釋氏稽古略 2.185

2.185

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).