法苑珠林 14.35

14.35

During the Yonghui reign era of the Tang dynasty, east of Lantian in Yongzhou, stood Wuzhen Temple. The temple was situated on the western cliff of the Lan Valley; its construction exhausted the beauty of the mountain, and its halls were solemn and orderly. There was a statue kept in the northern ridge of the temple, where an additional cloister was being built. A large stone foundation lay across the way, causing great obstruction. They burned it with fire and poured water over it to shatter it, but to no avail; they then broke it open with an iron hammer. Inside they obtained a golden statue, seamless on all four sides, naturally encased as in armor, with no one knowing whence it came. The pedestal of the statue was completely intact, not joined together by artisans, nor could anyone recognize what precious jewel it was made of. It was about five inches tall and is now at the mountain temple. In that same year, on the pillar of Guangming Temple in Yizhou, one Buddha and two bodhisattvas appeared. Although shaved away, their shadows re-emerged. Originally they were in the Buddha hall of Jiulong; the Chief Administrator Zhang Xu moved them to Guangming Temple because crowds were gathering. They exist there today.