高僧傳 1.10

1.10

After Shigao had completed his work of traveling, converting, and proclaiming the sūtras in China, it was the end of Emperor Ling's reign and the Guan-Luo region was in chaos; thereupon, he shook his staff toward the south of the Yangtze River, saying: 'I shall pass Mount Lu to deliver my former fellow student.' Traveling on, he reached the shrine at Lake Gongting. This shrine had long possessed divine power; when merchants prayed, it divided the wind for going upstream and downstream so that none were delayed. Once, someone asked for sacred bamboo, and took it without permission; the boat immediately capsized, and the bamboo returned to its original place. From then on, boatmen stood in awe and dread, everyone cowering in fear. Shigao and his traveling companions in more than thirty boats offered animal sacrifices to pray for blessings. The spirit then descended and spoke through a medium, saying: 'There is a śramaṇa on the boat; you may call him up.' The guests were all astonished and invited Shigao into the shrine. The spirit told Shigao: 'In the past, in a foreign land, I left home with you to study the Path. I was fond of practicing dāna, yet by nature was given to anger. Now I am the spirit of the Gongting shrine; a circuit of a thousand li is all my domain. Because of dāna, my precious treasures are exceedingly plentiful; because of anger, I fell into this divine retribution. Now, seeing my fellow student, my sorrow and joy can hardly be expressed. My lifespan will end morning or evening, yet my ugly form is huge and long; if I cast off my life here, it would foul the rivers and lakes, so I must cross to the marshes west of the mountain. After this body perishes, I fear falling into naraka. I have a thousand bolts of silk together with various treasures; you may establish Dharma activities and construct a stūpa on my behalf, so that I may be born in a good realm.' Shigao said: 'I have deliberately come to deliver you; why do you not reveal your form?' The spirit said: 'My form is extremely hideous and strange; the crowd will certainly be terrified.' Shigao said: 'Just come out; the crowd will not think it strange.' The spirit protruded its head from behind the couch—it was a great python, the length of whose tail was unknown. When it reached beside Shigao's knees, Shigao spoke to it in Sanskrit several times and chanted several verses of stotra; the python wept tears of sorrow like rain, and after a moment retreated into hiding. Shigao then took the silk and treasures, took his leave, and departed. When the boat travelers set sail, the python emerged again, ascending the mountain to gaze after them; only after the crowd waved their hands did it disappear. In the twinkling of an eye, he arrived at Yuzhang, where he used the shrine's goods to build the Eastern Monastery. After Shigao left, the spirit immediately passed away. In the evening, a youth came aboard the boat, knelt before Shigao, received his praṇidhāna, and suddenly vanished. Shigao said to the boatmen: 'The youth just now was the spirit of the Gongting shrine; he has gained release from the evil form.' Thereupon, the shrine's spirit faded, and ultimately had no further efficacy. Later, people saw a dead python in the marshes west of the mountain, several li from head to tail; this is the present-day Snake Village of Xunyang Commandery.