宋高僧傳 27.4

27.4

釋僧竭者，不知何許人也，生在佛家，化行神甸。護珠言戒，止水澄心。每嗟靳固之夫，不自檀那之度，乃於建中中造曼殊堂，擬摹五臺之聖相。議築臺至于水際，竭懼傷生命，俾立三日道場，呪其多足至無足，當移竄相避，勿成某梵行之難。將知至誠所感，徵驗弗虛，掘土及泉，了無蠢動焉。常以複素為漉袋，遇汲有蟲，投諸井坎，時號「護生井」，恒盈不涸。又觀其飛蛾、蠛蠓，錯認火明為可飛之路，故犯之，乃鑄銅蟾為息煙調。天下傳其制度。其曼殊院甞轉經，每勅賜香。此寺本七寶臺寺，內有天后所造之臺，竭居于中焉。

Shi Sengjie, whose origins are unknown, was born into the Buddhist family, and his converting influence spread through the divine precinct. He guarded his precepts like guarding a precious jewel, and stilled his mind like motionless water. Constantly lamenting over stingy men who did not follow the measure of dāna, during the Jianzhong era he built a Mañjuśrī Hall, intending to model it after the sacred images of Mount Wutai. It was proposed to raise the terrace right to the water's edge; fearing that living creatures would be harmed, Jie had a three-day bodhimaṇḍa established, praying over those with many feet down to those with none, so that they might move away and avoid harm, not creating obstacles to his pure conduct. One could see that the resonance of his utmost sincerity was an unfailing proof: when earth was dug down to the spring, there were no squirming creatures at all. He always used double-layered silk as a straining bag; whenever insects were caught in drawing water, he cast them into a well pit, which was called the "Life-Preserving Well" at that time, and was constantly full without drying up. Furthermore, observing that flying moths and gnats mistook the brightness of fire for a traversable path and thus flew into it, he cast a bronze toad to serve as a device to extinguish smoke. Its design was passed down throughout the realm. At his Mañjuśrī Courtyard scriptures were constantly chanted, and an imperial decree repeatedly bestowed incense. This temple was originally the Qibaotai Temple, within which was a terrace built by the Heavenly Empress, and Jie resided within it.