法苑珠林 76.69

76.69

To the northwest of Zhouzhi County in western Yongzhou of the Tang, there was the Yuangongren Ward. Cheng Pule, a man of the Yuangong [forces], had been fond of music since his youth. On the seventh day of the fifth month in the sixth year of the Yonghui era, he died suddenly from a slight illness. For five days his heart remained warm and did not rot; his family did not dare to bury him. At dawn on the sixth day he revived, returning to normal as in life. He recounted: 'When I first died, two youths clad in blue arrived before my bed and announced, "The King summons you, Sir." Pule asked, "Which king?" They replied, "King Yama." "Why does he summon me?" They replied, "There is an interrogation to be conducted; you must depart urgently, without delaying for talk." One person grabbed Pule by the hand and chased him out of the south gate of the ward. Proceeding gradually toward the foot of the southern mountains, they arrived at a waste overgrown with grass. There was a small barren patch of saline soil where no grass grew, with a large opening like the mouth of a large vat. They told [Pu]le, "Enter." [Pu]le was terrified and refused to enter. One person pushed him in, but he did not feel any harm. Entering directly, he saw the King's great hall, with a vast number of guards holding weapons. The King, together with his ministers, palace concubines, and queen, sat in the great hall behind dividing curtains. In front of the hall there were many musicians, performers, and miscellaneous entertainments entertaining them. The messenger reported to the King, "The summoned person has arrived." The King asked, "Who is it?" "Cheng Pule." "Do you understand comic performance?" He replied, "I do not." The King turned and asked a performer surnamed Zhang, named She'er: "This person does not understand comic performance; why did you summon him?" During his life, She'er had initially been on good terms with Pule, but later harbored resentment due to mutual anger; She'er had held a grudge and recklessly brought this person. She'er did not dare deceive the King and answered truthfully. The King was enraged and ordered the performance to proceed. The music before the hall sounded simultaneously. He saw people beating drums, dancing, and climbing poles. When the pole-climber first climbed to the top, upon descending, he took the pole into his mouth and slid straight down; the pole emerged from his anus and reached the ground, and then he went back up. All six sense faculties were destroyed, and blood flowed from his nine apertures. Going up and down the pole was entirely like this. He also saw several dozen performers from the Qi and Tang periods onward, such as Qi Yingzi, Tuchulang, Duzhu, and Taobang, who were ordered to perform comedic sketches. Fire shot from their mouths, and their tongues were pulled out to encircle the arena. Hundreds of thousands of iron birds and evil poisonous insects flew down from the sky, pecking and gnawing at their tongues simultaneously. They endured extreme torment, their cries shaking the earth, unbearable to hear. The other miscellaneous entertainers and small iron insects—seeing them clap their hands together, the sounds of their screams were like smoke and fire. They were simultaneously burned; burned to death, they revived again, continually enduring torment without a moment's respite. The music did not cease, and their suffering did not stop. Although the King put down his staff, he dispatched hell-wardens holding iron rods, sharp halberds, and iron bows and arrows to encircle and guard them, ordering them to play music while suffering unending torment. Pule remained in hell for five days and saw these performers enduring torment like this. At dawn on the sixth day, the King summoned Pule and said to him: "You were not meant to die; inspecting the records again, three years hence your life-span will be exhausted, and you will come to suffer torment like this. Because in life these people committed false speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech, ridiculed monks and nuns, treated the Buddhadharma flippantly, made false claims relying on the Three Jewels, fraudulently seized others' belongings solely to sustain their wives and children, took pleasure in slaughtering pigs and sheep, and consumed alcohol and meat, or went to saṃghārāmas to consume the belongings of the Saṃgha and defiled purity—due to such sins and their failure to uphold the fasts and precepts, they suffer this calamity. Although you do not have such grave offenses, you are not without other faults, and you also deserve to suffer them. For now, I release you; when you die, I will take you." He then ordered the two former men to escort him home. He saw what seemed to be a bed, where a thicket of thorns had dense branches and leaves. The two ordered him to enter this thicket. He initially refused to enter; the two pushed him forcefully. Closing his eyes, he entered, and immediately felt that his body was already on the bed, revived. Because Pule witnessed this omen, he immediately went to the capital, visiting temples to receive the precepts, firmly upholding them without violation, observing a vegetarian diet and perpetual fasting, never lacking in reverence (he recounted this in full when repenting before the Saṃgha).'