法苑珠林 14.23

14.23

The stone shadow-image of the Riyansi Temple in the capital during the Sui: It is octagonal in form, the color of amethyst, eight inches high and five inches in diameter, translucent inside and out. Formerly, in the Taiqing era of Emperor Wu of the Liang, a Western monk brought it; encountering the rebellion of Hou Jing, he placed it atop an image at the Xilin Temple on Mount Lu in Jiangzhou. In the tenth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, Emperor Yang was stationed in Yangyue and widely sought extraordinary treasures, gathering all the writings and records of the region south of the Yangtze. In a miscellaneous record, he found the account of this shadow-image, and immediately ordered the Gentleman of the Retinue Wang Yanshou to go to the temple to search for and acquire it. Ever since he was Prince of Jin, whenever he traveled, he always kept it in a black-lacquered box and had a man on horseback carry it before him. Later, after being made heir apparent, he sent it to the Riyansi Temple at Quchi, ordering the temple to lock it away after viewing and not let outsiders see it. The temple had been built by the emperor himself. Toward the end of the Daye era, the realm was in turmoil. The monks of the capital frequently came to view it, but some living in this temple did not yet believe in or venerate it, merely seeing a glittering golden light within the stone that faintly resembled a Buddha image. They saw that eminent and virtuous monks gave differing accounts, all saying: “The features and marks are clearly distinct, never obscure.” Always lamenting that they themselves could see nothing, they purified themselves and performed a special seven-day repentance; thereafter, looking at it as before, they saw a silver pagoda, and looking again, a silver Buddha. When clergy and laity viewed it together, they often saw different things: some saw Buddha pagodas and bodhisattvas, some saw assemblies of monks seated in rows, some saw curtains, canopies, banners, and pennants, some saw mountains, forests, and the eight classes of beings, some saw the suffering aspects of the three realms of woe, and some saw the living and deceased across seven generations. In a single viewing, it was either stable or changing; although good and bad appeared alternately, auspicious signs were abundant. Therefore, those who came to pray made vows beforehand, specifying what form they had taken in the past and where they would be reborn, and it manifested according to their words. Truly, it is the karmic mirror of the unseen realms! In the seventh month of the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, an imperial decree ordered that it be brought into the palace for worship.