Praise of the Buddha's Deeds, Volume 2
Compiled by Wuji of Fu'an Mountain
This Dharma traveled to that land, For over a thousand years it remained, Then flowed eastward to the Middle Kingdom.
In the Later Han, during Emperor Ming's reign, Who were the ones who brought it here? Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna.
From rulers and ministers to scholars and commoners, All believed, received, and practiced it. Thus, the White Horse Temple was built,
To enshrine relics, scriptures, and images. From this beginning, temples and pagodas Throughout this land began to rise.
At that time in this land, the teachings of the Way were widely practiced. The Taoist masters from the Five Sacred Mountains, six hundred and ninety in number, jointly submitted a petition, saying: "Do not believe in the teachings of foreign deities. If Your Majesty trusts this, the customs of our land will all turn to heresy. As for the truth or falsehood of their teachings and ours, we ask that they be tested by fire."
The Emperor nodded in agreement and ordered them to gather at the White Horse Temple. Then the Taoist masters each brought their sacred texts and placed them on two separate altars, with solemn and dignified rituals. The Buddhist relics, scriptures, and images were placed separately to the west of the altars.
The Taoist masters lit incense, circled the altars, and wept, saying: "The rise or fall of our Way rests on this day." They then made their vows to Heaven and set fire to the texts. The Taoist scriptures were all consumed by the flames, while the Buddhist scriptures remained unharmed. The relics rose into the sky, radiating a five-colored light that outshone the sun, swirling like a canopy overhead.
A miraculous vine appeared in the sky, displaying various divine transformations and emitting a great Brahma-like voice, praising the boundless virtues of the Buddha and declaring that the merit of renouncing the world is the foremost among all good deeds.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was greatly delighted, and all doubts were dispelled. At that time, ministers, nobles, and commoners—men and women alike, totaling thirteen hundred people—all took monastic vows at once. Even the Taoist masters submitted and followed the path of renunciation.