法苑珠林 12.97

12.97

Furthermore, in the time of Emperor Ming of the Han, the master Zhu Falan of the country of India brought a painted reclining image of Śākyamuni, which was the fourth replica made by the master of King Udayana's sandalwood image. When he arrived in Luoyang, Emperor Ming immediately ordered painters to copy it and place it in the Qingliang Terrace and atop the Xianjie Mausoleum; the old images are no longer extant today. This was the very beginning of such images in the Han land. (The Book of Wei also clarifies the meaning of the initial arrival of the Three Jewels in the time of Emperor Ming of the Han.) Formerly, when Emperor Wu of the Han excavated the Kunming Pool, he found black ash at the bottom and asked Dongfang Shuo about it. Dongfang Shuo said, 'It is not recorded in the classics; you may ask a foreign Indian monk.' Later, when Falan had arrived, the multitude followed up by asking him about it. [Zhu Fa]lan said, 'When the world comes to an end and the kalpa fire burns through, this ash is what remains.' Shuo's words were thus verified, and those who believed were exceedingly many.