釋氏稽古略 2.185

2.185

金山水陸大齋　初梁帝夢僧告之曰。六道四生受大苦惱。何不為作水陸大齋而救拔之。帝扣諸沙門。寶誌公曰。尋經必有因緣。帝取佛經躬盲披覽。創造儀文。三年乃成。於夜捧文停燭白佛曰。若此文理協聖軌。願拜起時此燈自明。或儀式未詳。燈暗如故。言訖投地一禮。燈燭皆明。至是二月十五日於今鎮江金山寺依儀修設。帝臨地席。詔祐律師宣文。利洽幽明。至今遵行焉（見葦江文集）。

The Great Water and Land Vegetarian Feast of Jinshan: Earlier, the Emperor of Liang dreamed of a monk who told him: "The beings of the six destinies and four modes of birth undergo great suffering and affliction; why not conduct a Great Water and Land Vegetarian Feast to rescue and deliver them?" The emperor consulted the various śramaṇas. Master Baozhi said: "Search the sutras, and there will surely be causes and conditions." The emperor took the Buddhist sutras and personally perused them, creating the ritual text; it took three years to complete. At night, holding the text, he extinguished the candle and addressed the Buddha, saying: "If the principles of this text accord with the sacred norms, may this lamp kindle of itself when I rise from bowing. Or if the ritual is not yet complete, may the lamp remain dark as before." Having spoken, he threw himself to the ground in a prostration; the lamps and candles all flared into light. On the fifteenth day of the second month, at what is now Jinshan Monastery in Zhenjiang, the service was conducted in accordance with the ritual. The emperor personally attended the mat on the ground and decreed that Vinaya Master You proclaim the text. The benefit pervaded the unseen and the seen. It continues to be observed to this day. (Found in the Weijiang wenji).