集神州三寶感通錄 2.41

2.41

三十七阿彌陀佛五十菩薩像者。西域天竺之瑞像也。相傳云。昔天竺雞頭摩寺五通菩薩。往安樂界請阿彌陀佛。娑婆眾生願生淨土。無佛形像願力莫由。請垂降許。佛言。汝且前去。尋當現彼。及菩薩還。其像已至。一佛五十菩薩各坐蓮花在樹葉上。菩薩取葉所在圖寫流布遠近。漢明感夢使往祈法。便獲迦葉摩騰等至洛陽。後騰姊子作沙門。持此瑞像方達此國。所在圖之。未幾齎像西返。而此圖傳不甚流廣。魏晉已來年載久遠。又經滅法經像湮除。此之瑞迹殆將不見。隋文開教。有沙門明憲。從高齊道長法師所得此一本。說其本起與傳符焉。是以圖寫流布遍於宇內。時有北齊畫工曹仲達者。本曹國人。善於丹青。妙盡梵迹傳模西瑞。京邑所推。故今寺壁正陽皆其真範。

37. The image of Amitābha Buddha and Fifty Bodhisattvas is an auspicious image from the Western Regions of India. It is said that in the past, a bodhisattva endowed with the five supernatural powers at the Kukkuṭārāma Temple in India went to the Realm of Peace and Bliss to invite Amitābha Buddha, saying: "The sentient beings of the Sahā world wish to be born in the Pure Land, but having no image of the Buddha, they have no means to arouse the power of their vows. We pray you will condescend to grant this." The Buddha said: "Go ahead first; I shall soon manifest there." When the bodhisattva returned, the image had already arrived: one Buddha and fifty bodhisattvas, each seated upon a lotus flower atop a tree leaf. The bodhisattva took the leaf and painted copies wherever he went, propagating it near and far. When Emperor Ming of the Han had his dream and sent envoys to seek the Dharma, they obtained Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and others, who arrived in Luoyang. Later, Mātaṅga's nephew became a śramaṇa and brought this auspicious image to this land, painting it wherever he went. Before long, he carried the image back to the west, so this picture was not very widely circulated. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, a long time had passed; moreover, having endured the persecutions of the Dharma, scriptures and images were obliterated, and this auspicious trace was nearly lost to sight. When Emperor Wen of the Sui revived the teachings, the śramaṇa Mingxian obtained a copy of it from Dharma Master Daozhang of the Northern Qi; its account of its origin agreed with the tradition. Thus copies were painted and circulated throughout the realm. At that time, there was a Northern Qi painter named Cao Zhongda, originally a native of the state of Cao, who was skilled in painting; he captured Indian models with exquisite mastery and transmitted copies of the auspicious figures from the West, being revered throughout the capital. Therefore, the genuine exemplars on the temple walls today facing the sun are all his models.