集神州三寶感通錄 3.11

3.11

Mount Wutai, southeast of Daizhou, was anciently called the abode of divine immortals. The mountain is three hundred li square, extremely precipitous, lofty, and steep. It has five high terraces, upon which neither grass nor trees grow; dense forests of pines and cypresses stand thick at the valley bottom. The mountain is extremely cold; to the south it is called Mount Qingliang, and Qingliang Prefecture was also established there. The sūtras make clear that Mañjuśrī took five hundred immortals and went to the Qingliang Snow Mountains, which is this very place. For this reason, seekers of the Way from ancient times have mostly traveled to this mountain; its surviving traces and numinous caves suddenly meet the eye, not established in vain. The Central Terrace is the highest, four hundred li from Bingzhou, appearing in view like [the lines in] the palm of one's hand. On it are small stone stūpas, numbering about a thousand, which were erected by Emperor Wen of the Wei, [Tuoba] Hong. On the stones, tracks of humans and horses are distinctly present. There is a great spring named Taihua, clear and limpid as a mirror, flanked by two stūpas, within which is an image of Mañjuśrī. For anyone who arrives, the sound of bells and fragrant scents are present without fail every day; holy monks and auspicious images are frequently encountered. Since the Longshuo era (661–663), an imperial edict ordered the monk Huize of Huichang Temple to go there to repair the monastery and stūpas; he went back and forth twice and also met with numinous resonances. Thirty li down to the southeast of the Central Terrace is Dalingjiu Temple, anciently transmitted to have been built by Emperor Ming of the Han. Currently there are two bodhimaṇḍas, eastern and western, and the image installations are still present. To the south is a flower garden of about three qing, where throughout the four seasons renowned flowers bloom successively in turn. During the Zhenguan era (627–649), Meditation Master Jietuo gathered disciples to practice meditation. He personally said that north of the flower garden he saw Mañjuśrī four times with an entourage filling the sky, accompanied by multitudes of immortals and extraordinary holy beings beyond count. Recently there was Meditation Master Sengming, who lived on the mountain for over thirty years; he also encountered immortals and holy ones and flew away through the sky, leaving behind only his old skin. Within thirty li of the Southern Terrace, there are mostly renowned flowers spread across the peaks and ridges, commonly called Flower Mountain. In it is a holy monastery where the sound of bells rings out at times. An extraordinary person has been seen whose tall and stalwart frame surpassed the world; in the midst of conversation, he soared and leaped far away. That mountain is very near, but those who are attached to the secular world rarely climb it. Those who do climb it are sure to evoke superior conditions; thus I have recorded those who came and went previously.