佛祖統紀 43.17

43.17

In the fourth year [of Qiande, 966], an imperial edict stated that since Qin and Liang were now open, monks could be sent to Western Tianzhu to seek the Dharma. At that time, the śramaṇa Xingqin and one hundred fifty-seven others responded to the edict. As for the states through which they would pass—such as Yanqi, Kucha, and Kaśmīra—imperial letters of instruction were bestowed on all of them, directing them to dispatch guides to lead the way. Furthermore, each [monk] was granted thirty thousand in travel funds (thirty strings of cash for travel provisions). / The Emperor had earlier commanded the Fiscal Commissioner of Xichuan, Shen Yilun, to write out the Diamond Sūtra in gold and silver characters in Yizhou and present it to the throne. At this point, the śramaṇa Chongyun of Tianqing Temple was summoned to the imperial palace to give lectures. / The Commissioner of Military Affairs, Shen Yilun, served the Buddha and maintained a perpetual vegetarian fast. In the middle of summer, he would sit upright to feed the mosquitoes. When someone considered this painful, he said: 'Starving mosquitoes come to me; how could I bear to brush them away?' At that time, most chief ministers petitioned to build their own mansions, but Yilun alone begged to restore a monastery for his mother. The Emperor sighed in admiration and granted it. / An imperial order directed the Palace Attendant Zhang Chongjin to proceed to Samantabhadra Monastery on Mount Emei to adorn the Buddha images, because Jia Prefecture had repeatedly reported that the form of Samantabhadra had appeared at Baishui Monastery. The Mount Emei Gazetteer states: 'In the past, there was Old Man Pu. Gathering medicinal herbs, he entered the mountain and gazed toward the summit. Five-colored clouds emitted white light, and suddenly a deer led him forward onto a cliff, where he saw the true form of the Great Being Samantabhadra. From this time onward, manifestations were revealed.' / The jinshi scholar Li Ai of Henan Prefecture composed the Collection on Eradicating the Heterodox to slander the Śākya teachings, and secretly used Buddhist scriptures to make a quilt. When the matter was reported, the Emperor considered that he had maligned the sacred Way and deluded the common people. He ordered that he be tattooed and exiled to the island of Shamen (which lies in the sea off Dengzhou. Under the old regulations, when the quota was exceeded, one who had resided there the longest was cast into the sea. During the reign of Shenzong, Ma Mo governed the commandery and requested that henceforth those exceeding the quota be transferred to the jurisdiction of Dengzhou, and the Emperor agreed).