集神州三寶感通錄 3.2

3.2

The Preface says: The broad propagation and protection of the True Dharma rests solely upon humans. Therefore, before the Buddha descended his spiritual presence, the Dharma existed yet was not made manifest; before the Sangha first arrived, it was merely heard of, so how could it be transmitted? From this we know that phenomena and principle follow along their causes, and their significance is not concealed. Thus, as for the four reliances and the three ranks, humans relied on them from the very beginning; the twofold manifestation of the abiding Dharma relies entirely on holy power. Consequently, that the three continents heard the Way was ultimately made manifest through the merit of Piṇḍola; that the teaching endured for the vast span of sixty thousand years relied on the virtue of the arhats. Divine monks and holy temples display auspicious portents between the mountains and the seas; fragrant scents and bell chimes manifest their forms between the hidden and the manifest realms. Displayed before sight and hearing, fine books serve as fishing traps that are never exhausted; preserved among all the elders, the spoken accounts are revered and never cut off. Therefore, I have gathered a summary of what has been heard and recorded it as follows.