佛祖統紀 35.29

35.29

述曰。袁氏漢紀言。天竺有佛道。佛身丈六金色日光。化通萬物大濟群生。明帝感夢。遣使問道得其經像。此佛法來東之時。與法本內傳相為表裏。蘇子瞻為之跋云。此殆中國始知有佛時。語雖淺近大略具足矣。

The commentary states: Yuan's Hou Han ji says that in Tianzhu there is the Buddhist way; the Buddha's body is sixteen feet tall, golden-coloured with the halo of the sun, transforming and pervading the myriad things and greatly rescuing all living beings; Emperor Ming was moved by a dream, dispatched envoys to inquire about the Way, and obtained his scriptures and images. This was the time when the Buddha's Dharma came to the East, matching the Faben neichuan inside and out. Su Zizhan wrote a colophon for it, saying: "This was probably when China first came to know there was a Buddha; though the words are simple and close at hand, the general outline is fully complete."