中天竺舍衛國祇洹寺圖經 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

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Preface to the Illustrated Scripture on the Jetavana

I have heard that the inception of living beings venerating merit and the foundation of returning to the truth lie in erecting caityas and gazing in reverent awe upon stūpas and statues; these accomplishments are truly magnificent! For instance, Anāthapiṇḍada spread yellow gold in Jeta's garden, and Udayana carved sandalwood into the statue of the Muni; the construction of the two stūpas for the fingernails and hair, and the two platforms for the robe and shadow—these were all established models already witnessed while the Tathāgata was in the world. Moreover, the true body is without form, manifesting only in response to receptive resonance. Because receptive resonance varies, responsive manifestations also differ. If the avenues of the mind are severed, the true image offers no response; yet when utmost sincerity reaches its peak, heaven and earth are moved. In antiquity, Pingzhong, grieving over a great drought, would have burned himself, whereupon the fire flared and rain arrived; the wife of Qi wept over the corpse of Liang Zhi, and the walls of Ju collapsed for her sake. Viewed from this perspective, that the divine conforms to the resonance of things—how could this be false? As the teaching of the Śākya gradually spread east, all submitted to its transformative influence, with statues, stūpas, and temples vying to be erected everywhere. When it came to the fortune of the Semblance and Final Dharma ages, the teachings declined, human sentiments became shallow and frivolous, and construction lacked standards. Flippancy and insolence arose from this, and ritual veneration was abandoned as a result. There was, however, an enlightened master titled the Teaching Master of Nanshan, the Great Master Chengzhao, whose propitious appearance benefited Cīnasthāna and who responded as an inaugural Vinaya master. Heaven and earth matched his great virtue, and the sun and moon joined his brilliant light. At the mysterious barriers and profound keys, he resonated and immediately penetrated; from the far source and deep waves, he dipped without exhausting them. Nāgas and spirits took refuge in and revered him; devas and humans lifted his feet. Alas! How could our patriarch's magnificent virtue ever be adequately praised? Yet, with boundless love, he did not abandon sentient beings. Fearing that in later generations those who constructed stūpas and temples would have no standard to display, he humbly relied upon divine inspirations and produced this two-fascicle Illustrated Scripture on the Jetavana. For people of an era of decline who cherish the Way, without the toil of journeying beyond the Jade Gate, traversing the blue-green peaks, and binding ropes and climbing pegs, to be able to view the sacred sites vividly as if in person—is this not the benefit of this scripture? During the calendar of the Great Song, although the spirit of the Vinaya flourished, this scripture had already been lost. When our Vinaya Master Dazhi chanced upon it in the land of the Rising Sun, it was brought back. That this book now exists once again in the land of Han is due to the deeds of our country. Although I chanced upon a single copy, it had suffered omissions and obliterations, and scribal errors were continuous; whenever I unfolded the scrolls, I never failed to heave a deep sigh. In recent years, due to certain circumstances, I moved to the Mahāyāna Vinaya Cloister at Iwashimizu Hachimangū-ji. The bhikṣu Jitsuchō said to me: "In the scriptorium, an intact old copy of the Illustrated Scripture on the Jetavana exists. The book halls of the Capital do not possess this scripture. If you commission carvers to print it on blocks and distribute it far and wide, I request that you place a word at the head of the scroll." I replied: "Alas! How could my crude words be appended to a sacred text?" Jitsuchō said: "A precious jewel causes hands to grasp swords, and a fine horse grows emaciated in a broker's market precisely because they arrive without an introduction. Alas! Why be excessively modest?" Moved by these words, I could no longer firmly decline, so I took up my brush and wrote this. At the time:

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The first year of Ten'na, the cyclical year xinyou, on the first day of the twelfth month, respectfully recorded by the bhikṣu Sōgaku of the Vinaya Cloister of Kyūshū-en.

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Preface to the Illustrated Scripture on the Jetavana Monastery in Śrāvastī, Central India

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Produced through divine inspiration by the Śākya [monk] of Mount Zhongnan in the late spring of the second year of Qianfeng of the Tang

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The foundation of monasteries and stūpas has a distant origin indeed. Since the initial opening of the bhadrakalpa, when the Buddhas declared their completion, guiding the four modes of birth to reveal the three sages, and guiding the five vehicles to converge at the single culmination, they have always taken the transformation of mundane habits as the basis for transcending existence, and the comprehension of the principle as the attainment of entering emptiness. Thus, expedient representations are not fixed, while the real significance is truly made evident through them. Therefore, sanctuaries are situated distinctly, with structures of wood, stone, and earth, the lengths of their perimeters, and the sizes of their cloisters and wards. The statuses of Sangha and Buddha are distinct; hence their arrangements differ. The natures of ordinary beings and sages are different; hence their rites and offerings are divided into tiers. The multi-tiered gates stand wide open, revealing the auspicious designation of the three and seven; the groves and ponds reflect each other, guiding along the smooth path of the four and eight. Once the outward indications are manifested, their dignity is also solemn. Therefore, pure believers from the ten directions gather their steps like clouds, and the divine spirits of the nine realms pledge their sincerity like gathering mists. As for the six teachers of divergent paths, their towering influence was overturned; the living beings of the four mundane castes attained the refined purport of the true teaching.

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These were all deeds of ancient Buddhas, and thus they remain even in an anthill; their enduring bestowal is inexhaustible, causing future sages to follow the same course. However, worldly appearances never halt; hills and valleys interchange, yet the capable works return, thereby continuing through impermanence. Today, it has become a mound of ruins in a great wilderness, sharing the eternal lament of the overgrown millet; its remaining foundations are vague and obscured, bringing deep sorrow upon viewing the cold dew. Since [the Buddha] announced his departure between the two rivers and returned to truth beneath the twin trees, only after the Dharma flowed to Cīnasthāna were its supreme traces first heard of. Then people such as Fayong and Fasheng, and companions like Daosui and Daosheng, roused their refined spirits with ardent zeal for what had never been heard, regarding death as life, to pursue the traces of those lofty models. Having arrived at the old ground, they saw only abandoned dust. Although elegant marks were abundant, they ultimately transmitted only past traces; nothing is better than beholding them face to face to awaken the hidden mind. Yet, because past conditions had not been severed, unseen powers provided support; when devas and extraordinary beings heard of the meaning, they immediately took action. Venturing to use my writings to display the profound mirror, I was blessed with their illuminating revelation, which I have illustrated and transmitted.

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Since the Great Sage entered extinction, in the course of one thousand six hundred years, the Jetavana has risen and fallen twenty times; its additions, losses, completions, and deficiencies all arose according to the needs of the occasion, thus causing illustrated accounts to be conflicting, relying on this to reach a definitive judgment. Among them, the loftiest reached extraordinary heights three times; the remaining constructions are not worthy of mention. At the beginning of the Sui, Dharma Master Lingyu of Weijun, whose fame and conduct had long been prominent and whose integrity and deportment were steadfast and far-reaching, compiled the Sigao, citing the Jetavana in full. However, because generations of men had lapsed and scriptures were rarely complete, his synthesis of Vinaya regulations lacked proper sequence in its narration of circumstances. Nevertheless, spreading gold to retain the trees, multi-storied pavilions and layered gates, towering over a thousand mu within seven days, and bells and metal instruments ringing distinctly throughout the hundred cloisters—to speak of this is of great significance. These matters transcend the ordinary scriptures, and in every case, it was through conditions that unified capacities that devas and humans assisted in accomplishing the task; through the principle of comprehensive resonance, nāgas and spirits aided in this divine work. In antiquity, it was heard that the Cakravartin King built stūpas, raising eighty thousand at one time; when the Great Being converted beings, his vast room accommodated the two forces of nature. How could it have been merely human design? Yet the original draft of the mysterious transmission is now lost. What is transmitted here is from a being born in the first heaven, one of the eight great generals of the Devarāja of the South. Seeing it from beginning to end over merely a single lunar month, having personally received the bequest and cherishing its propagation and protection in his heart, his compassionate aid was never obscured, and nothing escaped his sight and hearing; thus he transmitted this Illustrated Scripture to hand it down to future generations. May those who see it know that to which they should return; I have readily recorded its origins so that the core tradition will not be obscured.

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I consider that the original Jetavana Monastery was where the Master long resided for twenty-five years, the traces of his transformation for an entire period. The monumental enterprise of the seven locations and eight assemblies did not take physical form in this grove; yet the profound texts of the five divisions and four Āgamas mostly derived their Dharma from this monastery. Therefore, searching and gathering across various texts, I have provided a comprehensive account of these matters. However, because their appearances and disappearances were disparate and my brush could not keep pace, I was suddenly granted an awakening, resonating with these hidden spirits; what had been depressed and pent up for years was poured out all at once. Indeed, the hidden and subtle becoming manifest has been fully heard from past times: the records in Gan Bao's Soushen [ji], the chapters in Liu Qing's Youming [lu], the book Zhiguai by Zu Tai, and the notes in Wang Yan's Mingxiang [ji]—though extensive throughout, none are as clear as pointing to one's palm. Shallow and petty people of worldly customs may give rise to deterministic arguments; officials who have not attained comprehensive insight may declare this transmission unworthy of being heard. Furthermore, there are works such as the Jingyi and Shuyi, and writings on unseen and visible retribution; their titles and accounts are manifold, renowned in ancient and modern times. The matters I have listed are comparable to the records of the Devarāja of Wenxuan. They are also similar to the work on the stone Buddha of Jian'an; though awakening and dreams differ, there is no need to harbor doubts. I regret that in my eightieth year, my vigor has suddenly declined; having received direct instructions in person and heard detailed teachings with my own ears, when it came to drafting the work, not one in ten remained. Yet, weaving together the illustrations and accounts, I evoke thoughts of what has never been heard before. I hope my peers will forgive this rough outline.

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The foundation of the monastery is clearly described in the sūtras and Vinaya as covering an area of eighty qing, with one hundred and twenty cloisters; measured from east to west it is nearly ten li, and from north to south over seven hundred paces. As a recent account says: In antiquity, when the Buddha was in the world, Sudatta and Prince Jeta built it together. The historical circumstances in the sūtras are as previously heard. After two hundred years—which corresponds in this land to the thirty-first year of King Ping, the thirteenth sovereign of the Zhou Ji dynasty—it was burned down completely. What was the cause? Prince Jeta treasured this park, and when Sudatta pressed to buy it, he did not begrudge the expense of gold. The prince was stingy and deeply regretted it, but Sudatta's resolve was firm and immovable. Seeing that he did not begrudge yellow gold and rejoiced in making offerings, the prince told the elder: "I shall build the monastery myself, without relying on you." Sudatta would not permit it. The prince made a vow: "The trees do not require gold; they may be offered. If it should fall into ruin in the future, may the trees grow back." When the fire occurred, the buildings were completely destroyed. The trees that had been established remained unchanged from before. Formerly, when Sudatta was an ordinary person, he accumulated wealth by selling meat, rising from lowliness to nobility, and constantly wishing for famine and scarcity. Although he attained immense wealth, his riches stemmed from a defiled mind; because he built the monastery with this, it ultimately met with burning ashes. Through the prince's pure mind, the trees grew; although his actions had flaws, the result is inconceivable. Four hundred years later, someone known as King Aśoka rebuilt it upon the ground, yet it did not reach one-tenth of the original. After a thousand and one hundred years, it was burned to ashes by bandits. After thirteen years, a king named Kaniṣka rebuilt the buildings as before, their magnificent forms all adorned with jewels. One hundred years later, an evil king destroyed it, making it an execution ground. The Four Heavenly Kings and Sāgara Nāgarāja became enraged and crushed the destroyers to death with a great rock. For ninety years it lay desolate without people. The Devarāja of Trāyastriṃśa ordered his second son to descend and serve as a human ruler. He again decorated and adorned it based on the ground flowers, surpassing the time when the Buddha was in the world. After one hundred and fifty years, Māra burned and destroyed it, which corresponds in this land to the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Xian at the end of the Han. Examining these events, after the reign of Xianzong, during the eras of Emperors He, An, Huan, and Ling, travelers back and forth to the Western Regions followed upon each other's heels; they thus witnessed the constructions of the devarāja and the flourishing of the Jeta grove. Although there were later [restorations], it has now lost its foundation and remains desolate down to the present day.

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The name of the monastery is the Jetavana-anāthapiṇḍada-ārāma. (According to the Sigao, it has ten names in all: first, monastery; second, dwelling of pure abode; third, dwelling of shared Dharma; fourth, dwelling transcending the world; fifth, vihāra; sixth, pure grove; seventh, vajra pure monastery; eighth, sanctuary of quiescent extinction; ninth, place of seclusion; tenth, place of intimacy.) These ten names above, explained according to their characteristics in the sūtras, each have their own significance, as in that Sigao. Now, following the various sūtras: when this park was first constructed, its land from north to south had a perimeter of over eighty qing, extending lengthwise from east to west, located some five or six li south of the city of Śrāvastī. (Examining various accounts, the distances in li and paces vary somewhat. This is truly because after the initial construction, the work of expansion never ceased, so travelers of later periods described what they saw at the time, causing narrow-minded scholars to harbor doubts. Although there are multiple explanations, it was definitely south of the city, which can be understood.)

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There are two great compounds. The western great compound is where the Saṅgha and the Buddha dwell, named the Bodhimaṇḍa, or the Vajra Compound. Its foundation rises above the ground, set apart with stairs and steps, and on all four sides are niches and caves, all housing marvelous spirits that guard this bodhimaṇḍa compound. The great wall has three tiers, roughly two zhang in height, provided with covered walkways; corridors are set upon one another, and red vermilion and white powder reflect each other. According to the Sigao: 'The outer tiers of the compound wall externally represent the aspects of relying on the Three Refuges for outer protection. The inner tier of the compound wall internally represents the aspects of the Three Jewels' causes and fruits serving as a refuge and mirror. The inner compound rises five chi higher than the outer compound, in order to represent that the causes and fruits of the Three Jewels transcend the five paths.' As for the remainder—the Buddha, Dharma Jewel, and Saṅgha compounds, halls, and chambers, greater or lesser in number—their painted forms and illustrations are exceptional and varied in their classes. There are separate seats for Brahmā and the devarājas, and distinct rooms for the wild spirits and hungry ghosts, all completely prepared for offerings and reception. Regularly on the eight kings' [days] and the six fast [days], material gifts and Dharma gifts are offered according to the occasion; smaller meals and grand meals each have their own proper manner. The full text is as [recorded] there.

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The great compound of this monastery only arrays three gates in three directions; the north is not open. According to Master Lingyu's Sacred Traces Record: 'The monastery opens northeast two gates, and surrounding the Jetavana compound there are eighteen monasteries.' Furthermore, according to the Sigao: 'At the Jetavana [Monastery], the four gates open through, intersecting in a cross.' According to the diagram presented here, there is no northern gate. Examining this through facts, their construction earlier and later differed in their regulations; [authors] simply arranged them according to what they heard and saw at their respective times, which is not at all surprising or strange. This Illustrated Scripture depicts the initial laying out of the gold strings.

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The southern face has three gates. The central great gate has five bays and three tiers, with high pavilions dazzling the eye, built by Prince Jeta. These three tiers represent the three gates of emptiness, clarifying the three emptinesses in the Buddha's Dharma. Because one initially enters the Buddha's principle taking the robe as the foundational school, three tiers were erected to represent the three emptinesses. Outside the gate, across the canal water, flying bridges span northward, also in five paths, their marvelous carvings and adornments being truly non-human. The eastern and western two gates, having three tiers as above, both have three bays. Outside the gates are flying bridges, with three paths extending inward. Outside, there are forest trees, cleanly encircling all around, and reaching up to three sides, flowering trees connect. Those who see it give rise to a deep heart of veneration. Entering the great central gate, to the left and right are compound lanes, their gates directly opposite one another, with waters and trees intertwining.

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The eastern gate of the great compound faces the central road, running straight through east and west. This gate is high and vast, surpassing the rest of the compounds. Above and below, it piles up in twelve tiers, and horizontal galleries spread across the ground with seventeen gates; the marvel of its adornments surpasses all in the wilderness. When clerics and laypeople from the four directions first arrive to pay homage, not daring to face north immediately, they mostly pass through this gate. After staying in

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the compound, they only then go forward for an audience. According to the Sigao: 'That this gate is magnificent represents the place where one first enters the path with faith. On its gates and layered pavilions, plain paintings inside and out depict the images of Mahābrahmā, Śakra Devānām Indra, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, human kings, great ghost kings, spirits, and nāgarājas. The reason their forms and likenesses are depicted is to represent their sharing the echo to universally protect the maintenance of the Three Jewels.' The appearance of the western gate of the great compound has not been heard of; since its function lies in impermanence, its forms and dimensions are not manifest.

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East of the great gate, it naturally divides into seven compounds. The first compound to the west on the southern side is named the Compound of Lay Bodhisattvas from Other Directions. The compound opens a northern gate; inside it are halls, full of flowering trees. Whenever lay bodhisattvas from other directions come from afar to pay homage, they first stay herein, and only later see the Buddha. In that compound there is a crystal lion, made by the king of Tuṣita Heaven with his own hands, its shape the size of a fist. When the time arrives, its mouth emits a wondrous sound like a jīvañjīvaka bird, and within the sound it expounds the eighty thousand pāramitās. The bodhisattvas, hearing the Dharma, ascend to the stages. Every year on the eighth day of the twelfth month, the gentlemen and ladies of Śrāvastī each hold incense and flowers and come to listen to the Dharma sound; and jīvañjīvaka birds, young garuḍas, young phoenixes, and fenghuang all come together to gaze; humans and birds alike either attain the first fruit or enter the purity of the Mahāyāna Dharma-eye.

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Next, one compound north of the small lane is named the Compound of Bodhisattvas from Other Directions. Its gate is carved to open toward the south; its inner halls, chambers, forests, and trees are as before. In its midst is a gaṇḍī, made by the great general Saṃjñin, which fashions a bronze dragon supporting a stone lotus flower; at sunrise the flower opens, and at sunset the flower closes. When the time comes for the flower to close, all its petals stir as if blown by the wind. The dragon then emits a sound, and when the karmadāna hears the sound, he immediately strikes the gaṇḍī.

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East of the western compound, a compound on the southern side is named the Compound Where Bhikṣuṇīs Come to Request Instruction. One gate opens to the north, facing the eastern gate street; one gate opens to the east. Inside are halls and trees, as in the western compound. At the new moon and full moon of every month, when bhikṣuṇīs come to request exhortation and instruction, they stay in reliance upon this compound. In the compound is a pole roughly three zhang high, made by the asura king. On the pole is a phoenix holding a bronze bell in its beak. When bhikṣuṇīs arrive, the bell sounds by itself. If one is not in accord with the Dharma, the bell emits an evil sound, reviling them with vile words; if there are deeds of vigor, it emits a sound praising them, and also expounds the six perfections and various teachings.

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Next, one compound north of the lane is named the Compound for Instructing Bhikṣuṇīs. Inside are halls and trees; its gate opens facing south, and one gate opens to the east, like the appearance of the previous compound. At the two times each month, it receives bhikṣuṇīs to go and instruct them.

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To the northwest of the former is a great compound, named the Compound of Buddhas from Other Directions. For the sake of universal transformation, they periodically come into this [compound]. Inside are forests and ponds, full of flowering trees; its eastern and western two gates open facing the great street. Mahābrahmā manifested twelve square stones, pure, bright, and clean, upon which the Buddhas sit. In its midst is a maṇi celestial drum, which sounds by itself when the time arrives, made by the nāgarāja Vāsuki. Its sound is heard far away, reaching down to the water edge and up to the Peak of Existence. When people in hell hear it, they leave suffering and are born in heaven, and some also enter the fruits; when people of the Small Vehicle hear it, they are able to reach the Great Vehicle; those who first generate the mind [for bodhi] are able to enter the seventh stage.

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North of the lane of the Compound of Buddhas from Other Directions, it further divides into two compounds. The one compound on the western side is named the Compound of the Buddha's Incense Storehouse. Its gate faces west, opening toward the great street. Therein, celestial boys attend to it.

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Next, the one compound to the east is named the Compound of the Rṣis. Its gate opens toward the south, full of halls and trees. In its midst is an ensemble of celestial instruments, formed of three thousand kinds of seven jewels, each supported and held by a seven-jeweled person. When the ṛṣis gather, the instruments sound by themselves, playing divine ṛṣi melodies. When the Buddha enters the Rṣi Compound to preach the Dharma for them, the seven-jeweled persons play melodies of the six perfections and the four truths. The mountain of self-conceit in the ṛṣis of the five superknowledges collapses; some attain the third fruit, and some enter the first stage, which cannot be recounted in full. The sound of this music is heard throughout the four continents. In the time of Vipaśyin Buddha, it was made by the great ṛṣi Māli in the Fragrant Mountain. After that Buddha passed away, Mañjuśrī brought it to Mount Qingliang. When Śākyamuni Buddha appeared, he brought it to the Jetavana. When the Tathāgata entered nirvāṇa, these instruments flew of themselves to the Vajra Cave in Mount Qingliang. The above seven compounds are all east of the great gate.

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West of the eastern gate, canals and streams intersect, running through cleanly. Looking broadly again, one looks up in admiration and forgets fatigue. The eastern gate on the southern face, with three tiers as above, spans a bridge straight to the north, where there is a black-topped gate, with five paths extending inward, and arriving further at five gates, one only then reaches the central street.

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East of the eastern gate, it naturally divides into nine compounds. First, to the southwest there is a compound, named the Compound of Mahābrahmā. It has eastern and western two gates; inside are twelve celestial conches. When the Brahmās gather, they first stop herein, removing their ordinary garments and adorning themselves. When they wish to call upon the Buddha, the conches sound of themselves, their sound heard throughout the three-thousand great-thousand world. When Brahmā wishes to ask about the six perfections and four truths, the conches emit sounds according to what is fitting. All who hear the sound gather at the Buddha's place. Moreover, inside the compound is a jade pond, and within the pond are golden lotus flowers, in which thirteen celestial boys also hold them up. The pistils of the conches are ever closed, opening when the Buddha arrives. After the Buddha's nirvāṇa, Mahābrahmā took them back to heaven.

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Next, one compound to the east is named the Compound of Knowing the Time. Its gate opens to the west; the karmadānas of the various compounds observe the signs and watch the time in this compound. Inside it there once was a clepsydra. In the compound there is also a golden Mount Sumeru. The marvelous things of the sea waters and mountains cannot be recounted in full. Above is a golden city, with white silver and seven jewels making high multi-storied pavilions over three zhang tall. It was made by the third son of Mahābrahmā. At the four corners are four pavilions, and the four sides combine for twelve gates; above the four central gates are also pavilions. Inside the four pavilions are each jeweled persons who emerge when the time comes to strike a drum on the parapet. Above on the open platforms of this city, there are already twelve persons, each holding a white fly-whisk and calling out. When the noon hour arrives, the southern gate opens, and a horse emerges from within. When the hour passes, it withdraws, and the gate closes again. The emergence and disappearance of beasts according to the twelve hours follow the same rule. During the night, there are separate groups of men patrolling the watches, each distinct and clear. When the Buddha was on the verge of nirvāṇa, the mountain shook and emitted sound; the time-keeping functions completely ceased to work, the jeweled persons wept, and some had their hands broken. Twelve years after the extinction, Mahābrahmā took it back to heaven. When Maitreya descends to be born, it will return to its original place.

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North of the two compounds is a great compound, which within this great compound is further divided into four compounds. First, one compound on the southwestern side is named the Compound of Māra's Bestowal of Goods. Its gate opens to the east. When Māra first descends, he first enters this compound. Inside is a bell with seven ridges and seven corners, made of maṇi jewels, holding three hundred thousand hu. When humans and devas gather in great numbers at the Jetavana, the bhikṣu Aśvajit causes the demon son Priyadarśana to strike the bell, its sound heard throughout the great-thousand world. When Māra hears it, he leads eight hundred billion sons of Māra to descend, and there are also one hundred billion māra kings arriving simultaneously, holding jewels to offer to the Buddha. Those in the hells all immediately leave suffering. This bell vessel was made by an ancient Buddha before the Constellation Kalpa; after the Buddha passed away, a nāga collected it into the sea.

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Further, next to the east is a compound named the Compound of the Great Buddha Image. Its gate opens to the west; the adorned halls, jeweled walls, flowers, fruits, ponds, and groves within it cannot be described in words.

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On the northern side of the two compounds are another two compounds. Next to the west is a compound named the Compound of the Nāgarājas. Its gate opens to the east, and inside is a great hall. Also inside is a vaidūrya jewel vase, within which are set seven golden cocks. When a nāga arrives, they crow, their sound heard for three hundred million li. When the nāgarāja Sāgara comes, all seven cocks crow together; when other nāgas arrive, only one cock crows. The inside and outside of the vase reflect through the golden cocks, whose shape is like this mountain. The sound of the cocks is like the sound of a sheng reed pipe; when nāgas hear it, their wrathful minds cease. When the Tathāgata was on the verge of extinction, the cocks flew away. When Kāśyapa held the council, two cocks returned. When Ānanda entered nirvāṇa, they flew away and did not return. In the past, when the great nāgarājas came to pay homage to the Buddha, they first went to this compound, casting off their nāga forms, and only then went to the Buddha's place. There is also a three-tiered jade chime; when nāgas gather in great numbers, the bhikṣu Pūrṇa causes the nāga son Manasvin to strike it, its sound heard throughout the great-thousand world. The nāgarājas therein each hold jewel objects to come and make offerings to the Buddha. The chime was made by the nāgarāja Sāgara during the Constellation Kalpa; after the Buddha passed away, a nāga collected it into his palace.

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Further, next to the east is a site named the Compound of the Jeweled Hall. Its gate opens to the west, and all the flowers and trees in the compound are as before.

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Next to the north there is a large courtyard called the Courtyard of the Upāsakas. Its gate opens to the southern lane, and within it is a hall. When upāsakas and other laypeople first enter the saṅghārāma, they stop first in this courtyard. There are four bronze bells, each weighing three thousand catties, shaped like those cast by King Jing of Zhou in this land; on all four sides are relief figures of white silver. They also depict scenes of the Tathāgata when he was crown prince riding horses and demonstrating feats of strength. The loops of the bells are cast in the form of bronze dragons with immortals riding upon their backs, holding golden mallets in their hands striking down upon the bells; their sound is heard throughout one Jambudvīpa. The sound is distinguished by the four seasons: in spring it is like a celestial zither, and in its sound it expounds the Śrāvaka Dharma of the Four Truths; in summer it is like a celestial mouth organ, and in its sound it expounds the Bodhisattva Six Perfections and the Bodhisattva Four Truths; in autumn and winter it is like celestial thunder, and in its sound it expounds the Dharma of the Buddhas' initial attainment of the Way. These large bells were each made by one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Spirits and gods hid them beneath the ground of the main courtyard of Jetavana, and when the appropriate conditions arise, they appear. When the upāsakas and others hear the sound of the bells, they immediately comprehend the essential Dharma expounded by the Tathāgata. In spring they attain the three fruits [of the Śrāvaka]; in summer they attain the forty preliminary stages before the grounds; in autumn and winter they realize and attain the second bhūmi.

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North of the Courtyard of the Upāsakas, there are two separate courtyards. The one on the western side is called the Courtyard of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva. Its gate opens to the southern lane. This great bodhisattva constantly resides within it. Inside is a Buddha hall, fully adorned, with flower ponds and groves of bamboo; devas and humans assemble here, promoting the correct conversion and liberating those with the karmic affinity. There is a great bell tower, as well as a great drum with a silver rim and a gold face. When Mañjuśrī expounds the Six Perfections to the bodhisattvas, the drum expounds the Six Perfections, and it is likewise for the rest of the teachings. This drum came from the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven to make offerings here. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, it returned to the heavens. Its reverberating sound is heard throughout the trichiliocosm, and those in the hells who hear it are freed from suffering and attain liberation.

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East of the Courtyard of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva there is a place called the Courtyard of the Saṅgha Storehouse. Its gate opens to the southern lane; the treasures and material requisites of the Saṅgha are all accumulated and stored within it. (From the top down to this point, east of the great gate and south of the great lane is fully concluded.)

1.34

West of the great gate, there are another seven courtyards. The first on the easternmost edge to the south is called the Courtyard of the Bodhisattva Four Truths. Inside is a great hall; its gate faces the northern lane, and it is filled with groves and ponds. The bodhisattvas elaborate in detail upon the Four Truths, their words and principles expansive yet succinct; the existing and the empty, bondage and liberation, the ordinary and the holy, obstruction and penetration—all gather within it. The schools of study in the various courtyards follow this pattern, so they are not detailed comprehensively. The courtyard has a golden bell with a triple loop bearing the forms of nine dragons. When the time arrives, the dragons' mouths billow out great clouds of mist, and the bell spontaneously rings, its sound like a celestial zither, heard for twenty li. It was made and donated by the Nāgarāja Vāsuki. Long ago, when Krakucchanda Buddha was on the causal stage, a master craftsman of the Buddha exercised his own ingenuity to make it, [vowing:] 'May I in the future attain a golden body, and perpetually cause this bell to make offerings to the Buddhas.'

1.35

Next, to the north of the small lane, is a courtyard called the Courtyard of the Bodhisattva Twelvefold Dependent Origination. Its gate faces the southern lane, and its halls and trees are adorned. Inside there is no bell, but there is a golden monkey-like creature shaped like a small ape. When the time arrives, it makes a sound like a celestial konghou; expounded in its sound are the Bodhisattva Four Truths, the twelvefold dependent origination, and impermanence, suffering, and emptiness, and its sound fills the city of Śrāvastī. If one wishes it to cease, one restrains its mouth with an object, and its sound immediately ceases. This monkey-like creature was made by the Nāgarāja Manasvin. When the Tathāgata was about to enter nirvāṇa, blood gushed forth from the monkey's eyes, and it proclaimed aloud: 'How wondrous is the World-Honoured One! After three months, he shall enter nirvāṇa!' It was the first to announce this. When faithful humans and devas heard it, they were all overcome with grief and lamentation.

1.36

Next, west of the Courtyard of the Bodhisattva Four Truths, there is another courtyard called the Courtyard of the Pratyekabuddha Twelvefold Dependent Origination. It faces the Courtyard of the Bodhisattva Four Truths to the east. Its halls and trees are identical, and its gate faces the northern lane. Inside is a golden bell, shaped like three ox horns with their smaller ends joined together; above, it has the form of a Kunlun youth serving as the golden bell's loop. When the time arrives, a gentle breeze stirs it, and its sound is heard for eight li. This was made by the Devarāja Vaiśravaṇa during the time of Kāśyapa Buddha. Every eighth day of the fourth month, the bell is able to recite Kāśyapa Buddha's Nirvāṇa Sūtra, and the fourfold assembly all listen.

1.37

Next, to the north of the small lane, is a courtyard called the Courtyard of the Pratyekabuddha Four Truths. Its gate opens to the south. Those with the disposition of a pratyekabuddha delight in hearing these two dharmas, and the Buddha expounds them in accordance with their capacities. Inside is a great hall, and its groves and ponds are pure; this is an extremely secluded dwelling place. Inside is a matched bronze cauldron; when the bell-keeper strikes it, its sound is heard for a full hundred li. It was obtained by digging the earth when this courtyard was being constructed, an offering made by Dṛḍhā's son, a earth spirit.

1.38

North of these four courtyards is a large courtyard called the Courtyard for Aśaikṣas Inquiring about the Dharma. Its gate faces the northern lane. Great arhats who come to inquire about the Dharma all gather within it. There is a great Buddha hall, extremely high and prominent when viewed from afar, with groves and ponds interwoven; those who see it revere it. The Buddha came to expound [the Dharma] here as a regular custom. There is only a single bamboo bell, shaped like a handheld bell, originally made by the Gandharva King. On the loop of the bell is a golden Kunlun figure holding a mallet in its hand; when the time arrives, it strikes it, and its sound is like a human zither, heard only within this courtyard. Expounded in its sound are the twelve divisions of scriptures. Every spring when flowers bloom, the youths of the city of Śrāvastī all come to watch and listen, enjoying the pleasures of the five desires, and hearing the Dharma, they attain the fruits [of the path].

1.39

Furthermore, to the north of the small lane, it is divided into two courtyards on the east and west. The courtyard on the western side is called the Courtyard Where Śaikṣas Dwell and Listen to the Dharma. Its gate faces the southern lane, and its halls, ponds, and groves reflect each other, no different from those above. Mahābrahmā made a celestial konghou entirely of silver and placed it in this courtyard. When the time arrives, the Trāyastriṃśa devas blow into it to produce sound; up to the heaven of Neither Perception nor Non-perception, the holy ones hear the exposition of the Six Perfections, while ordinary beings hear it as the sound of a konghou. The courtesans of the city of Śrāvastī mostly came to observe and listen, deriving enjoyment from the five desires; because they attained joy, they were awakened to the initial holy path.

1.40

Next to the east is a courtyard called the Courtyard of the Buddha's Oil Storehouse. Separated to the east by the great street, it faces the Buddha's Incense Storehouse. It is managed by śrāmaṇeras. When members of the fourfold assembly offer oil to make offerings to the Buddha, they all assemble within it.

1.41

West of the western gate, it is divided into six courtyards. The first courtyard at the south on the eastern side is called the Courtyard of the Noble Eightfold Path for Śaikṣas of the Three Vehicles from Other Lands. It has east and west gates, and its halls, chambers, groves, and ponds are fully equipped with all implements. There is a bell capable of holding twenty dan, shaped like those produced in Jinzhou in this land; its body has eight facets, and below there are one hundred and twenty corners, each corner bearing one hundred and twenty precious gems. The shape of the bell is in three sections: the lower section is of yellow gold forming the mouth, with deep blue lapis lazuli in relief; the middle section has white silver with crystal in relief; the upper section is made of a mixture of agate and celestial gold. On the loop, gold is fashioned into the shape of a two-headed elephant, and also into the shapes of the Thirty-three Devas. These devas reside on the elephant's head; their forms are five feet tall, wearing silver celestial crowns made of green crystal, and each deva holds a white whisk in hand. When the time arrives, the elephant trumpets and calls, and the assembly of figures raise their whisks and dance, singing the song of the 'Noble Eightfold Path', the lyrics of which were composed by Śakra Devānām Indra. The melodies comprise eighty-four thousand melodies, and the lyrics also comprise eighty-four thousand lyrics. Each melody cures the afflictive illness of sentient beings. After the Thirty-three Devas sing these songs and dance on one side, they then raise their whisks and sing and perform the lyrics of the 'Bodhisattva Six Perfections'; when finished, the bell spontaneously rings, its sound heard throughout a middle chiliocosm. Expounded in its sound is: 'The bodhisattva practices the Noble Eightfold Path, cuts off afflictions, and with each and every knowledge factor practices the Noble Eightfold Path.' Bodhisattvas hearing the bell all advance in their stages. In Rājagṛha and Śrāvastī there were eight thousand child-bodhisattvas, eight years of age, who came to this courtyard three times a day to hear the Buddha expound the Dharma. When the Dharma was expounded, the sound of the bell transformed into a celestial zither, peerlessly pure. Those cultivating the eightfold correctness heard this sound, and listening to the Buddha's preaching, they opened up to understanding of their own accord. This bell was made by the king of the Tuṣita Heaven during the time of Krakucchanda Buddha. After that Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the Sumeru mountain spirit gathered it into the Diamond Cave. When Śākyamuni Buddha appeared in the world, it arrived at Jetavana to make offerings. When the three months of the summer retreat arrive, eight hundred billion celestial youths from the twenty-eight heavens, each playing celestial music, descend from heaven to this courtyard to listen to the Buddha expound the Dharma. Year after year without interruption, down to the present day the devas still arrive, playing celestial music and dance. When the Buddha was approaching parinirvāṇa, he addressed the celestial youths, saying: 'Because I ordained women, my True Dharma has been diminished by five hundred years. After my parinirvāṇa, evil bhikṣuṇīs will fail to observe the eight gurudharmas and quickly destroy my Dharma. You should constantly come here and play celestial music, causing my True Dharma to dwell long in the world.' Hearing this, the celestial youths all wept, unable to contain themselves, and all said: 'We would not dare disobey your command. How could evil bhikṣuṇīs in the future cause you such concern? We shall come here year after year to make offerings, not wishing the Dharma to be destroyed on their account.'

1.42

Next, to the west of the small lane, is a courtyard called the Courtyard of the Śaikṣa Four Truths. Its gate faces the eastern lane; inside are halls and trees, and the rest is as described above. There is a large bronze bell in the shape of Mount Sumeru, made by the elder's son Sukina in the city of Śrāvastī. Because his own voice was like the sound of a broken pot, when he was about ten years old, he aroused an aspiration of hope and reverence, and flew up to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. The Brahmā King knew his mind and sent an Indian artisan to instruct him in the standards and models. After the bell was completed, that person obtained the superior retribution of a voice like thunder. Upon the bell are images of the palaces of Śakra and the Four Heavenly Kings, the sun, moon, stars, constellations, and the four seas. Its sound is like a dragon zither, heard within a thousand li; heard up close, it is like the sound of nuns chanting praises in Jiangnan.

1.43

Next, to the north of the small lane, is a courtyard called the Courtyard of the Śaikṣa Twelvefold Dependent Origination. It has south and east gates, both opening toward the lanes. Its halls and trees are as before. Inside is a bronze bell, resembling a lance on the outside and having seven facets inside; the loop has a golden lion, and below there are thirty-seven corners. When the time arrives, it rings spontaneously without waiting for a person to strike it. It was made by the third son of the Nāgarāja Sāgara. Because he had the karmic condition of bleeding from his nose, a bhikṣu instructed and transformed him, causing him to make it. He employed a master craftsman of the nāgas who was a person from the time of Vipaśyin Buddha. Once the bell was completed, the nosebleed ceased, and its sound reached three hundred li.

1.44

Next, to the east of the small lane, is a courtyard named the Courtyard of Competing in Power. Its gate opens toward the western lane. All those in the four continents who held views of selfhood, as well as the various māra kings who wished to compete with the Buddha in spiritual power, dwelt in this courtyard. Inside, there is a golden Mount Sumeru; upon the mountain are the sun, moon, and stars. The disputants were mostly widely versed in yin-yang and the various treatises. Originally, the Great Ṛṣi Fu-guang-wei was in this courtyard. When the Buddha entered nirvāṇa, he entrusted the Dharma [to him]. The suns, moons, stars, and twenty-eight heavens of a thousand million sets of four continents are all present here. There are also twelve golden drums, five chang in length and two chang and one chi across their faces; twelve gold and silver lotus flowers support these drums from below. If there were heterodox treatises, wrong-view non-Buddhists, or laypeople challenging others in wisdom and arts, or five-superknowledge ṛṣis challenging others in yin-yang, the sun and moon, or mathematics and insulting one another, the drums would sound of themselves. Above each drum, nine golden dragons coil around one another; in the mouth of each golden dragon is held a king of garuḍas, and atop the head of each bird is an image of the Bodhisattva Xinxiang. All are one zhang and two chi tall, holding jeweled whisks in their hands and wearing crowns of red crystal. At the time of disputation, the bodhisattvas raise their whisks and their voices roar like thunder; as far as the sound of the drums reaches, it shakes the great-thousandfold world. The earth moves in six ways, and not one of the Buddhas of the ten directions and the bodhisattvas of the ten stages fails to assemble here. As for the disputants, though they had possessed eloquence before, upon hearing it they forget it all, terrified and with their intellects paralyzed. The sound of the drums also emits a great light that pervades the ten directions, and within the light, it also preaches the inconceivable dharmas of spiritual transformation of the bodhisattvas. Those who wished to compete, upon hearing it, awakened to the stages. These drums were made by the great general Maṇibhadra. In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, they were used as offerings. After that Buddha's parinirvāṇa, they were collected and stored in the Vajra Cave, and when Kāśyapa Buddha appeared, they were subsequently brought forth again. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, they were collected into the dragon palace. Taking this as proof, all the Buddhas of the bhadrakalpa should be alike in this.

1.45

Next to the north are two large courtyards named the Courtyards for Non-Buddhists Coming to Go Forth from the Household. Their south gates face the lane. People of various deviant views who have newly returned to the correct teaching first reside in these courtyards. There is a celestial konghou harp of silver, and a silver deva sits upon a seven-jeweled lotus flower playing this konghou. Atop the deva's head is a sovereign maṇi jewel. If non-Buddhists enter this courtyard, the deva plays the konghou and emits light. When the non-Buddhists hear the sound, the light completely pervades their bodies, and they experience cool, refreshing bliss; all their deviant delusions are thereby eradicated, and they realize the third fruit. This musical instrument was made by the rākṣasa demon king of Mount Laṅkā in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha. After that Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Mañjuśrī took it to Mount Qingliang; when Śākyamuni Buddha was in the world, he brought it to the Jetavana. For twelve years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, it remained in this courtyard. After these years passed, the holy one Mañjuśrī took it back to the Vajra Cave on Mount Qingliang.

1.46

North of the small lane there is another large courtyard, the Courtyard for the Meditation of Ordinary Beings. Its south gate faces the lane; it is the residence for those cultivating the ten totalities. Inside is a stone chime, donated by a garuḍa deity, an object from the time of Krakucchanda Buddha. The stone resembles green jade but is not a genuine gem; it is shaped like the tongue of a bell, and its sound can be heard for twenty li.

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Linked texts (1)

中天竺舍衛國祇洹寺圖經 — Classical Chinese