A “Liaozhai Zhiyi” made Pu Songling famous all over the world, with foxes, demons, ghosts, fairies and monks, interpreting the strange twists and turns of karma and reincarnation.
Readers may not know that the reincarnation experience of “Mr. Liaozhai” himself is more legendary than his works.
Pu Songling, the word “Liuxian” and the number “Liuquan”, was born in 1640 and died in 1715. In the preface of “Liaozhai Zhiyi”, “Liaozhai Zizhi”, the author tells a strange story about himself.
The original text reads, “When the pine hangs arc, the first adult dreamed a sick barren Gautama, partiality into the room, ointment such as money, round sticky breast interval, waking and pine born, the fruit is consistent with the ink Zhi.”
This passage means: when Pu Songling was born, his father had a dream and saw a sick and thin monk enter the house with his right shoulder bare. Beside his right breast, a piece of ointment the size of a copper coin was stuck. His father woke up with a start, when Pu Songling happened to be born, and there was indeed a black mole next to his breast.
Pu Songling’s father thought that his son was the reincarnation of the ascetic monk, so he gave him the word “Liuxian”. Pu Songling sighed, “Is the man who faces the wall really my predecessor?”
At this point in the story, only half of the story has been told. Who was a monk in his previous Life, and who will be in the next life?
Xu Kun, a literary figure of the Qing Dynasty, was the reincarnation of Pu Songling. This story is widely circulated, not only in the history books, Xu Kun himself also appointed as the descendant of Pu Liuxian.
Xu Kun, word “Houshan”, number “Liu Ya”, “Liu Ya Jushi”, alias “Xiao Xian”. His book “Liuyia Waiji” is a compilation of various supernatural and miraculous events, written in the style of “Liaozhai”. Once this book was published, it was awarded the reputation of “no less than the reincarnation of Liaozhai”. From Xu Kun’s name, character, number and the books he devoted himself to compiling, it is indeed evident that he echoes Pu Songling.
Wang Youliang and Li Jinzhi in the preface for “Liuyi Waiji”, both called Xu Kun as “Pu Liuxian after”. Moreover, these two prefaces also outline the subtle details, colorful.
As the story goes, two years after Pu Songling’s death, on this day, in Jin Jia Zhuang outside Jinan, businessman Xu Jingxuan celebrated his son’s birthday at Home. At that Time it was raining, Xu Jingxuan in front of the door to welcome guests, see a scholar in the rain, they invited him into the house to take shelter. The scholar asked him why he set up a feast, Xu replied: “son’s birthday”, but also carried the child out.
The baby was crying, and when he saw the scholar, he smiled. The scholar asked, “What is the name of this village?” When he heard “Jin Jia Zhuang”, the scholar was surprised and said, “Your son is the reincarnation of my teacher, Pu Liuxian. My teacher died on this day the year before last, and before he died, he left behind the phrase: “The red dust is the golden township again.”
At this time, Xu Jingxuan remembered that he had a dream when he went to Emei Mountain to pray for his son the year before. In the dream, he came to a place where there were weeping willows reflecting a clear spring. He also saw an old Confucian scholar, holding a fan in his hand, smiling but not speaking. Suddenly a voice said, “This is your son, too.” Soon after, Mrs. Xu, Lu, became pregnant.
After Xu Jingxuan learned of his son’s origin with Pu Songling, he named his son “Kun”, the word “Houshan”. Later generations had an explanation for this: Kun and Shan, opposite to the “spring” water of “Liuquan”, complemented by past lives and present lives.
In the world of literature and real life, Pu Songling and Xu Kun have each written two versions of the legend. The literati have formed a bond of immortality, and the red earth continues to be a good story.
References
Lu Wen, “Past Lives and Present Lives: A Historical Account of Pu Songling’s Past Lives and Afterlife,” 正見网, July 17, 2017.
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