法苑珠林 38.65

38.65

州北百里雒縣塔者。在縣城北郭下寶興寺中。本名大石。基相同前。隋初有天竺僧曇摩掘叉。遠至東夏禮育王塔。承蜀三塔又往禮拜。至雒縣大石寺塔所。敬事已訖。欲往成都宿兩女驛。將旦聞左右行動聲。又曰。是何人耶。妄相恐動。空中應曰。有十二神王從本國來。所在之處擁護法師。明日當見成都塔。今欲西還與師別耳。又曰。既能遠送。何不見形。神即見形。叉為人善畫。便一一貌之。既遍形隱。及至成都禮大石塔訖。詵律師乃依圖刻木為十二神像莊飾在於塔下。今猶見在。

The Luoxian pagoda, a hundred li north of the prefecture, is located in Baoxing Temple in the northern suburbs of the county seat. It was originally called "Great Stone," and its foundation is similar to the previous one. In the early Sui dynasty, there was an Indian monk named Dharmakṣa who traveled from afar to the Eastern Xia to venerate the Aśoka pagodas. Having heard of the three pagodas of Shu, he went to worship them as well. When he arrived at the Great Stone Temple pagoda in Luoxian and finished his reverent homage, he intended to head toward Chengdu and stayed overnight at the Liangnü Relay Station. Near dawn, he heard sounds of movement on his left and right. He asked, "Who is it, causing unwarranted alarm?" A voice answered from the sky: "We are twelve spirit kings from your homeland. Wherever you go, we protect you, Master of the Dharma. Tomorrow you will see the Chengdu pagoda; we now wish to return west and bid farewell to you." He asked again, "Since you were able to escort me from so far away, why do you not manifest your forms?" The spirits immediately manifested their forms. As [Dharmakṣa] was skilled at painting, he portrayed them one by one. Once he had depicted them all, their forms vanished. After he arrived in Chengdu and finished paying homage to the Great Stone pagoda, the Vinaya Master Shen carved wooden images of the twelve spirits based on the sketches, adorning the base of the pagoda with them; they are still present today.