佛祖歷代通載 11.3

11.3

（戊寅）　高祖神堯皇帝淵改武德（字叔德。隴西成紀人。其先武昭王李暠之後。李歆弘農太守重耳金門鎮將熙李天錫周八柱虎。西魏賜姓大野氏。官至太尉。與李弼等八人佐周有功。皆為柱國號八柱也。虎卒周追其功封唐國公。公生昞。襲封唐公。高祖父也。仕隋為安州總管。生高祖於長安。紫氣充庭。體有三乳。性寬仁厚。又襲唐公。隋恭帝進封唐王。既太宗世。民知隋必亡。謀舉大事。祖從之。秋七月舉義兵。冬十一月克京城。明年夏五月恭遜位于高祖。即位於長安。改國號唐。在位九年。壽七十一崩。葬獻陵內禪太宗太宗。佛心天子也。創基定業廓清方維。傳世二十二。凡二百九十二年。自開闢以來。有天下者俱未若唐甚盛也。吾教盛衰常與帝道相望。由是內外護聖賢之多典章之備。亦無出此朝。故於唐頗稱全書幸名教君子。與夫吾屬後之來者有以稽考焉）。

(Wuyin [618 CE]) Emperor Shengyao, Gaozu, Yuan, changed the reign title to Wude. (Courtesy name Shude, a native of Chengji in Longxi. His ancestor was a descendant of King Wuzhao, Li Gao; Li Xin, Grand Protector of Hongnong; Chong'er, Garrison Commander of Jinmen; Xi; Li Tianxi; Hu, one of the Eight Pillars of the Zhou dynasty. The Western Wei bestowed on him the surname Daye; he reached the official post of Grand Commander. Together with Li Bi and seven others, he rendered meritorious service in assisting the Zhou; they were all Pillar Generals of the State, called the Eight Pillars. When Hu died, the Zhou pursued his merits and enfeoffed him as Duke of Tang. The Duke begot Bing, who inherited the enfeoffment as Duke of Tang; he was the father of Gaozu. He served the Sui as Area Commander-in-Chief of Anzhou. He begot Gaozu in Chang'an, where purple vapors filled the courtyard and his body had three nipples. He was naturally lenient, kind, and generous. He again inherited the title of Duke of Tang. Emperor Gong of the Sui advanced his enfeoffment to King of Tang. When Taizong, Shimin, knew that the Sui must perish, he plotted to launch the great enterprise, and Gaozu followed him. In the seventh month of autumn, they raised righteous troops; in the eleventh month of winter, they conquered the capital. In the fifth month of summer the following year, Gong yielded the throne to Gaozu. He ascended the throne in Chang'an and changed the state title to Tang. He was on the throne for nine years and passed away at the age of seventy-one; he was buried at Xianling. He abdicated internally to Taizong. Taizong was a Son of Heaven with the mind of a Buddha. He founded the base, established the dynastic work, and cleared the regions in all directions. It was transmitted through twenty-two generations, for a total of 292 years. Since the beginning of creation, among those who possessed the realm, none was as magnificent as the Tang. The rise and fall of our teaching constantly kept pace with the imperial way. Consequently, as for the abundance of internal and external protector sages and worthies, and the completeness of codes and institutions, none exceeded this dynasty. Therefore, regarding the Tang, this may well be called a complete record; may the gentlemen of the moral teaching and those of our order who come after have something to investigate and verify here).