高僧傳 6.9

6.9

遠聞天竺有佛影，是佛昔化毒龍所留之影，在北天竺月氏國那竭呵城南古仙人石室中，經道取流沙西一萬五千八百五十里，每欣感交懷，志欲瞻覩。會有西域道士敘其光相，遠乃背山臨流，營築龕室，妙算畫工，淡彩圖寫，色疑積空，望似烟霧，暉相炳[火*(敻-人+(〡*〡))]，若隱而顯，遠乃著銘曰：

Yuan heard that in Tianzhu there was a Buddha shadow, which was the shadow left behind when the Buddha previously converted a poisonous dragon, located in the ancient ṛṣi stone cave south of the city of Nagarahāra in the Yuezhi country of Northern Tianzhu, a route of fifteen thousand eight hundred and fifty li west across the flowing sands; he was constantly filled with joyous longing and wished to behold it. It happened that a foreign master from the Western Regions described its light and appearance; Yuan then backed against the mountain and faced the stream to construct a grotto shrine, skillfully directing artists to paint it in light pigments, its colors appearing like gathered space, looking from afar like mist and smoke, its brilliant marks blazing, as if hidden yet revealed. Yuan then composed an inscription, saying: