釋氏要覽 3.158

3.158

今僧遊行嘉稱飛錫。此因高僧隱峯遊五臺出淮西擲錫飛空而往也。若西天得道僧。往來多是飛錫。

Nowadays, when monks travel on pilgrimage, it is elegantly called "flying the staff". This derives from the eminent monk Yinfeng traveling to Mount Wutai; coming out of Huaixi, he threw his staff into the air and flew away. As for monks who attained the Way in India, their comings and goings were mostly by flying the staff.