Happy Dreams

by Jia Pingwa

Some years later, she died, and all those friends were grief-stricken. Together they raised enough money for her funeral. Because she had no family, they buried her by the roadside. One day, during Dali’s reign in the Tang dynasty, a foreign monk arrived from the Western Regions. He saw the gravestone, sat with legs crossed in the lotus position, and lit incense. Then he said his prayers, circling the gravestone and uttering praises for many days. Seeing this, someone said to him, “This woman was a harlot. Anyone could be her husband. Her family cast her off, and that’s why she’s buried here. Why is a monk like you worshipping her?” The monk replied, “This woman was a great sage. She was merciful and charitable, and sacrificed herself for the world’s desires. This is the so-called Chain-Bones Bodhisattva, and now that she has completed her business in this world, she has become a saint. If you do not believe me, then open the coffin and look.” And so the onlookers dug up the coffin and found that every bone in her body was locked together, just as the monk had said. People were amazed. They all engaged in a period of fasting and then erected a pagoda dedicated to her.