大唐故三藏玄奘法師行狀 1.2.3

1.2.3

This person had broad learning and a powerful memory; he was thoroughly versed in all Buddhist teachings as well as non-Buddhist scriptures. Moreover, he was the most senior elder, then one hundred and sixty years of age. Revering him in common, the assembly did not dare utter his personal name, so they referred to him as the Treasury of the True Dharma (Saddharmakośa). The Dharma Master followed [them] inside to pay his respects. Entering properly upon the duties of master and disciple, he strove to show the utmost reverence. When he had finished bowing his head in homage and praising [him], the Treasury of the True Dharma bade the Dharma Master and the other monks to be seated. He asked whence he had come, and [Xuanzang] replied that he had come from the land of Cīna, wishing to study treatises and sūtras such as the Yogācārabhūmi under the master's guidance. Hearing this, [the elder] wept and summoned his disciple Buddhabhadra, instructing him to recount the circumstances of his painful illness from three years earlier. Buddhabhadra said, 'Three years ago, the Upādhyāya was afflicted with an illness: his four limbs were cramped and stiffened, with pain like fire burning and blades cleaving. In his heart he loathed this body and intended to bring about his end by fasting. During the night, he dreamed of a celestial being with a golden complexion, who said to the Upādhyāya: "Do not loathe this body! The body is a vessel of the Dharma; cultivating [the path] is hard to attain. In the past you were once a king and caused much affliction to sentient beings; hence you have brought upon yourself this suffering. You should reprove and repent of yourself, bow, chant, and practice the path, and broadly spread the True Dharma; then your burden of karma can be eliminated. If you simply seek to abandon it by fasting, you will never be done with it: after dying and receiving another body, you will still undergo suffering, just like the wheel over a well turning without cease. In a little more than three years, there will be a monk from the land of Cīna who wishes to come here to study the sūtras and treatises; he has already set out on the road. You should wait for him, expound [the teachings] for him, and transmit them [to him]. When that man has received them, he will spread and circulate them in turn. By this merit, your own guilt will naturally be extinguished. I am Mañjuśrī; out of pity for you, I have come specially to inform you. You should follow my words. From this day forward, your ailment shall also gradually subside." Having spoken, [the celestial being] vanished. From that time on, the Upādhyāya gradually became tranquil.' The Treasury of the True Dharma asked again, 'How much time have you spent on the journey until now?' [Xuanzang] replied, 'Over three years, approaching four.' Since this matched the signs in the former dream, [the elder] comforted and consoled him deeply. Having personally received this prophecy, the Dharma Master was overcome with sorrow and joy; he rose once more to bow in gratitude. When their exchange of sentiments had concluded, he took his leave and withdrew. He was accommodated in the Court of King Bālāditya. After seven days of offerings, he was further granted a superior lodging on the fourth story, with increased provisions. Daily he received one hundred and twenty betel leaves (tāmbūla), twenty areca nuts, twenty nutmegs, one ounce of camphor (drako), and one sheng of the rice for great men; ghee, oil, milk, curd, and candied sugar were all supplied daily in ample sufficiency. The provisions for a single period could not be finished by several people. He was provided with one pure-attendant brāhmaṇa, rode an elephant when going out, had twenty men as escorts, and was exempted from all monastic duties. Among the ten thousand residents and guests in the monastery, those who received this level of provisions numbered only ten, including the Dharma Master. As for what is called 'rice for great men', it is a non-glutinous rice as large as black beans; when cooked, its fragrance can be smelled for more than a hundred paces. Only the country of Magadha has this rice; no other country possesses it. The harvest is also meager; only kings and eminent monks with broad knowledge of the Dharma are permitted to eat it, while others may not; hence it is called 'rice for great men'. His being held in such high esteem during his travels abroad was of this kind everywhere he went. After the Dharma Master had settled in, he went to Rājagṛha to gaze upon and pay homage to the sacred traces, taking several days to complete his visit. Having returned to Nālandā, he requested Dharma Master Śīlabhadra to lecture on the Yogācārabhūmiśāstra; several thousand people listened alongside him. In this way, he listened to the Yogācārabhūmi three times, the Nyāyānusāra once, the Prakaraṇāryavācā, Abhidharmasamuccaya, Nyāyamukha, Śabdavidyā, Pramāṇasamuccaya, and so forth, once each, and the Madhyamakaśāstra and Śataśāstra three times each. As for the Kośa, Vibhāṣā, Ṣaṭpādābhidharma, and the like, he had already finished studying them in Kasmīra and other countries, so here he merely reviewed them to resolve doubts. Thus for five years, sparing neither day nor night, he listened [to lectures]. When he had finished, he went on to the country of Iraṇaparvata to seek out and pay homage to the sacred traces. There was an isolated mountain of extraordinary beauty, on which stood a vihāra containing a sandalwood image of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva that was exceedingly miraculous: whatever one wished and sought with a sincere mind was always obtained. Fearing that dust and dirt might defile it, the guardians had erected railings ten paces away on all sides; people who scattered flowers to make vows all stood outside the railings and were not permitted inside. Respectfully wishing to pray, the Dharma Master bought various kinds of flowers and strung them into garlands. Coming to the place of the image, he paid homage with utmost sincerity, knelt before the Bodhisattva, and made three vows: 'First, after completing my studies here, may I return safely to my home country—may the flowers rest in the Venerable One's hands. Second, through the merit and wisdom I cultivate, may I be reborn in the Tuṣita Palace to serve Maitreya Bodhisattva; if this is to be fulfilled according to my wish, may the flowers hang on the Venerable One's two arms. Third, the holy teaching states that among sentient beings there is a portion without Buddha-nature; I am currently doubtful and do not know whether it exists or not. If I possess Buddha-nature and my practice can lead to attainment, may the flowers crown the Venerable One's head.' Having finished his prayer, he scattered the flower garlands from afar; all fell in accordance with his words. Seeing his wishes completely fulfilled, his joy was boundless. None of the onlookers failed to show reverence and establish a karmic connection. From there he traveled through various countries further on, going as far as the shores of the Southern Sea, viewing and seeking out sacred traces and inquiring after teachers and companions. Reaching the country of Parvata, there were several eminent monks whose learning and conduct were worthy of esteem; accordingly, he stayed for two years, studying under them the basic Abhidharma of the Saṃmatīya school, the Saṃgrahasatyadarśanaśāstra, the Śāsanatattvaśāstra, and so forth. Returning once more to Nālandā Monastery, after paying his respects to the Treasury of the True Dharma, he went to the place of Lay Master Jayasena on Mount Yaṣṭivana. The teacher was of the Kṣatriya caste; from childhood he loved inner and outer scriptures and fully mastered the five sciences and divination. Living constantly by Mount Yaṣṭivana, he nurtured disciples, taught, and perpetually lectured on Buddhist scriptures. The monks and laypeople who took refuge in him numbered hundreds each day. Kings of various countries came frequently to visit and pay respects, washing his feet and making offerings, and enfeoffed him with cities and towns. The people of the time called him Puyi, which means 'one who eats of a fiefdom'. The Dharma Master studied under him the Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-viniścayaśāstra, the Ālambanaparīkṣāśāstra, the Nirbhayatāsiddhiśāstra, the Apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇaśāstra, the Dvādaśāṅgapratītyasamutpādaśāstra, the Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, and so forth, and finished hearing the Yogācāra, Hetuvidyā, and so on. Already in the night,