神僧傳 9.37

9.37

Śramaṇa Faben—it is not known where he was from. He was upright, observed the Dharma, and was dignified in deportment, though his speech was often bizarre and provoking. During the Tianfu era, he arrived at a Chan cloister in Xiangzhou and spent the summer retreat together with another monk. Cohabiting morning and evening, their minds were intimately attuned. Faben once said, "I am abbot of Zhulin Monastery in the western mountains of Xiangzhou. In front of the monastery is a stone pillar. When you have leisure in the future, you must come visit me." The monk remembered these words and went to look for him. Reaching a village at the foot of the mountain, he stayed overnight at an araṇya and asked a monk of the village, "How far is it from here to Zhulin Monastery?" The monk pointed afar toward the side of a solitary peak, saying, "That is the place. Ancients handed down that it was formerly an abode of holy sages, but today only the name remains; there are no cloister buildings." The monk was doubtful, but went forth the next morning. When he reached the bamboo grove, there was indeed a stone pillar in the grove, boundless and without end. Faben had said when parting, "Just knock on the pillar and you will see me." The monk struck the pillar several times with a small branch; thereupon wind and clouds arose on all four sides, so thick that one could not see an inch. Suddenly his eyes and ears opened wide: multistoried towers rose facing each other, and he found himself standing under the triple gate. In a moment, Faben came out from within. Overjoyed to see him, Faben inquired about old events in the South. He then led the monk through multiple gates and up to a secret hall to pay respects to the elder. The elder asked why he had come, and Faben said, "In earlier years we spent the summer retreat together in Xiangzhou, and agreed to visit each other here; hence he has arrived at our mountain gate." The elder said, "He may be asked to leave after eating. There is no seat for him here." When the meal was finished, Faben escorted him to the triple gate to take leave. Thereupon heaven and earth turned dark, and he did not know where to tread. In a moment, he was as before beside the stone pillar in the bamboo grove; nothing else could be seen. Thus one knows that the hiding and revealing of holy sages in this world can never be fully measured—is it only the Tathāgata Golden Grain who can manifest such transformations?