集神州三寶感通錄 3.16

3.16

又終南折谷內椶櫚寺者。近有人見一僧云。倩為擎襆向寺問寺在何處。云在折谷炬明東額頭。其人為荷襆。將至寺見一僧從南崖下。可長五十丈。相召來其人辭返語曰。君日日入山採柴。可於柴下取齋殘餅食之。不須道此得緣。便隨其言。日得其餅。妻怪窮之。不得已便說遂瘂。經年又見二僧入谷。其人手喚指口如是三返。便得語。其人近死。今入山者。至炬明額側。常聞鍾聲。亦往往見異僧。近有一僧聞之。遇見入谷見僧。疑是椶櫚寺。問云。大德不是椶櫚寺僧不。曰是欲隨大德去得不。曰可相隨來。但聞耳邊颼颼風聲。至急心惟曰。此何必是聖。或入深山躓頓我也。竊生念時前僧便失。懊恨之甚。返迴三日方達谷口。乃於避世堡立精舍以候之。精舍見在。其僧不知所終。

Furthermore, regarding the Zonglü Temple (Palm Temple) inside Shegu in Mount Zhongnan: recently, a man saw a monk who said he wished to hire him to carry a bundle to a temple. When asked where the temple was, he said it was at the eastern head of Juming in Shegu. The man carried the bundle for him. When they were about to reach the temple, he saw a monk descending from the southern cliff, about five hundred feet tall, calling out to them. The man bade farewell to return, and [the monk] said to him: ‘You enter the mountains daily to gather firewood; you may take the leftover cakes from the noon meal under the firewood and eat them. There is no need to speak of having obtained this connection.’ He complied with the words and received the cakes daily. His wife, puzzled, questioned him closely, and having no choice he told her, whereupon he became mute. After a year, he again saw two monks entering the valley. The man beckoned with his hand and pointed to his mouth; after doing this three times, he was able to speak again. The man died recently. Nowadays, those who enter the mountains and reach the side of the forehead of Juming regularly hear the sound of bells and also often see strange monks. Recently, a monk heard of this, and upon encountering a monk entering the valley, suspected he was of the Zonglü Temple. He asked: ‘Is the Venerable not a monk of the Zonglü Temple?’ He replied: ‘I am.’ [The monk] asked: ‘May I accompany the Venerable?’ He replied: ‘You may follow along.’ But hearing only the whooshing sound of wind beside his ears and advancing with great haste, he thought in his mind: ‘Why must this be a holy one? Perhaps he is leading me into the deep mountains to weary and distress me.’ Just as this thought secretly arose, the monk ahead disappeared. Full of bitter remorse, it took him three days of retracing his steps to reach the mouth of the valley. He then erected a vihāra at the Bishi Stronghold (Refuge-from-the-World Stronghold) to await him. The vihāra still stands today, but it is not known where that monk went in the end.