神僧傳 8.6

8.6

Śramaṇa Wulou had the secular surname Jin and was the second son of the king of Silla. In his youth, he took an ocean vessel to arrive in China, wishing to travel through the Five Indias and pay homage to the Buddha's eight stūpas. Having crossed the desert and traveled west of Khotan, he reached the Congling Mountains and entered a great monastery. The monks therein were all unfathomable men. They asked about Wulou's destination and purpose: 'Without extraordinary conduct, why go to Tianzhu?' A monk said, 'Your name is not in the ancient records; you must not go casually. Here there is a poisonous dragon's pool; you may go there and convert it. If there is efficacy, only then will it be beneficial to cross.' Wulou complied with the request and climbed to the bank of the pool, seeing only a folding chair; he then took it and sat. Toward the end of the night, thunder and lightning flared together. The monstrous creature exhaled vapors, surging vigorously and manifesting in diverse forms, dazzling without cease. Wulou closed his eyes and did not stir. After a long time, an enormous serpent reared its head onto his knees. Wulou was moved by utmost compassion, conferred the three refuges upon it, and it left. It reappeared in the form of an old man to offer thanks, saying: 'Having been delivered by the master, in principle I should not remain here long. After three days, I shall shed this torment of scales and armor, and rely on this to be born in an exalted place. Going south from here there is a flat boulder, which is the place where this disciple will cast off his form. I also hope that in your spare time you will search out my remains.' Wulou silently consented. The old man further said: 'If you must wish to go to Tianzhu, here there is a sacred image of Avalokiteśvara, whose prayers are never unanswered; you may pray to it. If you receive an auspicious sign, you may go without doubt.' Wulou then stood before the image and entered samādhi. Thus forty-nine days passed; his body suffered from dropsical swelling, yet he did not lean or waver at all. Soon a little mouse, the size of a pellet, bit his left shin, discharging a thin yellow pus amounting to several dou, whereupon he recovered. Wulou had fulfilled the period and attained the response. The monks said to him: 'Observing the master's conditions for conversion, they belong in the land of Tang. Keeping your mind on transforming beings, what you benefit will be abundant. When feet grow weary of wandering abroad, it merely adds to what you hear and see, but one cannot force conversion. Do you understand this, Master?' Wulou reasoned that the words of sages must not be uttered in vain, and so he turned back. When he was about to depart, they said to Wulou: 'When you meet Lan, stop.' On the road back, a mountain was named Lan; remembering the previous words, he entered it. Finding the Valley of White Grass, he thatched a hut and dwelt there. Soon afterward came the rebellion of An Lushan and Shi Siming. Emperor Suzong trained troops at Lingwu and repeatedly dreamed of a golden-colored person reciting the name of the Buddha Prabhūtaratna before the imperial presence. The next day, he asked his attendants about the matter in the dream. Someone answered: 'There is a śramaṇa whose conduct is extraordinary dwelling in this mountain, constantly reciting this Buddha's name.' He was summoned. The Emperor looked at him and said, 'He is truly the person in my dream!' When he was brought back, he was housed in the palace chapel and provided with offerings. He repeatedly submitted memorials wishing to return to his former hermitage, but the Emperor held him in deep affection and would not allow him to return to the mountain. Soon it was said that he manifested extinction. One day, a pair of feet suddenly manifested above the right leaf of the inner gate, several feet above the ground. The gatekeeper submitted a memorial, and the Emperor rode in a sedan chair to the site in person. He obtained his final memorial requesting permission to return and be buried beneath the mountain of his former hermitage. It was immediately approved, and an imperial envoy was dispatched to oversee and escort him. Previously, Wulou had often traveled to Huaiyuan County to convert people, and an official residence had been set up there, known as the Lower Cloister. When the funerary cortege arrived there, the spirit seat could not be lifted. The assembly consulted and moved it inside, constructing a separate hall to enshrine him. Down to the present, his true body sits upright and has never deteriorated.