THE HUMAN HANDED PIG OF BAOHUA TEMPLE
THE HUMAN HANDED PIG OF BAOHUA TEMPLE Here is a somewhat heartwarming story of reincarnation from Master Daguang's 阿弥陀佛助念法 - Amitiofo assistance recitation: a guide. https://bookgb.bfnn.org/books/0094.htm#a04 A picture of the pig may be seen in An Outline of Karma by Pi-chʻêng Lü https://books.google.com/books?id=Pj9MAAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&dq=An%20Outline%20of%20Karma&pg=PA73#v=onepage&q&f=false
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江北张某，性凶厉，素以屠猪为业。民国十二年（一九二三）忽大病，
Mr. Zhang X . of Jiangbei was a fierce and evil man. He was a pig butcher. In the 20th year of the Republic [1923] he suddenly contracted a severe illness.
适来一云水僧语之曰：汝因作恶多，死必堕猪身，宜速念佛忏悔。
A passing monk told him "Because you have created much bad karma, you will surely be reborn as a pig after death. You should quickly chant the buddha's name and repent!".
张某于临终之最后一刻，轻举左手作礼，口唇微动，念‘阿弥陀佛’一声遂去世。
Zhang X. at the very last moment of his life, weakly raised his left hand and saluted. His lips barely moving, he uttered 'Amituofo' [Amithaba Buddha] and just like that, passed on.
僧曰：只此一手，诚心礼佛，此手可免现猪形，可惜只此一手。虽然，因此亦可免一刀之苦
The monk said "He raised one hand, and sincerely saluted the buddha. This hand may be spared transformation into a pig, but sadly, not more of him. Nonetheless he can be spared the hardship of the knife"
遂去世。时其邻居，生一小猪，前面左脚仍为人手形，行路时此脚不著地，时时对人作单合掌状。
Sometime after he died, a piglet was born to his neighbor. Its front left trotter was like a human hand. This trotter did not touch the ground, and every now and then it would try to make the one-handed salute 单合掌
其家人赎得之，送上海宝华寺放生园内，永远放生。
The family bought the pig, and sent it to Baohua Temple in Shanghai, to live the rest of its days in the temple garden.
上海狄平子居士，曾摄影了一张照片，并为文以记其事；现在这张照片，我还保存著，可以作证明。这证明念‘阿弥陀佛’，是有这样大的好处。
Householder Huo Pingzi of Shanghai once took a photo of this pig, and wrote a small text explaining it. I still have both, and can vouch for them. From this you can see the massive benefits of chanting the name of Amida Buddha