佛祖歷代通載 5.26

5.26

（四　己丑）　安息國沙門。安清字世高。本世子當嗣位。讓之叔父舍國出家。既至洛京譯經二十九部。一百七十六卷。絕筆于靈帝建寧三年。因附舟浮游次廬山之䢼亭廟。艤舟祠下廟神靈甚。能分風送往來之舟。有乞神竹者。未許而斫。神怒覆其舟致竹斫處。過者雀息汗下。高之舟人奉牲請福。神輒降語曰。舟有沙門。乃不與俱來耶。高至廟下神復降與高語奮。因泣曰。弟子家此湖。千里皆所轄。坐宿多嗔今報形極醜。又旦夕且死必入地獄。有縑千段并雜寶玩。當為建寺塔為冥福。高許之。徐曰。能出形相勞苦乎。神曰。形惡奈何。高曰。第出之。於是出其首帳中。蓋巨蟒也。高梵語呪之。蟒若雨淚俄不見。高舟未發。有少年跪前。高又呪之乃去。舟人問誰氏子。高曰。廟神已脫蟒形。故來謝耳。高至豫章建寺。即今大安是也。由高而名蓋江淮寺塔之始。

(4. Jichou) The śramaṇa of the Parthian kingdom, An Qing, whose courtesy name was Shigao, was originally a crown prince who ought to have succeeded to the throne. He ceded it to his uncle, renounced his country, and took ordination (pravrajyā). Having arrived at Luojing, he translated twenty-nine works of scripture in one hundred and seventy-six fascicles, putting down his translation brush in the third year of the Jianning reign of Emperor Ling. Boarding a boat to travel, he once stopped at the Guting Shrine on Mount Lu. He berthed his boat below the shrine; the spirit of the shrine possessed great numinous efficacy, being able to divide the winds to escort incoming and outgoing vessels. There was someone who had begged for the spirit's bamboo, but cut it down before permission was granted; enraged, the spirit capsized his boat and cast the bamboo back to where it had been felled. Those who passed by held their breath and broke into a cold sweat. Shigao's boatmen offered sacrifices to pray for good fortune. The spirit immediately descended and uttered, "There is a śramaṇa on the boat; why has he not come together with you?" When Shigao arrived at the shrine, the spirit descended again and conversed fervently with Shigao. Weeping, the spirit said, "This disciple's home is this lake; a thousand li around are all within my jurisdiction. Because of past-life abundant anger, I have now received the retribution of an extremely repulsive body. Moreover, I will die very soon and must enter hell. I have a thousand bolts of fine silk as well as miscellaneous precious ornaments; please erect a temple and stupa for me to secure unseen blessings." Shigao gave his consent. Then he said slowly, "Can you emerge and reveal your form to be relieved of your toil?" The spirit said, "My form is ugly; what can be done?" Shigao said, "Just emerge." Thereupon it brought out its head from within the curtain: it was a giant python. Shigao incanted over it with Sanskrit mantras. The python shed tears like rain and suddenly vanished. Before Shigao's boat departed, a young man knelt before him; Shigao again incanted over him, and he left. The boatmen asked whose son he was. Shigao said, "The shrine spirit has already shed the python's body, so he came merely to give thanks." Shigao arrived in Yuzhang and built a temple, which is the present-day Da'an Temple. It was named after Shigao, and was indeed the beginning of temples and stupas in the Jiang-Huai region.