佛祖統紀 5.8

5.8

二祖阿難陀尊者。佛叔父白飯王次子。以佛成道二月八日生（阿難陀。此云慶喜。謂王心歡喜舉國欣慶）即調達之弟也。面如淨滿月。眼若青蓮華。年八歲從佛出家。得白四羯磨具足戒。多聞第一。年三十一為佛侍者。聞持法藏。至法華會上。佛告阿難。汝於來世。當得作佛。號山海慧自在通王。復告諸菩薩曰。我與阿難。於空王佛所。同時發菩提心。阿難常樂多聞。我常勤精進。是故我已得成菩提。而阿難護持我法。亦護將來諸佛法藏。佛滅度後。大迦葉結集法藏選千阿羅漢。令阿難升師子座宣說諸經。迦葉垂入滅時。以最勝法付囑阿難。而作是言。往古定光佛為沙門時。畜一沙彌常令誦經。若經少闕即便訶責。時沙彌為師乞食。若少稽留經不充課。極為其師之所訶罵。沙彌愁惱且行且誦。時有長者問知其故。語沙彌言勿生憂惱。從今已後常相供給。時此沙彌不復行乞專心讀誦經常充足。時沙彌者即世尊是。施食長者即阿難是。以斯福緣智慧深妙總持多聞（述曰。沙彌課經。宜得總持之益。長者供食。亦擅多聞之功。信知世間造善造惡。隨所作事。資成之者。必當均獲其報。氣分所感。豈得免焉）阿難遊行宣化幾二十年。嘗至竹林中（即王舍城外竹林寺）聞比丘誦偈。若人生百歲。不見水老鶴。不如生一日。時得覩見之。阿難慘然曰。此非佛偈。當云。若人生百歲。不解生滅法。不如生一日。而得解了之。比丘向其師說。師曰。阿難老朽言不可信。阿難後時聞彼比丘猶誦前偈。即自思惟。今此比丘不受吾教。於世無益宜入涅槃。即詣闍王適值其睡。王夢蓋莖折。即便驚覺。門人告言。阿難入滅故來相見。王發聲哭問何所在。答云。已向毘舍離國。即嚴四兵（象馬車步）追至恒河。阿難乘船在河中流。王稽首白言。三界明燈願勿涅槃。時雪山有五百仙人。觀見阿難將欲涅槃。飛空而至求哀出家。即化恒河變成金地。為諸仙人說法。成阿羅漢。俱時入滅（即末田地五百仙人）阿難涌身虛空作十八變入風奮迅三昧。分身四分。一分與釋提桓因。一分與娑伽龍王。一分與毘舍離子。一分與阿闍世王。四處各起寶塔供養舍利（雜見法華。付法藏。大論。文句。妙樂）。

The second patriarch was the Venerable Ānanda, second son of King Śuklodana, the Buddha's uncle. He was born on the eighth day of the second month, the day the Buddha attained awakening (Ānanda means 'rejoicing', referring to the king's heart rejoicing and the whole country celebrating); he was the younger brother of Devadatta. His face was like the pure, full moon, and his eyes were like blue lotus blossoms. At the age of eight he went forth from home under the Buddha, receiving the full precepts through the fourfold motion-and-resolution karmavācanā, and was foremost in learning. At the age of thirty-one he became the Buddha's attendant, hearing and retaining the treasury of Dharma. Arriving at the assembly of the Lotus [Sūtra], the Buddha told Ānanda, 'In a future age, you shall become a buddha named Mountain-Sea-Wisdom Unimpeded Sovereign King.' He further told the bodhisattvas, 'Ānanda and I both gave rise to the aspiration for awakening simultaneously under the Buddha King of Emptiness. Ānanda always delighted in extensive learning, while I was ever diligent and energetic. Therefore, I have already attained awakening, while Ānanda protects and upholds my Dharma, and shall also protect the treasuries of the Dharma of all future buddhas.' After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Mahākāśyapa gathered the treasury of Dharma, selecting one thousand arhats, and ordered Ānanda to ascend the lion throne to expound the various sūtras. When Kāśyapa was about to enter extinction, he entrusted the supreme Dharma to Ānanda and spoke these words: 'In ancient times, when the Buddha Dīpaṅkara was a śramaṇa, he kept a novice whom he constantly ordered to recite the sūtras. If the sūtra recitation was slightly deficient, he would immediately scold him. At that time, the novice begged food for his master; if he delayed even a little and his sūtra lessons were not completed, he would be severely rebuked by his master. The novice, sorrowful and distressed, recited as he walked. At that time, an elder, learning the reason upon inquiring, said to the novice, "Do not harbor sorrow and distress; from this day forward I shall constantly provide for you." Thereupon, this novice no longer went begging, but focused his mind on reading and reciting, and his sūtra lessons were always fulfilled. That novice was the Bhagavat, and the elder who provided food was Ānanda. Through this causal condition of merit, his wisdom is profound and wonderful, and he has attained dhāraṇī and extensive learning.' (The commentary says: The novice who was assigned the sūtra recitation naturally obtained the benefit of dhāraṇī; the elder who provided the food also gained the merit of extensive learning. We can truly know that when people in the world create good or evil, according to the deeds they perform, those who aid and support them will certainly receive equal retribution. How could one escape the resonance of karmic tendencies?) Ānanda travelled about to preach and transform [beings] for nearly twenty years. Once he went to the Bamboo Grove (the Bamboo Grove Monastery outside Rājagṛha) and heard a monk reciting a verse: 'If a man lives a hundred years / and does not see the ancient water crane, / it is not as good as living for a single day / and happening to see it.' Ānanda said sorrowfully, 'This is not a verse of the Buddha. It should say: "If a man lives a hundred years / and does not understand the phenomena of arising and ceasing, / it is not as good as living for a single day / and coming to understand them."' The monk told his teacher. The teacher said, 'Ānanda is old and decrepit; his words are not to be trusted.' Later, Ānanda heard that monk still reciting the former verse, and he reflected: 'Now this monk does not accept my teaching; remaining in the world brings no benefit, so it is appropriate to enter nirvāṇa.' He went to visit King Ajātaśatru, who happened to be asleep. The king dreamed that the main pole of his parasol snapped, and he woke up in shock. The doorkeeper told him, 'Ānanda has come to see you because he is entering extinction.' The king wept aloud and asked where he was. The doorkeeper replied, 'He has already departed for the kingdom of Vaiśālī.' The king immediately arrayed the fourfold army (elephants, cavalry, chariots, and infantry) and pursued him to the Ganges. Ānanda was in a boat in midstream. The king bowed his head and said, 'Lamp of the three realms, please do not enter nirvāṇa.' At that time, five hundred ṛṣis on the Snow Mountains saw that Ānanda was about to enter nirvāṇa and flew through the air, entreating him to let them go forth. Ānanda then transformed the Ganges into golden ground, preached the Dharma to the ṛṣis, and they attained arhathood and entered extinction at the same time (these were the five hundred ṛṣis led by Madhyāntika). Ānanda surged up into the air, displayed the eighteen transformations, entered the wind-surging samādhi, and divided his body into four parts: one part was given to Śakra Devānām Indra, one part to the dragon king Sāgara, one part to the Licchavis of Vaiśālī, and one part to King Ajātaśatru. Each of the four places erected a jeweled stūpa to make offerings to the relics (drawn variously from the Lotus [Sūtra], the Transmission of the Treasury of the Dharma, the Great Treatise, the Words and Phrases, and the Sublime Music).