集神州三寶感通錄 3.50

3.50

The śramaṇa Zhiyuan of You Prefecture was learned and knowledgeable; he conceived the idea of carving stone sūtras to store within the crags of the southwestern mountains, so as to prepare protection against the extinction of the Dharma. During the Daye era of the Sui, he first constructed a stone chamber and engraved its four walls; he also took square stones to copy the various scriptures of the canon. Whenever a chamber was full, he sealed it with stone and melted iron into the seams. Far and near, both officials and commoners brought donations. Once the craftsmen were gathered, he wished to build a Buddha hall and a dining courtyard, but no timber could be obtained east of the mountains. Suddenly, one night, there came torrential rain, thunder, and a mountain landslide. When it cleared at dawn, they saw thousands of large pines and cypresses drifting and piling up beside the road; tracing their source, they had been sent from far away in the Western Mountains. Taking this as divine assistance, they immediately made use of them for construction, and in a short while it was completed. The stone scriptures carved already filled seven chambers. In the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Yuan passed away, and his disciples have continued his enterprise, and so forth.