集神州三寶感通錄 2.30

2.30

26. Wang Zhongde, the Song Inspector of Xuzhou, made an eighteen-foot golden image at the Songwang Temple in Pengcheng. Its primary and secondary marks were magnificent, a wonderful production of the Jiangyou region. Whenever warfare arose in the northern borders or calamity was about to befall the monks, the image would break out in sweat; from the amount of its drops, the magnitude of the disaster could be known in advance. The people of the commandery constantly used it as a prognostic sign. In the beginning of the Jianyuan era of the Qi (479 CE), the image again streamed with sweat. That winter, the Wei invaded the Huai region. At that time, several commanderies in Yanzhou rose in righteous revolt to align with the south, gathering very large numbers; they also coerced monks to assist in their fighting and defense. The Wei army slaughtered their encampments and intended to annihilate them all. They memorialized the Wei court, falsely accusing them of abetting rebellion and demanding their summary execution. At that time, the image sweated profusely, so that the floor of the hall was completely wet. The Wei Inspector of Xuzhou, the Prince of Liang, revered the Dharma with great diligence. He went to the temple in person and had people wipe it with silk cloths, but [the sweat] came out incessantly as soon as it was wiped. Even with dozens of people taking turns and vying to wipe it, they still could not stop it. The Prince then burned incense, made prostrations, and holding a cloth, made a vow: 'The congregation of monks is blameless, and I pledge to protect them myself; they shall certainly not suffer calamity. If our hidden sincerity has sympathetic resonance, it should cease immediately upon being wiped.' Having spoken, he wiped it himself, and indeed it became dry to his touch. The Prince reported the full circumstances to the throne, and an edict was issued pardoning them all.