法苑珠林 76.53

76.53

In Xianyang during the Tang, there was a woman named Liang. In the Zhenguan era, she died and revived after seven days. She recounted that she had been seized and brought into a large compound, where she saw a great hall with an official seated at a desk holding a brush, with a grand array of attendants. He ordered someone to interrogate her, saying: 'Should this woman die or not?' Someone else presented another dossier and examined it, saying: 'She shares the same surname and personal name as the one who ought to die, which is why she was summoned.' The official instructed his attendants to release her and send her back. Liang said to the official: 'I do not know whether Liang has any other sins; I request to receive my punishment before returning.' The official immediately ordered the records examined, which said: 'During her lifetime, Liang had only the sin of malicious speech and evil cursing, and no other sins.' He then ordered one person to pull out her tongue and another holding an axe to chop it, several times a day. After a full seven days had passed, they finally sent her back. At first it felt like falling off a deep cliff; after a short while, it was as if she woke from sleep. When her family members looked at her tongue, it was still severely rotten and swollen. From that time on, she perpetually severed meat and wine, and is still alive today (from the Supplemented Record of Retribution in the Netherworld).