Petition for the rite to dispel calamity消災道場疏
踏山出海。巍然繞電之威身。點鐵成金。妙矣靈丹之神呪。一心歸仂。六臂扶持。言念眇冲。夙叨艱大。政未張於琴瑟。動昧變通。民方墮於溝坑。罔圖拯濟。紀綱所紊。恠異滋彰。忽遭赫赫之炎精。大掃陳陳之積廩。萬民生命。一旦寒灰。此尙疚於中懷。而未遑於假寐。矧靈臺之觀象。多星度之失躔。熒惑入羽林而迕行。大陰與木曜而同舍。未識如玆之譴。終爲何等之祅。旣往之災。雖甘受天威之難避。未然之患。庶確憑佛力以逆消。玆扣勝門。覬蒙眞蔭。結香泥之界。虔敞梵筵。繙玉軸之文。特宣密藏。熏功纔集。慧鑒已通。伏願五緯循常。八風恊候。干戈韜戢。坐臻萬戶之晏眠。禾稼豐穰。遄復千囷之露積。胡虜絶窺窬之志。邦家延悠久之基。
Treading the mountains and emerging from the sea — lofty is the body of majesty girt with lightning; striking iron and making it gold — wondrous is the mysterious spell like a spirit elixir. With single-minded hearts we take refuge; hold us up with your six arms.
Considering that with a slight and youthful body I early took upon myself, unworthily, this hard and great office: government I have not been able to set in order as one restrings the zither and the lute, and at every move I am blind to expedients; the people are now falling into the ditches, and I have not contrived a way to pull them out.
Where the bonds of order have fallen into disarray, strange events appear the more. Suddenly we met with the blazing essence of fire, which swept away utterly the hoard of the long-stored granaries, so that the lives of the myriad people became cold ash in a single morning. This has become a sickness within my breast, leaving me not even the leisure to close my eyes a moment.
Still more, observing the heavens from the Spirit Terrace (靈臺), many of the stars' degrees have lost their proper courses. Yinghuo (熒惑) has entered the Yulin (羽林) constellation and moves retrograde, and Taiyin (大陰) has entered the same lodging as Jupiter. We do not know what calamity such a rebuke will at last become.
The calamity already past, though it be a majesty of heaven hard to escape, I shall receive it willingly; but the griefs not yet come, I would have vanish beforehand by leaning firmly on the Buddha's power. Therefore we knock at the surpassing gate and hope to be covered by true shade.
With fragrant clay we bind the boundary and respectfully open the seat of the Dharma; unrolling the writing on jade rollers, we spread abroad in particular the secret treasury. Scarcely had the merit of our practice gathered when your wise regard had already reached us.
Prostrate, we pray: that the five planets follow their courses and the eight winds keep their seasons; that shield and spear be put away, so that, sitting still, we come to where ten thousand households sleep in peace; that the rice crop ripen in abundance, and the stacks of a thousand granaries swiftly come home. Cut off the peering designs of the barbarians, and let the state carry on its far and ancient foundation.
Interlinear notes 1
誥院述
Composed at the Gowon (誥院).