法苑珠林 95.50

95.50

During the Song dynasty, Li Qing was a native of Yuqian in Wuxing. He served as an adjutant supervisor (canjun duhu) in the Grand Marshal Huan Wen's headquarters. Falling ill at the headquarters, he returned home and died. After passing the night, he revived and related: At first, he saw a messenger holding an authorization banner who summoned him, saying, "His Lordship wishes to see you." Qing thought Huan Wen was calling him, so he arose, fastened his sash, and went. Stepping outside the gate, he saw a bamboo litter and was instructed to step inside. Two men pushed it as swiftly as if galloping. They arrived at a vermilion gate, where he saw Ruan Jing. At that time, Jing had already been dead for thirty years. Jing asked Qing, "When did you come? Do you know what my family is like now?" Qing said, "Your family is extremely miserable." Jing wept like rain and said, "Do you know how my sons and grandsons are doing?" Qing answered, "They are barely getting by." [Jing] said, "I can now enable you to escape; can you look after my family?" Qing said, "I can; if you can do this, I will not be ungrateful for such great kindness." Jing said, "The monk Sengda is the master of this official [station] and is treated with extreme reverence. I will earnestly plead with him." He returned inside, and after a long while sent someone out to say, "The four-storied monastery in front of the gate was built by the official. Sengda always enters the monastery at dawn to perform worship; you should go and beg for mercy from him." Qing went to the monastery and saw a śramaṇa, who said to him, "You were my disciple seven lifetimes ago. You have already enjoyed blessings for seven lifetimes, but being deludedly attached to worldly pleasures, you forgot your fundamental practice; turning your back on the right to follow the deviant, you were due to receive great retribution. Now you can repent and reform. When the Upādhyāya comes out tomorrow, he will help you." Qing returned to the former litter; in the night it was bitterly cold, and he shivered with his teeth chattering. When dawn arrived and the gate opened, Sengda indeed came out to the monastery. Qing immediately followed him and kowtowed. Sengda said, "You must reform your mind to do good, taking refuge in the Buddha, taking refuge in the Dharma, and taking refuge in the Saṃgha of bhikṣus. Receiving these Three Refuges will keep you from an untimely death. If you accept and maintain them diligently, you will also not undergo suffering and hardship." Qing then received them respectfully. He also saw the śramaṇa he had met the previous day kneel reverently and request: "This person was a former disciple among the Saṃgha. Having forgotten the true Dharma, he was just about to undergo suffering. Because of his former affinities, he has now attained refuge. May you grant your compassionate pity." [Sengda] replied, "Since he was originally a person of good fortune, it should be easy to rescue and help him." [Qing] then returned toward the vermilion gate. Soon, someone was sent out to say, "Adjutant Li may depart." At that time, Jing also came out and gave Qing a green bamboo branch, instructing him to close his eyes and mount it as a horse. Qing did as he said, and suddenly arrived home. Inside his house, his weeping family and relatives filled the hall; he wished to enter but could not. It coincided with the return of those who had bought timber for the coffin; the family members and guests rushed to look at it, leaving only the corpse on the ground. Qing entered and approached the corpse; smelling the stench of the corpse, he regretted coming back. But as the people outside jostled and pushed, he entered the corpse without realizing it. Thereupon, he revived. He immediately took care of Jing's family, dividing his residence to lodge them. Thereupon, he turned his heart to the Three Jewels, diligently having faith in the teachings of the Dharma, and ultimately became an outstanding disciple. (The preceding verification is from the Mingxiang ji.)