釋氏稽古略 4.59

4.59

In spring, the third month, the Japanese monk Chōnen came to court. Thereupon he said that his country had transmitted eighty generations, spanning 3,200 years. The emperor said to his assisting ministers: "China has been fragmented since the late Tang and Five Dynasties; not only did its rulers rise in the morning and fall in the evening, but ministers too were repeatedly executed. We diligently seek good governance, hoping the Heavens above will look down with protection to make long-term plans for Our sons and grandsons; may you ministers also preserve your hereditary emoluments" (extracted from the Shisan chao shengzheng lu). An imperial decree ordered the restoration of the Sangha Pagoda in Sizhou, adding the two characters "Dasheng" (Great Holy One) to his posthumous title, and named the monastery Zhaopu (original biography).