附錄第五
Appendix 5
長安南五臺。乃觀音降火龍處。靈異甚多。難以具載。
Speaking of South Wutai in Chang’an, that is the place where Guanyin tamed the fiery dragon. There are many miraculous occurrences there—too many to list in full.
武林西山上天竺寺。自昔相傳。海上浮香木現光湍。因刻為觀自在菩薩像。多現祥異。士民歸嚮。自春至冬。焚香叩禮。雨暘急難。感應如響。積有年矣。至正二十年庚子。杭城荐罹兵燹。西山祠宇盡毀。聖像不知所在。眾共追慕。丞相太尉開府康里公。出金旁求。乃於草莾中得之。遂卜日。齋戒徒跣率僚佐士庶。自北關恭迎聖像。安奉於今丞相公所建。清平山之西天寺中。時聖像上。大放光明。照耀雲漢。分為三道。其一。遠屬東方。若嚮補陀山者。其一。屬上天竺寺。其一。徑屬今西天寺。一時咸覩。益加敬仰焉。
At West Tianzhu Temple on West Lake's Wulin Mountain, a story has been passed down through generations: long ago, a piece of fragrant driftwood appeared, glowing in the turbulent waters, and from it was carved an image of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. Many miraculous signs followed, and people from all walks of life reverently offered incense and prayers from spring to winter. In times of drought or flood, danger or difficulty, their prayers were answered as swiftly as an echo. This continued for many years.
In the year 1360 (the 20th year of the Zhizheng era), Hangzhou suffered repeated devastation from warfare. All the temples on West Mountain were destroyed, and the sacred statue vanished. The people grieved and searched for it. The Grand Chancellor, Duke Kangli, contributed gold to fund a wide search, and the statue was finally recovered from the overgrown brush. He then chose an auspicious day, purified himself with fasting, and, barefoot, led his officials, scholars, and commoners in solemn procession from the North Gate to reverently welcome the sacred image. It was enshrined in the West Tianzhu Temple on Qingping Mountain, newly built by the Grand Chancellor.
At that moment, a great radiant light blazed forth from the sacred statue, illuminating the heavens. The light split into three beams: one extended far to the east, as if pointing toward Mount Potalaka; one reached toward the Upper Tianzhu Temple; and the third shone directly onto the West Tianzhu Temple itself. All who witnessed this were filled with even deeper reverence and devotion.
大都薊州之境。控接澶州。有霧靈山。山谷高深。林巒清邃。古昔相傳。為菩薩道場。山之上下。舊有寺宇。每歲。士庶敬禮求現當。有綿雲起自谷中。潔白彌滿。凝蔽天日。或變琉璃境界空洞一碧。次現蒲萄纍垂遍布。光映遠近。忽見白衣端正之像。陵空而立。鮮見面目。然亦往往或異。夜有天燈。或如列宿。或如爟火。聯輝接焰。陵虛遠來。殊不可測。山頂寒甚。澗有泉水。起落應潮。傳云。潛通大海也。僕。嘗遊五臺山。從密嘚哩室利師。獲聆番本補陀洛迦山行程記始自西竺。至葛剌拶迦羅國。有靈塔。當晝夜遶道叩禮。自有告以道里方所。乃可前進。中間歷羅剎鬼國。誘以聲色飲食。慎勿犯之。及種種魔礙之所。但勇往毋退。復遇寶池。獲飲甘露。身力增倍。備踐勝境。亦莫貪戀。一心徑往。漸近聖地。當有馬首金剛。遠來迎導。至於下巖。聖多羅尊。攝受慰喻。然後詣巖中。紫竹栴檀。森欝交蔭。流泉清潔。纖草如菌。菩薩充滿。觀自在菩薩。常住其中。天龍圍繞。行者至此。蒙宣妙法。即得開悟。凡有所求。依願圓滿。此其大略。不能具錄。以是考之。則決非凡境。豈造次所能至哉。似匪此地比擬也。後至四明。屢有邀余同遊補陀山者。心竊疑之。不果往也。一夕。忽夢有人謂曰。經不云乎。菩薩善應諸方所。蓋眾生信心之所向。即菩薩應身之所在。猶掘井見泉。然泉無不在。況此洞。神變自在。靈跡夙著。非可以凡情度量也。既覺而歎曰。嗟。夫諸佛住處。名常寂光。遍周沙界。本絕思議。何往而非菩薩之境界哉。斷無疑矣。既集成傳。附以天竺霧靈事跡。并以舊聞。庶顯非同非異。無別無斷。用祛來者之惑也。至正辛丑歲四月望。寓四明之盤谷。玄一道人盛熙明記。
In the region of Jizhou, near the border of Chanzhou, lies Mount Wuling. Its valleys are deep, its forests serene and ancient. Tradition says it has long been a bodhisattva's sacred site. Temples once stood on its slopes, and every year, people would come to pay respects and pray for visions. At such times, dense clouds would rise from the valleys, pure white and vast, covering the sky and blotting out the sun. Sometimes the scene would transform into a crystal-clear blue expanse, or clusters of grapes would appear, shimmering in the distance. Then, a figure in white robes would appear, standing gracefully in the air, though its features were rarely distinct. Other times, night would bring celestial lanterns—some like scattered stars, others like torches—glowing and drifting across the sky from afar, mysterious and inexplicable.
The mountain summit is bitterly cold. In the ravines, there is a spring whose waters rise and fall with the tide, said to be secretly connected to the great sea.
I once traveled to Mount Wutai and studied under the teacher Milarepa. There, I acquired a Tibetan record of the journey to Mount Potalaka. It said: Start from Western India and reach the kingdom of Kolacha. There, a sacred stupa awaits. Circle it day and night, bowing and praying, until someone tells you the way forward. Then, you must pass through the land of the rakshasa demons. Beware of their seductions—beautiful forms, tempting sounds, and delicious food—and never yield. You will also encounter various demonic obstacles. Keep going forward without retreat. If you come to a jeweled pool, drink the sweet dew, and your strength will multiply. Even in the presence of wondrous sights, do not cling to them. Go straight ahead with a single mind.
As you near the holy place, a guardian with a horse's head will come to greet you. At the lower cliff, the noble Tara will receive and comfort you. Then, entering the grotto, you will find purple bamboo and sandalwood, dense and shaded, with pure flowing streams and mossy grass underfoot. Bodhisattvas fill the air, and Avalokiteśvara dwells there permanently, surrounded by celestial beings and dragons. When a practitioner arrives, the bodhisattva expounds the wondrous dharma, granting immediate enlightenment. Whatever you seek will be fulfilled according to your wish. This is a rough outline; I cannot record every detail.
Comparing this account, the holy site described is clearly no ordinary place—not one reachable by casual effort. It seems incomparable to this mountain. Later, when I was in Siming, some invited me to visit Mount Putuo, but I hesitated, uncertain, and didn't go.
One night, I dreamed someone said: "Does not the sutra say that the bodhisattva responds to all directions? Whatever place a faithful being turns their mind to—that is where the bodhisattva's body manifests. It's like digging a well and finding water: water is everywhere. Furthermore, this grotto's divine transformations are spontaneous, and its sacred traces are well known. It cannot be measured by ordinary understanding."
Waking, I sighed: "Ah, the dwelling of the buddhas is called the realm of eternal tranquility and light. It pervades all worlds like grains of sand. It is beyond conceptual thought. Where is not the bodhisattva's domain? No doubt remains."
Having compiled this account, I append the story of Tianzhu and Mount Wuling, along with older traditions, to show that these places are neither the same nor different, neither separate nor discontinuous. May this dispel the confusion of those who come after.
Written on the 15th day of the 4th month in the xinchou year of the Zhizheng era (1361), while dwelling at Pangu in Siming, by the recluse Xuanyi Daoren, Sheng Ximing.
補陀洛迦山傳(終)
Biography of Mount Potalaka(End)