宋高僧傳 18.24

18.24

系曰：同異之說，史氏多之，今詳寺曰靈巖，僧畫像，此為同也；州曰歷下、姑蘇，遇者曰陸與馮，此為異焉。斯蓋見聞不齊，記錄因別也。原夫聖人之應身也，或南或北，或漢或胡，或平常之形，或怪差之質，故令聞見必也有殊，復使傳揚，自然多說。譬猶千里之外，望日月以皆同，其時邊旁雲物狀貌有異耳。既是不思議應現矣，則隨緣赴感，肆是難同。可發例云：「所傳聞異辭也。」

The appraisal says: Conflicting accounts are common among historians. Examining them now: that the temple was named Lingyan and the monk was a painted image—these details are the same; that the prefecture was called Lixia or Gusu, and the persons who met him were named Lu and Feng—these details differ. This is merely because what was seen and heard was not uniform, and the records consequently diverged. Now, when a holy being manifests a response body, it may be in the south or the north, Han or non-Han, in ordinary appearance or in grotesque form; therefore, what people see and hear must indeed differ, and when this is transmitted and propagated, it naturally yields diverse accounts. It is like looking at the sun or the moon from a thousand li away: they are identical to all, yet the appearance of the surrounding clouds at that moment may differ. Since these are inconceivable manifestations, they respond to conditions as they arise, so it is certainly difficult for them to be uniform. One may state as a rule: "What is transmitted through hearsay has different expressions."