集沙門不應拜俗等事 3.23

3.23

Liu Xiang, Commissioner of Waterworks under Emperor Cheng, said: "When I examined the palace archives, I frequently saw Buddhist scriptures." This shows that they had already circulated under the Zhou and Qin, and the First Emperor did not burn them entirely. During the Yuanshou era of Emperor Ai, Jing Xian was sent to the country of the Da Yuezhi and returned having recited the Futu jing (Buddha Scripture). At that time, the practice of fasting and observing precepts gradually began in Han territory. Based on this, the Buddha-Dharma had been heard of before; having temporarily sunk into obscurity along the way, it was here revived once more.