諸經要集 4.119

4.119

如迦葉誥阿難經云。昔阿育王。自於境內立千二百塔。王後病困。有一沙門省王病。王言。前為千二百塔。各織作金縷幡欲手自懸幡散華。始得成辦。而得重病。恐不遂願。道人語王。乞王好叉手一心。道人即現神足。應時千二百塔。皆在王前。王見歡喜。便使取金幡金花懸諸剎上。塔寺低仰即皆就王手。王得本願身復病愈。即發大意。延壽二十五年。故名續命神幡。又普廣經云。若四輩男女。若臨終時。若已過命。於其亡日。造作黃幡懸著剎上。使獲福德。離八難苦。得生十方諸佛淨土。幡蓋供養隨心所願。至成菩提。幡隨風轉破碎都盡。至成微塵。幡一轉時。轉輪王位。乃至吹塵小王之位。其報無量。然燈供養照諸幽冥。苦痛眾生蒙此光明。得互相見。緣此福德。拔彼眾生悉得休息。

As the Jiaye gao Anan jing (Sūtra of Kāśyapa's Admonition to Ānanda) says: Formerly King Aśoka erected one thousand two hundred stūpas within his territory. Later the king became gravely ill. A śramaṇa came to visit the king in his illness. The king said, "Previously, for the one thousand two hundred stūpas, I had gold-threaded banners woven for each, intending to hang the banners and scatter flowers with my own hands. I had just completed them when I contracted this severe illness, and I fear my wish will not be fulfilled." The practitioner of the path told the king, "I ask that the king please join his palms with single-mindedness." The practitioner of the path then manifested supernatural power, and immediately the one thousand two hundred stūpas all appeared before the king. Seeing this, the king rejoiced, and ordered that the gold banners and gold flowers be taken and hung upon the pillars. The stūpas and temples lowered and tilted, directly approaching the king's hands. The king fulfilled his original vow, and his body recovered from illness. He then gave rise to the aspiration for great enlightenment, and his life was prolonged by twenty-five years; hence they are called spirit-banners for extending life. Furthermore, the Puguang jing (Samantaprabhāsa-sūtra) says: If men or women of the four assemblies, when nearing the end of life or after life has already ended, on the day of their death make yellow banners and hang them upon stūpa pillars, it will cause them to obtain merit, be freed from the sufferings of the eight difficulties, and be reborn in the pure lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions. The offerings of banners and canopies will fulfill their wishes according to their intent, until they attain bodhi. As the banners flutter in the wind, broken and shredded until entirely worn away, even turning into fine dust, every time a banner turns, it brings the position of a wheel-turning king, down to blowing a grain of dust bringing the position of a petty king—the retribution is immeasurable. Offering lamps illuminates all the dark realms; suffering sentient beings receiving this light are able to see one another, and due to this merit, those sentient beings are rescued and all attain rest.