佛祖統紀 43.7

43.7

Before the Emperor entered official service, he passed by a temple in Changshou Town of Jingzhou. A monk, knowing he was no ordinary man, secretly had someone paint the Emperor's likeness upon the temple wall. Later, because this temple had the imperial portrait, it came under official protection. When he was in Luoyang, he once visited Changshou Temple, resting his head on a hall base-stone to sleep during the day. The monk Shouyan saw a red snake going in and out of the Emperor's nose. When the Emperor woke, [Shou]yan asked where he was heading. The Emperor said, "I wish to go to Chanzhou to see Grand Defender Chai, but I have no travel provisions." (This refers to Emperor Shizong of the Zhou.) [Shou]yan said, "This poor monk has a donkey you may ride to go there," and further presented him with money. When he met the Grand Defender, the latter found him extraordinary and retained him in his military headquarters. During the Kaiyun era of the Jin dynasty, there was in Songcheng an extraordinary monk with the demeanor of a knight-errant, holding copper pellets and running across the open grass. Pointing at the prefecture's land, he said, "Within twenty years, an emperor shall establish his dynastic title from here!" (from the *Tanyuan* of Duke Yang Wen. Taizu was the Military Commissioner of the Guide Army under the Zhou dynasty. Under the Tang, Guide was Songzhou. When he received the abdication, he established the dynastic title of Song accordingly).