法苑珠林 9.32

9.32

The Ruiying jing states: the crown prince was born on the eighth day of the fourth month at night, when the morning star appeared. Furthermore, the Fo xing zan states: on the eighth day of the third month, the bodhisattva was born from the right flank. The Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing states: on the eighth day of the second month, the queen went to the Lumbinī grove; seeing the aśoka blossom, she raised her right hand to pluck it, and [the bodhisattva] emerged from her right flank. We now consider that because the generations are distant and the translators were earlier and later, it is difficult to determine this based on the scriptural texts alone. When seeking confirmation in external classical texts, it seems discernable. The Chunqiu states: in the seventh year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, which was the eleventh year of King Zhuang [of Zhou], in the fourth month on the day xinhai, the fixed stars did not appear, and stars fell like rain. Examining both internal and external [records], the fourth month is taken to be the correct one.