廬山記 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

1.10 — 8 parts

In former times, I studied in the mountains. I loved its springs, rocks, stūpas, and shrines, [yet] its treatises were not detailed, omitting antiquity and slighting the recent; or else they arose from the talk of foolish folk and rustic elders, their phrasing […] and their words redundant, with little worth adopting. I intended to examine, edit, and arrange them, but had no leisure. Twenty years later, while collating books in the Secret Archives, I obtained a Record of Mount Lu and rejoiced with delight, thinking my long-cherished wish was fulfilled. Yet when examining what it recorded, it was especially crude and brief. In the fifth year of Xining, Chen Lingju Shunyu of Jiahe was demoted to an official post before the mountain. With a passion for excursions, using sixty days of exertion, he exhausted the scenic wonders of its north and south, its heights and depths. By day he walked among the mountains, wielding his brush and snapping slips, jotting down notes on every side and inquiring everywhere, neglecting neither the minor nor the major. By night he opened his books to research them, stopping only when they were fit to be transmitted. Their elevations and extents, mountain rocks and water springs, along with the shrines and temples of Buddhists and Daoists, the dwellings of recluses and men of understanding, their abandonment and revival, decay and prosperity, stele inscriptions and poetic verses—none were not fully recorded. Moreover, he made bird's-eye maps and records, tracing the mountain in sequential order; of deep springs and solitary stones, none was omitted. The finished work comprised five fascicles in all. Three years later, when I was prefect of Wuxing, Lingju crossed over in a small boat to visit me. Because I was a man from before the mountain, he brought out the manuscript to give to me, requesting that it be carved onto printing blocks and kept within the mountain. It coincided with my receiving imperial favor and being transferred to Jinan, so I hurriedly parted from him. Soon afterwards Lingju passed away. I became increasingly burdened by affairs, rushing about in all directions; longing for a single return, I found it utterly unattainable. I have therefore prefaced the diligence of his compilation to present it to gentlemen of noble curiosity, hoping perhaps to fulfill Lingju's aspiration.

1.3

Preface by Li Chang, Collator of the Secret Archives

1.4

I have long cherished the scenic wonders of Mount Lu. Resigning my post to return south, I was able to […] to its sunny side. Having toured and wandered for a long time, the sights I encountered were manifold. Whether in rhapsodies or records, they were mixed into […]. I wished to arrange them in order, yet had no leisure. During the Xining era, I met Chen Lingju, who had been […] to this region on account of speaking on state affairs. Since our love of the mountain forests was identical, together we rode yellow calves, traveling back and forth within the mountains. With the accumulation of months and years, we were able to explore thoroughly and gaze to the utmost, leaving nothing uninvestigated. Lingju then gathered what I had recorded, as well as the chronicles of ancient and modern times, the traditions handed down by elders, and what our own ears and eyes had experienced and seen, categorizing and arranging them to make a record whose details are indeed sufficient to be transmitted to posterity. My talents were unfit to meet the demands of the times, so I retired to grow old among the woods and wilderness. Lingju was elevated to the highest rank through the decree examinations, his fame brilliant and astounding the world. Before he had served for twenty years, he was cast aside to a storehouse post, and appears together with me in this record—truly lamentable! Yet, comparing antiquity to the present, is it only Lingju alone who is to be lamented?

1.5

Preface by Liu Huan of Jiangxi.

1.6

Compiled by Chen Shunyu Lingju of Jiahe, Vice Director of the Bureau of Agricultural Colonies in the Ministry of Revenue

1.7

Chapter 1: Introductory Narrative of the Mountains and Waters

1.8

According to the Taishigong: “I climbed Mount Lu to the south and viewed the nine branches of the Yangzi engineered by Yu.” The Treatise on the Suburban Sacrifices in the Han shu states: “During the Qianfeng era, Emperor Wu sailed upon the river, departing from Xunyang, passing through Congyang, and crossing Pengli to offer sacrifice to its famous mountains and great rivers.” Sang Qin's Shuijing states: “The Lujiang River emerges from Santianzidu and flows north past Pengli County.” Shi Huiyuan's Brief Record of Mount Lu states: “The mountain is situated in Xunyang of Jiangzhou; on the south it borders Gongting Lake, and on the north it faces Jiujiang. To the south of Jiujiang, the river is called the Little River. The mountain lies over thirty li from the Little River. On the left it embraces Pengli, and on the right it borders navigable rivers, gathering the currents of the three branches of the river and occupying their confluence.” The Shanhai jing states: “The Lujiang emerges from Santianzidu; another name is the Barrier of the Son of Heaven.” Thus ancient accounts identify what it borders as Pengli. There was a Master Kuang Su, who lived around the turn of the Yin and Zhou dynasties, who fled the world, withdrew in his era, and dwelt in hiding beneath it. Some say that Su received the Dao from an immortal and together they roamed this mountain, subsequently finding lodging on the empty crags and making their dwelling upon the cliffs. Hence the people of the time referred to where he stayed as the “hut (lu) of the divine immortal,” and thereby named the mountain after it. Its mass possesses seven ranges of great ridges in all, its rounded base encircling nearly five hundred li. It is the place where winds and clouds are unfurled, and is girdled by rivers and lakes. Its lofty cliffs present upturned eaves; its sheer precipices rise ten thousand xun. In its secluded peaks and remote crags, both humans and beasts are utterly cut off. When rain is about to fall, white vapor first gathers and forms festoons beneath the ridges; when it strikes the stones and breathes out clouds, they abruptly gather. Or great winds shake the cliffs, and their lingering echoes stir the valleys, as all natural sounds join in concert, their eerie tones frightening to men. Such are its unfathomable transformations. Among the multitude of ridges, the third ridge is exceedingly high and steep, where human traces have rarely reached. Formerly, the Taishigong travelled to the east, climbed its peak to gaze afar, looking south toward the three lakes and north toward Jiujiang, letting his eyes roam east and west as if traversing the heavenly court. About half a li beneath that ridge, there are piled peaks; above there are hanging cliffs, and beside them is a stone chamber, which is the dwelling of an ancient immortal. Behind it is a crag, under which Dong Feng of the Han set up his lodge. He often treated men's illnesses, his methods possessing many marvelous and divine qualities, surpassing ordinary physicians. For those who were cured, he had them plant five apricot trees. Within several years, they grew lushly into a forest. It was calculated that Feng lived among the people for two hundred years, yet his appearance always remained as when he was twenty. Soon afterward he ascended to immortality, leaving no further trace in the apricot grove. On its northern ridge and western cliff, there are ever-cascading waters whose surging currents hurtle toward one another over a drop of more than a hundred ren, in which the clouds and mists mirror the sky, so that viewed from afar, the mountain seems suspended amid the sky and dews. Its southern ridge overlooks Gongting Lake, beneath which stands a spirit shrine named after Gongting; the story of the Marquis An Shigao's spiritual transformation of it is found in the 'Narrative of the Mountain's North' section. The seven ridges converge in the east to form a cragged peak whose precipice is utterly sheer, so that none could climb it. A rustic once saw a person wearing a śramaṇa's robe ascending directly through the void; having reached the top, he turned around and sat down astride, and after a long while vanished together with the clouds and vapors. This seems to have been one who had attained the Dao. The men of letters of that time all marveled at it. Furthermore, the place where he stayed possessed many wonders, and everything one touched had unique marvels: behind it to the north were layered hillocks, and before it lay double streams like a girdle. The mountain behind it on the left has the shape of a dragon, and there is the foundation of a stone stūpa. Beneath it a sweet spring bubbles forth, its coolness and warmth altering with winter and summer, while its fullness and scarcity remain unchanged through floods and droughts. Tracing its source, it seems to emerge from the dragon's head. Facing it to the south is a high peak upon which stands a wondrous tree, uniquely rising tens of zhang above the canopy of the forest; beneath it, [the cliff] resembles a single-tiered Buddhist stūpa, where white cranes soar and dark clouds enter. To the southeast lies Incense Burner Peak, an isolated summit rising gracefully; when drifting vapors shroud its summit, the mists resemble fragrant incense smoke; when white clouds reflect outside it, it stands out brilliantly, distinct from all the other mountains. When rain is about to fall, the aquatic vapors beneath it surge upward like the canopy of a chariot and horse; this is what is spat out from the Dragon Well. To its left is an emerald forest, where bluefinches and white apes rest, and dark swallows hibernate. To the west is the Stone Gate, whose front resembles double gate-towers, with sheer walls rising more than a thousand ren, down which waterfalls cascade. As for the beauty of the birds, beasts, grasses, and trees within it, and the marvels of its numinous herbs and local products, how could one fully name them all? I have merely presented their unusual features.” Both Liu Zhao's commentary to the Sequel to the Han Treatise and Li Daoyuan's commentary to the Shuijing employ Huiyuan's account. Furthermore, the Old Gazetteer of Yuzhang states: “Su had the courtesy name Junping and was a descendant of Yu of the Xia. Some say his courtesy name was Junxiao. His father, the King of Dongye, together with Wu Rui, aided the Han in establishing order across the empire and died. The Han enfeoffed Su at Liyang as the Lord of Yuelu. Su and his seven brothers all loved Daoist arts, and consequently dwelt spiritually in the mountains of Dongting; hence it was called Mount Lu.” Zhang Sengjian's Record of Xunyang states: “To the south of the mountain are three palaces, the so-called Capitals of the Son of Heaven, from which the waters of Lugong Stream emerge. The Upper Palace is unreachable by mortals; it has three stone bridges, each over ten zhang long, whose walkways are barely a chi wide, with bottomless depth beneath them. The Middle Palace lies on a separate crag, all of patterned stone, flanked on both sides by small, rounded peaks of peculiar wonder called the Right Barrier Peaks, whose stone shapes resemble horses and sheep arriving along a road. Facing it is the Lower Palace, located on the shore of Lake Pengli, the ancient site of the Gongting Shrine. The mountain is two thousand three hundred and sixty zhang high and two hundred and fifty li in circumference. Its mountain has nine tiers, and its river has nine branches.” The Jun-guo zhi states: “Mount Lu has nine tiers of folded barriers, towering ten thousand ren high; it harbors the numinous, embraces the extraordinary, and encompasses all traces of immortals.” The Record of Xunyang also states: “In the seventeenth year of Qin Shihuang, he climbed Mount Lu to the east to gaze at Jiujiang, reaching Shangxiao Peak; because it joined with the clouds and Milky Way, it was named thus. Behind the peak there is an inscribed stone that says it was carved by Yu of the Xia, but its dimensions, distances, and characters cannot be deciphered.” Fu Tao's Preface to Roaming the Mountain states: “Mount Lu is the great peak of Jiangyang; its general shape backs the flow of the Min River and faces Pengli. The base where it coils covers hundreds of li; layered ridges and lofty peaks point upward into the clouds and sun, while looking down upon the currents of the rivers and lakes.” Wang Biaozhi's Preface to the Rhapsody on the Mountain states: “Mount Lu is a mountain of Pengze; although not counted among the Five Sacred Peaks, towering and majestic, it is truly a famous mountain of the utmost steepness.” Sun Fang's Rhapsody on the Mountain states: “To the south of Xunyang lies Mount Lu, the guardian mountain of Jiujiang, overlooking the marshes of Pengli and bordering broad, open plains.” Zhang Ye's Record states: “When rain is about to fall, there are white clouds that either crown the crags of the peak or stretch across the middle ridges; popular lore calls this the ‘mountain belt.’ Rain is sure to fall within three days. Whenever it rains, puddles form below, while above the sun still shines brightly. At the top of the peak there is a large flat boulder upon which several hundred people could sit.” All the above describe this mountain. The rhapsody by Zhi Tandi of the Song states: “How magnificent and grand, of the utmost steepness! Pervaded by ethereal mists, it encompasses numinous wonders, hiding its capacities and storing its sheer peaks amidst the blue clouds. When the air clears, the crags and grottoes open like mirrors; when the wind rises, the fragrant groves release their perfume. Because the ridges are marvelous, divine beings gather like scales; because it is exceedingly sheer, human traces naturally part away. Yan Qing climbed the mountain to the dark cliff; Shigao shed his influence at Gongting. The arhat mounted the clouds to sit upon the peak; vanishing in an instant, eclipsing his form, he entered appropriateness. All have long heard of their pure dust, yet this subtle non-being defies verbal praise. As for its southern side, it towers steeply; its northern back rests upon fragrant roots. Hanging cascades part their currents in flying torrents; seven ridges pile their peaks in layered forms. Shaded by bamboo and cypress, dense with tamarisks and pines, entwined by the three lakes, girdled by the nine river branches. Ah, the lush elegance of the four plants alone flourishes in the dark of winter! How lovely the murmuring flow of the two streams, the ford where the hundred rivers converge! Sheer gates rise a hundred xun, lofty gate-towers tower a thousand ren. The Incense Burner breathes out clouds like smoke; sweet springs gush forth, bringing early moisture.” The preface by Emperor Yuan of Liang states: “Now the sun and moon cling to heaven so that the heavenly vault displays its constancy; rivers and peaks girdle the earth so that the sovereign earth extends its tranquility. Mount Lu is indeed the virtuous guardian of the southern realm; although its forests and stones assume differing stances, its clouds and sunset glows share the same colors. When long winds arise at night, ten thousand currents echo together; when morning flying squirrels chirp at dawn, a hundred ridges respond in unison. Looking east toward the Hong Well, one knows that the dragging silk is here; looking west toward the Stone Bridge, one sees that cast-off jewels may be gathered. Truly, yearning for one's kind easily brings sorrow, and one can hardly remain long within the mountains; grasping vines and entwining cassia, many are seen lingering on. As for the rest, the rhapsodies and poems from ancient times to the present cannot all be recorded. It is truly a famous mountain under heaven.” Jiangzhou is twenty li north of the mountain. Originally it lay north of the Great River, on the northern bank of the Xun River, hence the name Xunyang. Present-day Lancheng of Qizhou is its ancient northern site. In the ninth year of Xianhe, Inspector Wen Qiao first moved it from north of the river to south of Pencheng. In the first year of Yixi, Inspector Guo Chang moved the seat to Jiangxia. In the eighth year, Meng Huaiyu returned to govern from Xunyang. In the second year of Taiqing, Xiao Daxin, on account of Hou Jing's rebellion, wished to rely on a defensible stronghold, and thus moved it to the town of Penkou, still calling Huaiyu's former town the “Old Administrative Seat.” Zhang Sengjian's Record of Xunyang states: “The town of Penkou was built by Guan Ying. During the Jianping era of the Han, Sun Quan passed by the northern town and ordered a well to be dug. In the middle they happened to unearth an ancient Sanskrit stone box whose inscription read: ‘In the sixth year of the Han, the Marquis of Yingyin opened it and divined: It shall be blocked in three hundred years; less than a hundred years later, it shall be opened by one whose destiny corresponds to the cycle.’ Quan was overjoyed, regarding it as his own auspicious omen. The well is extremely deep; whenever there are wind and waves on the Pen River, the well water moves accordingly. The local people thus call it the Surging Well (Langjing).” Therefore, Li Bai's poem 'Descending Xunyang City and Boating on Pengli' says: “The waves stir in Guan Ying's well; / The wind blows over the Xunyang River.” Today the well is located in the western garden inside the prefectural administrative compound. Atop the city wall stands the North Tower, overlooking the Pen River; leaning against the heights to look afar, it is the scenic wonder of the whole commandery. A poem on Pencheng by Zhang Zhengjian, Cavalier Regular Attendant of the Chen, says: “Kuang Mountain warms the distant ravine; / The ramparts of Guan Ying meet the mid-stream. / City blossoms flying reflect upon the water; / The river moon ascends the bright tower.” According to the Jin shu's biography of Yu Liang: “When Liang was in Wuchang, his various assistants, Yin Hao and his circle, went up to the South Tower together on an autumn night. Suddenly, unaware of Liang's arrival, they were about to withdraw. Liang said, ‘Stay a little, gentlemen; this old fellow's enthusiasm in this place is not shallow.’ He then sat on a folding chair and engaged in conversation and chanting with Hao and the others through the rest of the sitting.” Thus the event took place at the South Tower in Wuchang. Later generations, because Liang had once served as Inspector of Jiangzhou, consequently named this tower the Yu Tower, which is in fact not the site where he ascended that autumn night. In former ages, this commandery was sometimes named Jiujiang and sometimes Xunyang. The Yang and Li families of the Tang in turn held it, elevating it to the Fenghua Army Military Commission. In the fourth year of Kaibao of our present dynasty, upon pacifying Jiangnan, it was reduced to a military prefecture. In the third year of Taiping Xingguo, Xingzi Town was elevated to a county and remained subordinate to it. In the seventh year, the three counties of Xingzi, Jianchang, and Duchang were detached to establish the Nankang Military District. Thereupon the south of the mountain came under Nankang, and the north of the mountain under Jiangzhou.

1.9

Narrative of the Mountain's North, Part Two

1.10.1

Going five li south from Jiangzhou out through Dehua Gate, one arrives at Yanshou Cloister, formerly named Arhat Altar. Five li past Yanshou Cloister, one arrives at Shitang Bridge. There is Lianxi, the retreat of Director Zhou. Zhou was named Dunyi, styled Maoshu, a man of Daozhou. As an official, he possessed talent and strategic vision. Early on, he admired eminent renown and delighted in the scenic splendours of Mount Lu; he consequently made his home in a country villa in Xunyang, and named it Lianxi on the outskirts of the walled city. Ten li heading east past Lianxi, one enters Baoyan Chan Cloister. Going ten li north [from there], one also arrives at Taiyi Abbey. Baoyan was formerly called Shuangxi; in the third year of the Jingde era, it was bestowed its present name. The cloister sits directly on the official postal road. In the second year of the Qianzhen era of Wu, the monk Changzhen first laid its foundations. Changzhen was a native of Jingnan, surnamed Tian; people called him 'Daoist Tian'. He toiled diligently with plow and hoe to provide for travelers from the four quarters. Monk Xumu of the Two Groves (Erlin), styled Chu-Xiang, was superintendent of the Eastern and Western Lin temples. A celebrated Bhadanta official ordered that the hermitages and cottages be abolished and dismantled. Mu said to him, 'If your dwellings are pulled down now, where will you return?' Tian replied, 'Originally I was a person beneath the groves; I will simply return beneath the groves.' Mu found his words extraordinary and treated him with reverence, presenting him with a poem: / 'Entering the gate, it is empty and desolate; / Truly a son who has left the household! / He possesses practice that ghosts cannot fathom; / With no mind, people call him a fool. / Facing cold cypresses by ancient crags, / Followed by flowing waters and fallen blossoms. / Desiring to part, why am I so reluctant? / My only regret in meeting is that it was so late.' / From then on, through the Southern Tang, it became an exemplary temple of the mountain. In the sixth year of the Xiande era, Yuanzong bestowed land upon it, dispatching it to provide for the various hermitages and cliffs; twenty-six hermitages and crags without land annually received their provisions from it. Five li south it reaches Wuzhang Ridge. Walking one li north from beneath the ridge, to the west of the road is Yunqing Hermitage, formerly called Yunjing. Channelling a flowing spring to form a pond, it rears many bream and carp; through many years, their swimming has become remarkably tame. One li west from Yunqing, one arrives at Baoji Hermitage. The pines and bamboo are dense and dark; White Cloud Pavilion sits above them. Looking north toward the Pen River, there is a flat boulder that can seat several people, with a murmuring spring passing beneath it. This is the finest among the monastic hermitages north of the mountain. Both Yunqing and Baoji lie to the south of Baoyan. Returning from Yunqing to Baoyan is also three li. Fifteen li east of Baoyan, there is Lower Longquan Cloister. North of Taiyi Abbey there is a separate Longquan Hermitage; this one is distinguished by the epithet 'Lower'. Ten li from Longquan, one reaches Zunsheng Hermitage. Eight li from Zunsheng Hermitage, one reaches White Deer Terrace. Fifteen li from White Deer Terrace, one reaches Renshou Cloister. Ten li from Renshou, one reaches Xiangji Cloister. Thirty li from Xiangji, one reaches Changling Cloister. Changling is a separate islet in Lake Pengli. In general, from Lower Longquan to Xiangji, the sites are not located within the mountains proper; yet mountain dwellers and rustic wanderers, in thoroughly exploring the secluded and distant, have all visited them. The sound of water and the rustic scenery possess ample delights. Twenty li west of Xiangji, there is the field and orchard belonging to Kaixian Temple on the south of the mountain, called Dafu Grange. Passing Dafu, one is touring the south of the mountain. One li west of Baoyan, one arrives at Longchi Hermitage, formerly called Rimeng Peak. Five li from Rimeng Peak, one arrives at An'yan Grange. One li from An'yan Grange, one arrives at Chanzhi Cloister, formerly called Jingju. Behind it is Green Field Pavilion. Five li from Chanzhi, one arrives at Dazhong Xiangfu Abbey, formerly called Taiyi Palace; in the Xiangfu era, it was bestowed its present name. Ge Hong's Shenxian zhuan ('Biographies of Divine Transcendents') states: 'The True Man Dong was named Feng, styled Junyi, a native of Houguan in Minzhong. In his youth he possessed Daoist arts. Shi Xie, the Grand Administrator of Jiaozhi, had already been dead for three days; Feng administered a single medicinal pill to him, fed it with water, and held his head, gently shaking it. Within the space of a meal, he opened his eyes and moved his hands, and his complexion gradually returned. Within half a day he could sit up; within four days he could speak, and he thereupon returned to normal. Later he lived on Mount Lu, curing people's ailments without accepting money or silk; instead, he bade each person cured to plant five apricot trees. In several years, they grew lush and formed a grove. Feng then built granaries and publicly announced to the people: 'Whoever wishes to trade for apricots need not report to me; merely exchange one vessel of apricots for one vessel of grain.' If anyone cheated, a ferocious beast would immediately chase him down. The grain accumulated was in turn distributed to the people. Later he ascended as an immortal, with the title Supervisor of the Cerulean Empyrean. This abbey is indeed the ancient site of the Apricot Grove. In the sixth year of the Shengyuan era of the Tang, Xu Zhizheng composed the Record of the Shrine of the True Man; there is also a record from the twelfth year of the Baoda era, both of which are preserved today. The atmosphere is quiet and serene; passers-by are reverent and dare not be disrespectful. The swimming fish in the pool and spring are especially prolific and tame. Some say the True Man's Apricot Grove was up in the mountains. Zhang Jing's poem states: / 'In vain do peach blossoms speak of the Peach Blossom Spring, / Leading Master Liu astray so that he failed to attain immortality. / How could that compare to the guest beneath Lotus Peak, / Who planted red apricots and ascended to the azure heavens?' / Nowadays Lotus Peak is located behind the abbey. Five li north of the abbey, there is Longquan Hermitage. When Dharma Master Huiyuan first came to Mount Lu, he was fond of the spacious openness of this place and wished to build a hermitage here. The ground had no flowing spring; the master pierced the earth with his staff, and at once a spring welled forth, overflowing to become a stream. Later, Xunyang suffered a drought; Master Yuan recited the Dragon King Sūtra above the pool, and in a moment a dragon arose and ascended to heaven, whereupon rain fell in great abundance. Therefore it was called Dragon Spring (Longquan). Ten li south of Longquan, there is Miaozhi Cloister, formerly called Xingchun Pavilion. Five li from Miaozhi, one reaches Shegang (Serpent Ridge). The Biographies of Eminent Monks states: 'An Shigao was the crown prince of the King of Parthia. Yielding the throne to his uncle, he left the household. Between the Han and Wei dynasties, he journeyed and arrived at Lake Gongting. At that time, the lake deity was able to divide the winds upstream and downstream; boatmen revered and feared him. Thus, accompanied by over thirty fellow travelers, their boat offered sacrificial animals to pray for blessings. The deity suddenly descended and, speaking through the medium, said: 'In the past, in a foreign land, I left the household to study the Path together with you. But my nature was prone to wrath and anger, and therefore I have fallen into this spirit retribution. Seeing my fellow student today, my grief and joy are beyond words.' Shigao requested the spirit to reveal its form; the spirit then emerged as the head of a great python, whose tail could not be seen. Shigao faced it, chanting Sanskrit hymns and verses several times; the python wept tears like rain, and after a moment retreated into hiding. The shrine had a thousand bolts of silk as well as various precious objects; Shigao carried them away and used them to construct the Eastern Temple in Yuzhang. Later, people in the marshes west of the mountain saw a dead python stretching several li from head to tail.'

1.10.2

This is now Snake Village in Xunyang Commandery, and its height is therefore named Snake Ridge. Five li below Snake Ridge, one reaches Taiping Abbey. Two li southwest of Taiyi Abbey is Guotai Hermitage. West and above it is Lotus Flower Peak, and ten li away on the peak's summit is Lotus Flower Hermitage. Five li from Guotai, one reaches Bao'en Hermitage. One li from Bao'en, one reaches Yunjian Hermitage. Two li from Yunjian, one reaches Yongqing Hermitage, also named Lower Lotus Flower Hermitage. North of the ravine by Yongqing is the hermitage of Daoist Niu. One li west of Yongqing, one reaches Yunxi Hermitage, also named Lotus Flower Grotto. From Taiyi Abbey to Yunxi, there are eight dwellings of Buddhists and Daoists in all, together beneath Lotus Flower Peak. Two li from Yunxi, one also reaches Taiping Abbey. In the Tang, it was named the Shrine of the True Lord, Envoy of the Nine Heavens. In the first year of Shengyuan of the Southern Tang, it was granted the name Tongxuan Prefecture. In the second year of Xingguo of our dynasty, it was granted its current name. The Luyi ji states: On the twenty-first day of the eighth month in the nineteenth year of Kaiyuan of the Tang, Xuanzong dreamt that feathered escorts of immortals, with thousands of chariots and tens of thousands of horsemen, gathered in the sky. One person in red robes and a golden crown riding a chariot descended to visit the Emperor, saying: 'I conduct investigative tours of the human realm on behalf of the Nine Heavens, and wish to establish a lower palace northwest of Mount Lu. The timber, stone, and foundations are already prepared; it merely requires Your Majesty's effort.' The Emperor at once dispatched an imperial envoy to go to the northwest of the mountain. There were the foundations, clearly visible. After staying two nights, several thousand pieces of huge timber arrived naturally. Halls, chambers, corridors, and eaves were supplied with wood according to their kind, all fully sufficient. Some say that this wood had been felled by the Prince of Jiujiang, who had planned to build a palace with it; it sank in Penpu, and now floated to the surface. Ocher, chalk, vermilion, and yellow were obtained by excavating the ground north of the temple, fully providing for the colorful adornments. Soon after, at the Jianchang Ferry, there were more than five hundred spirit officials, all dressed as Daoist priests, who said that they were heading for the Envoy's Shrine. Because of this, their portraits were painted upon the walls. Alternatively, it is said that Minghuang first told his attendants of the dream, but they did not believe it. Presently a spirit descended into the courtyard, with colored clouds beneath his feet, his ceremonial guard and tally-escorts magnificent. Minghuang ordered Wu Daozi to swiftly sketch it, and the statues that were set up were modeled on that. The temple was then first established. The shrine record was composed by Li Ci. Ci called himself 'a humble subject from beneath the rough gate of East Mountain in Huangmei County, Qizhou.' It was erected on the twenty-fifth day, jisi, of the first month, beginning with yisi, in the renzhen year, the twentieth year of Kaiyuan. Its summary states: 'Erected by the Envoy for the Imperial Establishment of the Shrine and Palace Attendant, who brought the true portrait of the Envoy to establish the sacrificial shrine; the Ritualist and Envoy for the Setting Up of Offerings, Master Zhang Ping of the Dahongdao Abbey; the Envoy Holding the Tally, Area Commander of Military Affairs in Jiangzhou, and Governor of Jiangzhou Dugu Zhen; the Grand Master for Dispersed Court Service and Acting Vice Prefect Yang Chu; the Acting Staff Supervisor Prince Imperial Father Chuyu; and the Magistrate of Xunyang County Wei Chang, who jointly supervised and maintained the offerings.' There is also the Record of the Auspicious Manifestations of the Envoy, composed on the eighth day, xinhai, of the third month of the renzhen year, the twentieth year of Kaiyuan, by Pan Guan, Gentleman for Declaring Righteousness and Acting County Defender of Pengze. There are five auspicious manifestations, summarized as follows: First, the river swelled with floodwaters, blowing timber close to the mountain; as soon as the calculated amount of timber was hauled up, the water returned to its former level. Second, wild bamboos and miscellaneous timber spread across connected ridges and valleys; vermilion pigments of diverse colors emerged from caves and appeared from the cliffs. Third, on the night of the pacification of the soil, wind and clouds vanished into the void, and immortal lamps shone far into the distance. Fourth, several hundred people crossed Lake Pengli to visit the shrine; what the boatmen received turned into paper money on the following day. Fifth, mounted attendants riding dragons and tigers, and carved and sculpted chariot-drivers, made of earth or wood, formed rows upon entering the shrine; suddenly sweat of five colors broke out on their faces. Its stele grew worn and eroded over the years, and was re-erected in the third year of Zhiping. There is further the Record of Spirit Official Zhang. The spirit official was named Huai, a minor commander of Wucai. He once possessed hidden merit benefiting living things, so the Emperor appointed him as an official of Feng. Among the five hundred portraits on the shrine walls, Zhang was one of them; the matter is detailed in his own record. Composed on the Lantern Festival day of the sixth year of Kaibao, the guiyou year, by the Censor-in-Chief Xu Xuan, and inscribed by Xu Kai, Right Inner Palace Recorder and Scholar of the Jixian Academy. Much of its text is omitted here. To the left of the abbey gate is the Liu Yue Stone. In the Zhidao era, the commandery prefect and Bureau Member of the Bureau of Merit Evaluation, Sun Mai, first erected a tablet and placed a shrine there. Anciently, when Kuang Su lodged on the mountain, a young man visited him repeatedly, introducing himself as: 'Surnamed Liu, named Yue; my home is to the left of the front mountain.' He invited Su to visit him the next day: 'When you arrive below the mountain, there is a stone about two feet high; that is my dwelling. You may knock upon it.' Su later went below the mountain as agreed. Looking around in all four directions, there was no dwelling, indeed only a single stone. He then knocked upon it; the stone opened for him, and thereupon he encountered immortals and affairs of the cavern grottoes. Huiyuan's record states: 'Su received the Dao from an immortal'—this was likely referring to this. Beside the abbey is the Immortal's Village Pavilion; looking down at the multi-storied pavilions, they are dignified as if a cavern grotto. Visitors all climb it. Five li southwest of Taiping Abbey is Qingtai Hermitage. One li from Qingtai, one reaches Guangze Cloister, formerly named Dragon Pool. The Three Dragon Pools are five li above on the mountain southeast of the cloister. In years of drought, the various counties always pray there. Descending the mountain from Guangze, one reaches Taiping Xingguo Temple in seven li. The water before the temple is called Clear Brook; above the brook is the Clear Brook Pavilion. The temple was established in the ninth year of Taiyuan under Emperor Wu of Jin; it was formerly named Donglin. It was abolished in the third year of Huichang of the Tang, and restored in the third year of Dazhong. In the second year of Xingguo of our imperial dynasty, it was granted its current name. The Dharma Master's taboo name was Huiyuan, and his secular surname was Jia. He was a man of Loufan in Yanmen. He studied under Dao'an at Mount Heng and became Dao'an's senior disciple. He initially resided at Shangming Temple in Jingzhou. Later, wishing to go to Mount Luofu, his route took him through Mount Lu. He resided at Longquan Hermitage, fifteen li distant from Donglin. Soon after, his fellow students gradually increased in number. At the same time, Dhyāna Master Huiyong was already residing at Incense Valley Mountain, and asked to form friendly neighborly ties. Prefect Huan Yi also held him in great esteem, and so founded the temple. The matter is fully detailed on the temple stele. Composed and inscribed on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the nineteenth year of Kaiyuan by Li Yong, former Governor of Chenzhou. In the third year of Huichang, the monk Yungao first carved it into stone. At that time, Pei Xiu was Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan West Circuit, and Zhang Youxin was Governor of Jiangzhou; they actually assisted in its completion.

1.10.3

Pei inscribed at the end of the text, saying, "Reviewing the calligraphy and composition of Beihai, I can imagine his imposing style." Zhang also composed an inscription on the back of the stele. On the thirteenth day of the fourth month of the tenth year of Dazhong, the śramaṇa Xuanguan requested Pei Guangyuan of Hedong to write the seal-script header. Guangyuan was a Erudite of the National Academy in the Directorate of Education. Earlier, when Master Yuan wished to move to Incense Valley, a mountain spirit appeared to him in a dream, saying, "This place is secluded and quiet, sufficient to lodge your spirit." Suddenly, the next night, thunder and rain struck violently. Looking out the next morning, there was only white sand covering the ground, along with trees like nanmu and梓 with fine grain. Once these fine timbers were used to build the hall, it was therefore named Divine Transport. In the fourth year of Dahe, when Niu Sengru was returning to court from Wuchang, he passed by and wrote the four characters "Divine Lotus [...]" for its plaque. There was also a piece of wood several feet long, which Yuanzong of the Southern Tang inscribed as "Divine Transport Water"; both survive today. During the Huichang era, the temple and its forest were confiscated by the Ministry of Revenue to be torn down and sold off. During the Dazhong restoration, Prefect Cui An contributed private funds and gave them through verse offerings; several hundred gentlemen of the gentry followed suit, and their names and official titles are engraved today upon the lists and preserved. The appeal of that time was also written by Cui. Cui also composed the stele for the temple's restoration, which was calligraphed by Liu Gongquan, Left Policy Advisor. A flowing stream [runs through] the lower part of the temple and enters Tiger Creek. In the past, whenever Master Yuan saw off guests beyond this point, a tiger would always roar, hence the name. At that time, Tao Yuanliang lived at Lili south of the mountain, and Lu Xiujing was also a man who possessed the Dao. Master Yuan once saw these two men off; engrossed in conversation that harmonised with the Dao, they crossed it without realising, whereupon they all burst into hearty laughter. Today the "Picture of the Three Laughers" handed down in the world had its origin here. Behind the Divine Lotus Hall is the White Lotus Pond. In former times, Xie Lingyun relied on his talent and looked down on things, seldom esteeming anyone; yet as soon as he met Master Yuan, he was awed and submitted from the bottom of his heart. He then translated the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra at the temple, and for this reason excavated a pond to make a terrace, planting white lotuses in the pond, and named the terrace "Sūtra-Translating Terrace". Today's White Lotus Pavilion is its former site. Master Yuan, along with Huiyong, Huichi, Danshun, Danheng, Zhu Daosheng, Huirui, Daojing, Daobing, Danxian, and the laymen Zhang Ye, Zong Bing, Liu Yimin, Zhang Quan, Zhou Xuzhi, and Lei Cizong, as well as the Indian monk Buddhabhadra—eighteen people in all—together practiced the teachings of the Pure Land, and it was therefore called the White Lotus Society. Biographies of these eighteen worthies are appended to the end of the work. Above the pond there was formerly the Pavilion of the Auspicious Manjuśrī Image, but today the image is lost and the pavilion in ruins. As for the auspicious image in the Manjuśrī Hall, when Tao Kan of the Jin was initially Inspector of Guangzhou, a fisherman on the coast saw a radiant light at night and cast his net, obtaining a golden image of Manjuśrī Bodhisattva. On its side was an inscription saying: "Cast in antiquity by King Aśoka." Later, a merchant also found a halo in the Eastern Sea and held it up to the image, fitting it as if seamlessly. Kan sent it to Hanxi Temple in Wuchang. The temple prior, the monk Sengzhen, once traveled to Xiakou, and dreamt that the temple was on fire, but the shrine containing the image alone was surrounded by spirits. Zhen hurried back; the temple was indeed already burned down, yet the shrine of the image alone survived. When Kan was transferred to govern Jiangzhou, considering the image miraculous, he had someone fetch it to accompany him, but it was swallowed by wind and waves. At that time, the people of Jingchu made a ballad about it, saying: "Tao was solely a hero of the sword; / The image was marked by spiritual marvel. / Soaring into clouds or lodging in mud, / How far and distant! / It can be brought by sincerity, / But hardly summoned by force." When Master Yuan founded the temple, he prayed over the waters, and the image re-emerged; it was then initially welcomed and enshrined in the Divine Transport Hall. Later, a multi-storied pavilion was built to offer incense and lamps. Therefore, Li Yong's temple record states: "Aśoka expiated guilt; / Manjuśrī manifested his form. / Treading the sea, it did not sink; / It was driven along by Tao Kan. / Threatened by fire, it did not scorch; / It appeared in a dream to Sengzhen." This was surely what it referred to. When the temple was destroyed during the Huichang era, two monks carried the image on their backs and hid it at the summit of Jinxiu Valley. Afterwards, when the temple was restored, they searched the hiding place but could not find it; the two monks suspected each other of concealing it. Suddenly they saw a halo of auspicious colours appear in the sky. Therefore, down to the present day, when travelers reach the summit, there are those who behold this radiant manifestation at Buddha-Hand Rock and Tianchi. The temple has a Jin-dynasty palanquin decorated with horned dragons, formerly called the Palanquin of Emperor Huan; hence Guanxiu's poem says: "Huan Xuan's old palanquin is damp with remaining clouds; / The solitary grave of Yeśas lingers in the setting sun." Today people label it as the palanquin of Emperor An. Upon examination, in the second year of Daheng of the Jin, Huan Xuan usurped the throne and demoted the emperor to King of Pinggu, exiling him to Xunyang. When the righteous army arose, Xuan fled to Xunyang, with his banners, carriages, and robes still prepared according to imperial rites. At the juncture when he forced Ping[gu] to flee westward, he consequently left the palanquin at Donglin. That it was formerly called Huan's palanquin was indeed for good reason; "Huan" and "An" sound close, and later people changed it without careful scrutiny. The Sūtra Canon Cloister is in the eastern corridor of the temple. Among the colophons of the sūtras, there are some that say they were copied in the thirteenth year of Zhenyuan. The stele for the Sūtra Canon was composed on the fifteenth day, gengwu, of the ninth month, beginning with the new moon on bingchen, in the seventh year of Yuanhe, the year renchen, by Li Zhao, Court Gentleman for Consultation and Acting Director of Music of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. It says in brief: In the fourth year of Yuanhe, the monk Lingche of Yunmen, having been exiled and returned to lodge on this mountain, was about to depart and spoke to the Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan West Circuit, Duke Wei Dan, Duke of Wuyang. Wei's wife, Lady Xiao of Lanling, had died, and had formerly used her jewelry and clothing funds to purchase fields in Jingzhou, collecting their rent to make charitable donations. At this time he took them, supplemented them with his own salary, and had copies made in Hongzhou and sent over, subsequently building a hall; he further appointed the monk Yizhou of Fucha Temple to oversee the secret treasury. During the calamity of the Huichang era, the monk Daoshen secretly concealed them in a stone cave. Later, when the temple was restored, the sūtras were brought out, but more than half had been lost. The monk Zhengyan gradually supplemented them. In the twelfth year of Dazhong, Wuyang's son Zhou again inherited the office of surveillance commissioner; he thereupon donated money to rebuild the hall and recorded the matter, so there are portraits of Wei Dan and Wei Zhou. In the eighth year of Xiantong, the prefect Miao Shen wrote an encomium for the portraits of the two Weis; Shen was a maternal grandson of Zhou. There is another figure whose caption reads: "Monk of the Prince of Ji's Temple"; beside it there was formerly a full official title: Yang Che, Prince of Dehua and Prefect of Jiangzhou. The text was peeling off and missing characters, and through whitewashing was obliterated. Today the temple owns fields at the lower mouth of Pinglin.

1.10.4

…were all his […] offerings; therefore, the monastery’s monks painted his likeness and placed it between the two Wei [brothers] to show their ongoing veneration. According to the Tang History, Che Tian was once enfeoffed as the Prince of Ji. In the fifteenth year of Tianyou, Xu Zhixun was in Yangzhou and was killed by Zhu Jin; in the Baoda reign era, he was posthumously enfeoffed as the Prince of Ji. Thus his deeds had no connection with the two Lin [Monasteries], and later generations simply added him without warrant. Lord Bai’s Thatched Cottage lies in the northeastern corner of the monastery. In the tenth year of Yuanhe, while serving as Grand Master of Palace Leisure to the Crown Prince, Lord Bai offended the ruling council by speaking out on affairs and was demoted to become the prefectural vice-prefect. The following year, he built the Thatched Cottage north of Incense Burner Peak and south of Yiai Temple, frequently visiting and staying there. Lord Bai composed a record himself, which appears in his collected works. Later, both it and Yiai Temple fell into decay for a long time. Enthusiasts admiring the lord’s exemplary traces built a hall outside the blue enclosure wall to the north of Donglin Temple. During the chaos of the Five Dynasties, it was again ruined by military arson and wild fires. In the Zhidao reign era, Prefectural Governor Sun Kaogong rebuilt it, but none of these were on the original site from the Yuanhe era. Formerly, when Lord Bai visited Donglin, he saw in the canonical repository the poetic exchange collection of Master Yuan and various literati. At that time, the elders of the monastery also requested the lord’s literary collection to preserve it alongside [the other]. By the ninth year of Dahe, when he was Junior Mentor to the Crown Prince, he finally deposited sixty fascicles of his literary works there. During the Huichang reign era, after retiring from office, he again sent ten fascicles of his later collection, as well as a portrait of himself as the Lay Practitioner of Xiangshan. During the Guangming reign era, along with Master Yuan’s Kuangshan ji, both were seized by Gao Pian of Huainan. In the sixth year of the Wu reign era Dahe, Che, Prince of Dehua, frequently transcribed and copied them to make up for the lacunae, but they were lost again later. Those presently held are in fact ones collated by the Historiography Institute and bestowed by imperial decree in the fourth year of Jingde. The Kuangshan ji was also twenty fascicles; it was once recopied in the second year of Jingfu. During the Mingdao reign era, it was borrowed by Xu Shen of the Ministry of Punishments, a commissioner of the circuits. Today, the Lushan lüeji and the preface to the poem on touring Stone Gate are engraved on stone at the monastery, both deriving from the copies in this collection. Passing the Thatched Cottage halfway up the mountain, two springs emerge from between the rocks, called Twin Jade Stream. Next is the Upper Śarīra Stūpa, established by Chan Master Buddhabhadra. Buddhabhadra is Sanskrit; in Han it means Awoken Goodness (Juexian). He was a descendant of King Amṛtodana of Kapilavastu. At the age of seventeen, Kumāralāta ordained him, and he assembled with his fellow disciples to master their studies: where the others took a month, Juexian grasped it in a single day. His master sighed and said, ‘Juexian is equal to thirty men.’ Entering Chang'an, he analyzed the profound purports with Kumārajīva, who yielded to him. Arriving at Mount Lu, he joined Master Yuan’s fellowship. He had earlier brought three relics of Śākyamuni with him, which he buried at a mountain ridge, marking it with a stūpa. Later, Emperor Xiaowu of Song summoned him to Daochang Temple to translate the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. In the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan of the Tang, Li Ne, Director of the Bureau of Military Supplies, Imperial Drafter, and Prefect of Jiangzhou, composed a record of the Chan master. Ne also called himself Chan Master Wuwu. It was written by Zhang Tinggui, Grand Master for Golden Purple的光祿, Prefect of Tongzhou, Supreme Pillar of State, and Founding Baron of Fanyang County. It was erected on the fifteenth day, a guimao day, of the seventh month, whose first day was a jichou day, in the seventeenth year of Kaiyuan, the jisi year. By its side is engraved Yan Lugong’s inscription of one hundred and sixty characters. North of the upper site is Tiger Paw Spring. Formerly, when Master Yuan and the worthies of the society toured this peak top, they were troubled by the long distance to water. On another day, a tiger pawed the rocks, and a spring emerged. Next is Five Cedars Pavilion. The five cedars are tall and lush, several arm-spans in girth, overlooked by a towering pavilion. During the Southern Tang, the Western Mountain monk Yingzhi once built a hermitage among the five cedars. In the Baoda reign era, he was […] favored by Yuanzong and composed the Wushan ji, which circulated in the world: a necessary book for the Buddhist sangha. Now only vague traces of it remain. The Sweet Dew Precept Platform is in the southeastern corner of the monastery. During the Taiqing reign era of the Liang, Dharma Master Xi preached the Golden Light Sūtra among the woods, and sweet dew soaked the trees for three days; hence a precept platform was built in the woods. Tradition relates that Jiangnan had three precept platforms, of which this is one. It was constantly used as a vegetable plot for the monks' quarters. A monk dreamed of a deity clad in golden armor who grasped him by the throat and reprimanded him for defiling the sacred platform. Frightened, the monk paved it with bricks and stones, preserving its remains. Master Yuan was initially given the posthumous title Bianjue. In the third year of Shengyuan, he was granted the title Grand Master Zhengjue; in the third year of Xingguo, he was granted the title Grand Master Yuanwu, and his tomb was designated the Stūpa of Congealed Stillness. The stūpa lies between the two Lin [Monasteries]. Beside it stand two cedars: one at a higher spot, measuring twenty-seven chi in girth; the other slightly lower, measuring twenty chi in girth. Master Yuan died in the twelfth year of Yixi of the Jin and was buried on this mountain; they are said to have been planted at that time. Qianming Temple is located over a hundred paces west of the Stūpa of Congealed Stillness. Formerly named Xilin Xing[…], its present name-board marks it as the bodhimaṇḍa of Chan Master Huiyong of the Jin. The Stele of the Xilin Bodhimaṇḍa was composed by Ouyang Xun of Bohai, Court Gentleman of the Imperial Sacrifices under the Sui. It bears no calligrapher’s name, yet the brushwork is crisp and vigorous; tradition holds it to be Ouyang’s own calligraphy. It was erected on the fifteenth day, a renchen day, of the tenth month, whose first day was a wuyin day, in the twelfth year of Daye, the dingchou year. It reads in summary: ‘Formerly there was the bhikṣu Tanxian, originally surnamed Zhu. Originally a fine general of the pseudo-Zhao, he gathered his dwelling in secluded retirement among the numinous cliffs of Mount Kuang. When his spirit migrated and transformed, relying on the early quiet of the cliffs, there was Huiyong of the Fan clan of Henei who halted compassion, praised as the foremost disciples. An extraordinary fragrance filled the chamber; ferocious beasts grew tame on the steps. Continuing the master’s work, he settled in dhyāna and constructed dwellings. [Xi] Fan of Xunyang, Grand Master of the Palace Watch under the Jin, founded the saṅghārāma and named it Xilin. This was the second year of Taihe of the Jin.’ In the third year of […] of the Liang, Vinaya Master Seng’en, in the Sui, Dharma Master Zhikai, in the second year of Daye, Chan Master Huiyuan, and in the seventh year, Dharma Master Daosui, all added renovations. In the first year of Yongtai of the Tang, Yan Lugong and Vinaya Master Fazhen ascended the multi-storied pavilion to view the painting of Vairocana Buddha by Zhang Sengyou and the bowl-bag embroidered with twisted thread by Emperor Wu of Liang, also writing an inscription at the top of Ouyang’s stele. The multi-storied pavilion was built in the second year of Daye; today all three have been lost. Master Yong manifested his passing in the tenth year of Yixi and was buried at the entrance to Incense Valley south of the stream. In the third year of Xingguo, he was also granted the posthumous title Grand Master Jueji, and his stūpa was named the Stūpa of True Wisdom. At the high ground behind the monastery is Incense Valley Pavilion. Formerly, when Master Yong was at Xilin, he separately established a thatched hut on the ridge whenever he wished to practice dhyāna contemplation.

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廬山記 — Classical Chinese