神僧傳 9.35

9.35

Śramaṇa Zixin, surnamed Sun, was a native of Linzi. In purifying the precepts and seeking masters, he was never indolent. Hearing that Chan Master [Daoyong of Yunju]'s teaching had spread over Zhongling, he went to consult him. After a long stay at Yunju, he turned his staff and lived in seclusion in Mount Guangde. It happened that King Wenmu of Liangzhe, Qian [Yuanguan], led officers and soldiers on a personal expedition against Yuanling and entered the mountain monastery. The crowd of monks all fled in hiding; only Xin remained at ease. [The King] asked, "Why do you not take flight?" He replied, "East and west are both bandits. Where would you have this old monk flee?" The king was astonished by his boldness and uprightness; he turned his halberd and sent him back. When King Wusu saw him and questioned him, his speech was unyielding, and his conduct lofty besides. He built the Yingsrui Cloister for him to reside in, and gave him the honorary title Great Master Guangxian. Earlier, Xin once entered the mountains of Xuancheng to gather medicinal herbs. Penetrating deep through a cave, at first it was dark, but presently daylight was clear. Having walked only several miles, by the side of the cave was another opening, where a stream flowed gently. Under a large pine bough in a recess was a thatched hermitage. A monk with snow-white eyebrows, wrapped in a patched robe, was seated in meditation; beside him were a chime and a fire implement. Xin struck the chime, whereupon the monk opened his eyes in surprise and said, "Aha! Master, by what circumstance have you come here?" He then set forth his travels and was invited to sit. Taking a stone, he struck fire and brewed tea, the aroma and flavor of which were delightful. As the sun set, the monk offered the hermitage for Xin to lodge in. Looking up, [Xin saw] the monk climb into a large nest atop the pine tree. He heard the sound of the Lotus Sūtra being chanted, very clear and bright. In a little while, the monk shouted and scolded, "Why should you beasts and hairy brutes bring terror to people? Return quickly to the woods and thickets; do not venture out so casually!" and drove them away. Xin peeked out: tigers and leopards lowered their ears and departed. The next day, Xin said to the monk, "I wish to remain here to attend to your towel and shoes." The monk said, "From here, in a hundred days the grasses will wither and all human traces will be cut off; this is no place for the master to dwell." He also asked, "Are you hungry?" and led him to the stream's bank, where there were a hundred-odd ears of rice. Gathering the grains, he hushed three handfuls of yellow millet with his hands, gathered wild greens, cooked them together, and gave them to Xin to eat. Afterwards he sent him back, seeing him to the mouth of the cave, saying, "Our meeting was no accident. Having eaten this tea and vegetable congee, you shall not lack food throughout your life." [Xin] then followed the road back to his cloister. More than a month later, he instructed like-minded companions to go again to seek it, but the traces of the cave were lost. Later, he served as the abbot of Baota Monastery in Zhejiang. In the Tianfu reign era, he passed away at his monastery at the age of over eighty. Today his portrait remains in a small cloister before Lengshuiwan.