法苑珠林 45.49

45.49

抱朴子曰。山中大樹能語者非樹語也。其精名曰雲陽。以其名呼之則吉。山中夜見胡人者。銅鐵之精也。見秦人者百歲木也。在水之間見吏者名曰四激。以其名呼之則吉。山中寅日有稱虞吏者虎也。稱當路居者狼也。稱令長者貍也。卯日稱丈夫者兔也。稱東父者麋也。稱西王母者鹿也。辰日稱雨師者龍也。稱河伯者魚也。稱無腸公子者蟹也。已日稱寡人者社中蛇也。稱時君者龜也。午日稱三公者馬也。稱三人者老樹也。未日稱主人者羊也。稱吏者麞也。申日稱人君者猴也。稱九卿者猿也。酉日稱將軍者老雞也。稱賊捕者雉也。戌日稱人姓字者犬也。稱城陽公仲者狐也。亥日稱臣君者猪也。稱婦人者金玉也。子日稱社君者鼠也。稱神人者伏翼也。丑日稱書生者牛也。知其物則不能為害。又熒惑火精生朱鳥。辰星水精生玄武。歲星木精生青龍。太白金精生白虎。鎮星土精生乘黃。抱朴子曰。山川石木井竈洿池澠皆有精氣。人身之中亦有魂魄。況天地為物。物之至大者。於理當有神精。則賞善而罰惡。但其體大網疎。不必機發而響應耳。

The Baopuzi says: "When a large tree in the mountains can speak, it is not the tree speaking; its essence is named Yunyang. If one calls it by its name, it brings good fortune. Seeing a foreigner in the mountains at night is the essence of copper or iron. Seeing a man of Qin is a hundred-year-old tree. Seeing an official between waters is named Siji; if one calls it by its name, it brings good fortune. In the mountains on a yin day, one that calls itself a forester official is a tiger; one calling itself a dweller upon the road is a wolf; one calling itself a district magistrate is a wildcat. On a mao day, one calling itself a gentleman is a hare; one calling itself the Eastern Father is an elk; one calling itself the Queen Mother of the West is a deer. On a chen day, one calling itself the Rain Master is a dragon; one calling itself the River Earl is a fish; one calling itself the gutless lord is a crab. On a si day, one calling itself the Solitary One is a serpent of the altar; one calling itself the Lord of the Season is a turtle. On a wu day, one calling itself the Three Excellencies is a horse; one calling itself the Three Persons is an old tree. On a wei day, one calling itself the Master is a sheep; one calling itself an official is a roe deer. On a shen day, one calling itself the Ruler of Men is a monkey; one calling itself the Nine Ministers is an ape. On a you day, one calling itself the General is an old rooster; one calling itself the Thief-catcher is a pheasant. On a xu day, one calling itself by a human surname and personal name is a dog; one calling itself Gongzhong of Chengyang is a fox. On a hai day, one calling itself the Minister and Lord is a pig; one calling itself a woman is gold or jade. On a zi day, one calling itself the Lord of the Altar is a rat; one calling itself a Divine Man is a bat. On a chou day, one calling itself a scholar is an ox. If one knows what creature it is, it cannot do harm. Furthermore, Yinghuo, the essence of fire, generates the Vermilion Bird; Chenxing, the essence of water, generates the Dark Warrior; Suixing, the essence of wood, generates the Azure Dragon; Taibai, the essence of metal, generates the White Tiger; Zhenxing, the essence of earth, generates the Chenghuang." The Baopuzi says: "Mountains, streams, stones, trees, wells, hearths, puddles, ponds, and sloughs all possess essential qi, and within the human body there are also hun and po souls. How much more so for Heaven and Earth as entities, which are the greatest of entities! In principle, they must possess spiritual essences that reward the good and punish the evil; it is merely that their body is vast and their net is coarse, so that retribution does not necessarily respond like an echo at the release of a trigger."