釋氏稽古略 1.270

1.270

西天一祖摩訶迦葉尊者摩竭陀國人也。姓婆羅門。其父號飲澤。母號香志。生而其體金色。初名迦葉波。此曰飲光。蓋取其體之金色光明照耀飲諸光明也。懇父母求出家。為沙門入山。以杜多行自修。會空中有告者曰。佛已出世。請往師之。尊者趨於竹林精舍。特申恭敬。如來乃分座命之坐。時大眾皆驚。謂其何以與此。如來為眾廣說其夙緣。以斷群疑。尋為之說法。而尊者即座成道。然其積修勝德。而智慧高遠故。如來甞曰。我今所有大慈大悲四禪三昧無量功德以自莊嚴。而迦葉比丘亦復如是。一朝乃以正法付之。囑其相傳無令斷絕。復授金縷袈裟命之轉付彌勒。及如來大般涅槃。而尊者方在耆闍崛山。是時地震。光明照耀。即以天眼知之。乃謂眾曰。佛涅槃矣。嗟乎正法眼滅。世間空虛。與其徒即趨拘尸那城。既至雙木之間。而如來既化內於金棺。尊者大慟。遂感如來足出於棺。以慰其哀慕。尋致栴檀白㲲以資其闍維。既經七日。迦葉告五百阿羅漢。令詣十方集諸羅漢王舍城雙樹間。至中夏安居。於十五日結集三藏。闍王日給千人飯食。滿足一夏。爾時迦葉告諸比丘。佛已茶毘。金剛舍利宜與人天為其福田。吾等比丘當務結集以惠來世為其大明。即以神通自昇須彌之頂。而說偈曰。如來弟子且莫涅槃。得神通者當赴結集。遂擊金鐘。其偈因鐘聲而普聞。故應真羅漢皆會於畢鉢羅巖。唯阿難以漏未盡不得即預。宿戶外。終夕思之及曉乃得正證。遂扣戶以告迦葉。迦葉曰。若然汝可以神通自戶鑰中入。阿難如其言而至。是時僉議。三藏者宜何為先。迦葉曰。宜先修多羅。因謂諸聖曰。此阿難比丘多聞總持有大智慧。常隨如來。梵行清淨。所聞佛法如水傳器。無有遺餘。佛所讚嘆。聰敏第一。宜可請彼集修多羅藏。大眾默然。迦葉告阿難曰。汝今宜宣法眼。阿難聞語信受。觀察眾心而宣偈言。比丘諸眷屬離佛不莊嚴。猶如虛空中眾星之無月。說是偈已禮眾僧足。陞法座而宣是言。如是我聞一時佛在某處說某經。乃至人天等作禮奉行。時迦葉問諸比丘。阿難所言不錯謬乎。皆曰不異世尊所說。次命優婆離以集毘尼藏。復命阿難集阿毘曇達磨藏。他部命迦旃延已。而迦葉尊者即入願智三昧觀其所集。果無謬者。然尊者處世方四十五年。終以結集既畢。而說法度人亦無量矣。念自衰老。宜入定於雞足山以待彌勒。故命阿難曰。昔如來將般涅槃預以正法眼付囑於我。我將隱矣。此復付汝。汝善傳持無使斷絕。乃說偈曰。法法本來法。無法無非法。何於一法中。有法有不法。阿難作禮奉命。尊者入定於山。當此周孝王之世也（正宗記）。

The First Patriarch of the Western Heavens, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa, was a man of the kingdom of Magadha. He belonged to the brāhmaṇa caste. His father was called Yinzhe, and his mother was called Xiangzhi. When born, his body was golden in color. He was initially named Kāśyapa, which means "Drinker of Light", taken from the golden radiance of his body shining brightly and drinking up all lights. He earnestly pleaded with his parents to seek renunciation, entered the mountains as a śramaṇa, and cultivated himself through dhūta practices. As it happened, a voice in the air announced: "The Buddha has already appeared in the world. Pray go and make him your master." The Venerable One hastened to the Veṇuvana Vihāra and specially paid homage. The Tathāgata then shared half his seat and invited him to sit. At that time, the great assembly was entirely astonished, wondering how he could be granted this. The Tathāgata broadly explained his past karmic affinities to the assembly to cut off their doubts. Soon he preached the Dharma for him, and the Venerable One attained the Way right on his seat. Because he had accumulated superior virtues and his wisdom was lofty and far-reaching, the Tathāgata once said: "The great loving-kindness, great compassion, the four dhyānas, samādhis, and immeasurable merits that I now possess to adorn myself—the bhikṣu Kāśyapa is also like this." One morning, he entrusted the true Dharma to him, enjoining him to transmit it from one to another and not let it be severed, and also conferred on him the golden-threaded kāṣāya, commanding him to pass it on to Maitreya. When the Tathāgata entered Mahāparinirvāṇa, the Venerable One was on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa. At that time the earth shook, and light shone forth; he knew it immediately with his divine eye. He then said to the assembly: "The Buddha has entered nirvāṇa. Alas, the eye of the true Dharma has perished! The world is empty." With his disciples, he hastened to Kuśinagara. Arriving between the twin trees, the Tathāgata had already passed away and been placed inside a golden coffin. The Venerable One grieved deeply, whereupon he moved the Tathāgata's feet to emerge from the coffin to comfort his sorrow and admiration. Soon he brought sandalwood and white cotton to assist in the cremation. After seven days had passed, Kāśyapa instructed five hundred arhats to go to the ten directions and assemble the arhats at Rājagṛha between the twin trees. When the mid-summer retreat arrived, on the fifteenth day, they compiled the Three Baskets. King Ajātaśatru provided food daily for a thousand people, fulfilling the entire retreat. At that time, Kāśyapa said to the bhikṣus: "The Buddha has already been cremated. The adamantine relics should be given to humans and devas as their field of merit. We bhikṣus must devote ourselves to compiling [the teachings] to benefit future generations as a great light." Then, through spiritual powers, he ascended to the summit of Mount Sumeru and recited a verse:
"Disciples of the Tathāgata, do not yet enter nirvāṇa;
Those who have attained spiritual powers must attend the compilation."
He then struck a golden bell, and through the sound of the bell, the verse was heard everywhere. Thus the true-responding arhats all gathered at the Pippala Rock. Only Ānanda, whose outflows were not yet exhausted, was not permitted to participate directly. He stayed outside the door, contemplating the entire night, and by dawn he attained right realization. He then knocked on the door to report to Kāśyapa. Kāśyapa said, "If that is so, you may enter with your spiritual powers through the keyhole." Ānanda arrived as he had said. At that time, they discussed together: "Among the Three Baskets, which should come first?" Kāśyapa said, "The Sūtras should come first." He then said to the noble ones: "This bhikṣu Ānanda has heard much, holds the dhāraṇīs, and possesses great wisdom. He constantly attended the Tathāgata, and his brahma-conduct is pure. What he heard of the Buddha's Dharma was like water poured between vessels without any remainder. Praised by the Buddha, he is foremost in intellect. He should be invited to compile the Sūtra-piṭaka." The great assembly remained silent. Kāśyapa said to Ānanda, "You should now proclaim the Dharma eye." Ānanda heard these words, faithfully accepted them, observed the minds of the assembly, and proclaimed a verse:
"The retinue of bhikṣus,
Bereft of the Buddha, is unadorned,
Just as in the empty sky,
A host of stars lacks the moon."
Having spoken this verse, he bowed to the feet of the assembled saṅgha, mounted the Dharma seat, and proclaimed these words: "Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was at such-and-such place and preached such-and-such sūtra..." down to "humans, devas, and others paid homage and put it into practice." Then Kāśyapa asked the bhikṣus, "Are the words spoken by Ānanda not mistaken?" They all replied, "They are no different from what the World-Honoured One spoke." Next, he commanded Upāli to compile the Vinaya-piṭaka, and again commanded Ānanda to compile the Abhidharma-piṭaka. After other sections were assigned to Kātyāyana, the Venerable Kāśyapa entered the samādhi of knowledge through vow and observed what had been compiled, finding indeed that there were no errors. The Venerable One lived in the world for only forty-five years [after this]. In the end, the compilation being completed, and the people he had saved by expounding the Dharma being immeasurable, he considered that he was aging and feeble and should enter meditative absorption on Mount Kukkuṭapāda to await Maitreya. Therefore he commanded Ānanda, saying: "Formerly, when the Tathāgata was about to enter parinirvāṇa, he beforehand entrusted the eye of the true Dharma to me. I am about to conceal myself; this I now entrust again to you. Transmit and uphold it well, and do not let it be severed." He then spoke a verse:
"The Dharma of dharmas is originally Dharma;
There is no Dharma, nor is there non-Dharma.
How can there be within the one Dharma
That which is Dharma and that which is not Dharma?"
Ānanda bowed and received the command. The Venerable One entered meditative absorption on the mountain. This was in the era of King Xiao of the Zhou (Zhengzong ji).