佛祖統紀 35.111

35.111

元年上讀老子。有疑義。聞河上公結草為菴于河濱常讀老子。遣使問之。公曰。道尊德貴非可遙問。帝即駕車幸之。公授素書章句二卷曰。余注此經以來千七百年。凡傳三人。今子四矣。帝拜跪受經。失公所在。

In the first year, His Majesty read *Laozi* and had doubtful points. Hearing that the Venerable Riverside Master had tied grass to make a hut on the riverbank and constantly read *Laozi*, he sent an envoy to inquire of him. The Master said: "The Dao is venerable and Virtue is precious; it cannot be inquired of from afar." The Emperor immediately rode his carriage and visited him in person. The Master conferred upon him two fascicles of chapter-and-verse commentary on silk, saying: "Since I annotated this classic one thousand seven hundred years ago, I have transmitted it to three people in all; now you are the fourth." The Emperor knelt and bowed to receive the scripture, and lost track of where the Master had gone.