神僧傳 4.21

4.21

Shi Senglin was a native of Wu. Profoundly virtuous in nature, his pure conduct could move living beings. During the Datong reign era of the Liang, he went up to Shu. One hundred and forty li northwest of Tongzhou City, there was Mount Doutu, on which was a spirit shrine. The local people venerated it and always went there to sacrifice and pay respects. Lin went to live there, sitting silently in meditation for days on end. Suddenly, a large python coiled itself before his rope bed, raising its head as if bowing in deference. Lin conferred the three refuges upon it; having received them, it departed. From then on, all was peaceful and settled, and there were no calamities or anomalies. In the sunlit land north of that mountain by the Fu River, there had never been monkeys. Ever since Lin took shelter there, two monkeys came to rely on Lin and reside there. Some who first saw them said they came swimming across the water. Later, whenever Lin stepped out of the mountain gate, the monkeys again swam across; this happened many times. After a long passage of years and months, they bred and gave birth, numbering several tens. At times they escorted Lin to the Longmen crossing, gazing after him before returning. Later, he lived in an old monastery at Chishui Cliff. Its buildings were all ruined, with only thickets and woods remaining; he then sat in the open. A tiger crouched before the trees, looking down at Lin. He thereupon preached the Dharma to it; after a long while, it left. Thereafter, he traveled alone through rugged wilderness without avoiding fierce beasts, constantly practicing benevolence and rescue, bringing about immense conversion. At the end, he passed away in the commandery of Tong.