高僧傳 8.24

8.24

At that time, Fu Yan was garrisoning Chengdu in the west; admiring Chang's exemplary deportment, he treated him with the respect due to a teacher. After Chang founded the monastery, he sent a letter to Yan, saying: "This poor monk has lodged in Jingzhou for many years; advancing in years and accumulating ailments, I loathed and was sickened by the clamour of men, which is why I entrusted myself far off to the borders of Min and divined a dwelling on this hill. It is east of Guangyang, a thousand paces from the town. Winding and stretching far, it links overlapping ranges and closes off four ravines, extending along five peaks; embracing the outer wall and harbouring the town, it looks out afar across three directions; leaning against peaks and backing onto mountains, it gazes into the distance at the nine currents. On the twenty-third day of the fourth month of last year, we began the work and laid the first basket of earth. When I arrived here before the winter, I inquired and learned that that very day was precisely the day Your Majesty took flight like a dragon. I have heard that for one whose Dao matches the Supreme Ultimate, auspicious omens manifest naturally, and for one whose virtue equals the Two Principles, divine responses must become evident. This is why the Yellow River and Luo River shone with the portents of the Zhou, and the numinous stone revealed the omens of the Great Jin. I humbly maintain that the auspicious verification of this mountain—could it not be the numinous response of the Emperor of Qi? The dānapati's feelings of devotion to the state are profound, such that when the mandate coincided with the times, you could not banish it from your mind; how could you neglect this matter? I have ventured to compose an 'Eulogy on the Mountain' in one piece to reveal my foolish sentiments.