南嶽總勝集 2.117

2.117

在後洞妙高峯下。與方廣比隣。山勢幽邃。景物與山前不侔。本朝賜今額。寺前五十步正險絕處。石上有迹如車轍狀。記云。昔五百羅漢居此。聞惠思和尚將至。乃相謂曰。山主即至。我輩當避之。遂徙他所。今轍跡尚存。記云。乃鬼運糧以供厨饌。又西有水源。自巖下出。莫知其所。自號靈源。宋宗炳有菴。在靈源之上。今芭蕉菴是也。尚存基址。寺有二石佛迹。各長尺八顯六寸。足底有二隋求并印。皆如篆文。云自西來。衡陽令張鈞題高臺詩云。萬仞孤高處。煙雲縹緲間。靈源聲不斷。轍跡蘚斕斑。山鳥應無畏。溪雲常自閑。凭欄長縱目。回首厭塵寰。東北有牧菴。乃忠道者居之。不修梵行。好夜遊巖谷。不畏蟲虎。寒暑不侵。值風雨亦無蓑笠。常正言以伸人。皆有教化。後住黃龍。久之遷化。

It is in the Back Grotto below Miaogao Peak, adjacent to Fangguang. The mountain's contours are secluded and deep; its scenery does not match that of the mountain's front. Our dynasty bestowed the present plaque. Fifty paces in front of the monastery, right at a perilous spot, there are tracks on the rock resembling carriage ruts. The record states: Formerly five hundred arhats dwelt here; hearing that Master Huisi was about to arrive, they said to one another, 'The lord of the mountain is arriving; our group should avoid him,' and thereupon moved elsewhere. Today the rut marks still remain. The record says: ghosts and spirits transported grain to supply the kitchen provisions. Moreover, to the west is a water source emerging from beneath a cliff; none knows its source, and it is called Lingyuan (Spiritual Source). Song Zongbing of the Song dynasty had a hermitage above Lingyuan, which is today's Bajiao Hermitage; its foundations still remain. The monastery has two stone Buddha footprints, each one foot eight inches long and six inches visible, with two Mahāpratisarā talismans and seals beneath the soles, all resembling seal script, said to have come from the West. Zhang Jun, Magistrate of Hengyang, inscribed a poem on Gaotai: "In a solitary, lofty place ten thousand fathoms high, / Amidst the ethereal mist and clouds. / The sound of the spiritual source never ceases; / On the rut marks, moss is dappled. / Mountain birds must have no fear; / Stream clouds are ever leisurely of their own accord. / Leaning on the railing, I let my gaze wander far; / Turning my head, I tire of the dust-filled world." To the northeast is Mu Hermitage, where the Daoist Zhong resided. He did not practice pure conduct, loved to roam the cliffs and valleys by night, had no fear of insects or tigers, was untouched by cold or heat, and wore neither coir raincoat nor bamboo hat even when meeting wind and rain. Constantly speaking straightforwardly to uplift people, all his words brought edification. Later he resided at Huanglong, and after a long time passed away.