Chinese Mythology and Tales

profilechoid
ClassicalChineseTales.pdf

166 Classical Chinese Tales i

asked for news of old acquaintances, and then, after a long while, he left. The eight men then stopped what they were doing and returned to their homes. There they told their brothers in the Dharma what had happened, but there was no way for the congregation to verify it. Thereupon they went together to Fo-t'iao's grave and opened his coffin: there was no corpse to be found inside.

(Lu, pp. 459-60; FYCL, 37.435a-b) Tr. by George Lytle

Note: The magic feats recounted here may be compared with those performed by Taoist saints in the stories selected from the Shen-hsien chuan ([28]-[30]). In general, Buddhist tales from the Ming-hsiang chi are more extended and less erratic in style than other CK stories, possibly due to their circulation as sermon pieces.

(56) Chao T'ai and His Experiences in Hell

Chao T'ai, styled Wen-ho, was a native of Pei-ch'iu in Ch'ing-ho [in modern Hopeh, bordering on Shantung] during the Chin Dynasty [265-420]. His grandfather had been governor of the capital. He was commended by his prefecture as a Hsiao-lien licentiate.1 A prince s government drafted him to take office, but he did not accept it. He had a reputation in his village for diligent study of books and documents. Only in his later years did he accept an appointment for government, and he died in his post as Grandee of Remonstration.

When Chao T'ai was thirty-five years old, he felt a sudden pain in his heart and died a moment thereafter. His corpse was laid out on the ground, but his heart remained

(of myself) existing." Tzu-tsai, literally "naturally (of itself) existing," is a term frequently seen in Buddhist texts, meaning free and at ease, free from delusion, free from the fetters of worldy existence, liberated, lord of oneself.

1 Hsiao-lien was a title of certification for the civil service, established in the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220); the certificate denotes the qualities of hsiao and lien, or filial devotion and personal integrity.

The Six Dynasties 167

warm, and his body flexible. The corpse was kept for ten days. Then one morning there was a noise like rain in his throat. And shortly after, he came back to life.

Chao T'ai said that when he had first died, he dreamt that a person approached his body, right next to his heart. Then came two more men, riding yellow horses. Two of their attendants, one on either side of him, propped him up, supporting him under his arms. They then proceeded toward the east for he knew not how many miles, and arrived at a large city wall, lofty and towering high above them. The color of the wall was dark black, like tin. They took Chao T'ai in through the city gate.

After passing through a double gate, they came upon several thousand tile-roofed buildings. There were also several thousand people, men and women, young and old, standing in ranks. Five or six civil officers, wearing black clothing, were going through a list of names, one by one, saying that these people were to be presented before the Magistrate for review. Chao T'ai's name was thirtieth on the list.

After a moment, Chao T'ai and several thousand other people, both men and women, were all taken in at the same time. The Magistrate sat facing westward, and after glancing briefly at the name list, he sent Chao T'ai through a black gate to the south. There was a person wearing scarlet clothing sitting in a great room and calling out names in order, asking the people what they had done during their lives: "What sins and transgressions have you committed? What blessed and good deeds have you done? Be careful to reply truthfully, because we have dispatched emissaries from the Six Departments, who reside permanently in the human world, recording good and evil point by point, and the record is explicit and detailed. You cannot get away with a lie."

Chao T'ai answered, "My father and elder brothers are all government officials, each with a salary ranking of two thousand piculs of rice. I study a little at home, and have not taken up a profession. Neither have I committed any evil."

Then Chao T'ai was assigned a mission as Inspector of Waterworks, and he took more than twenty thousand people to transport sand and shore up river banks. He worked diligently day and night. Later, he was promoted to Supervisor of Waterworks, whence he came to know about all the hells. He was given horses and soldiers and was sent on a mission to inspect the works in the hells.

168 Classical Chinese Tales i

The bitter and harsh punishments meted out to sinners varied amongst the different hells that he saw. In one, needles were poked through the sinners' tongues, and blood flowed out, covering the body. In another, the sinners were bare-headed, their hair covering their faces, and their bodies naked, their feet unshod. They walked by pulling each other along, while from behind, someone carrying large clubs drove them on. Iron beds and bronze pillars were heated through and through, and then these people were forced to embrace them. They were burned up on contact, but then brought back to life to suffer more punishments.

In yet another hell, sinners were cooked in huge cauldrons over hot stoves. Their bodies and heads would come apart and sink, and they would churn about with the boiling water. Demons with pitchforks stood by the side. There were three or four hundred people standing on one side, waiting to enter the cauldron; they were seen to embrace each other and cry bitterly. In another, there were countless tall, broad sword trees, the roots, trunks, branches, and leaves all made from swords. A crowd of people were cursing each other, and they would climb up the trees of their own accord, as if delighted to do so. Thus their bodies and heads were severed and sliced, cut into pieces. Chao T'ai saw his grandfather and grandmother, and two of his younger brothers in this hell. As he saw them, they all wept in sorrow.

When Chao T'ai came out through the gates of hell, he saw two people carrying documents come to speak to the officials, saying that there were three people whose families had hung pennants and burned incense in stupas and monasteries for their benefit, to save them from their sins. As a result, these sinners could now come out and go to the mansions of the blessed. Presently he saw three people come out of hell. They were now fully clothed in ordinary, undamaged clothing. They went southward to a gate with the name "The Great Mansion of the Shining Forth of the Light." It had a triple gate which glowed with a vermilion hue. Chao T'ai saw these three people enter the mansion, and, following them, he likewise entered.

In the foreground, there was a large palace decorated all over with precious jewels; the refined brilliance dazzled the eyes. Couches were made of gold and jade. He saw a godly person whose beautiful countenance was impressive and extraordinary--handsome to an unusual

The Six Dynasties 169

extent--who sat upon one of these seats. By his side were a host of Sramanas2 standing in attendance. Then he saw the Magistrate come and pay his respects to this godly man by saluting him. Chao T'ai asked who this person was, that the Magistrate should be so extremely courteous toward him. A civil official said that he was called World-Honored One, Master of Salvation, and that he had vowed to lead all beings out of the evil paths of existence3 and make them hear the scriptures. Then Chao T'ai was told that one million nine thousand people had all left hell and entered this City of One Hundred Li.k Those who had arrived here had all honored the Dharma, and although their conduct in life had been deficient, they still could be saved, and thus the scripture Dharma5 had been established for them. Within seven days, in accordance with the amount of good or evil they might do while in this city, they would be sent to their new rebirths or be liberated altogether. In the short time before he left, Chao T'ai had seen ten people ascend into the sky and depart.

After Chao T'ai left this mansion, he saw another city which was more than two hundred li square, and its name was City of Transformation. Those whose purgation in hell was finished came to this city to receive their new birth in accordance with their karma. Chao T'ai entered this city and saw that there were several thousand districts filled with buildings roofed with earthenware tiles. Each district contained neighborhood subdivisions and alleys. In the exact center was a tile-roofed building, tall and impressive, with colorfully decorated railings and latticework. There were several hundred bureau officials who were examining and collating documents, saying that those who had engaged in killing6 were to become mayflies

2 See "Fo-t'iao" (55), n. 1. 3 The evil paths or destinies are usually listed as three: the paths of animals, of hungry ghosts, and of beings in hell. The path of the asuras, or titans, is sometimes counted as an evil path.

** This appears to be the same city that Chao T'ai is currently in, although the gate by which he entered had another name.

5 I.e., the method of salvation revealed in the scriptures, or the method of salvation consisting of listening to and reflecting on the scriptures.

6 The Buddhist prohibition against taking life extends to

170 Classical Chinese Tales i

which are born in the morning and die in the evening; those who engaged in stealing and robbery were to become pigs and sheep, to be butchered and cut up by others; those who engaged in sexual wantonness were to become cranes, ducks, and deer;7 the double-tongued were to become owls;8 those who did not repay their debts were to become donkeys, mules, oxen, and horses.9

When Chao T'ai had completed his mission of inspection, he returned to the waterworks office. An overseer at the office said to him, "You are the son of an elder; what sin have you committed that you should come here?" Chao T'ai replied, "The men of my family all have salaries of two thousand piculs of rice. I was commended to receive the Hsiao-lien licentiate and a prince's government drafted me for a post, but I did not accept it. I cultivated my will and kept my thoughts on the good, not being polluted by the multitude of evils." The overseer said, "You have committed no sin and thus have been made to serve as the Supervisor of Waterworks. Otherwise, your condition would be no different from that of those people in hell."

Chao T'ai asked the overseer, "What should a person do in order to receive a happy retribution after death?" The overseer only replied that the followers of the Dharma who strive energetically and uphold the precepts will receive a happy retribution without the least bit of punishment. Chao T'ai again asked, "As for the siris committed by a person before he has begun to serve the Dharma, are these sins wiped out after he begins to serve the Dharma?" The overseer replied, "They are all wiped out."

When they finished speaking, the overseer opened a bound box and looked up Chao T'ai's ordained life span, discovering that he still had another thirty years to live. He thereupon sent him back. As they were about to part, the overseer said, "You have now seen just what the retribution for sins in hell is like; you should tell this to the people of the world, and advise them to do good. The effects of good and evil committed by a person follow

all sentient beings, not just human beings. 7 Many types of birds and mammals are thought by Chinese Buddhists to be slaves of lust, and thus rebirth as one is seen as appropriate retribution for sexual wantonness.

8 Owls were considered birds of ill omen. 9 These are all beasts of burden; in this way, they would be repaying their unpaid debts.

The Six Dynasties 171

him like the shadow of his body and the echo of his voice. Shouldn't one be careful?!"

At that time, there were about fifty or sixty people of all degrees of relation, both paternal and maternal, who were attending Chao T'ai's body. They all heard Chao T'ai tell his story. Then Chao T'ai personally wrote an account in order to make it known to his contemporaries. This happened on the thirteenth day of the seventh month of the fifth year of the T'ai-shih reign [265-274] of the Chin dynasty.

Chao T'ai thereupon engaged members of the Sangha10 and convened a great Mass for the sake of his grandfather and grandmother, and the two younger brothers. He also ordered all his sons and grandsons to mend their ways and honor the Dharma, and enjoined them to strive energetically after the good.

When his contemporaries heard that Chao T'ai had died and been revived, and had seen the results of good and evil deeds, they came to call upon him to ask him about his experiences. At that time, ten people, including the Imperial Officer Sun Feng of Wu-ch'eng [in modern Shantung Province] , and the Marquis of the Land Within the Pass (Kuan-nei), namely Hao Po-p'ing of Ch'ang-shan [in modern Chekiang Province], gathered together at Chao T'ai's house, and, with great sincerity, inquired about what he had seen. Every one of them was dreadfully frightened by what he heard, and thereupon decided to honor the Dharma.

(Lu, pp. 453-55; FYCL, 12.133a-134b; TPKC 377.1) Tr. George Lytle

Note: This piece gives one of the most extensive and graphic accounts of Buddhist hell of all CK stories (cf. the vision of hell presented in the pien-wen story "The Great Maudgalyayana Rescues His Mother from Hell," Ma and Lau, pp. 441-55). At the same time it incorporates an exposition of Buddhist doctrines through both the reported speech and action.

There is no doubt that the vision presented in the story is a product of a zealous religious imagination. Inclusion of relatively elaborate description is also a trait that sets Buddhist tales apart from other CK stories.

10 The Sangha is the order of Buddhist monks and nuns.