佛祖統紀 52.62

52.62

宋太祖。生於洛陽。神光滿室。金色被體。甞過長壽寺枕殿砥寢。僧守嚴見赤蛇出入上鼻。宋城有異僧指州地曰。不二十年當有帝王。由此建號○大宗太平四年。嘉州夾江縣民得玄石二。皆丹文。一曰君王萬歲。一曰趙二十一帝。緘其石來獻（本朝通鑑）○太平七年舒州奏貢端石。刻梁誌公記云。吾觀四五朝後次丙子年趙號太平二十一帝。忽一日誌公降禁中。上親聞訓語。乃遣使詣鐘山奉齋。賜號道林真覺菩薩。○真宗取瑞石誌公記以示近臣。宰相王且曰。國家啟運在梁陳隋唐及五代後。太宗即位歲在丙子。今天尊臨降事皆符合。則知天命我宋其來久矣。上說○日本國入貢稱。國東祥光見中國天子聖明則應此瑞。詔日本建神光寺。○駐輦國來貢言。四十年海無風濤。意中國有聖人出。

When Emperor Taizu of the Song was born in Luoyang, divine light filled the room and a golden color suffused his body. He once passed by Changshou Temple and slept with his head on the stone foundation of the hall; the monk Shouyan saw a red snake coming in and out of the Emperor's nose. In Songcheng an extraordinary monk pointed to the prefecture's land and said: 'In less than twenty years an emperor will arise, and from here establish his dynastic title.' In the fourth year of the Taiping [Xingguo] era of Emperor Taizong, commoners of Jiajiang County in Jiazhou found two dark stones, both bearing red markings; one said, 'May the ruler live ten thousand years,' and the other said, 'Twenty-one Zhao emperors.' They sealed the stones and offered them up (*Comprehensive Mirror of Our Dynasty*). In the seventh year of the Taiping era, Shuzhou submitted as tribute an inkstone stone engraved with a record by Master Zhi of the Liang, saying: 'I observe that after four or five dynasties, in the next bingzi year, the Zhao will adopt the title Taiping with twenty-one emperors.' Suddenly one day Master Zhi descended into the palace; the Emperor personally heard his admonitions and thereupon dispatched an envoy to Mount Zhong to offer a vegetarian feast, conferring on him the title Bodhisattva Daolin Zhenjue. Emperor Zhenzong took the auspicious stone and Master Zhi's record to show his close ministers; Prime Minister Wang Dan said: 'The rise of our dynasty's fortune follows the Liang, Chen, Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties; when Emperor Taizong ascended the throne the year was bingzi. Now the Heavenly Worthy has descended, and all events tally; thus we know that Heaven's mandate for our Song has long been prepared.' The Emperor was delighted. Japan presented tribute, stating: 'To the east of our realm an auspicious light appeared, portending that the Son of Heaven in the Central Realm is sagacious and enlightened, thus responding to this omen.' An edict ordered the construction of Shenguang Temple in Japan. The Kingdom of Chola came with tribute, saying: 'For forty years the sea has had no wind or waves; we suspected that in the Central Realm a sage must have emerged.'