集神州三寶感通錄 2.41

2.41

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.