佛祖統紀 4.27

4.27

The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'Outside this Sāla forest is a brahmacārin named Subhadra, one hundred and twenty years old. Although he has attained the five spiritual penetrations, he has not yet abandoned his arrogance. You may go to him and say: "The appearance of a Tathāgata in the world is like an udumbara flower. Tonight at midnight he will enter parinirvāṇa. If you have any work to do, you should do it in time."' Ānanda, having received the command, went and spoke these words. Subhadra said: 'Excellent!' and immediately returned with Ānanda to the Buddha's place. Hearing the Buddha preach the Dharma, he attained arhatship (Nirvāṇa Sūtra). Having attained the fruit, he addressed [the Buddha], saying: 'Bhagavat, we only pray that you will remain for a short while to admonish and instruct us, and not enter parinirvāṇa.' The Bhagavat was silent and did not grant permission. Subhadra, unable to bear seeing the Tathāgata enter nirvāṇa, entered extinction first. The Buddha addressed the great assembly: 'From my attainment of the Way and the conversion of Kauṇḍinya, down to the final [conversion of] Subhadra, my work is complete and there is nothing further to be done' (Latter Part of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra). At that time Ānanda, based on Aniruddha's words, submitted four questions. The Buddha told Ānanda: 'As you have asked, "How should we dwell together with the group of six monks and with the ill-natured Channa who defiles other families?" After my nirvāṇa, the monk Channa will gradually be subdued and abandon his innate ill nature. As for "After the Buddha leaves the world, who shall be our teacher?" the Śīla-prātimokṣa is your great teacher. As for "After the Buddha's nirvāṇa, on what shall we rely?" rely on the four stations of mindfulness to adorn the mind and dwell: contemplating the nature and characteristics of the body as identical to empty space is called the station of mindfulness of the body; contemplating feelings as not being inside, outside, or in between is called the station of mindfulness of feelings; contemplating the mind as having only names, and that the nature of names is detached [from substantiality], is called the station of mindfulness of the mind; contemplating dharmas without finding wholesome dharmas or unwholesome dharmas is called the station of mindfulness of dharmas. All practitioners should rely on these four stations of mindfulness to dwell. As for "When compiling the Dharma treasury after the Tathāgata's extinction, what words should be placed at the beginning of all sūtras?" you should place: "Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha dwelt in such a direction and such a place, and together with the fourfold assembly, spoke this sūtra"' (Latter Part of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra). At that time, Ānanda asked: 'How should the funeral be conducted after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa?' The Buddha said: 'It should be like the funeral rite for a wheel-turning sage king: wrap the body in white cotton cloth, smear it with powdered incense, and place the king's body in a gold coffin within an iron outer coffin, pouring ghee over it and burning it with fragrant firewood. When the fire has burned out, collect the powdered bones and erect a stupa to display a pillar. Those who see it will feel both sorrow and joy, reflecting upon the righteous rule of the king. I, as a sage king now, am also like this. In the future, the sentient beings of this land of mine will frequently practice water burial, fire burial, and burial in stupas and mounds. Within the realm of Jambudvīpa there is the country of Cīnasthāna, where I will dispatch three sages to transform and guide them, so that the people are compassionate, sorrowful, and fully endowed with propriety and righteousness' (Sūtra of the Causes and Conditions of Tombs and Graves; Zhiguan: 'I dispatch three sages to transform that Cīnasthāna'; Fuxing: 'Benevolence and righteousness lead the way; the true path is revealed afterward'; Qingjing faxing jing: 'Bodhisattva Guangjing is called Confucius there, Bodhisattva Kāśyapa is called Laozi there, and Bodhisattva Candraprabha is called Yan Hui there').