釋氏稽古略 2.77

2.77

Avataṃsaka-sūtra. The Venerable Buddhabhadra (translated here as "Awakened Worthy") of Kashmir in Northern India came to travel through China. Coming to this bingwu year, he arrived in Chang'an. Kumārajīva rushed out with his shoes backward to welcome him, lamenting only that their meeting had come so late. The Qin Crown Prince, Yao Hong, invited him to the Eastern Palace to discuss the Dharma with the Venerable Jīva. Master Jīva asked, "How are phenomena empty?" He answered, "A multitude of subtle particles forms form. Form has no self-nature, and therefore form is empty." He asked again, "Since subtle particles are used to break down form into emptiness, how then do you break down a single subtle particle?" He replied, "Because of a single subtle particle, the multitude of subtle particles is empty; because of the multitude of subtle particles, a single subtle particle is empty." When the śramaṇa Baoyun translated these words, the assembly did not fathom their meaning; all claimed that the fine dust posited by Bhadra was permanent. They petitioned him again, and Bhadra said, "Phenomena do not arise of themselves; they arise due to the convergence of conditions. Due to the condition of a single subtle particle, there is a multitude of subtle particles. Since subtle particles have no self-nature, they are indeed empty. How could one say that a single subtle particle is not broken down?" They still did not agree. After Bhadra crossed the river and entered Mount Kuang, he met Master Huiyuan. In their discussions, Huiyuan held him in high esteem and requested him to translate various scriptures on dhyāna and enumerations. In the wuwu year, the fourteenth year of Yixi, he traveled to Jiangling. The King of Song, Liu Yu, invited him to return to the capital to reside at Minister of Works Xie's Daochang Monastery. In the third month, Meng Yi, Internal Historian of Wujun, and others invited the Venerable to translate the Avataṃsaka-sūtra at the monastery, completing it in sixty fascicles. It was finished in the sixth month of the gengshen year, the first year of Yongchu of Emperor Gaozu of Song. At the time of translating the scripture, two boys in blue garments were moved by resonance: every morning they would emerge from the courtyard pool, burn incense, and add water to the vases, never leaving the side of his seat. At dusk they would slip back into the pool. Once the translation of the scripture was finished, they vanished without a trace (from the Avataṃsaka Resonance Records compiled by Xiuzizhi).