破邪論 1.22

1.22

內典天地經曰。佛遣三聖化彼東土。迦葉菩薩彼稱老子　清淨法行經云。佛遣三弟子震旦教化。儒童菩薩彼稱孔丘。光淨菩薩彼云顏回。摩訶迦葉彼稱老子　案前漢孝武帝元狩中。霍去病討凶奴。至皋蘭過居延山。獲昆耶休屠王等將其眾五萬來降。獲其金人率長丈餘。列之於甘泉宮。武帝以為。大神燒香禮拜。及開西域遣張騫使大夏。還云。有身毒國。身毒國一名天竺。始聞浮圖之教。魏書云。漢武得金人不祭祀但燒香禮拜而已。此則佛教流通之漸也　漢哀帝元壽元年。使景憲往大月氏國。因誦浮圖經還漢。當時稍行浮圖齋戒。

The Tiandi jing of the internal scriptures says: 'The Buddha dispatched three sages to transform that Eastern Land; the Bodhisattva Kāśyapa is called Laozi there.' The Qingjing faxing jing states: 'The Buddha sent three disciples to Zhendan to teach and transform: the Bodhisattva Rutong is called Kong Qiu there; the Bodhisattva Guangjing is called Yan Hui there; Mahākāśyapa is called Laozi there.' Looking into the Former Han, during the Yuanshou era of Emperor Xiaowu, Huo Qubing attacked the Xiongnu, reaching Gaolan and passing Mount Juyan; he captured Kings Kunye and Xiutu leading their host of fifty thousand to surrender, and obtained their golden men, which were all over ten feet tall, arranging them in Ganquan Palace. Emperor Wu took them to be great spirits, burning incense and worshipping them. When opening the Western Regions, Zhang Qian was sent as an envoy to Daxia; upon his return, he said that there was the state of Shendu, another name for Shendu being Tianzhu, where the teachings of Futu were first heard. The Weishu states: 'Emperor Wu of Han obtained the golden men; he did not offer animal sacrifices, but only burned incense and made prostrations.' This, then, was the gradual beginning of Buddhism's circulation. In the first year of the Yuanshou era of Emperor Ai of Han, Jing Xian was sent to the Da Yuezhi kingdom, where he chanted Buddhist scriptures and returned to Han; at that time, Buddhist fasts and precepts began to be observed gradually.