佛祖歷代通載 9.3

9.3

(Renwu) Emperor Wu, the High Ancestor, Xiao Yan, changed [the era name] to Tianjian. (Courtesy name Shuda; native of Duli in Nanlanling. Descended from the same lineage as the Qi; also a twenty-fourth-generation descendant of the Han chancellor Xiao He. His father, Shunzhi, was Governor of Danyang; his mother was Lady Zhang. When the Emperor was born, his appearance was extraordinary and imposing, with the 'sun horn' [forehead] and dragon countenance; there was a halo around his neck, and his body cast no shadow in the sun. After receiving the abdication of Qi, he was passionately fond of the Buddhadharma. The surrendered general Hou Jing rebelled, raised troops, and besieged the Emperor at Taicheng. He ceased eating and died in the Jingju Hall at the age of eighty-six, having reigned for forty-eight years. ○ Someone asked: "Emperor Wu of Liang reverenced the Buddha throughout his life, yet died trapped and starved at Taicheng. Where was the efficacy of the Buddhadharma?" To this it is answered: "Does such a doubt exist? Does such a reproach exist? Now, man's life and destiny are determined by the nature of karma. If past karma has converged, how could the good of this life change it? Therefore Wenzhongzi said: 'That his fasts and precepts were cultivated while the Liang state fell into danger was not the fault of Śākyamuni.' Because he committed the fault of deposing the ruler of Qi, he met the distress of Hou Jing at Taicheng. Once the principle of karma is clear, doubts and confusion are dispelled.")