佛祖統紀 39.5

39.5

開皇元年。帝初受禪沙門曇延謁見。勸興復佛法。乃下詔。周朝廢寺咸與修營。境內之人任聽出家。仍令戶口出錢建立經像。由是民間佛經。多於六藝之籍○初同州般若寺尼智仙。通禪觀言人吉凶。皆驗。文帝始生於寺。尼謂太祖曰。此兒佛天所祐。因呼為那羅延（此云鉤鎖力士）太祖委仙視育。一日皇妣來抱。見兒成龍形驚墮于地。尼失聲曰。驚吾兒致令晚得天下。及長密告之曰。像教將滅。一切鬼神皆西向。汝當大貴佛法暫廢賴汝而興。及周武罷教。此尼竟隱帝家○詔於相州戰地為軍士死事者建寺薦福○勅僧猛法師住大興善寺。為隋國大統○南朝陳國沙門智周等自西竺還。齎梵經二百六十部。詣闕上進。上召見慰勞。賜以繒錢。

First year of Kaihuang. When the Emperor initially received the abdication, the monk Tanyan had an audience with him and urged the revival and restoration of the Buddha-Dharma. Thereupon the Emperor issued an edict: the monasteries abandoned during the Zhou dynasty were all to be repaired and rebuilt, the people within the borders were permitted to leave household life as they wished, and households were further ordered to contribute money to erect scriptures and images. Because of this, among the populace, Buddhist scriptures exceeded the texts of the Six Arts. Earlier, the nun Zhixian of Bore Monastery in Tongzhou was adept in dhyāna contemplation and could foretell people's fortunes and misfortunes, all of which proved true. When Emperor Wen was first born in the monastery, the nun said to Taizu, 'This child is protected by the Buddhas and devas.' She thus named him Nārāyaṇa (which means 'clasp-chain athlete'). Taizu entrusted Xian with raising and caring for him. One day the imperial mother came to hold him; seeing the child take the form of a dragon, she was startled and dropped him to the ground. The nun cried out in dismay, 'Startling my child will cause him to attain the empire late!' When he grew up, she secretly told him, 'The Semblance Teaching is about to be destroyed; all ghosts and spirits are facing west. You shall attain great nobility. When the Buddha-Dharma is temporarily abolished, it will rely on you to be revived.' When Emperor Wu of the Zhou abolished the teaching, this nun ultimately concealed herself in the Emperor's household. An edict was issued to build a monastery on the battlefield of Xiangzhou for the soldiers who died in service, to dedicate merit to them. An imperial decree ordered Master Sengmeng to reside at Daxingshan Monastery as the Grand Controller of the Sui State. The monk Zhiying and others of the Southern dynasty state of Chen returned from Western India, bringing two hundred and sixty Sanskrit texts, and went to the palace gates to present them. The Emperor summoned them for an audience, consoled them, and bestowed upon them silk and money.