廣弘明集 16.47

16.47

When the Buddhist teachings flowed east, they were initially not very prominent; beginning in the capital Luoyang, they flourished to the east of the Yangtze. The late General of Chariots and Cavalry under the Jin, Wang Shao of Langye, possessed solitary insight and profound awakening, with faith and understanding deep and subtle. North of the ancestral temple of Duke Wenxian, he built the Zhiyuan Vihāra. At its inception, fragrant trifoliate oranges formed its hedge; hence the name was established from the circumstance. Although the rooms and halls were orderly, a precious pagoda had not yet been erected. Shao's great-great-grandson, Wang Huan, Vice Director of the Left of the Department of State Affairs and Grand Administrator of Nan-Xuzhou, deeply penetrated the characteristics of phenomena and thoroughly comprehended the ultimate principle. His diligent sincerity was manifest without, and his hidden benevolence was broadly practiced within. For eleven years he did not eat past noon. Though assisting with affairs at court, his activities bordered upon the mango grove. Formerly serving as administrator of Xiangzhou and planting banners in the Liefu region, his rank rose with his years, and his stipend increased with the seasons. Considering the abundance of imperial favor and the high regard of the sovereign, his charge was situated in the eastern region, entrusted deeply as an outer bulwark. He wished merely to exhaust his ability and mind, leaving nothing undone that he knew of, bringing harmony to the people below and proclaiming sage favor above. Yet he considered his own strength weak and the road far, feeling ultimately ashamed of his meager results. Moreover, righteousness is limited to this life, while retribution falls short in future fruits; this was not the way to repay great favors in the dark paths, or convey sincere devotion through distant kalpas. From the moment he took up the post in Henggao and parted his hairpin at the Paizhu stream, he vowed to gloriously erect five tiers at the old monastery. Giving up and cutting down his regional stipend, he set aside one-tenth, collecting in all three hundred and sixty thousand coins. On the third day of the sixth month of the sixth year of the Yongming era of the Qi, which was an auspicious hour when the Wood Phase was about to open and a propitious day when the Supreme Emperor stepped across heaven, he erected the lofty emblem toward the azure clouds and laid the multi-layered foundation in the dark earth. Reverently wishing that the imperial dwelling receive blessings and good fortune arrive, that the eight spirits guard the chamber and the myriad earthly deities protect his person; that the precious reign be exalted and distant, firm as Mount Sumeru, and the divine span be vast and enduring, matching the track of the permanently abiding. May the various sages extend good fortune, imbibing the heavenly harmony in the Shaowei constellation; may the regional princes flourish, broadcasting the family brilliance across Liang and Chu; may the queens and ministers transmit the wind of mutual deference, and the common folk be bestowed with the virtue worthy of ennoblement. May sentient beings be joyful and things not die young; may fine grains yield bountiful harvests, with surplus grain remaining in the fields; may the wilderness submit and the border towns cease their watchmen's clappers. May every household be equipped with the ten virtues, and every person cherish the six perfections. May the hordes of Māra bow their heads, and non-Buddhists bend their knees. May fuel be withdrawn and fire extinguished; may swords be broken and spearheads destroyed. May those in dark torment be saved from Avīci, and ascend through divine transformation to Akaniṣṭha. May all in the three realms and five paths share this vow. Inscribing this stone in the deep earth, let this mind be made manifest.