宋高僧傳 18.36

18.36

釋法秀者，未詳何許人也。居于京寺，遊於咸、鎬之間，以勸率眾緣，多成善務，至老未嘗休懈。開元末，夢人云：「將手巾、袈裟各五百條，可於迴向寺中布施。」覺後問左右，並云無迴向寺。及募人製造巾衣，又遍詢老舊僧俗，莫有此伽藍否。時有一僧，形質魁梧，人都不識，報云：「我知迴向寺處。」問要何所須并人伴等，答曰：「但齎所施物，名香一斤，即可矣。」遂依言授物，與秀偕行。其僧徑入終南山，約行二日，至極深峻，初無所覩。復進程，見碾石一具，驚曰：「此人迹不到，何有此物？」乃於其上焚所齎香，再三致禮哀訴，從午至夕。谷中霧氣彌浸，咫尺不辨，逡巡開霽，當半崖間有朱門粉壁，綠牖琁題，剎飛夭矯之旛，樓直觚稜之影。少選，見一寺，分明雲際，三門而懸巨牓曰「迴向寺」。秀與僧喜甚，攀陟遂到，時已黃昏，而聞鐘磬唱薩之聲。門者詰其所從，遲迴，引入見一老僧，慰問再三，倡言曰：「唐皇帝萬福否？」處分令別僧相隨，歷房散手巾袈裟，唯餘一分。指一房空榻無人，有衣服、坐席，似有所適者。既而却見老僧——若綱任之首——曰：「其往外者，當已來矣。」其僧與秀復欲至彼授手巾等。一房但空榻者，亦無人也。又具言之，老僧笑令坐，顧彼房內，取尺八來至，乃玉尺八也。老僧曰：「汝見彼胡僧否？」曰：「見已。」曰：「此是將來權代汝主者。京師當亂，人死無數。此胡名磨滅王。其一室是汝主房也。汝主在寺，以愛吹尺八，罰在人間，此常所吹者也。今限將滿，即却來矣。」明日遣就齋，齋訖曰：「汝當迴，可將此尺八并袈裟、手巾，與汝主自收也。」秀禮拜而還，童子送出，纔數十步，雲霧四合，則不復見寺矣。乃持手巾、袈裟、玉尺八進上，玄宗召見，具述本末。帝大感悅，凝神久之，取笛吹之，宛是先所御者。後數年，果有祿山之禍，秀所見胡僧，即祿山也。秀感其所遇，精進倍切，不知所終。世傳終南山聖寺又有迴向也。

Shi Faxiu's place of origin is not known. He dwelt in a temple in the capital and traveled between Xianyang and Haojing, exhorting and gathering various supporters and accomplishing many good deeds, never resting or slackening even in old age. At the end of the Kaiyuan era, he dreamt that a person said, "Take five hundred hand-towels and five hundred kāṣāyas, and you may make an offering of them at Huixiang Temple." After waking, he asked his attendants, and all said there was no Huixiang Temple. When he had raised funds from people to manufacture the towels and robes, he again inquired everywhere among senior monks and laypeople whether such a monastery existed. At that time there was a monk of stalwart and imposing physique whom no one recognized, who reported, "I know the location of Huixiang Temple." When asked what provisions and traveling companions would be needed, he replied, "Just take the offerings and one catty of famous incense, and that will suffice." Thereupon, following his words, Faxiu handed over the goods and traveled together with him. The monk went straight into Mount Zhongnan. After walking for about two days, reaching an extremely deep and precipitous place, at first nothing was to be seen. Proceeding further on their way, they saw a stone mill, and Faxiu was astonished, saying, "No human footprints reach here; why is there this object?" Thereupon, on top of it, he burned the incense he had brought and repeatedly paid homage and made sorrowful appeals from noon until evening. In the valley, mists spread and soaked the air, obscuring sight within inches; in an instant it cleared up, and halfway up the cliff were vermilion gates and white-plastered walls, green windows and jade inscriptions, temple banners fluttering gracefully, and the multistoried pavilions casting their angular shadows. After a short while, he clearly saw a temple amid the clouds, with a triple gate on which hung a huge placard inscribed "Huixiang Temple." Faxiu and the monk rejoiced exceedingly. Climbing up, they reached it when it was already dusk, and heard the sound of bells, chimes, and the chanting of bodhisattvas' names. The gatekeeper inquired whence they came, and after a brief pause, led them in to see an old monk. Consoling and questioning them repeatedly, [the old monk] proclaimed aloud, "Is the Tang Emperor enjoying myriad blessings?" He gave instructions ordering another monk to accompany them from room to room to distribute the hand-towels and kāṣāyas, leaving only a single share. He pointed to a room with an empty couch and no one inside, where there were clothes and sitting mats, as though someone had just gone out. Soon after, they returned to see the old monk—who seemed to be the head of the administration—who said, "The one who went outside must have arrived by now." That monk and Faxiu wished to go there again to deliver the hand-towel and robe. The room still had only the empty couch, with no one present. They reported this in detail, and the old monk smiled, bade them sit, looked inside that room, and fetched a shakuhachi; it turned out to be a jade shakuhachi. The old monk said, "Did you see that barbarian monk?" He replied, "I have seen him." The old monk said, "This is the one who will temporarily take the place of your lord in the future. The capital will fall into chaos, and people will die in countless numbers. This barbarian is named King Momie ('Destroyer'). That single room is your lord's chamber. When your lord was in the temple, because of his love of playing the shakuhachi, he was penalized [by being born] in the human world; this is what he constantly played. Now his term is about to expire, and he will soon return." The next day he sent them to take the midday meal. When the meal was over, he said, "You should return; you may take this shakuhachi, together with the kāṣāya and hand-towel, to give to your lord to keep for himself." Faxiu bowed and turned back; an attendant boy escorted him out, and after only several tens of paces, clouds and mists gathered from all sides, and the temple was seen no more. He then took the hand-towel, kāṣāya, and jade shakuhachi to present to the throne. Xuanzong summoned him to an audience, and he related the whole affair from beginning to end. The emperor was greatly moved and pleased, concentrated his mind for a long time, and took the flute and played it; it was just like the one he had previously used. Several years later, the disaster of An Lushan indeed occurred; the barbarian monk whom Faxiu had seen was Lushan. Faxiu was stirred by what he had encountered and became doubly vigorous in his practice; his end is not known. It is traditionally transmitted in the world that among the sacred temples of Mount Zhongnan, there is also Huixiang.