佛祖統紀 26.11

26.11

National Preceptor Fazhao: In the second year of the Dali era of the Tang dynasty, he resided at Yunfeng Monastery in Hengzhou; his compassion, forbearance, discipline, and concentration were revered in his time. He once saw in his eating bowl in the saṅgha hall five-colored clouds, within which was an Indian monastery; in the northeast, there was a mountain stream and a stone gate, and there was another monastery with its title inscribed in gold: 'Great Holy Bamboo Grove Monastery.' On another day, he again saw in his bowl several monasteries amid the clouds, with ponds, terraces, and multi-storied pavilions, among which ten thousand bodhisattvas were mingled. The master questioned spiritual friends about what he had seen. Two monks, Jiayan and Tanrui, said, 'The transformations of holy spirits cannot be fathomed by sentiment; but judging by the configuration of the mountains and streams, it is none other than Mount Wutai.' In the fourth year, at Hudong Monastery in the prefecture, the master initiated the Five-Assembly Buddha-Recitation (this must mean that five days made one assembly). This elicited an auspicious cloud that covered everything, with pavilions in the clouds; he beheld Amitābha Buddha and two bodhisattvas filling the empty space, and several Indian monks holding锡-staffs (khakkharas) circumambulating the path. He also saw an old man who said to him, 'You previously made a vow to go to the Golden Realm and pay homage to the Great Sangha; why have you now stopped?' The master thereupon went with like-minded companions far off to Mount Wutai. He saw light south of the monastery, and following it, arrived at Foguang Monastery, just as he had seen in his bowl. Five li to the northeast, there was indeed a great mountain; the mountain had a ravine, and beside the stone gate north of the ravine were two youths dressed in blue, one calling himself Shancai (Sudhana) and the other Nanda. They led the master into the gate; walking north, he saw golden gates and multi-storied pavilions, with a golden plaque inscribed: 'Great Holy Bamboo Grove Monastery.' The monastery was twenty li square with one hundred courtyards, all having golden ground, jeweled pagodas, flowered terraces, and jade trees. Entering the lecture hall, he saw Mañjuśrī in the west and Samantabhadra in the east, seated on lion thrones preaching the Dharma to the assembly, surrounded by tens of thousands of bodhisattvas. The master bowed before the two bodhisattvas and asked, 'For ordinary beings of the end-age, I do not know which Dharma-gate they should cultivate?' Mañjuśrī told him, 'Among all gates of practice, none surpasses reciting the Buddha's name. The power of Amitābha Buddha's vow is inconceivable; you should fasten your thoughts on it and decisively attain rebirth.' Then both Great Beings stretched out their golden arms and rubbed his crown, giving him this prediction: 'By the power of reciting the Buddha's name, you will ultimately realize unexcelled awakening.' Mañjuśrī further said, 'You may go to the courtyards of the various bodhisattvas to make a pilgrimage and receive instructions.' The master made requests for instruction everywhere until he reached the Seven-Treasure Garden; he then returned before the Great Holy Ones, bowed, and took his leave. The two blue-clad youths escorted him outside the gate; when the master bowed again and raised his head, everything had vanished. Later, he went with fifty monks to the Diamond Cave, which was where Wuzhuo (Asaṅga) saw the Great Holy One; suddenly he saw many-jeweled palaces, Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, ten thousand bodhisattvas, and Buddhapāli. Just as the master bowed and raised his head, it vanished. At night at Huayan Courtyard, he saw five branch-like lamps in the crags and ravines east of the monastery. The master said, 'May it divide into a hundred lamps!' Soon it was as he wished. He said again, 'May it divide into a thousand lamps!' and the number was also like this, its light filling the mountains and valleys. He went forward again to the Diamond Cave, and at midnight he saw Buddhapāli lead him into a monastery. Later, again at Huayan Courtyard, he recalled that the two Great Beings had predicted his rebirth, so he recited the Buddha's name single-mindedly. Suddenly he saw Buddhapāli, who said to him, 'Your flower terrace has already been born; in three years the flower will bloom. You have seen the various monasteries of the Bamboo Grove; why do you not let all living beings know of them?' The master therefore ordered craftsmen to engrave the stone to make a depiction, and founded Bamboo Grove Monastery at the place of his vision. When it was finished, he said to the assembly, 'My task is ended.' A few days later, he took leave of the assembly and passed away while sitting. Calculating from Buddhapāli's words, it was indeed three years (this should be the seventh year of the Dali era). The master propagated the Five Assemblies in Bingzhou, converting people to recite the Buddha's name. In his palace at Chang'an, Emperor Daizong frequently heard the sound of Buddha-recitation to the northeast; he dispatched an envoy to trace it to Taiyuan, where he found the flourishing of the master's exhortations and conversions. He therefore welcomed him into the inner palace and had him teach the palace women to recite the Buddha's name, also using the Five Assemblies (Liu Zihou's collected works, in the South Mountain Stele, says: During the time of Emperor Daizong, Fazhao was the National Preceptor).