大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 77.14

77.14

Regarding the Commentary's statement, "The eight, Kashgar, and so forth, in full is called Kharoṣṭha": Fascicle twelve of the Record of the Western Regions states: "Exiting the Congling Mountains and its Kingdom of Wusha, one goes west of this kingdom's city for more than two hundred li to reach a great mountain. From here, traveling north through desert and wilderness for more than five hundred li, one reaches the Kingdom of Khasha. What was formerly called Shule (Kashgar) is only the name of its city. The correct phonetics in full is Śrīkrīrati. The term Shule is an error." In explanation: The Commentary relies on the old commentary; that is, the Tripiṭaka Master Divākara's explanation of the Record of the Western Regions, which states: "The Kingdom of Khasha is over five thousand li in circuit. It has much gravel and little soil, yet agriculture is flourishing and flowers and fruits abound. Traveling southeast from here for more than five hundred li, crossing a river and traversing the sands, one reaches the Kingdom of Cakuka—in Chinese translated as Juqu—which is over a thousand li in circuit. At the southern border of the kingdom is a great mountain, with towering crags and ridges and piled-up peaks; its vegetation withstands the cold, presenting the same appearance in spring and autumn. Its mountain streams and rapid currents flow forth in all directions; cliff niches and stone chambers are spread like chess pieces through the dense forests. Men of India who have attained the fruit often exercise their supernormal powers, flying lightly away to travel far and dwell here. Many arhats have entered quiescent extinction here, and on this account there are many stūpas. Even now there are three arhats dwelling in its caverns who have entered the samādhi of the cessation of mental activity; in form they resemble emaciated persons, their beards and hair constantly growing, so that śramaṇas go there from time to time to shave them. Furthermore, within this kingdom the Mahāyāna scriptures are especially numerous in fascicle count; nowhere that the Buddha-Dharma has reached has been more flourishing than here, with ten or so works each numbering one hundred thousand verses. Below these, their circulation is truly vast." (In explanation: According to this, scriptures such as the Avataṃsaka were in fact preserved in this kingdom.) "Traveling east from here, crossing ridges and traversing valleys for more than eight hundred li, one reaches the Kingdom of Gostana—in Chinese translated as 'Earth's Teat,' which is the refined vernacular term. In colloquial speech it is called Hanna; the Xiongnu call it Yudun; the various Western barbarians call it Huodan; India calls it Kudan; the former name Yutian (Khotan) is an error. The Kingdom of Gostana is over four thousand li in circuit; sand and gravel make up the greater part, while arable soil is narrow and limited. It is suitable for grain and rich in various fruits. They esteem the Buddha-Dharma; there are over one hundred saṅghārāmas and more than five thousand monastics, who mostly practice and study the Mahāyāna teachings. The king is extremely brave and martial, venerating and esteeming the Buddha-Dharma; he claims himself to be a descendant of the deva Vaiśravaṇa. Anciently, this kingdom was empty and uninhabited, and the deva Vaiśravaṇa had his dwelling here. When the crown prince of King Aśoka was in Takṣaśilā, he had his eyes gouged out. The king, enraged, censured and banished the ministers and moved the tyrannical and jealous notables out to the north of the Snowy Mountains to dwell in a desolate valley. The banished people followed their pasturage to this western border, and choosing an eminent and noble chief, established him as master; it was precisely in this region. The crown prince of the Eastern Land (China), having suffered punishment and exile, dwelt at this eastern border; his followers urged him on, and he also declared himself king. The years and months accumulated and their customs and languages did not communicate. Then, on account of hunting, they met in the desolate marsh; inquiring into each other's lineage, they strove for superiority, and anger appearing in their words, they were about to clash in battle. Someone remonstrated, saying: 'Why such haste now? To decide the battle on account of a hunt does not bring out the full edge of our armies. It is better to return and train our troops, set a date, and then assemble.' Thereupon they turned their carriages and returned, each going back to his kingdom to train cavalry and horses and encourage the soldiers. When the appointed time arrived and the armies met, banners and drums faced each other. At dawn they engaged in battle; the western ruler was disadvantaged, and pursuing his retreat, they severed his head. Taking advantage of the victory, the eastern king consoled and gathered together the fallen state, moved his capital to the central region, and first constructed walls and moats. Worrying that there was no earth and fearing it would be difficult to complete, he made an announcement far and near: 'Who understands the geography?' At that time there was a cinerary heterodox ascetic (pāśupata) who carried a large gourd filled with water and presented himself, saying: 'I understand the geography.' Thereupon, he let the water trickle forth in winding streams, circulating and returning to where it began. Then he concealed his body and suddenly vanished. Basing their foundations on the traces of that water, they were able to begin the construction; this became the seat of government of the kingdom, the city where the current king now has his capital. The city is not exceptionally high or steep, yet it is difficult to attack and overcome; from ancient times to the present none have been able to defeat it. The king moved his capital, established towns, founded the state, and brought peace to the people. His achievements being accomplished, his years reached their evening, yet he had no heir and feared his lineage would be severed. He thereupon went to the shrine of the deva Vaiśravaṇa to pray for an heir. From the forehead of the deity's image an infant broke forth; carrying it reverently, the king returned, and the kingdom's people celebrated. Since the child did not drink milk, fearing he would not live long, the king immediately went back to the deity's shrine to ask once more for his rearing. The ground before the deity suddenly swelled up in the shape of a breast; the divine child suckled and drank, and thereby grew to maturity. His wisdom and courage outshone his predecessors, and his moral influence reached far. Thereupon they constructed a divine shrine to venerate their ancestor. From this time forward, successive generations inherited the throne, transmitting the kingdom and reigning without losing the lineage. Therefore, the divine temple today possesses many rare treasures, and worship and offerings have never ceased over time. Because he was reared by the earth's teat, it was taken as the name of the kingdom. More than ten li south of the royal city there is a saṅghārāma, built by the former king of this country for the arhat Vairocana—in Chinese translated as All-Illuminating. More than twenty li southwest of the royal city, one reaches Mount Gośṛṅga—in Chinese translated as Ox Horn; the mountain rises in two peaks with sheer cliffs on all four sides. Amid the crags and valleys a saṅghārāma was constructed, within which the Buddha image at times shines with light. Anciently, the Tathāgata once came to this place, preached the essentials of the Dharma briefly for the devas and humans, and prophesied that in this land a kingdom would be established, which would venerate the bequeathed Dharma and practice the Mahāyāna. It is this very place. On the cliff of Ox Horn there is a great stone chamber, within which an arhat has entered the samādhi of the cessation of mental activity, awaiting the Maitreya Buddha; for several hundred years, offerings to him have not ceased. Recently the cliff collapsed, blocking the entrance and path. The king mobilized troops wishing to clear away the collapsed rocks, whereupon a swarm of black bees flew forth and stung the multitude with venom; for this reason, up to the present day, the stone portal has not been opened." In explanation: According to this, it is also the abode of a sage. Regarding "Or pointing to Niutou in the Jiangbiao region": Forty li south of Jinling there is a mountain named Niutou (Ox Head). Because this mountain has twin peaks, it is also named Shuangque, Tianque, Nanjiao, or Xianku; these varied according to changes across successive dynasties. According to the Gazetteer of Regions: "This mountain is one thousand four hundred feet high and forty-seven li in circumference." According to the Record of the Western Regions and the chapter "Bodhisattvas' Dwelling Places" in the old Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the Bodhisattva Mind King said to the bodhisattvas: "In the northeastern frontier barbarian land, there is a kingdom named Ox Head." If we consult the new sūtra, it states: "In the kingdom of Kashgar there is an abode named Mount Ox Head." As cited above from the text of the Record of the Western Regions, this is a different place from Cīnasthāna (this text is found in the Records of the Pagodas and Monasteries of Jinling). Ancient tradition relates that this is the place where a pratyekabuddha manifested his form. Moreover, earlier and later texts often state, "Bodhisattvas abide within it," and its efficacious responses have frequently occurred.