集沙門不應拜俗等事 3.24

3.24

During the Yongping era of Emperor Ming of the Later Han, the Emperor dreamt of a golden figure flying before the palace hall. He then dispatched Qin Jing and others to the Western Regions to seek the Buddha-Dharma. They subsequently obtained the Three Jewels, which were transmitted eastward to Luoyang. The painting of a standing image of Śākyamuni was the Buddha Jewel. The translation of the Sūtra of Forty-Two Sections was the Dharma Jewel. The arrival of [Kāśyapa-]Mātaṅga and Zhu [Falan] was the Saṃgha Jewel. A monastery was erected outside the west gate of Luoyang to ordain people and initiate transformation. Spreading from near to far, it was maintained across generations down to the end of the Han house. Under the Wei dynasty, throughout five rulers over forty-five years, respect grew ever deeper, and no mention was heard of bowing or suppression. Under the Wu house south of the Yangtze, through four rulers over fifty-nine years, Sun Quan first inaugurated the Buddha-Dharma: moved by auspicious signs, he founded a temple called Jianchu. Later, when Sun Hao ruled tyrannically and was on the verge of abolishing it, his ministers remonstrated and he desisted; he then summoned monks and received the five precepts.