付法藏因緣傳 2.14

2.14

At that time Upagupta had five hundred disciples who still remained in birth and death, unable to attain liberation; haughtiness arose in their minds, and they were exceedingly arrogant. Upagupta immediately entered samādhi and observed that these people had no karmic connection with himself, and that only his teacher could transform and deliver them. He then single-mindedly concentrated on Śāṇakavāsin. Śāṇakavāsin thereupon, through his supernormal powers, flew through the air like a great king of geese and arrived at where he dwelt. Upagupta had walked off to another place, so only the disciples saw him. Śāṇakavāsin's robes were coarse and tattered, and his hair and nails were long and sharp. He went to Gupta's room and sat upon his seat. Gupta's disciples all became angry: 'What wretched person is this, occupying our master's seat?' They immediately wished to drive him away and make him go outside, but he was like Mount Sumeru, impossible to shake. Wishing to utter harsh words, their mouths involuntarily shut tight. They then went together to Upagupta and addressed him, saying: 'Great Master! There is an old bhikṣu, gaunt and haggard in appearance, who went to our master's seat and sat cross-legged upon it.' Gupta thought to himself: 'Unless it were my master, no one else would be able to sit there.' Arriving at the room, he saw Śāṇakavāsin, and bowed his head to the ground in homage. The disciples thought to themselves: 'Although our master pays homage to him, our master's majestic virtue surpasses his.' Śāṇakavāsin knew that the disciples' haughtiness had not yet ceased. Pointing his finger toward the empty sky, fragrant milk rained down, flowing like a suspended cataract from the peak of a high mountain. He asked, saying: 'Gupta, what sign of meditative absorption is this?' Upagupta immediately entered samādhi and observed with a deep mind, but could not understand it. He then asked his teacher: 'What samādhi is this?' [Śāṇaka]vāsin replied, saying: 'This is called the Nāga-Vigṛmbhita (Dragon’s Stride) Samādhi.' In this manner, one after another through five hundred samādhis, when asked their names, he did not understand any of them. Śāṇakavāsin explained them one by one. Gupta said: 'All that I have attained was received from my master; only regarding these samādhis am I not a fit vessel.' [Śāṇakavāsin said:] 'Gupta, you should know that of the Tathāgata's samādhis, none of the pratyekabuddhas know the names. Of the pratyekabuddhas' samādhis, none of the śrāvakas are able to comprehend them. The samādhis entered by Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Śāriputra, and the others cannot be fathomed by the other arhats. The signs of samādhi of my master Ānanda are completely unknown to me. Now, my samādhis are likewise unknown to you. Such samādhis as these will all be extinguished following me after my nirvāṇa. The seventy-seven thousand Jātaka sūtras in full, the ten thousand [sections of] the Abhidharma Pitaka, and the eighty thousand pure vinayas—such teachings as these will also be extinguished following me. Therefore, Gupta, after the Tathāgata's extinction, the worthy and noble ones have vanished from sight, and thus this Dharma-treasury will gradually decline and dwindle, until at the very end all will be completely gone. You must now diligently protect and preserve it.' At that time the disciples only then reproached themselves: 'We were without wisdom and slighted the great sage; only now do we know that our master's meditative absorption is not equal to his.' Thereupon Śāṇaka taught the Dharma for them, and the five hundred disciples attained the path of arhatship. At that time, having completed what was to be done for sentient beings, the Venerable Śāṇakavāsin soared into the sky and displayed the eighteen miraculous transformations, then returned to his original seat and entered nirvāṇa. Upagupta and his retinue gathered various kinds of fragrant wood and cremated him with fire. They collected his śarīra, erected a stūpa, and made offerings to it.