法苑珠林 13.5

13.5

夫至人應感。慈赴物機。色相光明。振德於甘露之澤。影留圖像。遣化於日隱之運。所以忉利暫隔。猶致刻檀之聖容。況堅固長晦。孰忘疇昔之心哉。是故發源西國。則優填創其始。移教東域。則漢明肇其初。沿茲而來。匠者踵武。聿追法身備極珍寶。金石珠玉之飾。土木繡畫之姿。莫不即心致巧。因茲呈妙。昔晉代僧眾創造煒絕。宋齊帝王製作日新。多未記銘。懼或失源。今錄其殊勝。垂範表益也。

Now, the Supreme One responds to sympathetic resonance, his compassion matching the capacities of living beings. His physical forms and radiance bestow virtue like the moisture of sweet dew; his lingering shadows and painted icons dispatch transformation in an era when the sun has sunk below the horizon. Thus, even for a brief separation in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, a sacred image of carved sandalwood was produced; how much more so during the long obscurity of the decline—who could forget the aspirations of the past? For this reason, tracing the origin back to the Western realm, King Udayana initiated the beginning; when the teaching was transferred to the Eastern land, Emperor Ming of the Han inaugurated the start. Following this onward, master artisans walked in their footsteps, pursuing the Dharma-body to the utmost with rare treasures. In the adornments of gold, stone, pearls, and jade, or the forms rendered in clay, wood, embroidery, and painting, none failed to exert their skill through sincere devotion, thereby manifesting sublimity. Formerly, under the Jin dynasty, the saṃgha created works of peerless brilliance; under the Song and Qi, emperors created works renewed by the day. Many have not been recorded in inscriptions, and it is feared their origins may be lost. Now their preeminence is recorded here to serve as an enduring model and demonstrate their benefits.