神僧傳 9.23

9.23

When Shi Lun was in Qizhou, he went out hunting. Arriving at the border of a county, he rested in an araṇya. Detecting an extraordinary fragrance of peaches, he inquired of the monk there. The monk had no time to hide them and said that someone had recently given him two peaches as dāna. Thereupon he took them out from under the sutra desk and presented them to Lun; they were as big as rice bowls. Lun, who was hungry at the time, ate them all; their pits were as large as chicken eggs. Lun then questioned him about their origin. The monk smiled and said: "Just now I spoke falsely. These peaches are more than ten leagues from here, along a perilous path. While wandering on foot, this poor monk happened to see them, and sensing they were extraordinary, plucked a few." Lun said: "Please dismiss the mounted retinue; I will go together with the Reverend." Having no choice, the monk guided Lun out towards the north. Going through the wild briars for about five leagues, they reached a body of water. The monk said: "I fear the Vice Censor-in-chief cannot cross this." With firm determination, Lun stripped his clothes as instructed by the monk, was carried by him, floated across, and climbed onto the bank. Proceeding northwest, they waded across two more waters, climbed mountains and crossed ravines for several leagues, until they arrived at a place with cascading waterfalls and bizarre boulders—not a realm of mortals. There were hundreds of peach trees whose branches swept the ground, two or three feet high, their fragrance striking the nose. Lun and the monk each ate a single peach from the stem, and their bellies were filled. Lun untied his clothes, intending to pack as many as he could. The monk said: "This may be a divine realm; you must not take many. This poor monk once heard an elder say that in the past someone also reached here, pocketed five or six of them, lost his way, and could not get out." Lun also suspected that the monk was no ordinary man; he took two fruits and returned. The monk strictly admonished Lun not to speak of it. When Lun reached the prefecture, he sent someone to invite the monk, but the monk had already departed.