[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [樂邦文類](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a) › 3.101 # 樂邦文類 3.101 樂邦文類 3.101 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [3.101](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a.3.101) 元精以五氣授萬類，雖鱗介毛羽，必有感清英純粹者矣。或炳耀离火、或稟奇蒼精，皆應乎人文以奉若時政，則有革彼禽類習乎能言。了空相於一念，留真骨於己斃，殆非元聖示現感於人心，同夫異緣用一真化。前歲有獻鸚鵡鳥者曰：「此鳥聲容可觀，音中華夏。」有河東裴氏者，志樂金仙之道。聞西方有珍禽，群嬉和鳴，演暢法音。以此鳥名載梵經，智殊常類，意佛身所化，常狎而敬之。始告以六齋之禁，比及午後，非時之食終夕不視，固可以矯激流俗、端嚴梵倫。或教以持佛名號者曰：當由有念以至無念。則仰首奮翼，若承善聽。其後或俾之念佛，則默然而不答。或謂之不念，即鳴言阿彌陀。歷試如一，曾無爽異。（余）謂：以其有念為緣生、以無念為真際。緣生不答，以為緣起也。真際雖言，言本空也。每虛室戒曙，發和雅音，穆如笙竿、靜鼓天風，下上其音念念相續，聞之者莫不洗然而嘉善矣。於戲，生有辰乎？緣其盡乎？以今年七月，悴爾不懌。已日其馴養者知將盡，乃鳴磬告曰：將西歸乎？為爾擊磬，爾其存念。每一擊磬，一稱彌陀佛。洎十擊磬而十念成，歛翼委足，不震不仆，揜然而絕。按釋典，十念成往生西方。又云得佛慧者歿有舍利。知其說者固不隔殊類哉。遂命火以闍維之法焚之。餘燼之末，果有舍利十餘粒，炯爾耀目，瑩然在掌。識者驚視，聞者駭聽。咸曰：苟可以誘迷利世，安往而非菩薩之化歟？時有高僧（慧觀）甞詣五臺山巡禮聖跡，聞說此鳥，涕淚悲泣，請以舍利，於靈山用陶甓建塔旌異也。（余）謂：此禽存而由道、歿而有徵。古之所以通聖賢階至化者，女媧蛇軀以嗣帝，中衍鳥身而建侯，紀乎𠕋書，其誰曰語怪？而況此鳥有弘於道流，聖證昭昭，胡可默已。是用不愧，直書于辭。貞元十九年八月十四日記。 > The primordial essence, through the five pneumas, bestows life upon the myriad kinds; even among those with scales, carapaces, fur, and feathers, there must be those that receive what is pure, illustrious, and undefiled. Some shine brightly with the Fire of Li, while others are endowed with the marvelous Cyan Essence—all responding to human culture to accord with the governance of the seasons; thus there are those among the feathered kind who learn to speak. Realizing the empty aspect in a single thought, leaving behind true bones after their demise—is this not the manifestation of the Primordial Sage to inspire the human mind, sharing different conditions to apply a single true transformation? In a past year, someone presented a parrot, saying: "The voice and appearance of this bird are worthy of regard, and its sound speaks the language of China." There was a certain member of the Pei family of Hedong whose resolve took joy in the Way of the Golden Immortal. Having heard that in the Western Direction there are rare birds, frolicking together in harmonious song and proclaiming the Dharma sound, and that this bird's name is recorded in the Indic scriptures and its intelligence is distinct from ordinary kinds, he suspected it to be a transformation body of the Buddha, and thus was both familiar with and revered it. At first, he instructed it in the prohibition of the six fast days; once noon had arrived, it would not look at untoward food until the night was over, which truly sufficed to rectify popular customs and dignify the Buddhist assembly. Someone also taught it to uphold the Buddha's name, saying: "You should proceed from having thought to reaching no-thought." Thereupon, it lifted its head and fluttered its wings, as if respectfully listening. Thereafter, when someone had it recite the Buddha's name, it was silent and did not respond; but if someone told it not to recite, it immediately cried out "Amitābha!" Tested repeatedly, it was ever the same, without the slightest discrepancy. I say: it took having thought as arising from conditions, and took no-thought as the true reality. Not responding to arising from conditions was because it regarded it as dependent arising; although it spoke of the true reality, speech is fundamentally empty. Whenever the empty chamber announced the dawn, it emitted harmonious and elegant sounds, solemn like reed pipes, serenely stirring the heavenly wind, its tones rising and falling in continuous succession from moment to moment; whoever heard it was refreshed and delighted. Alas! Does life have its appointed time? Had its affinities come to an end? In the seventh month of this year, it became withered and dispirited. On the designated day, its keeper knew its end was near, so he sounded a chiming stone and addressed it, saying: "Are you about to return west? I shall strike the stone for you; keep your mindfulness." At each strike of the chiming stone, it recited Amitābha Buddha once. When the chiming stone had been struck ten times and the ten recitations were completed, it folded its wings and let down its feet, neither trembling nor collapsing, and quietly passed away. According to the Buddhist scriptures, when ten recitations are completed, one attains rebirth in the Western Direction; and it is also said that those who attain the Buddha's wisdom have śarīra upon death. Those who understand these explanations know that they are certainly not barred to different species! Thereupon, fire was ordered to cremate it in accordance with the method of jhapita. Amid the residual embers, there were indeed more than ten grains of śarīra, brightly dazzling the eyes, gleaming lustrously in the palm. Those who understood gazed in astonishment, and those who heard were filled with wonder. All said: "If it can guide the deluded and benefit the world, wherever can it go that is not a bodhisattva's transformation?" At that time, there was an eminent monk, Huiguan, who had once visited Mount Wutai to circumambulate its sacred traces; hearing tell of this bird, he wept with sorrow and requested the śarīra to construct a stupa of fired brick on the spiritual mountain to commemorate this extraordinary event. I say: this bird in life followed the Way, and in death had proof. Those of antiquity who communicated with sages and ascended to the utmost transformation included Nüwa, who with a serpent's body succeeded as sovereign, and Zhongyan, who with a bird's body was enfeoffed as a lord; recorded in books, who would call this speaking of anomalies? How much more so when this bird promoted the current of the Way, with holy proofs manifest and clear—how could I remain silent? For this reason, without shame, I record it directly in words. Recorded on the fourteenth day of the eighth month of the nineteenth year of Zhenyuan. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 3.100](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a.3.100) - [Next: 3.102](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a.3.102) - [Up: 3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a.3) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a~en-mt.3.101) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a.3.101](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1969a.3.101) · Pramāṇa