十三益州郭下福感寺塔者。在州郭下城西。本名大石。相傳云。是鬼神奉育王教。西山取大石為塔基。舍利在其中。故名大石也。隋蜀王秀。作鎮井絡聞之。令人掘鑿。全是一石。尋縫至泉。不見其際。風雨暴至人有於石傍鑿取一片將出。乃是䃜玉。問於識寶商者。云此真䃜玉。世中希有。隋初有詵律師。見此古迹於上起九級木浮圖。今見在益州。旱澇年官人祈雨必於此塔。祈而有應特有感徵。故又名福感。余甞至焉。誠如所述。近有人盜鈴將下三級。有神擎櫨枓起。以賊髀內中。其人被押唱呼。寺僧為射枓起。方得脫出。
The Fogan Temple Pagoda in Yizhou, beneath the city walls to the west, was originally named Great Stone Pagoda. According to tradition, spirits, following King Ashoka's command, brought a great stone from the western mountains to serve as the pagoda's foundation, with relics enshrined within—hence the name Great Stone.
During the Sui Dynasty, Prince Xiu of Shu, stationed in the region, heard of this and ordered excavations. The entire foundation proved to be a single massive stone. They traced its seams down to the water table without finding any boundary. Suddenly, a violent storm arose. Someone nearby chipped off a piece and carried it away—it turned out to be jet-black jade. When shown to a gem expert, he declared it genuine jet, extremely rare in the world.
In the early Sui period, Master Shi, a vinaya teacher, saw this historic site and erected a nine-story wooden pagoda atop it. It still stands in Yizhou today. During droughts or floods, local officials would pray for rain at this pagoda, and their prayers were always answered with remarkable efficacy. This is why it earned the name Fogan, meaning "Feeling Inspiration." I have visited it myself, and indeed it is as described.
Recently, a thief attempted to steal the bell, climbing down three levels. A spirit raised the wooden bracket, trapping the thief's leg within it. The man, pinned and crying out, was only freed when monks shot at the bracket to release it.
永徽元年有王顏子者。剽掠有名。夜上相輪取博山。將下至底級。兩柱忽夾之。求出不得。漸漸急困。見一梵僧曰。可大唱賊。不爾死矣。即唱數聲。寺僧聞救。方得拔出。貞觀年初地大震動。此塔搖颺將欲摧倒。于時郭下無數人來。忽見四神形如塔量。各以背抵塔之四面。乍倚乍傾卒以免倒。有一人極豪侈多產業。見前露盤由來小短不稱塔形。乃捨金三百兩。共諸信者更造露盤。既成坼下。至覆盆香氣熢㶿如雲騰涌。流芳城邑。十日乃歇。
In the first year of the Yonghui era, there was a man named Wang Yanzi, notorious for banditry. One night, he climbed up to the tower's spire to steal the ornamental top. As he descended to the lower steps, two pillars suddenly clamped around him, trapping him. He struggled but couldn't free himself, growing increasingly desperate. Then he saw a Buddhist monk who said, "Shout 'thief' loudly, or you'll die." He shouted several times, and the monks at the temple heard him and came to his rescue, finally freeing him.
In the early years of the Zhenguan era, the earth trembled violently, and this pagoda swayed as if about to collapse. At that time, countless people gathered below. Suddenly, they saw four divine figures, each as tall as the pagoda itself, bracing its four sides with their backs. They leaned and shifted, preventing it from falling.
There was a man of great wealth and vast estates who noticed that the finial at the top seemed too small and short, disproportionate to the pagoda. He donated three hundred taels of gold, and together with other devotees, they crafted a new finial. When it was completed and lowered into place, fragrant vapors billowed from the cover like clouds, spreading perfume across the city for ten days before dissipating.