佛祖歷代通載 10.63

10.63

初文帝龍潛時遇梵僧。以舍利一裹授之曰。檀越他日為普天慈父。此大覺遺靈。故留與供養。僧既去。求之不知所在。帝登極後。甞與法師曇遷。各置舍利於掌而數之。或少或多。竟不能定。遷曰。諸佛法身過於數量。非世間所測。帝始作七寶箱貯之。至是海內大定。帝憶其事。是以岐州等三十州各建塔焉。

Earlier, when Emperor Wen was still in his obscure days, he met an Indian monk who presented him with a wrap of relics, saying: "O dānapati, on another day you will become the compassionate father of all under heaven. These are the left-behind spiritual remains of the Great Awakened One, hence I leave them for your offerings." After the monk departed, they sought him but did not know where he was. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he once placed the relics in his palm together with Dharma Master Tanqian to count them; they were sometimes few, sometimes many, and ultimately could not be determined. Tanqian said: "The Dharmakāya of all Buddhas surpasses numbers and quantities, and is not something that the mundane world can measure." The Emperor then had a seven-jeweled chest made to store them. By this time, the realm within the seas was greatly pacified; the Emperor remembered this matter, and therefore built stupas in thirty prefectures, including Qizhou.