佛祖統紀 5.23

5.23

The sixteenth patriarch, the Venerable Saṃghanandin, was the crown prince of King Ratnavyūha of the city of Śrāvastī. He could speak from birth and constantly chanted the Buddha's Dharma. At the age of seven, he grew weary of secular life, but his royal father repeatedly stopped him. When he was nine, Rāhulata arrived at the Jinshui River, pointed to him, and said, 'Five hundred leagues from here, there is a holy man named Nandin. The Buddha prophesied that after one thousand years he would succeed to the holy rank.' He then led the assembly to go and see him. They arrived just as he had entered absorption; only after three times seven days did he emerge. He immediately sought to leave the household life, attained the Way, and was entrusted with the Dharma. One day, Rāhulata held up a golden bowl in his hand, raised it all the way to the Brahmā heaven, and took food to feed the great assembly. The assembly suddenly felt disgust. Rāhulata said, 'This is not my fault, but your own karma.' He then ordered Nandin to share his seat and eat together. The assembly was surprised again. Rāhulata said, 'This Nandin is none other than the Tathāgata Śālarāja of the past, who descended in manifestation out of pity for living beings. You also reached the third fruit in the Kalpa of Adornment, but you have not yet realized non-outflow.' The assembly said, 'We can believe our master's spiritual power, but we secretly harbor doubts about him being a Buddha of the past.' Nandin said, 'While the Tathāgata was in the world, the earth was flat and the water sweet. Eight hundred years after his extinction, people lack supreme faith; they do not believe in suchness, but only cherish spiritual power.' Having spoken, he held a lapis lazuli vase in his hand, gradually extended it into the earth down to the edge of the adamantine wheel, and drew amṛta water to bring before the assembly. Only then did the assembly repent and apologize. There was an arhat endowed with all merits; Nandin tested him with a verse, saying: 'Born of the lineage of a wheel-turning king, / He is neither a Buddha nor an arhat, / Nor does he receive future existence, / Nor is he a pratyekabuddha.' The arhat did not understand; he ascended to heaven to ask Maitreya. Maitreya said, 'In the world, placing a lump of clay on a wheel forms tiles; how could that be like the sages reaching future lives?' The arhat returned and repeated this to him. Nandin said, 'This was surely spoken to you by Maitreya.' When his conditions for conversion were about to conclude, he grasped a tree with his right hand and entered extinction. His disciples wished to move his body, but it was solid and could not be moved; even when a great elephant carried it, it still could not be moved. Thereupon, they piled up fragrant wood into a pavilion and held the jhāpita right beside the tree. When the fire consumed his body entirely, the tree became even more luxuriant. The assembly gathered his relics, built a stupa, and made offerings to them (Fu fazang jing).