This book, the most complete edition of the Xiaoshuo collection of Buddhist short stories, opens up to the reader the bizarre world of common Chinese Buddhism, introduces “living Buddhism” and the culture of the “silent majority” of the first millennium AD. True Buddhist stories about miracles and fables, the afterlife, deities, monks and laymen, shrines and relics - fascinating and useful reading for anyone interested in the spiritual life, religion and culture of the East. The translation of five collections of Buddhist xiaoshuo is equipped with a detailed introductory article and detailed notes . The design uses illustrations from Chinese early printed books.

CONTENTS:M.E. Ermakov. Living antiquity of Chinese Buddhism 5I. Wang Yan-xiu. Legends about those heard prayers 41 Retribution for worshiping the statue 42 Healing dream of the Jianan Wang 42II. Liu Yi-ching. True events 43 Rakshasa in the guise of a grandson 44 The monk who killed lice 44 Happy deliverance 45 Guardian bees of the monastery 46 Miracle in Usin 46 Mercy of Buddha 46 Three scars on the neck of the statue 47 Deliverance from execution 47 Buddha admonishes the learned man 48 Deadly arrow 48 Foretold not a chick 49 The dumb ones spoke 49 The hard-hearted lost the power of speech 50 The cow who was a slave 50 The parrot, extinguished fire 51The mercy of a pheasant 51A memorable event 51His Majesty mocks the statue of the Most Revered 51The ruler humbles himself before the relics of the sharir 52The return of his son 54Guanshiyin saves from pursuit 55Guanshiyin comes to the call of a fugitive 55Broken oath 56Rooster with a scroll in its beak 56Dead calls to the living 57 Guanshiyin humbles storm 57Meeting with Yamaraja 57Miracle in Pubani 58Radiant statue 58Giving of sharira relics 58Dream of a physiognomist 58Return of the statue 59Punishment overtakes the sacrilege 59The statue punishes the Dinlin robbers 60III. Wang Yan, News from the Otherworld 61Preface 62EASTERN HAN DYNASTY (25-220) 64The Dream of Emperor Ming-di 64JIN DYNASTY (265-420) 65The Lost Ring 65Scar of Zhu Shi-hsing 66How Zhao Tai visited the afterlife 68The afterlife wanderings of a monk and Fa- hena 73Duck with a broken wing 75Shramana-Hindu Qi-yu 76Stranger Zhu Fo-diao 79Miracle worker Jiantole 80Visit of a wretched monk 81A man who knows the Teaching tests wanderers 82The miraculous gift of Zhu Chang-shu 83Dragon spring 84Righteous people Yu Fa-lan and Dharmarak sha 85Deity in dirty rags 86Nun converts the emperor to true faith 87Patra who fell from the sky 88Patra of the beggar wanderer 89Divine sign 90Miracle-working sutra 90The coming of Shi Guang, who left this world 92On the conversion of Zhang Ying to the true faith 94The virtuous Dong Ji 96Divine messenger 98Sun Zhi comes from the other world to care for loved ones 99Vanity and piety 101 Guanshiyin saves from captivity 102Chastity of a Bhikkhuni 103Li Qing's journey to the afterlife 103Saving fire 106Divine light of Guanshiyin 106Miraculous healing of the shramana Zhu Fa-i 107New birth of his beloved son 108Tang Zun returns from the other world 108Sutras and statues show a miracle to the world 110Sheets with foreign writing 111Sorrow of Lady Xie 112 The mentor admonishes Zhi Dun 113Flying Sramana 113Shraman Sen- lan 114Shramana Shi Fa-hsiang 114Guanshiyin saves from imminent death 115Reliance on Three Jewels 116 The Afterlife Wanderings of Wen-he 117 Sa-he returns to this world 120 Guanshiyin comes to the call 125 The Tiger that revealed the divine power of Guanshiyin 126 Trust in Guanshiyin 126 Guanshiyin saves from fire and water 127 Guanshiyin's mercy 127 Guanshiyin saves the doomed 128The people entrust themselves to Guanshiyin 128Prayers heard by the bodhisattva 129A stranger from the other world 129Sramana Fa-an, who pacified the man-eating tigers 130Sramana Zhu Tan-gai saves the people from drought 131An incident in the family of Feng-ren 132THE LATE ZHAO DYNASTY (319-350) 133The journey of Shi Chang-he into the other world 133The Hermit Shan Dao-kai 135DYNASTY EARLY QIN (351 —394) 137Guanshiyin saves from execution 137Guanshiyin rescues from trouble 137EARLY SONG DYNASTY (420-479) 138Prediction of the Sramana 138Hindu Gunavarman 138Afterlife of Chen An-jun 139Sramana Seng-gui at the afterlife judgment 144The bull-headed epan takes the wicked to hell 147The ghost of the sramana who loved to eat meat 147A boy named Aranya 148Guanshiyin bestows a son 149Faith and piety prolong life 149Lotus pond in the Land of Amitabha 150Gu Anshiyin comes to the call of a captive 151 Guanshiyin saves travelers from misfortune 152 Buddha punishes the sacrilegious 152Visions of the shramana Dao-jung 153Taoist Li Dan, who has seen hell 154The dying word of Zhang Hsien-chih 156Retribution overtakes the blasphemers 156The dead father comes for help 157The hungry spirit in the house of Sima 158Hopes for the Pure Land 160Heavy retribution 162C sisters from the Ming clan become nuns 162The prophetic dream of a prisoner 163The wicked Taoist and his accomplices get what they deserve 164Visions of the righteous Ma Qian-bo 165Guanshiyin saves from the storm 167The weaver and Buddha Amitabha on the Milky Way 167Bhikshuni Hui-mu 168The feat of the monk Shi Seng-yu 170How Ruan Chih-tsung was weaned from fishing 172The misadventures of the layman Xing Huai-ming 173The baby from the swallow's nest 174Pindola's order 174Fire on the shore 17 5 Guanshiyin calms the storm 176 Guanshiyin protects the shramana of Tao- junu 177 Bai-yu becomes a nun 178 Healing faith 179 Mentor Shi Hui-quan and his disciple 180 Walk to the Songshan Mountains 181 Guanshiyin bestows male offspring 183 How Shi Tan-dian visited the afterlife 183 Belated insight 184 Guanshiyin saves a man doomed to death spruce 185Date in heaven 185Miracle revealed in the Concentration Monastery joy 187Sign revealed in the imperial palace 188Decree of the Heavenly Emperor 189Execution of sacrilege 191Bhikkhuni Shi Hui-yu 191Divine nun 192 Tung shield 193 Meeting of old friends 193 The story of a fallen monk 195 Night vision of Chen Wei-yuan 196 About how a careless monk went to hell 197 Adventures of Si-du in the next world 199 Guanshiyin frees from shackles 202 About how a monk corrected the Nirvana Sutra 202 Reward for good honor 203Guanshiyin heeds the pleas of the prisoner 204 The last birth of a boy with a birthmark 205 THE QI DYNASTY (479-502) 209 Young lady Si-niang meets with her aunt in the next world 209 Monk Shi Hui-ching 210 STORIES OF DIFFERENT ERAS 211 An unknown creature 211 Incident in Puban 211 About the youths who experienced the formidable power of Guanshiyin 211The miraculous statue 212The highly learned Shi Xie bows to Guanshiyin 213Wish Fulfillment 213IV. Hou Bo. Memorable incidents 214A tumor in His Majesty’s private place 215Giving statues 216The deity of the lake with a gazebo 217The hermit from the Mountain of the Human Head 218The castrated man regains his manhood 219Mysterious abode 220The remains of the hermit who read the “Lotus Sutra” 222The Sutra and the statue of the savior of all beings 223The nameless monk 224The mentor in the guise of a son 224V. Tang Lin, Retribution from beyond the grave 226JUAN I 227Preface 227Sramana Shi Hsin-hsing 231Sramana Shi Hui-zhu 233Monk Shi Seng-che 235Bhikshuni from Hedong 236Preacher Shi Dao-sun 237Strange monk Shi Dao-ying 238The feat of Sramana Shi Zhi-wan 2 40Buried alive 241Millet porridge 242Poor learned man 244 Lotus Yan 245 JUAN 1 248 Tsui Yan-wu returned to her husband 248 The wanderer monk 249 Miracles in the noble Xiao family 251 Filial piety of the layman Zhong-gui 253 Sun Bao, who visited heaven 254 Two marks 256 Avalokiteshvara in the guise of a shramana 257High patron of Sui Ren-qian 258Court healer Sun Hui-pu 265Position of the fifth rank 268Strike with a dagger 269Maiden who read the Lotus Sutra 271Prisoners under the guard of Avalokiteshvara 271High patron of the layman Ts'en-b enya 273 Friendly order 274 Meeting with a monk in the next world 274 “Diamond Sutra » Mrs. Dou-lu 277The exploits of the layman Li Shan-long in the afterlife 278The afterlife of Li Si-i 281JUANYNG 285The military leader Wang, who loved to hunt 285Revenge on the persecutors of the faith 286Family chronicle of Emperor Yuan-di 287The late emperor calls on the Son of Heaven 287Slave , who was pleased about his master 289Baby with a falcon beak 291Falconry Master Jiang Lue 291The Boy with Burnt Legs 291The Cruel Jailer 293The Wife Who Fell from the Sky 293Payback for Stinginess 294Donkey skin at the cost of life 295A sheep with a white head 296A tongue for a tongue 296Mother in the guise of a donkey 297The face on the back 299The death of the Wei couple 301A visit to Donghai Gong 301The verdict of the afterlife court in the Kong Ke case 305Melons on a platter 308The hearing in the Wang Shou case in the afterlife court 308Payment at the cost of life 314Mark on palms 315Liu Chih-gan, who went to serve in the afterlife court 318Li Shou, who cares for dogs 322The chief astrologer who did not believe in Buddha 323NOTES 327Legends about heard prayers 329True events 330Memorable incidents 342News from the other world 331Retribution after death 3 44European equivalents of Chinese traditional measures of length, area, volume and weight 352