樂邦文類 3.101

3.101

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.