General Qi Jiguang was a devout practitioner who regularly recited the Diamond Sutra. When he was stationed at Sanjiang in Yue, one night a deceased soldier appeared in his dream, saying: “Tomorrow I will send my wife to see you, and she shall pass on the message that I beg you to recite one scroll of the sutra for the benefit of my journey in the afterlife.” The next day, a woman arrived, weeping and requesting for an audience, and her words matched exactly what the soldier said in the dream. General Qi accepted the request.
The next day, General Qi rose early and recited the sutra accordingly. That night, the soldier appeared in his dream again to say, “I am deeply grateful for your great kindness, but I received only half a scroll’s worth of merit because the words ‘no need’ were interjected during the recitation.” General Qi recalled his morning ritual and realized that while he was reciting, his wife had sent a servant to deliver tea cakes, and he had waved his hand to stop the servant – though he spoke no words, his mind had indeed thought “no need”.
The following morning, General Qi closed his doors to recite the sutra again, undisturbed. That night, the soldier appeared once more to express his gratitude, saying: “I have now attained deliverance.”
Personally, I heard this account from the monk Donglin at Sanjiang, who was a man of sincere devotion and genuine attainment, who never spoke falsely. Hopefully, all monks who recite sutras for the deceased would exercise the utmost care!
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
誦經雜話 – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
總戎戚公，素持金剛經，其守越之三江也，有亡卒致夢云:「明當遣妻詣公，乞為誦經一卷，以資冥道。」翌日，果有婦人悲泣求見。詰之，如夢中語。公諾之，晨起誦經。夜夢卒云:「荷公大恩，然僅得半卷，以於中雜『不用』二字。」公思其故，乃內人使侍婢送茶餅，公遙見，揮手卻之，口雖不言，心謂不用。次早，閉戶誦經。是夜，夢卒謝云:「已獲超拔。」此予親聞於三江僧東林，東林誠篤有道行，不妄語者。噫! 誦經僧可不慎歟!
Buddha Mind 