當時，要想拜見李林甫，必須在離他府邸很遠的地方就得下馬步行。忽然有一天中午時，有人敲李林甫家的門，看門人吃驚地開了門，只見門口站著一位枯瘦的道士，說要見李相國。看門人除了大聲呵斥著要把道士趕走，還把他捆起來送到官府，道士後來微笑而去。
第二天中午，道士又來了，看門人只好告訴了李林甫。李林甫說：「我不記得曾認識過什麼道士，你讓他進來。」等道士進來後，李林甫突然醒悟，原來這道士正是在槐壇下所見的那個人，頓時慚愧害怕至極，不知所措。想起道士預言自己只能當二十年宰相，現在恰好二十年，可是自己卻沒有遵守道士當初的告誡。想到這裡，李林甫心裡發緊，如同生病一般，趕緊向道士行禮。
道士迎上去笑著說：「相公可好？我當初的告誡你一點也沒聽，讓你積陰德，你卻枉殺了許多人。上天對你的所做所為瞭如指掌，你就不怕對你降下懲罰嗎？！」李林甫只是不斷地磕頭。
李林甫把僕人全部都打發走，讓道士住在堂屋中，他和道士各睡一張床。道士只吃了少量的茶點。夜深時，李林甫問道士說：「當年你說過我有上天成仙的緣份，現在還有這種可能嗎？」道士說：「由於你在人間的行為太惡劣，與道不和，折去你三百年仙緣。你的仙緣往後推遲了六百年。六百年後，你才能成仙。」
李林甫說：「我在人間的的壽數快滿了，既然我有這麼深的罪孽，以後會怎麼樣呢？」道士說：「你真想知道今後的話，可以和我到天上去一趟。」李林甫忙下床拜謝。道士說：「你坐在那裡安神靜慮，排除一切雜念，就像一棵枯樹一樣。到了那個程度，就行了。」過了許久，李林甫說：「我心中已無雜念了。」道士就下了床招呼道：「我們走吧。」李林甫不知不覺的就跟著道士走，他家大門和長安城東的春明門都自動的打開了，李林甫拽著道士的衣服跟著道士走了。李林甫長期養尊處優，走不了遠路，行了不過十幾里地，就困苦不堪。道士也知道，就問他是否想歇一會兒。於是兩人就坐在路邊歇息。
過了一會兒，道士給了李林甫一根竹竿說：「騎上它，到了目的地它自然會停下，但路上萬萬不可睜眼！」李林甫一跨上竹竿，就覺得身子騰空而起，在大海上飛翔，耳邊儘是風水之聲。大約一頓飯的時間，到了目的地。李林甫睜眼一看，面前是一個大都城。城門前排列著好幾百士兵，見道士到來，都行禮迎接，也向李林甫行禮。進城走了約一里地，來到一座官署門前。進了大門，見兩邊都有士兵侍衛，兩人登上台階來到大殿，殿裡設著華麗的床帳，李林甫覺得很困乏，想上床睡下。
道士驚慌地把他牽起來說：「不能睡啊！一睡下，你恐怕就回不到人間了，因為這裡是你死後才能來的地方。」李林甫說：「如果這裡真是我死後的歸宿，我死也無怨了。」道士笑著說：「這裡也不是像你想的那樣完美，也會有病災，苦事也不少。」道士與李林甫出了大門後，又把竹竿給他騎上。不一會兒，李林甫就又回到人間的家，進了門來到堂屋，見自己的肉體閉著雙眼坐在床上。這時道士喊道：「相公，相公！」李林甫這才還魂，醒過來。他哭著向道士磕頭拜謝。
第二天道士與李林甫道別，李林甫以厚禮相贈，道士概不接受，只是揮揮手說：「好自為之吧，六百年後，我才能再見到你。」說罷，道士一出門就不見了，不知去了何處。
李林甫本是有德之人，才有仙緣，可他迷在人間為名利所誘，忘了道士讓他廣救眾生，積德行善的告誡，誅殺異己，失德，從而造成仙緣被推遲三百年。如果輪迴中，他還是不清醒，或許永遠失去成仙的機緣。願如今的世人能以李林甫為戒，當有人告訴你退出惡黨保平安時，切莫猶豫，機緣一過，痛悔莫及。
（出《逸史》）
(本文摘編自正見網)
Stories of Immortals: To Be a Prime Minister or a Deity?
At that time, anyone wanting to see him had to dismount from his horse a great distance from his mansion and walk there. One day, at mid-day, someone suddenly knocked on his door. The door-keeper was surprised and quickly opened the door. He saw an emaciated Taoist priest who asked to see Li Linfu. The doorkeeper shouted loudly berating the priest and even tied him up and sent him to the local authority. The priest smiled and walked away.
At the same time the next day, the priest came to Li Linfu’s mansion again. The door-keeper could only inform Li Linfu who said: “I do not recall knowing any Taoist priest. Let him in.” After the priest entered the house, Li Linfu suddenly realized that the priest was the one he had met so many years ago at the grounds with the scholar trees. He immediately felt ashamed and frightened and did not know what to do. He thought about the prediction of the priest about his being a prime minister for twenty years. At that moment, it was exactly twenty years from the day he began his watch as prime minister. He had not kept the promise he had made to the priest. Li Linfu became very tense, as if he were ill. He immediately bowed to the priest.
The priest walked towards him, smiled and said: “Is the prime minister well? You did not listen to any of my warnings. I asked you to accumulate merit for your next life, but instead you have killed many people. Heaven knows clearly what you have done. Are you not afraid of the punishment that you will receive?” Li Linfu just kept kowtowing to the priest.
Li Linfu sent all the servants from the room and allowed the priest to stay in the central room. He slept in the same room, each occupying a separate bed. The priest only took a little refreshment. Late at night Li Linfu asked the priest: “You mentioned that I will rise up to heaven and become a deity. Would that still be possible?” The priest answered: “You have behaved abominably in this human society. It runs contrary to the Tao and hence three hundred years had been added to the time before your predestined time arrives for you to become be a deity. Your becoming a deity is now delayed by six hundred years. Only after six hundred years will you become a deity.”
Li Linfu asked: “My life time in the human world is about to end. Since I have committed such great sins, what will happen in the future?” The priest replied: “Do you really want to know? I can show it to you!” Li Linfu immediately got off his bed and thanked the priest. The priest said: “You sit there, calm yourself, and quietly meditate. Get rid of all distracting thoughts. Be like a withered tree. That is the state of mind you have to be in.” After quite a while, Li Linfu said: “There are no more distracting thoughts in my mind.” The priest got down from his bed and exclaimed: “Let’s go!” Li Linfu followed the priest in a trance. The door of his house and the Chang’an City Chunming gate opened automatically. Li Linfu held on to the clothes of the priest and followed him. Li Linfu had lived a good life. After walking a small distance he could no longer walk. They had only covered more than 10 li (Chinese measure of distance, equal to half kilometer). The priest knew that, and asked if he required to rest for a while. They both sat at the roadside to rest.
After a while, the priest gave Li Linfu a bamboo pole and said: “Ride on the pole. It will stop when we arrive at the destination. But you must not open your eyes during the journey.” As soon as Li Linfu got on the pole he felt his body being lifted into the air and he was flying across the sea. He could hear the sound of the wind and waves passing his ears. After the time it takes to eat a meal, they arrived at the destination. Li Linfu opened his eyes and saw a big city before him. At the City gate stood a few hundred soldiers. Seeing the arrival of the priest, the soldiers came forward and greeted him respectfully. They also bowed to Li Linfu. They walked through the city until they reached the door of a government office. On entering the door, they saw two rows of imperial bodyguards. They climbed a flight of stairs and reached the main hall. In the hall were beautifully decorated canopy beds. Li Linfu was feeling very tired and thought about taking a rest.
The priest quickly dragged him away from the bed and said: “You are not allowed to sleep. If you fall asleep, you may not be able to return to the human world. This is the place that you will come to when you are dead.” Li Linfu said: “If this indeed is my final resting place, I shall die with no regrets.” The priest smiled and replied: “This place is not as beautiful as you imagine it to be. There are illnesses and diseases, and also much suffering.” Both of them walked through the main door and mounted on the bamboo poles again. After a short time, Li Linfu returned to the human world. He entered the house and went into the central room where he saw his human body sitting on the bed with both eyes closed. In that instant, the priest called out: “Prime minister! Prime minister!” At that moment Li Linfu woke up. He was weeping, kowtowed and thanked the priest.
The next day the priest bade farewell after Li had given him extravagant gifts. The priest did not accept a single item, waved his hand and said: “Keep them for yourself. I will see you again in six hundred years.” Having said that, the priest walked out the door and disappeared. No one knew where he went.
Li Linfu was a person of good morals. Because of that he had the predestined opportunity to be a deity. But he was enticed by power and fortune in the human world. He had forgotten that the Taoist priest had given him the opportunity to save sentient beings as well as having given him the forewarning about doing good deeds, so he would accumulate merit for his next life. He lost the opportunity and was punished by having to wait for an additional three hundred years to become a deity. If, in the process of re-incarnation, he still did not awaken and change his ways, he could lose his opportunity to be a deity. I sincerely hope that the people of the world today will take heed of the punishment imposed on Li Linfu.
When you hear people asking you to quit the Party for the sake of your safety, do not hesitate to do so! Once you lose the opportunity, no amount of regret will change anything once it is too late!
From http://www.pureinsight.org/node/3599
(http://www.dajiyuan.com)
