法苑珠林 13.5

13.5

Now, the Supreme One responds to sympathetic resonance, his compassion matching the capacities of living beings. His physical forms and radiance bestow virtue like the moisture of sweet dew; his lingering shadows and painted icons dispatch transformation in an era when the sun has sunk below the horizon. Thus, even for a brief separation in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, a sacred image of carved sandalwood was produced; how much more so during the long obscurity of the decline—who could forget the aspirations of the past? For this reason, tracing the origin back to the Western realm, King Udayana initiated the beginning; when the teaching was transferred to the Eastern land, Emperor Ming of the Han inaugurated the start. Following this onward, master artisans walked in their footsteps, pursuing the Dharma-body to the utmost with rare treasures. In the adornments of gold, stone, pearls, and jade, or the forms rendered in clay, wood, embroidery, and painting, none failed to exert their skill through sincere devotion, thereby manifesting sublimity. Formerly, under the Jin dynasty, the saṃgha created works of peerless brilliance; under the Song and Qi, emperors created works renewed by the day. Many have not been recorded in inscriptions, and it is feared their origins may be lost. Now their preeminence is recorded here to serve as an enduring model and demonstrate their benefits.