釋迦方志 2.118

2.118

Ever since the Śākya teaching arrived in China, its salvation has been supreme, awakening and opening minds, clearing away defilements. Auspicious omens among them are fully recorded in earlier records; here several items are briefly recounted to demonstrate there is no doubt. Formerly, Zhu Shixing sought the teaching with his heart set on the Mahāyāna; when he was about to depart the Western Regions, hindrances arose, so he threw the sūtra into a fire; the body of the sūtra was not reduced to ashes, and the fire went out on its account. Brought east to this land, this is the Fangguang jing. Again, Dharmakṣema obtained the Nirvāṇa Sūtra; when he reached the land of Liang, thieves stole it by night, but when they tried to lift it, it could not be raised, so they bowed their heads in apology. When Emperor Wu of the Zhou suppressed the Dharma, as images were destroyed and sūtras burned, everyone saw the storehouse of scriptures ascend together into the sky. Such occurrences are numerous and cannot be fully recorded. However, propagating the teaching depends on individuals, and having a state serves as the foundation: ordaining people, establishing monasteries, painting images, and translating scriptures are sought out in every generation. Therefore the origins are recounted to illustrate the flourishment of Buddhism. What occurred prior to the Han and Wei cannot be firmly known, but from the Jin and Song down to the present, it is here briefly set in order.