佛祖統紀 47.9

47.9

In the first month of the fourth year, on the day jiachan (the first day of the year), the Emperor stopped at Qitou and entered Baifeng Hermitage. The monks were performing the New Year repentance; the Emperor stepped forward and stood beside them, and hearing words praying for the protection of the state and the peace of the people, he was greatly pleased. He lingered there, drank tea, and then departed. (The imperial throne and the stone inscription granting an exemption from taxes by special decree are now in the hermitage.) On bingwu (the third day), he halted at Zhang'an Town in Taizhou and entered the temple on Mount Jin'ao. An old monk was praying before the Buddha, his words entirely concerned with grieving for the times and protecting the state. The Emperor asked what text it was; he replied: 'The Golden Light Repentance for the Protection of the State.' The Emperor thereupon lodged at the temple. Later, when he established the court at Lin'an, he granted gold and silk annually to all the temples in the capital to perform this rite. Earlier, while the Emperor was at his residence in the capital, an extraordinary man gave him a poem that read: 'A skiff lies moored at Oyster Shoal, / Where the sunset lingers, awaiting the tide to swell. / Let us not fail our pact to climb on high, / Journeying together atop the back of the golden turtle.' When he journeyed over the sea and ascended Mount Jin'ao, he sat upon a couch and saw this poem inscribed upon the wall, only then realizing that the extraordinary man had presented a prophetic omen. On gengxu (the seventh day), the barbarians sacked Mingzhou. Their chieftain suddenly arrived at Nanhu Monastery; the crowd had already scattered, and only Jieran refused to leave. The chieftain rebuked him: 'Are you not afraid to die?' Ran said: 'In my life, I built this Sixteen Contemplations Hall through the power of my vows. Now I am old, and I cannot bear to abandon it merely to seek life.' The chieftain admired his righteousness and said: 'If the Master would kindly return north with me, you may build a contemplation hall of this exact design.' Thereupon they took him captive and marched off. When the barbarian troops reached Huxin, they forced the Vinaya Master Yuanzhao to go; the master was joyful without reluctance. Reaching Jingkou, he said to those around him: 'I am about to return to the west.' Instantly the music of pipes and songs was heard; at that moment, soldiers and civilians alike saw the master chant the Buddha's name, face west, and pass away. (The master was a grandson of Vice Director of the Right Lu Dian.) Previously, when Chan Master Zhengjue, known as Hongzhi, presided over Tiantong, he expanded the halls and gathered a community of up to one thousand two hundred people. When the barbarians entered the territory, the assembly was about to disperse; the master stopped them, saying: 'The barbarians will not reach here; there is no need to flee.' When the barbarians climbed Pagoda Ridge, they saw divine soldiers filling the valleys and retreated in great fear. When Chan Master Daochang, known as Yuetang, of Mount Yuwang heard that the barbarians were arriving, he dug a pit behind the mountain, took the relic pagoda of Śākyamuni, sat within it, and covered it above with pottery. When the barbarian chieftain arrived and could not find the pagoda, he was enraged and set out to burn down the buildings. Suddenly, a painted image of Guanyin on the wall emitted light, and water flooded the ground, while the revolving library rotated of its own accord. Overcome with dread, the chieftain bowed, prayed, and departed. After seven days, they opened the pit to retrieve the pagoda; the water reached his neck without drowning him. On bingyin (the twenty-third day), the Emperor halted at Guantou in Wenzhou (remaining for ten days). In the second month, on yihai (the third day), the Emperor halted at Jiangxin Temple. An imperial decree designated the former residence of Lin Lingsu as the Zifu Teaching Cloister; Grand Councillor Lü Yihao recommended Dharma Master Daochen, known as Yuanbian, to preside over it. On bingzi (the fourth day), the barbarian troops withdrew. Earlier, because Hangzhou was afflicted by war and drought, the people had welcomed the great statue from Upper Tianzhu into the Fahui Temple in the prefecture. The incense-attendant Daoyuan, worried that it would be sought when the troops arrived, hid it in a well and placed another image in the temporary palace. When the barbarians returned from Siming and assaulted Hangzhou once more, they indeed demanded the location of the Great Being, seized it directly, and drove Daoyuan along with them. Daoyuan prayed silently in sorrow; reaching Xu Village by night, as if someone were guiding him, he managed to escape and return to report to the prefecture. At that time, the barbarians burned the city, and people did not know where the well was. Suddenly, hearing the sound of metal and stone, they sought it out and retrieved the statue from the well. In the third month, on jiwei (the seventeenth day), the Emperor departed from Jiangxin. (The sovereign remained in the temple for half a month. Zhao Rusi's poem says: 'The Yongsi Tomb monarch stayed half a month at the capital,' which people considered an authentic record.) He decreed that Dharma Master Fadao accompany the retinue to discuss affairs of state and military matters. The Emperor wished to bestow an official cap upon him, but the master firmly declined; an imperial decree bestowed upon him the title Great Master of Perfect Penetration and Dharma Relief. In the fourth month, the Emperor halted his cortege at Huiji. During a drought, he ordered Dharma Master Dao to pray at Yuantong (the temple was inside the city walls); on that very day, rain arrived, and the Emperor was greatly delighted. In the seventh month, the two Daoist Sovereigns were moved from Hanzhou to Wuguocheng (Continued Records of Ancient Inquiries).