under your armpits. Therefore you suffer this torment.'

57.21

Another ghost said: 'My scrotum is huge like a vat. When walking, I carry it upon my shoulder; when stopping, I sit upon it. Advancing or resting, it is an affliction of pain. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a market overseer. You constantly gave to others using light steelyards and small bushels, while taking for yourself using heavy steelyards and large bushels. You always wished for great gain for yourself by encroaching upon and defrauding others.'

57.22

Another ghost said: 'I constantly have eyes on both shoulders, a mouth and nose on my chest, and never have a head. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were an executioner's apprentice. Whenever you executed criminals, you joyfully attached a cord to their topknot and pulled it.'

57.23

Another ghost said: 'Hot iron needles constantly enter and exit my body, causing me to suffer agony without interruption. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a horse trainer or an elephant trainer. When the elephants or horses were hard to control, you pricked their feet with iron needles; and when an ox was sluggish, you also pricked it with a needle.' Another ghost said: 'Fire constantly bursts forth from my body, causing me natural distress. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were the consort of a king. There was another consort whom the king favoured and loved dearly; you constantly conceived jealousy and watched for a chance to harm her. Finding a moment when the king arose and went away while the favoured consort was still asleep and had not yet dressed, you gave rise to an evil thought: it happened that cakes were being made with hot sesame oil, so you poured it onto her belly. Her belly scorched and she died. Therefore you suffer this torment.'

57.24

Another ghost said: 'A whirlwind constantly spins my body around so that I have no autonomy to go east or west as I please, and my heart is always troubled and stifled. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you were a diviner. Sometimes you spoke the truth, and sometimes you spoke falsehoods, confusing people's minds so that they could not do as they pleased.'

57.25

Another ghost said: 'My body is constantly like a lump of meat, without feet, hands, eyes, ears, or nose, and it is constantly eaten by worms and birds, with unbearable suffering. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you gave medicines to others to abort their children.'

57.26

Another ghost said: 'A hot iron cage constantly encloses my body, searing hot and distressing. Why do I receive this?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you constantly caught fish and birds with nets.'

57.27

Another ghost said: 'I constantly cover my head with something, and I am also constantly terrified that someone will come to kill me; my mind is ever filled with unbearable fright. For what reason is it so?' Maudgalyāyana replied: 'In your past life, you committed adultery with another man's woman, always fearing that someone would see you, or fearing that her husband would seize, bind, beat, and kill you, or fearing that the state authorities would execute you in the market square. Terrors followed one after another.'

57.28

Another ghost asked: 'I have received this body where a copper pot constantly sits upon my shoulder, filled with molten copper. Holding a ladle in my hand, I scoop it and pour it over my own head, searing my entire body. Suffering countless and boundless agony like this, what crime have I committed?' He replied: 'In your past life, you renounced household life for the Way and took charge of the saṃgha's provisions. You privately hid a jar of ghee in another place; when a visiting monk arrived, you did not give it to him, but after he left, you brought out the ghee and served it to the resident monks. This ghee belonged to the saṃgha of the four directions, and everyone had a share in it. You concealed it, and though you distributed it, you did so unequally. Due to these causes, you suffer this retribution.'

57.29

The Avadāna-sūtra says: 'Formerly, in a foreign land, a man died, and his soul returned to whip his own corpse. A bystander asked: "This man is already dead; why do you whip him?" He answered: "This was my former body, which did evil for me: seeing the sūtras and precepts, it did not read them; it stole, cheated, violated others' women, was unfilial to parents, and unkind to brothers, and it begrudged its wealth and refused to practice dāna. Now in death, it has caused me to fall into the evil destinies, with unutterable hardship and bitter pain. For this reason I have come to whip it." Based on the Amitāyus-sūtra: Gavāmpati was a bhikṣu in a past life. Beside another's millet field, he picked a stalk of millet to see whether it was ripe, and several grains fell to the ground. For five hundred lives, he was reborn as an ox to repay it.'

57.30

The verse says:

57.31

Poverty and wealth cross in discord;
Debts and liabilities run contrary.
Taking loans, they repudiate them;
Karmic bonds constantly race on.
With no mind of remorse or repayment,
How can bitter retribution be doubted?
Falling into these evil destinies,
Through the long night there is no return.

57.32

Circumstances of Sympathetic Resonance (briefly citing eleven verifications):

57.33

Śramaṇa Shi Anqing of the Han;
Śramaṇa Shi Boyuan of the Jin;
Hou Qing of Nanyang of the Liang;
Bian Shiyu of Yangzhou of the Sui;
Wang Wujie of Luozhou of the Sui;
Geng Fusheng of Jizhou of the Sui;
The woman Mrs. Zhu of Zhengzhou of the Tang;
Lu Boda of Fenzhou of the Tang;
Cheng Hua of Yongzhou of the Tang;
Commandant Li of Luzhou of the Tang;
The woman Mrs. Chen of Yongzhou of the Tang.

57.34

In Luoyang of the Han dynasty, there was the śramaṇa An Qing, courtesy name Shigao. He was the crown prince of the principal queen of the king of Parthia. In his youth, he was praised for his filial conduct; moreover, his aspirations and talent were acute and he devoted himself to learning. There were no foreign texts, astrology of the seven luminaries, five phases, medical recipes, esoteric arts, or even the cries of birds and beasts that he did not master comprehensively. Once, while travelling, he saw a flock of swallows and suddenly said to his companion: 'The swallows say that someone should be bringing food.' Shortly afterward, someone indeed brought food. All marveled at him; thus his renown for exceptional brilliance was early known in the Western Regions. Shigao thoroughly grasped principle and fully understood nature; knowing his past karmic conditions, his actions had many divine anomalies beyond the world's measure. At first, Shigao stated of himself that in a previous life he had already renounced household life. He had a fellow student who was prone to anger during alms-gathering (piṇḍapāta): whenever an almsgiver did not fulfill his wishes, he would harbour resentment. Shigao repeatedly admonished him, but he never amended his ways. After more than twenty years like this, Shigao bade farewell to his fellow student, saying: 'I must go to Guangzhou to settle an account from a past life. Your understanding of the scriptures and your diligence are not behind mine, but your nature is prone to rage. After your life ends, you will surely receive an evil form. If I have the power, I will certainly deliver you.' Thereupon he went to Guangzhou, where he encountered a major rebellion by bandits. On the road, he met a young man who spat on his hands, drew his sword, and said: 'I have truly found you!' Shigao smiled and said: 'Because I owed you in a past life, I have come from afar to repay you; your rage is also the intention from that former life.' He then stretched out his neck to receive the sword without any look of fear. The bandit thereupon killed him. Those watching filled the road, and all were astonished by the strange event. This conscious spirit then became the crown prince of the King of Parthia, who is none other than the present Shigao. After Shigao traveled and converted people in China and his work of expounding the scriptures was complete, the Han capital region of Guan-Luo fell into turmoil at the end of the reign of Emperor Ling. Thereupon he shook his mendicant staff and went south of the Yangtze River, saying: 'I should pass Mount Lu to deliver my former fellow student.' Traveling onward, he reached the shrine at Lake Gongting. This shrine had long possessed divine power: when merchant travelers prayed, the wind was divided into headwind and tailwind so that each traveled without delay. Once, someone asked the god for bamboo; before permission was granted, he took it, whereupon his boat capsized and the bamboo returned to its original place. From then on, boatmen revered and feared the deity, none failing to tremble before his shadow. Shigao was travelling with more than thirty companions; when the boat master offered animal sacrifices to pray for blessings, the god descended upon a medium and said: 'There is a śramaṇa on the boat; he may be invited up.' The guests were all astonished and requested Shigao to enter the shrine. The god said to Shigao: 'In a foreign land, I renounced household life and studied the Way together with you. I was fond of practicing dāna, yet my nature was prone to wrath. Now I am the god of Gongting Shrine; a perimeter of a thousand li is all my domain. Because of my dāna, rare treasures are very plentiful; because of my anger, I have fallen into this divine retribution. Now seeing my fellow student, my grief and joy are beyond words. My lifespan will end morning or evening, yet my ugly form is huge and long. If I abandon life here, it will foul the rivers and lakes; I must cross over into the marsh west of the mountain. After this body perishes, I fear I will fall into hell. I have a thousand bolts of silk along with miscellaneous precious objects; you may erect Dharma sites and build a stūpa on my behalf so that I may be born in a good realm.' Shigao said: 'I came expressly to deliver you; why not reveal your form?' The god said: 'My form is exceedingly ugly and strange; the crowd will surely be terrified.' Shigao said: 'Just come out; the crowd will not be shocked.' The god stuck his head out from behind the dais: it was a great python, its tail of unknown length. It came up beside Shigao's knees. Shigao spoke to it in Sanskrit several times and chanted praises in several verses. The python wept tears like rain, and in a moment disappeared again. Shigao then took the silk and goods, bade farewell, and departed. As the voyagers hoisted sail, the python showed its body again, climbed the mountain, and gazed at them; the people raised their hands, and only then did it vanish. In an instant, they reached Yuzhang, where he used the shrine's goods to build Dongsi Temple. After Shigao left, the god passed away. In the evening, a youth boarded the boat, knelt before Shigao, received his blessing, and suddenly vanished. Shigao said to the boatmen: 'The youth just now was the god of the Gongting shrine; he has managed to escape the evil form.' Thereupon the shrine deity's manifestations ceased and had no further efficacy. Later, people found a dead python in the marsh west of the mountain, measuring several li from head to tail; this is the present Snake Village of Xunyang Commandery. Later, Shigao went again to Guangzhou to seek the young man who had killed him in his previous life. The young man was still alive at the time. Shigao went straight to his house, recounted the settlement of the account from the past, and described their past karmic connection. Facing each other with joy, Shigao said: 'I still have a residual retribution; I must now go to Kuaiji to settle the account.' The man of Guangzhou realized that Shigao was no ordinary man, had a sudden awakening of understanding, regretted his former transgression, and generously provided provisions for him. Following Shigao on his eastward journey, they reached Kuaiji. Upon arrival, they entered the market; there happened to be a brawl in the market, and one of the brawlers struck Shigao on the head by mistake, killing him on the spot. Having repeatedly verified both retributions, the man of Guangzhou diligently practiced the Buddha-Dharma and described the affair in full. Near and far, all who heard of it lamented, demonstrating that the three times truly have verification.

57.35

In Chang'an during the Jin dynasty, there was Bo Yuan, styled Fazu. His original surname was Wan, and he was a native of Henei. His intellect was acute and penetrating, remarkably agile and without peer. He recited eight to nine thousand words of scripture daily, and deeply savored the Vaipulya sūtras, wonderfully penetrating their subtle mysteries. He also comprehensively mastered secular classics and histories. Toward the end of Emperor Hui of Jin's reign, Fazu wished to retire into seclusion in Longyou to preserve his refined integrity, when he encountered Zhang Fu, the Inspector of Qinzhou. Previously, there was a man of the province named Guan Fan, who had debated doctrines with Fazu, was repeatedly bested, and bore deep resentment. He plotted with Fu, and Fu arrested Fazu to execute punishment. The crowd was full of indignation and sorrow. Fazu said: 'I have come to settle an old score. This was bound long ago in a past life, and is not a matter of the present.' He then called upon the Buddhas of the ten directions: 'Fazu joyfully settles this retribution for sins of former lives. I pray that from now on I may become a spiritual friend (kalyāṇamitra) to Fu, so that he does not incur the sin of killing a man.' He was then struck with fifty lashes and suddenly died. Later, Fu learned the full story and only then felt profound regret. Monastics and laity wept, and the crowd was stirred with indignation. Together they divided Fazu's remains and each built a stūpa-temple. Although Fu had talent and understanding, he was cruel and unreasonable, killing a virtuous monk without cause. Feng Shang, the Grand Protector of Tianshui, took advantage of a disorder to behead him when the people grew suspicious and terrified. Guan Fan also died. At that time, there was a man named Li Tong who died and revived. He reported seeing Dharma Master Fazu at King Yama's place preaching the Śūraṅgama-sūtra for the king; it was said that when the preaching ended, he was to proceed to Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. He also saw the Libationer Wang Fu—another source says the Daoist Master Ji—in chains and fetters, seeking repentance before Fazu. In former days, Fazu had often debated the orthodox and the heterodox with Fu, and Fu was repeatedly bested. Unable to contain his anger, Fu composed the Laozi huahu jing (Scripture on Laozi Converting the Barbarians) to slander the Buddha's teaching. As calamity ultimately falls where it belongs, only in death did he think of repentance. Sun Chuo's Daoxian lun (Treatise on Monks and Worthies) compared Fazu to Ji Kang, saying: 'Bo Zu's fault arose from Guan Fan, just as the calamity of the Master of the Center (Ji Kang) was brought about by Zhong Hui. Both worthies, endowed with extraordinary spirits, were heedless of thoughts of self-preservation. Resting their minds beyond mundane affairs, they slighted the world and invited disaster, which is scarcely different.' Such was the praise he received. (The preceding two verifications are from the Liang Gaoseng zhuan).

57.36

Under the Liang, there was a man of Nanyang named Hou Qing, who possessed a bronze statue a little over a foot high. Qing had an ox, which he intended to sell to apply gold leaf [to the statue]. Meeting with an emergency, he used the ox to give to someone else. After two years, Qing's wife, Lady Ma, suddenly dreamt that this statue said to her: 'You and your husband have owed me gold for a long time without repaying it. Now I will take your son, Chouduo, to make up for the gold.' Lady Ma awoke feeling uneasy. By morning, Chouduo fell ill and died. Qing was over fifty years old and had only this one son; the sounds of his grief moved the passersby on the road. On the day Chouduo died, the statue suddenly of itself took on a golden hue, and its light illuminated the four neighbors; within the neighborhood all smelled a fragrance. Monastics, laity, young, and old all came to look. Yuan Ji, the Vice Director of the Right of the Department of State Affairs, hearing that strange wonders were occurring frequently in the neighborhood, changed the name of Fucai (Owed Wealth) Lane to Qi Xie (Equal Harmony) Lane. (From the Luoyang qielan ji).

57.37

Under the Sui, there was Bian Shiyu of Yangzhou. During the Sui, his father was granted the title of Grand Master for Thorough Counsel for his merit in pacifying the Chen dynasty. He was miserly. Once, he hired laborers to build a house but did not pay them their wages. When a laborer came demanding the money, Bian's father whipped him and said angrily: 'If I truly owe you, in death I will become an ox for you!' In a brief moment, Bian's father died. That year, a cow belonging to the laborer conceived and gave birth to a yellow calf. Across its waist were black markings running horizontally all around, like a human belt. On its right thigh were white markings crossing diagonally, large and small, shaped exactly like an ivory tablet. The owner of the ox called out to it: 'Lord Bian, why did you default on me?' The calf immediately bent its front knees and touched its head to the ground. Shiyu offered one hundred thousand cash to redeem it, but the owner would not allow it. Only when it died did he collect and bury it. Shiyu personally recounted this when facing [others].

57.38

During the Daye era of the Sui, there was a man in Luoyang surnamed Wang who constantly maintained the five precepts. He would occasionally speak of things that had not yet occurred, and the neighborhood respected and trusted him. One morning, he suddenly said to people: 'Today someone should bring me a donkey.' By midday, a man indeed arrived leading a donkey, and said through tears: 'I lost my father early, and my mother was a widow who raised a son and a daughter. The daughter married and our mother died twenty years ago. On the Cold Food Festival, I went carrying food and wine to offer sacrifice at her grave. Riding this donkey, I went. The grave was east of the Yi River. When I wished to cross the Yi River, the donkey was unwilling to cross. I whipped its head and face, breaking the skin until blood flowed. Arriving at the grave, I let the donkey loose to conduct the sacrifice, but presently lost it, and it returned home. That day, my younger sister was alone at my house, when she suddenly saw our mother enter. Her head and face were bleeding, her appearance gaunt and haggard. Weeping aloud, she told my sister: "During my life, I kept it from your elder brother and gave five pecks of rice to you. On account of this sin, I received retribution as a donkey's body, repaying your elder brother for five years. Today he wished to cross the Yi River. The water was deep and I feared it. Your brother whipped my head and face, breaking them all, and still intends to beat me severely when we return home. I have run here to tell you: I am now close to finishing the repayment of my debt; why should he torment me so unreasonably?" Having spoken, she went out. When my sister searched for her, our mother was not to be seen. Soon afterward I returned. My sister first observed that the donkey's head and face were injured and bleeding, just like the injuries on our mother. My sister embraced it, weeping aloud. Surprised, I questioned her, and she related the situation. I also told how at first it refused to cross, and how I lost it and found it again. Everything matched. Thereupon brother and sister embraced and wept bitterly. The donkey also shed tears and would not eat water or grass. Brother and sister knelt and pleaded: "If you are our mother, please eat grass." The donkey then ate, but soon stopped again. Brother and sister did not know what to do, so they prepared grain and sent it to Wang of the Five Precepts, and then it ate again. Later, when the donkey died, brother and sister gathered and buried it.' (The preceding two verifications are from the Mingbao ji).

57.39

East of Linhuang County in Jizhou during the Sui dynasty, there was Geng Fusheng, whose family had modest wealth. In the eleventh year of the Daye era of the Sui, Fusheng's mother, Lady Zhang, secretly took two bolts of silk without her husband's knowledge and gave them to her daughter. Several years later, the mother died and was reborn as a sow in their own house. She gave birth to two piglets, which Fusheng ate completely. When she stopped bearing, Fusheng called a butcher to sell her. Before she was taken, a traveling monk came begging for food from Fusheng, and stayed briefly at Fusheng's house. He took a boy into the pigpen to play. The sow spoke to the boy, saying: 'I am Fusheng's mother. In past days, out of sight of Fusheng's father, I took two bolts of silk to give to my daughter. For this sin, I was reborn as a sow. I gave birth to two piglets, which were both eaten by Fusheng. Having now repaid my debt, I owe nothing more. He wishes to call a butcher to sell me; please inform him of this.' The boy recounted everything to his master. The master was angry and said: 'You are completely delirious! How could a pig speak such words?' and went to sleep. After another day, the pig saw the boy and said again: 'The butcher is coming soon; why did you not inform him?' The boy reported it again to his master, but again was dismissed. Shortly, the butcher came to take the pig. The pig leaped out of the pen and fled beneath the monk's bed. The butcher pursued it to the monk's room. The monk said: 'The pig came seeking refuge with me; I will now redeem it.' He then produced three hundred cash to redeem the pig. Later, he quietly asked Fusheng: 'Did your family ever lose any silk?' Fusheng replied: 'When my father was alive, we once lost two bolts of silk.' The monk asked again: 'How many sisters do you have?' Fusheng replied: 'Only one older sister, who was married into the Gongcheng family north of the county seat.' The monk then recounted all that the boy had said. Hearing this, Fusheng wept uncontrollably, and henceforth cared for and provided for the mother sow with exceptional devotion. After several days, the sow suddenly died of itself. She appeared in a dream to her daughter, saying that having completed the repayment of her debt, she was reborn in a good realm, and urged her daughter to cultivate further merit.

57.40

Under the Tang, in Yangwu County of Zhengzhou, there was a woman surnamed Zhu whose husband had owed a hundred bolts of silk to someone from another county. After her husband died, no one repaid it. Toward the end of the Zhenguan era, she died of illness, but revived after two nights. She recounted that she had been seized and brought to a place where she saw a person who said: 'I am an officer of the Department of the Director of Destiny. When your husband was alive, he owed my family so many bolts of silk, which is why you were summoned. Now I release you to return. You should quickly prepare the goods and deliver them back to my mother at such-and-such a house, in such-and-such a village, in such-and-such a county. If you do not deliver them, you will be arrested and brought back with even greater severity. Also, tell my mother to strive to make statues and cultivate merit for me.' Zhu then begged among the neighborhood, obtained the silk, and brought it back to his mother. She recounted the son's appearance in full, just as he had been in life. His mother wept and sobbed facing her for a long time.

57.41

Under the Tang, Lu Boda of Xiaoyi County in Fenzhou owed one thousand cash to a man from the same county during the Yonghui era. Later, he violated the contract, refusing and denying the debt. When the creditor held the contract and went to collect, Lu took a solemn oath with the creditor before the Buddha, saying: 'If I have not repaid you, sir, may I become an ox for your household after death!' Having spoken, he died before a year had passed. In the second year, a cow in the creditor's house gave birth to a red calf. On its forehead, white hairs grew into the three characters 'Lu Bo Da'. His sons and nephews were ashamed of this, and brought five thousand cash seeking to redeem it. The owner was unwilling to part with it, and donated it to the monk Zhenru of Qifu Temple in Xicheng County to assist in constructing a fifteen-story stūpa. When people saw it, they resolved to cease wrongdoing, and vied with one another to donate money and goods. (The preceding three verifications are from the Mingbao [ji]).

57.42

In the fifth year of the Yonghui era of the Tang, southeast outside the capital, there was a pond called Goujiazui where there was a wondrous spring. The village head, named Cheng Hua, was collecting the autumn charcoal tax. At that time, Cheng Hua had already received the full payment in cash from a charcoal corvée laborer. This man was poor and illiterate, and did not obtain a written receipt from him. Later, Cheng Hua again demanded charcoal from the laborer. The laborer refused to comply. Cheng Hua said: 'If I had received your money, produce your receipt.' The charcoal laborer said: 'I am illiterate. You told me, "Since I have received your money in full, what need is there for a receipt?" Hearing these words, I trusted you and did not take one. For what reason do you demand money from me again today?' Cheng Hua did not believe in cause and effect, and so made an oath to the laborer, saying: 'If I have taken your money, may I become an ox for you after my death!' Distressed, the laborer raised money elsewhere and gave it to him. Within three to five months, Cheng Hua died, and his soul entered the womb of the laborer's cow. Later, a calf was born. Its whole body was completely black, but on its forehead was a pair of white markings, clearly forming the characters 'Cheng Hua'. Everyone who saw it recognized Cheng Hua. His children offered double the money to redeem it, but the laborer would not give it up. The ox is still alive. (Eyewitnesses from neighboring villages all relate this).

57.43

In the first year of the Longshuo reign era of the Tang (661 CE), a man of Huai Prefecture went to the market in Lu Prefecture to buy pigs to sell back in Huai Prefecture. There was a castrated pig which he bought in Lu Prefecture for three hundred cash. Bringing it to Huai Prefecture, he sold it to a slaughterhouse for six hundred cash. In the winter of that year, in the eleventh month, there was a man of Lu Prefecture surnamed Li whose courtesy name is not known; serving as a Commandant (jiaowei), he arrived in Huai Prefecture on his rotation of duty. Because he went toward the market intending to buy meat to eat, he saw this castrated pig already bound by its four legs in front of the shop, about to be slaughtered. Seeing this Commandant, [the pig] spoke, saying: "You are my grandson! I am your maternal grandmother. Originally, because your family was poor, your mother repeatedly asked me for provisions. Because her repeated requests could not be fully met, my eldest son would not permit it. Pitying you, mother and son, I secretly bypassed my son and gave [her] five dou of rice. Now I have become a pig to repay that debt of theft! Why do you not rescue me?" Hearing this, the Commandant sought to redeem the pig from the slaughterer. The slaughterer at first did not believe it, as the other people could not understand this pig's speech; only the Commandant could understand it. The slaughterer said: "If it is truly your grandmother, I will untie and release it. Ask it to speak again facing me." After the slaughterer untied and released it, the Commandant again asked the pig, speaking: "I am presently on duty for a month and cannot yet take Grandmother back home. I do not know where to settle Grandmother." The pig then said to the Commandant: "Separated by a lifetime, I now undergo this wretched form. Even when you are off duty, you still need not take me back. Your mother is still living, and you are also a Commandant. If our kinfolk in our hometown see me in this form, they will certainly not be pleased; I fear it will disgrace your household. I have heard that a certain monastery keeps pigs and sheep spared from slaughter to live out their natural lives; settle me in this monastery." The Commandant further said to the pig: "If Grandmother is truly an anomaly of proof, go toward the monastery on your own ahead of us." Hearing these words, the pig immediately ran toward the monastery. The monastery monks at first were unwilling to accept it. The Commandant recounted this numinous proof in full to the monastery monks. Hearing it, all the monks of the monastery felt shame and pity, and built a shed in a secluded spot to settle it. The Commandant also left a small felt mat for it to sleep on. The monks, Daoists, and laity of the monastery competed to offer food and drink. After a long time, the monastery monks could all understand the pig's speech. When the Commandant went off duty, he took his leave, headed to his home prefecture, and reported this matter to his mother. The mother later came in person to see the pig; when mother and son met, they wept together. Down to the first year of the Linde reign era (664 CE), [the pig] was still heard to be safe and sound. (Liang Nandi, a Director in the Household of the Crown Prince and native of Bing Prefecture, who was transferred to the post of Assault-Defending Commander of the outer city of Huai Prefecture, witnessed and recounted it in full.)

57.44

In the third year of the Longshuo reign era of the Tang (663 CE), Lady Chen was the wife of Liu Gongxin of the Three Guards, living in Tonggui Ward within the city of Chang'an. Her mother had previously passed away. Lady Chen suddenly died due to an illness. She saw someone lead her into hell, where she fully witnessed the various torments, which cannot be recounted in detail. At the very end, she saw a hell whose stone gate was solidly shut. There were two great demons of mighty and imposing stature guarding both sides of the gate, who glared fiercely with enraged eyes at Lady Chen: "What manner of person are you to have arrived here?" She saw the stone gate suddenly open, and her deceased mother was inside enduring suffering that cannot be recounted in detail. Her suffering slightly easing, she approached the gate, so that mother and daughter could see each other and speak from a distance. The mother spoke to the daughter, saying: "When you return, strive to copy a sutra for me." The daughter inquired: "Mother, what sutra do you wish to have copied?" "Copy the Lotus Sutra for me." As soon as she finished speaking, the stone gate closed. Lady Chen revived, and recounted everything to her husband. Her husband thereupon relied on his brother-in-law Zhao Shizi, wishing to copy the Lotus Sutra. This Shizi formerly understood the copying of sutras. There was a copyist who had brought a newly copied set of the Lotus Sutra that had not yet been mounted. That man had previously been hired by another person to copy it; the owner of the sutra was surnamed Fan. This copyist took the other person's Lotus Sutra and traded it away to Zhao Shizi for two hundred cash. The patron [Fan] did not know that it had been traded for money. Shizi further said to his wife's brother: "Now that you are awaiting a sutra at home, there is a set of the Lotus Sutra; brother, redeem this sutra. It was valued at one thousand cash." Lady Chen's husband used four hundred cash to redeem it. When the mounting was completed, he made offerings to it at home on behalf of the mother. Later, the daughter Lady Chen dreamed of her mother demanding the sutra from her: "I previously bade you copy a set of the Lotus Sutra for me. For what reason have I not received it down to this day?" The daughter reported to her mother, saying: "I have already redeemed a set of the Lotus Sutra for you, Mother; it is now fully mounted and offerings are being made to it at home." The mother spoke to her daughter, saying: "It is solely because of this sutra that I undergo all the more suffering! In the nether paths, the hell wardens beat my back until it broke. Look at the sores on my body! The hell official said: 'For what reason did you take the Fan family's sutra and regard it as your own sutra? What merit do you have? You have committed a great transgression!'" Seeing her mother speak thus, the daughter separately had another copy of the Lotus Sutra made for her mother. Before the sutra was finished, the daughter again saw her mother in a dream coming to urge the sutra along. Immediately she saw a monk holding a scroll of the Lotus Sutra in his hand, who spoke to the mother, saying: "Your daughter has already copied the first fascicle of the sutra for you, and the merit has already been accomplished. For what reason do you come again to press and coerce her? Wait until it is finished; why must you be in such haste?" Afterwards, when the copying of the sutra was completed, the mother came to inform her daughter: "Because you copied the sutra for me, I have now been able to leave the nether paths and be reborn in a good realm. Having received the power of your kindness, I therefore come to inform you. You should dwell well, be fine in womanly conduct, and take faithful devotion as the foundation." Having finished speaking, they parted with sorrowful tears. Later, when they investigated the owner of the previously redeemed Lotus Sutra, it indeed turned out to be surnamed Fan. Although the Fan family did not receive the sutra, since the sutra was already completed, their meritorious blessing of giving was already fulfilled. The later person who traded it away brought guilt and blame upon himself. Liu's wife, by the act of redemption, faintly attained a small amount of merit, yet the deceased mother could not gain any benefit from it. (Lady Chen's husband, Liu Gongxin, related this in full to the Reminder himself.)

57.45

Chapter 66: Disputes and Litigations (This has two sections)

57.46

Section 1: Statement of Intent

57.47

When kind words are uttered, humans and devas smile; when base speech is displayed, both the unseen and manifest become angry. One fears that if badness is transmitted upon hearing such sounds, they will forever block hearts and eyes; but seeing goodness, they cherish affection and forever become like newborn infants. Since one knows that the perverse and the correct take different tracks, and good and evil part ways, one should exhort the cessation of the fierce speech of the three poisons and raise respectful accord in goodness and harmony. Therefore, the great sage's instruction is to cultivate the root and discard the branches. For the mind is the master of poison, and the mouth is the vessel of calamity; relying on circumstances, they form disasters and follow the stream into the wretched destinies. There has never been a case where disputes and litigations went against form while the great transformation was preserved.

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法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese