Chinese Ghost Fables 1 (5 page)

"Where did the ghost come from?" The assistant curiously quizzed. "He was appeared in
my backyard garden."
"Where did he go?"
"He jumped over the stone wall."
"According to legends, a ghost is both weightless and shapeless. His feather-light and
opaque body could walk through a solid wall with ease. Why did he have to jump over it?"
The assistant keenly reasoned and suggested, "There is some inconsistence with this case.
Let's go there to investigate."

They entered the backyard and, after a brief search, discovered a few questionable
footprints on the top of the wall extending to the street.

"You have been deceived. That is not a ghost at all but a smart villain," The assistant
cleverly concluded, "The true murderer is very cunning. He hires a crook. Pretending to be
the victim's ghost, he attempted to hoodwink you."
The appeal judge contemplated it for a long while, and agreed with his analysis.
The next
day, he changed his decree and upheld the local judge's original verdict.
19
TOO CUNNING

On the south of city Gin, there was an ill-maintained temple. A monk, with his two
apprentices, lived there. Periodically receiving visitors, they displayed neither courtesy nor
decorum. Their aloof behavior was both oddly contradictory to their religion and the social
norms. It seemed that they were poorly-cultivated, unsociable and even dim-witted. It was
actually very cunning and calculating, they deliberately neglected those pious visitors. In
reality, they are "miracle-manipulators." The monk clandestinely acquired sulfur and
grinded it into powder. At night, he casted it to the air and ignited it with a small piece of
burning paper. It looks like a small-scaled firecracker show. Several villagers noticed this
"wonder" appeared in the temple from affair. With amazement and excitement, they
vigorously ran to inform the resident monks. The temple doors were bolted tightly and
nobody answered. They seemly fell into deep sleep.

The next morning, someone eagerly mentioned about this marvel. In unison, those
cunning monks responded that they didn't detect anything out of ordinary last night.
Another day, those calculating monks borrowed two sets of Buddha's clothes from a nearby
theater and dressed themselves up at midnight. One apprentice monk perched themselves
on the top of the roof of the temple. The other one posed himself against an aged pagoda
tree on the front doors. Many villagers observed this phenomenon and anxiously came to
tell them next day. This monk light-heartedly brushed off this report. How could this miracle
occur in such a remote and unknown temple? With mystification and amusement, he
remarked that the holy Buddha was over Western Paradise. By no means, the divine would
visit this insignificant location. By laws, this kind of rumor was prohibited. The offender
would be severely punished.

"Please, don't pick on us," The cunning monk often implored, with a touch of vague
sincerity, "We are merely ordinary monks who need peace and tranquility in studying our
religion volumes." His response brought more approbation from everywhere.

Those miracles and his modest attitude were spread fast and soon reached other
pious believers' ears. They highly admired and considered him as an all-wise living Buddha.
From adjacent villages, visitors swarmed to this temple to worship him. For their own belief
and welfare, many of them generously donated money for the repair of this ill-maintained
holy place. However, the monk never bought a piece of shingle or repaired any cracked
walls or columns.

"Appearance is superficial and transitory. People shouldn't be perplexed by the materialism
of the mundane world. We must solely focus on polishing and enhancing our inner self,"
The monk solemnly lectured and explained, "If I decorated this temple sumptuously, were I
indirectly encourage my faithful followers to contribute more money?" Besides those
fascinating speeches, he secretly instructed his apprentices to perform those miracles.
"What a sagacious thought," Listening to this kind of lectures, visitors were overwhelmed,
with great veneration, exclaiming. Contributions were poured in by oxcarts.

After years of accumulation, this crafty monk had massed abundant wealth. His
prosperity gradually allured greedy eyes, shallow characters, and outlaws. One night,
breaking in the temple, some burglars tightened them up. After suffering hours of torture,
they divulged the hideouts of their valuable. Those intruders ruthlessly butchered them and
hauled all their treasure away. Local authority was astonished and baffled. How could
malicious villains dare to approach, affront, or even, exterminate the "living Buddha?" With
alacrity, they dispatched their most capable marshals to call on that temple and investigate
this enigmatic tragedy. Without much difficulty, they surprisingly discovered many unlawful
possessions, which included unusually large quantity of sulfur and Buddha costumes
exclusively for theater use. They then comprehended the real truth behind all those
sensations. Those monks were too cunning and unscrupulous to escape the Almighty's
ultimate punishment.
20
A JUDGE FRIEND

A judge was taking an after-lunch nap. In his dream, he observed and recognized one
of his colleagues, whom had been charged with serious offenses, sentenced by this judge
to death, and was executed.

"Why are you coming back to me," The judge asked with surprise, "Have you been falsely
accused?"

 

"No, as a judge myself, having embezzlement and racketeer, I should die without any
mercy, according to the law."

 

"Then, why do you call on me?" The judge curiously inquired.

 

"I have something needed to straight out with you." The ghost calmly answered.

"Why me?" the judge fearlessly defended, "There were seven or eight judges cooperatively
examining your case. Most of them are your intimate friends. There are at least two
colleagues, whom you should look for. Why do you pick on me alone?"

"Don't be cheeky. You know perfectly well what I am coming for. As judges, our cordial
relationship was merely for appearance reason. It is bogus. Privately, we resented each
other," The ghost explained peacefully, "However, that is due to our ambitions to advance
ourselves in the narrow and competitive social ladder. When I was in the court, you
deliberately ignored me. That I could understand. However, your face was full of withheld
delight. After I was sentenced, you came to visit me out of false kindness. You pretended to
console me but your undertone of sarcasm deeply humiliated me. You are both cruel and
narrow-minded. Under that difficult circumstance, that was the worst thing you could do to a
human being. How can I ever forget and forgive you?"

"Then," Frightened, the judge stammered, "What do you want to do with me? Please, don't
hurt me."
"How can I avenge you?" The ghost beamed a bitter sneer and replied, with dejection, "By
my own misbehavior, I was died under the law, not by you. However, your ill-attitude and
cruel heart will eventually cost you dearly. The Almighty will penalize you for that." He was
suddenly awakened. The tea on his bedside table was still warm.

"Alas!" The judge sighed and murmured, "I didn't frame him; Otherwise, I will be damned
for sure."

Intention has the paramount importance in judging one's deeds. One can cheat a person
but can't trick the Almighty. The crook will be judged for his accumulated misconducts and
treated accordingly in the eternal underworld.
21
SERVANT WAI

My servant Wai used to have many bad habits. In his youth, outside of his village, he
noticed an attractive young lady whom he seemingly recognized but couldn't recall her
name. Without hesitation, he boldly approached and made a casual conversation with her.
Using lewd words and obscene gestures, he intended to allure the female to sleep with him.
Without showing any resistance, the young lady slightly lowered her head, was silent,
winked at him, and departed. In disbelief of his good luck and with fascination, he glanced
at her well-shaped back. Walking away slowly, she suddenly turned around and smiled at
him.

With excitement and exhilaration, he approached and politely asked her the meanings of
her alluring response, "Please, don't be naive. We are in public place. Watch out of your
behavior."

Slightly shaking head, the lady blushed and timidly demurred, in a mellow tone, "There are
prying bystanders. Binding by the conservative social norms, they will look down on us if
we do something improper. Can you follow me to my house?" Promptly consented, he
faithfully went after her.

The sky gradually transferred itself into gray and eventually into dark. Due to the
morning rain, the roads were damp and soggy. My servant unconsciously traveled over ten
miles. His shoes were covered with mud and his toes were sore. At dusk, he vaguely
observed this mysterious female entering a house. Excited to the brink of deliriousness, he
dashed into that residence with alacrity. Under the reflection of the murky moonlight
projecting over the paper window panels, he could barely distinguish her back. She
gradually turned herself around. Holy smokes! What an unpleasant surprise! She had
become a ferocious ghost; the arrangement of her teeth was similar to a chain saw,
razor-sharp, disorganized and pointed. Her fingernails were like fish hooks, and her face
was navy-blue with two huge lantern-like bulky eyes. My servant was frightened and ran for
his life. Wailing and moaning, the horrible ghost floated after him for five miles. Observing
his father-in-law's house from afar, he jogged toward, pounded at the doors, and he
nervously shouted for help. Someone unbolted the doors and allowed him in.

Bumping into his sister-in-law, they tumbled and fell to the ground flatly. This
commotion alerted and awakened everybody. Under the near total darkness, they couldn't
make out the visitor. Treating him as a burglar, they fetched rods and canes, dashed out to
the front yard and violently cudgeled him. Physically exhausted, he could neither identify
nor defend himself. After a solid beating, a servant cautiously appeared him with a lamp.
My servant's identity was established due to their great embarrassment and uneasiness.
Next day, they hired an oxcart to carry him home. With chagrin and annoyance, he had
been confined in bed for over two months. After that humiliating incident, he started to
contemplate then eschewed all of his bad habits, becoming an upright person.
22
A GENUINE MONK

In a temple, the study room was haunted by fox spirits. They had lived on its attic for
years. In summer, it was a busy season for people to worship the Buddha. The temple was
always crowded. Due to high temperature, most of the monks slept in that study room's
floor. They were not disturbed by those otherworldly creatures, at all. One day, a wandering
monk visited and stayed in this temple for a few days. That was the most popular season of
the year. Every inch of the temple was occupied. He couldn't even locate a spot, climbed
up and rested himself on the haunted attic.

At night, the monks clearly heard a fox spirit shouted, in a tone of emergency mixed with
pleading, "Please, gentlemen resting on the ground floor evacuate yourselves at once. My
family and I will relocate ourselves to the floor."

"Why now?" With annoyance and great perplexity, one of the monks protested, "You have
always resided in the attic. Why suddenly evict us?"

"We don't want to stay side-by-side with the wandering monk," With chagrin and reluctance,
the fox spirit quietly divulged, "He is very sacred. A well-polished monk is like the son of
Buddha. Who do we dare not to make our way for him?"

"How about us?" With indignation and a touch of ignorance, the monk naively rebuked,
"We are monks, too. And we also have studied the sacred volumes all of our lives." The fox
spirit busted into roars of laughter and gave no comment.
23
IN THE WEST MOUNTAIN

Mr. Nay visited and paid respect to his ancestor graves located in the West Mountain,
which is a well-known place on the northwest corner of Peking. At late afternoon, he
traveled back to the capital city. When the sun started merging down to the horizon, he, still
in the mountain, was annoyed and alarmed by the thought that a ferocious tiger might jump
out of the woods and assault him. The sky was gradually covered with black clouds. It
became darker and darker. The moon was slowly blocked. From distance, he vaguely
observed an ill-maintained or even, a deserted temple. For his own safety, he ran and
sought shelter there. Within a brief of time, the night was in pitch-dark.

He quietly sat down on a corner and suddenly, he heard a voice proclaiming, "Sir, this is not
a human's territory. You are trespassing."

Considering the sound was from a solitary monk, who didn't want to be disturbed by
'ordinary people,' he curiously probed, without reservation, "Dear monk, may I ask the
reason why you are living in such wrecked location?"

"Well, let's not beat around the bush. Tell you the truth. I am not a monk, at all. Actually, I
am a hanged ghost waiting for a substitution." Mr. Nay was frightened.

In dismay and with uneasiness, he reckoned the possibility of suffering either one of
those two calamities; escaping out of here at once, he might be ambushed and devoured
by a rapacious tiger. On the other hand, if he stayed in this evil place, his soul would be
snatched by the dark creature.

With much hesitation and great reluctance, he chose the latter, "Dear holy spirit, I think I
better stay here for the night," He sincerely pleaded.

"Be my guest," The ghost calmly consented and continued. "Please, keep away from me.
You are a human being and I am an otherworldly creature. Staying too close will disturb
and interfere with each other's energy."
Out of curiosity, with amazement, he started to make a casual conversation about the
subject of substitution, "Life is precious and priceless. The Almighty prefers people to live.
Those who die for their country or with honorable causes will be picked out and ushered to
heaven without any delay. Whoever performed a small kind deed; the Almighty will notice,
consider and weigh it favorably. On the other hand, if a person dies in an accident or
commits suicide, his untimely fatality would vastly irritate the Almighty because he violated
the nature's principle of pro-life. For example, if a person hangs himself, he would neither
be admitted to heaven nor hell. As a punishment of his grossly contempt of his own
valuable existence, he is destined to stroll on the earth as a wandering ghost until he finds
a substitution. It permanently stigmatizes and antagonizes us. Because we, the hanged
ghosts, knew how excruciatingly painful it is to die on a noose. One has to be hanged over
ten minutes, sometimes even more, before one stops breathing. Making a foolish choice
and suffering its consequences, I can't tolerate another human being suffering the same
fatality right in front of my own eyes."