釋迦方志 2.110

2.110

Empress Hu of Emperor Ming of the Wei dynasty in the capital of Luoyang constructed the stupa of Yongning Monastery, which rose a thousand feet from the ground; across the entire continent of Jambudvīpa, no pagoda surpassed it. Later, struck by celestial thunder, its circumstances were roughly similar to the previous account: someone on the Eastern Sea also witnessed its form. Furthermore, at the Heng'an Grottoes of the Northern Terrace of the Wei dynasty, stretching continuously across thirty leagues, rising more than two hundred feet in height and capable of holding a thousand people within, they will never decay throughout the kalpas. In China, along the coastal corners and across the sacred mountains, saintly monasteries have miraculously manifested not merely once; I shall briefly recount two or three as a factual record. In the early years of the Taiyuan reign of the Jin, there was a śramaṇa from Dunhuang named Zhu Tanyou, who begged for food, practiced meditation, and applied his resolve diligently to his tasks. While roaming Mount Shicheng in Shan County of Kuaiji, a pack of tigers came before him; You expounded the Dharma for them. One tiger alone fell asleep, so he struck its head with a ruyi sceptre. A serpent ten spans in girth coiled around him, but he showed no sign of fear. Furthermore, the mountain god surrendered his abode to him. He also went to Mount Chicheng to sit in quietude. This mountain adjoins the Tiantai waterfalls and Siming. The elders said that on Mount Tiantai there was a saintly monastery. You went in search of it; a stone bridge spanned the valley, green with moss and slippery, difficult to cross, and a horizontal boulder blocked the road, leaving no way to reach it. That evening, lodging at the head of the bridge, he heard the chanting of the name of the Buddha from the circumambulations performed there, whereupon he purified himself with fasting and spurred himself on. Suddenly he saw the blocking rock swing wide open. You then crossed forward, fully witnessing the vihāra. After the holy monks burned incense and concluded their midday meal, they said to him: 'Ten years from now, you will naturally come here.' There was also a śramaṇa named Yuantong who observed the retreat at Dazhuangyan Monastery in Ye. He elicited a holy monk who listened to his lectures during the summer retreat. Having concluded the pavāraṇā ceremony, the monk took his leave, saying that he lived at Zhulin Monastery and invited Tong to visit. Tong inquired extensively about the route, and in the following year set out in search of it. It was east of Mount Gu and northwest of Ye. The holy monk welcomed him, and he saw the gateway in full: the rooms and buildings were magnificent and spacious, and groves of bamboo touched the sky. Having stayed overnight and toured all around, he felt an affinity in the Dharma and conceived the thought of remaining there until the end of his days. The holy monk inquired with the Great Upādhyāya on his behalf, but it was not permitted. When he returned along the road, from more than three leagues away, he looked back and could see nothing. Those who went afterward did not know its location. Recently, the śramaṇa Daoqin of Dengzhou went in search of an immortal monastery on Mount Yili north of the prefecture, and saw it in full just as had been told. Inspecting and touring all around, it was truly a splendid monastery; all utensils and provisions were complete, but no person was seen. When he descended to search for it again, he lost his way back, so he built a hut beside the path intending to seek it out. Furthermore, at Baofu Cliff in the mountains of the eastern border of Fenzhou, the monks dwelling in the mountains frequently saw śramaṇas flying through the air, coming and going.