續高僧傳 26.68

26.68

Śramaṇa Yuanchao was a native of Fucheng in Guanzhou. The Daśabhūmika and Nirvāṇa [Sūtras] were the core of his learning; whatever his words and deeds expressed, people invariably sought counsel from them. Later in life, he resided in capital temples, gaining renown in the imperial ministries. In the final years of Renshou, an imperial edict ordered the construction of a pagoda at Huacheng Temple in Lianzhou. When he first arrived more than forty li west of the prefecture, clerics and laity guided the way, vying to arrange long banners. The south wind blew violently, bending the forest trees toward the north; yet only the streamers of the banners parted toward the south and north, undisturbed and unruffled despite the wind. When they first performed the circumambulation and set out two Buddha platters, suddenly two dragonflies settled upon the platters, facing each other. Their forms were exceedingly large, about five inches long, their color an exquisite blue-green, and thick as a human finger. For seven consecutive days they remained as before. When the circumambulation concluded, they abruptly flew away. When the relics were about to be interred, they flew back again; once the burial was completed, they disappeared without a trace. Exactly at noon during the internment, directly above the pagoda foundation, five-colored auspicious clouds appeared like a parasol, square, upright, and neat as if crafted by human hand. Beneath the clouds, a white swan was seen soaring and wheeling about. Once the ceremony was concluded, all dispersed. Chao returned to the capital, and his end is not known.