三寶感應要略錄 2.104

2.104

The monk Lingyun, named Prajñādeva in India, was originally a man from Xiangyang. Pursuing the sacred traces, he crossed the southern shores and reached the Western Lands. At Nālandā Monastery, he painted an authentic likeness of Maitreya and an image of the Bodhi tree. Arriving at the kingdom of Īrāṇaparvata, there was an isolated mountain. As it was an extraordinary place, its spiritual shrines were truly numerous, and its sympathetic responses of many kinds. In the center was a vihāra enshrining a carved sandalwood image of Avalokiteśvara as the venerable deity. If someone prayed for their various wishes for seven days or fourteen days, a wondrous body would emerge from the image, comforting their mind and fulfilling their wishes. Nearby was an iron stupa housing twenty thousand verses of the Mahāprajñā[pāramitā]. The Five Indias vied in making offerings to the image and the scripture. Lingyun fasted for seven days and made three requests in his prayer: first, that his body surely be free from the wretched realms; second, that he surely return to his home country to broadly promote Buddhist affairs; and third, that by cultivating the Buddha's Dharma he quickly attain the fruit of buddhahood. Thereupon, from the sandalwood image emerged a wondrous body, fully adorned with marks and radiant with light, comforting Yun and saying: "Your three wishes are all fulfilled. You should enter the iron stupa and read the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra. Treading on the place where the scripture is located, you will surely escape the three wretched realms. If a person generates the aspiration and approaches this place, with every step their sins will be eliminated, and they will advance on the Buddha Path. Formerly, I practiced Prajñā and attained the stage of non-retrogression. If one upholds this scripture and copies its scrolls, I will surely cause that person's requests to be fulfilled." Having spoken these words, the transformed body vanished. For twenty-one days, he stayed secluded within the iron stupa, revering the scripture cases, and only then read its text. After half a year had passed, he returned to the Tang realm, broadly promoting Buddhist affairs and translating the sacred teachings, possessing true capability. This was the assisting power of Avalokiteśvara and the majestic virtue of the Mahāprajñā[pāramitā]!