佛祖統紀 48.19

48.19

In the first year of Jiaxi, Empress Dowager Wang passed away. Chan Master Shifan of Jingshan was summoned for an audience in the Xiuzheng Hall, granted a golden brocade kāṣāya, and summoned to ascend the seat and preach the Dharma in the Ciming Hall; the Emperor listened behind a lowered curtain. He was granted the title 'Fojian' (Mirror of Buddha). When Emperor Gongsheng Renlie passed away, Shifan was again summoned to ascend the seat. Shortly thereafter, he petitioned to return to the mountain forests, and was additionally granted the title 'Yuanzhao' (Perfect Illumination). In the first year of Chunyou, the Emperor dreamed of the Great Being Avalokiteśvara sitting amidst bamboo and rocks; upon awakening, he ordered an image to be drawn and carved onto stone. The imperial encomium ran: 'His divine powers are most wondrous, / Appearing and disappearing unfathomably. / His merits are boundless, / How swift is his response to resonance! / In seasonal harmony and bountiful years, / He protects our populace. / With warfare laid to rest and punishments shelved, / He brings peace to this royal realm.' He also wrote the four large characters 'Guangda Linggan' (Vast and Miraculous Resonance) to be added above the sacred title of Avalokiteśvara. He further transcribed one fascicle of the Heart Sūtra. He bestowed his imperial calligraphy of the Preface to the Holy Teaching together with a jade hand-censer upon Dharma Master Tong'an Xian of Upper Tianzhu, and appointed him as Chief Recorder of Monks for the Left and Right Streets. When the Pavilion of the Five Hundred Arhats at Upper Tianzhu was renovated, the Emperor wrote the four large characters 'Chao Zhu You Hai' (Surpassing the Ocean of All Existences) to bestow upon it.