集神州三寶感通錄 3.16

3.16

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.