..續本文上一頁 But first he obtained the permission of his two wives, who later both left home to become nuns. He then secretly stole away from his comfortable home and travelled to Yongquan ("Bubbling Spring") Monastery on Gu Mountain in Fu Prefecture to become the disciple of Elder Master Miaolian ("Wonderful Lotus"), who gave him the names Yence ("Thorough Expression"), and Deqing ("Virtuous and Pure"). Fearing that his family might find him again, Venerable Master Hsu Yun went off to the remote mountain wilds to live as an ascetic. When hungry, he ate pine nuts and wild plants; when thirsty, he drank mountain spring water. The bitter conditions were certainly beyond the tolerance of ordinary people, but he was one who could:
Wear what others cannot wear;
Eat what others cannot eat;
Endure what others cannot endure; and,
Tolerate what others cannot tolerate.
面臨種種考驗，他卻受之泰然，不但不覺得痛苦，反而感覺快樂。
He faced numerous tests, but he passed each one with a peaceful, tolerant attitude. Instead of feeling miserable, he felt very happy.
叁年之後，他爲了親近善知識，爲了研究佛法，于是到處參方。他跋山涉水，曆盡艱辛，凡有高僧大德所在之處，無論是千山萬水，也擋不住他求道爲法的心。在參方期間，處處受到歧視，可是虛老本著堅忍不拔的意志，爲求法而忘己，雖然經過多次的挫折，也不灰心，不變初衷，依然勇猛向前，精進學習。虛老這種精神，實在令人欽佩，足以爲人效法。
Three years later, in order to draw near to good and wise advisors and to investigate the Buddhadharma, he embarked on a study-tour. Crossing mountains and fording streams, he suffered untold hardships. As long as it was a place where eminent, virtuous monks resided, all the mountains and rivers couldn”t impede him from going there to seek the Way and dedicate himself to the Dharma.He met prejudice and troubles at every turn of the road, but he stood firm in his indefatigable resolve and simply forgot himself in his quest for the Dharma. Despite continual setbacks, he never gave up, nor lost sight of his initial purpose. Instead, he simply forged ahead and studied with even more vigor. This spirit inspired others” respect and caused many people to emulate him.
後來爲報母恩，他發心叁步一拜，從普陀山拜向五臺山。經過叁年的時間，完成志願，功德圓滿。以下敘述虛老在叁步一拜時，所發生的感應道交的小故事。
Later on, he made a vow to undertake a pilgrimage in which he would bow to the ground once every three steps, in order to repay the kindness of his mother. His route took him from Potala Mountain to Five Peaks Mountain, and he made prostrations all the way. Three years later he fulfilled his vow, and the merit and virtue of the pilgrimage was completed. The following is a brief account of one of the responses the Venerable Master Hsu Yun experienced in the course of his pilgrimage.
虛老拜到黃河岸的時候，正逢天降大雪，叁天叁夜下得不停。他住在小草棚中，又饑又寒，已經失去身體的知覺，不省人事。醒來時，發現有一個乞丐爲他做飯，他吃了之後，恢複元氣，于是繼續朝拜五臺山。後來到五臺山，才知道這個乞丐原來是文殊菩薩的化身。
He had bowed to the banks of the Yellow River, when a huge snow-storm blew up, dropping powdery snow for three days and nights without cease. The Master stayed in a tiny hut and suffered from hunger and cold. Finally he lost consciousness and fainted. When he revived, he saw a beggar sitting nearby, fixing him food. After eating the meal, he recovered his strength and continued to bow towards Five Peaks Mountain. Upon his arrival, he discovered that the beggar had been none other than a transformation body of Manjushri Bodhisattva.
虛老在九華山住茅棚的時候，聽說揚州高旻寺打八個禅七，就想去參加。他從九華山沿江而行，當時正逢大雨季節，江水泛濫，水漫路面，他不慎失足，掉落水中，漂流二十四小時之久，流到采石矶附近時，被打魚的網打上來。這個時候，虛老已經奄奄一息。漁夫通知附近的寶積寺，將他擡回寺中，于是被救活，可是他七孔流血，病況十分嚴重。休息數日後，他爲法忘軀，將生死置于度外，還是不變初衷，仍然到高旻寺參加禅七。
While the Elder Master Hsu Yun was living as a hermit on Jiuhua ("Nine Flowers") Mountain, news came to him that Gaomin Monastery in Yang Zhou Province was preparing to host an eight-week Chan meditation retreat, and he decided to participate. He walked down from Jiuhua Mountain, steering his course by the river-bank. It was the rainy season, and at that time the river was flooded and had overflowed its banks on the road ah…
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