弘贊法華傳 1.19

1.19

宋崇憲路昭太后。植因曠劫。儷極皇家。而幻夢尊貴。塵垢賝寶。思隆正化。摹寫法身以大明四年。乃命白馬寺比丘曇標。造普賢菩薩像一軀。駕乘白象。六牙𦟛纖。七枝平滿。製度巨壯。鎔式精嚴。鑄比鍊銅。泥茲銑鋈。菩薩炳紫金之相。象王耀白銀之形。耀麗煌爍。狀若飛騰。實佛事之妙迹。塔廟之真規者也。而弘願不窮。修福無倦。到大明八年。又造普賢寺。壯麗之奇。將美莊嚴。

Empress Dowager Luzhao, Chongxian, of the Song, had planted causal roots over vast kalpas and was paired with the summit of the imperial house. Yet she viewed noble status as an illusory dream and precious treasures as dust and grime. Longing to exalt the correct teaching, she sought to depict the Dharma-body. In the fourth year of the Daming era, she commanded the bhikṣu Tanbiao of Baima Monastery to make an image of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding a white elephant, its six tusks slender and pointed, its seven limbs well-rounded and complete. Its design was grand and magnificent; the casting was refined and austere. The cast metal was equal to refined copper, overlaid with lustrous gilding. The Bodhisattva shone with the marks of purple-gold, while the elephant king gleamed with the form of white silver. Brilliant, splendid, and radiant, it seemed as though taking flight—truly a wondrous achievement of Buddhist work and a genuine model for stūpas and shrines. Her vast vows being inexhaustible and her cultivation of merit untiring, in the eighth year of the Daming era she further constructed Puxian Monastery, whose breathtaking splendor was destined to adorn and embellish.