廬山記 1.10.2

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.