集神州三寶感通錄 2.8

2.8

五東晉成帝咸和中。丹陽尹高悝。往還帝闕每見張侯橋浦有異光現。乃使吏尋之獲金像一。西域古制光趺並缺。悝下車載像。至長干巷口。牛不復行。悝止御者。任牛所往。遂徑趣長干寺。因安置之。揚都翕然觀拜。悟者甚眾。像於中宵必放金光歲餘。臨海縣漁人張侯世於海上見銅蓮花趺丹光遊泛。乃馳舟接取。具送上臺。帝令試安悝像足。恰然符合。久之有西域五僧振錫詣悝云。昔遊天竺。得阿育王像。至鄴遭亂藏于河濱。王路既通尋覓失所。近感夢云。吾出江東為高悝所得。在阿育王寺。故遠來相投。欲一禮拜。悝引至寺。五僧見像歔欷涕泣像為之放光。照于堂內及遶僧形。僧云。本有圓光今在遠處。亦尋當至。五僧即住供養。至咸安元年。南海交州合浦採珠人董宗之每見海底有光浮于水上。尋之得佛光。以事上聞。簡文帝勅施此像。孔穴懸同光色無異。凡四十餘年。東西祥感光趺方具。此像花臺有西域書。諸來者多不識。唯三藏法師求那跋摩曰。此古梵書也。是阿育王第四女所造。時凡官寺沙門慧邃。欲求摹寫。寺主僧尚恐損金色。語邃曰。若能令佛放光迴身西向者。非余所及。邃至誠祈請。中宵聞有異聲。開殿見像。大放光明。轉坐面西。於是乃許模之。傳寫數十軀。所在流布。至梁武帝於光上加七樂天并二菩薩。至陳永定二年。王琳屯兵江浦。將向金陵。武帝命將泝流。軍發之時。像身動搖不能自安。因以奏聞。帝檢之有實俄而鋒刃未交。琳眾解散單騎奔北。遂上流大定。故動容表之。天嘉之中東南兵起。帝於像前乞願。兇徒屏退。言訖光照階宇。不久東陽閩越皆平。沙門慧曉長干領袖。行化所及事若風移。乃建重閣故使藻繪窮奇登臨極目。至德之始加造方趺。自晉迄陳五代王臣莫不歸敬。亢旱之時。請像入宮。乘以帝輦。上加油覆。僧為雨調中途滂注。常候不失。有陳運否亟涉訛謠。禎明二年像面自西。雖正還爾。以狀上聞。帝延入太極設齋行道。其像先有七寶冠。飾以珠玉。可重三斤。上加錦帽。至曉寶冠掛于像手。錦帽猶在頭上。帝聞之燒香祝曰。若國有不祥。還脫寶冠用示徵咎。仍以冠在首。至明脫掛如昨。君臣失色。及隋滅陳。舉國露首面縛西遷。如所表焉。隋高聞之。勅送入京大內供養。常躬立侍。下勅曰。朕年老不堪久立。可令有司造坐像形相。使同其立本像。送大興善寺。像既初達殿大不可當陽。乃置北面。及明乃處正陽。眾雖異之還移北面。至明還南如初。眾咸愧謝輕略今見在圖寫殷矣。余摭採眾傳記。合成此錄。有未廣者。庶知非加飾焉。

5. In the Xianhe era under Emperor Cheng of the Eastern Jin, Gao Kui, Prefect of Danyang, on his travels to and from the imperial palace, constantly saw an unusual light appearing at the inlet by Zhanghou Bridge. He sent officials to search for it, and they retrieved a golden image. It was of ancient Western Regions craft, lacking both halo and pedestal. Gao Kui dismounted his carriage and loaded the image into it. When he reached the mouth of Changgan Lane, the ox would go no further. Gao Kui stopped the driver and let the ox go where it wished; it then proceeded directly to Changgan Temple. He accordingly enshrined it there. The whole capital of Yangzhou assembled in reverence to view and worship it, and very many were enlightened. At midnight the image inevitably emitted golden rays of light for over a year. Zhang Houshi, a fisherman of Linhai County, saw a bronze lotus pedestal drifting on the sea with cinnabar light. He swiftly sailed his boat to intercept and retrieve it, presenting it fully to the imperial court. The emperor ordered that it be tested under the feet of Gao Kui's image, and it matched perfectly. After some time, five monks from the Western Regions carrying pilgrim's staffs arrived to visit Gao Kui, saying, "In the past we traveled to India and obtained a King Aśoka image. When we reached Ye, we encountered disorder and hid it on the riverbank. Once the royal roads opened, we searched for it but lost its location. Recently we had an evocative dream telling us: 'I have emerged in Jiangdong and have been obtained by Gao Kui, residing in King Aśoka Temple.' Therefore, we came from afar to seek refuge here, wishing to pay homage once." Gao Kui led them to the temple. When the five monks saw the image, they wept and sobbed; the image emitted light on their behalf, illuminating the interior of the hall and circling the monks' bodies. The monks said, "It originally had a circular halo, which is now in a distant place, but it too should arrive soon." The five monks then remained to make offerings. In the first year of the Xian'an era, Dong Zongzhi, a pearl diver in Hepu of Jiaozhou in the Southern Sea, constantly saw light floating on the water from the seabed. Searching for it, he obtained the Buddha's halo. When this matter was reported to the throne, Emperor Jianwen decreed that it be bestowed on this image. The apertures matched completely, and its radiance and color were without difference. In total, it took over forty years for the auspicious resonances of east and west to bring the halo and pedestal together. On the flower base of this image, there is Western script; many visitors could not recognize it, but Tripiṭaka Master Guṇavarman alone said, "This is ancient Sanskrit script. It was made by King Aśoka's fourth daughter." At that time, the śramaṇa Huisui of Fanguan Temple wished to make a replica of it. The abbot of the temple, Sengshang, feared damaging the gilding and said to Huisui, "If you can make the Buddha emit light and turn its body facing west, it will be beyond my control." Huisui prayed with utmost sincerity. In the middle of the night, he heard an unusual sound; opening the hall, he saw the image radiating great light and seated facing west. Thereupon permission was granted to make molds of it. Several dozen copies were produced and circulated everywhere. Under Emperor Wu of Liang, seven heavenly musicians and two bodhisattvas were added above the halo. In the second year of the Yongding era under the Chen, Wang Lin stationed troops at Jiangpu and was about to advance toward Jinling. Emperor Wu ordered generals to sail upriver. When the army departed, the body of the image shook and could not rest stably. This was reported to the throne. The emperor investigated and found it to be true; shortly thereafter, before weapons even clashed, Wang Lin's forces disbanded, and he fled north on a single horse. Thus the upper reaches were completely pacified. Therefore, it manifested this through movement. During the Tianjia era, when troops rose in the southeast, the emperor made vows before the image that the wicked bandits would be repelled. As he finished speaking, light illuminated the steps and eaves. Before long, Dongyang and Minyue were both pacified. The śramaṇa Huixiao was the leader at Changgan; wherever his conversion reached, matters were swept along like the wind. He then built a multi-storied pavilion, causing the colorful paintings to reach the pinnacle of wondrous beauty, commanding a panoramic view. At the beginning of the Zhide era, a square pedestal was additionally crafted. From the Jin through the Chen, none of the rulers and ministers of the five dynasties failed to pay homage and revere it. During severe droughts, the image was invited into the palace, riding on the imperial carriage with an oiled covering above. Monks prayed for rain, and heavy rains poured down midway; this omen was never missed. When the fortunes of the Chen declined, rumors and folk prophecies frequently circulated. In the second year of the Zhenming era, the image turned its face to the west on its own; though straightened, it returned to that position. The situation was memorialized to the throne. The emperor invited it into the Taiji Hall, holding a fast and circumambulating the altar. The image had previously possessed a crown of the seven treasures, adorned with pearls and jade, weighing about three catties, with a brocade cap placed on top. By dawn, the jeweled crown was hanging from the image's hand, while the brocade cap was still on its head. When the emperor heard of this, he burned incense and prayed, "If there is misfortune for the state, take off the jeweled crown again to show the warning omen." He then replaced the crown upon its head. By morning, it was removed and hung just as yesterday. Rulers and ministers lost color. When the Sui destroyed the Chen, the entire state went bare-headed with hands tied behind their backs, migrating westward, just as had been portended. When Emperor Gao of the Sui heard of this, he decreed that it be brought to the imperial palace in the capital for worship, constantly standing in attendance himself. He issued a decree saying, "We are old and cannot endure standing for long. Let the appropriate officials make a seated image resembling this standing original image, and send it to Daxingshan Temple." When the image first arrived, the hall was large and could not face directly south, so it was placed facing north. By dawn, it sat facing directly south. Though the assembly marveled at it, they moved it back facing north. By dawn, it again faced south as before. The assembly all felt shame and apologized for their negligence. At present, drawings and paintings of it are very numerous. I have excerpted and gathered from numerous accounts to compose this record; if there are aspects that are not comprehensive, may it be known that this is not due to exaggeration.