中天竺舍衛國祇洹寺圖經 2.16

2.16

戒壇院內有大鐘臺，高四百尺，上有聖鐘，重十萬斤，形如須彌。盃上立千輪王像，輪王千子各各具足。四面各有一大摩尼寶珠，大如三升，陷於鐘腹。足有九龍相盤之像，龍口吐水具八功德。至受戒時，將欲受者至鐘四面，九龍吐水灌諸僧，如頂生王受轉輪王位，金鐘灌頂之像。今令受戒人新受佛戒，如佛法王受法王位，不徒設也。又梵王摩尼珠放光，照受戒人，光觸身時清涼。樂將使戒珠明淨，如摩尼寶珠塵不染。前之大鐘劫初時，輪王所造。聖人受戒，令得通者擊之，聲振三千，一切聖人聞皆證果，惡趣聞者皆識宿命智。凡夫受戒，則使摩坻比丘擊之。（其人是大力，當十萬人，筋力之最，則不可記也。）人中力士擊者，聲聞小千世界。隨界新受比丘咸識宿命因緣、善惡之事，皆護禁戒，如持浮囊。其鐘臺相須彌山形。在大池中，有九金龍，向上盤結，一龍九十一頭，於諸頭上構架金寶千梁萬柱，純諸名珍。瓦用頗黎，晃曜心目。初受戒者創登壇時，其臺即轉，諸龍口中皆出香，其兩足上龍口吐香雲，色如黃金蓋覆壇上，其摩尼珠放大光明，又遶戒壇上。有天樂讚持戒者所獲功德。其臺及龍是羅矆阿修羅所造。頗梨瓦者帝釋所造。其下地者和修吉龍所造。其池四面砌以白玉，下布銀沙。池水水者，散脂大將施，水色清甘，如乳不異。諸持戒者有病飲之，無不除愈；破戒若飲，如吞熱鐵。佛將涅槃，水先枯竭，屋瓦飛去。

Within the ordination platform compound there is a great bell-tower, four hundred feet high, atop which is a sacred bell weighing one hundred thousand catties, shaped like Mount Sumeru. Atop its cup stand the images of a thousand cakravartins, each with all of a cakravartin's thousand sons complete. On each of its four sides is a great maṇi jewel, as large as three sheng, embedded in the belly of the bell. At its base is an image of nine dragons intertwined, from whose mouths water possessing the eight virtuous qualities spouts. When the time for ordination arrives, those who are about to receive it are brought to the four sides of the bell, and the nine dragons spout water to bathe all the monks, like when King Mūrdhagata received the position of a cakravartin, in the image of an abhiṣeka by a golden bell. Now having the ordinands receive the Buddha's precepts anew is like the Dharma King of the Buddha receiving the position of Dharma King; it is not set up in vain. Furthermore, Brahmā's maṇi jewels emit light that shines upon the ordinands; when the light touches their bodies, it is cool and joyous, causing the jewel of their precepts to become bright and pure, unstained by dust like a maṇi jewel. The aforementioned great bell was created at the beginning of the kalpa by a cakravartin. When a noble being receives the precepts, one who has attained supernormal powers is ordered to strike it; the sound shakes the trichiliocosm, and all noble beings who hear it attain realization of the fruits, while those in evil destinies who hear it all recognize the knowledge of past lives. When ordinary persons receive the precepts, the bhikṣu Modikā is ordered to strike it. (This man has great strength, equal to one hundred thousand men; of the utmost physical power, it is beyond reckoning.) When struck by this strongman among humans, the sound is heard throughout a small chiliocosm. The newly ordained bhikṣus throughout that realm all recognize the causes and conditions of past lives and matters of good and evil, and all protect the prohibitive precepts like holding a life-buoy. The bell-tower's form is shaped like Mount Sumeru. Within a great pool, there are nine golden dragons coiling upwards; each dragon has ninety-one heads, and atop their heads are framed a thousand beams and ten thousand pillars of gold and jewels, purely made of various famous treasures. Crystal is used for the tiles, dazzling the eyes and mind. When the newly ordained first ascend the platform, the tower revolves, incense issues from the mouths of all the dragons, and the dragons' mouths above his two feet spit out clouds of incense, their color like yellow gold, covering the platform like a canopy. The maṇi jewels emit great light, which circles above the ordination platform. There is heavenly music praising the merits attained by those who uphold the precepts. The tower and the dragons were made by the asura Rāhu. The crystal tiles were made by Śakra. The ground below was made by the nāga Vāsuki. The pool is paved on four sides with white jade, and silver sand is spread beneath. The water of the pool was bestowed by General Saṃjñeya; the water's color is clear and sweet, no different from milk. If those who uphold the precepts drink it when sick, there is none whose illness is not dispelled and cured; if a breaker of precepts drinks it, it is like swallowing molten iron. When the Buddha was about to enter nirvāṇa, the water dried up first, and the roof tiles flew away.