The Holy Mother of Seondo Rejoices in a Buddhist Work仙桃聖母隨喜佛事
1The Divine Mother Comes in a Dream and Gives Gold
仙桃聖母随喜佛事真平王朝有比丘尼名智惠多賢行.住安興寺擬新修佛殿而力未也.夢一女仙風儀婥約珠翠餙鬟来慰曰.“我是仙桃山神母也.喜汝欲修佛殿願施金十斤以助之.冝取金於予座下糚㸃主尊三像,壁上繪五十三佛·六類聖衆及諸天神·五岳神君〔羅時五岳謂,東吐含山,南智異山,西雞龍,北太伯,中父岳亦云公山也.〕每春秋二季之十日叢㑹善男善女,廣爲一切含霊設占察法㑹以爲恒規.〔夲朝屈弗池龍託夢於帝請於霊鷲山長開藥師道塲□平海途,其事亦同.〕惠乃驚覺,卛徒徃神祠座下堀得黄金一百六十两,克就乃功,皆依神母所諭.其事唯存而法事廢矣.
The Holy Mother of Seondo rejoices in a Buddhist work.
In the reign of King Jinpyeong there was a nun named Jihye (智惠), who had many virtuous deeds.
She lived at Anheungsa and wished to rebuild the Buddha hall, but her means fell short.
In a dream a female immortal, lovely in bearing, her hair dressed with pearls and kingfisher feathers, came and comforted her:
"I am the Divine Mother of Seondosan. I am glad that you wish to rebuild the Buddha hall, and I wish to give ten geun of gold to help.
Take the gold from beneath my seat, adorn the three images of the main Buddha, and on the walls paint the fifty-three Buddhas, the six classes of holy beings, the gods of the heavens, and the divine lords of the five peaks.〔The five peaks in the Silla period were Tohamsan in the east, Jirisan in the south, Gyeryongsan in the west, Taebaeksan in the north, and Buak in the center, also called Gongsan.〕
On the tenth day of each of the two seasons, spring and autumn, gather good men and good women and hold the Jeomchal assembly widely for all living beings, and make this a standing rule."〔In this dynasty the dragon of Gulbulji appeared in the king's dream and asked that a Medicine Buddha altar be kept open for a long time at Yeongchwisan to make the sea routes peaceful. That affair is the same as this.〕
Jihye awoke with a start, led her followers to the seat of the shrine, dug beneath it, and found one hundred and sixty nyang of gold.
At last she finished the work, and all was as the Divine Mother had told her.
That work alone remains, but the assembly has been discontinued.
Interlinear notes 2
羅時五岳謂, 東吐含山, 南智異山, 西雞龍, 北太伯, 中父岳亦云公山也.
The five peaks in the Silla period were Tohamsan in the east, Jirisan in the south, Gyeryongsan in the west, Taebaeksan in the north, and Buak in the center, also called Gongsan.
夲朝屈弗池龍託夢於帝請於霊鷲山長開藥師道塲□平海途, 其事亦同.
In this dynasty the dragon of Gulbulji appeared in the king's dream and asked that a Medicine Buddha altar be kept open for a long time at Yeongchwisan to make the sea routes peaceful. That affair is the same as this.
2Make Your Home Where the Kite Alights
神母夲中國帝室之女.名娑蘇,早得神仙之術歸止海東乆而不還.父皇寄書繫足云.“随鳶所止爲家.”蘇得書放鳶飛到此山而止.遂来宅爲地仙.故名西鳶山.神母久㩀兹山鎮祐邦國霊異甚多,有國已来常爲三祀之一,秩在群望之上.第五十四景明王好使鷹,甞登此放鷹而失之.禱於神母曰,“若得鷹當封爵.”俄而鷹飛来止机上,因封爵大王焉.其始到辰韓也生聖子爲東國始君,盖赫居·閼英二聖之所自也.故稱雞龍·雞林·白馬等雞属西故也.甞使諸天仙織羅緋染作朝衣贈其夫,國人因此始知神驗.
The Divine Mother was originally a daughter of the imperial house of China.
Her name was Saso (娑蘇). Early on she gained the arts of the immortals, came to Haedong, stayed, and for a long time did not return.
Her father the emperor tied a letter to the foot of a kite and sent it, saying, "Make your home where the kite alights."
Saso received the letter and let the kite go. It flew to this mountain and alighted. So she came and made her home there and became an earthly immortal. Therefore the mountain is named Seoyeonsan (西鳶山).
The Divine Mother long dwelt on this mountain, guarding and helping the country, and divine and marvelous things were very many. Since the country began she has always been one of the three sacrifices, and her rank stands above all the sacrifices to mountains and rivers.
The fifty-fourth king, King Gyeongmyeong, loved to fly hawks. Once he climbed this mountain, let a hawk fly, and lost it.
He prayed to the Divine Mother, "If I get the hawk back, I will grant you a title."
Soon the hawk flew back and perched on his armrest, and for this he granted her the title of great king.
When she first came to Jinhan she bore a holy son, who became the first ruler of the eastern country. Hyeokgeose and Aryeong, the two sages, came from her.
That is why the names Gyeryong, Gyerim, Baengma, and the rest are used, for the rooster belongs to the west.
Once she had the immortals of the heavens weave silk, dyed it red, made a court robe, and gave it to her husband, and from this the people of the country first knew her divine power.
3Her Image Stood Even in a Hall of Song
又國史史臣曰.軾政和中甞奉使人宋,詣佑神舘有一堂設女仙像.舘伴學士王黼曰,“此是貴國之神,公知之乎.”遂言曰,“古有中國帝室之女泛海抵辰韓,生子爲海東始祖,女爲地仙長在仙桃山,此其像也.又大宋國使王襄到我朝祭東神聖母女,有娠賢肇邦之句.”今能施金奉佛爲含生開香火作津梁,豈徒學長生而囿於溟濛者哉.讃曰.来宅西鳶㡬十霜.招呼帝子織霓裳,長生未必無生異,故謁金仙作玊皇.
Again, the historian (史臣) of the Guksa said:
"In the Zhenghe years Gim Busik once went to Song as an envoy and visited the Youshenguan (佑神館), where in one hall the image of a female immortal was enshrined.
The scholar Wang Fu (王黼), who was in charge of the hall, said, 'This is a god of your country. Do you know her?'
Then he said, 'Long ago a daughter of the imperial house of China crossed the sea to Jinhan and bore a son who became the founder of Haedong, and the daughter became an earthly immortal and long dwelt on Seondosan. This is her image.'
Also, when Wang Xiang (王襄), an envoy of the Great Song, came to the Goryeo court and sacrificed to the Holy Mother of the Eastern God, there was the line, 'She conceived a worthy and opened a country.'"
Now she gave gold to honor the Buddha, opened incense fires for living beings, and built fords and bridges. How could she be merely one who learned the art of long life and was shut up in the dim beyond?
In praise it is said:
How many decades did she live since coming to Seoyeonsan? She called the children of heaven to weave her rainbow skirt. Long life is not necessarily different from no birth at all, and so she visited the golden immortal and became a jade sovereign.