高僧傳 2.10

2.10

Shortly afterwards, Kumārajīva's mother took her leave to go to Tianzhu, saying to Bai Chun, King of Kucha, "Your state will soon decline; I must depart." Traveling to Tianzhu, she advanced to attain the third fruit. When about to depart, Kumārajīva's mother said to him, "The profound teachings of the vaipulya are destined to be widely propagated in Cīnasthāna; to transmit them to the eastern land depends solely on your strength. Yet there will be no benefit to your own person—what shall you do?" Kumārajīva said, "The way of the Great Being is to benefit others and forget one's own body. If only the Great Transformation can be made to spread, washing clean and awakening the benighted common folk, even if my body should face cauldrons and furnaces, I shall suffer without regret." He then remained in Kucha, dwelling in the Xin Temple. Later, in an old palace beside the temple, he first obtained the *Fangguang jing* [Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra]. Just as he opened and read it, Māra came to obscure the text, so that he saw only empty pages. Kumārajīva knew it was the work of Māra, and his resolve grew even firmer; Māra departed, the characters reappeared, and he continued to study and recite it. Furthermore, he heard a voice in the air saying, "You are a wise man; why read this?" Kumārajīva said, "You are a petty māra; you should leave at once! My mind is like the earth, immovable." He remained there for two years, extensively reciting Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises and thoroughly penetrating their secret depths. The King of Kucha had a golden lion throne constructed for him, spreading it with Da Qin brocade cushions, and commanded Kumārajīva to ascend it and expound the Dharma. Kumārajīva said, "My teacher has not yet awakened to the Mahāyāna; I wish to go in person to instruct him and cannot stay here." Soon, his grand master Bandhudatta arrived from not far away. The King said, "Why has the Grand Master come from so far?" Bandhudatta said, "First, I heard that my disciple's awakening is extraordinary; second, I heard that the Great King promotes and praises the Buddha Way. Therefore, braving hardship and danger, I have rushed from afar to this divine realm." Kumārajīva, having his teacher arrive, rejoiced that his original wish was fulfilled. He expounded the *Sūtra of the Questions of the Virtuous Maiden* (*Vimala-dārikā-paripṛcchā*) for him, largely clarifying that cause and conditions are empty and provisional—which he and his master had formerly both disbelieved, and therefore he expounded it first. His master said to Kumārajīva, "What distinctive marks do you see in the Mahāyāna that you wish to esteem it?" Kumārajīva said, "The Mahāyāna is profound and pure, clarifying that all existent phenomena are empty; the Hīnayāna is one-sided and narrow, with many outflows and defects." His master said, "Your preaching that all is empty is truly fearful! How can you abandon existent phenomena to love emptiness? Like the madman of old who ordered a spinner to spin thread, insisting that it be extremely fine and beautiful: the spinner took great care, making it as fine as fine dust, yet the madman still lamented its coarseness. The spinner grew furious, pointed to the empty air, and showed him: 'This is the fine thread.' The madman said, 'Why can I not see it?' The spinner said, 'This thread is extremely fine; even I, a skilled master of the craft, cannot see it—how much less could others?' The madman rejoiced greatly and gave it to the weaver. The weaver also imitated him; both received high rewards, yet in truth there was nothing. Your doctrine of emptiness is just like this." Kumārajīva then cited analogous cases to explain it, exchanging arguments with utmost earnestness; only after more than a month did his teacher submit in faith. His master sighed, saying, "The teacher could not comprehend, yet [the disciple] has in turn opened his mind—this is proven today." Thereupon, he bowed to Kumārajīva as his master, saying, "The upādhyāya is my Mahāyāna master, and I am the upādhyāya's Hīnayāna master." The states of the Western Regions all submitted to Kumārajīva's divine brilliance. Whenever he gave lectures, the kings would all kneel beside the seat and have Kumārajīva step upon them to ascend; such was the reverence shown to him.