I see an immense lotus-flower, charming in its freshness and purity.’
“He had another dream on the seventeenth day, in which he saw hundreds and
thousands of men of tall stature, who, decorated with garments of embroidered
silk, with flowers of marvellous beauty, and jewels of great price, issued from
the sleeping-chamber of the Master of the Law, and proceeded to set out, both
internally and externally, the hall consecrated to the translation of the holy
books. Afterwards, in the rear of that hall, on a wooded mountain, they
everywhere planted rich banners of the most vivid colours, and created an
harmonious music. He saw moreover, without the gate, an innumerable
multitude of splendid chariots loaded with perfumed viands and fruits of more
than a thousand kinds, as beautiful in form as in colour; no fruits were there of
terrestrial growth! The people brought them to him, one after the other, and
offered him a profusion; but he refused them, saying: ‘Such viands as these
belong only to those who have obtained the superior intelligence. Hiouen-thsang
has not yet arrived at that sublime rank: how could he dare to receive them?’ In
spite of his energetic refusal they continued to serve him without intermission.
“The disciples who watched by him happening to make some slight sound, he
opened his eyes suddenly, and related his dream to the sub-director
(Karmmadana), a certain Hoeï-te.”
“‘And from these omens,’ added the Master, ‘it seems to me that such merits as I
have been able to acquire during my life have not fallen into oblivion, and I
believe, with an entire faith, that it is not in vain one practises the doctrine of the
Buddha.’
“Immediately, he ordered the master Kia-chang to make a written list of the titles
of the sacred books and the treatises which he had translated, forming altogether
seven hundred and forty works and thirteen hundred and thirty-five volumes
(livres). He wrote down also the Kôti (ten millions) of paintings of the Buddha,
as well as the thousand images of Mi-le (Mâitrêya bôdhisattva), painted on silk,
which he had caused to be executed. There were, moreover, the Kôtis (one
hundred millions) of statuettes of uniform colour. He had also caused to be
written a thousand copies of the following sacred books:
Nong-touan-pan-jo-king (Vadjra tchhêdika pradjñâ parâmitâ soûtra).
Yo-sse-jou-laï-pou-youen-kong-te-king (Arya bhagavati bhâichadja gourou
poûrwa pranidhâna nâma mahâ yâna soûtra).