高僧傳 3.24

3.24

Guṇavarman, translated here as "Armor of Merit," was originally of kṣatriya stock; his family had been kings for successive generations, ruling in the country of Jibin (Kashmir). His grandfather Haribhadra, which means "Lion Virtuous," was banished on account of his unbending uprightness. His father Saṃghānanda, which means "Joy of the Saṃgha," consequently lived in retirement among the mountains and marshes. At the age of fourteen, [Guṇa]varman was already quick-witted, perceptive, exceptionally intelligent, and possessed profound, far-reaching vision; he was broadly benevolent and loving, honoring virtue and pursuing goodness. His mother once needed game meat and ordered [Guṇa]varman to procure it. [Guṇa]varman remonstrated: "Among all living creatures, none does not cherish life; to cut short their lives is not the act of a benevolent person." His mother said in anger: "Even if it incurs sin, I will suffer it in your place!" On another day, while boiling oil, [Guṇa]varman accidentally scalded his finger, and thereupon said to his mother: "Please endure the pain on your child's behalf." His mother replied: "The pain is in your body; how could I bear it for you?" [Guṇa]varman said: "If you cannot even bear the pain before your eyes, how much less could you bear the three evil realms!" His mother was then filled with remorse and broke off killing for the rest of her life. When he was eighteen, a physiognomist saw him and said to him: "When you are thirty, you will rule a great country and sit facing south as sovereign. If you take no pleasure in worldly honor, you will attain holy fruits." When he reached the age of twenty, he went forth from the household and received the precepts; he thoroughly illuminated the nine divisions [of scripture], widely mastered the four *Āgama*s, recited over a million words of sūtras, deeply comprehended the vinaya sections, and marvelously entered the essentials of dhyāna, being known at the time as a "Tripiṭaka Master." When he was thirty, the King of Jibin died leaving no heir; the assembly all deliberated, saying: "[Guṇa]varman is a descendant of the royal lineage, and is moreover talented, brilliant, and of weighty virtue; we may ask him to return to the lay life to succeed to the throne of the realm." Several hundred ministers repeatedly and firmly implored him, but [Guṇa]varman would not accept. He then took leave of his master, departed from the multitude, nested in the woods and drank from the valleys, journeying alone through the mountains and wilds, vanishing from human society.