中天竺舍衛國祇洹寺圖經 2.1

2.1

The second great multi-tiered hall is of extraordinary height and breadth, truly surpassing the front hall. The eaves are continuous, towering in layered multiplicity, with vermilion, powder, gold, and jade-green; its exhaustive treasures and consummate artistry are peerless in the world. On its flanks are elevated walkways, connecting on both sides to the belvederes, which are likewise interspersed and adorned with myriad treasures. The hall is exquisitely decorated. Beneath the eaves inside the hall are four silver terraces. Inside two of the terraces are golden packets of sūtras, with white jade for the packets and yellow gold for the characters. Inside two of the terraces is the Vinaya, with yellow gold for the packets and white silver for the characters. The Vinaya was written by the nāga king, and the sūtras were written by the king of māras. These are both scriptures of ancient Buddhas from before the Nakṣatrakalpa. In the continent of Jambudvīpa, these two sets of texts are supreme. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Sāgara Nāgarāja collected them and brought them into his palace. Inside the hall, lapis lazuli serves as the ground, and its bed is spread with golden sand. There are thirty-two great lotuses, and seated amid the flowers surrounded by nāgas is a Buddha. He has one body with four faces, wearing a round crown upon his head. The southern face is made of the seven treasures, inlaid and carved with yellow gold; the western face is of white silver; the northern face is of green jade; and the eastern face is of yellow gold. This image constantly expounds the essentials of the Dharma for humans and devas. Within the pistils of the lotuses there are another one hundred thousand small flowers, and within the flowers are images of the eight classes of devas and nāgas, śrāvakas, and bodhisattvas, totaling one hundred thousand in all, entirely covered by a jeweled net. Encircling the rim of the great lotuses are one billion golden nāgas, each holding a jeweled flower in its mouth; within the flowers are Buddha images of three colors—gold, silver, and white jade—arrayed alternately. Corresponding to the location of each Buddha image, the eight classes and two vehicles of the ten directions also encircle them in succession. Behind each Buddha there are ten thousand kinds of lotus flowers, within which celestial children perform celestial instrumental music. On the four sides of the pool are eight rows of jeweled trees, and at the four corners are golden mountains; many groves of fasts abut the pool, and the water of the pool flows and empties into the great earth. There are also various birds that appear naturally, not through human effort. On each of the six fast-days, they act as the Buddha expounding the Dharma, while older children perform music. Upon the four golden mountains there are each six depictions of the Jetavana Vihāra. The meritorious features above were jointly created by Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī. Following the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, after Kāśyapa's council, the nāgas collected them and took them away.