三寶感應要略錄 1.41

1.41

宋江陵長沙寺沙門釋僧高。志操剛烈期西方。願造丈六無量壽像。功用既巨。積年不辦。聞湘州銅溪山廟甚鐃銅器。欲化導鬼神。取充成辦。遂州判史張邵。告事人源。請船數艘壯士百人。張曰。此廟靈驗。獄者輒斃。且蠻人守護。恐此難果。高曰。禑與君其共死則身留。張即給人船。未至一宿。神已預知。風震雲冥。鳥獸鳴呼。俄而高到。霧歇日明。未至廟屋。二十餘步。有兩銅鑊。各數百斛。見一大蛇。長十餘丈。從鑊騰出。亘身斷道。從者百人。悉皆退散。高乃勅服。而進振錫。告蛇曰。汝前世罪業故受蟒。不聞三寶。何由自拔。吾造丈六無量壽像。聞此鐃銅。遠來相詣。幸可開路使我得前。蛇乃舉𥸦頭。看高引身而去。高躬率人徒。捷取銅器。唯床頭唾壺。可容四舛。蝘𮕖長尺有餘。踊躍出入。遂置不取。廟器重大少不收一。唯勝小者。船滿而歸。守廟之人。即蠻莫敢推拒。高還都鑄像。以元壽九年畢功。神表端嚴。威光偉曜。造像靈異聲傳矣。

The śramaṇa Shi Senggao of Changsha Temple in Jiangling of the Song dynasty was unyielding in his determination and aimed for the Western realm. He vowed to make a sixteen-foot image of Amitāyus. The work and expense being immense, it was not accomplished for years. Hearing that the shrine at Mount Tongxi in Xiangzhou had an abundance of copper vessels, he wished to convert and guide the ghosts and spirits, and take them to complete the task. He therefore went to the provincial administrative assistant Zhang Shao, reported the origin of the matter, and requested several boats and a hundred stalwart men. Zhang said: 'This shrine has spiritual power; those who offend it die at once. Moreover, the southern barbarians guard it, so I fear this will be difficult to achieve.' Gao said: 'If you and I are to die together, then our bodies may remain.' Zhang then provided the men and boats. A night before they arrived, the spirit already had foreknowledge; the wind thundered, the clouds darkened, and birds and beasts shrieked. Soon after, Gao arrived; the fog subsided and the sun became bright. More than twenty paces before reaching the shrine hall, there were two bronze cauldrons, each holding several hundred hu. A large serpent was seen, more than ten zhang in length, leaping out of a cauldron and stretching its body across the path, blocking the way. The hundred followers all retreated and scattered. Gao adjusted his robes, stepped forward and shook his monk's staff, saying to the snake: 'Due to sinful karma from previous lives you have received the body of a serpent; if you do not hear the Three Jewels, by what means will you extricate yourself? I am making a sixteen-foot image of Amitāyus. Hearing that this place is rich in copper, I have come from afar to visit. I hope you might clear the path so that I can proceed.' The serpent then raised its crooked head, looked at Gao, stretched its body, and departed. Gao personally led his followers to quickly take the copper vessels. Only a spittoon at the head of the bed, which could hold about four sheng, had a gecko over a foot long leaping in and out of it, so they left it and did not take it. Of the shrine's vessels, few of the heavy and large ones were left behind, and they took all the small ones, returning with full boats. The keepers of the shrine, who were southern barbarians, dared not resist. Gao returned to the capital and cast the image, completing the work in the ninth year of Yuanshou. Its divine expression was upright and dignified, its awe-inspiring light magnificently brilliant. The reputation of the wondrous marvels of this image-making spread far and wide.