中天竺舍衛國祇洹寺圖經 2.16

2.16

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.