三寶感應要略錄 1.17

1.17

梁祖武帝。以天鑒元年正月八日。夢檀像入國。因發詔募往迎。案佛遊天竺記及双卷優填王經之佛。上忉利天。一夏為母說法。王臣思見于國王遣三十二匠。及齎栴檀請大目連神力。運往令圖佛相。既如所願圖了。還返坐高五尺。在祇洹寺。至令供養。帝欲迎請此像。時決勝將軍郝騫父花等八十人。應募往達。具狀祈請舍衛王曰。此中天上像。不可緣邊。乃令三十二匠。更剋此檀人圖一相。卯時運手至午便就。相好具足。而像頂放光。降微細雨。并有異香。故優填王經云。真身既隱。以二像現。普為眾生。深作利益者是也。騫等負第二像行數萬里。備曆艱以具聞。又渡大海。[曰/月]涉風波。隨波至山。糧食又盡。所將人眾及傳送者。身多害歿。逢諸猛獸。一心念。乃聞像後有甲冑聲。又聞鐘聲。巖側有僧。端坐樹下。騫發負像。下置其前。僧起禮像。騫等禮僧。僧授澡灌令飲。並得飽滿。僧曰。此像名三藐三佛陀。金毘羅王。自從至彼大作佛事。語須臾失之。爾夜僉夢見神。曉共圖之。至天鑒十年四月五日。騫等達于揚都。帝與百僚徒行四十里。迎還太極殿建。齋度人大赦獻殺。但是弓刀預等。並作蓮花塔。帝由此蔬食斷慾。至大津三年五月崩。湘東王在江淩即位。號無承坐。遣人從揚都迎。上至荊都。承光殿供養。後梁大定八年。於城北靜陵。造大明寺。乃以像歸之。今現在多有傳寫流云云。

Emperor Wu, the founding ancestor of the Liang, on the eighth day of the first month of the first year of the Tianjian reign, dreamed of a sandalwood image entering his state. Because of this, he issued an edict recruiting people to go and welcome it. According to the Record of the Buddha's Travels in India and the two-fascicle Sūtra of King Udayana, the Buddha ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven for one summer retreat to preach the Dharma for his mother. The king and ministers longed to see him, so the king sent thirty-two craftsmen carrying sandalwood, requesting the divine power of Mahāmaudgalyāyana to transport them there to paint the Buddha's likeness. Having finished painting as desired, they returned, and the seated image, five feet tall, was in the Jetavana monastery, where offerings are made to this day. The emperor wished to invite this image. At that time, the Decisive Victory General Hao Qian, his father Hua, and others—eighty persons in all—responded to the recruitment and arrived. They detailed the situation and petitioned the King of Śrāvastī, who said, "This celestial image cannot be moved to a peripheral border." Thereupon, he ordered thirty-two craftsmen to carve another image of this sandalwood person's likeness: starting work at the hour of the rabbit (5–7 AM), it was completed by midday (11 AM–1 PM). Its marks and signs were complete; the top of the image's head emitted light, a fine drizzle fell, and there was an extraordinary fragrance. Therefore, the Sūtra of King Udayana says, "When the true body is concealed, it appears in two images to profoundly benefit living beings everywhere"—this is what it refers to. Qian and the others carried the second image on their backs and traveled tens of thousands of li, fully experiencing hardships as have been recounted. Furthermore, they crossed the great ocean, crossing over wind and waves for days and months, following the waves until they reached a mountain, where their provisions were also exhausted. Many of the companions and escorts they had led suffered injury and death. Encountering various fierce beasts, they single-mindedly concentrated their thoughts; thereupon, behind the image they heard the sound of armor and helmets, and also heard the sound of a bell. Beside a cliff, there was a monk sitting upright beneath a tree. Qian set down the image he had been carrying on his back in front of him. The monk rose and paid homage to the image; Qian and the others paid homage to the monk. The monk handed them a water pitcher to drink from, and all were filled to satisfaction. The monk said, "This image is named Samyaksaṃbuddha. King Kumbhīra, following it to that place, will perform great Buddha-works." In a moment after speaking, he vanished. That night, everyone dreamed of seeing a spirit, and at dawn they sketched it together. On the fifth day of the fourth month in the tenth year of the Tianjian reign, Qian and the others arrived at the capital of Yang. The emperor and the civil and military officials walked on foot for forty li to welcome it back to the Taiji Hall. He established vegetarian fasts, ordained people, proclaimed a great amnesty, and forbade killing: all bows, knives, spears, and the like were melted and turned into lotus pagodas. From this time forth, the emperor ate vegetarian food and cut off sexual desires. In the fifth month of the third year of the Taiqing reign, he passed away. The Prince of Xiangdong ascended the throne in Jiangling, titled Emperor Yuan (Chengsheng). He sent people to welcome it from the capital of Yang and brought it up to the capital of Jing to make offerings to it in the Chengguang Hall. In the eighth year of the Dading reign of the Later Liang, Daming Temple was constructed at Jingling to the north of the city, and the image was transferred to it. At present, there are many copies of it circulating, and so forth.