法苑珠林 7.59

7.59

Shi Changhe of Zhao was a gentleman of lofty character from the state of Zhao. At the age of nineteen, he was ill for over a month and died. Because his family was poor, they could not encoffin and bury him in time. After four days, he revived and related that when he first died, he walked southeast and saw two men repairing a road, fifty paces ahead of He. Whether He walked slowly or quickly, the two men repairing the road adjusted their speed accordingly, always staying fifty paces ahead. On both sides of the road, brambles and thorns were dense, all shaped like eagle claws. He saw very many people running in crowds through the thorns, their bodies torn and bleeding all over the ground. Seeing He walking alone on the level road, they all sighed and said, 'A disciple of the Buddha walks alone upon the great road!' Going forward, he saw rows of multistoried tiled buildings, numbering several thousand. There was a very tall building in which a man was seated by a window, possessing an imposing countenance and wearing a four-seamed black robe. He bowed to him. The man in the pavilion said, 'Has Master Shi arrived? It has been over twenty years since we parted.' In his mind at that time, Changhe seemed to recall the occasion of their parting. He had an acquaintance named Meng Cheng, a horse tender, whose wife had died years before. The man in the pavilion said, 'Do you know Meng Cheng?' Changhe said, 'I know him.' The man in the pavilion said, 'When Meng Cheng was alive, he could not be vigorous; now he regularly performs the chore of sweeping for me. Meng Cheng's wife was vigorous, and her dwelling place is very pleasant.' Pointing with his finger to a southwest room, he said, 'Meng's wife is here.' Meng's wife opened the window, and upon seeing He, warmly comforted and inquired after him, asking about the welfare and news of all his family, old and young. She said, 'When you return, Master Shi, you may visit again, and I shall send a letter with you.' Soon Meng Cheng was seen holding a broom and carrying a dustpan, coming from the west of the pavilion, and he too inquired about news from home. The man in the pavilion said, 'I hear that Yu Longchao is famous for his vigorous faith; what practices do you cultivate?' Changhe said, 'I do not eat fish or meat, nor has wine ever passed my lips; I regularly recite the noble sūtras to rescue people from illnesses and pains.' The man in the pavilion said, 'Do not forget what has been transmitted to you.' After they had spoken for a long time, the man in the pavilion asked the Chief Registrar: 'Carefully examine Master Shi's register of names; let there be no error or confusion.' The registrar consulted the register and said, 'He still has thirty years of life remaining.' The man in the pavilion said, 'Do you wish to return, sir?' He replied, 'I wish to return.' He then commanded the registrar to send him back with a carriage and two officials. Changhe bowed in farewell, boarded the carriage, and returned. Along the road he had traveled before, there were post-houses and provisions of food and drink supplied by officials and civilians. In a flash he reached home. Loathing the stench of his corpse, he did not want to approach it; he stood by the head of the corpse, when he saw his deceased younger sister push him from behind onto the face of the corpse, whereupon he revived. The śramaṇa Zhi Fashan had not yet renounced household life at that time; hearing what He related, he firmly resolved to enter the Way. Fashan was a man of the Xianhe era (the three men above are from the Mingxiang ji).