法苑珠林 91.53

91.53

Under the Qi dynasty, Lady Wang, named Siniang, died of illness in the third year of Yongming. Her corpse was laid on the ground, and those adorning it felt that her heart was warm; hence she was not yet encoffined. After two nights, her body became slightly warm and her breath gradually returned. Shortly thereafter, she was able to speak. She related of herself that two men had arrested and led her away to a large gate. There was a śramaṇa sitting cross-legged on a barbarian chair. Seeing her, he was very startled and asked why she had come. He then scolded the two men, saying, “You have mistakenly arrested and brought a person here!” and gave each of them forty lashes. He told Siniang, “Young lady, you may go.” She replied, “Earlier, I was dazed and bewildered and do not know the way; please appoint someone to guide me.” The śramaṇa thereupon ordered a man to escort her. After traveling a short distance, she saw her previously deceased male slave leaning atop a high tower. Startled, he asked Siniang, “How have you suddenly arrived here? Do you wish to see your sister-in-law?” She answered that she did not know the place, and called on the slave to escort her himself. The slave said, “I cannot escort you. Siniang, just go forward; on the road ahead you should encounter her.” He threw a horsewhip to her, saying, “Carefully hold this whip, and you will naturally know the road.” After walking several li, she saw the sister-in-law, who was Siniang’s elder brother's wife. She was undergoing severe punishment, her four limbs painfully bound, suspended beside the road like the method for trussing geese and ducks. Meeting each other, they wailed in grief. The sister-in-law related of herself, “When alive I committed sins, and now I have brought about this agonizing torment.” She wished to bend her hand to strike her cheeks and beg for pity and aid, but her hands were bound and rigid and could not reach her cheeks. She also heard the sounds of suffering from the left and right, yet did not see their forms. Siniang asked what sound this was. She replied, “These are monks of conductless assembly who broke the fasts and violated the precepts; having obtained this bitter retribution, these are their wailing cries.” Thereupon Siniang returned along the road. In a brief moment, she reached her house. Seeing her own corpse, her mind felt intense disgust, and she was no longer willing to return. Unaware, someone shoved her so that she tumbled down, and thereupon she was able to re-enter her body and gradually revived. That person is now in good health and still alive. (The above two verifications are from the *Mingxiang ji*.)