法苑珠林 39.30

39.30

子午關南大秦嶺竹林寺者。至貞觀初。採蜜人山行聞有鍾聲。尋而往至焉。寺舍二間有人住處。傍大竹林可有二頃。其人斷二節竹以盛蜜。可得五升許。兩人負下。尋路而至大秦戍。具告防人。以林至此可十五里。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。鎖掣之太牢。將上有二大虎。據崖頭向下大呼。其人悑急返走。又將十人重尋。值大洪雨便返。藍田寤真寺僧歸真。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 (Bamboo Grove) Temple of the Daqin Range south of Ziwu Pass: at the beginning of the Zhenguan era, a honey-collector walking in the mountains heard the sound of a bell. Seeking it out, he arrived there. There were two rooms of temple buildings, a place where people lived. Beside it was a great bamboo grove of about two qing. The man cut two joints of bamboo to hold honey, which held about five sheng. Two men carried it down, and following the path they arrived at the Daqin garrison. They told the guards in detail that the grove was about fifteen li from there. The garrison commander, coveting the giant bamboo, was about to go cut it down, and sent men to search for it according to the description. Passing through the Small Bamboo Valley, they reached beneath a cliff, where there was an iron chain about three zhang long. When the guards pulled the chain, it clanked exceedingly loudly. Just above, two great tigers perched atop the cliff and roared downward at them. Terrified, the men fled back in haste. Later, leading ten men, they sought it again, but encountered torrential rain and returned. The monk Guizhen of Wuzhen Temple in Lantian had dwelt in the mountains from his youth; hearing of it, he went immediately. Reaching the north of the Small Bamboo Valley, he looked toward the cliff, lost his way, and returned. He often spoke of this. Zhen said that this bamboo grove was about fifty li from the pass.