法苑珠林 14.48

14.48

The Emperor, hearing of it with delight, issued an edict to provide post horses, palace attendants, and over twenty disciples and official aides to supply provisions wherever he went. The officials and disciples all rode official horses; only the Venerable Changnian alone, ever since his youth, practiced sincere asceticism and did not ride on any animals. Once he arrived at Mount Qingliang in Daizhou, he proceeded upward by crawling on elbows and knees until he reached the Buddha Hall on the Central Terrace, which is the shrine hall of Mañjuśrī. The distance from bottom to top was about thirty li; the mountain stones were sharp and cut through the flesh to the bone, yet there was no blood, only milk issuing forth for seven days. He threw his five limbs to the ground, laying his face against the earth, neither rising nor eating. When the seven days were complete, he suddenly leaped up with joy, gesturing toward the four quarters and the space above and below, seeing fully Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, holy monks, and arhats. Among the several dozen monastics and lay followers accompanying him, some saw and some did not. There was also a python several li in length that came from the north, heading straight toward the Venerable Changnian. Seeing it with joy, the snake held the master's foot in its mouth, passed over it, and transformed into the form of a monk. The others were terrified and scattered in all directions; only the Venerable Changnian alone was not shaken in mind. The various miraculous responses were such that they cannot be fully recounted. Having fulfilled what he requested, he returned to the capital. At present he is converting and dwelling [there], being invited inside [the palace] to bestow precepts, or touring through various mountains."