釋氏稽古略 3.114

3.114

嶽神乞戒　嵩嶽元珪禪師。生伊闕李氏。幼歲出家。高宗永淳年間受具戒隷閑居寺習毘尼。謁安國師頓悟玄旨。遂廬于嵩嶽之龐塢。是年一日有異人。峨冠袴褶（音習）而至。從者極多偉甚稱謁大師。師覩其非常乃諭之曰。善來仁者胡為而至。彼曰師寧識我耶。師曰。吾觀佛與眾生等。吾一目之豈分別邪。彼曰我此嶽神也。能生死於人。師安得一目我哉。師曰。吾本不生。汝焉能死。吾視身與空等。視吾與汝等。汝能壞空與汝乎。苟能壞空及汝。吾則不生不滅也。汝尚不能如是。又焉能生死吾邪。神稽首曰。我亦聰明正直於餘神。詎知師有廣大之智辯乎。願授以正戒令我度世師曰。汝既乞戒即既戒也。所以者何。戒外無戒。又何戒哉。神曰此理也。我聞茫昧止求師戒。我身為門弟子。師即為張座秉爐正几曰。付汝五戒。若能奉持即應曰能。不能即曰否。神曰謹受教。師曰汝能不淫乎。曰我亦娶也。師曰。非謂此也謂無羅欲也。曰能。師曰汝能不盜乎。曰何乏我也焉有盜取哉。師曰非謂此也謂饗而福淫不供而禍善也。曰能。師曰。汝能不殺乎。曰實司其柄焉曰不殺。師曰非謂此也謂有濫誤疑混也。曰能。師曰。汝能不妄乎。曰我正直焉有妄乎。師曰非謂此也謂先後不合天心也。曰能。師曰。汝不遭酒敗乎。曰能。師曰如上是為佛戒也。師又曰。以有心奉持而無心拘執。以有心為物而無心想身。能如是則先天地生不為精。後天地死不為老。終日變化而不為動。畢盡寂默而不為休。信此則雖娶非妻也。雖饗非取也。雖柄非權也。雖作非故也。雖醉非惛也。若能無心於萬物則無戒。無戒則無心。無佛無眾生。無汝及無我。孰為戒哉。神曰我神通亞佛。師曰。汝神通十句五能五不能。佛十句七能三不能。神悚然避席跪啟曰。可得聞乎。師曰。汝能戾上帝東天行而西七曜乎。曰不能。師曰。汝能奪地祇融五嶽而結四海乎。曰不能。師曰。是謂五不能也。佛能空一切相成萬法智。而不能即滅定業。佛能知群有性窮億劫事。而不能化導無緣。佛能度無量有情而不能盡眾生界。是為三不能也。定業亦不牢久。無緣亦是一期。眾生界本無增減。廓無一人能主其法。有法無主是謂無法。無法無主是謂無心。如我解佛亦無神通也。但能以無心通達一切法爾。神曰我誠淺昧。未聞空義。師所授戒我當奉行。今願報慈德効我所能。師曰。吾觀身無物。觀法無常。塊然更有何欲邪。神曰師必命我為世間事展我小神功。使已發心初發心未發心不信心必信心五等人自我神蹤知有佛有神有能有不能有自然有非自然者。師曰。無為是無為是。神曰佛亦使神護法。師寧墮叛佛邪。願隨意垂誨。師不得已而言曰。東巖寺之障莽然無樹。北岫有之而背非屏擁。汝能移北樹於東嶺乎。神曰已聞命矣。然昏夜必有喧動。願師無駭。即作禮辭去。師門送而且觀之。見儀衛逶迤如王者之狀。嵐靄煙霞紛綸間錯。幢幡環珮凌空隱沒焉。其夕果有暴風吼雷奔雲掣雷棟宇搖蕩宿鳥聲喧。師謂眾曰。無怖無怖。神與我契矣。詰旦和霽。則北巖松栝盡移東嶺。森然行植。師謂其徒曰。吾沒後言莫及之。若為口實人將妖我。至玄宗開元四年。師囑門人曰。吾始居寺東嶺。我今入滅。可寘吾骸于彼。言訖而化。師嗣慧安國師。國師嗣五祖大滿禪師（傳燈錄）。

The Mountain God seeks the precepts. Chan Master Yuangui of Mount Song was born into the Li clan of Yique. He renounced the household at an early age. During the Yongchun era of Emperor Gaozong, he received full ordination, was attached to Xianju Monastery, and studied the vinaya. He visited Master of the Nation An and suddenly awakened to the profound purport; he then thatched a hut at Pangwu on Mount Song. In this year, one day an unusual man arrived wearing a high cap and riding breeches, with exceedingly numerous and imposing attendants, claiming to pay respects to the Great Master. When the Master saw his extraordinary appearance, he instructed him, saying: 'Welcome, benevolent one. For what purpose have you come?' He said: 'Does the Master recognize me?' The Master said: 'I regard the Buddha and sentient beings as equal; I view them with one eye, so how could I make distinctions?' He said: 'I am the god of this mountain. I have the power of life and death over men; how could the Master view me with one eye?' The Master said: 'I fundamentally do not arise; how can you cause me to die? I see my body as equal to empty space; I see myself as equal to you. Can you destroy empty space and yourself? If you can destroy empty space and yourself, I am without arising and ceasing. Since you cannot do even this, how could you bring about my life and death?' The god bowed and said: 'I am also wise and upright among other gods; how could I know the Master possesses such vast wisdom and eloquence? I wish to receive the correct precepts to let me transcend the world.' The Master said: 'Since you have sought the precepts, you have already received the precepts. Why is this? Outside of precepts there are no precepts; what precepts could there be?' The god said: 'This is the principle. I hear it indistinctly and only seek the Master's precepts, so that my person may become a disciple.' The Master then set up a seat, held an incense burner, and straightened his desk, saying: 'I confer upon you the five precepts. If you can uphold them, reply "I can"; if you cannot, reply "No".' The god said: 'I respectfully receive the teaching.' The Master said: 'Can you refrain from sexual misconduct?' He said: 'I also take a wife.' The Master said: 'This is not what is meant; it means to be free from the net of desire.' He said: 'I can.' The Master said: 'Can you refrain from stealing?' He said: 'What do I lack? How could I steal?' The Master said: 'This is not what is meant; it means receiving offerings to bless the licentious, and not receiving offerings to bring calamity upon the virtuous.' He said: 'I can.' The Master said: 'Can you refrain from killing?' He said: 'I truly hold that power; how could I not kill?' The Master said: 'This is not what is meant; it means having excessive, erroneous, doubtful, or confused [killing].' He said: 'I can.' The Master said: 'Can you refrain from lying?' He said: 'I am upright; how could I lie?' The Master said: 'This is not what is meant; it means that former and later [judgments] do not accord with Heaven's mind.' He said: 'I can.' The Master said: 'Can you not suffer ruin through alcohol?' He said: 'I can.' The Master said: 'The above are the Buddhist precepts.' The Master further said: 'Uphold them with intention, yet without intentional attachment; act for beings with intention, yet without intentional thought of the self. If you can be like this, then being born before heaven and earth is not being an essence; dying after heaven and earth is not being old. Transforming all day is not movement; ultimate silence is not resting. If you believe this, then though you marry, it is not a wife; though you receive offerings, it is not taking; though you wield power, it is not authority; though you act, it is not deliberate; though you drink, it is not muddled. If you can be without mind toward the myriad things, then there are no precepts; if there are no precepts, there is no mind. There is no Buddha and no sentient beings, no you and no me; what would be the precepts?' The god said: 'My spiritual powers are second to the Buddha.' The Master said: 'Of your spiritual powers, in ten clauses, five you can do and five you cannot. The Buddha, in ten clauses, seven he can do and three he cannot.' The god, startled, stepped back from his seat, knelt, and stated: 'May I hear of this?' The Master said: 'Can you oppose the Lord on High by making the eastern heavens move [west] and turning the seven luminaries west?' He said: 'I cannot.' The Master said: 'Can you usurp the Earth Spirit by melting the Five Sacred Peaks and freezing the Four Seas?' He said: 'I cannot.' The Master said: 'These are the five you cannot do. The Buddha can empty all characteristics and accomplish the wisdom of all phenomena, yet he cannot immediately extinguish fixed karma; the Buddha can know the nature of all existences and exhaust the events of billions of kalpas, yet he cannot transform and guide those without conditions; the Buddha can cross over immeasurable sentient beings, yet he cannot exhaust the realm of sentient beings. These are the three he cannot do. Fixed karma is also not lasting; lack of conditions is also just for a time; the realm of sentient beings fundamentally neither increases nor decreases. In vast openness, not a single person can master these phenomena. Having phenomena without a master is called having no phenomena; having no phenomena and no master is called having no mind. As I understand it, the Buddha also has no spiritual powers; he is merely able to penetrate all phenomena through no-mind.' The god said: 'I am truly shallow and unenlightened, not having heard the meaning of emptiness. The precepts conferred by the Master I shall uphold. Now I wish to repay your compassionate virtue by offering what I am capable of.' The Master said: 'I see that the body is nothing, and I see that phenomena are impermanent; solitary and aloof, what further desires could I have?' The god said: 'The Master must command me to do a worldly deed, to display my small spiritual power, so that the five classes of people—those who have already resolved [their minds], those who have newly resolved, those who have not resolved, those who do not believe, and those who surely believe—may, from my spiritual traces, know that there is a Buddha, there are gods, there is capability, there is incapability, there is what is natural, and there is what is not natural.' The Master said: 'Do not do this, do not do this.' The god said: 'The Buddha also had gods protect the Dharma. Would the Master rather backslide and rebel against the Buddha? I pray you deign to instruct me according to your wish.' Having no choice, the Master spoke, saying: 'The screen of the Eastern Cliff Monastery is bare without trees; the Northern Peak has them, but they are behind it and do not serve as a screen. Can you move the northern trees to the eastern ridge?' The god said: 'I have heard your command. However, in the dark of night there will surely be clamorous motion; I pray the Master will not be alarmed.' He then bowed and took leave. The Master saw him off at the gate and watched him, seeing his ceremonial guard winding along like that of a king, with mountain mists and smoky clouds swirling in confusion, and banners and jade pendants vanishing into the sky. That night, there was indeed a violent wind and roaring thunder, with racing clouds and flashes of lightning; the beams and eaves shook and swayed, and roosting birds cried out in confusion. The Master said to the assembly: 'Do not fear, do not fear; the god has made a pact with me.' At dawn it was peaceful and clear; the pines and junipers of the northern cliff had all been moved to the eastern ridge, planted upright in neat rows. The Master said to his disciples: 'After I pass away, let no word of this be mentioned; if it becomes talk, people will consider me a sorcerer.' Reaching the fourth year of Kaiyuan under Xuanzong, the Master instructed his disciples, saying: 'I first resided on the temple's eastern ridge; now that I am entering extinction, you may place my remains there.' Having spoken, he transformed. The Master was the dharma heir of Master of the Nation Huian; the Master of the Nation was the dharma heir of the Fifth Patriarch, Chan Master Daman (from the Chuandeng lu).