佛祖歷代通載 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Compiled by Nianchang of Huating, Abbot of Dazhong Xiangfu Chan Monastery in Jiaxing Route

(1. Jichou to guichou) King Zhao, Xia (son of King Kang. The royal way slightly declined; during a southern inspection tour, he rode in a glued boat and drowned in the river). He ruled for fifty-one years.

3.4

In the twenty-fifth year, on the eighth day of the fourth month, the Great Sage manifested the auspicious sign of a white elephant, its seven limbs touching the ground, descending upon a cloud. He descended his spirit into the womb of Mahāmāyā, abiding in her right flank. How could this be compared to mere rainbows or pivot stars appearing to manifest a destiny for an age?

3.5

(2. Jiayin) On the eighth day of the second month, the Bhagavān was born in Kapilavastu in Lumbinī Park beneath a śāla tree, emerging from the right flank of his mother, Queen Māyā. His clan was Kṣatriya; his father was Heavenly King Śuddhodana, and his mother was Mahāmāyā. At his birth, nine dragons spouted water, and having bathed in a golden basin, he walked seven paces in all directions and said of himself: "I have received this final body; in the heavens and beneath the heavens, I alone am supreme." Dignified with primary marks and secondary signs, he was endowed with the thirty-two marks of a great man. The various sūtras differ (here relying on one account: the thirty-two are: 1. level and full soles of the feet; 2. thousand-spoked wheel markings; 3. hands soft as tūla cotton; 4. webbed fingers and toes like a goose king; 5. slender and long fingers; 6. full heels; 7. high insteps; 8. long and straight arms; 9. round and full calves like the aiṇeya antelope king; 10. concealed private parts like an elephant or horse king; 11. fine hairs blue-black and curling to the right; 12. body hair bristling upward; 13. golden skin; 14. sleek and smooth skin free of blemish; 15. seven areas fully rounded; 16. extraordinary shoulders and neck; 17. straight chest and armpits; 18. red and full demeanor; 19. dignified bodily presence; 20. body proportions round as a banyan tree; 21. lion-like jaw and chest; 22. constant light extending one fathom; 23. white, even, and closely spaced teeth; 24. bright and sharp canine teeth; 25. always attaining the supreme taste; 26. tongue covering the face; 27. Brahmā-voice like a kalaviṅka; 28. deep-blue eyelashes; 29. eyes like an ox king; 30. face like a full moon; 31. white hair between the eyebrows; 32. uṣṇīṣa like a heavenly parasol. There are further eighty secondary marks, fully as expounded in the Prajñāpāramitā and other scriptures).

3.6

(Bingchen) When the prince was three years old, his father the king took him to visit the temple of the gods; the divine statues stood up. The king marveled in astonishment, saying, "God of gods!"

3.7

(Gengshen) When the prince was seven years old, he went to a master to study mundane texts.

3.8

(3. Guihai to jiazi) When the prince was ten years old, he wrestled with his kinsmen, throwing an elephant outside the city with his hand and shooting an arrow through nine layers of iron drums. The Bhagavān manifested leaving the household: the prince toured the four gates, seeing birth, old age, sickness, and death; at the northern gate he saw a renunciant and gave rise to a mind of joy. On the night of the eighth day of the second month, a Śuddhāvāsa god announced: "The time has come for the prince to leave the household." Thereupon, riding his horse, he leapt over the city wall, reached Mount Daṇḍa, drew his sword, cut off his hair, entered Mount Meru to the place of Ārāḍa Kālāma, and practiced the absorption of the sphere of nothingness.

3.9

(Wu-yin) Now we rely on the teaching of six years of asceticism and attaining enlightenment at thirty. Some say he left the household on the eighth day of the twelfth month; the various schools have differing accounts. The commentary Xuanzan shu states: Synthesizing the various texts, there are two views. One says the various schools state he left the household at nineteen and attained enlightenment at thirty. The Benqi yinyuan jing also gives nineteen years of age; the Siwei wuxiang sanmei jing gives enlightenment at thirty; the Zhilun (Dazhidulun) also gives nineteen, but does not state the time of attaining enlightenment; the Buddha's actual residence in the world was eighty years. Reconciling this: he left home at nineteen, served ṛṣis for five years practicing pleasurable practices, practiced asceticism for six years, and attained enlightenment at thirty; the Zhilun adopts this. The second says: various schools and the Mahāyāna also state he left the household at twenty-nine and attained enlightenment at thirty-five. The Ekottarika, Madhyama, and Saṃyukta Āgamas, the Chuyao jing, and the Vasumitra Treatise all state twenty-nine; the Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka Sūtra and the Samantapāsādikā state enlightenment at thirty-five; the Benqi jing says thirty-five. Bodhiruci quotes a sūtra verse saying: "For eight years an infant, / for seven years a youth, / for four years learning the five sciences, / for ten years enjoying the five desires, / for six years practicing asceticism, / at thirty-five attaining enlightenment. / During forty-five years / he taught and transformed all sentient beings." Paramārtha and the Record of the Western Regions both agree with this account. The Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra, the Bao'en jing, and others likewise state the Buddha's lifespan was eighty years. The jiazi calculation gives only seventy-nine years. Briefly explaining the verse (concerning the five sciences, the Yogācāra-bhūmi-vyākhyā says: 1. Inner science (adhyātma-vidyā) has two characteristics: first, revealing the characteristics of correct cause and effect; second, that what is done is not lost and what is not done is not obtained. 2. Logic (hetu-vidyā) has two characteristics: first, revealing the victorious characteristic of refuting other doctrines; second, revealing the victorious characteristic of escaping other doctrines. 3. Linguistics (śabda-vidyā) also has two characteristics: first, revealing the establishment of root morphemes and their derivations; second, revealing the victorious characteristic of skill in speech. 4. Medicine (cikitsā-vidyā) has four characteristics: first, revealing skill regarding the nature of illnesses; second, revealing skill regarding the causes of illnesses; third, revealing skill regarding recurrence after cessation; fourth, revealing skill regarding non-recurrence after cessation. 5. Arts and crafts (śilpa-karma-sthāna-vidyā): skill in all mundane worldly practices. Concerning the three faculties and six arts: the three faculties are: 1. literary brush; 2. military prowess; 3. eloquence of tongue. The six arts are: 1. propriety: humility and reverence between elders and youths; 2. music: rectitude and changes in customs; 3. calligraphy: eight styles and six scripts; 4. mathematics: thoroughly knowing infinitesimal counts; 5. archery: able to draw bows and crossbows; 6. charioteering: skilled in taming elephants and horses. When the Bhagavān was a prince in the palace, his nature was humane and worthy: this is called propriety. Comprehending all customs: this is called music. Fully mastering the sixty-four scripts: this is called calligraphy. Exhausting the one hundred and twenty numerations: this is called mathematics. Piercing nine layers of iron drums: this is called archery. Throwing the great elephant blocking the gate: this is called charioteering. The rest is fully detailed in the sūtras and treatises).

3.10

(4. Gengchen) King Mu, Man (son of King Zhao), employed Zaofu as his charioteer and rode eight fine steeds, traveling a thousand li in a single day (fully recorded in the Zhou History). He ruled for fifty-five years (ascending the throne at age fifty, living to one hundred and four years). He instituted the Fu Penalties (the king commanded Marquis Fu, Lü Ji, to enter as Minister of Crime, increasing the light and reducing the heavy, summarizing the five punishments into three thousand: tattoo and nose-cutting one thousand each; foot-amputation five hundred; castration three hundred; capital punishment two hundred; this is the "Punishments of Lü" in the Classic of Filial Piety). Puppets (first made by Yan Shi and presented to the king). The transformed man (the Beishan jing says: in the king's time, a transformed man came from the western extremity; he overturned mountains and regions, moved cities and hamlets, entered water and fire, and penetrated metal and stone, his thousand changes and myriad transformations inexhaustible. The king revered him like a sage and built the Central Heaven Terrace for him to reside in. This was a manifestation of Mañjuśrī, Maudgalyāyana, and others; however, the king did not yet know they were disciples of the Buddha).

3.11

(5. Guiwei) The Bhagavān manifested attaining enlightenment. Having completed six years of asceticism, he bathed in the Nairañjanā River, accepted milk-rice from the cowherd maiden, received the soft auspicious grass, went to the Bodhi tree king, sat on the vajra seat, and through thirty-four mind-moments manifested true awakening, styled Teacher of Gods and Humans, endowed with all-knowledge. Remaining in the world to deliver teachings for forty-nine years, he expounded the Dharma in three turnings, good in the beginning, middle, and end. With words of existence and emptiness he shattered attachments to emptiness and existence; once the two extremes were abandoned, the Middle Way was preserved, prompting sharp and dull capacities alike to cultivate their own practice. Therefore, he unfolded and extended it into the eighty-four thousand treasuries of Dharma. Extending charity widely to deliver the multitudes, cause and effect were displayed; severing evil and rewarding good, sage and ordinary were distinguished. From this, all sentient beings had something to rely upon.

3.12

(Jiashen) He first entered the Deer Park to deliver the five bhikṣus, and delivered Uruvilvā Kāśyapa and one thousand persons who left the household.

3.13

(Yiyou) The Buddha was at Mount Gayāśīrṣa, expounding the Dharma for dragons and spirits.

3.14

(Bingxu) The Buddha delivered Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, and two hundred and fifty persons left the household.

3.15

(Dinghai) The elder Sudatta spread gold, purchased Jetavana, and built a monastery to offer to the Buddha.

3.16

(Wuzi) The Buddha was in the country of Godānīya, expounding the Ascetic Practice Prajñāpāramitā and other sūtras for Bhadrapāla Bodhisattva.

3.17

(Jichou) The Buddha was at Mount Liu, expounding the Dharma for King Druma Kiṃnara and others.

3.18

(Gengyin) The Buddha was at the Impure Marsh, expounding the Dharma for Aṅgulimāla, and ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven.

3.19

(6) The sandalwood image was first established. In the eighth year after attaining awakening, the Bhagavān ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother, remaining there for ninety days. King Udayana of Kauśāmbī longed for the Tathāgata and ordered Mahāmaudgalyāyana and the deva Viśvakarman to transform themselves into artisans, ascend to the heavenly palace, copy the Buddha's physical marks, and carve an image out of sandalwood for veneration. When the summer retreat was completed, the Buddha descended to Central India. The king, his great ministers, and the people of the state went together to welcome the Buddha. The image soared into the air to greet the Buddha and inquire after him. The Buddha rubbed its head and conferred a prophecy on it, saying: 'More than a thousand years after my nirvāṇa, you will go to China and broadly benefit humans and devas.'

3.20

(Xinmao) The Buddha returned to Magadha and preached the Dharma for King Puṣya and others.

3.21

(7. Ren-chen) The Buddha preached the *Xiuxing benqi jing* for Maitreya.

3.22

(Guisi) The Buddha returned to Kapilavastu and preached the Dharma for his father, the king; this is recorded in the *Lalitavistara* (*Puyao jing*).

3.23

(Wuxu) The Buddha preached such scriptures as the *Mahāsaṃnipāta* in the desire and form realms.

3.24

(Jihai) The Buddha first preached the *Prajñāpāramitā* and other sūtras in sixteen assemblies and eight divisions.

3.25

(Xinchou) The Buddha first disciplined the assembly of disciples and instituted the vinaya precepts.

3.26

(Bingwu) The Buddha's cousin Ānanda first left the household life.

3.27

(Xinhai) Ānanda requested that the Buddha allow Mahāprajāpatī and other bhikṣuṇīs to leave the household life.

3.28

(Jiazi, Xinwei; 29) The Buddha preached such scriptures as the *Suvarṇaprabhāsa* and the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka* at the Vulture Peak assembly. In this year, the Bhagavān held up a flower to show the assembly; millions of humans and devas were entirely bewildered, and only the Golden Ascetic broke into a subtle smile. The Bhagavān said: 'I have the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, the marvelous mind of nirvāṇa, the formless true form, the subtle and marvelous Dharma gate. I entrust it to you; you must protect and uphold it, and I order Ānanda to assist you in transmitting and transforming [sentient beings]. Listen to my verse: / The Dharma that is the fundamental Dharma is no-dharma; / The no-dharma Dharma is also Dharma. / Now when the no-dharma is entrusted, / How has the Dharma of dharmas ever been a Dharma?' Having spoken this verse, the Bhagavān further said to Kāśyapa: 'I transmit and entrust to you the golden-threaded saṃghāṭī robe, to be passed on in turn to the next in rank, the Benevolent One [Maitreya]; do not let it be broken off.' (Regarding holding up the flower, the Duke of Jingguo, Wang [Anshi], said to Chan Master Fo Hui, Quan Wanjuan, that he personally saw it fully recorded in the *Sūtra of the Brahmā King Inquiring of the Buddha*. However, because this scripture speaks much of the affairs of the state and rulers, it was kept in the secret imperial archives, and therefore the world rarely heard of it.)

3.29

(8. Renshen) On the fifteenth day of the second month, the Bhagavān manifested nirvāṇa. Having responded to the world for seventy-nine years and his conditions for converting beings being completed, he preached the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* and the *Yijiao jing* between the golden sands of the Hiraṇyavatī River and under the pair of śāla trees in the kingdom of Kuśinagara. He then entered the permanent light of calm extinction called the Great Nirvāṇa, lying on his right side, and passed away quietly in the middle of the night without a sound. Cremation yielded eight bushels and four pecks of relics. (This is fully clarified in the earlier and later portions of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*.) At that time, twelve white rainbows extended from south to north, persisting through the night without fading. King Mu asked the Grand Astrologer Huda: 'What omen is this?' He replied: 'In the West, there is a Great Sage; the signs of decline and passing into nirvāṇa have appeared.' The king said: 'I have always worried about this. Now that he has passed into nirvāṇa, what more is there to worry about?' The kings of the western lands cremated his body with fragrant wood, divided his relics, and erected stūpas; in China, nineteen sites are counted.

3.30

(Yihai) King Gong, Yihu (son of King Mu), possessed sagely virtue and ruled for twelve years. (The king once traveled along the Jing River. Duke Kang of Mi followed him, and three women eloped with him. Duke Kang took them for himself and did not present them to the king; the king subsequently destroyed Mi.)

3.31

(Dinghai) King Yi, Jian (son of King Gong). The house of Zhou declined. (The poets satirized him; he moved the capital to Huaili, and later moved to Feiqiu.) He ruled for twenty-five years. (In Qi's fifth generation, Duke Ai was dissipated and licentious; the king ordered him boiled alive, and 'altered winds' poems were composed to satirize him.)

3.32

(9. Renzi) King Xiao, Pifang (younger brother of King Gong and uncle of King Yi). During his reign, a foreign country presented a two-foot tiger and also presented a four-horned rhinoceros. He ruled for fifteen years.

3.33

(10. Bingchen) The First Patriarch, Mahākāśyapa, was a native of Magadha. He belonged to the brāhmaṇa clan; his father was Yize ('Drinker of Moisture') and his mother was Xiangzhi ('Fragrant Aspiration'). Formerly he had been a goldsmith, skilled at understanding the nature of gold and rendering it supple. The *Record of the Transmission of the Dharma* states: Once, in an immensely long kalpa past, after Vipaśyin Buddha entered nirvāṇa, the fourfold assembly erected a stūpa. In the stūpa, the golden surface on the face of the image was slightly damaged. At that time, a poor woman brought a gold bead to the goldsmith's shop and asked him to adorn the Buddha's face. Subsequently, they made a joint vow: 'May the two of us become husband and wife without worldly marriage.' Due to this cause and condition, for ninety-one kalpas their bodies were all golden. Later he was born in the Brahmā Heaven. When his celestial life ended, he was born into a brāhmaṇa family in Magadha in Central India and was named Kāśyapa, which means 'Radiance-Drinking Superior One', named indeed on account of his golden color. From this he aspired to leave the household life, hoping to deliver all forms of existence. The Buddha said: 'Welcome, bhikṣu!' and his beard and hair fell away of themselves, and the kāṣāya clothed his body. The Buddha regularly praised him in the assembly as foremost. He further said: 'I am to entrust the pure Dharma eye to you; you must spread it abroad and not let it be cut off.' The *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* states that when the Bhagavān was about to enter nirvāṇa, Kāśyapa was not in the assembly. (Chan Master Song evaluated this in the *Zhengzong ji*, saying: 'Formerly, at the beginning of the Nirvāṇa assembly, the Tathāgata addressed the bhikṣus: "You should not speak such words. All the unsurpassed true Dharma that I now possess has been fully entrusted to Mahākāśyapa. This Kāśyapa will serve as your great refuge." However, the transmission of the orthodox lineage is secretly bestowed between sages; its place and time cannot be definitely known. Estimating from the sūtras, the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka* came first and the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* came later. When the *Saddharmapuṇḍarīka* was preached, Kāśyapa was present; when it came to the Nirvāṇa, he was not in the assembly. I maintain that the time of entrusting the Dharma must have been between the two sūtras. Some say it was holding up the flower at Vulture Peak, and others say the Dharma was entrusted in front of the Bahuputraka Stūpa. Yet neither has a verified source. Although I have adopted it somewhat, I still do not dare take it as fully confirmed.') The Buddha told the great disciples: 'When Kāśyapa arrives, you may have him proclaim the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.' At that time, Kāśyapa was in the Pippala Cave on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa. Beholding an extraordinary light, he entered samādhi and, with the pure divine eye, saw that the Bhagavān had entered parinirvāṇa beside the Hiraṇyavatī River. He then told his disciples: 'The Tathāgata has entered nirvāṇa! How swift it was!' He immediately went between the twin trees, weeping and wailing with grief and longing. The Buddha revealed both his feet from within the golden coffin. Thereupon Kāśyapa addressed the bhikṣus: 'The Buddha has already been cremated. The adamantine relics are not our affair; we ought to compile the Dharma eye so that it will not be cut off.' He then spoke a verse: / 'Let the Tathāgata's disciples not enter nirvāṇa yet; / Those who have obtained spiritual powers must attend the council.' / Thereupon, all who had obtained spiritual powers gathered at the Pippala Cave on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in Rājagṛha. At that time, because Ānanda's outflows were not yet exhausted, he was not permitted to enter the assembly. Later he attained the fruit of arhatship, and from this he gained entrance. Kāśyapa then addressed the assembly: 'This bhikṣu Ānanda has heard much, possesses dhāraṇī, and has great wisdom. Constantly following the Tathāgata, his pure practice is spotless. The Buddha-Dharma he heard is like water poured from one vessel to another without anything left behind. He was praised by the Buddha as foremost in intelligence. We should invite him to compile the Sūtra Piṭaka.' The great assembly remained silent. Kāśyapa said to Ānanda: 'You should now proclaim the Dharma eye.' Ānanda, hearing these words, accepted them with faith; observing the minds of the assembly, he proclaimed a verse: / 'The retinue of bhikṣus, / Without the Buddha, lacks adornment, / Just as in the empty sky, / The host of stars lacks a moon.' / Having spoken this verse, he bowed to the feet of the saṃgha, mounted the Dharma seat, and spoke these words: 'Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha was dwelling at such-and-such place and preached such-and-such sūtra teaching...' down to humans and devas bowing and upholding it. Then Kāśyapa asked the bhikṣus: 'Is what Ānanda said without error?' All said: 'It is not different from what the Bhagavān preached.' Kāśyapa then addressed Ānanda: 'My years will not keep me here much longer. I now entrust the true Dharma to you; guard it well. Listen to my verse: / 'The Dharma of dharmas is fundamentally Dharma; / There is neither no-dharma nor non-Dharma. / Why within the single Dharma / Should there be Dharma and not-Dharma?' / Having spoken this verse, he took the saṃghāṭī

3.34

robe and entered Mount Kukkuṭapāda to await the descent and birth of the Benevolent One. This was the fifth year, bingchen, of King Xiao of Zhou.

3.35

(11) Feizi of Qin. (His ancestors were descendants of Gaoyang. Beginning with Nüxiu, Daye, and Dafei, who assisted Shun as minister; Dalian, Mengxi, and Zhongyan were great-great-grandsons of Dalian, with bird bodies and human speech, serving as charioteers for Taiwu of Yin; Zhongjue, Feilian, and Elai were also ancestors of Qin. Later Boyi assisted Yu in controlling the floods with merit, and Shun granted him the surname Ying. His descendant Feizi was employed by King Xiao of Zhou to supervise horses, which greatly multiplied; he was enfeoffed at Qin and called Qin Ying. By Duke De, they resided in Yongcheng, which is Longcheng County in Qinzhou. Later Duke Mu first became hegemon; by King Zhaoxiang they assumed the title of king. From Feizi downward: Marquis of Qin, Gongbo, Qin Zhong, Zhuang, Ping, Wen, Xuan, Chu, Wu, De, Xuan, Cheng, Mu, Kang, Gong, Huan, Xiang, Hui, Dao, Li, Zao, Huai, Ling, Jian, Hui, Chu, Xian, Xiao, Huiwen Wang, Wu Wang, and Zhao Wang—thirty-two rulers, six hundred and thirty-eight years.)

3.36

King Yi, Xie (second son of King Yi [Jian]. The house of Zhou declined. When the feudal lords came to court on the new moon, he descended into the hall to greet them. He ruled for sixteen years).

3.37

(12. Guiwei) King Li, Hu (son of King Yi [Xie]. He was tyrannical and unprincipled. The people of the state rebelled against him, attacked him, and killed him at Zhi. Counting the Zhou and Zhao regencies, [the era lasted] fifty-one years).

3.38

(13. Guisi) The Second Patriarch, Ānanda, was a native of Rājagṛha. His clan was the Kṣatriya; his father was King Droṇodana, who was an uncle of the Buddha. In Sanskrit, he is called Ānanda, which here is translated as 'Joyous Celebration' or 'Rejoicing'. Because he was born on the night the Tathāgata achieved awakening, he was named after the occasion. With his vast learning, broad comprehension, and unobstructed wisdom, the Bhagavān considered him foremost in retaining the teachings, often praising him. Moreover, as he had accumulated great merit in past lives, he received and held the storehouse of the Dharma just like water poured from one vessel to another, so the Buddha appointed him as his attendant. Later, King Ajātaśatru said to him: 'O virtuous one! The two revered teachers—the Tathāgata and Kāśyapa—have both entered nirvāṇa, and because of my many obligations, I was not able to witness either. When you, virtuous one, enter parinirvāṇa, I pray that you will deign to bid me farewell.' Ānanda gave his consent. Later, he reflected: 'My body is fragile and impermanent, just like a mass of foam; how much more so in old age—how could it last long?' He also recalled: 'King Ajātaśatru has an agreement with me.' He then went to the royal palace and announced: 'I intend to enter nirvāṇa, and have come solely to take my leave.' The gatekeeper said: 'The king is asleep and must not be disturbed.' Ānanda said: 'When the king awakes, inform him on my behalf.' At that time, the king saw in a dream a jeweled canopy adorned with the seven treasures, around which thousands of myriads of beings gathered in reverence. Suddenly, a violent wind and rainstorm broke its handle, and the precious gems and necklaces all crashed to the ground. In great shock and dismay, he awoke, and the gatekeeper reported the incident in full. When the king heard these words, he cried aloud and wept bitterly, his lamentations moving heaven and earth. He immediately went to the city of Vaiśālī, where he saw Ānanda seated cross-legged in the middle of the Gaṅgā River. The king bowed and recited a verse, saying: 'I bow my head to the Honored One of the three realms, / Who has abandoned me to come here. / Rely for a moment on the power of your compassionate vows, / And do not enter parinirvāṇa just yet.' At that time, the King of Vaiśālī was also at the riverbank, and he too recited a verse, saying: 'Why has the Venerable One so hastily / Returned to the ground of complete cessation? / Pray pause for a brief moment, / And accept our offerings.' Then Ānanda, seeing that the kings of both kingdoms had come to entreat him, spoke a verse, saying: 'May the two kings abide in serene goodness; / Do not harbor sorrowful longing. / Nirvāṇa is pure for me, / For within it, existence is no more.' Ānanda then reflected: 'If I favor one kingdom and enter parinirvāṇa there, the various kingdoms will fight and quarrel; this would not be right. I should deliver sentient beings with impartiality.' He then prepared to enter complete cessation in the middle of the Gaṅgā River. At that moment, the mountains, rivers, and great earth shook in six ways. Five hundred ṛṣis in the Snowy Mountains, witnessing this auspicious sign, flew through the air to arrive there. Bowing at Ānanda's feet, they knelt and said: 'Through the Elder, we ought to realize the Buddha-Dharma. We pray you extend great compassion and liberate us.' Ānanda silently accepted their plea. He immediately transformed the Gaṅgā River completely into golden ground, and preached the great Dharma to the assembly of ṛṣis. Ānanda further reflected: 'The disciples previously liberated by me ought to assemble here.' In an instant, five hundred arhats descended from the sky to confer the monastic going-forth and full ordination upon the ṛṣis. Among the assembly of ṛṣis were two arhats: the first named Śāṇavāsa, and the second named Madhyāntika. Knowing they were vessels of the Dharma, Ānanda told them: 'In the past, the Tathāgata transmitted the great eye of the Dharma to Mahākāśyapa. Kāśyapa entered meditative absorption and transmitted it to me. Now that I am about to pass away, I transmit it to you. Having received my teaching, listen to this verse: Originally there was a Dharma transmitted; / Having transmitted it, it is said there is no Dharma. / Each must awaken on his own; / Once awakened, there is no lack of Dharma.' Having finished transmitting the treasury of the Dharma-eye, Ānanda leaped into the sky and displayed the eighteen transformations. Entering the Wind-Vigorous Samādhi, he divided his body into four parts: one part was offered to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, one to the palace of the Nāga King Sāgara, one to the King of Vaiśālī, and one to King Ajātaśatru. Each built a jeweled stupa to make offerings to it. This was the tenth year of King Li, the guisi year.

3.39

(Xinhai) One hundred years since the Bhagavān entered extinction.

3.40

(14) The tradition says: Before the first hundred years, although people transmitted it differently, the flavor of the Dharma remained unified. The five masters who transmitted the teachings were led by Kāśyapa; he transmitted it to Ānanda, Ānanda transmitted it to Śāṇavāsa, Śāṇavāsa transmitted it to Upagupta, and Upagupta transmitted it to Madhyāntika. From one hundred years after this point onward, the Dharma diverged from its single flavor, becoming like water mixed with milk; dividing fine cloth and splitting gold, each school held disparate views. As divergent lineages emerged, the two root divisions arose: first, the Sthaviravāda, and second, the Mahāsāṃghika. Over three hundred years, they split again and again. The Mahāsāṃghika and its branches formed nine distinct schools: the Mahāsāṃghika, Ekavyāvahārika, Lokottaravāda, Kaukkuṭika, Bahuśrutīya, Prajñaptivāda, Caityavāda, Aparaśaila, and Uttaraśaila. The Sthaviravāda and its branches formed eleven schools: the Sarvāstivāda, Sthaviravāda, Vātsīputrīya, Dharmottarīya, Bhadrayānīya, Saṃmatīya, Ṣaṇṇagarika, Mahīśāsaka, Dharmaguptaka, Kāśyapīya, and Sautrāntika. Alas, to pure silk hemp has been added, and to delicious milk water has been poured! Those yearning for the Way are confounded by divergent heterodoxies. Who is wrong, and what is right? How lamentable!

3.41

(Gengshen / jiazi) In the first year of the Gonghe Regency, the king died. (In his time, the king acted unrighteously and slandered indiscriminately. The common folk dared not speak of affairs of state, and merely looked at each other with their eyes when meeting on the road. Consequently, a rebellion broke out, and the people banished the king to Zhi. After he had reigned for thirty-seven years, the two Earls of Zhou and Zhao administered the government under the era name Gonghe for a total of fourteen years.)

3.42

(15. Jiaxu) King Xuan, Jing. (Son of King Li. Earlier, when the king fled to Zhi, the crown prince hid in the household of the Duke of Zhao. The people of the state surrounded it, but the Duke substituted his own son for him, allowing the crown prince to escape. Once grown, the two Earls of Zhou and Zhao established him as king. He cultivated the customs of Kings Wen, Wu, Cheng, and Kang, and the feudal lords once again pledged allegiance to the Zhou. At that time, a great drought struck the realm; the king reproached himself, and after six years, it finally rained.) He reigned for forty-six years. The royal official, Court Scribe Zhou, modified the ancient script of Cangjie into the Large Seal script. (Today, several characters remain on the stone drums at Qixia; during the Song dynasty, Su Shi deciphered a few of them.)

3.43

(Yiwei) Duke Huan of Zheng, You. (Youngest son of King Li and younger brother of King Xuan. He was originally enfiefed in Zheng, modern Huayin county; later he moved to Xingyang, which is modern Xinzheng. Down to Lord Yi, younger brother of Duke You, who became ruler—from Duke Huan downward: Wu, Zhuang, Li, Zhao, Wei, Ying, Li, Mu, Ling, Xiang, Dao, Cheng, Xi, Jian, Ding, Xian, Sheng, Ai, Gong, Ru, and Lord Yi—in total twenty-three rulers, spanning 281 years.)

3.44

(16) The Third Patriarch, Śāṇavāsa, was a native of the kingdom of Mathurā; he was also named Śāṇakavāsa. His clan was the Vaiśya; his father was Linsheng, and his mother was Jiaośeyā. He was in the womb for six years before being born. In Sanskrit, he is called Śāṇaka, which here is translated as 'Naturally Clothed'; it is the name of an auspicious nine-branched plant of the Western Regions. When an arhat or sage descends to be born, this plant grows on pure ground; when the patriarch was born, this auspicious plant appeared in response. In the past, when the Tathāgata was traveling and converting beings, he arrived in the kingdom of Mathurā. Seeing a lush green grove with dense foliage, he said to Ānanda: 'This forest ground is named Urumuṇḍa. One hundred years after my extinction, there will be a bhikṣu named Śāṇavāsa who will turn the wondrous wheel of the Dharma in this place.' A hundred years later, the patriarch was indeed born. He went forth from home, realized the Way, and received the Dharma-eye from the Venerable Ānanda to teach and guide sentient beings. When he stayed in this grove, he subdued two fire dragons, who took refuge in the Buddha's teaching; the dragons then donated the land to build a monastery. Having taught for a long time, the patriarch thought of transmitting the correct Dharma. Soon, in the kingdom of Dārika, he found Upagupta and took him as his personal attendant. He asked Gupta: 'How old are you?' He replied: 'I am seventeen.' The patriarch asked: 'Is your body seventeen, or is your nature seventeen?' He replied: 'Master, your hair is already white; is your hair white, or is your mind white?' The patriarch said: 'Only my hair is white, not my mind.' Gupta said: 'My body is seventeen, not my nature.' Śāṇavāsa knew he was a vessel of the Dharma, and three years later shaved his head and gave him the full ordination. He then told him: 'In the past, the Tathāgata entrusted the unsurpassed treasury of the correct Dharma-eye to Kāśyapa; it was transmitted step-by-step until reaching me. I now transmit it to you; do not let it be broken off. Receive my instruction and listen to my verse: It is not Dharma, nor is it mind; / There is no mind, nor is there Dharma. / When this mind and Dharma are spoken of, / This Dharma is not the Dharma of mind.' After speaking the verse, he concealed himself in Mount Elephant White, south of the kingdom of Kaśmīra. Later, in samādhi, he saw that his disciple Gupta had five hundred followers who were frequently indolent and conceited. The patriarch then went there and manifested the Dragon-Vigorous Samādhi to subdue them, reciting a verse saying: 'Thorough penetration knows neither self nor other; / The supreme sage has no length or shortness. / If you eliminate haughty minds, / You will swiftly attain arhatship.' Having heard the verse, the five hundred bhikṣus practiced according to the teaching, and all attained freedom from outflows. The patriarch then performed the eighteen transformations and used the Fire-Radiance Samādhi to incinerate his body. Gupta collected the relics and buried them on Mount Bhāṅgāra. The five hundred bhikṣus each...

3.45

(17. Jiwei) ...carried a banner to lead the procession, proceeding there to build a stupa and make offerings. This was the twenty-second year of King Xuan, the yiwei year. The king had killed Du Bo without guilt. One day when he went out hunting, he saw Du Bo holding a bow and arrow shooting the king through the center of his chest; the king fell from his chariot, broke his spine, and died. This matter is recorded in the Mozi.

3.46

(Gengshen) King You, Gongnie. (Son of King Xuan. He doted on Baosi, who bore Bofu. He deposed the crown prince and Queen Shen to install Bofu. Baosi was not fond of smiling, so the king lit the beacon fires and beat the great drums; all the feudal lords arrived, only to find no invaders, which made Baosi laugh heartily. The king was pleased. Later, the Marquis of Shen joined with the Quanrong nomads to attack the king at Mount Li. The beacon fires were lit again, but the feudal lords did not come. The king died at the foot of the mountain. They then supported the Crown Prince Yijiu to become king in order to continue the Zhou ancestral sacrifices.) He reigned for eleven years.

3.47

(Genghu) King Xie, Bofu. (A concubine-born son of King You. When the Western troops killed the king, Bofu was installed. The people of the state did not submit, and before a year passed, he was deposed.)

3.48

Eastern Zhou (twenty-four sovereigns; capital at Luoyang)

3.49

(18. Xinwei) King Ping, Yijiu. (Crown prince of King You, installed by the Marquis of Shen.) He moved east to the capital of Luoyang to escape danger. He reigned for fifty-one years.

3.50

(Renshen) The feudal lords grew increasingly powerful, and political rule issued from the regional hegemons.

3.51

(Xinmao) Two hundred years since the Bhagavān demonstrated extinction.

3.52

(Year 19, gengzi) The Fourth Patriarch was Upagupta. He was a native of the kingdom of Pāṭaliputra. He was also named Upagupta (youboguoduo) and Upagupta (wuboguoduo). His surname was Śūdra, and his father was Śāntamati. At seventeen he went forth from household life, and at twenty he realized the fruit. Traveling to preach according to circumstances, he reached the kingdom of Mathurā. Those who attained liberation through him were very numerous. Because of this, the palace of Māra trembled, and Pāpīyāns was distressed and terrified. He then exhausted his demonic power to harm the correct Dharma. The Patriarch immediately entered samādhi to observe the cause. Pāpīyāns waited for an opportunity again, secretly holding a jeweled necklace and binding it about his neck. When the Patriarch emerged from concentration, he took three corpses—of a human, a dog, and a snake—and transformed them into a flower garland. With soft words he comforted and addressed Pāpīyāns, saying, "You gave me a necklace that was exceedingly precious and marvelous. I have a flower garland to offer in return." Pāpīyāns was overjoyed, stretched out his neck, and received it. It immediately turned into the three kinds of foul, rotted corpses crawling with maggots and worms. Pāpīyāns was disgusted and filled with great distress; though he exhausted his supernatural powers, he could not move it. He then ascended to the heavens of the six desire realms to tell the celestial kings, and went to King Brahmā to beg for release. Each of them told him, "This is a miraculous transformation produced by a disciple of the Daśabala; how could we of common and base capacity remove it?" Pāpīyāns asked, "If so, what can be done?" King Brahmā said, "You should take refuge in the venerable one with your whole heart; then you will be able to eliminate and sever it." He then spoke a verse instructing him to turn around: "If you fall because of the ground, / you must rise again by means of the ground; / seeking to rise apart from the ground / is completely impossible in principle." Having received this instruction, Pāpīyāns immediately descended from the celestial palace, prostrated at the venerable one's feet, and openly repented with sorrow. Gupta told him, "From now on, will you never again harass or harm the Tathāgata's correct Dharma?" Pāpīyāns said, "I vow to direct myself toward the Buddha path and forever sever what is unwholesome." The Patriarch said, "If so, you may chant with your own mouth taking refuge in the Three Jewels." The Demon King joined his palms and chanted three times; the garland of corpses was entirely removed. He then leaped with joy, paid homage to the venerable one, and spoke a verse: "I bow my head to the venerable one of samādhi, / the holy disciple of the Daśabala; / I now vow to turn my mind around, / let there be no weakness or inferiority." The venerable one converted and guided beings here, and those who realized the fruit were the most numerous. Every time he liberated one person, he placed a tally in a stone chamber. That chamber was eighteen cubits long and twelve cubits wide, and it became completely filled. Finally, there was the son of an elder named Gandhahastin, who came to pay homage to the venerable one, with the aspiration to seek ordination. The Patriarch asked him, "Do you go forth in body or do you go forth in mind?" He answered, "I come to go forth neither for body nor for mind." The Patriarch asked, "If not for body or mind, who then goes forth?" He said, "One who goes forth is without self or what belongs to self. Because there is no self or what belongs to self, the mind neither arises nor ceases. That the mind neither arises nor ceases is the eternal Way. The Buddhas are also eternal; mind is without physical form, and its essence is likewise so." The Patriarch said, "You shall attain great awakening, and your mind will naturally penetrate thoroughly. You should rely on the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha to carry on the sacred lineage." He then shaved his head and gave him the full ordination. He further told him, "Your father once dreamed of a golden sun when you were born; you may be named Dhītika." He further addressed him, "The Tathāgata transmitted the Great Dharma Eye Treasury sequentially, down to me. Now I transmit it again to you. Listen to my verse: Mind is originally mind itself; / original mind has no phenomena. / Where there are phenomena, there is original mind; / neither mind nor original phenomenon." Having transmitted the Dharma, he leaped into the air and displayed eighteen transformations. Then, returning to his original seat, he sat cross-legged and passed away. Dhītika used the tallies inside the chamber to cremate his body, collected the relics, and built a stūpa to make offerings. This was the thirtieth year of King Ping, the gengzi year.

3.53

(Jiwei) The forty-ninth year of the king was the first year of Duke Yin of Lu. Confucius's annals of the Spring and Autumn began from here.

3.54

(Year 20, renxu) King Huan, Lin (grandson of King Ping; Crown Prince Xie died early, so he was enthroned as king), reigned for twenty-three years.

3.55

(Jiazi to yiyou, 33) King Zhuang, Tuo (son of King Huan), reigned for fifteen years.

3.56

(Year 21, jichou) The Fifth Patriarch was Dhītika, a native of the kingdom of Magadha. At the time of his birth, his father dreamed that a golden sun came out of the house and illuminated heaven and earth. In front of it was a great mountain adorned with various gems, and from the mountain summit a spring gushed forth, overflowing and streaming in all four directions. Later, encountering the venerable Gupta, [the master] interpreted it for him, saying: "The jeweled mountain is my body. The gushing spring is the inexhaustible Dharma. The sun emerging from the house is the sign of your now entering the Way. Illuminating heaven and earth is your transcendent wisdom." The venerable one's original name was Gandhahastin; the master changed it to his present name on this account. In Sanskrit it is Dhītika; here it means "penetrating the authentic measure." Having heard the master's explanation, Dhītika leaped with joy and chanted a verse: "The lofty mountain of seven treasures / constantly produces the spring of wisdom; / turning it into the flavor of the true Dharma, / it can liberate all who have affinity." The venerable Gupta also spoke a verse: "My Dharma is transmitted to you; / you will manifest great wisdom. / The golden sun comes out of the house, / illuminating heaven and earth." Hearing his master's marvelous verse, Dhītika made prostrations and upheld it. Later he went to Central India. In that kingdom there were eight thousand great ṛṣis, with Miccaka as their leader. Hearing that the venerable one had arrived, he led the assembly to pay homage and said to the venerable one: "In the past I was born together with you, Master, in the Brahmā heaven. I encountered the ṛṣi Asita, who taught me the methods of the ṛṣis; you met a disciple of the Daśabala and practiced dhyāna. From that point on, our karmic retributions took different paths, and six kalpas have already passed." The venerable one said, "Wandering dispersed through accumulated kalpas—this is indeed true and not false. Now you may abandon the heterodox, return to the correct, and enter the Buddha vehicle." Miccaka said, "Formerly the ṛṣi Asita gave me a prophecy, saying: 'After six kalpas, you will meet a fellow student and obtain the taintless fruit.' Meeting now—is this not past karmic connection? May you, Master, have compassion and liberate me now." The venerable one then ordained him and commanded the holy ones to confer the precepts. The other ṛṣis at first gave rise to pride, but the venerable one displayed great supernatural powers; thereupon they all generated the bodhicitta and went forth together at once. He then told Miccaka: "Formerly the Tathāgata secretly transmitted the Great Dharma Eye Treasury to Kāśyapa, and it was sequentially handed down until it reached me. I now transmit it to you; you must protect and keep it in mind." He then spoke a verse: "Penetrating the original Dharma-mind, / there is neither Dharma nor non-Dharma. / Having awakened, it is identical to not having awakened; / there is neither mind nor Dharma." Having spoken the verse, he leaped into the air, performed eighteen transformations, and consumed his body in the fire-radiance samādhi. Miccaka, together with the eight thousand bhikṣus, collected the relics and erected a stūpa in Mount Pañca to make offerings. This was the fifth year of King Zhuang, the jichou year.

3.57

(Gengzi) King Xi, Huqi (son of King Zhuang; also named Li), ruled for five years. ○ The Five Hegemons arose in succession. (Zhongyongzi said: "A hegemon is one who borrows authority; he uses awe and penalties to secure governance, ensuring that benevolence and righteousness do not submerge. Both Qin and Han followed the way of the hegemon. As for those called the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn: The Zuo Tradition states: 'Duke Huan of Qi assembled the feudal lords nine times and brought all under Heaven under one correct rule.' Confucius called him the foremost of the Five Hegemons. ○ Duke Wen of Jin summoned the Son of Heaven to Heyang and held court with the feudal lords. ○ Duke Mu of Qin, having attacked Zheng and suffered defeat at Xiao, repented of his errors and cultivated virtue. ○ Duke Xiang of Song held the covenant at Lushang, seeking the leadership of the feudal lords from Chu, and the people of Chu granted it. ○ King Zhuang of Chu led the feudal lords to attack Chen and enthroned Duke Ling of Chen, and all the feudal lords submitted.")

3.58

(Yisi) King Hui, Lang (son of King Xi. Earlier, King Zhuang's favored consort gave birth to Prince Tui. Tui was favored and later staged a rebellion. The king fled to Zheng. The Earl of Zheng attacked Tui, killed him, and enthroned the king. At that time, Duke Huan of Qi attacked the Viscount of Chu, reproaching him for not offering the tribute of wrapped reed bundles into Zhou).

3.59

(Jiazi, 34) He ruled for twenty-five years.

3.60

(Year 22, genghu) King Xiang, Zheng (son of King Hui; Prince Dai rebelled, and the king fled to Zheng; Duke Wen of Jin killed Prince Dai and enthroned the king), ruled for thirty-three years.

3.61

(Xinwei) It has been three hundred years since the Bhagavān entered extinction. (After this, Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna composed the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā and other works to destroy views of existence; later, great masters of treatises such as Āryadeva composed the Śataśāstra and other works to broadly elucidate the great meaning, like a lamp illuminating the definitive meaning).

3.62

(Year 23, jiashen) The Sixth Patriarch was Miccaka, a native of Central India. Having received the Dharma transmission, he traveled and taught until he reached a northern Indian kingdom. Seeing golden auspicious clouds above the battlements of the city wall, he sighed and said, "This is the aura of a man of the Way; there must be a great being who will be my Dharma heir." He then entered the city. Among the market stalls there was a man holding a wine vessel in his hand, who approached him and asked, "From what direction has the Master come, and where do you wish to go?" The Master said, "I come from my own mind, and I wish to go nowhere." The man asked, "Do you recognize the object in my hand?" The Master said, "This is an impure vessel that holds what is clean." He asked, "Does the Master also recognize me?" The Master said, "I do not know, and knowing is not I." He further addressed him, "You try stating your own name, and I will later reveal your original cause." The man then answered by speaking a verse: "From immeasurable kalpas / down to my birth in this kingdom, / my original clan is Bhāradvāja, / and my name is Vasumitra." The Master said, "My teacher Dhītika said that formerly, when the Bhagavān traveled through northern India, he told Ānanda: 'In this kingdom, three hundred years after my extinction, there will be a sage of the Bhāradvāja clan named Vasumitra, who will become the seventh among the Chan patriarchs.' The Bhagavān prophesied of you; you should go forth from household life." He then set down the vessel, bowed to the Master, stood to the side, and said: "I recall that in a past kalpa, I once acted as a dānapati and offered a jeweled seat to a Tathāgata. That Buddha gave me a prophecy, saying: 'During the Bhadrakalpa, within the Dharma of Śākya, you will propagate the supreme teaching.' Now this corresponds to the Master's words; I pray you will grant me liberation." The Master then shaved his head and conferred the complete precepts. He then told him: "The Treasury of the Correct Dharma Eye is now transmitted to you; do not let it be severed." He then spoke a verse: "No mind, and nothing to obtain; / speaking of obtaining is not called Dharma. / If one realizes mind is non-mind, / only then does one comprehend the Dharma of mind after mind." Having spoken the verse, he entered the Lion's Vigorous Sprint samādhi, leaped into the air to the height of seven tāla trees, returned to his original seat, and transformed into fire to cremate himself. Vasumitra gathered the sacred bones, placed them in a seven-jeweled casket, and erected a stūpa, depositing it on the upper tier. This was the fifteenth year of King Xiang, the jiashen year.

3.63

(Guimao) King Qing, Renchen (son of King Xiang), ruled for six years. (King Zhuang of Chu began his hegemony).

3.64

(Jiyou) King Kuang, Ban (son of King Qing), reigned for six years.

3.65

(Renzi) ○ (Some say the Bhagavān entered extinction in this year; this is cited mistakenly in the Poxie lun).

3.66

(Year 24, yimao) King Ding, Yu (son of King Kuang), ruled for twenty-one years. ○ (The Viscount of Chu inquired about the size and weight of the cauldrons).

3.67

(Year 25, dingsi) Lao Dan was born on the fourteenth day of the ninth month of this year in Quren Hamlet, Lai Village, Ku County, Chen Commandery, in the state of Chu. The Book of Wei states: Lao Dan's father had the surname Han, personal name Qian, and courtesy name Yuanbi; his mother was named Jingfu. The two united and she became pregnant; after carrying him for eighty years, he was born under a plum (li) tree, which was taken as his surname. His personal name was Er and his courtesy name was Boyang. He was four feet six inches tall, with a protruding forehead, thick eyebrows, turned-up lips, an upturned nose, pointed shoulders, a broad back, drooping ears, and disheveled hair; therefore his posthumous name was Dan. He kept secret in his heart the Way of independent solitary wonder, and relied in practice on the virtue of the Three Treasures: first, compassion; second, frugality; third, not daring to be foremost in the world. In the jimao year of King Jing, purple vapor floated over the pass, and he wished to go to the shifting sands. At that time Yin Xi, the magistrate of Hangu Pass, was a man who understood the Way; he asked for verbal teachings, so Laozi composed two chapters on the Dao and De, totaling five thousand words, all commenting upon the Great Way. Afterward, unable to reach the shifting sands, he died at Huaili at the age of eighty-four. At that time, Qin Yi came to mourn him, gave three wails, and departed. From this it is known that his heavenly mandate ended in the Zhou.

First 67 of 104 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

佛祖歷代通載 — Classical Chinese