佛祖統紀 9.17

9.17

禪師玄光。海東新羅人。遠越滄溟求法中夏。首造南岳授法華安樂行門。稟受勤行。俄證法華三昧。南岳謂之曰。汝還鄉國當以善權而行化度。若負螟蛉以成蜾蠃者也（詩。螟蛉有子。蜾蠃負之。教誨爾子。式穀似之。楊子。螟蛉之子。壹而逢蜾蠃祝之。曰類我類我。螟蛉桑上青虫。蜾蠃細腰蜂）師即禮辭南岳返錫江南。值本國海舶遂獲附載。方及大洋。忽覩采雲亂目雅樂盈空絳節霓旌傳呼而至。空中聲云。天帝召海東玄光禪師。師拱手遜避。即見青衣恭敬前。少選入大宮闕。見羽衛陳列。鱗介繁錯間以鬼神。咸仰敬曰。天帝降我龍宮請法師。說已證法門。吾曹受益不少矣。既升殿請陟高臺。天帝扣問。師為開演經七日而畢。帝躬送別。向所乘舟泛泛不進。師復登舟。舟人謂始半日耳（天親。上生兜率一遶彌勒座下。報無著已六月矣。此言天境時分常長。今光師龍宮七日說法。回至海船始半日耳。此蓋龍宮晝夜常短之驗。或欲以比地涌品六十小劫謂如食頃者。據疏記。六十非虛佛威所加。忘其為久。則知今龍宮既非佛國。又非佛加。應以龍宮自謂七日。船人自謂半日。各執情謂以之為實。如荊溪謂六十食頃。但是情謂非實短也）師既歸國。於熊州翁山結茅為居集眾說法。久之遂成寶坊。受道之眾咸蒙開悟。升堂受莂者一人（文句。受記亦云受莂。受是得義。莂是別了）入火光三昧者一人。入水光三昧者二人。南岳影堂如圖二十八人。師居一焉。

Dhyāna Master Xuanguang was a native of Silla in the Eastern Sea. Crossing the vast ocean from afar to seek the Dharma in China, he first visited Nanyue, who transmitted to him the gate of the peaceful and joyful practices of the Lotus [Sūtra]. He received and diligently practiced them, and shortly realized the Lotus Samādhi. Nanyue said to him: 'When you return to your native country, you should use skillful means to transform and deliver [sentient beings], like a potter wasp carrying off a caterpillar to make it its own.' (The *Odes* says: 'The caterpillar has young; the potter wasp carries them away. Teach and instruct your children, so they may be good like them.' Yangzi says: 'When the caterpillar's young once encounter the potter wasp, it invokes them, saying: "Be like me, be like me!" The caterpillar is the green insect on mulberry trees; the potter wasp is the slender-waisted wasp.') The master then bowed and took leave of Nanyue, returning with his staff to the region south of the Yangtze. Meeting an ocean vessel from his home country, he was able to take passage. Just as they reached the high seas, he suddenly beheld colorful clouds dazzling the eyes, elegant music filling the sky, and crimson tallies and rainbow banners calling out as they approached. A voice in the sky said: 'The Heavenly Emperor summons Dhyāna Master Xuanguang of Silla.' The master cupped his hands in modesty and declined. Thereupon he saw blue-robed youths reverently come forward. In a short while, he entered a great palace and saw feathered guards lined up, aquatic creatures densely intermingling with ghosts and spirits. They all looked up in reverence and said: 'The Heavenly Emperor has descended to our Dragon Palace to invite the Dharma Master to expound the Dharma-door you have realized; our group will benefit not a little!' Having ascended the hall, he was invited to mount a high dais. The Heavenly Emperor questioned him, and the master expounded the sūtra for him, concluding after seven days. The Emperor bid farewell to him in person. The vessel he had boarded before was bobbing along without having advanced. When the master boarded the ship again, the boatmen said that only half a day had elapsed. (Vasubandhu ascended to Tuṣita and circled Maitreya's seat once; when he reported back to Asaṅga, six months had already passed. This shows that the time in heavenly realms is always long. Now, Master Guang's preaching of the Dharma in the Dragon Palace for seven days took only half a day when he returned to the ocean vessel. This is proof that day and night in the Dragon Palace are always short. Or, if one wishes to compare it to the 'Emergence from the Earth' chapter where sixty minor kalpas seemed like a mealtime: according to the *Commentary and Subcommentary*, sixty kalpas is not unreal; under the influence of the Buddha's spiritual power, they forgot that it was long. Thus we know that since the Dragon Palace here is neither a Buddha land nor under a Buddha's spiritual power, it should be regarded as the Dragon Palace itself feeling it was seven days while the boatmen felt it was half a day, each holding to subjective perceptions and taking them as real. Just as Jingxi said that the sixty kalpas like a mealtime was merely subjective perception, not actually short.) After the master returned to his country, he built a thatched hut at Mount Ong in Ungju and gathered an assembly to preach the Dharma. Over time, it became a precious monastery. The assembly who received the Way all attained awakening. One person ascended the hall and received a prophecy (The *Sentence-by-Sentence Commentary* says: 'Receiving a prediction is also called receiving a prophecy. *Shou* has the meaning of obtaining; *bie* means clear distinction.'); one person entered the fire-light samādhi; and two persons entered the water-light samādhi. In the memorial hall of Nanyue, twenty-eight persons were depicted in portraits, and the master was one of them.