釋迦方志 2.102

2.102

In the Yuanshou era of Emperor Ai, Jing Xian was sent on an envoy mission to the Great Yuezhi, where he was orally taught Buddhist sūtras and returned to the Han. At that time, Buddhist fasts and precepts were somewhat practiced. The biography of Liu Xiang, Commissioner of Waterways and Grand Master for Splendid Happiness under Emperor Cheng, states that Xiang read widely across the historical records and repeatedly encountered Buddhist scriptures. Furthermore, in composing the *Liexian zhuan* (Biographies of Immortals), he wrote: "I searched through the stored books; the Grand Astrologer had initially compiled the *Liexian tu* (Portraits of Immortals), and from the Yellow Emperor down to the present day, one hundred forty-six individuals were confirmed through authentic records. Seventy-four of them already appear in the Buddhist scriptures." Based on this, it is evident that well before the Qin and Zhou dynasties, the Buddha-Dharma had already been circulating in Cīnasthāna. How do we know this? We examine the present list.