續高僧傳 25.42

25.42

釋植相。姓郝氏。梓橦涪人。當任巴西郡吏。太守鄭貞。令相齎獻物下楊都。見梁祖王公崇敬三寶。便願出家。及還上蜀。決誓家屬。并其妻子既同相志。一時剪落。自出家後。梁大同中專習苦行。一食常坐正心佛理。以命自期。時南武都。今孝水縣。有法愛道人。高衒道術。相往觀之。愛於夕中。自以呪力現一大神。身著衣冠容相璝偉。來舉繩床離地四五尺。相便誦戒。神即馳去。斯須復來舉床（僅動一角如前）復去。俄爾又來在相前立。相正意貞白初無微動。尋爾復去。於屋頭現面。舍棟破裂。其聲甚大。相亦無懼。神見不動便來禮拜求哀懺謝。至旦語愛曰。汝所重者。此是邪術非正法也。可捨之。相後往益聽講。以生在邊鄙玄頗涉俗。雖遭輕誚。亡懷在道都不忤意。又因行路寄宿道館。道士有素聞相名。恐化徒屬。拒不延之。其夜群虎遶院相吼。道士等通夕不安。及明追之。從受菩薩戒焉。又曾行弘農。水側見人垂釣。相勸止之。不從其言。即唾水中。忽有大蛇擎頭四顧來趣。釣者因即歸命投相出家。時梁道漸衰。而涪土軍動。與彖法師分飛異域。彖入靜林山。相入青城山。聚徒集業。梁王蕭撝。素相欽重。供給獠民以為營理。未暇經始便感重疾。知命不救。謂弟子曰。常願生淨土。而無勝業。雖不生三途。亦不生天堂。還生涪土作沙門也。汝等努力行道。方與吾會。加坐儼然奄便遷化。時年四十有四。其山四面獠民。見其坐亡皆來嘆異。禮拜供養改俗行善。弟子銜命露屍松下。初相置足於綿州城西柏林寺。院成就於堂頭植梧桐一株。極為繁茂。忽以四月十五日。無故葉落。又維那此日打鍾。初不發聲。大小疑怪不測所以。上坐僧超謂有大變。執錫逃避。須臾信報。相已終卒。樹枯鍾噎。表其遷化之晨也。此寺去青城四百餘里。而潛運之感。殆非人謀。梁初又有道香僧朗。並有神異。其迹略同。誌公之類矣。

Śramaṇa Zhixiang, surnamed Hao, was a native of Fu in Zitong. He served as an official in Baxi Commandery. The Grand Administrator, Zheng Zhen, ordered Xiang to carry tribute offerings down to Yangdu. Seeing how the founding emperor of the Liang and his nobles revered the triratna, he resolved to leave home. Upon returning to upper Shu, he made a firm vow to his family, and since his wife and children shared his intention, they all shored their hair at the same time. After leaving home, during the Datong reign-era of the Liang, he dedicated himself to ascetic practices, eating one meal a day, constantly sitting, focusing his mind on the principles of the Buddha, and staking his very life upon it. At that time in Nanwudu—now Xiaoshui County—there was a Daoist master named Fa'ai who ostentatiously flaunted esoteric arts. Xiang went to observe him. In the evening, Ai used his mantric powers to manifest a great deity, whose body was dressed in robes and caps and whose appearance was magnificent and imposing. Coming forward, he lifted the rope bed four or five feet off the ground. Xiang then recited the precepts, and the deity immediately galloped off. In a moment he returned, lifted the bed again (only moving one corner, as before), and departed again. Shortly after, he came once more and stood before Xiang. Xiang kept his mind upright and pure, without the slightest stir. Soon the deity left again and manifested his face above the roof; the ridgepole of the building split open with a tremendous noise, yet Xiang remained fearless. Seeing that he did not move, the deity came to prostrate himself, begging for mercy and repentance. At dawn, Xiang said to Ai: 'What you value is an evil art, not the correct Dharma. You ought to abandon it.' Later, Xiang went to Yi to listen to lectures. Because he had been born in a remote frontier region, his profound speech was somewhat mingled with vulgar expressions; though he met with slight and ridicule, he forgot himself in the Way and took no offense whatsoever. Furthermore, while traveling on the road, he lodged at a Daoist abbey. The Daoist priests had long heard of Xiang's renown and, fearing he would convert their disciples, refused to invite him in. That night, a pack of tigers encircled the courtyard and roared at one another; the Daoist priests were uneasy the entire night. At dawn, they pursued him and took the bodhisattva precepts from him. He once traveled through Hongnong and saw a man angling beside the water. Xiang admonished him to stop, but he would not heed his words. Xiang then spat into the water, whereupon a great serpent suddenly raised its head, looked all around, and came toward them. The angler immediately took refuge, turned to Xiang, and left home. At that time, the Liang dynasty's fortunes gradually declined, and troops mobilized in the Fu region. He parted ways with Dharma Master Tuan, going to different territories: Tuan entered Mount Jinglin, while Xiang entered Mount Qingcheng, gathering disciples to cultivate practice. Xiao Hui, Prince of Liang, had always held Xiang in deep veneration, and provided him with indigenous Liao people to attend to his affairs. Before he had leisure to complete the construction, he contracted a grave illness. Knowing that his life could not be saved, he said to his disciples: 'I have always vowed to be born in a Pure Land, but lacking superior karma, though I will not be born in the three destinies, neither will I be born in the heavens; I will return to be born in Fu land to become a śramaṇa. Strive diligently to practice the Way, and only then will you meet with me again.' Sitting cross-legged with solemn dignity, he abruptly passed away. He was forty-four years old. The Liao people on all four sides of the mountain, seeing that he died while sitting, all came to marvel, bowing, making offerings, and reforming their customs to practice good. The disciples followed his orders and exposed his corpse beneath the pines. Earlier, when Xiang had established himself at Bailin Monastery west of the city of Mianzhou, after the compound was completed, he planted a parasol tree at the front of the hall, which flourished luxuriantly. Suddenly, on the fifteenth day of the fourth month, its leaves fell for no reason. Moreover, on this day when the karmadāna struck the bell, at first it made no sound. Great and small were bewildered, unable to fathom the reason. The sthavira, Sengchao, believing that a great catastrophe was at hand, took his tin staff and fled to avoid it. In a moment a messenger arrived with the report that Xiang had already passed away: the withering of the tree and the choking of the bell were manifestations of the morning of his passing. This monastery was more than four hundred li from Qingcheng, yet this resonance of unseen movements was surely beyond human contrivance. In the early Liang, there were also Daoxiang and Senglang, both of whom had miraculous manifestations; their traces were roughly similar, belonging to the class of Master Zhi.