佛祖統紀 45.69

45.69

In the eighth year, the succeeding Celestial Master Zhang Qianyao was summoned by imperial decree to the palace and granted the title 'Master of Pure Simplicity'. The Emperor asked him about the way of soaring transcendence. He replied, 'This is the pursuit of dedicated scholars in mountains and forests; it cannot assist in governing and teaching.' The Emperor praised him, and decreed that from now on each generation would be granted a 'Master' title and exempted from taxes and corvée. ○ The Emperor heard that Lan Yuandao possessed Daoist arts and summoned him for an audience, lodging him in the Fanglin Garden and granting him the title 'Master of Cultivating Simplicity'. Before long, he left to reside on the Southern Marchmount. In the place where he lived, there was a red light at night, and voices were heard conversing. The next day, an attendant asked about it, and he replied, 'My teacher, Daoist Lord Liu Haichanzi, was passing by here bringing rain.' There was a certain Liu Zhongming who travelled south to Mount Heng, visited Yuandao, and received his arts. Later, he underwent corpse deliverance at a saṅghārāma. The county magistrate went to bow at his burial vault and heard a voice from within saying, 'Stop violent waste; cease striving and scheming. Do not covet wealth; do not be rigid with punishments.' The magistrate was startled and departed. A fellow townsman, Jian Youcong, saw him again in the Eastern Capital and asked, 'You and I were from the same village; do you not even think of it?' Zhongming said, 'When a man reaches fifty, he is already like a ruined house. If one can set his mind on the Way, he can barely extend his years. You are seventy this year; throughout your life you have been fond of laws and assisting people in litigation. What more is there to say?' Thereupon, without looking back, he went away.