釋氏稽古略 4.221

4.221

衣蒲童子　是時太尉呂惠卿。字吉甫。學通內外。甞注華嚴法界觀。及出新意解莊子。因戍邊。暇日遊五臺山至中臺。忽雲霧四合暴風雷雨聲振林壑。從者驚竦潛伏。斯須有物。狀若蒼虬。半出雲霧間。太尉駭甚移時稍霽。外望見一童子體黑而披髮。以蒲自足纏至肩。袒右膊手執梵夾。問太尉曰。官人何見而震駭如此。太尉曰。夙有障緣遇茲惡境。童子曰。今皆滅矣。官人何求而來。太尉曰。願見大士。童子曰。欲見菩薩何為。曰甞覽華嚴大教旨深意廣。欲望大士發啟解心。庶幾箋釋流行世間。使幽夜頓獲光明。大心者即得開悟。童子曰。諸佛妙意善順事理簡易明白。先德注意可解。如十地一品。釋文不過數紙。今時枝蔓注近百卷。而聖意逾遠。真所謂破碎大道也。太尉曰。童子貌若此。而敢呵前輩乎。童子笑曰。官人謬矣。此間一草一木無非文殊境界。在汝日用觸事不迷。此真文殊耳。曷以凡情亂於思慮。太尉悔前言之謬即頓首下拜。纔起之間。童子現大士形。誇獅于隱隱雲中不見。太尉自爾惋恨心神恍惚。家人問故。太尉曰。吾欲竭誠悔過期再見衣蒲童子。即嚴具香火。晨夕以之。志於必見。而後已久之忽見童子於香几上。呵曰。胡為住相貪著之甚耶。太尉曰。正欲世人咸見大士示化之真容耳。即命畫工圖之。頃刻不見（華嚴感應錄。并紫芝佛運編年）。

The Cattail-Clad Boy: At that time, Grand Commandant Lü Huiqing, courtesy name Jifu, was learned in both internal and external texts. He had once annotated the Huayan fajie guan and offered original interpretations of the Zhuangzi. When garrisoning the border, he used a day of leisure to visit Mount Wutai, traveling to the Central Terrace. Suddenly, clouds and mist gathered from all directions, and a violent storm of thunder and rain shook the forests and valleys. His attendants fell to the ground in terror, crouching in hiding. Momentarily, a creature appeared, shaped like a dark blue dragon, half emerging from the clouds and mist. The Grand Commandant was profoundly alarmed. After some time, it cleared slightly. Looking outward, he saw a youth with dark skin and unbraided hair, bound from foot to shoulder with cattails, his right shoulder bared, holding Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts in his hand. He asked the Grand Commandant, "Officer, what did you see that threw you into such terror?" The Grand Commandant said, "I have had obstacle karmic conditions from past lives, which is why I encountered this evil realm." The youth said, "Now they are all extinguished. What do you seek that brought you here?" The Grand Commandant said, "I wish to see the Great Being." The youth said, "Why do you wish to see the Bodhisattva?" He answered, "I have read the Huayan great teachings, whose purport is deep and meaning vast. I hope the Great Being will awaken my understanding mind, so that perhaps my commentaries might circulate in the world, causing the dark night suddenly to attain light and those of great mind immediately to achieve awakening." The youth said, "The wondrous intent of the Buddhas accords well with affairs and principles, being simple, easy, and clear. It could be understood from the commentaries of ancient worthies. For instance, in the 'Ten Grounds' chapter, the explanatory text was no more than a few sheets of paper. Nowadays, sprawling commentaries run to nearly a hundred fascicles, yet the holy intent has grown ever more remote. This is truly what is called 'fragmenting the Great Way'." The Grand Commandant said, "Your appearance is merely that of a boy, yet you dare reprimand the elders?" The youth laughed and said, "Officer, you are mistaken! In this place, every single plant and tree is nothing other than the realm of Mañjuśrī. If in your daily activities you encounter phenomena without confusion, this is the true Mañjuśrī! Why use worldly sentiments to confuse your thinking?" The Grand Commandant regretted the error of his former words and immediately kowtowed in prostration. Just as he arose, the youth manifested the form of the Great Being, astride a lion, and vanished into the dim clouds. Thereafter, the Grand Commandant was filled with regret and his mind was unsettled. When his family asked the reason, he said, "I wish to exhaust my sincerity in repenting my errors, hoping to see the cattail-clad boy once more." He immediately arranged incense and lamps, attending to them morning and evening, resolving that he must see him before ceasing. After a long while, he suddenly saw the youth upon the incense table, who rebuked him, "Why do you dwell upon signs with such intense grasping?" The Grand Commandant said, "I only wished that the people of the world might all behold the true countenance of the Great Being's transformation!" He immediately ordered a painter to depict him, and in an instant the youth vanished (Huayan ganying lu and Zizhi foyun biannian).