法苑珠林 18.5

18.5

又至漢永平十四年正月一日。五岳諸山道士六百九十人。朝正之次上表請與西域佛道捔試優劣。勅尚書令宋庠引入告曰。此月十五日。大集白馬寺南門立三壇。五岳八山諸道士將經三百六十九卷置於西壇。二十七家諸子二百三十五卷。置於中壇。奠食百神置於東壇。明帝設行殿在寺門道西。置佛舍利及經。諸道士等以柴荻火繞壇臨經。洟泣曰。人主信邪玄風失緒。敢延經義在壇。以火取驗用辨真偽。便放火燒經並成煨燼。道士等相顧失色。有欲昇天入地。種種呪術並不能得。大生愧伏。太傅張衍曰。卿今無一可驗。宜從西域佛法𩮜髮。爾時外道褚善信等。于時不答。南岳道士費叔才等自憾而死。佛之舍利放五色光。上空如蓋覆日映眾。摩騰法師踊身高飛神化自在。于時天雨寶華得未曾有。法蘭法師為眾說法開化未聞。時司空劉峻京師官庶後宮陰夫人四岳諸山道士呂惠通等一千餘人並求出家。帝然可之。遂立十寺。七寺城外安僧。三寺城內安尼。後遂廣興佛法。立寺轉多迄至于今（右此一條出漢法本內傳）。

Furthermore, on the first day of the first month in the fourteenth year of the Yongping era of the Han (71 CE), six hundred and ninety Daoists from the mountains of the Five Marchmounts submitted a memorial during the New Year audience, requesting to compete with the Buddhist teachings from the Western Regions to test their superiority and inferiority. An imperial decree ordered Director of the Chancellery Song Xiang to lead them in and announce: 'On the fifteenth day of this month, a great assembly will be held at the south gate of Baima Temple, where three altars shall be erected.' The Daoists from the Five Marchmounts and eight mountains placed three hundred and sixty-nine fascicles of their scriptures on the western altar; two hundred and thirty-five fascicles of the masters among the twenty-seven schools were placed on the central altar; and offerings of food for the hundred deities were placed on the eastern altar. Emperor Ming set up a traveling palace to the west of the road by the temple gate, where he placed the Buddha's relics and scriptures. The Daoists encircled their altars with firewood and reeds, faced their scriptures, and wept, saying, 'The sovereign of men has placed faith in heterodoxy, and the mysterious wind has lost its continuity. We dare to bring forth the teachings of our scriptures upon this altar to test them by fire, so as to distinguish the true from the false!' They then set fire to burn the scriptures, and all turned to ash and embers. The Daoists looked at one another and paled. Some wished to ascend to heaven or enter the earth, but their various spells and arts were entirely ineffective; they were greatly humiliated and submitted. Grand Tutor Zhang Yan said, 'You now have not a single verification; you ought to follow the Buddhist Dharma of the Western Regions and shave your hair.' At that time the non-Buddhists Chu Shanxin and others made no reply. Daoist Fei Shucai of the Southern Marchmount and others died of self-reproach. The Buddha's relics emitted five-coloured light that rose into the sky like a canopy, eclipsing the sun and shining upon the assembly. Dharma Master Moteng leapt high into the air, manifesting divine transformations with complete ease. At that time, precious flowers rained from heaven, something unprecedented. Dharma Master Falan preached the Dharma to the assembly, enlightening them to what they had never heard before. At that time, Minister of Works Liu Jun, officials and commoners of the capital, Consort Yin of the inner palace, Daoist Lü Huitong of the Four Marchmounts and various mountains, and over a thousand others all requested to leave household life. The Emperor consented to it. Ten temples were thereupon established: seven temples outside the city to accommodate monks, and three temples within the city to accommodate nuns. Thereafter the Buddha's Dharma flourished extensively, and the construction of temples increased ever more down to the present day. (This item is taken from the Han fa ben nei zhuan.)