三寶感應要略錄 3.65

3.65

At Shanjisi in Deyang County of Hanzhou under the Liang dynasty, on the wall of the eastern corridor, silk was mounted and painted with one image each of Avalokiteśvara and Kṣitigarbha, shaped like monks, seated with robes casually draped over their shoulders. When people of the time gazed in veneration, wondrous light blazed forth. By the first year of Linde, the monks of the temple, gazing with reverence, wished to make it known far and wide; therefore, using silk against the wall, they traced copies to make offerings to them, and they emitted light without difference. Those among the people of the time who successively traced copies were very numerous. By the third year of Linde, when Wang Ji took office as Prefect of Zizhou, he reverently made offerings to a traced copy with pure sincerity. The boats traveling alongside him numbered ten; suddenly a fierce wind arose abruptly, and nine boats sank. Amid these churning waves, only Wang Ji’s boat experienced no terror. From this one may know that the Bodhisattva’s vast great compassion has power like this. In the second year of Chuigong, the Heavenly Empress heard of this and decreed painters to trace copies; they emitted light as before, and offerings were made to them in the inner palace chapel. By the first year of Dali, a grand worthy of Baoshousi saw an extraordinary sign of light in the sanctuary and drafted a memorial to report it to the throne. The Emperor then, with a devout heart, paid homage and praised it: “When the light of the Bodhisattva appears, the country shall enjoy peace and prosperity.” Later, a merchant's wife had been pregnant for twenty-eight months without giving birth. Suddenly beholding the radiant light, she immediately traced a copy and single-mindedly made a vow. Thereupon, through the Bodhisattva, that very night she gave birth to a boy whose appearance and marks were dignified and majestic, bringing joy to all who saw him.