集神州三寶感通錄 3.14

3.14

子午關南大秦嶺竹林寺者。貞觀初採蜜人山行。聞鍾聲尋而至焉。寺舍二間。有人住處。傍大竹林可有二頃。其人斷二節竹以盛汁蜜。可得五斗許。兩人負下尋路而至大秦。戍具告防人。竹林至此可十五里。戍主利其大竹。將往伐取。遣人依言往覓。過小竹谷達于崖下。有鐵鎖長三丈許。防人曳鎖掣之大牢上。有二大虫。據崖頭向下大呼。其人怖急返走。又將十人重尋值大洪雨便返。藍田悟真寺僧歸真。少小山栖聞之。便往至小竹谷。北上望崖失道而歸。常以為言。真云。此竹林至關。可五十許里。

Regarding the Zhulin Temple (Bamboo Forest Temple) on Mount Daqin south of Ziwu Pass: at the beginning of the Zhenguan era, a honey-gatherer walking in the mountains heard the sound of a bell and, following it, arrived there. There were two temple buildings, places where people resided, and beside them a great bamboo forest of about two qing. The man cut two joints of bamboo to hold the liquid honey, obtaining about five dou. Two men carried it down, followed the path, and arrived at the Daqin garrison, where they told everything to the guardsmen. The bamboo forest was about fifteen li from there. The garrison commander, seeing the advantage in the large bamboo, was about to go cut and take it, so he sent men according to his words to search for it. Passing Xiaozhu Valley (Little Bamboo Valley) they reached the base of a cliff, where there was an iron chain about thirty feet long. When the guardsmen dragged and pulled the chain, it was extremely secure. Above, there were two great tigers perched on the edge of the cliff shouting loudly downward. The men, seized with terror, ran back. Later they took ten men to search again, but encountering a massive deluge, they returned. Monk Guizhen of Wuzhen Temple in Lantian had dwelt in the mountains since youth; hearing of this, he went to Xiaozhu Valley. Looking toward the cliff as he went north, he lost the way and returned. He would often speak of this. Zhen said: ‘This bamboo forest is about fifty li from the pass.’