神僧傳 2.4

2.4

竺曇猷。或云法猷。燉煌人。少苦行習禪定。後遊江左止剡之石城山。乞食坐禪。嘗行到一蠱家乞食。猷祝願畢。忽見蜈蚣從食中跳出。猷快食無他。後移始豐赤城山石室坐禪。有猛虎數十蹲在猷前。猷誦經如故。一虎獨睡。猷以如意扣虎頭。問何不聽經。俄而群虎皆去。有頃壯蛇競出。大十圍。循環往復舉頭向猷。經半日復去。後一日神現形詣猷曰。法師威德既重來止此山。弟子輒推室以相奉。猷曰。貧道尋山。願得相接。何不共住。神曰。弟子無為不爾但部屬未洽法化卒難制語。遠人來往或相侵觸。人神道異是以去耳。猷曰。本是何神。居之久近。欲移何處去耶。神曰弟子夏帝。之子居于此山二千餘年。寒石山是我舅所治。當往彼住。尋還山陰廟。臨別執手贈猷香三奩。於是鳴鞞吹角凌雲而去。天台懸崖峻峙峯嶺切天。古老相傳云。上有佳精舍。得道者居之。雖有石橋跨。㵎而橫石斷。人且莓苔青。滑自終古已來無得至者。猷行至石橋。聞空中聲曰。知君誠篤今未得度。却後十年自當來也。猷心悵然乃退。道經一石室過中憩息。俄而雲霧晦合室中盡鳴。猷神色無擾。明旦見人著單衣幘來曰。此乃僕之所居。昨行不在。家中遂致騷動。大深愧作。猷曰。若是君家請以相還神曰。僕家室己移。請留令住。晉太元中有妖星現。帝普下諸國有德沙門。精勤佛事令懺禳災。猷乃祈誠冥感至六日旦見青衣小兒。來悔過云。橫勞法師。是夕星退。以太和之末卒於山室。屍猶平生而舉體綠色。其後人入山登巖。見猷屍不朽。

Zhu Tanyou, also called Fayou, was a native of Dunhuang. In his youth he practiced austerities and trained in meditation (dhyāna). Later he traveled east of the Yangzi River and stayed at Shicheng Mountain in Shan, where he begged for food and practiced meditation. Once, he went to the house of someone practicing witchcraft (gu) to beg for food. When Tanyou finished his prayer of blessing, he suddenly saw a centipede leap out of the food. Tanyou ate it heartily without any harm. Later he moved to a stone chamber on Chicheng Mountain in Shifeng to practice meditation. Several tens of fierce tigers crouched before Tanyou, but he recited scriptures as before. One tiger alone fell asleep, and Tanyou tapped its head with a ruyi scepter, asking why it was not listening to the scripture. Soon after, all the tigers departed. After a while, large serpents vied to emerge, ten spans in circumference; they coiled round and round, raising their heads toward Tanyou, and after half a day, they departed. Another day, a spirit manifested its form, came to Tanyou, and said, 'Dharma Master, as your awe-inspiring virtue is profound and you have come to dwell on this mountain, this disciple would like to yield the chamber to offer it to you.' Tanyou said, 'This poor monk came seeking the mountains wishing to meet with others; why should we not live together?' The spirit said, 'It is not that this disciple does not wish to do so, but my subordinates have not yet been reached by the Dharma's transformation and are difficult to restrain abruptly. Travelers from afar might be intruded upon or offended. The ways of humans and spirits differ, which is why I am leaving.' Tanyou asked, 'What spirit were you originally? How long have you lived here? Where do you intend to move?' The spirit said, 'This disciple is the son of an emperor of the Xia, having resided on this mountain for more than two thousand years. Hanshi Mountain is ruled by my maternal uncle; I shall go dwell there, and soon return to the shrine at Shanyin.' Upon bidding farewell, he took Tanyou by the hand and presented him with three boxes of incense. Thereupon, beating drums and blowing horns, he soared into the clouds and departed. Mount Tiantai has sheer cliffs towering high, its peaks piercing the sky. According to ancient lore, there is a fine vihāra at the summit where those who have attained the Way dwell. Although there is a stone bridge spanning the ravine, a horizontal stone blocks the way, and the blue moss is slippery; from antiquity to the present, none have been able to reach it. When Tanyou reached the stone bridge, he heard a voice in the air saying, 'I know you are sincere, but today you cannot cross. Ten years from now, you will naturally be able to come.' Tanyou felt regret in his heart and retreated. Passing a stone chamber on his way, he paused inside to rest. Shortly thereafter, clouds and mist merged in darkness, and the inside of the chamber resounded loudly. Tanyou's demeanor remained undisturbed. The next morning, a man wearing an unlined robe and cap appeared and said, 'This is my dwelling. Yesterday I was away, which led to a commotion in my household; I am deeply ashamed.' Tanyou said, 'If this is your home, I ask to return it to you.' The spirit said, 'My household has already moved. Please remain and stay.' During the Taiyuan era of the Jin, an ominous star appeared. The Emperor issued a general decree to the virtuous śramaṇas of all domains to diligently carry out Buddhist rituals and perform repentance to avert the calamity. Tanyou prayed with sincerity and had a spiritual response: at dawn on the sixth day, he saw a small boy in green clothing arrive to confess, saying, 'We have troubled the Dharma Master in vain.' That evening, the star receded. At the end of the Taihe era, he passed away in the mountain chamber. His corpse looked as it had in life, but his entire body was green. Later, people who entered the mountain and climbed the cliffs saw that Tanyou's corpse had not decomposed.