佛祖統紀 5.18

5.18

十一祖馬鳴尊者。東天竺桑岐多國婆羅門。以刀貫杖銘曰。天下智士。能勝我者。截首以謝。諸國之人莫有抗者。時富那夜奢於閑林中坐。馬鳴大慢貢高計實有我。聞夜奢說諸法空無我無人。往謂之曰。一切世間言論我能破壞。此言若虛斬首以謝。夜奢曰。佛法之中凡有二諦。若就世諦假名為我。第一義諦皆悉空寂。如是推求我何可得。馬鳴知義不勝便欲斬首。夜奢曰。我法仁慈不斬汝首。如來記汝。後六百年當傳法藏。於是度令出家。內心猶有愧恨。時夜奢有經在闇室。令馬鳴往取。白言室暗。夜奢以五指放光。馬鳴心疑是幻。凡幻之法知之則滅。而此光轉更熾盛。即便心服。勤苦修行仰受付囑。於華氏城遊行教化。作妙技樂名賴吒和羅。其音清雅宣說苦空無我之法。時此城中五百王子。同時開悟出家為道。時華氏王恐國虛空。即便宣令勿令作樂。有月氏國王（氏音支）攻華氏城。城中凡九億人。即從索九億金錢。時華氏王。即以馬鳴一佛鉢慈伈雞。各當三億。馬鳴智慧殊勝。佛鉢如來功德。慈心雞不飲蟲水。悉能摧滅怨敵。月氏王大喜。回兵歸國。後安息國來伐月氏。交戰獲勝殺安息人。凡有九億。有一羅漢欲令王悔。即以神力示其地獄。王見惶怖。時馬鳴即語王曰。王能聽我說法。當令此罪不入地獄。王後欲征北海。群臣怨王貪虐無道。因王病瘧以被鎮之。人坐其上須臾氣絕。由聽馬鳴說法。生大海中作千頭魚。劍輪回注斬截其首。續復生頭次第更斬。須臾之間頭滿大海。時有羅漢為僧維那。王即告言。今此劍輪聞犍稚音。即便停止苦痛小息。唯願大德延令長久。羅漢悲閔為長打之。過七日已受苦便畢。至今此寺相傳長打。馬鳴傳法已。即入龍奮迅三昧。挺身虛空如日輪相。復還本位以取涅槃。眾收舍利起塔供養（付法藏經○摩訶衍論過去輪陀王有千白鳥。若鳥出聲王則增德。如是諸鳥。若見白馬則鳴。王遍求白馬不得。乃作言曰。若佛弟子。能令此鳥鳴者。都破外道時菩薩神力現千白馬鳴千白鳥。紹隆正法令不斷絕。是故世尊名曰馬鳴）。

The Eleventh Patriarch, the Venerable Aśvaghoṣa, was a brāhmaṇa of the kingdom of Sāketa in Eastern Tianzhu. Piercing a staff with a blade, he inscribed on it: "If any wise man in the realm can defeat me, I shall cut off my head to make amends." None of the people of the various kingdoms dared to challenge him. At that time, Puṇyayaśas sat in a quiet forest. Aśvaghoṣa was exceedingly arrogant, asserting the real existence of a self. Hearing Yaśas teach that all phenomena are empty, devoid of self, and devoid of person, he went to him and said: "I can refute any discourse in all the world. If this statement be empty, I shall sever my head to make amends." Yaśas said: "Within the Buddha's Dharma, there are generally two truths. According to conventional truth, the 'self' is conventionally designated; according to the supreme truth, all is empty and tranquil. Examining it in this way, how can a self be found?" Aśvaghoṣa knew his doctrine was defeated and was about to sever his head. Yaśas said: "My Dharma is compassionate; I shall not sever your head. The Tathāgata prophesied of you that six hundred years later you would transmit the Dharma-treasury." Thereupon he ordained him as a monk. Within his heart, [Aśvaghoṣa] still harboured shame and resentment. At that time, Yaśas had a sūtra in a dark room and sent Aśvaghoṣa to retrieve it. [Aśvaghoṣa] stated that the room was dark. Yaśas emitted light from his five fingers. Aśvaghoṣa suspected in his mind that it was an illusion; for the nature of an illusion is that once recognised, it vanishes. Yet this light flared even more brilliantly. Thereupon his mind submitted. Practising austerities with diligence, he reverently received the entrustment. Travelling throughout the city of Pāṭaliputra to teach and transform, he composed exquisite dramatic music called *Rāṣṭrapāla*. Its sound was pure and elegant, proclaiming the teachings of suffering, emptiness, and non-self. At that time, five hundred princes in this city attained awakening at the same time and left home to follow the Way. At that time, the King of Pāṭaliputra feared that the state would become empty, and thereupon issued a decree prohibiting the performance of that music. A king of the Yuezhi (pronounced *Zhi*) attacked the city of Pāṭaliputra. In the city there were nine hundred million people in all, and he demanded nine hundred million gold coins from them. At that time, the King of Pāṭaliputra offered Aśvaghoṣa, a Buddha-bowl, and a compassionate-hearted fowl, each worth three hundred million. Aśvaghoṣa possessed peerless wisdom; the Buddha-bowl held the Tathāgata's merit; and the compassionate-hearted fowl would not drink water containing insects; all were capable of destroying enemies. The Yuezhi king was overjoyed, withdrew his army, and returned to his realm. Later, the kingdom of Parthia came to attack the Yuezhi. Joining in battle, he triumphed and killed nine hundred million Parthians. An arhat wished to bring the king to repentance, and using supernormal powers displayed hell to him. The king saw it and was terrified. At that time, Aśvaghoṣa said to the king: "If the king can listen to my preaching of the Dharma, I shall ensure that this sin does not send you into hell." Later, when the king wished to campaign against the Northern Sea, his ministers resented his greed and tyrannical unrighteousness. Taking advantage of the king's illness with malaria, they smothered him with a blanket, and people sat atop it until his breath was cut off in a moment. Because he had listened to Aśvaghoṣa preaching the Dharma, he was reborn in the great ocean as a thousand-headed fish. A wheel of swords circled and severed his heads; no sooner were they severed than heads grew again to be cut off in succession. In an instant, the great ocean was filled with heads. At that time, there was an arhat serving as the monastery's karmadāna. The king addressed him, saying: "Now, when this wheel of swords hears the sound of the gaṇḍī, it immediately halts, and the pain ceases for a short while. I pray only that the Venerable One will prolong it for a long time." The arhat took pity and struck it for a prolonged time for his sake. After seven days passed, the suffering came to an end. Down to the present day, it is transmitted in this monastery to strike it for a prolonged time. After Aśvaghoṣa transmitted the Dharma, he entered the Dragon's Exertion Samādhi, lifted his body into the empty sky looking like the sun's orb, and then returned to his seat to enter nirvāṇa. The assembly collected his relics and erected a stūpa to make offerings to them (*Fu fazang jing*. In the *Dacheng qixin lun* [commentary]: "In the past, King Lunta possessed a thousand white birds. When the birds uttered sound, the king's virtue increased. These birds would sing only if they saw a white horse. The king sought everywhere for a white horse but could not find one. He then made the pronouncement: 'If a disciple of the Buddha can make these birds sing, all non-Buddhists will be defeated.' At that time, by his supernormal powers, the Bodhisattva manifested a thousand white horses and caused the thousand white birds to sing, sustaining the true Dharma so that it would not be cut off. For this reason the World-Honoured One named him Aśvaghoṣa [Horse-Neigh].")