法苑珠林 29.36

29.36

依王玄策行傳云。西國瑞像無窮。且錄摩訶菩提樹像云。昔師子國王名尸迷佉拔摩（唐云功德雲）梵王遣二比丘來詣此寺。大者名摩訶諵（此云大名）小者優波（此云授記）其二比丘禮菩提樹金剛座訖。此寺不安置。其二比丘乃還其本國。王問比丘。往彼禮拜聖所來。靈瑞云何比丘。報云。閻浮大地無安身處。王聞此語。遂多與珠寶使送與此國王三謨陀羅崛多。因此以來。即是師子國比丘。又金剛座上尊像。元造之時。有一外客來告大眾云。我聞募好工匠造像。我巧能作此像。大眾語云。所須何物。其人云。唯須香及水及料燈油支料。既足。語寺僧云。吾須閉門營造。限至六月慎莫開門。亦不勞飲食。其人一入即不重出。唯少四日。未滿六月。大眾平章不和各云。此塔中狹迮。復是漏身。因何累月不開見出。疑其所為。遂開塔門。乃不見匠人。其像已成。唯右乳上有少許未竟。後空神驚誡大眾云。我是彌勒菩薩。像身東西坐。身高一丈一尺五寸。肩闊六尺二寸。兩膝相去八尺八寸。金剛座高四尺三寸。闊一丈二尺五寸。其塔本阿育王造石鉤欄塔。後有婆羅門兄弟二人。兄名王主。弟名梵主。兄造其塔。高百肘。弟造其寺。其像自彌勒造成已來。一切道俗規模圖寫。聖變難定。未有寫得。王使至彼請諸僧眾。及此諸使人至誠殷請累日行道懺悔兼申來意。方得圖畫。髣髴周盡。直為此像出其經本。向有十卷。將傳此地。其匠宋法智等。巧窮聖容圖寫聖顏。來到京都道俗競摸。

According to Wang Xuance's travelogue: 'The auspicious statues of the Western Countries are limitless; here I record provisionally the statue at the Mahābodhi Tree: Formerly, the king of the country of Siṃhala, named Meghavarṇa (in Tang [speech] 'Cloud of Merit'), an Indian king, sent two monks to visit this monastery. The senior one was named Mahānāma (here meaning 'Great Name'), and the junior one Upasena (here meaning 'Bestowal of Prophecy'). After these two monks paid homage to the Bodhi Tree and the vajrāsana, they were not provided lodgings in this monastery. The two monks thereupon returned to their native land. The king asked the monks: 'You went to pay homage to the sacred site; what spiritual wonders were there?' The monks replied: 'In the great earth of Jambudvīpa, there is no place to settle oneself.' Hearing these words, the king sent an envoy with many pearls and jewels to present them to Samudragupta, the king of this country. From this time onward, there have been monks of the country of Siṃhala [here]. Furthermore, regarding the venerable statue upon the vajrāsana, when it was originally made, an outsider came and announced to the great assembly: 'I have heard that you are recruiting skilled artisans to make the statue. I am skilled and able to make this statue.' The assembly said to him: 'What things do you require?' The man said: 'I require only incense, water, and fuel-oil for lamps.' When the provisions were sufficient, he told the monastery monks: 'I must close the doors to work. Do not open the doors for the duration of six months, and do not trouble yourselves with food or drink.' Once the man entered, he did not come out again. When only four days remained before the six months were complete, the great assembly disagreed among themselves, each saying: 'Inside this stūpa it is narrow and cramped, and moreover he is an outflow-body; why has he not opened it or been seen coming out for months on end?' Suspecting his actions, they opened the stūpa door; the artisan was nowhere to be seen, and the statue was already completed, with only a small portion above the right breast unfinished. Later, an empty-space spirit warned and admonished the assembly: 'I am Bodhisattva Maitreya.' The statue sits facing east to west, eleven feet five inches tall, with shoulders six feet two inches wide and knees eight feet eight inches apart. The vajrāsana is four feet three inches high and twelve feet five inches wide. The stūpa was originally the stūpa with stone balustrade built by King Aśoka. Later, there were two Brahmin brothers: the elder was named Wangzhu, and the younger was named Fanzhu. The elder built the stūpa, one hundred cubits high, and the younger built the monastery. Ever since this statue was completed by Maitreya, although all monastics and laypeople have modeled and sketched it, its sacred transformations are difficult to fix, and none had been able to depict it [accurately]. When the royal envoys arrived there, they requested the assembly of monks, and together with these envoys, with utmost sincerity and earnest entreaty, they practiced the Path and repented for days on end, also explaining the purpose of their coming; only then were they able to draw it, resembling it completely. Purely on account of this statue, the original texts of its sūtras were produced, nearly ten fascicles in all, which were brought to be transmitted to this land. The artisan Song Fazhi and others exhausted their skill on the sacred countenance and drew the holy visage; when they arrived in the capital, monastics and laypeople vied to copy it.'