續高僧傳 25.43

25.43

釋僧林。吳人。深有德素。行能動物。梁大同中。上蜀至潼州。城西北百四十里有豆圌山上有神祠。土民敬之。每往祭謁。林往居之禪默累日。忽有大蟒縈繩床前。舉頭如揖讓者。林為授三歸。受已便去。因爾安怗卒無災異。其山北涪水之陽。素來無猿。自林栖託已來。便有兩頭依林而住。有初見者云度水來。及後林出山門。猿還洄度。如此非一。年月淹久孚乳產生。乃有數十。有時送林至龍門口。竚望而返。後往赤水巖故寺中。屋宇並摧止有叢林。便即露坐。有虎蹲於林前。低目視林。乃為說法。良久便去。爾後孤遊雄悍不避惡狩。常行仁濟。感化極多。末卒于潼部。

Śramaṇa Senglin was a native of Wu. He possessed deep, unadorned virtue, and his conduct had the power to move living beings. During the Datong reign-era of the Liang, he traveled up into Shu to Tongzhou. One hundred and forty li northwest of the city was Mount Douchuan, atop which stood a spirit shrine; the local populace revered it, regularly going there to offer sacrifices and pay respects. Lin went to live there, sitting in dhyāna silence for several days. Suddenly, a great python coiled itself in front of his rope bed, raising its head as if bowing in courtesy. Lin conferred the three refuges upon it; having received them, it departed. From then on, all was peaceful and settled, with no calamities or strange occurrences. To the north of that mountain, on the sunny side of the Fu River, there had never been monkeys. After Lin took up residence there, two of them came to stay with him. Those who first saw them said they had crossed the river to come. Later, whenever Lin walked out of the mountain gate, the monkeys would cross back across the swirling waters; this happened more than once. Over a long span of time, they bred and gave birth, until there were several tens of them. At times, they would escort Lin to the mouth of Longmen, gazing after him before returning. Later, he went to an old temple at Chishui Cliff; its buildings were completely dilapidated, leaving only overgrown woods, so he sat in the open air. A tiger squatted in front of the grove, looking down at Lin. Lin preached the Dharma for it, and after a good while it departed. Thereafter, he traveled alone and intrepid, not shunning ferocious beasts, constantly practicing benevolence and deliverance, converting and inspiring a great many. In the end, he passed away in the region of Tong.