宋高僧傳 26.4

26.4

Shi Facheng's original surname was Wang, and his personal name was Shoushen; his official post reached that of Investigating Censor. When the Heavenly Empress harbored suspicions and trusted the trumped-up charges of cruel officials, he evaded the judicial office and begged to leave household life as a monk. He was austere and diligent in transforming and guiding others; his voice brought immediate resonance, and his conduct was lofty and upright. During the Chang'an era, he dug a large pit in the West Market of Jingzhao, naming it "Ocean Pool"—channeling branches of the Yong'an Canal to fill it, making it a place for releasing living beings. The Buddha halls and scripture towers beside the pool were all built by Cheng. When excavating the pool, an ancient stone was unearthed with an inscription saying: "For a hundred years a market, and afterwards a pool." From the Sui dynasty establishing the capital and setting up the market until that time was precisely one hundred years. In the second year of Yifeng, an omen-seer said: "There is an extraordinary aura in this ward." An imperial order commanded excavation, and a stone casket was found containing more than ten thousand grains of Buddha relics, radiant and hard. An imperial order was issued to construct Guangzhai Temple on this site, and forty-nine grains of relics each were distributed to capital temples, prefectures, and commanderies. Empress Wu first erected the Seven Treasures Terrace here, subsequently changing the temple placard, and Master Cheng took up residence there. In carrying out his exhortation, he largely made the veneration of blessings his personal duty.