法苑珠林 40.29

40.29

晉義熙元年。有林邑人嘗有一舍利。每齋日有光。沙門慧邃隨廣州刺史刁逵在南。敬其光相欲請之。未及發言。而舍利自分為二。逵聞心悅。又請留敬。而又分為三。逵欲摸長干像。寺主固執不許。夜夢人長數丈告曰。像貴宣導何苟悋耶。明報聽摸。既成逵以舍利著像髻中。西來諸像放光者多。由舍利故也。

In the first year of the Yixi era of the Jin, a man of Linyi once had a śarīra. On every fasting day it produced light. The śramaṇa Huisui, accompanying Diao Kui, the regional inspector of Guangzhou, was in the south; revering its luminous appearance, he wished to request it. Before he could utter a word, the śarīra divided itself into two. Hearing of this, Kui was delighted in his heart and also requested to retain it for worship, whereupon it divided again into three. Kui wished to make a replica of the Changgan image, but the temple abbot held stubbornly and would not allow it. At night, [the abbot] dreamed of a man several zhang tall who told him, "Images are valued for spreading and guiding; why be so begrudging?" The next morning he sent word granting permission to replicate it. Once it was completed, Kui placed the śarīra inside the topknot of the image. The fact that many of the images coming from the West radiate light is on account of their śarīra.