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Chapter Twenty-three

Seclusion

(This chapter consists of two parts:) (1) Introduction and (2) Quoted Testimonies. 1. Introduction

I have heard that when sages and virtuous people adapt themselves to the times, their traces (i.e., ways to educate people) have no set pattern. All countries where they reside are benefited. Earthly people adhere to their fortune. The wisest people are undisturbed by good or evil. If one waits for the time with a right mind, he will be equal to heaven.

Formerly, during the reign of Emperor Wu (265-290) of the Jin dynasty, there was Jīvaka from India. At the beginning of the reign of Emperor Wu (420-422) of the Song dynasty, there was Beidu in Pengcheng. They both revealed auspicious signs and brightly awakened the common people. In the Qi (479-502) and Liang (502-557) dynasties there was the śramaṇa Baozhi, who appeared for the first time in the beginning of the Yongming era (483-493). He seemed dark and insane; his body was as black as dirt, but he had stored up [knowledge of events] in the past and knew [what would happen] in future. Frequently in the midst of miracles he sat up straight and expressed his words. It was rare for him to make a mistake. The common people followed him, yet his whereabouts were as elusive as clouds. While his manifested form was covered in dust and dirt, his spirit roamed in a profound and tranquil state. Even water could not make him wet, and fire could not scorch him. Snakes and tigers could not attack and harm him. Even if he was repeatedly restricted to Jiuguan [where the Lord of Heaven resides], his body had no hindrance after all. When he spoke about the Buddhist doctrine he did so more skillfully than śrāvakas. When he talked about his secret logic, he was like a hermit or someone of noble character.

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Since it is possible for something good to be in the world, wholesomeness arises in response, and since evil is also possible, unwholesomeness comes out in response. It can be said that [Jīvaka, Beidu, and Baozhi] are as like suspended from the sun or moon or sheltered under metal or stone. Boundless merit is seen here!

2. Quoted Testimonies

Just as the Sheng jing (T. 154) says:

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, "Once in the past, incalculable kalpas ago, there were a sister and her younger brother. The sister had a son, and the son, along with his uncle, served the court as weavers. They saw rare treasures and good things in the treasury and discussed and said, 'We weave assiduously, in spite of hardships, and now know about many goods in the treasury. We had better take some and use them to relieve our poverty.' They watched [and waited] for the people to become still, then bored a tunnel through the ground and stole government property of incalculable quantity. "The next day the superintendent of the treasury realized that some of the goods had decreased in number and reported it to the king. The king proclaimed, 'Do not announce it publicly and cause outsiders to know about this. The thieves, an uncle and his nephew, think that I, the king, am unaware of it.' The king said, 'They will certainly return some day. Just guard closely and wait for them to come. When you catch them, detain them. Do not let them escape!' The superintendent of the treasury received the edict and increased the guards.

"After a long time the [two] men returned to steal again. The nephew instructed his uncle, 'Uncle! You are now old. You have a weak constitution and little strength. If you are caught by a guard you will not be able to escape by yourself. My strength is great and vigorous. I will rescue you, uncle.' The uncle entered into the hole and was arrested by a guard, who called all the other guards. The nephew grabbed [his uncle], but he could not overpower [the guard]. Afraid that they would discover [the uncle's identity], the next day [the nephew] cut off his uncle's head, came out of the tunnel, and returned home carrying [the severed head]. 150

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"At daybreak the next day the superintendent of the treasury thoroughly reported [the events to the king]. The king again proclaimed, 'Take out the corpse on a carriage and place it at a crossroads. If anyone weeps over it and tries to retrieve the corpse, it will the head of the thieves.' [The corpse] was abandoned at a crossroads and watched for days. "People and horses filled the area and they ran swiftly, blocking the roads. The thief (i.e., the nephew) loaded firewood onto two vehicles with a great noise and then piled it on the corpse. A guard reported this to the king. The king proclaimed, 'Watch secretly! If someone comes to burn it, arrest, bind him, and bring him to me!' Thereupon the nephew instructed some boys to carry torches and dance around. The large crowd of people was noisy. A torch was thrown onto the firewood and it burned fiercely. The guards could not determine [who had lit the pyre]. They fully reported this to the king. The king again proclaimed, 'If [the body] has been cremated, then increase [the guards]. Watch [the remains] closely! Whoever comes to take the remains is the head [of the thieves].' "The nephew was again aware of [the trap]. Simultaneously [with the incident mentioned above] he brewed wine without permission, making [the wine of] particularly superior quality. He then secretly took the wine to sell to the guards. The guards were hungry and thirsty every night. When they saw the wine, they crowded together and drank it. They drank too much, became drunk, and passed out. [The nephew] then put the remains into wine bottles and left. The guards were not aware of it. "The next day the guards again reported to the king. Again the king proclaimed, 'Although we kept close watch both front and rear, we were not able to get the decapitated head after all. This rebel is cunning. We must set another plan.'

"The king then picked out his daughter, adorned with treasures. The girl calmly stood in a chamber. On the bank of a river many people guarded her, watching for anything wrong or reckless. Certainly someone would try to come to the girl desiring carnal pleasure. She would welcome him, catch him, cry out, and cause the people to detain him. "On a night some other day the nephew came stealthily looking for [the girl]. He pushed a stump into the river and let it float away with the 151

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stream's current. He then cried out, shouted, and ran away. The hidden guards, surprised, went to the place, thinking there was an unusual person there, but they saw only the stump of a tree. This [occurrence] frequently went on in exactly this way all through the night every day. The guards [became used to it, disregarded it,] and fell asleep. The nephew then rode on the stump and arrived at the girl's chamber.

"The girl grasped his garments. The nephew said to her, 'Rather than holding onto my clothes you should hold my arms.' The nephew was very cunning by nature. He had come prepared with the [severed] arms from a corpse which he now handed to the girl. She let go of his clothes, grasped the arms, shouted loudly, and waited for the guards to wake up. The nephew was able to escape.

"The next day [the guards] reported to the king in detail. Again, the king proclaimed, 'This person used expedient means. He has creative talentand no equal [in the world]. We have tried to arrest him for a long time but we have not been able to do so. What should we do now?' "The girl became pregnant and gave birth to a boy in ten months. The boy was very well-featured. [The king] had a wet nurse take [the baby boy] and travel all over the country. [He said,] 'If there is anyone who sees the baby and makes cooing sound at him, capture him and bring him to me!' "[The wet nurse] carried the baby all day long but no one fondled it or made cooing sound. The nephew had become a seller of cookies and lived under a furnace. The baby cried with hunger, so holding the baby the wet nurse went to that place and bought some cookies to feed to the baby. When the nephew saw the baby he made a [gentle] cooing sound at it. [The wet nurse] fully reported this to the king. The king again proclaimed, 'Why did you not capture and bring him to me?' The wet nurse replied, 'The baby cried with hunger. A seller of cookies gave him some cookies and made a [gentle] cooing sound for [the baby]. I did not know that he is the thief. Why do you wish to imprison him?'141 "The king again told the wet nurse to hold the baby and go out. [He said to her,] 'If you see anyone come close to the baby, capture him and lead him here!'

"The nephew now sold good wine. He called the wet nurse and spies and offered some wine to them. They became drunk and fell asleep. Then 152

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[the nephew] stole the baby away. When they sobered up and awoke, the baby was gone. They reported to the king in detail. The king again proclaimed, 'You are stubborn and stupid! You greedily relished alcohol and did not capture the thief, and furthermore you have now lost the baby.' "The nephew had now obtained the baby. Taking [the baby] he went to another country. Seeing the king [of that country], he advanced and expressed thanks to him, and responded to his questions. Referring to sutras, he explained the meaning. The king was very happy and offered [the nephew] an official salary and rank, appointing him as a ranking official. [The king] said to him, 'In my country there is no one who matches you in wisdom and expedient means. I wish to give a girl in marriage to you, or my daughter must become your mate. Tell me exactly what you want!' [The nephew] replied, 'I dare not do so. If you, king, see and have pity for the realities of my life, I would like to ask for a princess from my home country.' The king said, 'Good! I will comply with your ambition.' The king who personally considered [the nephew] to be his son sent a messenger to ask for a princess [from the man's home country]. The king [of the nephew's original country] promptly agreed, and he sent a messenger [to report,] 'I would like you to come to receive my princess. Please dispatch that crown prince.'142

"Five hundred well-disciplined warriors on horseback were [mustered]. Because the nephew was a [hunted] thief, he felt afraid. [He thought,] 'If I go to that country the king will certainly realize it is me and I will undoubtedly be arrested.' So he addressed the king [who favored him], 'O king! If I am to be sent to that country, you must make sure that the people's clothing and the horses' saddles and bridles are all the same. I can then go to receive my wife.' The king affirmed his request and ordered to arrange two hundred fifty mounted warriors on horseback in the front and another two hundred fifty mounted warriors on horseback in the back. The nephew was in the middle of [the entourage]. He mounted a horse and did not get off.

"The girl's father, [the king,] personally came out and observed the [company] again and again. The king rode among the warriors on horseback, personally captured the nephew, and came out. [He said to the nephew,] 'You did these evils. You used expedient means of [dividing the 153

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group] in the front and the back. It was impossible to arrest you!' [The nephew] bowed his head to the ground and replied, 'Indeed, you are right.' The king said, 'Your sagacity is matchless in the world. According to what you wish, I will match you with my daughter. [You two] can become a married couple.'"

The Buddha said to all bhikṣus, "If you wish to know, the nephew of that time was myself; the king of the foreign country was Śāriputra; the uncle was Devadatta of today; the girl's father king was Śuddhodana; the mother was Lady Māyā; the wife was Gopikā; and the son was Rāhula." When the Buddha said this, everyone rejoiced.

Moreover, the [Da] zhidu lun says:

Bodhisattvas ponder and meditate on the characteristics of emptiness and impermanence. Therefore, even if they have the exquisite five desires, they do not give rise to any defilement. For instance, it is just as the ranking official of a king conceals his sin in the mind, and other people do not know it. The king says, "Go get a [healthy] sheep without fat and bring it to me! If you do not obtain it I will punish you." The ranking official uses his wits: he ties up a big sheep and feeds it well with grass and grain. But three times a day he allows a wolf to threaten and frighten it, so even though the sheep is well-nourished and big, it has no fat. [The ranking official] then takes the sheep and gives it to the king. The king sends a man to butcher [the sheep], which is big but does not have fat. The king asks, "What did you do to obtain such [a sheep]?" The answer is what was described above. Bodhisattvas are also like this. They see the wolves of impermanence, suffering, and emptiness and the fat of all defilements is extinguished while the flesh of all merits grows big. Again, the Xianyu jing (T. 202) says:

At that time in Magadha there was a wealthy man of virtue, to whose wife a boy was born. The baby had complete features and was very lovable and respectable. On the day of his birth a golden elephant spontaneously appeared in the [family's] storehouse. [The baby's] parents were happy. Because of this good omen, a pseudonym was established [for the baby]; he was called Nāgapāla.

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As the boy gradually grew older, the elephant also grew. When the boy was able to walk, the elephant walked, too. [The elephant] was never separated from [the boy] whenever [the boy] went out, returned, advanced, or stopped. If [the boy] thought he did not need [the elephant], then [the elephant] stayed in [the storehouse]. Instead of urine and feces when the elephant relieved itself, there was only good-quality gold. For this reason the storehouse was filled with treasures. When Nāgapāla grew up, he always traveled to the east or to the west riding [the elephant], and the animal went slowly or swiftly according to [Nāgapāla's] wish. The elephant was in accordance with his feelings.

King Ajātaśatru heard [about the elephant] and asked [Nāgapāla] to show it. Nāgapāla and his father rode the elephant and arrived at the [palace] gate. The king allowed them to enter [the palace] riding the elephant. They dismounted from the elephant and paid their respects to the king. The king was greatly delighted. He ordered them to be seated, offered meals to them, and had a brief discussion with them. Shortly they said good-bye to the king and were about to leave. The king said to Nāgapāla, "I will keep the elephant here. Do not depart with it!" Nāgapāla sadly accepted [the king's] instruction with respect, left [the elephant], and walked out of the palace empty-handed. Not long after, the elephant submerged into the earth and it rose up again outside the [palace] gate. Nāgapāla took it back and then rode on it.

Nāgapāla worried about being killed by the king [for having taken the elephant]. So he joined the Buddha, renounced the world, and attained the path of arhatship. He always pondered on one thing (Skt. cetanā) together with other bhikṣus in a forest. The golden elephant was before his eyes all the time.

The people of Śrāvastī heard that there was a golden elephant and vied with one another to go see it. [Their gathering] was [extremely] noisy and unpeaceful. [The bhikṣus] were disturbed and stopped practicing the [Buddhist] Way. At that time all the bhikṣus expressed their thoughts to the Buddha. The Buddha said to Nāgapāla, "Because of this [elephant, the sangha] has become disrupted. Send it away, order it to leave!" [The elephant,] however, was unwilling to leave [Nāgapāla]. The Buddha again said [to Nāgapāla], "You must say to [the elephnant], 'I have already 155

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exhausted the fate allotted in my current life. I no longer need you.' If you repeat it three times in this way, the elephant will be extinguished." At that time Nāgapāla received [the Buddha's] instruction with respect and spoke to [the elephant]. At that moment the golden elephant entered into the earth.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, "Why does [Nāgapāla] obtain this reward? In the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, the human life span was twenty thousand years. After that buddha's nirvana, stupas were erected. Inside one of the stupas there was an image of the Bodhisattva who rode [an elephant] when he originally descended from Tuṣita Heaven to enter the womb [of Lady Māyā].143 At that time a small piece of the elephant's body came off. A person found the broken part and repaired it. Accordingly he made a vow, 'Please, in the future, may I have noble status and no financial deficiency!' That person died and was reborn in heaven. He completed his life in heaven and descended to be reborn in the world. He remained noble constantly. He had a golden elephant that followed, attended, and guarded him. The person who repaired [the image of] the elephant at that time was Nāgapāla of today. Since he repaired the elephant [image], he spontaneously receives this merit. According to his respectful mind he believes in the Three Revered Ones. Therefore, he has now encountered me and attained the [Buddhist] Way."

The Za baozang jing further says:

In former times King Milinda (Greek Menandros) was bright and erudite, skilled in everything. He claimed that in knowledge there was no match for him. A group of his vassals had no answer to this. On one occasion all the vassals addressed the king, "There is a bhikṣu called Nāgasena who is matchlessly bright. He now resides in the mountains." The king wished to test him and sent a messenger to offer a bottle of koumiss,144 filled to the brim. The king did this with the implication, "My wisdom is perfect. Who might be able to add more to it?" Nāgasena received the koumiss and immediately understood the [king's] intention. From his disciples he collected five hundred needles and thrust them into the koumiss, yet the koumiss still did not spill over the brim. Subsequently he sent it back to the king. On receiving it the king understood [Nāgasena's] 156

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intention. He quickly sent a messenger to invite Nāgasena, who came and was led into the palace. The king gave him coarse food. After having three or five spoonfuls of the food [Nāgasena] said that he was already sated. Later exquisite delicious food was given, and at that time he again ate. The king asked him, "Previously you said you were already sated. Why do you now eat again just as you did before?" Nāgasena replied, "Previously, I was full of coarse food but not yet sated with exquisite food." Then [Nāgasena,] facing the king, said, "You should now gather all the people in your hall and cause it to be filled." [The king] subsequently summoned people to gather in [the hall] until there was no more room left. The king arrived later and wished to enter the hall. Since all the people were afraid of him, they all completely prostrated from fear. The interior [of the hall] then became spacious and could hold many more people. At that time, Nāgasena said to the king, "Coarse food is just like these people and exquisite [delicious food] is just like you, the king. When the people see the king, who does not withdraw from his way?"

The king again asked, "Who attains the [Buddhist] Way, those who have renounced the world or those who remain householders?" Nāgasena answered, "Both attain the [Buddhist] Way." Again the king asked, "If both [householders and renunciants] can attain the [Buddhist] Way, why is it necessary to renounce the world?" Nāgasena replied, "For instance, it is just like traveling more than three thousand li from here. If you dispatch a healthy youth on a horse with provisions and a weapon in his hand, he can reach there promptly, can he not?" The king answered, "Yes, he can." [Nāgasena said,] "If you dispatch an old man on a [frail,] lean horse, moreover having no provisions, do you think he can reach there?" The king answered, "Even if he had provisions, I am afraid that he would still not reach there, not to mention having no provisions." Nāgasena responded to [the king], "Those who have renounced the world and attain the [Buddhist] Way can be compared to the healthy youth. Those who remain householders and attain the [Buddhist] Way are just like the old man." The king further asked, "As for the sun above us, its essence is singular. Why is it extremely hot in summer and tremendously cold in winter? In summer the daytime is long, but in winter it is short." Nāgasena replied, "On Mount Sumeru there are upper and lower paths. In the summer the 157

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume V sun goes on the upper path. It is a long road and the sun moves slowly, shining on the golden mountains. Therefore the daytime is long and has scorching heat. In winter the sun goes on the lower path. It is a short road and [the sun] moves swiftly, shining on the great sea. [Therefore, the daytime] is short and it is tremendously cold." Verses say:

Seclusion is a skillful change.

Making wholesomeness spreads in the unseen world. How great is the one of benevolence and intelligence! The policemen from the palace undergo a transition. The sheep grows big without becoming fat. Nāgapāla is accompanied by a heavenly being. Merit complies with what we receive. In the unseen fate we unite with [the Buddha's] faculty. Tranquility is deep silence.

Movement is brightness of the spirit. Everlastingly we are managed from a distance,145 Through the long ties full of earnest activity. No image is [found] when we return to the origin.146 The light is hidden and the shadow is gone. His hiding and revealing are unpredictable. Truth or falsity is difficult to know. Miracle Stories

(Thirteen stories are briefly cited.) [Liu Sahe, a Śramaṇa of the Western Jin Dynasty] During the Western Jin dynasty there was a shrine called the Shrine for Master Liu Sahe to the west of Anren Temple in a town of [current] Ci province. Formerly, in the final years of the Western Jin dynasty (265-316), this area was originally called Wencheng prefecture, [named for] a place where Lord Wen of Jin found a shelter. On the tableland to the southeast not far from [Ci] province lived a man called Sahe, whose family name was Liu. The shrine dedicated to him was magnificent and gorgeous. 158

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Sahe was no different from ordinary people [before he renounced the world]; he often thought of destruction of life and did not revere the [Buddhist] Dharma at all. Sahe died from an illness but he rose from the dead. He said, "I saw Avalokiteśvara in the netherworld, who said to me, 'Your sin is heavy. You must receive suffering [in hell]. I, however, think that your sin was caused by your ignorance. I will let you go for the time being and bring you back to life. The stupas of King Aśoka are located in Luoyang, Qicheng, Danyang, and Guiji. You may go and worship there. Then you will be absolved of your former sin.'" Sahe reformed his previous conduct after he revived. [According to] local custom the Buddha was not worshiped [in that place]. [Liu Sahe] heard that [the Buddha was worshiped] in a town [in Ci province] so he went there and asked questions in detail. He began to edify the people with expedient means and spread the benevolent way (i.e., Buddhism). The people of the Ji tribe [of that area] were especially upright and honest. They believed in what [Sahe] taught. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month a large number of people gathered on the tableland. Everyone brought wine and pastries as well as offerings of vegetarian food. From dawn till noon they drank as much as they could and had fun while offering the vegetarian food. At noon they stopped [drinking and amusing themselves], and in the afternoon they glorified the Buddha together and sang praises for the Three Treasures. Then they stayed until dawn of the next day. [Liu] Sahe subsequently renounced the world. His Dharma name is Huida. The common people looked up at him and respected him as if recollecting the Buddha. Moreover, Sahe performed miracles and the people's faith in him grew stronger. During the day he expounded for the people in a high stupa, and at night he entered a cocoon to conceal himself. He came out of the cocoon in the early morning. At first he did not fix his abode. Therefore the people called him Sage Suhe; the word suhe means "cocoon" in the Ji tribal language. He was called so because he spent the night in a cocoon. Due to this, today according to that local custom every village has a Buddhist temple with a standing figure of [Liu Sahe]. [His statue] is called the Buddha of the Tribal People's Teacher.

The statue presently worshiped in the shrine of Anren Temple is extremely dignified [in appearance]. Many local people offer prayers and vows to the statue. In the first month every year the statue is put on a palanquin and is 159

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carried on a tour from village to village. What village will be visited is determined by the will of the statue; it cannot be controlled by human effort. If the statue intends to go to a certain village, only two people can lift and carry it. If the mark on the statue's forehead is clear and its facial expression is peaceful and happy, few people in that village will die or decline in health for an entire year. [On the contrary,] if the statue does not want to go to another village it cannot be moved even by ten people. If the mark of its forehead shrivels and it has a sad and gloomy appearance, that village will certainly experience calamity in the coming year. Therefore even today people often consider [the reaction and appearance of the statue] to tell their fortune. The people also think that [Huida] is Avalokiteśvara, who temporarily transformed in order to edify them and who called himself Huida for that reason. A sutra [supposedly composed by Huida] is circulated among the common people. It was written entirely in a tribal language. If people read it, they spontaneously understand it. Therefore, in the lands of the eight provinces along the Yellow River, Ci, Xi, Lan, Shi, Dan, Yan, Sui, and Yin,147 there is no one who does not respectfully believe in the teaching. All the people perform the religious functions just as [Huida] explained. Even today, on each of these tablelands, an earthen stupa stands. A pole made out of cypress wood is affixed to the top [of the stupa] and a cocoon is connected to the pole. This is modeled after Huida's style of living. After propagating Buddhism in his home village, [Liu] Sahe traveled east to Danyang, where he worshiped many stupas. After that, he went west to [Mount] Yuyu in Fanhe county in Liang province, where he worshiped a [buddha] image that had appeared from the mountain. He continued traveling and passed away in the desert to the west of Jiuquan city in Su province. His remains are scant and look like sunflower seeds. There is a hole in the center of each bone, and they can be strung together [like beads]. So in local custom a person who has a disaster simply goes to the desert and looks for [one of the bones] and if he is able to find it his misfortune will end, but if he is not his fortune is lost. Someone once looked for [a bone] but could not find it. So he took a bone [from the left hand] of the Avalokiteśvara image. When night came, the bone [that he had taken] disappeared. When he looked for it the next morning, it had returned onto the hand of the [Avalokiteśvara] image. Due to this incident, the local people's esteem for the bones increased. 160

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[Beidu, a Śramaṇa of the Western Jin Dynasty]

The original domicile of the śramaṇa Beidu of the Western Jin dynasty is unknown. He came from Jizhou and was around seventy years old,but he did not reveal his family name. He did not ardently pursue [Buddhist] practice. and the people of that time did not yet value him. He once lodged at someone's house where there was a golden image. Beidu got up at daybreak and left with [the golden image]. The master of the house chased him, whipping his horse [to go faster], but even though Beidu went slowly, [the master] who rushed his horse could not catch up with him. [Beidu] came to the Mengjin River and crossed over it in a small cup. Accordingly, he was called Beidu ("Crossing Over in a Cup").

Later the people often saw him in Pengcheng. He was always [seen] on a road. No one knew where he lived. Shouldering a bamboo container, he went or stayed in accordance with his feeling. One early morning when [soft] snow congealed he pounded ice and washed and bathed himself. The color of his skin was luminous and he did not appear to be cold and miserable. During the Yixi era (405-418) he temporarily stayed in Guangling. Liu Fan of Peiguo, Regional Inspector [of Yanzhou], had previously heard [Beidu's] name. The Buddhist practitioner (i.e., Liu Fan) wished [to see him]. [Beidu] came still carrying the bamboo container on the shoulder. [Liu Fan] bade his people to lift up [the container], and though they tried repeatedly they were not successful. Fan personally got up to examine it. There was only a tattered Buddhist surplice [in the container]. When Beidu left there, he carried the bamboo container in his hand as if it were as light as swan's down. [Beidu] passed away during the Yongchu era (420-422).148 Kumārajīva heard that Beidu was in Pengcheng. He lamented, "I used to play with this youngster. It has been several hundreds of years since we parted from each other." At that time [the people] awoke to the fact that Kumārajīva was also a holy man.

[Zhu Fotudeng, a Śramaṇa of the Western Jin Dynasty]

Toward the end of the Western Jin dynasty was Zhu Fotudeng, a man from the Western Region (i.e., Central Asia). In appearance he seemed to be about a hundred years old. There was an opening on the left side of his torso, about four or five cun around. He filled it in with silk fabric. On the day of purification he went to the waterside and pulled his intestines and stomach out 161

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through the hole. After washing them, he put them back through the opening. At night he removed the silk fabric. Light [poured out of the opening] illuminating his room, and he read books. Even if he never understood thoroughly a multitude of books, when he debated and explained with various scholars he had no hindrance. So everyone held him in high esteem. During the Yongjia era (307-313) he traveled to Luo[yang], at the time Shi Le stationed troops in Hebei and menaced people by killing. Many monks and laymen were murdered. Fotudeng went to [Shi Le's] camp gate and foretold whether he would have good or back luck [in his battles]. Every time [Shi] Le saw [Fotudeng] he bowed to him. Fotudeng edified [Shi Le] and caused him to believe in the Buddhist [Dharma]. [Shi Le] lessened the cruelties and reduced punishments. Because of this, in the central district (i.e., present-day Hebei province) eighty or ninety percent of the people escaped from [being killed].

[Shi] Le and Liu Yao had a conflict and split from each other. Thereby [Shi Le] consulted with Fotudeng, who said, "You will capture him alive. What are you worried about?" Applying sesame oil on the palm of his hand, [Fotudeng] had [Shi Le] look at it. [In the oil Shi Le] saw that [Liu] Yao was arrested and his elbows were bound with a red rope. Later, as a matter of fact [Shi Le] captured [Liu Yao] in just the same way as what he had seen in the palm of [Zhu Fotudeng's] hand.

On the eighth day of the fourth month of the fourth year of the Jianping era (333) [Shi] Le went to a monastery and sprinkled hydrangea tea on the image of the infant Buddha [to celebrate the Buddha's birthday]. There was a breeze and a bell rang. Fotudeng looked at [the bell] and said to the those gathered, "Do you understand the sound of this bell? The bell says that there will be imperial mourning in the country by the end of this year." In the seventh month [Shi] Le died. Shi Hu [subsequently] ascended to the throne and served Master [Fotudeng] even more devotedly than [Shi] Le had done. [Fotudeng] made a tour to edify the people riding in the imperial carriage, and used [the carriage] even when he entered and came out of [the palace]. He had extremely numerous aspects of auspicious signs and [his responsiveness to people's] receptiveness have been left out and not explained. In the last year of [Shi] Hu's [reign] Fotudeng said to his disciples, "A misfortune is happening. The time has not matured yet. I will pass away." 162

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In the wushen year (348) the Crown Prince murdered his mother and brother. In a fury [Shi] Hu killed the Crown Prince as well as his wives and children. Next year [Shi] Hu died. Thereupon there was Ran Min's rebellion. [Zhu Fotudeng] was buried to the west of [the capital] Ye. Someone said that on the day Fotudeng died a merchant saw him in some quicksand. When [Shi] Hu opened [Fotudeng's] coffin he only found a robe and a bowl. When Fotudeng was in the Central Plains he met with unfortunate disorders, yet he was able to pass through smoothly and edify with benevolence. His virtue was of the highest. If he was not a Great Sage (i.e., a buddha), how could he relieve such distess? He built monasteries in more than nine hundred and eighty places altogether. [The number of] all the monks and laypeople who were delivered by [Fotudeng] was half of the population in the world! [Shi Daojin, a Śramaṇa of the Western Jin Dynasty]

In Ye during the Western Jin dynasty there was Fotudeng's disciple Daojin. He was versed in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist studies and was esteemed by Shi Hu. His talk once came to the issue of recluses. [Shi] Hu said to Daojin, "Yang Ke is one of my subjects. I have summoned him for more than ten years but he has never respected my orders. Therefore I went to inspect him and found him laying [on the bed] haughtily. Although I lack virtue, I reign over all nations. Wherever I go riding in the carriage, even heaven seethes and the earth is in an uproar. Even though I cannot cause lifeless things to kneel down, why is an ordinary man so arrogant toward me? Formerly my father went to Qi, where he killed the Chinese gentlemen first. Could my father's men of virtue and learning have been wrong?" Daojin responded to him, "In ancient times Shun considered Pu Yi, [who declined Shun's offer of the throne,] to be excellent; Yu came to Bocheng [Zigao, a marquis who left the government service when Shun abdicated the throne for Yu, to ask the reason for his resignation]; [Marquis Wen of] the state of Wei paid respects to [Duan] Ganmu over the horizontal front bar on his carriage; the Han dynasty praised Zhou Dang, [who cut off communication with the outside world at the time Wang Mang usurped the throne]; Guan Ning did not respond to [the offer from] the Cao [royal] family [of Wei of the Three Kingdoms]; and Huangfu [Fanghui] did not yield to the Jin dynasty. The Two Sages and the Four Men of Virtue all strengthened their principles. They only wished to harshly [criticize] avaricious competition and enhance pure customs. I 163

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hope you, Your Majesty, follow the virtue of Shun and Yu and do not imitate your father in torturing. Your deportment is certainly recorded. How could you cause the history of [your state,] the Later Zhao, to include no biography of recluses in the consequence?" [Shi] Hu was happy with these words. He then sent [Yang] Ke back to the place where he had resided and selected ten households to supply to [Yang Ke].

Daojin returned and fully explained [matters] to Fotudeng. Fotudeng gazed at him and said with a smile, "Your words are good, but [Yang] Ke's life is still at risk."

Later in Qinzhou there was a war. [Yang] Ke's disciples put Ke on the back of a cow and they fled to the west. The military chased and captured them, and at that time they killed them.

[Shi] Hu once took a nap and dreamed that a flock of sheep came from the northeast carrying fishes on their backs. He woke up and visited Fotudeng. Fotudeng said, "This is inauspicious! Will the Xianbei tribe control the Central Plains?" As a matter of fact, the Murong family [of the Xianbei tribe] later occupied that region.

[Shi Tanshi, a Śramaṇa of the Song Dynasty]

In Chang'an during the periods of the Song dynasty and the unjustified Wei dynasty there was Shi Tanshi, a man of Guanzhong (in present-day Shaanxi province). After renouncing the world he had many extraordinary traces. At the end of the Taiyuan era (396) of Emperor Xiaowu of the [Eastern] Jin dynasty, he went to Liaodong bringing several tens of volumes of sutras and vinayas, and he propagated the [Buddhist] edification, clearly taught the three vehicles, and established the law of precepts in order to refuge in the Three Treasures. Probably this is the time when Koguryo first heard of the [Buddhist] Way. In the beginning of the Yixi era (405) [Shi Tanshi] returned to Guanzhong and illuminated the Three Guardians.

Tanshi's feet were whiter than his face. Even if he waded in a muddy pool with bare feet, he was never covered with mud. All the people in the world called him the upādhyāya White Feet.

At that time Wang Hu, a man of Chang'an, suddenly saw his paternal uncle who had died several years ago, who returned to Hu in his [original] form. Leading Hu, [the uncle] traveled throughout the hells and showed [Hu] 164

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the various forms of retribution. When Hu returned home, the uncle said to [Wang] Hu, "You already know about the law of cause and effect. You must serve in White Feet's monastery." Hu visited sanghas throughout the land [looking for the one called White Feet] and saw only Tanshi's feet were whiter than his face. Accordingly he served [Tanshi].

At the end of the [Eastern] Jin dynasty Helian Bobo of the Xiongnu from the northern region expressed an exclamation for [Tanshi]. At the same time he released śramaṇas; none were killed. Tanshi thereafter slipped away into the hills and valleys, where he cultivated dhūta practices. Later, Tuoba Tao gained Chang'an again and monopolized power in the Guanzhong and Luoyang areas.

On that occasion Cui Hao from Boling, who had learned a heresy when he was young, was suspicious and jealous of Śākyamuni's teaching. He already held the unjustified rank of Bulwark and was relied upon and trusted by [Tuoba] Tao. Moreover, together with Celestial Master Kou, he said to [Tuoba] Tao that Buddhist education did not serve any purpose and was harmful to the people's well-being. They persuaded [Tuoba Tao] to persecute [Buddhism]. Tao was totally deluded by their words. In the seventh year of the Taiping era according to the unjustified dating (415), they consequently destroyed the Buddhist Dharma. Military soldiers were separately dispatched to burn and plunder monastery buildings. All the monks and nuns within the land governed by [Tuoba Tao] were ordered to abandon the [Buddhist] Way. If any of them fled or hid themselves, in every case [Tao's] men were dispatched to pursue them and arrest them. If they were caught they were decapitated without fail. No śramaṇas could be found in [Tao's] territory anymore. Tanshi confined himself in a deep, dark place that the soldiers could not reach. At the end of the Taiping era (430) Tanshi knew that the time to edify [Tuoba] Tao was approaching. On New Year's Day of the Chinese lunar calendar, during the court ceremony, [Tanshi] suddenly arrived at the palace gate carrying a staff with metal rings attached to the top. An official's report to [Tuoba Tao] said, "There is a Buddhist monk whose feet are whiter than his face. He has entered through the gate." Tao, according to military law, ordered [his men] to behead [the monk] repeatedly but [the monk] was not injured. [The monk] suddenly spoke to Tao and Tao, furious at him, personally 165

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slashed him with his sword, yet [the monk's] body was unharmed. Only at the place where the sword touched his body there was a mark just like a line on textiles. At that time in the north garden there were tigers that had been raised in a cage. Tao ordered his people to feed Tanshi to them. All the tigers hid themselves and dared not approach [Tanshi] at all. When [Tao] tried to bring Celestial Master [Kou] near [the cage] the tigers roared. Tao, for the first time, knew the nobility and loftiness of the Buddhist edification, which the teaching of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi cannot match. Accordingly [Tao] invited Tanshi to the palace, worshiped him by bowing his head to [Tanshi's] feet, and repented of his lapse from faith [in the Buddhist Dharma]. Tanshi expounded the Dharma for [Tao] and clearly spoke of the law of cause and effect. Tao became aware of great shame and fear and thereafter fell ill in an epidemic. Subsequently both Cui [Hao] and [Celestial Master] Kou came down with malignant diseases. Since the fault derived from them, Tao thereupon punished and killed [all the members of] these two families; their entire clans were completely annihilated. [Tao] made a declaration throughout the country and restored the right teaching. Soon [after this] Tao died. His grandson Jun succeeded to the throne and then greatly propagated the Buddhist Dharma, which has flourished up to the present day. It is unknown where Tanshi later died.

[Shi Falang, a Śramaṇa of the Song Dynasty]

In Gaochang (in present-day Turfan) during the Song dynasty was Shi Falang, a man of Goachang. He performed [cultivation] intensively and diligently in his childhood and often received various omens and auspicious signs. He concealed his ability and cultivated virtue. No one was able to determine on what he relied [for his cultivation].

Falang's teacher, Shi Fajin, was also a śramaṇa of noble conduct. Once when Fajin closed the door to sit alone, he unexpectedly saw Falang before him. He asked [Falang], "Where did you come from?" [Falang] replied, "I came in through the door lock." He continued, "I came together with a monk who has come from a distance. It is already about noon. I hope you will provide a meal for us." Fajin immediately arranged a meal for them. [Fajin] heard only the sounds of spoons and bowls and did not see the men, somewhat to his surprise.

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Formerly, Huiyuan of Mount Lu sent a kaṣāya [robe] to Fajin on one occasion. Fajin considered it to be a donation [to the sangha]. Falang said, "The sangha has already gone. You must accept it on some other day." Later [Falang] saw that the one who did the cooking went to Fajin and took the robe, and Fajin gave it to him. [Falang] inquired of those who always handled the cooking [about taking the robe from Fajin]. They all said they had not taken it. He just then knew that the [kaṣāya] had been taken by the incarnate form of a former sage.

When the Wei savages destroyed the Buddhist Dharma, Falang went to Kucha in the west. The king of Kucha formed an agreement with the great meditation master of his country [and said], "If one who has attained the [Buddhist] Way comes here, he must preach for me. I will surely make an offering to him." When Falang arrived, [the great meditation master] reported it to the king. The king treated [Falang] with the courtesy worthy of a sage. [Falang] later died in Kucha. On the day he was cremated, a spring gushed out from his both shoulders and shot straight up into the sky. The people sighed in wonderment at the uncommon occurrence, collected his bones, and erected a stupa. Later the people of the Western Region came to this land and fully conveyed this matter.

[Shi Shaoshi, a Śramaṇa of the Song Dynasty]

At Tongyun Monastery on Mount Min in the Song dynasty was a śramaṇa called Shaoshi. Originally his family name was Shao and his first name was Shi. He was a man from Shikang. He appeared to be mentally deranged, but he deeply respected the Buddhist Dharma.

In the early Song dynasty (420-479),149 he renounced the world and entered the [Buddhist] Way. He called himself Lord Shi. Day and night he went in and out, or going and returning. If he went to someone's house and slept on the ground, a death would occur in that house. If he came to a person and begged for a mat, there would certainly be the death of an infant [in that person's house]. All the people of the time took these as omens. On the eighth day of the fourth month there was the Buddhist ceremony in Chengdu. Shi transfomed into the form of a lion and prowled among the crowd. On that day [the people of] Pi county also saw Shi transform into a lion.150 In other words, the people realized that [Shi] manifested himself in 167

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two different places at the same time. Regional Inspectors Xiao Huikai and Liu Mengming and others all deferred to and served him. At a later time, one morning suddenly [Shi] put on a cloth cap and visited [Liu] Mengming. Awhile after this Mengming died. Prior to this Mengming's adjutant, Shen Zhongyu, had changed the rules on flogging with a whip and exercised strict control on daily rules. Shi said to Zhongyu, "Grievous crying of the world arises from here! If you do away with the rule of flogging with a whip, you will be able to become Regional Inspector." Zhongyu trusted in his words and removed [the rule]. When Mengming died, as a matter of fact Zhongyu exercised authority over provincial affairs.

On the first day of the ninth month of the first year of the Yuanhui era (473) in the Song dynasty [Shi] died at Tongyun Monastery on Mount Min.151 At the moment of his death he spoke to a monk called Fajin, "You should take my corpse outside and quickly put my shoes on my feet." [Fajin] complied with [his request] and his corpse was taken out and placed in the monastery. A couple of days later, [the corpse] could not be found anywhere. Suddenly a person came from Pi county, saw Fajin, and said, "Yesterday I saw Lord Shi in the city. He had a shoe only on one foot. He said ramblingly, 'I have nothing proper. I have lost one of my shoes.'" Fajin was surprised by this so he checked with a novice, who answered, "Recently when the corpse was put out, I was frightened and could not get one shoe onto his right foot aptly, and then I lost it." [Shi's] conduct was odd and could not be fathomed. It is unknown where he ended up after that. [Shi Huian, a Śramaṇa of the Song Dynasty]

At Pipa Monastery in Jiangling during the Song dynasty was Shi Huian, whose original domicile is unknown. He renounced the world at the age of eighteen and stayed in Pipa Monastery. His style and features were common, and he was slighted somewhat by others. When he was a novice, in the presence of numerous monks he was made to purify his body with water. Huian held up an empty bottle from which water fell down ceaselessly. At that time everyone considered him to be extraordinary.

After he received the full set of [two hundred and fifty] precepts, he gradually manifested mysterious trances. One time, in the evening of the last day of the month, together with his fellow student Huiji [Huian] ascended the hall to join 168

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a semimonthly assembly (Skt. upavasatha). Before the door of the hall opened, Huian interlaced his fingers with [Huiji's] and together they passed into the hall through a crevice in the wall. He did the same when they went out. Huiji was very frightened and dared not speak. Later [Huian] went to the area under a stupa along with Huiji and then he said to Huiji, "I must go far away. I will now part from you." Soon [Huiji] saw heavenly musicians and fragrant flowers spread out throughout the air, and he was merely afraid and could not speak at all. Huian again said, "Be careful! Do not speak recklessly of the vestiges I have shown in sequence. If you speak of this you will surely be punished. The only [exception] is a layman in the southwest. He is a bodhisattva who has newly awakened the aspiration [for enlightenment]. You can speak to him [of these things] in detail for my sake." Thereupon [Huian] departed. [Huian] then traveled on the Xiang River [in a ship] in a company of merchants. Midway he had diarrhea, which was extremely serious. He said to the shipowner, "My life must come to an end. Just take me off [the ship] and leave me on the shore. I do not need a wooden container (i.e., coffin). After my breath is exhausted, I will give [my body] to the insects and birds." In accordance with his [last] wish the merchants took him out and laid him on the shore. At night they saw flames come out of his body. The merchants felt that this was strange and dreadful. They went to see and [found that Huian's] breath was already exhausted. The merchants then traveled on to Xiangdong [county], where they saw Huian who had already arrived there before them. Suddenly [he disappeared and] his whereabouts were once again unknown. Huiji later came to Zhiqi Monastery. He visited Liu Qiu, a recluse of Nanyang, and talked about the events [he had witnessed with Huian] in detail. Qiu promptly stood up and bowed to [Huian] from a distance. [Qiu] said to Huiji, "This is one who attained enlightenment and entered the light-of-fire samādhi (Skt. ekajvālībhūto dhyāyati)."

[Gao Yang, Emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty]

The emperor of the [Northern] Qi dynasty, whose posthumous name is Yang, was the second son of Gao Huan, Counselor-in-Chief of the Northern Wei dynasty. Cheng, his brother born from [Gao Huan's] legal wife, was hot-tempered and was killed by his servant. Yang succeeded to his position and became Counselor-in-Chief in his place. The Wei dynasty's power was 169

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coming to an end. Yang built an altar in the southern suburb. Using divination by means of stalks of milfoil, [Yang] saw signs of great violence, excellent luck, and the Chinese character han (the Chinese people). Therefore, he erected a gold statue. Once it was drawn [the statue] was accomplished. Wei Shou composed a letter of abdication, which the emperor of the [Eastern] Wei dynasty signed. Accordingly, [Yang] took over the throne abdicated [by the emperor] and started the great Qi dynasty.

Generally in what [Yang] performed it is not determined whether he was ignorant or intelligent. He left political affairs to Chief Administrator Yang Zunyan. The emperor built many Buddhist monasteries. Monks and nuns overflowed throughout the provinces. In winter and summer he made offerings and donations and practiced the [Buddhist] Way ceaselessly. One time the meditation master Sengchou admonished the emperor, "My donor, you are ruled over by rākṣasas. See by yourself on the surface of the water." The emperor followed his admonition and [looking at his reflection in the water] he saw a crowd of rākṣasas just behind him. Consequently, he did not eat meat, banned hunting using hawks, and ceased government-managed fishing and butchering. Strong-smelling foods and spices were completely disposed of and could not be brought into a market.

The emperor often sat in meditation and did not come out all day long. He worshiped the Buddha and circumambulated [the image of the Buddha] as swiftly as wind blows. He received the precepts from Great Superintendent Fashang at Zhaoxuan Monastery. His face covered the earth, and he allowed his superiors to step on his hair when he received the precepts. Prior to this the emperor was in Jinyang. He had his man mount a camel and ordered, "Go to a monastery and take a container of sutras!" The messenger asked where the monastery was. The emperor said, "Just go out of the city, leave everything to the camel!"

As soon as [the messenger] went out, he arrived at a mountain just as if he was dreaming. Midway up the side of the mountain was a Buddhist monastery. A crowd of novices said from the distance, "Gao Yang's camel is coming!" They then guided [the messenger] and introduced him to an elderly monk. [The messenger] paid respects to [the monk]. [The monk] asked, "What do you think about Gao Yang as emperor?" [The messenger] said, "He is capable and virtuous [for the throne]." [The monk] asked, "Why 170

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are you here?" [The messenger] said, "To take a container of sutras." The monk said, "Yang stayed in a monastery and yet he was negligent in reading sutras. Have him go to the eastern part of the north ward where we will give them to him!"

The messenger returned and reported this to [the emperor]. The emperor first went to the Buddhist monastery of Mujing in Gukou (in present-day Shaanxi province). There was a fool who had given himself to the monastery. He did not understand language, but he abruptly said to the emperor, "I will be leaving. Come afterward!" That night the fool died. The emperor subsequently passed away in Jinyang. [Shi Senghui, a Śramaṇa of the Qi Dynasty]

In Jingzhou (in present-day Hubei province) during the Qi dynasty was Shi Senghui. His secular family name was Liu but his original domicile is unknown. He resided in Jingzhou for several decades. When Liu Qiu (438-495) of Nanyang (in present-day Henan province) built Zhiqi Temple,152 he invited [Senghui] to reside there.153

When the people of that time saw [Senghui], he was already fifty or sixty years old, but he did not appear to have grown older in the long run. His behavior tended to be thoughtless, and he had no dignity in his demeanor. When he went to the house of an ill person, if he was displeased the ill person assuredly died; if he was joyful, then the ill person certainly recovered his health. At that time all the people considered this (i.e., his mood) to omen [the fate of an ill person]. Generally, regarding even those with whom he had no acquaintance, he completely knew their relatives and could relate who were alive and who were dead.

Senghui once came to the Yangzi River area and asked the officer of a ferry to take him across the river. The officer, however, said coercively, "Since the boat is small, you cannot cross this time." In an instant Senghui could already be seen on the shore of the other side of the river. All the people [on both shores] marveled at the miracle.

Zhen Tian of Zhongshan (in present-day Guangdong province) and Che Tan of Nanping (in present-day Fujian province) invited Senghui on the same day. Senghui went to both places. Later, both families investigated and then learned that [Senghui] had manifested himself in two different bodies. 171

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During the time of the Yongming era (483-493) of the Qi dynasty, Crown Prince Wenhui (458-493) was traveling to the capital [from his post in Xizhou] and dropped in for a visit with Baozhi. Baozhi, patting the prince's back, said, "A red dragon!" and said nothing else.

Later, Senghui returned to Jingzhou. He came across Liu Jingrui, Administrator of Zhenxi. [Senghui] abruptly began to weep bitterly and clung to [Jingrui]. Several days later Jingrui, as [Senghui] had feared, was killed by the Regional Chief. Later, when [Senghui] went to Chengnan in Xiangzhou, he suddenly said, "Stone tablets are buried in the earth here." People cautiously dug in the area and found two stone tablets, just as [Senghui] had said. It is unknown where he later died. Some people say that he died at Changsha Temple in Jiangling (in present-day Hubei province) during the Yongyuan era (499-501).

[Shi Baozhi, a Śramaṇa of the Liang Dynasty]

In the capital city of the Liang dynasty there was Shi Baozhi, whose original family name was Zhu. He was a man from Jincheng (in present-day Shaanxi province). He renounced the world when he was young and stayed at Daolin Temple in the capital city. He studied [Buddhism] under the śramaṇa Sengjian as his upādhyāya and learned meditation practices. At the beginning of the Taishi era (465-471) of the Song dynasty [Baozhi] suddenly adopted an unusual lifestyle: he had no fixed adobe and no regular times for drinking and eating, he let his hair grow to several cun [without care], he always walked around on streets and lanes barefooted, and he carried a monk's walking stick, on top of which were suspended a pair of scissors and a mirror and sometimes one or two rolls of silk fabric. During the Jianyuan era of the Qi dynasty (479-482) his strange behavior eventually became remarkable. He would not eat for several days and yet he did not look as if he were starving. What he talked about with other people seemed difficult to understand in the beginning but later [all his words] proved true. Sometimes he composed poems, which were just like prophecies. The common people of the capital city all served him.

Emperor Wu of the Qi dynasty (r. 482-493) thought that Baozhi misled people, and confined him in Jiankang prison. The next morning the people saw [Baozhi] going into a marketplace. When they went back to the prison 172

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to investigate [they found] Baozhi still confined there. Baozhi said to a warden, "A couple of carriages' worth of food for me will be delivered outside the gate. There will be cooked rice filled in a golden bowl. You can go and accept it for me." Later, Wenhui, Crown Prince of the Qi dynasty, and Ziliang (460?-494), the king of Jingling, both sent gifts of food to Baozhi. [The delivery situation] was just as what he had described. The Director of Jiankang Lü Wenxian reported this event to Emperor Wu. The emperor immediately invited [Baozhi] [to the palace] to reside in an inner hall. Once after a palace banquet was dismissed, Baozhi left [the palace], following the other people. Not long afterward a person called Baozhi together with seven monks was residing on Mount Jingyang. The emperor was angry and sent his men to investigate why [Baozhi] had departed. The doorkeeper explained, "Baozhi went out a long time ago and has not returned. [When he went out] he must have painted his body with black ink [as a disguise]." Archbishop Faxian once intended to send a garment to Baozhi and dispatched messengers to the two temples, Longguang and Jibin, in search of him. Monks in both temples said, "He stayed here last night but left this morning." [The messengers] further went to a place where [Baozhi] often visited, the house of Guang Houbo, to look for him. [Hou]bo said, "Baozhi was here yesterday and circumambulated a buddha image chanting a sutra. He went to bed at dawn and he has not yet woken up." The messengers returned and reported this to Faxian. It was then known that [Baozhi] had manifested himself in [three different] bodies and stayed in three different places. Baozhi frequently walked with one shoulder bared even in the dead of winter. The śramaṇa Baoliang (444-509) wished to send a monk's robe to [Baozhi]. Even though Baoliang had not spoken of it to [Baozhi], Baozhi suddenly came, pulled out the robe, and left. Moreover, he went to ask a person for chopped fresh fish. The person provided it for [Baozhi] completely, and Baozhi ate to the full then left. After [Baozhi] had departed, the person saw in the basin the fish [that he had chopped for Baozhi] alive and swimming as it had been before.

Later, Baozhi let Emperor Wu use his supernatural power to see Emperor Gao (i.e., the emperor's father) in his grave. [Emperor Gao] was continuously tormented by the suffering of being pierced with an awl. From that time on, Emperor Wu never again used an awl.

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When Hu Xie, Chamberlain for the Palace Garrison of the Qi dynasty, fell ill, Baozhi was asked [to cure him]. Baozhi sent a note, reading, "Hu will bend down tomorrow," and rather unexpectedly he did not visit the next day. On that day Xie passed away, and his body was carried back to his home. Baozhi said, "My statement, 'Hu will bend down tomorrow,' meant 'tomorrow a corpse will come out [to return home].'"154

Yin Qizhi, Defender-in-Chief of the Qi dynasty, was attending Chen Xianda [who was appointed] to the garrison at Jiangzhou, so he came to Baozhi to say goodbye. Baozhi drew a tree on some paper. On the tree he added a crow and said, "In an emergency you should climb up on this." Later, Xianda rebelled and kept Qizhi in the garrison at Jiangzhou. When [Xianda] was defeated, Qizhi deserted and went to Mount Lu. Men on horseback were chasing [Qizhi] and coming close when he found a tree in a forest, and there was a crow on the top of the tree, just as Baozhi had drawn. [Qizhi] took the hint and climbed up the tree. The crow unexpectedly did not fly away. The pursuers saw the crow, thought no one was there, and the soldiers turned back. Thus [Qizhi] escaped from the difficulty.

Sang Yan, Commandant of Garrison Cavalry of the Qi dynasty, intended to rebel and went to visit Baozhi. When Baozhi saw [Sang Yan] from afar, he ran out and shouted, "He will surround the imperial palace, intending to rebel. He will be beheaded and disemboweled." Ten days later the incident happened. Yan had staged a revolt and headed toward Zhufang (in presentday Jiangsu province), but he was apprehended by some people, beheaded, and disemboweled, just as [Baozhi had described].

[Hui,] the Zhonglie king in Poyang during the Liang dynasty, once courteously asked Baozhi to come visit. As soon as they met, Baozhi abruptly ordered [Hui] to quickly look for a bramble (jing). After [Baozhi] obtained it, he placed it on a gate. No one could understand the reason for this. Shortly after, the king was transferred to Jingzhou to serve as Regional Chief. There are numerous examples of [Baozhi's] foresight like this. Baozhi often came and went between Xinghuang Temple and Jingming Temple. After the reigning emperor (i.e., Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty) ascended the throne, [these two temples] were greatly esteemed. During the previous Qi dynasty many temples had forbidden Baozhi to enter. When the reigning Emperor [Wu] succeeded to the throne, he issued an imperial decree 174

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stating, "Lord Baozhi's daily life is detained in the world of dust and dirt, but his spirit wanders about in the profound and tranquil state. Water cannot wet him and fire cannot scorch him. Not even a snake or tiger can attack and frighten him. Regarding his understanding of the Buddhist doctrines, he is above a śrāvaka. As for reclusion, he is the same as an immortal who lives incognito or a person of noble character. How could worldly people vainly detain and control him out of ordinary feelings? Why has the meanness and indiscretion [of the Qi dynasty's policy regarding him] come to this? From now on [Baozhi] is to be allowed to go in and out [of these temples] as he likes. He cannot be forbidden to do so." Thereafter, Baozhi frequently went in and out of the royal residence [according to his wishes]. There was a drought in the winter of the fifth year of the Tianjian era (506) and a sacrificial worship rite had been wholeheartedly performed, but it still did not bring rain. Baozhi suddenly submitted a report to the authorities, saying, "I am ill and unable to recover. The government officials beg me to regulate [the drought]. If I do not accept [this task], officials of all ranks and descriptions will be flogged with whips or canes. I wish that the Śrīmālādevī siṃhanāda-sūtra will be presented in a lecture at Huaguang Sanctuary in order to pray for rain." The emperor immediately ordered the śramaṇa Fayun (467-529) to conduct a lecture on the Śrīmālādevī-siṃhanāda-sūtra. The night after the lecture was completed it snowed heavily. Baozhi said again, "The basin needs [to be filled with] water. Lay a knife over it." Suddenly it rained heavily, and all the high and low lands benefited from this. The emperor once asked Baozhi, "I have not yet been able to remove defilements. How can I harness them?" [Baozhi] replied [with only one word], "Twelve." Intelligent people thought that he meant that the twelve causations are the medicine for curing defilements. Again [the emperor] asked about the meaning of "twelve." [Baozhi] answered, "It is written in a water clock that ticks away the time." Intelligent people thought that this meant that it is written in the twelve hours [of each day and night]. Furthermore [the emperor] asked, "When will I be able to peacefully learn and practice [the Buddhist Way]?" [Baozhi] replied, "Peace and happiness become cessation." Intelligent people understood that "cessation" means coming to rest; when the emperor reaches the world of peace and happiness, he will simply rest in [the Buddhist Way].

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Later Fayun lectured on the Lotus Sutra at Hualin Hall. When he came to the phrase, "Even if an evil wind blows [against the boat],"155 Baozhi suddenly asked whether or not there was wind. [Fayun] replied, "In reality in the worldly sense, there is; but in ultimate reality there is not." Baozhi exchanged questions and answers [with Fayun] three or four times, and then he said, smiling, "If the real thing is not real existence, this is beyond comprehension and difficult to understand." The intention of his expressions was obscure. All examples of his expressions are like this. A man called Chen Zhenglu along with his entire family very sincerely served Baozhi. Once Baozhi manifested his real form for them, and his bright countenance was just like that of a bodhisattva image. Baozhi was well known for revealing wonders for more than forty years. Those, both men and women, who respectfully served him were countless.

In the winter of the thirteenth year of the Tianjian era (514) [Baozhi] said to someone in the rear hall of the imperial palace, "A bodhisattva is leaving." Less than ten days later he passed away without having become ill. His body was fragrant and pliable, and his appearance was peaceful and happy. Just at the moment of his death he lit a candle and gave it to Wu Qing, Houseman of the Rear Cabin. Qing immediately reported this to the emperor, who lamented, "The Great Master will no longer stay [in this world]. Regarding the candle, he meant to entrust me with future affairs." Accordingly, [Baozhi's body] was courteously carried to the grave and buried in the Dulong mound on Mount Zhong. Kaishan Monastery was subsequently built around his grave. An imperial decree was issued for Lu Chui (470-526) to make an epigraph in the graveyard and for Wang Yun to engrave an inscription on a tablet of the temple gate. [Baozhi's] image was transmitted and exists in various places. In the beginning when Baozhi began to reveal his deeds, he was around fifty or sixty years old, but he did not appear to age right to the end. So his age could not be definitively determined. A man called Xu Jiedao, who resided [north of Jiuritai] in the capital city, personally said, "I am the younger brother of Baozhi's wife's father and four years younger than Baozhi." Counting Baozhi's age at death [from Jiedao's statement], [Baozhi] would have been ninety-seven years old.

(This story is found in the Gaoseng zhuan compiled in the Liang dynasty [Liang Gaoseng zhuan].)

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[Xu Guang, a Layman of Wu Kingdom]

Xu Guang lived in the Wu [kingdom of the Three Kingdoms] (222-280). He often practiced sorcery. In the city he planted melons, dates, mandarin oranges, and a chestnut tree, [which grew instantly]. He promptly harvested [the fruit] and ate it. The trade of the fruit vendors in the shops diminished [in the proportion to what Xu Guang expended]. Generally it is said that he produced effects of floods and droughts.

He frequently passed by the gate of Great General Sun Lin. Lifting his lower garments he passed by quickly, spitting left and right. Someone asked him why he did this and he replied, "Bloodshed covers the road. It smells of blood. I cannot stand it!" [Sun] Lin heard this and killed [Xu Guang] by beheading him, but there was no blood. When Lin dethroned a youthful ruler and placed Emperor Jing [on the throne], he led his people to pay respects to Jiangling (i.e., the mausoleum of the founder of Wu kingdom in present-day Jiangsu province). There was a great violent wind and something like a granary fell down from the sky onto Lin's carriage, which collapsed and broke. [Lin] turned his head and saw Xu Guang [sitting] in a pine tree, clapping his hands, waving his fingers, and chuckling sneeringly at him. Lin asked his aides but no one else saw [Xu Guang]. Lin loathed this. Emperor Jing abruptly put him to death. All four [of Sun Lin's] brothers were massacred in one day. (This is found in the Yuanhunzhi [Records of Resentful Spirits of Those Who Died Unreasonably]).

[The Soushen ji (Records of Inquiries of the

Spirits), Miscellaneous Legends, and Records

Such as Those of the Earth Transcendents]

Regarding Laozi during the time of the Zhou dynasty, his family name is Li, first name Dan, and pseudonym Boyang. He was a man from the Quren community of Lai village in Ku county, Chu state.156 His mother was moved at the sight of a shooting star and became pregnant. Even though he received the energy (qi) from heaven (i.e., he was a Son of Heaven), he was born to the Li family, and therefore he took Li as his family name. Some say that Laozi was born before the Creation. Another opinion is that he is a heavenly spirit or a sort of sprite. Or, according to another account, his mother conceived and carried him for seventy years before he 177

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was born; at his birth he cut his mother's left armpit to come out, and since he was born with gray hair, he was called Laozi (i.e., "Old Boy"). Another version says that his mother had no husband and the name Laozi is her family name. Or Laozi's mother happened to arrive under a plum (li) tree and then gave birth to Laozi. Right after his birth, Laozi said, pointing the tree, "I will take this as my family name." Some say that Laozi intended to go west out across the frontier pass157 and that Yin Xi, Director of the pass, knew that [Laozi] was extraordinary. [Xi] tried to become his disciple and asked [Laozi] the art of the [Daoist] Way. Laozi was surprised at this and lolled out his tongue; consequently, he was called Lao (i.e., "old") Dan (i.e., "to loll"). These are all wrong.

According to the Jiubian (Nine Changes) and the Xiansheng Shierhua jing (Scripture of Sir Laozi's Twelve Transformations), Laozi assuredly used the name Dan before he traveled through the pass. Laozi frequently changed his first name and pseudonym. It is simply not the case that he used only Dan. According to the Jiugong (Nine Palaces), the Sanwu jing (Scripture of Three-Five), and the Yuanchen jing (Scripture of the First Day of the Year), the reason for this is that there are unlucky times in one's life, and when such a bad time comes, if a person adapts to the changes of the energy [of Nature] by changing his first name and pseudonym, then he can prolong his life span and avoid misfortunes. Nowadays those who attain the Way in the world do so in the same way. Laozi lived in the Zhou dynasty for more than two hundred years, during which time he certainly repeatedly met with misfortune. Therefore, he had numerous first names and pseudonyms. Pengzu during the time of the Yin dynasty has the posthumous name Keng. He is the great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhuanxu. At the end of the Yin dynasty he was already seven hundred and sixty-seven years old, yet he was not infirm with age. He was fond of peace and quiet from his early days, had little interest in worldly affairs, did not seek fame, and did not adorn himself with a chariot and [fine] clothes. He only considered it his duty to preserve his health and regulate himself. The king heard about him and made him Grand Master in honor of his long life, but [Pengzu] led a quiet life, and often on the pretext of illness he did not participate in state affairs. [Pengzu] was skilled in the art of nourishing energy and guiding the breath, and took [medicines such as] cinnamon water, powdered mica, and powdered 178

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deer horn. He always looked young. He held his breath and practiced abdominal respiration. From dawn to noon he sat upright. He rubbed his eyes, scoured his body, moistened his lips, swallowed saliva, practiced breath control several tens of times, and then began his daily actions. Sometimes when he felt tired or uneasy in his body, he performed the practice of guiding the breath into the body and holding it (i.e., breathing deeply) in order to cure the affected part. [Consequently,] [he cultivated] sensitivity throughout the body; he caused [sensitivity] to work in the head, the bodily orifices, the five viscera, the four limbs, and even the hair. He performed this practice from the nose and mouth to the tips of the ten fingers until he felt that breath entirely filled his body. The king personally visited and asked him for instructions but he would not tell anything. [The king] sent presents of curios as valuable as several tens of thousands of catties of gold altogether. Pengzu received all of them and then gave them to the poor; he kept nothing at all. Furthermore, there was [a female transcendent called] Cainü who also attained the Way when she was young and who knew the method to nourish life. She was two hundred and seven years old, but she looked like she was only fifteen or sixteen years old. The king respectfully served her; he built a splendid building decorated with gold and gems for her in the side quarters of the palace. Moreover, he requested Cainü to ride in a light carriage as an imperial emissary and go to Pengzu to ask him about the Way. Cainü fully received [from Pengzu] all important methods and instructed the king in them. The king tried them and they had effect. He then intended to kill [Pengzu in order to monopolize the methods]. Pengzu knew of this and he left [China] and disappeared. More than seventy years later, there was report that someone saw [Pengzu] in the west in the desert.158

The king was not always able to practice Pengzu's Way, but he still attained a long life of a hundred and three years. He was full of energy, and in appearance he looked like he was around fifty years old. He later indulged in lewdness with a woman from the Yun area (in present-day Hubei province). [Consequently] he lost the Way and died. The common saying, "Pengzu's Way was not taught to the people," came about because the king prohibited his teaching. In the time of the Yin dynasty when Pengzu left [China], he was seven hundred years old; his life span did not come to an end. (The two stories above are found in the Shenxian zhuan [Biographies of Divine Transcendents].)

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During the Han dynasty, there was a hole of unlnown depth in the suburb of Luoyang. A woman who wished to kill her husband said to him, "I have not yet seen that hole." The husband personally took her to see it, and the wife pushed him into it. After [falling] for awhile he reached the bottom of the hole. Afterward the woman threw food [into the hole] as if making offerings to him. At the very moment [this happened her husband] was passed out due to the shock of the fall, but he soon recovered consciousness. He found the food, and having eaten it his spirits lifted a little. He walked at a leisurely pace looking for a way out and found a cave. He crept into it and advanced several tens of li, bumping against rock and twisting his body [to get through the passage]. [Eventually] the cave opened up, and he saw a dim light. He was then able to walk normally. He traveled more than a hundred li. He felt that the ground underfoot was covered by something like dust, and he smelled non glutinous rice.159 He ate something [that seemed to be dust], which was fragrant and good. Immediately he wrapped some of it [to carry] for provisions. He went on further, nourishing himself with it. It was difficult to know how many li he walked in the dark. Soon [the cave] became bright and more spacious. When he ran out of provisions, he entered a large city whose city walls were in good repair and well maintained, and the palace buildings were splendid; all the high pavilions and mansions were decorated with beaten gold. Even though there were no sun and moon, it was brighter than the world of the three sources of light (i.e., sun, moon, and stars). All the inhabitants [of this place] were three zhang tall, wore robes made out of feathers, and played wonderful music unheard in the common world. He told them [what had happened to him] and asked for aid. An extremely tall man said to him, "Go further!" He went on, [as he had been told,] and passed through nine places like this altogether.

In the last place he was suffering from starvation. The extremely tall man pointed to a sheep under a cypress tree in a courtyard; the circumference of the cypress tree was nearly a hundred arm-widths. [The extremely tall man] ordered him to kneel down and pluck one of the sheep's whiskers with his hands. [When he did so] first he got a pearl. The extremely tall man took [the pearl], as well as what he got next, [after plucking another whisker,] and he was directed to eat what he got when he plucked one last whisker. Immediately 180

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his hunger was relieved. He asked [the extremely tall man] the names of the nine places [he had passed through] and earnestly entreated him to let him stay there. [The extremely tall man] answered, "Due to your fate, you cannot stay here. Go back to [Luoyang] and ask Zhang Hua, and you will know everything about this place." Thereupon, he followed the cave passages and emerged at Jiaozhou (in present-day Guangxi province).

[From there] he returned to Luoyang and visited [Zhang] Hua to show what he had obtained. Zhang Hua said, "This dust-like substance is the saliva from a dragon that has collected on the bottom of the Yellow River. The mud is from the foot of Mount Kunlun. The earthly immortal of the nine places is called the high steward of the nine lodges (jiuguan dafu). The sheep is called chilong (i.e., "idiotic dragon"). If one eats the pearl obtained from the first whisker, one's life span will be equal to that of the universe; what is obtained from the next one prolongs the life span; and the last one merely satisfies hunger." Seven or eight years passed while the man was traveling this way. In the fifth year of the Yongping era of the Han dynasty (62) Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao of Yan county (in present-day Zhejiang province) went to Mount Tiantai together, but they became lost and could not find their way back. They wandered around for thirteen days. Their provisions ran out and they were about to die from starvation when they saw a mountain in the far distance. On the mountain was a peach tree full of fruit, but there was no path to reach it. They climbed, grabbing onto vines, and somehow they were able to reach the top. After they each ate several pieces of fruit, their hunger abated and they became full of vigor.

They descended the mountain. With a cup they collected water to wash their hands and to rinse their mouths when they saw the leaves of a turnip flowing out of a hillside. [The leaves] looked very fresh. In addition, a cup floated to them, filled with sesame rice. They went into the water together and pushed upstream.

They traveled two or three li, crossing over a mountain, and came to a great gorge. On the stream bank were two girls whose features were excellent and outstanding. Seeing both [Chen and Zhao] holding the cup [of sesame rice, the two girls] said, smiling, "Mr. Liu and Mr. Ruan, you caught the cup we lost in the stream some time ago." [Though the girls] were unknown 181

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to Chen and Zhao, they greeted the men by their family names as if [Chen and Zhao] were old acquaintances. Then both the girls asked [Chen and Zhao], "Why did you take so long to get here?" [The girls] then led the way to their house.

The house had copper roof tiles, and inside there were large beds next to each of the south and east walls enclosed with red silk curtains. There were bells on the corners of the curtains, and [the fabric of the curtains] was interwoven with gold and silver [threads]. Ten maidservants sat at the side of each bed. The girls ordered them, "Mr. Liu and Mr. Ruan crossed over the rugged mountain. Even though they had jade fruits a little while ago, they must be still hungry. You should quickly make a meal for them." [Chen and Zhao] ate sesame rice, dried and seasoned goat meat, and beef, all of which were very delicious. After the meal wine was served and a group of ladies came. Each of the ladies carried three or five peaches and said, smiling, "We are here to congratulate you on the arrival of your husbands." At the height of the wining and dining music played. When night fell, [Chen and Zhao] were told to go to their respective beds and the girls followed them. [The girls'] voices were clear and pleasant and dispelled the people's gloom. Consequently [the two men] stayed there for half of a year. The weather [in that place] was everlasting spring, and the plants [grew luxuriantly] just as in spring. Various kinds of birds sang. In due course, [Chen and Zhao] longed for [their homes] and became sad. They anxiously asked [the girls] to let them go home. The girls said, "You are affected by sinful karma. What should we do?" Consequently [the girls] invited thirty or forty ladies, those who had come previously [to congratulate Chen and Zhao], for a [farewell] party with music. Then [the girls] together saw Liu and Ruan off, showing the way back to their homes.

After they came out [from the mountain] and returned home, [they found that] their relatives and old friends were dead, the circumstances of the village and houses had changed, and there was no one they knew living there. They searched for their relatives and found the descendents of the seventh generation after them. [The descendents told them,] "We heard [from our parents] that our ancestors went into the mountains, got lost, and could not come back." In the eighth year of the Taiyuan era of the Jin dynasty (383) [Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao] suddenly left home and went missing.

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During the time of the Han dynasty, Huang Yuan of Mount Tai (in presentday Shandong province) opened the gate [of his house] at daybreak and saw a [strange] black dog lying on its belly outside of the gate, watching over his house as if it was Huang's family dog. Yuan put [the dog] on a leash and went to a neighboring village to hunt. He spotted a deer toward nightfall and just then unleashed the dog.

The dog seemed to run very slowly, yet when Yuan followed after the dog to the best of his ability he could not catch up. After going for several li he reached a cave. He entered it and advanced more than a hundred paces when he suddenly came to a level thoroughfare. There were lines of locus and willow trees and a house surrounded by a wall.

Yuan passed through the gate, following the dog. There was an array of several tens of rooms with barred windows in which there were girls. Their features were attractive, and their garments were resplendent. Some of them played the Chinese musical instruments qin and se; some played a game of Chinese chess. When he came to the northern mansion he saw a residence of three divisions. Two waiting women watched over the house; they seemed to look for [a stranger], and when they saw Yuan they looked at each other and said, smiling, "This is Miaoyin's husband, brought by the black dog." One of the waiting women remained behind while the other entered the mansion. Soon four maidservants came out and delivered a message, "Lady Taizhen addresses Mr. Huang, 'I have a daughter who has reached the age of marriage. According to fate she must become your wife.'" It was already dusk. [The maidservants] led Yuan inside, where there was a hall facing the south with a pond in front. In the pond was a platform, and on each of the four corners there was a hole one chi in diameter. Light emitted from these holes and illuminated the curtained seats.

Miaoyin was beautiful and wonderful in appearance. Her ladies in waiting and maidservants were also attractive. Once the wedding ceremony was over, they consummated their marriage. [Their intimacy] was just as if they were close companions of long standing.

Several days later, Yuan wished to go home temporarily in order to report [the marriage to his family]. Miaoyin said, "The realm of human beings is different from that of divine beings. Originally [our marriage] will not be longlasting." The next day [Miaoyin] untied her jade pendant to exchange as a 183

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keepsake of their separation. She came to the stairs [to see him off], weeping copiously. They would not have the chance to meet again. [Miaoyin's] love and respect [for Yuan] increased even more. [She said,] "If you are able to continue loving me, you should perform purification on the first day of the third month." Her four maidservants accompanied him to outside of the gate. Within a half day he arrived back at his house in a state of rapture. Each time the date [Miaoyin had mentioned] (i.e., the first day of the third month) came, [Yuan] saw that a curtained carriage for women appeared in the air and seemed to be flying.

(The three stories above are found in the Youming lu [Records of the Other World and This World].)

The Shuyi ji (Records to Give Accounts of Extraordinary Things) says: On Mount Lu there is a three-stone bridge. The length is several tens of zhang and the width is less than a chi. If you look down from it, [you see that] it is deep, expansive, and bottomless. During the Xiankang era [of the Eastern Jin dynasty (335-342)], Yu Liang, Regional Inspector of Jiangzhou, welcomed Wu Meng. Leading his disciples, Meng ascended the mountain, traveling to see the sights. Accordingly they passed this bridge. They saw an old man sitting under a cassia tree; he held a jade cup filled with nectar and gave it to Meng. Meng passed it round to his disciples. Again they proceeded and arrived at a place with a lofty tower, spacious buildings, a palace made of jade, and a golden building. Fine jade stones shone brightly, and the brightness and colors were dazzling. Vast amounts of jewels, valuables, and jade articles were beyond recognition. All [of the people in Meng's party] saw several people, who said to Meng, "If we had known each other in the past we would have arranged the juice of jade (i.e., the elixir of life) throughout the day." Again, the Shuyi ji says:

Single-horned is a man from Yijunjiang who could be several hundreds of years old. The common people forgot his name and a horn sprang up from the crown of his head, so he was called Single-horned. He [disappeared] suddenly and was gone for years, or he would not speak for several tens of days. When he had something to say, his purpose and intention 184

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were profound. No one could judge him. At his residence he educated himself with virtue. He was also strikingly knowledgeable in teaching and guiding. One day he left home and eventually entered a river in front of his house, where he transformed into a carp. The horn was still behind its head. He frequently returned for a brief time and his appearance was just as usual. He had a feast with his descendants and several days later he left again.

The original domicile of Soldier Changsheng in a village in Gucheng [prefecture] (in present-day Shandong province) is unknown. He died and came back to life several times. People of the time considered that this was not right. Later there was a heavy flood, which caused damage in various places. Thereupon the soldier stood on Mount Quemen and shouted, "Here is Servant Changsheng!" He further said, "It will rain once again, but it will surely stop in five days." When the rain stopped, [the people] went up the mountain and looked for [Changsheng] to deify him, but they only found a soldier's robe, stick, and leather belt. Several tens of years later he became the gatekeeper of a city in Huayin [prefecture] (in present-day Shaanxi province). Qin Gao is a man from Zhao (present-day Shanxi province). By means of playing a Chinese zither (qin) he became a houseman of King Kang [of Song state]. He performed the art of Xuan[zi] and Peng[zu] and floated between Jizhou (present-day Hebei, Shanxi, northern Henan provinces, and western Manchuria) and Dang prefecture (part of Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces). More than two hundred years later, he once went into the Dang River to try to catch a child dragon. He promised his disciples, saying, "On the chosen day, you must all purify yourselves and stay at a shrine set up near the river." As a matter of fact [Qin Gao] emerged riding a red carp, entered the shrine, and sat down there. Ten thousand people in Dang prefecture came to see [the event]. [Qin Gao] stayed there for a month and then went back into the river.

Guan Xian is a man of Song state (present-day Henan province). He was a fisherman by occupation and lived near the Sui River for more than a hundred years. Whenever he caught fish he released, sold, or ate them himself. He always wore a cap and a belt, and he was fond of planting lychee and ate the flowers and fruits.

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Lord Jing of the state of Song asked him about his Way [for longevity] but he would not reveal it, so [Lord Jing] immediately killed him. Several tens of years later [Guan Xian] [was seen] sitting on the city gate of Song playing a Chinese zither. He left after several tens of days. The people of the state of Song worshiped him with respect in each household. (These three stories are found in the Soushen yiji [Separate Records of Inquiries of the Spirits].)

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