釋氏稽古略 3.47

3.47

The Crown Prince Zhi resided in the Eastern Palace. It happened that the weather was overcast and gloomy, and he felt weary, sad, and moved. Looking back to his mother's demeanor, it was boundless as vast heaven, her compassionate grace limitless. He thereupon gathered materials, selected a site, and founded Dacien Monastery to posthumously honor Empress Wende and cultivate unseen blessings for her. By this twelfth month it was completed, and a stupa was also erected. An edict ordered fifty senior and venerable bhadantas of the capital to be selected, each ordaining six attendants, to reside in the new monastery. In this month, on the bing-chen day, the Crown Prince prepared fifty jeweled carriages to welcome the bhadantas, together with hundreds of colored pavilions and precious banners, reverently escorting the newly acquired Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts of various sūtras, auspicious images, relics, and the like. By imperial order, the Nine Sections of Music of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the musicians of Chang'an and Wannian, and flower banners from the various monasteries in the capital guided them into the monastery. The Emperor stood in the tower of the Anfu Gate holding an incense burner to pay homage, stopping only when the sūtras and images had completely passed. The imperial heart was exceedingly pleased. After Gaozong ascended the throne, he personally composed the stele for Dacien Monastery (Tang dian).