集神州三寶感通錄 2.2

2.2

自法移東漢教漸南吳。佛像靈祥充牣區宇。而群錄互舉出沒有殊。至於瑞跡蓋無異也。今依敘列而罕以代分。何者或像陳晉代而曆表隋唐。或感化在人而迹從倚伏。故不獲銓次於錄而辯集之。

From the time the Dharma moved to the Eastern Han and the teachings gradually spread to Southern Wu, numinous signs of Buddhist images have filled the land. Although various records cite different cases with variations in appearance and disappearance, their auspicious traces are essentially without distinction. They are now arranged in sequence, though seldom separated strictly by dynasty. Why so? Because in some cases an image was displayed in the Jin dynasty while its chronology extended into the Sui and Tang; or in other cases the transformation was centered on a person, while its traces fluctuated with circumstance. Thus they could not be cataloged in rigid order, and have instead been systematically assembled here.