四明尊者教行錄 6.64

6.64

天聖中高祖楚公，為四明守。曾大父曾宣靖公，毓德侍下，人未知之也。甞欲至延慶寺前一夕，主僧（知禮）夢神告之曰：相國來，宜迎待之。旦以戒閽者，有頃而魯公至。禮聳然驚異，以夢告，且曰：後貴，願無忘也。太夫人聞而喜曰：信爾，吾當悉奩具以報。及大拜，乃踐初言。既買田闢屋，又請諸朝，歲度其徒。於是延慶遂為望剎，圖魯公像而祠之惟謹。嗚呼！亦已異矣。（愭）聞之，王公大人得時行道，利澤及於天下、勳名表乎後世，是皆超詣真乘、證登果位，以願力故來應世間，宰官之身隨赴而見。魯公之載誕也，太夫人夢老僧被幃而入，寢而子生。慶曆八年，以知制誥銜恤而歸鄉。僧（元達）附舟至錢唐，聞天竺之勝，往瞻禮之。始至路口，望見有素衣自寺門來者，漸近問曰：上座從曾舍人來耶？舍人五十七歲入中書，上座其年亦受師號。纔分袂已復不見，後如其言。端明蔡公（襄）守錢唐時，以其靈異，表聞于朝，賜號靈感觀音。徽猷閣直學士李公（彌遜），甞為之記。蓋天之生賢，必以其道德純備、出類拔萃，而後付之。聖主相與謀謨都俞，以植宗社無疆之福，真所謂有相之道者。神而告之，理自應爾。然則歷相三朝，決策定計，底于成績為一代宗工，而光明碩大不可跂及。豈偶然也哉。前志所傳，如紗籠等事，殆不足道矣。（愭）愚不克肖，憑藉世德，茲以舶事，祇拜祠下。周旋登降，肅然有聞，而舊無紀敘。大懼湮沒，敢摭其實，列之于石，以告來裔。紹興三十二年四月二十六日，曾孫右朝散郎提舉兩浙路市舶賜緋魚袋（愭）謹書。

During the Tiansheng era, our high ancestor, the Duke of Chu, served as the prefect of Siming. My great-grandfather, Duke Zeng Xuanjing, was cultivating his virtue while attending upon his father, and the people did not yet recognize him. On the night before he once intended to visit Yanqing Monastery, the abbot [Zhili] dreamt that a spirit told him: 'The Prime Minister is coming; you should receive and welcome him.' At dawn, he instructed the gatekeepers, and after a short while, the Duke of Lu arrived. Zhili was startled and amazed; he related the dream to him and said: 'When you attain nobility in the future, I hope you will not forget [this monastery].' When the Duke's mother heard this, she rejoiced and said: 'If it is truly so, I shall exhaust my dowry to repay it.' When he was appointed Grand Chancellor, he fulfilled his initial pledge. He not only purchased fields and expanded the buildings, but also petitioned the imperial court to ordain monks for the monastery annually. Thereupon Yanqing became an eminent monastery; they painted Duke Lu's portrait and venerated it in a shrine with great reverence. Alas! It was indeed extraordinary! I, [Qi], have heard that when princes and great ministers act in accordance with the Way in their time, their benefits and dampening rain reach all under heaven, and their meritorious names are displayed for later generations, it is because they have all attained the true vehicle and ascended to realization of the fruit. By the power of their vows, they respond to the world, manifesting in the bodies of governing officials wherever appropriate. When Duke Lu was born, his mother dreamt of an old monk entering behind the bed curtain, and as she lay down, her son was born. In the eighth year of Qingli, while serving as Drafter of Imperial Edicts, he returned to his home county in mourning. The monk [Yuanda] accompanied his boat to Qiantang; hearing of the scenic wonders of Tianzhu, he went to pay homage. When he first arrived at the crossroads, he saw from afar a figure in white robes coming from the monastery gate, who drew near and asked: 'Elder, do you come from Secretariat Drafter Zeng? When the Drafter is fifty-seven, he will enter the Grand Secretariat, and in that same year, Elder, you will also receive a master's title.' Barely had they parted when the figure vanished; later it turned out exactly as he had said. When Duke Cai [Xiang] of the Duanming Hall governed Qiantang, on account of this miraculous resonance, he reported it to the imperial court, and the title 'Efficacious Avalokiteśvara' was conferred. Academician Li [Mixun] of the Huiyou Pavilion once composed a record of it. Now, when Heaven produces a worthy, it must be that his virtue and Dao are wholly complete, outstanding, and preeminent before Heaven entrusts tasks to him. The sage ruler consulted with him in harmonious deliberation to establish the boundless blessings of the dynastic altars—he truly possessed the Way of a Prime Minister. That a spirit gave forewarning was only a natural resonance in principle. Thus he served as chancellor across three reigns, formulating strategies and establishing policies, culminating in glorious achievements as a leading master of a generation; his brilliant and vast legacy cannot be matched. How could this be mere coincidence? What was transmitted in previous records, such as the matter of the gauze cage, is scarcely worth mentioning. I, Qi, am foolish and unfilial, yet relying on the virtue of past generations, on the occasion of administering maritime commerce affairs, I respectfully paid homage at this shrine. Circulating and walking up and down, I felt reverent upon hearing of these things, yet there was formerly no chronicle or narration. Greatly fearing it would fall into oblivion, I venture to gather the facts and carve them on stone, to instruct future descendants. Respectfully written on the twenty-sixth day of the fourth month of the thirty-second year of Shaoxing by his great-grandson, Gentleman of Palace Leisure, Military Supervisor of Maritime Trade of Liangzhe Circuit, and recipient of the Silver Fish Pouch, [Qi].