釋氏稽古略 3.114

3.114

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).