一位书生如何唤醒一名吊死女鬼的故事
The Story Of How A Scholar Awakened The Ghost Of A Woman Who Died By Hanging
From ‘What The Master Does Not Speak’ 《子不语》 , which is a collection of 747 strange events by the Qīng Dynasty scholar Yuán Méi (袁枚) in 1788, is this fascinating account titled ‘Scholar Cài’ 《蔡书生》, with additional explanatory notes.
Outside Hángzhōu’s North Gate, there was a house, where ghosts were frequently seen. People did not dare to dwell there, and a door bar was placed outside, locking it extremely securely. (杭州北关门外有一屋，鬼屡见，人不敢居，扃 [jiōng] 锁甚固。)
A scholar with the surname of Cài intended to buy this residence. (书生蔡姓者将买其宅。) When people warned him, Cài did not listen. (人危之，蔡不听。) When the title deed was completed, his family members were not willing to enter it. (券成，家人不肯入。) Cài then personally opened the house, and by bright candlelight, alone sat in it. (蔡亲自启屋，秉烛 [bǐngzhú] 坐。)
Approaching the middle of the night, there was a woman [ghost] who slowly came, with her neck dragging a red silk piece. Towards Cài, she bowed, as she tied a rope on a beam, and extended her neck to approach it [i.e. the rope’s noose]. (至夜半，有女子冉 [rǎn] 冉来，颈拖红帛，向蔡伏拜，结绳于梁，伸颈就之。)
[Note 1: The silk piece was probably a scarf of sorts, that the woman had hung herself with when still human. The red colour could be due to blood that splattered onto it, thus representing her rage and despair too.
Here, she is reenacting her suicide. Ironically, although there was great aversion to her previous life, there was also great attachment to the traumas of her previous life and death, with no other path known, thus repeating the process as a restless spirit.
This can be regarded as a kind of Post-Death PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), hereby calling it PD-PTSD, with the death itself haunting the ghost, who in turn haunts with ‘repetitions’ of the death.]
Cài was without fear on his face. (蔡无怖色。) The woman again hung one more rope, and beckoned to Cài. (女子再挂一绳，招蔡。) Cài pulled one foot to approach it. (蔡曳 [yè] 一足就之。)
[Note 2: Probably seeing that Cài seemed to not be afraid, the female ghost urged and challenged him to put on a noose too. Cài was probably using his hands, trying to lift a foot to put into it. This is the direct opposite way of using a noose, by trying to put the other end of the body into it.]
[Note 3: There are some ghosts who deludedly assume that they should kill someone, or urge someone to kill themselves, so that they themselves can move on, to be reborn or be ‘liberated’ from their suffering. They thus try to ‘catch a replacement’ (抓交替), to become a ‘scapegoat ghost after dying on their behalf’ (替死鬼).
Obviously, this does not make sense karmically, as to cause killing (or commit murder) creates worse evil karmas, only leading to worse rebirths. However, as long as there are those who believe this, they might die to become such ghosts, who cause others to become similar ghosts, if the latter also have similar beliefs.]
The woman said, ‘You have made a mistake.’ (女子曰：「君误矣。」) Cài laughed and said, ‘You have made a mistake, then having today. I have not made a mistake.’ (蔡笑曰：「汝误才有今日，我勿误也。」) The ghost had a great laugh, prostrated on the ground, again bowed and left. (鬼大笑，伏地再拜去。)
[Note 4: Somehow, the right action was done by Cài, to spur the ‘right’ response by the ghost, for countering with the right retort, to ‘awaken’ the ghost. He purposely made what seemed to be a ‘mistake’ of not using the noose ‘correctly’. However, this was no mistake at all, as it was to highlight that it was the ghost who used it wrongly, by killing herself with it, not once, but ‘repeatedly’ too, even urging others to copy her mistake.]
[Note 5: Realisation of the profound sense of his remark helped her to realise the ridiculousness of her mistakes, to thus laugh at herself, and break free from the cycle of causing suffering, to herself and others. With gratitude, she thus thanked him.]
Since then, strange matters thereupon disappeared, and Cài also passed the imperial examination. (自此，怪遂绝，蔡亦登第。) Some say he is Cài Bǐnghóu, Uncle Bó. (或云即蔡炳侯方伯也。)
[Note 6: Even in the face of the terrifying and potentially dangerous, the wise are fearless, the compassionate are patient, and the skiful are empathetic and effective.]
[Note 7: It is uncertain where the ghost departed to, although it is certain that she gave up being ‘hung up’ on hanging herself and getting others to do so. It would have been ideal if there was sincere offering of guidance (开示) and support-chanting (助念) using the name of Āmítuófó (阿弥陀佛), to facilitate her best rebirth in his Pure Land (净土): https://purelanders.com/wake.]
[Note 8: There is the saying, ‘misery loves company’. However, what is the point of reliving personal misery, and wishing others to join in, especially if they have no cause to be miserable? This would be the opposite of rejoice (随喜), in terms of ‘re-joy’, having more personal joy because others are joyful, by being happy for them, that they are happy.
Like the ghost at first, she wanted others to ‘re-suffer’, to suffer too, because of herself having personal suffering. (There was perhaps some jealousy of others’ well-being too.) To personally have rejoice over the good and purity of others creates meritorious virtues (功德), while wanting others to ‘re-suffer’ because of personal suffering creates evil karmas.]
In the Analects’ 《论语》teachings by Confucius (孔子), it is taught that ‘The Master does not speak on the strange, violent, rebellious and supernatural.’ (子不语：怪力乱神。) From the title of ‘What The Master Does Not Speak’ 《子不语》, which are the first three words of that saying, it can be known that its contents are on the very subjects avoided by Confucius. (It is said that the book became so popular that it was censored by the government in 1836 to suppress anti-establishment sentiments.)
In the Analects are also these related sayings… ‘Yet to be able to serve humans, how can it be possible to serve ghosts?’ (未能事人，焉能事鬼？) ‘Yet to know about life, how can it be possible to know about death?’ (未知生，焉知死？) ‘Respecting ghosts and gods, yet distant from them, can be said to be wisdom.’ (敬鬼神而远之，可谓知矣。) Together, these sayings reflect the general Confucian attitude towards the spiritually ‘unknown’. This is understandable as Confucianism is largely a worldly philosophy, with its natural limits.
However, as reflected in the supposedly true story of Scholar Cài’s confrontational ghostly encounter that could not be avoided, the Confucian attitude might prove inadequate. Even if not wishing to think or speak about the paranormal, it can still be forcibly experienced. Thus, is there not also urgent need to learn how to serve, or rather, help unfortunate and misguided ghosts, who were all once humans, possibly including our loved ones?
And since death is eventual and able to suddenly occur, it is also urgent to comprehend its dynamics, to ensure there is smooth departure for the best rebirth, that guarantees liberation. It is wiser then, to not just respect the supernatural from afar, but to make sense of the strange, to have closer understanding too. This is where the Buddha’s enlightening teachings come in, to correct and complete our big picture of reality, especially on the workings of karma, rebirth and liberation. Perhaps not realising this in time, Yuán Méi unfortunately expressed some disdain for Buddhist wake practices in his will. With his already open mind, somewhat like Scholar Cài, if only he opened his heart to learn more!
Namo Amituofo : Translation and notes by Shen Shi’an
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