[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [釋迦方志](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088) › 2.106 # 釋迦方志 2.106 釋迦方志 2.106 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.106](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088.2.106) 晉太元中沙門曇翼者。於荊州造長沙寺。寺成而未有佛像。翼曰。大聖遺迹遍閻浮提。豈我無感而不降耶。乃潔齋祈仰。以二月八日夜現于城北。形儀嚴肅高于七尺光相衝天。諸處迎接初不能起。翼曰。將非通感所致降我長沙乎。乃與二人捧之。颯然輕舉迎入寺中。昔經夜行人。謂怪異以刀擊之。鎗然作聲視乃金像。刀所擊胸文見於外。後罽賓僧云。是育王像也。光上有字時大重之。梁武聞之屢迎。東下雖加事力終無以致。後竭丹欵鄭重慇懃方乃下。船去都十八里帝自出迎。尋路放光相續不絕。道俗稱慶。後在太極殿重興供養。晚出大通門。入同泰寺又加供養。及寺火燒堂剎並盡。唯像居殿巋然獨存。晚還荊州本寺。夜出遶塔降靈非一。及元帝崩諸有凶事。輒流汗在地。近大宗晏駕。亦如前流汗。其瑞極多。晉咸和中。丹陽尹高悝見張侯橋浦有異光。使人尋之。得一金像無有光趺。載至長干巷口。牛住不行乃任所之。徑趣長干寺。後數年臨海漁人張係世。於海口見銅蓮華趺浮水上。乃以表之勅送。像足宛然符合。後有天竺五僧詣悝云。昔於本國得阿育王像。至鄴遭亂藏于河岸。近感夢云。吾已出江南為高悝所得。乃引至寺僧見流涕。像為放光照于內外。僧曰。此像乃育王第四女所造。文在華趺上因檢同焉。又云。本有圓光計應尋至。後晉咸安元年交州合浦採珠人。董宗之見海底光浮出水上。尋得佛光以事奏聞。簡文勅施像背孔穴懸。同光色無改。四十餘年江海隔絕。一朝方具人百懷嗟。自晉及陳。五代君王莫不親敬。每有亢旱請像乘輦。入宮祈懇無不畢雨。陳氏禎明中。其像自然轉身面西。雖正還爾。具以奏聞。帝延處太極設齋行道。像乃脫七寶冠掛手。帝燒香誓曰。若國不祥願重現相。仍以冠首至明還脫。君臣失色。及隋滅陳朝佐露首面縛入京。文帝知之。延至宮內常侍供養。後下勅曰。朕老不能久立可作座。育王進內其本像於興善。供養寺見形小置于北面。及明乃見在南。相從內愧。今見在殿圖寫殷矣（及仁壽立塔一百餘州皆有光瑞如感應傳）。 > During the Taiyuan reign of the Jin dynasty, there was a śramaṇa named Tanyi, who founded Changsha Monastery in Jingzhou. When the monastery was completed, it lacked a Buddha statue. Yi said: 'The traces left behind by the Great Sage pervade Jambudvīpa. Could it be that through my lack of resonance he does not descend?' Thereupon, having purified himself with fasting, he prayed with yearning. On the night of the eighth day of the second month, \[a statue\] appeared north of the city: its appearance was grave and solemn, exceeding seven feet in height, with radiant marks piercing the heavens. Though people from various quarters came to welcome and receive it, at first it could not be lifted. Yi said: 'Could it be that through psychic resonance it has descended for my Changsha?' He and two other men then raised it with their hands, and it lifted lightly and swiftly as the wind, whereupon they welcomed it into the monastery. In former times, a nocturnal traveler, suspecting it to be a monstrous phantom, struck it with a knife; it resounded with a metallic clang, and upon inspection it proved to be a golden statue. The trace struck by the knife on its chest remained visible on the outside. Later, a monk from Gandhāra said: 'This is a statue of King Aśoka.' There were characters upon its halo, which was held in great reverence at the time. When Emperor Wu of the Liang heard of it, he repeatedly tried to bring it down to the east; although he applied human labor, he could never manage to convey it. Only after he exhausted his utmost sincerity, solemn and earnest, did it finally descend into the vessel. Eighteen leagues from the capital, the emperor himself came out to welcome it. Along the road, it continuously emitted light without cessation, and monastics and laity rejoiced. Later, he renewed offerings to it in the Taiji Hall. Afterward, it was brought out through the Datong Gate and entered Tongtai Monastery, where further offerings were made. When fire broke out in the monastery, incinerating the hall and pagoda entirely, this statue alone stood aloft in the hall, surviving intact. Later it returned to its original monastery in Jingzhou. It stepped out at night and circled the pagoda, its manifestations of miraculous response occurring more than once. Whenever Emperor Yuan passed away or other calamitous events occurred, it would consistently stream sweat down to the ground. Recently, when the Grand Ancestor (Emperor Taizong) passed away, it also streamed sweat as before. Its auspicious omens were exceedingly numerous. During the Xianhe reign of the Jin dynasty, Gao Kui, the Governor of Danyang, saw an extraordinary light in the waters of the Zhanghou Bridge. He sent men to investigate, and they found a golden statue lacking a halo and pedestal. When they transported it to the entrance of Changgan Lane, the oxen halted and refused to advance, so they let them go where they would. They went straight to Changgan Monastery. Several years later, Zhang Xishi, a fisherman of Linhai, saw a bronze lotus pedestal floating upon the water at the mouth of the sea. Thereupon he reported it, and by imperial decree it was delivered \[to the monastery\]. The statue's feet matched it seamlessly. Later, five Indian monks came to visit Kui and said: 'In the past, we obtained a statue of King Aśoka in our home country. Upon reaching Ye, we encountered disorder and hid it on the riverbank. Recently we had an evocative dream saying: "I have already gone out south of the Yangtze and have been found by Gao Kui."' He then guided them to the monastery; seeing it, the monks shed tears. For them the statue emitted light, illuminating both inside and out. The monks said: 'This statue was fashioned by the fourth daughter of King Aśoka. The inscription is upon the lotus pedestal.' Upon examining it, this proved to be the case. They also said: 'Originally it possessed a circular halo, which should surely arrive shortly.' Later, in the first year of the Xian'an reign of the Jin dynasty, Dong Zongzhi, a pearl diver of Hepu in Jiaozhou, saw a light at the bottom of the sea floating up to the surface. Upon retrieving it, it was a Buddha halo, and the matter was reported to the throne. Emperor Jianwen decreed that it be affixed to the hole on the statue's back; it fit precisely, and its radiance and color had not altered. Separated by rivers and oceans for more than forty years, it became whole in a single morning, causing countless people to sigh with wonder. From the Jin through the Chen dynasties, not one of the sovereigns of the five eras failed to pay personal reverence to it. Whenever there was a severe drought, they would request that the statue be placed upon a palanquin and enter the palace; whenever they prayed earnestly, copious rain was unfailingly granted. During the Zhenming reign of the Chen dynasty, the statue spontaneously turned its body to face west; even when set straight, it reverted to that position. The matter was reported in full to the throne. The emperor invited it to reside in the Taiji Hall, where he held a fast and performed circumambulation. The statue then took off its seven-jewel crown and hung it from its hand. The emperor burned incense and made a vow, saying: 'If there is misfortune for the state, may a portent be shown once more.' He then replaced the crown upon its head, but by dawn it had slipped off again. Ruler and ministers lost color. When the Sui conquered the Chen, and the ministers of the court entered the capital bareheaded and bound, Emperor Wen learned of this, invited \[the statue\] into the palace, and constantly attended and made offerings to it. Later an imperial decree was issued, saying: 'We are aged and cannot stand for long; a seat may be fashioned.' King Aśoka's \[statue\] was brought inside; its original statue was at Xingshan Monastery, and seeing that it appeared small, it was placed on the north side, but by dawn it was seen to be on the south side. The attendants inwardly felt ashamed. At present it resides in the hall, and its depicted images are exceedingly numerous (and during the Renshou reign, when stupas were erected across more than a hundred prefectures, all experienced luminous marvels, as recounted in the \*Ganying zhuan\*). > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.105](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088.2.105) - [Next: 2.107](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088.2.107) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088~en-mt.2.106) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088.2.106](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2088.2.106) · Pramāṇa