廣弘明集 13.126

13.126

The External Treatise states: When the copper mountain collapsed, the bell in Luoyang resonated; when reed ashes were missing, the lunar halo diminished. It has never been seen that a tiger howled without the wind arising, or that a dragon ascended without clouds gathering. Now, according to Śākya’s preaching, the power of the Buddha is supreme; with a single thought moving the mind, there is none that does not receive a response. Therefore, ordinary people deplete their wealth competing to build stūpas and temples, not sparing pearls and jewels, vying to furnish halls and chambers. Or they mold clay and carve sandalwood to depict the forms of the northern barbarians, melt gold and weave silk to represent the appearances of foreign tribes, exhausting exquisite paints and exhausting the art of chisels. With every bow and every prostration, they hope for an efficacious response. Since the barbarian Dharma spread south more than six hundred years ago, we have never heard of a single person who said they could see the Buddha. Could it be that when barbarians make prostrations, they immediately meet the Tathāgata, whereas when the Han nation shows reverent devotion, they do not encounter the Regulator? If his transformation does not reach here, then he lacks efficacy; he deceives human society, speaking in vain of mighty power. Yet the world cannot recognize it. This is the second delusion.