佛祖統紀 5.18

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].")