神僧傳 9.25

9.25

The Clam Monk of Jingzhao had quite extraordinary deeds and no fixed abode. Since having his mind sealed at Dongshan, he mingled with the commoners in Minchuan. He kept no monastic requisites and followed no monastic rules. In winter and summer he wore a single patch-robe. Day after day he went along the riverbanks, gathering shrimp and clams to fill his stomach. At night he slept among the paper money in the White Horse Shrine on Mount Dongshan. The local residents simply called him the Clam Monk. Chan Master Huayan Jing, hearing of him and wishing to determine whether he was genuine or false, secretly hid beforehand among the paper money. Late at night the Master returned. Jing grabbed hold of him and said: "What is the meaning of the Ancestral Master's coming from the West?" The Master immediately replied: "The wine platters before the spirits." Jing released his grip and said: "Truly, you and I share the same root!" Later, when Jing answered Emperor Zhuangzong's summons to enter Chang'an, the Master had already arrived ahead of him. Every day he sang and clapped his own rhythm, or feigned madness; coming and going in mud and snow, he left no footprints. After that, no one knew where he went.