Yangji Commands His Staff良志使錫
1The staff flies off by itself and collects donations
良志使錫釋良志未詳祖考郷邑.唯現迹於善徳王朝.錫杖頭掛一布帒錫自飛至檀越家振拂而鳴.户知之納齋費,帒滿則飛還.故名其所住曰錫杖寺.其神異莫測皆類此.旁通雜譽神妙絶比.又善筆扎靈庙丈六三尊·天王像并殿塔之瓦·天王寺塔下八部神将·法林寺主佛三尊·左右金剛神等皆所槊也.書霊庙法林二寺額,又嘗彫磚造一小塔并造三千佛安其塔,置於寺中致敬焉.
Yangji commands his staff.
Of the monk Yangji (良志), his grandfather, father, and native place are not known in detail. He only showed his traces in the reign of Queen Seondeok.
If a cloth bag was hung on the head of his staff, the staff would fly off by itself to a donor's house, shake, and ring.
The household would know, put in provisions for the offering service, and when the bag was full it would fly back.
Therefore the place where he lived was named Seokjangsa (錫杖寺), the Temple of the Staff.
His divine and wondrous powers, beyond all measure, were all of this kind.
Besides this he was versed in every art, and his marvelous skill was without compare.
He was also a fine calligrapher. The sixteen-foot triad and the Heavenly Kings of Yeongmyosa, together with the tiles of its halls and pagoda, the eight kinds of divine generals below the pagoda of Cheonwangsa, the main triad of Beomnimsa and the Vajra guardians on its left and right, were all molded by him.
He wrote the plaques of the two temples Yeongmyosa and Beomnimsa.
He also once carved bricks to make a small pagoda, and made three thousand buddhas to enshrine in that pagoda, which he set inside the temple and paid reverence to.
2The song sung while carrying clay: the Pungyo
其塑霊庙之丈六也,自入定以正受所對爲揉式,故傾城士女爭運泥圡.風謡云.來如來如來如,來如哀反多羅.哀反多矣徒良,㓛徳修叱如良来如.至今圡人㫪相役作皆用之,蓋始于此.像成之費入穀二萬三千七百碩.〔或金時祖.〕議曰,師可謂才全徳充,而以大方隠於末技者也.讃曰.齋罷堂前錫杖閑,静装爐鴨自焚檀.殘経讀了無餘事,聊塑圎容合掌看.
When he molded the sixteen-foot image of Yeongmyosa, he entered meditation himself and took what he received in right absorption as the model for his kneading.
Therefore the men and women of the whole city vied to carry clay.
⟪Hyangga⟫
來如來如來如 來如哀反多羅 哀反多矣徒良 㓛徳修叱如良来如
To this day the people of that land all use this song when they pound grain or do their work; in general it began here.
The cost of completing the image was twenty-three thousand seven hundred seok of grain.〔Some say this was the cost at the time of gilding.〕
In comment it is said: the master may be called one whose talent was complete and whose virtue was full, who held great means and yet hid himself behind a minor craft.
In praise it is said:
The service over, before the hall the staff rests idle, Quietly he sets the censer, and the sandalwood burns of itself. The remaining sutra read through, there is nothing else to do, He simply molds a round face and gazes at it with joined palms.
Interlinear notes 1
或金時祖.
Some say this was the cost at the time of gilding.