法苑珠林 94.7

94.7

During the Jin dynasty, Yu Shaozhi of Xinye, whose courtesy name was Daofu, was the Governor of Xiangdong. He and Song Xie of Nanyang were maternal cousins and deeply attached to each other. Shaozhi fell ill and died at the end of the Yuanxing reign period. During the Yixi reign period, his form suddenly appeared to visit Xie. His appearance and clothing were entirely as they had been in life, but both of his feet were in shackles. Upon arriving, he took off the shackles, set them on the ground, and sat down. Xie asked why he had come to visit. He replied, 'I was granted a temporary leave to return, and because of our closeness and affection, I came to visit you.' When Xie asked about the matters of ghosts and spirits, Shaozhi answered only evasively and not in full, saying only: 'You should be diligent in vigorous practice and must not kill living beings. If you cannot stop completely, at least do not slaughter oxen. When eating meat, do not have a mind that craves [other] beings.' Xie said, 'Is there a difference between internal organs and flesh?' He replied, 'The heart is the dwelling place of good spirits; the sin [of eating it] is especially heavy.' He inquired thoroughly about their relatives, and then they discussed worldly affairs. At the end, he asked for wine. Xie occasionally took dogwood wine, so he set it before him. When the wine arrived, facing the cup, he did not drink, saying, 'It smells of dogwood.' Xie asked, 'Do you dislike it?' He replied, 'We petty officials all fear it; it is not only I.' Shaozhi by nature had a loud and robust voice, and when conversing at this time, it was no different from ordinary days. After a short while, Xie's son Suizhi arrived. Hearing the sound of his clogs, Shaozhi showed great fear and said to Xie, 'The vital qi of the living encroaches upon me, and I can stay no longer. We must part for three years.' He then put on his shackles and stood up; going out the door, he vanished. Xie later became a Regular Court Gentleman, and indeed died three years later.