法苑珠林 79.32

79.32

Shen Sengfu of Wuxing under the Song dynasty: At the end of the Daming reign period, there was a famine in his native place. Following the food supply, he arrived in Shanyang. By day he entered villages and fields to beg for food, and at night he returned to lodge near the temple quarters. At that time, the various temples in Shanyang possessed a great many small-sized bronze statues. Over time, Sengfu and several men from his village secretly stole them, until several bags and boxes were completely filled. Thereupon he was about to return home to melt them down together to cast coins. Once the matter was discovered, he was arrested and escorted to the capital. As soon as he boarded the boat, he began saying that he saw people burning him with fire. Day and night he shrieked and wailed, claiming of his own accord that the bitter pain was unbearable. Before he could be executed for his crime, he died. His entire body was blistered and split open, looking just like someone who had been burned by fire. Zhu Heng of Wujun personally knew Sengfu and witnessed the event in full.