宋高僧傳 19.6

19.6

釋元珪，姓李氏，伊闕人也。稟氣英奇，寬裕閑雅。既緣宿習，乃誓出家，於永淳二年遂登滿足，乃隷名閑居寺。以習毘尼，雖勤無懈，執律唯堅。後悟少林寺禪宗，大通心要，深入玄微，遂卜廬于嶽中龐塢。謂其徒仁素曰：「吾始居寺東嶺。吾滅，汝必塔吾骸于此。」珪安于巖阿。時有峨冠袴褶，部曲繁多，輕步舒徐，稱謁大師。珪覩其貌偉，精爽不倫，謂之曰：「善來仁者，胡謂而至？」曰：「師寧識我邪？」珪曰：「吾觀佛與眾生等，吾一目之，豈分別識也？」對曰：「我此嶽神也。吾能利害生死於人，師安得一目我哉？」珪曰：「汝能生死於人，吾本不生，汝焉能死吾？視身與空等，視吾與汝等，汝能壞空與汝乎？苟能壞空及壞汝，吾則不生不滅也。汝尚不能如是，又焉能生死吾邪？」嶽神稽首再拜曰：「我亦聰明正直於餘神，豈能知師有廣大之智辯乎？願授之正戒，令我度世，助其威福。」珪曰：「神既乞戒，即既戒也。所以者何？戒外無戒，又何戒哉？」神曰：「此理也我聞茫昧，止求師戒我身為門弟子。」珪辭不獲，即為張座焚香，秉鑪正机曰：「付汝五戒，汝能奉持，即嚮曰能。不能，即曰否。」神曰：「洗耳傾聽，虛心納教。」珪曰：「汝能不婬乎？」神曰：「亦娶也。」曰：「非謂此也，謂無羅欲也。」神曰：「能。」曰：「汝能不盜乎？」神曰：「何乏我也，焉有盜取哉？」曰：「非謂此也，謂饗而福淫，不供而禍善也。」神曰：「能。」曰：「汝能不殺乎？」神曰：「政柄在躬，焉曰不殺？」曰：「非謂此也，謂有濫誤混疑也。」神曰：「能。」曰：「汝能不妄乎？」神曰：「我本正直，焉能有妄？」曰：「非謂此也，謂先後不合天心也。」神曰：「能。」曰：「汝能不遭酒敗乎？」神曰：「力能。」珪曰：「如上是為佛戒也。」又言：「以有心奉持而無心拘執；以有心為物而無心想身。能如是，則先天地生不為精，後天地死不為老，終日變化而不為動，畢盡寂默而不為休。悟此，則雖娶非妻也，雖饗非取也，雖柄非權也，雖作非故也，雖醉非惛也。若能無心於萬物，則羅欲不為婬，福淫禍善不為盜，濫誤混疑不為殺，先後違天不為妄，惛荒顛倒不為醉，是謂無心也，無心則無戒，無戒則無心，無佛無眾生，無汝及無我，無我無汝，孰能戒哉？」神曰：「我神通亞佛。」珪曰：「汝神通十句，五能五不能。佛則十句，七能三不能。」神悚然避席，啟跪頗恭曰：「可得聞乎？」曰：「汝能㑦上帝，東天行而西七曜乎？」曰：「不能。」又曰：「汝能奪地祇、融五嶽而結四海乎？」曰：「不能。」珪曰：「是為五不能也。」又曰：「佛能空一切相，成萬法智，而不能即滅定業。佛能知群有性，窮億劫事，而不能化導無緣。佛能度無量有情，而不能盡眾生界。是為三不能也。定業亦不牢久，無緣亦謂一期，眾生界本無增減。亘無一人，能主有法。有法無主，是謂無法。無法無主，是謂無心。如我解佛，亦無神通也，但能以無心通達一切法耳。作用冥現有情前也。若有心有作，作用必不普周焉。」嶽神曰：「我誠淺昧，未聞空義，願師授我戒，我當奉行，更何業因可拘塵界？我願報慈德，効我所能！」珪曰：「吾觀身無物，觀無常，法窟塊然，更有何欲？」神曰：「師必命我為世間事，展我少小神功，使已發心、初發心、未發心、不信心、必信心五等人目我神蹤，知有佛有神，有能有不能，有自然有非自然者。」珪曰：「無為是，無為是。」神曰：「佛亦使神護法，師寧隳叛佛邪？隨意垂誨。」珪不得已而言曰：「東巖，寺之障也——莾然無樹。北岫有之，而背非屏擁。汝能移北樹於東嶺乎？」神曰：「已聞命矣。」又陳曰：「我必昏夜風雷，擺搖震運，願師無駭。」即鄭重作禮辭去。珪門送而且觀之，見儀衛逶迤如王者之行仗。又復碧靄紅霞，紫嵐皓氣，間錯四散，幢蓋環珮，戈戟森森，凌高𥧲空，杳渺隱沒焉。其夕果有暴風吼雷、奔雲霆電，隆棟壯宇，岌礘將圮，定僧瞻動，宿鳥聲狂互相敲礚，物不安所。乃謂眾僧曰：「無怖，無怖，神與我契矣。」詰旦和霽，則北巖松栝盡移東嶺，森然行植焉。而珪謂其徒曰：「吾歿後無令外知，若為口實，人將妖我也。」以開元四年丙辰歲，囑累門人，若委蛻焉。春秋七十三。遂營塔于嶽之東嶺，影堂存于本院。後十二年，告成縣尉許籌追珪之德為記焉。

Shi Yuangui, whose secular surname was Li, was a native of Yique. Endowed with a heroic and extraordinary spirit, he was magnanimous, leisure-loving, and elegant. In accordance with his predispositions from past lives, he vowed to enter the monastic life, and in the second year of the Yongchun reign era he received the full precepts, subsequently having his name registered at Xianju Temple. In his practice of the vinaya, although diligent without negligence, his adherence to the precepts was steadfast. Later, he awakened to the Chan lineage of Shaolin Temple, greatly penetrated the essential mind, and deeply entered the profound and subtle, whereupon he chose a dwelling in Pangwu within the Sacred Marchmount. He said to his disciple Rensu: 'I first resided on the temple's eastern ridge. When I pass away, you must entomb my remains here.' Gui rested contentedly by the rocky cliffs. At that time, a being with a high cap and military tunic and trousers, accompanied by a vast retinue of attendants, arrived with light and slow steps, announcing a visit to the Great Master. Observing his grand appearance and unequalled refined radiance, Gui said to him: 'Welcome, benevolent one, why have you come?' The being said: 'Does the Master recognize me?' Gui said: 'I view the Buddha and sentient beings as equal; I see them with one look—how could I distinguish and recognize [you]?' He replied: 'I am the spirit of this Marchmount. I have power over the benefit, harm, life, and death of men; how can the Master look upon me as ordinary?' Gui said: 'You can bring life and death to men, but I am fundamentally unborn; how could you cause me to die? I regard my body as equal to emptiness, and I regard myself as equal to you; can you destroy emptiness and yourself? If you can destroy emptiness and destroy yourself, then I am without birth and without death. You cannot even do this; how then could you bring life or death to me?' The spirit of the Marchmount bowed his head and made two prostrations, saying: 'I am indeed clear-sighted and upright compared to other spirits, yet how could I have known that the Master possesses such vast wisdom and eloquence? I wish to receive the orthodox precepts so that I may be delivered from the world and enhance my awe-inspiring fortune.' Gui said: 'Since the spirit has asked for the precepts, you are already preceptee. Why is this? Outside of precepts there are no precepts; what precepts are there to take?' The spirit said: 'I am obscure regarding this principle, and only ask the Master to administer the precepts to my person, making me your disciple.' Gui could not decline; he immediately set up a seat, burned incense, held the censer, adjusted the small table, and said: 'I confer upon you the five precepts. If you can uphold them, then reply "I can"; if not, then reply "No."' The spirit said: 'I wash my ears and listen attentively, opening my mind to receive the teaching.' Gui said: 'Can you abstain from lust?' The spirit said: 'I also take a wife.' Gui said: 'I do not mean this; I mean not having an ensnaring desire.' The spirit said: 'I can.' Gui said: 'Can you abstain from stealing?' The spirit said: 'What do I lack, that I should steal?' Gui said: 'I do not mean this; I mean receiving offerings yet blessing excess, or harming the good when no offering is made.' The spirit said: 'I can.' Gui said: 'Can you abstain from killing?' The spirit said: 'The authority of governance resides in my person; how can it be said I do not kill?' Gui said: 'I do not mean this; I mean indiscriminate, mistaken, mixed, or doubtful killing.' The spirit said: 'I can.' Gui said: 'Can you abstain from lying?' The spirit said: 'I am fundamentally upright; how could I lie?' Gui said: 'I do not mean this; I mean your actions before and after not according with the will of Heaven.' The spirit said: 'I can.' Gui said: 'Can you avoid being corrupted by liquor?' The spirit said: 'I have the power to do so.' Gui said: 'The above are the precepts of the Buddha.' He further said: 'Uphold them with a mindful heart, yet remain without a clinging mind; act for beings with a mindful heart, yet have no mind conceptualizing the body. If you can be like this, then being born before Heaven and Earth will not count as primeval essence, dying after Heaven and Earth will not count as old age, transforming throughout the entire day will not count as movement, and remaining utterly still and silent will not count as resting. Awakening to this, though you take a wife, she is not a spouse; though you receive offerings, it is not taking; though you hold authority, it is not worldly power; though you act, it is not intentional; though you are drunk, you are not confused. If you can be mindless regarding the myriad phenomena, then ensnaring desire is not lust, blessing excess and harming the good is not theft, indiscriminate, mistaken, mixed, and doubtful acts are not killing, being out of accord with Heaven before and after is not lying, and bewildered confusion is not drunkenness. This is called mindlessness. With mindlessness, there are no precepts; with no precepts, there is no mind; there is neither Buddha nor sentient beings, neither you nor me. With no self and no you, who can take precepts?' The spirit said: 'My supernatural powers are second only to the Buddha.' Gui said: 'Of ten statements concerning your supernatural powers, five you can do and five you cannot. For the Buddha, of ten statements, seven he can do and three he cannot.' The spirit shrank back, stepped aside from his seat, knelt reverently, and said: 'May I hear of them?' Gui said: 'Can you rival the Sovereign on High, making the celestial sphere travel east and the seven luminaries move west?' He said: 'I cannot.' Gui further said: 'Can you usurp the Earth Deity, dissolve the Five Marchmounts, and unite the Four Seas?' He said: 'I cannot.' Gui said: 'These are the five things you cannot do.' He further said: 'The Buddha can empty all characteristics and accomplish the wisdom of the myriad dharmas, yet he cannot instantly extinguish fixed karma. The Buddha can know the nature of all existences and penetrate the events of billions of kalpas, yet he cannot transform and guide those without karmic affinity. The Buddha can deliver immeasurable sentient beings, yet he cannot exhaust the realm of sentient beings. These are the three things he cannot do. Yet fixed karma is also not permanent and lasting, lack of affinity is also only for a single period, and the realm of sentient beings fundamentally neither increases nor decreases. Throughout all time, not a single person can govern the existents. Existents have no master; this is called no-dharma. Without dharma and without master, this is called no-mind. As I understand the Buddha, he also has no supernatural powers; he is merely able, with no-mind, to thoroughly penetrate all dharmas. His functions appear subtly before sentient beings. If one has mind and intentional action, one's function will certainly not be all-pervading.' The spirit of the Marchmount said: 'I am truly shallow and dim, having never heard the meaning of emptiness. I beseech the Master to confer the precepts upon me; I shall uphold and practice them. What karmic causes could still bind me to the dust realm? I wish to requite your compassionate virtue and exert my abilities in service!' Gui said: 'I regard the body as non-existent; I contemplate impermanence; the Dharma cavern is solitary and still—what further desires could I have?' The spirit said: 'The Master must command me to perform a worldly task to display my small supernatural powers, so that the five kinds of people—those who have already aroused the resolve, those who have newly aroused it, those who have not yet aroused it, those who lack faith, and those who are bound to have faith—may witness the traces of my spirit, knowing that there are Buddhas and spirits, the capable and the incapable, the natural and the non-natural.' Gui said: 'Do not do this; do not do this.' The spirit said: 'The Buddha also commanded spirits to protect the Dharma; would the Master defy the Buddha? Please grant your instruction as you wish.' Having no choice, Gui said: 'The eastern cliff is a screen for the temple, yet it is barren and devoid of trees. The northern peak has them, yet its back offers no shelter. Can you move the northern trees to the eastern ridge?' The spirit said: 'I have heard your command.' He further declared: 'In the deep night there will certainly be wind and thunder, shaking and vibrating; I pray the Master will not be alarmed.' He then respectfully made obeisance and departed. Gui saw him off at the gate and watched him: he saw the ceremonial vanguard meandering like the procession of a king. Furthermore, green mists and red clouds, purple vapors and bright white auras mingled and dispersed in all directions, with banners, canopies, jingling pendants, and dense spears and halberds ascending high and traversing the sky, before fading into the vast distance and disappearing. That night there was indeed a violent wind and roaring thunder, rushing clouds and lightning; the grand beams and sturdy buildings tottered and were on the verge of collapse; the meditating monks looked on in agitation, and the roosting birds shrieked wildly, crashing against one another, with nothing at peace. Gui said to the monks: 'Do not fear, do not fear, the spirit has an agreement with me.' At dawn it cleared and became peaceful, and the pines and junipers of the northern cliff had all been moved to the eastern ridge, planted densely in neat rows. Gui then said to his disciples: 'After I pass away, do not let outsiders know of this; if it becomes material for gossip, people will deem me uncanny.' In the fourth year of the Kaiyuan reign era, a bingchen year, he gave his final instructions to his disciples and passed away like a cicada shedding its shell, at the age of seventy-three. Thereupon, a stūpa was erected on the eastern ridge of the Marchmount, and a portrait hall was preserved in his home compound. Twelve years later, Xu Chou, Defender of Gaocheng County, recorded Gui's virtue in an inscription.