法苑珠林 55.49

55.49

Peerless steeds are not products of the central towns alone, and treasures that outshine the ages are not necessarily goods from the Chinese states. The Han sought the famous horses of the Western Regions, and the Wei collected the luminous pearls of the Southern Seas; they accepted the tribute of rhinoceros horns and elephant tusks, and gathered the feathers of the kingfisher. When things are born in distant realms, they cannot on that account be denied as treasures; when the Buddha emerged in a far-off land, why should he alone be discarded? If medicinal herbs come from the Rong and Yi barbarians, or spells and incantations arise from the Hu and Yue tribes, as long as they can banish evil and remove disease, would one refuse to employ them simply because they came from afar?