法苑珠林 6.70

6.70

Sima Wenxuan of the Song was a native of Henai. He had considerable faith in the Dharma. In the ninth year of the Yuanjia reign era (432), his mother passed away and his younger brother died. On the morning of the full moon, he suddenly saw his younger brother whose bodily form upon the spirit seat was no different from ordinary days. Pacing about, sighing, he subtly begged for food and drink. Wen[xuan] tested him by asking: “During your life you practiced the ten virtues. According to what the scriptures say, you should have been born in heaven; or if in the human realm, why then were you born among these ghosts?” Groaning and moving restlessly, he remained silent without replying. That very night, Wenxuan dreamed of his younger brother, who said: “Because of the good deeds I practiced in life, I received retribution and was born in heaven. The ghost at the spirit bed this morning was only a demon ringleader; it was not my body. Fearing that my elder brother would suspect and wonder, I came to inform you.” The next morning, Wenxuan invited monks to chant the Śūraṅgama-sūtra and ordered people to strike and seize it. The ghost then fled under the bed and ran outside the door. Its form grew gradually hideous and foul, and the whole family was terrified; they reviled and berated it to drive it away. The ghost said: “I am just hungry and begging for food.” After several days it departed. Shortly after, at the head of the mother's spirit bed there was a ghost whose skin was red and whose body was very tall and stout. Wenxuan’s eldest son, Xiaozu, spoke back and forth with it, and its replies were thorough. Although they were frightened at first, they gradually grew accustomed to it. The ghost also became familiar with them, coming and going in the dwelling almost like a family member. At that time, word spread through the capital, and visitors who came to watch crowded the streets and alleys. At that time there was a monk of Nanlin Temple, and a śramaṇa named Seng Han of Lingwei Temple; their conversation with the ghost was also very intimate. The ghost said: “In a past life, I was once noble and eminent, but because I committed many evils, before my retribution was exhausted, I resulted in this ghost body. In the past yin year, there were four hundred tribes of ghosts causing widespread pestilence. Those who should meet with calamity do not disturb practitioners of the Way; but those who transgressed recklessly were exceedingly numerous, falsely claiming merits and good deeds. Therefore, they sent me to inspect them.” The monk gave it food. The ghost said: “I have my own provisions and cannot consume this food.” Han said: “Ghosts often know past births. Whence did I come, and from what cause did I become a practitioner of the Way?” It replied: “You came from among humans; the cause and conditions of leaving household life were your original vows.” When asked about the destinations in life and death of various living and deceased persons, it answered them all in general; the verifications were complete and the details manifold, so they are not recorded in detail. Han said: “The realms of humans and ghosts are different. Since you do not seek food, why do you linger so long?” The ghost said: “Here there is a woman who should be arrested, but she observes the precepts with diligent purity, so it is difficult to take her. Lingering here day after day is for this reason. I feel no small shame for disturbing the master of the house.” From then on, it rarely showed its form; later visitors only heard its voice. This was in the tenth year of the Yuanjia reign era (433). On the twenty-eighth day of the third month, it said to Wenxuan: “I came temporarily to lodge, but your family has exhausted its resources in cultivating merit, and you fear me like this; how could I linger long?” Xiaozu said: “We allow you to lodge, but why did you occupy the spirit seat of our family’s deceased ancestor?” It replied: “The deceased of your family each have their respective places; this seat was set up in vain, so I merely lodged temporarily.” Thereupon it took its leave and departed.