佛祖統紀 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.1

Composed by the Śramaṇa Zhipan of Donghu in Siming during the Jingding era of the Song

5.2

Record of the Twenty-Four Patriarchs of the Western Lands, Number Two

First Patriarch: The Venerable Mahākāśyapa
Second Patriarch: The Venerable Ānanda
Third Patriarch: The Venerable Śāṇakavāsa
(collateral transmission from Ānanda) The Venerable Madhyāntika
Fourth Patriarch: The Venerable Upagupta
Fifth Patriarch: The Venerable Dhṛtaka
Sixth Patriarch: The Venerable Miccaka
Seventh Patriarch: The Venerable Buddhanandi
Eighth Patriarch: The Venerable Buddhamitra
Ninth Patriarch: The Venerable Pārśva Bhikṣu
Tenth Patriarch: The Venerable Puṇyayaśas
Eleventh Patriarch: The Venerable Aśvaghoṣa
Twelfth Patriarch: The Venerable Kapimala
Thirteenth Patriarch: The Venerable Nāgārjuna
Fourteenth Patriarch: The Venerable Kāṇadeva
Fifteenth Patriarch: The Venerable Rāhulata
Sixteenth Patriarch: The Venerable Saṅghanandi
Seventeenth Patriarch: The Venerable Saṅghayaśas
Eighteenth Patriarch: The Venerable Kumāralāta
Nineteenth Patriarch: The Venerable Jayata
Twentieth Patriarch: The Venerable Vasubandhu
Twenty-First Patriarch: The Venerable Manorhita
Twenty-Second Patriarch: The Venerable Haklenayaśas
Twenty-Third Patriarch: The Venerable Āryasiṃha

5.4

The treatise of the *Zhiguan* says: 'If practitioners hear of the transmission of the Dharma treasury, they will know the source of the lineage. Those who transmitted the Dharma treasury began with Kāśyapa and ended with Āryasiṃha, numbering twenty-three people. Madhyāntika was contemporary with Śāṇakavāsa; including him, there are twenty-four people. All masters were prophesied by the golden mouth (the matter appears in the *Fuxing*), and all were sages capable of bringing great benefit.' (Examining the *Sūtra on the Dharma Treasury*, it says: 'After my extinction, there will be twenty-four venerables who appear in the world and disseminate my Dharma.') The *Fuxing* says: 'In the semblance and final [Dharma ages], the four reliances broadly propagate the Buddha's transformation.' Since the *Account* says they were all sages, most of them were of the fourth reliance, though it may also extend to the third or second, because the first reliance pertains to ordinary mortals and cannot be called sages. (The *Miaoxuan* says: 'The five grades and six sense organs are the first reliance; the ten stages of abiding are the second reliance; the ten practices and ten dedications are the third reliance; the ten stages and equal awakening are the fourth reliance.' This discusses the four reliances in terms of the Mahāyāna. If according to the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*, it says: 'There are four kinds of persons who can protect the True Dharma and serve as reliances for the world: the first reliance is the internal and external ordinary mortals of the Hīnayāna; the second reliance is the first fruit; the third reliance is the second and third fruits; the fourth reliance is the fourth fruit.' This discusses the four reliances in terms of the Hīnayāna. Now speaking of transmitting the Dharma, it is Mahāyāna; hence what the *Fuxing* states refers to the Mahāyāna four reliances. What is referred to as 'in the Account' is the *Account of the Transmission of the Dharma Treasury*, an alternate title of which is the *Sūtra on the Causes and Conditions of the Transmission of the Dharma Treasury*.) Now, in discussing the ancestral succession transmitting the Great Dharma, while patriarchs like Upagupta are said to have verified the lesser fruits, according to Jīngxī's meaning, the four fruits are true fields of merit, and the way of transformation is easily practiced through them; thus it was fitting to assume this image. That is, those of the four reliances assumed the image of the four fruits. From this we know that all the masters of the golden mouth destroyed ignorance and occupied the rank of the four reliances, inwardly propagating the Great Dharma while outwardly manifesting the image of the lesser [vehicle]. In order to clarify the transmission of the Dharma, the Record of the Twenty-Four Patriarchs has been compiled.

5.5

The First Patriarch, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa (Translated here as 'Great Light-Drinker'. An ancient ṛṣi had a bodily radiance that overshadowed other lights, and so took this as his surname; this venerable one was his descendant, and his body was likewise luminous, drinking in and overshadowing other lights. Among the Buddha's disciples there were the Daśabala-kāśyapas, the three Kāśyapas, and others; because he was the eldest among those of this same surname, the word 'Great' was prefixed to distinguish him). His personal name was Pippala (This is the name of the bodhi tree; because his parents prayed to the tree deity and gave birth to him, he took his name from the tree). He was a person of Rājagṛha (Translated here as 'City of the Royal Abode', which is the name of the capital city within Magadha). His father was Kapila (Translated here as 'Golden-Hued Head and Face'; he was presumably a descendant of the ancient Golden-Light Ṛṣi). The world called him a great wealthy elder; none among the sixteen great kingdoms could rival him, and he surpassed King Bimbisāra (that is, King Bimbisāra; translated here as 'Handsome Demeanor') a thousandfold. The king possessed a thousand golden plows; fearing to surpass the king, [Kapila] reduced his plows by one, using only nine hundred and ninety-nine pairs of oxen with golden plows. He had sixty granaries of gold and grain, each granary holding three hundred and forty hu. Long ago, after the Buddha Vipaśyin entered parinirvāṇa (Translated here as 'Exalted Vision'), a golden statue at his stūpa had fallen into disrepair in a few places. At that time there was a poor woman who begged and obtained gold beads, wishing to repair the statue's face. At that time Kāśyapa was a goldsmith; having repaired it for her, they thereupon made a mutual vow: 'May the two of us always be husband and wife, our bodies of pure golden color, constantly experiencing superior bliss.' Through this cause and condition, for ninety-one kalpas they were born among gods and humans, and finally were born in the seventh Brahma Heaven (The Great Brahma of the First Dhyāna resides above the Six Desires, exactly corresponding to the seventh). At that time in the country of Magadha (translated here as 'Harmless'), there was a brāhmaṇa of immeasurable wealth who had no son. Beside his house stood a tree deity to whom he repeatedly went to pray for a son, but with no response for many years. In wrath and indignation he said, 'I shall worship you for seven more days; if there is still no sign, I will surely burn down the tree.' The tree deity was filled with dread and immediately went to the Brahma Heaven. With divine vision the Brahma King saw that a certain deva in the Brahma Heaven was about to reach the end of his lifespan, and urged him to take birth there. When ten months were complete, a boy was born whose body was of pure golden color, blazing with brilliance that illuminated forty li, endowed with thirty of the primary marks (The Commentary says: 'It should be that he lacked the two marks of the white ūrṇā-hair and the uṣṇīṣa'). A physiognomist divined: 'This child has past merit and will surely leave household life.' When he reached the age of fifteen, [his parents] wished to find him a wife. The boy said to his parents: 'If you can find for me a woman of purple-gold color, I will take her.' His parents then summoned various brāhmaṇas, cast a golden woman, placed her in a carriage, and toured the villages, calling out in a loud voice: 'If any woman sees this golden deity, when she later marries she will surely obtain a fine husband.' Hearing this, the women all came out; only one woman, whose own body was of golden color, alone refused to come out. The other women forced her to go together to see the golden deity. When the brāhmaṇas saw her, they betrothed her [to him]. The husband and wife had no sexual desire whatsoever, each dwelling in a separate chamber. When the parents learned of this, they demolished one chamber to make them share the room. Kāśyapa said: 'When I sleep, you should practice walking meditation; when you rest in sleep, I will practice walking meditation.' With husband and wife maintaining such chastity and profoundly weary of the mundane world, they petitioned to leave household life. They thereupon abandoned their household affairs and went deep into the mountain forest, thinking in their minds and saying aloud: 'All the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, leave the household to cultivate the Way; I now should likewise follow the Buddha to leave the household.' He then donned dyed patch-robes and shaved his own beard and hair. A god in the sky announced to him: 'Śākyamuni Tathāgata is now dwelling with twelve hundred and fifty arhats in the Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha.' Hearing these words, Kāśyapa went straight toward the Bamboo Grove. The Buddha went out to meet him. When he reached the village of Vṛji, he met the Buddha and offered him a precious robe; the Buddha then gave him a great robe of cast-off rags (pāṃśukūla). Upon first hearing the higher training in morality, concentration, and wisdom, he immediately attained the taintless state (anāsrava); at that time he was already one hundred and twenty years old. His wife subsequently also attained the fruit of arhatship. Kāśyapa adopted the practice of begging for food and maintained the twelve dhūta observances, never abandoning them into old age. He constantly said: 'I received the Buddha’s robe; I regard it as my Master, as a stūpa. I have never placed my head on it as a pillow, much less slept under it. Such a great robe has greatly advanced my practice.' The Buddha said to him: 'You are old in years and your faculties are decrepit; you may abandon begging for food and accept extra robes.' Kāśyapa replied: 'For the rest of my life I will practice the āraṇyaka observance (translated here as "dwelling in a quiet place", one of the twelve dhūta observances).' The Buddha said: 'Excellent! If Kāśyapa’s practice of the dhūta observances remains in the world, my Dharma will long abide.' After Kāśyapa had long practiced the dhūta observances, his hair was long and his robes tattered. When he came to the Buddha’s presence, the monks all felt disdain. The Buddha divided his seat in half and invited him to sit; Kāśyapa would not. The Buddha then extensively praised Kāśyapa's merits: 'He is not different from me; why does he not sit?' Hearing this, the monks were astonished in their hearts. The Buddha further explained his past causes: 'Long ago there was Mandhātṛ (the Fuxing says he is King Mūrdhagata), of unequalled talent. The Lord of Devas respected his virtue and sent a carriage of a thousand horses to the palace to welcome him. The Lord of Devas came out to greet him and invited the king to sit with him, sharing mutual delight, and then sent the king back to his palace. Long ago Kāśyapa offered me a seat in saṃsāra to sit together with him; now that I have become a Buddha, I repay his past merit with a seat of the True Dharma.' When Kāśyapa sat together with the Buddha, the gods and humans all considered him the Buddha's teacher. He then arose and kissed the Buddha's feet, saying: 'The Buddha is my Master; I am the disciple' (and so on). In the city of Vaiśālī there was an elder named Vimalakīrti, who employed expedient means to manifest illness to benefit sentient beings. The Buddha told Mahākāśyapa: 'Go to Vimalakīrti to inquire after his illness.' Kāśyapa addressed [the Buddha], saying: 'I am not competent to go there and inquire after his illness. Why is this? I recall that formerly, when I was begging for food in an impoverished village, Vimalakīrti came and said to me: "If you give a single portion of food to all, make offerings to all Buddhas and the assemblies of worthy and noble ones, and only then eat—one who eats in this manner neither has afflictions nor is free from afflictions, neither enters meditative absorption nor emerges from meditative absorption, neither abides in the world nor abides in nirvāṇa. As for those who give, there is no great merit and no small merit, no benefit and no harm; this is to truly enter the Buddha Path without relying on the śrāvakas. Kāśyapa, if you eat like this, you will not consume the alms of others in vain." When I heard these words at that time, I gave rise to profound reverence toward all bodhisattvas, and no longer exhorted people with the practices of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas. For this reason, I am not competent to go there and inquire after his illness' (Vimalakīrti Sūtra). The World-Honoured One, in the Lotus Assembly, told Śāriputra: 'Such wonderful Dharma is spoken by the Buddhas, the Tathāgatas, only at rare intervals.' At that time Śāriputra attained understanding of this Dharma teaching. The World-Honoured One conferred a prophecy on him: in the future he would become a Buddha named Padmaprabha. He further told Śāriputra: 'I will now clarify this meaning once again by means of a parable.' He then spoke of the elder's great house suddenly catching fire; the elder used expedient means to coax his sons, drawing them out with the playthings of three carts—drawn by sheep, deer, and oxen—and afterward equally bestowed on them great, high and wide, white-ox carts. The Tathāgata is also like this: first speaking the three vehicles to guide sentient beings, and afterward delivering them solely by means of the Great Vehicle. At that time, the four great śrāvakas, including Mahākāśyapa, attained understanding from this and thereupon recounted the parable of the prodigal son, saying: It is like a poor son who abandons his father and flees away for over fifty years; though he later encounters him, his mind's aspiration is base and inferior, and for twenty years [the father] continually has him shovel dung. After this time has passed, their minds mutually trust each other, and [the father] gathers [relatives] to acknowledge him as father and son, officially handing over the family estate. [Kāśyapa] stated of themselves: 'Formerly we took delight only in lesser dharmas; the World-Honoured One, through the power of expedient means, expounded the Tathāgata's wisdom. Only now do we know that the World-Honoured One begrudges nothing of the Buddha's wisdom. Therefore we say that originally we had no thought of seeking anything, yet now the great jewel of the Dharma King has arrived of itself; all that a Buddha's son ought to obtain, we have already obtained.' Thereupon the World-Honoured One spoke to Kāśyapa again, preaching the Parable of the Medicinal Herbs to confirm his understanding, and said to him: 'In the future you shall become a Buddha named Raśmiprabha' (Lotus Sūtra; this is the general entrustment of the Dharma). The Buddha told the monks: 'The unsurpassed True Dharma that I now possess has all been entrusted to Kāśyapa; he shall serve as a great refuge for you all' (Nirvāṇa Sūtra; this is the specific entrustment of the Dharma; The Sūtra of Ānanda’s Questions says: 'When I enter nirvāṇa, Mahākāśyapa will serve as a great refuge for the monks and nuns, no different from myself'). At that time Mahākāśyapa was at Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa with five hundred disciples, fifty yojanas away from the city of Kuśinagara. While in samādhi, Kāśyapa felt a shock in his heart and his body trembled; emerging from concentration, he saw the earth shake violently, and immediately knew that the Tathāgata had entered parinirvāṇa. He then led his disciples toward the city of Kuśinagara. When they reached the Buddha's coffin, the Tathāgata, out of great compassion, caused the coffin to open spontaneously for Kāśyapa's sake, displaying his solid physical body of purple-polished pure gold. Kāśyapa sobbed with grief, then washed it with scented water and wrapped the body in a thousand pieces of fine cloth; the coffin lid then closed. Kāśyapa recited a verse, and the Tathāgata again manifested his two feet adorned with the thousand-spoked wheel mark extending outside the coffin. Kāśyapa bowed in praise to the vajra feet, which then returned into the coffin of themselves. From his heart and chest fire welled forth outside the coffin, gradually cremating it; after seven days, the scented pyre was consumed (Latter Part of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra; Kāśyapa and his disciples were heading toward Kuśinagara when along the road they met a brahmacārin holding a māndārava flower, who said to them: 'The World-Honoured One’s parinirvāṇa has already passed seven days; all gods and humans have held a great offering. I obtained this flower from that place and have come.' This comes from the Sūtra on Going to Nirvāṇa).

5.6

Just seven days after the Buddha's cremation, Kāśyapa instructed five hundred arhats to go to the ten directions and assemble the arhats; eight hundred and eight million were gathered, all assembling between the twin trees to listen to the words of the Dharma (Bodhisattva in the Womb Sūtra). When the first fifteen days of the mid-summer retreat arrived, Kāśyapa, together with one thousand arhats, compiled the Tripiṭaka in Rājagṛha. King Ajātaśatru daily provided food for the one thousand people, fully completing one summer (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa). Kāśyapa propagated and upheld the True Dharma for up to twenty years (corresponding to the eighth year of King Yi of Zhou, the renchen year), and then entrusted the Dharma treasury to Ānanda. First he paid homage to the four stūpas (the four places of leaving the household, attaining the Way, turning the wheel of the Dharma, and entering nirvāṇa, where seven-jeweled stūpas were erected in each); next he paid homage to the eight stūpas (the relic stūpas erected by the kings of the eight countries); next he entered the dragon palace to pay homage to the stūpa of the Buddha's beard; next he ascended to the heavens to pay homage to the stūpa of the Buddha's tooth. He went to take his leave of King Ajātaśatru, but the king happened to be asleep; he then proceeded to Mount Kukkuṭapāda (its three peaks resemble an upturned chicken's foot; that is, Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa). Gathering grass to spread a seat, he made three vows: first, 'May this body and the robes and bowl I hold not decay, awaiting the descent and birth of Maitreya'; second, 'When I enter the concentration of cessation, may the three peaks merge into one'; third, 'If Ānanda and King Ajātaśatru arrive, may the mountain temporarily open.' At that time King Ajātaśatru dreamed that the roof-beam of his palace broke; waking up, the king sighed in grief, and went immediately to Mount Kukkuṭapāda, where he saw Kāśyapa’s entire body sitting dignified in meditative concentration. The king wailed aloud in grief, piling up various scented woods wishing to cremate him. Ānanda said to him: 'Kāśyapa maintains his body through meditative absorption to await Maitreya; he must not be burned.' Having made offerings, the king returned to his own kingdom, and the mountain closed as before. When Maitreya's three assemblies have taken place, immeasurable arrogant sentient beings will ascend this mountain; Maitreya will snap his fingers and the mountain peaks will open immediately. Kāśyapa will hand over the robe he carries to Maitreya, and after making his address of reverent homage, he will soar into the sky and display various divine transformations, manifesting fire from his body to burn himself, and thereupon enter quiescent extinction (Account of the Transmission of the Dharmapiṭaka; The Meixi Collection says: 'Lord Jing [Wang Anshi] said to Chan Master Fo Hui Quan: "From what scripture does the story of the World-Honoured One holding up a flower derive?" Quan said: "It is not recorded in the Tripiṭaka." The Duke said: "Recently while in the Hanlin Academy, I happened to see the three-fascicle Sūtra of the Great Brahma King Inquiring of the Buddha to Resolve Doubts, which says: 'At the assembly on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, the Brahma King offered a golden udumbara flower to the Buddha, requesting him to preach the Dharma. The World-Honoured One ascended the seat, held up the flower, and showed it to the assembly. The millions of gods and humans were all at a loss; only Kāśyapa broke into a subtle smile. The World-Honoured One said: "I have the treasury of the eye of the True Dharma, the wondrous mind of nirvāṇa, which I entrust to Kāśyapa."'"').

5.7

The commentary says: The Sublime Sūtra states that when the Bhagavat opened and revealed the Great Dharma, Kāśyapa comprehended it; this is the general sense of the transmission of the Dharma. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra states that the Buddha told the monks, 'The unsurpassed true Dharma that I now possess has all been entrusted to Kāśyapa.' The Latter Part states that when Kāśyapa arrived at the Buddha's coffin and spoke a verse, the Buddha manifested his two feet. When Ānanda inquired about the sūtras, the Buddha, on the verge of nirvāṇa, told Kāśyapa, 'You shall be a great refuge for the fourfold assembly.' All such passages appear in the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra], which is the specific sense of the transmission of the Dharma. In the general sense, the entire great assembly attained comprehension; in the specific sense, Kāśyapa alone took up the duty of upholding [the Dharma]. The present entrustment in the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] precisely corresponds to the specific sense. For this reason, the patriarchs transmitted it one to another, upholding it without interruption. Those who wish to take the comprehension in the Lotus [Sūtra] as the transmission of the Dharma have grasped only the general meaning.

5.8

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).

5.9

The third patriarch was the Venerable Śāṇavāsa, an elder of Rājagṛha. In a past life he was a merchant leader. On the road he saw a pratyekabuddha stricken with a severe illness, whereupon he sought medicine to treat him; seeing that the pratyekabuddha's robes were utterly worn and ragged, he offered him a fine woolen garment. The pratyekabuddha said, 'This is a śāṇa garment (sometimes translated as "hemp robe"; in the Western Regions there is a nine-stemmed, luxuriant grass: whenever an arhat is born, this grass grows upon pure ground). Because I went forth from home and attained the Way wearing this, I ought to wear this as I enter extinction.' He then flew into the air, displayed the eighteen transformations, and took parinirvāṇa. The merchant leader mourned, heaped up fragrant wood, cremated the relics, and built a stūpa to make offerings, making the vow: 'May my merit, majestic deportment, and clothing in future lives be no different from this now.' Through the power of this vow, for five hundred lives in the intermediate state, he constantly wore this śāṇa garment. In his final life, the garment emerged together with him from the womb and grew along with his body. When he went forth, it transformed into a Dharma robe; when he took the full precepts, it transformed into a nine-strip robe. Hence he was named Śāṇavāsa. (According to the Western Regions Record, in the kingdom of Bāmiyān, crossing the Snow Mountains to the east, there is a monastery that preserves Śāṇavāsa's nine-strip robe of deep crimson. When Śāṇavāsa was entering extinction, he left this kāṣāya behind, telling his disciples, 'Only after the Dharma has ended will it undergo transformation and decay.' Now it is already slightly damaged.) Formerly, when the Tathāgata was travelling in the kingdom of Mathurā, he saw the lush and luxuriant woods and told Ānanda, 'After my parinirvāṇa, there will be a monk named Śāṇavāsa who will build a saṅghārāma in these mountains to preach the Dharma and transform [beings].' Later, Śāṇavāsa went to sea and obtained vast treasures; he went to the Bamboo Grove to hold a great assembly of giving. Hearing that the Buddha, the Bhagavat, Kāśyapa, and Maudgalyāyana had all entered extinction, he immediately prepared and held a pañcavārṣika assembly (meaning the five-year great assembly) and built a gate-tower. Ānanda told him, 'Now you have already practiced the giving of material goods; you should further practice the giving of Dharma, going forth from home to study the Way and benefit sentient beings.' Śāṇavāsa replied, 'This accords well with my wish.' Thereupon he was ordained, went forth from home, and became an arhat. He then went to Mount Gandhamādana, where, with the samādhi of benevolence, he transformed two sons of a venomous dragon, and built meditation chambers. Furthermore, he went to Mount Śirṣa in the kingdom of Kaśmīra to sit in peace and enter samādhi. At that time his disciple Upagupta had five hundred disciples who were still bound to birth-and-death, arrogant and haughty. Upagupta then entered samādhi and observed that these people had no karmic connection with himself, and only his own teacher could transform and deliver them; so he single-mindedly concentrated on Śāṇavāsa. Śāṇavāsa, by his supernormal powers, flew through the air, wearing ragged and dirty clothes, and sat upon Upagupta's seat. The disciples were all enraged: 'What vile person occupies our master's seat?' They reported this to Upagupta. Upagupta went to the room and prostrated, touching his head and face [to the ground]. The disciples thought, 'Although our master pays him homage, his glorious virtue surpasses him.' Śāṇavāsa pointed his finger at the sky, and fragrant milk rained down, pouring like a spring from a high mountain. Upagupta did not understand what samādhi this was. Śāṇavāsa told him, 'This is the dragon-surging samādhi.' In this manner, one after another, Upagupta did not understand any of five hundred samādhis; Śāṇavāsa explained each one to him. He further said to Upagupta, 'Maudgalyāyana did not recognize the Tathāgata's samādhis; the other śrāvakas did not recognize Maudgalyāyana's samādhis. I also do not know the samādhis of my master Ānanda. Now you too do not know my samādhis. After my nirvāṇa, the seventy-seven thousand jātaka sūtras, the ten thousand abhidharma collections, and the eighty thousand pure vinayas will all vanish with me.' At that, the disciples first reproached themselves and repented. Śāṇavāsa then preached the Dharma to them, and they all attained the fruit of arhathood. Śāṇavāsa then flew into the air, displayed the eighteen transformations, and entered nirvāṇa. Upagupta heaped up fragrant wood, cremated him with fire (xiexun is a Sanskrit word meaning cremation), gathered his relics, and built a stūpa to make offerings (Transmission of the Treasury of the Dharma).

5.10

(Collateral branch of Ānanda) The Venerable Madhyāntika was the leader of the five hundred ṛṣis of the Snow Mountains. When Ānanda wished to enter nirvāṇa, he reached the middle of the Ganges, and the earth shook violently. The ṛṣis, aware of this, flew through the air and arrived, all seeking to go forth from home. Ānanda then transformed the waters of the river entirely into golden ground. All five hundred ṛṣis were able to go forth from home and become arhats (Madhyāntika is translated as 'middle', because the ṛṣis received the precepts in the middle of the river). At that time Madhyāntika wished to enter nirvāṇa first. Ānanda instructed him, 'The Buddha prophesied that you shall establish the Buddha's Dharma in the kingdom of Kaśmīra.' After Ānanda entered nirvāṇa, Madhyāntika went to Kaśmīra, subdued the evil dragon, and upheld the Buddha's Dharma. When he was on the verge of nirvāṇa, he surged up into the air, displayed the eighteen transformations, and then entered extinction (Transmission of the Treasury of the Dharma).

5.11

The Fourth Patriarch, the Venerable Upagupta, was a man of the country of Mathurā. He had a handsome countenance, keen intelligence, and eloquence. Śāṇakavāsa initially taught him to focus his mindfulness: if an evil thought arose, he should put down a black stone; when a good thought was born, he should put down a white stone. Upagupta collected his thoughts according to the instruction. At first, black ones predominated. Next, white and black were equal. By the end of seven days, there were only white stones. Śāṇakavāsa then preached the four noble truths for him, and he instantly attained the fruit of a srotāpanna. At that time, there was a courtesan in the city named Vāsumitā. Hearing of Upagupta's beauty, she sent someone to invite him, but Upagupta refused. A merchant's son had been lodging with the courtesan when a merchant arrived from afar carrying abundant treasures and sought union with the woman. Greedy for his treasures, the woman killed the merchant's son and buried him inside the house. The merchant's family investigated and traced him to the house; they dug into the ground and found him. They reported everything to the king, who immediately had the courtesan seized, her hands and feet severed, her ears and nose cut off, and her body cast away amidst the tombs. Upagupta went to transform her, arriving at the courtesan's location. Vāsumitā said, 'When I invited you with my beautiful countenance, you did not look at me. Now that I am mutilated and ruined, what use is it coming here?' He replied, 'I have come to observe the true nature of phenomena for your sake; it is not for desire. You originally deluded sentient beings with form, like a painted vase filled to the brim with foul filth. A wise person comprehends this and ultimately takes no pleasure or attachment in it. Now you should carefully observe that this physical form is impermanent, a congregation of manifold sufferings, like an abscess, like an ulcer. You should diligently apply expedient means to seek liberation.' The courtesan's mind opened, and she attained the purity of the Dharma-eye; when her life ended, she was born in heaven. Because he contemplated all phenomena as suffering, empty, and impermanent, Upagupta instantly attained the fruit of an anāgāmin. When he first saw Śāṇakavāsa, he immediately sought to leave home. Śāṇakavāsa asked, 'How old are you?' He answered, 'Seventeen.' Śāṇakavāsa said, 'Is your body seventeen, or is your nature seventeen?' Upagupta said, 'Master, your hair is already white. Is your hair white, or is your mind white?' Śāṇakavāsa knew he was a vessel of the Dharma, and forthwith ordained him. Once he received the full precepts, he immediately attained the way of an arhat. Śāṇakavāsa said to him, 'The Buddha prophesied that a hundred years after him, you would be foremost in seated meditation and greatly transform sentient beings.' Upagupta accepted the instruction and gathered an assembly to preach the Dharma. The demon king Pāpīyas transformed himself into a white elephant adorned with the seven jewels, and manifested as a woman, upright and extraordinarily beautiful. The entire assembly gazed at her and had no mind to listen to the Dharma. Knowing it was the demon's doing, Upagupta transformed three corpses—of a snake, a dog, and a human—into a flower garland and placed it around his neck. [The demon] saw it return to being dead corpses, rotten and stinking with maggots; exhausting his supernatural powers, he was unable to remove it. He leaped into empty space and asked the hosts of devas. The Brahmā King asked him, 'How could you undo the supernatural power wrought by a disciple of the Ten Powers? If you take refuge in the Venerable One, you may perhaps be able to undo it.' Pāpīyas then went to the Venerable One's place, prostrated his whole body to the ground, and begged him to undo the three corpses. The Venerable One said to him, 'Do not harass or harm the true Dharma ever again; only then will I undo them for you.' The demon said, 'I accept your instruction.' The Venerable One then untied and removed the three corpses for him. Upagupta always felt regret that he had not seen the Buddha. He therefore asked the demon, 'You once saw the Buddha; what were his marks like? Can you manifest them?' He replied, 'I can.' Before a great forest, he manifested the form of a Buddha: his marks were wondrous and extraordinary, like a mountain of purple gold, his light illuminating the ten directions, escorted by Brahmā and Śakra. Upagupta was delighted, and without realizing it, bowed down in reverence. The demon immediately resumed his original form, stepped forward to receive him, and said, 'I am an ordinary mortal; how could I receive a sage's veneration?' On the fourth day, the demon descended again and proclaimed to all in a great voice: 'You who wish to obtain wealth and joy and be born among humans and devas, you who seek the foremost peace and security of nirvāṇa—though you did not see the Tathāgata preach the Dharma with great compassion, you should all go to the Venerable Upagupta, listen to and receive the wondrous Dharma, and practice with a sincere mind!' At that time, men and women in the city gathered together like clouds. He preached various teachings according to their capacities: hundreds of thousands of sentient beings attained the srotāpanna stage, and eighteen thousand people became arhats. At that time, King Aśoka heard that the Venerable One was preaching the Dharma for the assembly on Mount Urumuṇḍa. He sent an envoy to say that he wished to come and pay his respects. Because the place was cramped and humble, the Venerable One went in person to Pāṭaliputra, rubbed the king's crown, and preached verses for him. He pointed out the places where the Tathāgata had formerly traveled, walked, and stayed, and had stupas erected at all of them. When Upagupta transformed and liberated sentient beings, whenever both husband and wife attained the arhat state, he would drop one tally. The tallies were four inches long, and filled a stone chamber. The chamber was sixteen feet high, and equal in length and breadth. His supernatural transformations and applications were no different from the Buddha's, except that he lacked the thirty-two marks. The entire world called him the 'Buddha without the physical marks.' When his karmic conditions for transforming beings were completed, he performed eighteen transformations and entered extinction. The tallies in the chamber were used for his cremation. The people wept aloud, gathered his relics together, and erected a stupa to make offerings to them (from the *Fu fazang jing*).

5.12

The Fifth Patriarch, the Venerable Dhītika, was a man of the country of Mathurā. Earlier, when Upagupta's karmic conditions for transforming beings were nearing their end, he went to the house of Dhītika's father, an elder. [The elder] asked, 'Why does the Great Sage travel alone?' Upagupta answered, 'I am one who has left home and have no attendant. If there is someone, please bestow your kindness.' The elder replied, 'If I later have a son, I will certainly offer him to you.' Later he had a boy, named Dhītika, who was adept at studying the sūtras and treatises. [Upagupta] went to claim him, took him to the monastery, and ordained him as a monk. When he reached the age of twenty, he conferred the full precepts upon him. On the first day, he severed the fetters of seeing the truths and attained the srotāpanna stage. At the first karmavācanā, he attenuated lust, anger, and delusion, and obtained the sakṛdāgāmin stage. At the second karmavācanā, his fetters of the desire realm were exhausted, and he attained the anāgāmin stage. At the third karmavācanā, he severed the defilements of the three realms at once, established pure conduct, and became an arhat. His three knowledges shone far and wide, and he was complete with the six supernatural penetrations; he traveled about, appearing and disappearing, with ease and without hindrance. Upagupta said to him, 'The time of my nirvāṇa has arrived. I take this Dharma-treasure and entrust it to you; you must disseminate it.' Later Dhītika transformed and liberated the world, and entered nirvāṇa in Central India. Devas and humans were deeply moved with grief; they gathered his relics and erected a stupa on Mount Pañca (from the *Fu fazang jing*).

5.13

The Sixth Patriarch, the Venerable Micchaka, was a man of Central India and the leader of eight thousand ṛṣis. He was widely learned, deeply versed, and possessed great eloquence. He went to see Dhītika and said, 'In the past, I was born in the Brahmā heaven together with you, Master. I met Asita, who taught me the ṛṣi arts; you met a great spiritual friend and cultivated the Buddha-path. From then on our paths diverged, and six kalpas have already passed. That ṛṣi prophesied: "After six kalpas, you will meet your fellow student and attain the realization of the sage fruit." Is not our meeting today due to past conditions?' Dhītika then preached the Dharma for him, and he realized the taintless state. The assembly of ṛṣis did not believe it, so Dhītika manifested supernatural transformations for them; only then was the assembly convinced, and they all attained the fruit of the Way. When Dhītika was about to enter extinction, he entrusted the Dharma to him, saying, 'The Buddha entrusted the true Dharma to Mahākāśyapa; thus it was transmitted successively down to me. I now entrust it to you; you should disseminate it.' Micchaka accepted the instruction and propagated the true Dharma, opening the path of nirvāṇa to all sentient beings. When his karmic conditions for transforming beings were completed, he entered nirvāṇa. The assembly gathered his relics and erected a stupa to make offerings to them (from the *Fu fazang jing*).

5.14

The Seventh Patriarch, the Venerable Buddhanandi, was a man of Northern India. His wisdom and understanding, as well as his skill in preaching, surpassed all in his day. When Micchaka first arrived in that country, he gazed at the golden auspicious clouds above the ramparts and sighed, 'Beneath this there must be a great being who can become the Dharma-heir.' He then went to search for him, and indeed found Buddhanandi in the marketplace. He said to him, 'My master Dhītika said that when the Bhagavat traveled in Northern India in the past, he said to Ānanda: "Three hundred years after my extinction, there will be a sage named Buddhanandi who will propagate the Dharma here."' Nandi replied, 'I recall that in a past kalpa I once offered a jeweled throne to the Tathāgata, and on that account he prophesied to me: "During the Bhadrakalpa, within the Dharma of Śākya, you should propagate the teaching." Now this matches your words, Master. I wish to seek ordination.' As soon as he heard the Dharma preached, he attained the four fruits. When Micchaka was about to enter extinction, he entrusted the true Dharma to him for dissemination. Later, when Nandi's karmic conditions for transforming beings were nearing their end, he entered nirvāṇa. The assembly gathered his relics and erected a stupa to make offerings to them (from the *Fu fazang jing*).

5.15

The Eighth Patriarch, the Venerable Buddhamitra, was a man of the country of Tikā. His virtuous power was deep and firm, and he was skilled at transforming living beings. Earlier, when Nandi was traveling and teaching in that country, he saw a white light over a certain house. He said to his disciples, 'There is a sage here who has a mouth but does not speak, and has feet but does not walk.' When they arrived at his house, the elder asked why he had come. Nandi said, 'I have come seeking a disciple.' The elder said, 'I have a son who is fifty years old; he does not speak and does not walk. How could he attend upon you?' Nandi said, 'He is truly my disciple.' Mitra suddenly stood up, bowed in reverence, and after walking seven paces, uttered a verse from his mouth: / 'My father and mother are not my kin; / Who is the closest kin? / The Buddhas are not my way; / Who is the supreme Way?' / Nandi said: / 'Your words are kin to your mind; / Father and mother cannot compare. / Your practice accords with the Way; / The mind of the Buddhas is precisely this. / The non-Buddhists have a Buddha with marks, / But he does not resemble you. / If you wish to know your original mind, / It is neither united nor separate.' / He further said to [the elder], 'In the past, this child encountered a Buddha and made vast compassionate vows. Fearing that his parents' emotional love would be hard to abandon, he did not walk and did not speak.' The elder readily renounced him to leave home; he immediately realized the fruit of the Way and disseminated the true Dharma. At that time, there was a king who revered heterodox teachings and slighted and disparaged the Three Jewels. Wishing to subdue him, Mitra personally held a red banner and walked before the king for twelve years. Later the king asked, 'Who is this person?' He replied, 'I am a man of wisdom, skilled in debate.' The king then issued an order to assemble all the brāhmaṇas, elders, and lay devotees in the Hall of Righteous Victory to debate together with this single śramaṇa. Mitra ascended the seat and established an unassailable thesis: those of shallow wisdom yielded at a single word, while those of sharp eloquence exhausted their words at the second exchange. The king then personally initiated debate with Mitra, but was soon also defeated and subdued. The king then turned his mind to become a disciple of the Buddha. At that time, there was a Nirgrantha in the country who reviled the true Dharma and was adept at calculation (Nirgrantha means here 'the non-Buddhist of self-starvation'). Mitra went to transform him, approaching him to learn calculation. The Nirgrantha constantly uttered evil words to revile the Buddha. Mitra said to him, 'The offenses you are now creating will certainly cause you to fall into hell. If you do not believe me, you may calculate it to find out.' The Nirgrantha calculated and knew he would fall into hell. He said to the Venerable One, 'How can I avoid this fault?' Mitra told him, 'Just as one who falls due to the ground rises back up from the ground, if you take refuge in the Buddha, this offense can be eradicated.' The Nirgrantha then used five hundred verses to praise the Tathāgata and repent his former offenses. Mitra further said to him, 'Because of this good karma of yours, you will certainly be born in heaven. If you do not believe me, you may calculate it to find out.' The Nirgrantha laid out his calculations and saw for himself that his offenses were eradicated and he would be born in heaven, whereupon he rejoiced greatly. He then left home together with five hundred people. When Mitra's karmic conditions for transforming beings were nearing their end, he entered nirvāṇa. His disciples enshrined his whole body and erected a stupa to make offerings to it (from the *Fu fazang jing*).

5.16

The Ninth Patriarch, the Venerable Monk Pārśva, was a man of Central India. Due to past karma, he remained in his mother's womb for sixty years. When he was born, his beard and hair were already white. He abhorred the five desires and took no pleasure in household life. His father took him to see Mitra and said, 'This child remained in the womb for sixty years, and is therefore named Nansheng ("Hard to Bear"). I once met a physiognomist who said he was a vessel of the Dharma. I wish for him to seek ordination.' On the day he received the precepts, an auspicious light illuminated the seat, and twenty-one relics were elicited; right upon his seat, he attained the arhat state. In his diligent ascetic practice, his ribs never touched the mat; hence he was called at the time 'Monk Pārśva' (Ribs). There was a non-Buddhist who saw light radiating from the Master's hand as he retrieved sūtras in the dark; he immediately abandoned the heterodox to return to the correct, and attained realization of the trace of the Way. When his karmic conditions for transforming beings were nearing their end, he manifested eighteen transformations and entered nirvāṇa. The assembly gathered his relics and built a stupa to make offerings to them (from the *Fu fazang jing*).

5.17

The Tenth Patriarch, the Venerable Puṇyayaśas, was a man of the kingdom of Pāṭaliputra. His knowledge was profound, and he was broadly learned with an extensive memory. Earlier, when the Bhikṣu Pārśva arrived in that kingdom, he stayed beneath a tree, pointed to the ground, and said: "If this ground turns the colour of gold, a holy person will arrive." Having spoken these words, the ground indeed became gold. Soon afterwards, Yaśas indeed arrived. [Pārśva] thereupon accepted him as a disciple and entrusted him with the Dharma-treasury. Using skilful means, he transformed and saved living beings. Having completed what was to be done, he entered nirvāṇa. The assembly collected his relics and erected a stūpa to make offerings to them (*Fu fazang jing*).

5.18

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].")

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佛祖統紀 — 志磐, Classical Chinese