当时，要想拜见李林甫，必须在离他府邸很远的地方就得下马步行。忽然有一天中午时，有人敲李林甫家的门，看门人吃惊地开了门，只见门口站着一位枯瘦的道士，说要见李相国。看门人除了大声呵斥着要把道士赶走，还把他捆起来送到官府，道士后来微笑而去。
第二天中午，道士又来了，看门人只好告诉了李林甫。李林甫说：“我不记得曾认识过什么道士，你让他进来。”等道士进来后，李林甫突然醒悟，原来这道士正是在槐坛下所见的那个人，顿时惭愧害怕至极，不知所措。想起道士预言自己只能当二十年宰相，现在恰好二十年，可是自己却没有遵守道士当初的告诫。想到这里，李林甫心里发紧，如同生病一般，赶紧向道士行礼。
道士迎上去笑着说：“相公可好？我当初的告诫你一点也没听，让你积阴德，你却枉杀了许多人。上天对你的所做所为了如指掌，你就不怕对你降下惩罚吗？！”李林甫只是不断地磕头。
李林甫把仆人全部都打发走，让道士住在堂屋中，他和道士各睡一张床。道士只吃了少量的茶点。夜深时，李林甫问道士说：“当年你说过我有上天成仙的缘分，现在还有这种可能吗？”道士说：“由于你在人间的行为太恶劣，与道不和，折去你三百年仙缘。你的仙缘往后推迟了六百年。六百年后，你才能成仙。”
李林甫说：“我在人间的的寿数快满了，既然我有这么深的罪孽，以后会怎么样呢？”道士说：“你真想知道今后的话，可以和我到天上去一趟。”李林甫忙下床拜谢。道士说：“你坐在那里安神静虑，排除一切杂念，就像一棵枯树一样。到了那个程度，就行了。”过了许久，李林甫说：“我心中已无杂念了。”道士就下了床招呼道：“我们走吧。”李林甫不知不觉的就跟着道士走，他家大门和长安城东的春明门都自动的打开了，李林甫拽着道士的衣服跟着道士走了。李林甫长期养尊处优，走不了远路，行了不过十几里地，就困苦不堪。道士也知道，就问他是否想歇一会儿。于是两人就坐在路边歇息。
过了一会儿，道士给了李林甫一根竹竿说：“骑上它，到了目的地它自然会停下，但路上万万不可睁眼！”李林甫一跨上竹竿，就觉得身子腾空而起，在大海上飞翔，耳边尽是风水之声。大约一顿饭的时间，到了目的地。李林甫睁眼一看，面前是一个大都城。城门前排列着好几百士兵，见道士到来，都行礼迎接，也向李林甫行礼。进城走了约一里地，来到一座官署门前。进了大门，见两边都有士兵侍卫，两人登上台阶来到大殿，殿里设着华丽的床帐，李林甫觉得很困乏，想上床睡下。
道士惊慌地把他牵起来说：“不能睡啊！一睡下，你恐怕就回不到人间了，因为这里是你死后才能来的地方。”李林甫说：“如果这里真是我死后的归宿，我死也无怨了。”道士笑着说：“这里也不是像你想的那样完美，也会有病灾，苦事也不少。”道士与李林甫出了大门后，又把竹竿给他骑上。不一会儿，李林甫就又回到人间的家，进了门来到堂屋，见自己的肉体闭着双眼坐在床上。这时道士喊道：“相公，相公！”李林甫这才还魂，醒过来。他哭着向道士磕头拜谢。
第二天道士与李林甫道别，李林甫以厚礼相赠，道士概不接受，只是挥挥手说：“好自为之吧，六百年后，我才能再见到你。”说罢，道士一出门就不见了，不知去了何处。
李林甫本是有德之人，才有仙缘，可他迷在人间为名利所诱，忘了道士让他广救众生，积德行善的告诫，诛杀异己，失德，从而造成仙缘被推迟三百年。如果轮回中，他还是不清醒，或许永远失去成仙的机缘。愿如今的世人能以李林甫为戒，当有人告诉你退出恶党保平安时，切莫犹豫，机缘一过，痛悔莫及。
（出《逸史》）
(本文摘编自正见网)
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)
