法苑珠林 40.77

40.77

隋安德王雄百官等。臣雄等言。臣聞。大覺圓備理照空有。至聖虛凝義無生滅。故雖形分聚芥。尚貯金甖。體散吹塵。猶興寶剎。自釋提請灰之後。育王建塔以來。未有分布舍利紹隆勝業。伏惟皇帝積因曠劫宿證菩提。降迹人王護持世界。往者道消在運。仁祠廢毀。慈燈滅影智海絕流。皇祚既興法鼓方振。區宇之內咸為淨土。生靈之類皆覆梵雲。去夏六月爰發詔旨延請沙門。奉送舍利於三十州。以十月十五日同時起塔。而蒲州栖巖寺規模置塔之所。於此山上乃有鍾鼓之聲。舍利在講堂內。其夜前浮圖之上發大光明。爰及堂裏流照滿室。將置舍利於銅函。又有光若香鑪乘空而上。至浮圖寶瓶復起紫焰。或散或聚皆成蓮華。又有光明於浮圖上。狀如佛像。華趺宛具。停住久之。稍乃消隱。又有光明繞浮圖寶瓶。蒲州城內仁壽寺僧等。遙望山頂如樓闕。山峯澗谷昭然顯見。照州城東南一隅良久不滅。其栖巖寺者。即是太祖武元皇之所建造。又華州置塔之處。于時雲霧大雪忽即開朗。正當塔上有五色相輪。舍利下訖還起雲霧。皇帝皇后又得舍利。流輝散彩。或出或沈。自非至德精誠道合靈聖。豈能神功妙相致此奇特。臣等命偶昌年。既覩太平之世。生逢善業。方出塵勞之境。不勝抃躍。謹奉表陳賀。以聞。

Yang Xiong, Prince of Ande under the Sui, and the myriad officials, etc. Your subject Xiong and the others state: Your subjects have heard that the Great Awakened One is completely perfect, with principle illuminating both emptiness and existence; the Utmost Sage is empty and congealed, with meaning transcending arising and ceasing. Thus, even though his physical form is divided like gathered mustard seeds, it is still stored in golden urns; though his substance is dispersed like blown dust, jeweled shrines are nonetheless erected for it. Since the time when Śakra requested his ashes, and since King Aśoka constructed the pagodas, there has never been one who distributed the śarīra to inherit and glorify this supreme undertaking. We prostrate and consider that the Emperor has accumulated causes over vast kalpas, having long realized bodhi in the past. Descending his traces as a sovereign of men, he protects and upholds the world. In the past, the decline of the Way met its cycle: the shrines of benevolence were abandoned and ruined, the light of the lamp of compassion was extinguished, and the ocean of wisdom ceased to flow. Now that the imperial destiny has arisen, the drum of the Dharma has newly resounded. Everything within the bounds of the realm has become a pure land, and all living creatures are covered by Brahma clouds. Last summer in the sixth month, an imperial edict was issued inviting śramaṇas to reverently convey the śarīra to thirty prefectures, so that on the fifteenth day of the tenth month they would simultaneously construct pagodas. Now at the place where the pagoda was planned and established at Qiyan Temple in Pu Prefecture, the sounds of bells and drums were heard upon this mountain. While the śarīra was inside the lecture hall, that night a great radiance shone forth above the stupa in front; it reached into the interior of the hall, flowing and illuminating the entire room. When they were about to place the śarīra into the bronze casket, there was also a light resembling an incense burner that mounted into the sky; upon reaching the precious flask of the stupa, purple flames again arose, either scattering or gathering, all forming lotus flowers. There was also a radiant light above the stupa shaped like a Buddha image, complete with lotus pedestal, which remained for a long time before gradually fading away. There was also a radiant light encircling the stupa's precious flask. The monks and others of Renshou Temple within the city of Pu Prefecture gazed from afar at the mountain peak appearing like towering pavilions; the mountain peaks, ravines, and valleys were distinctly visible, and it illuminated the southeastern quarter of the prefectural city for a long time without fading. As for Qiyan Temple, it was constructed by Taizu, Emperor Wuyuan. Furthermore, at the site where the pagoda was erected in Hua Prefecture, at that time the heavy clouds, fog, and snowfall suddenly cleared up; right above the pagoda appeared a five-colored wheel of signs, and after the śarīra was interred, clouds and fog arose once again. The Emperor and the Empress also obtained śarīra, which radiated brilliance and dispersed shimmering colors, now appearing, now submerging. Were it not for utmost virtue and consummate sincerity matching the Way of the spiritual sages, how could such divine power and marvelous marks bring about such extraordinary wonders? Your subjects have met with a prosperous era; having witnessed an age of great peace and been born to encounter these wholesome karmic deeds, we are just now escaping the realm of worldly defilements. Unable to contain our leaping joy, we respectfully present this memorial to offer our congratulations and bring this to your attention.