續高僧傳 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.6 — 6 parts
4.7 — 5 parts

4.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoxuan of Ximing Monastery under the Great Tang

4.2

Section on Translators of Scriptures, Part 4: Two primary biographies

4.3

Biography of Shi Xuanzang of Da Cien Monastery in the Capital, Part 1

4.4

Biography of the Indian monk Nadī of Da Cien Monastery in the Capital, Part 2

Shi Xuanzang originally had the given name Yi and was of the Chen clan. He was a descendant of Zhonggong, magistrate of Taiqiu under the Han. His descendants relocated to Henan, so he was also a native of Goushi in Luozhou. His grandfather Kang was an Erudite in the Directorate of Education under the Northern Qi. His father Hui early on mastered the classics and arts; he was eight feet tall, with clear eyes and fine eyebrows. He was appointed magistrate of Jiangling, but untied his seal-ribbon and returned home; this was during the final years of the Daye reign era. Discerning people believed that this was because he foresaw his end and it was an omen for living in reclusion. His elder brother Su had become a monk, namely Dharma Master Changjie. Majestic in appearance, with exceptional dignity and bearing, he lectured on and explicated scriptural teachings and ranked among the best. He resided at Jingtu Temple in the Eastern Capital. Because Xuanzang suffered hardship and cruelty in his youth, he took him in and looked after him. Every day he taught him subtle principles and covered subtle treatises as well. At the age of eleven, Xuanzang recited the Vimalakīrti and the Lotus Sūtra. When regular ordinations took place in the Eastern Capital, he was chosen to take his place among them. From then on, he was remarkably upright, not mingling with ordinary associates. His mouth reciting and his eyes perusing, he hardly ever rested or neglected his studies. Seeing the novice monks engaged in frivolous talk and jesting, Xuanzang said, "Does the scripture not say: 'Those who leave the household do so for the sake of the unconditioned Dharma'? How can you continually indulge in children's games? It can truly be called wasting a whole life in vain. Even the aspiration to emulate the worthy is considered lowly and not to be taken if it does not stand above the crowd and surpass the ordinary; how much more should this be reflected in one's deeds before words!" At that time, Huiri Temple in the Eastern Capital was flourishing with Dharma lectures. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Mahāyānasaṃgraha were taught in continuous succession. Xuanzang always attended and listened, reflecting and discerning from dusk to dawn. The saṅgha marveled at his joyful dedication and praised his pure style; their respect and affection reached the utmost, and teachers and friends all shared in his glory. The assembly valued his scholarly dedication and excused him from labor duties. At the age of fifteen, he lived with his brother at Jingtu Temple. From this point on, he specialized in receiving teachings, and his renown spread ever farther. In the waning years of Daye, war and famine alternated; the conditions for both Dharma and sustenance were cut off, and there was nowhere to take refuge. Hearing that the śramaṇa Daoji was disseminating the teaching across the Jingluo region, revered by both monastic and lay, Xuanzang and his brother followed him. Traveling, they reached Chang'an and stayed at Zhuangyan Temple. Yet this was not what he had hoped for. Venturing west across the Jian'ge Pass, they reached the capital of Shu. There he listened to and received the Abhidharma treatises; having heard them once, he never forgot them, matching the praised masters of old. Following the words, he reflected on the principles, surpassing his peers. As for the Mahāvibhāṣā, the extensive treatises, and the subtle meanings of the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya, there was nothing whose deep recesses he did not fathom, distinguishing the branches from the trunk. However, the transmission of this treatise to the east was extremely broad, and the varying commentaries and digests numbered over several dozen; yet he retained them all naturally in his mind as soon as he heard them. When it came to grasping the meaning beyond the words, he could quote and apply them without hesitation. People at the time all marveled that his retentive power was rare in all of history. Daoji would often look at him and sigh, "In my youth I visited many lecture halls, but I have never seen a youth of such spiritual comprehension as this man!" Those listening in the assembly all hailed him as a hero. With many troubles in all four directions, people flocked together to Mian and Yi, praising him and spreading his fame by word of mouth. Moreover, the śramaṇa Sengjing's exposition of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha shook Katyāyana's fame; in the world it was regarded as unsurpassable, and people esteemed his refined analyses. All followed lineages of transmission and established their doctrines, clearly determining obscure points. Formerly, concerning the meaning of the twelve abodes in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, there were twelve traditions that analyzed and explicated its internal and external aspects. During the lectures, their recitations were mostly dim and confused; yet when Xuanzang first heard them, his recording did not err in the slightest. Ascending the seat to introduce and quote them, he never had to look twice. Explaining as needed, his presentation surpassed long-prepared compositions. Instances like this were so numerous they cannot be fully recounted. In the fifth year of Wude, at the age of twenty-one, before various academies of learning, he lectured and propagated the Abhidharmahṛdaya for prominent śramaṇas. Without glancing at the text, his recitation and exposition flowed endlessly. At the time, they regarded him as a spiritual man, saying, "Were he not spiritual, how could he achieve this?" Later, he resided with his brother at Konghui Temple in south Yi. He thought to himself: "In learning, what is valuable is reaching far; in principle, what is important is thorough penetration. To drill and seek only in one region falls short of fathoming the profound." There was the śramaṇa Daoshen, who comprehended the Tattvasiddhi and whose learning was acclaimed as comprehensive. Holding authority and spreading the teaching, he shook the land of Zhao. Xuanzang's heart was stirred, and he resolved to leave Ba and Shu. Changjie deeply understood his far-reaching aspirations; though bound by deep affection, he continually encouraged him. With his proper intention already resolved, Xuanzang vowed never to turn back. Thereupon he feigned an excuse to take his leave and traveled along the Yangtze Gorges. In the course of his journey, he passed through prefectures such as Jing and Yang. Seeking Dao-lin, he could not determine where to find him, so he went north to Daoshen's place and joined Shen's disciple Yongkai. Having long admired Daoshen's fine reputation, he absorbed everything without omission. In the space of ten months, he had completely received his teachings. At that time, scholars of Yan and Zhao looked at each other in the autumn season, finding that he who started later had arrived first; indeed, such was this man. The śramaṇa Huixiu had a lofty reputation; rich in both practice and understanding, he outshone past and present. Residing alone in Ye, he expounded and transmitted the teachings, and wherever his eloquence pointed, the lofty minds within the seas yielded. Xuanzang went to follow him as well. Though they had never met before, upon meeting it was as if they were old acquaintances. Setting aside the etiquette of teacher and disciple, they treated each other as Dharma companions. Huixiu gave him solitary lectures on the Saṃyuktābhidharmahṛdaya and the Mahāyānasaṃgraha, pointing out subtle obscurities and thoroughly demonstrating the fundamental guidelines. For eight consecutive months, Xuanzang received and responded tirelessly. Huixiu was astonished, deeply sighed, clapped his hands, and exclaimed, "If there is a rare person in this world, it is surely you!" The śramaṇa Daoyue was an authority on the Abhidharmakośa and propagated the Sarvāstivāda school. Embracing the essentials and holding the key points, he propagated his work in the imperial capital, and scholars flocked to him. Xuanzang went to follow him as well. When he first arrived in the capital to examine the paths and gardens of doctrine, the śramaṇa Fachang was the foremost of his time; his teachings on sūtras and treatises drew followers like a forest. Xuanzang asked ten questions at once, all posing deep and abstruse points; the distinguished minds in the assembly had never heard of such profound thoughts. Because of this, his fame spread among the followers of the Way, and his reputation rang out under the sun. The śramaṇa Sengbian was a master debater of the Dharma wheel, excelling in quick intellect; he invited Xuanzang to share his mat, saying, "He is of our kind!" Yet because the single treatise of the Abhidharmakośa was something Xuanzang had not heard previously, he devoted himself to it, consulting Daoyue day and night. Daoyue saw his sincere devotion and his intellect as bright as the dawn clouds; his delight in expounding was boundless, letting Xuanzang probe the depths as he wished. Xuanzang meditated deeply and collected its teachings, mastering it thoroughly in a full year. The śramaṇa Xuanhui was skilled at analyzing the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, revising old commentaries and tuning the strings anew. Xuanzang, hearing of his fine reputation, sat directly before his seat, questioning him on doubts, and all obscurities were brilliantly dispelled. Song Gong Xiao Yu, Vice Director of the Right, respected his outstanding talent and petitioned for him to reside at Zhuangyan Temple. Yet this was not his original aspiration; his mind dwelt beyond worldly matters. He then reflected again: "I have traveled through Wu and Shu, and reached Zhao and Wei, ending in Zhou and Qin. Wherever there were lecture halls, I attended them all. Though the teachings already spread are kept in my breast, for doctrines not yet spoken, there is no place to resolve their keys. If I do not disregard my life and sacrifice myself, vowing to go to Huaxu, how can I see the full, established words to penetrate spiritual understanding? Once I behold the luminous Dharma and the true texts of definitive meaning, I must return to the Eastern Land to spread and propagate the holy transformation. Then how could the former sages and eminent ones have had to resolve their doubts with Maitreya, or future keen minds need to cease their reflections on the Yogācārabhūmi?" At that time he was twenty-nine years old. Thereupon, acting with resolute determination alone, he went to the palace gate to submit a memorial. The officials would not forward it. Stranded in the capital area, he broadly approached foreigners of various regions to learn their scripts and languages. Walking and sitting, he sought instruction, and within a few days he had mastered them. Sitting upright and facing west, he waited for an opportunity. In the third year of Zhenguan, a frost caused famine, and an imperial decree permitted monastics and laity to disperse in all four directions in search of plentiful food. Xuanzang, taking advantage of this opportunity, went straight to Guzang and gradually reached Dunhuang. His path led through the Heavenly Barrier. Packing provisions and pitying his own shadow, he looked ahead into the boundless distance: seeing only flat sands and completely lacking human tracks, anxious and committing his life to destiny, he advanced according to his karma. Stage by stage, he reached the border of Gaochang. Earlier, while in Liangzhou, Xuanzang had expounded sūtras and treatises, and Chinese and barbarian elites and commoners had gathered in great numbers to revere him. Merchants transmitted the news, so it was heard in the barbarian regions beforehand. Qu Wentai, the King of Gaochang, had extraordinary faith in Buddhist scriptures; hearing of Xuanzang's announcement that he would travel to the western regions, he constantly stationed relay posts to welcome him at the border. Hearing suddenly that he had arrived, the king stood waiting through the night. The queen mother and royal consorts held torches before the palace. Seeing Xuanzang's hardships and hearing him recount his intentions, the entire palace wept, marveling at this rare occurrence. They invited him to stay for the summer retreat and earnestly requested him to propagate the Dharma permanently. The king addressed him as a brother, and the queen mother addressed him as a son, offering extraordinary etiquette and lavish provisions day and night. Thereupon Xuanzang lectured on the Benevolent King Sūtra and other teachings suitable for the capacities. Both monastics and laity grew attached, all wishing for him to remain permanently. Xuanzang said, "My original desire was to open up the great conversion far and wide to bless my home country. Disregarding my humble life, I braved death to flee to the west. If, as the Tathāgata said, I linger in this land, not only would I undermine my initial purpose, but I fear it would become an obstacle to the Dharma entirely." He then fasted for three days. Seeing his extreme determination, no one dared say another word. The queen mother said, "Our meeting today with the Dharma master is entirely due to karmic conditions from past lives. If you fulfill your wish and return east, we hope you will deign to instruct us again." Thereupon she exchanged an incense token with Xuanzang by hand, vowing to be mother and son. Qu Wentai wept, clasped his feet, and parted with him. The king then ordered an Gentleman of the Palace Attendance to take five hundred bolts of damask and silk and twenty-four letters, and provided sixty mounted escorts to accompany Xuanzang to the tent of the Yabghu Qaghan of the Göktürks. Because the more than sixty kingdoms north of the Great Snowy Mountains were all under his command, the king dispatched him with generous gifts to open the road ahead for Xuanzang. When he first arrived at the tent, the gifts were twice as many as usual. The Qaghan thought he was the king's actual brother, and though Xuanzang explained the truth, he would not believe it. The Qaghan valued the gifts and sent riders ahead to inform the kingdoms under his rule that wherever there were famous monks or sacred sites, Xuanzang must be allowed to visit. Thereupon, with several dozen horses riding in sequence, the retinue was as magnificent as an imperial envoy's. Along the way, kingdoms came to pay respects, and provisions and rest stops were doubly superior to the beginning. From Gaochang to the Iron Gate, he passed through a total of sixteen kingdoms. The quality of the people and the sincerity of their faith are recorded in detail in maps and biographies. The Iron Gate is the Iron Gate Pass, the western barrier of the Han. Entering the mountains for five hundred li, there is no other road; a single path leads south, an absolute precipice devoid of human life. On the left and right, stone walls stand sheer for a thousand fathoms, with the color and appearance of iron, hence the name. One can see the leaves of the Han gates, one standing and one fallen, iron on the outside and wood within, hung with many bells. Closing this pass truly makes it a natural stronghold. Exiting this pass to the south, the soil is warm and fertile, and flowers and fruits flourish; the land is called Tokharistan. It extends over a thousand li from north to south and more than three thousand li from east to west, bordered on the east by the Congling Mountains, on the west by Persia, on the south by the Great Snowy Mountains, and on the north backed by the Iron Gate. The great river Vakṣu flows westward through its middle, which is the Vakṣu River mentioned in the scriptures. The territory is divided into twenty-seven kingdoms, each with its own ruler who reveres and honors the Buddha's teachings. The monks begin their retreat on the sixteenth day of the twelfth month, sitting through the spring equinox, because at this time it is warm and rains frequently. Traveling forward through thirteen more kingdoms, he reached the kingdom of Balkh. The land is expansive and flourishing, and people call it the Little Rājagṛha. The kingdom is close to the Yabghu's southern tent. By Göktürk custom, they live in the northern wilds in summer, where grasses and flowers flourish, which is excellent for grazing; in winter they live in the mountains to ward off the severe cold. Hence they have two tent capitals. Outside the city, in a monastery to the southwest, there is the Buddha's washing basin holding about a dou, as well as the Buddha's broom and tooth relic. Guarded and adorned, they are very difficult to view. As a state guest, Xuanzang personally paid homage to them on his head. Not far to the northwest are the two cities of Trapuṣa and Bhallika, where stūpas soar into the air; these are the home towns of the elders who first offered roasted flour when the Buddha attained the Way, where the stūpas for his hair and nail relics stand. Traveling southeast through the Great Snowy Mountains for over seven hundred li, he reached the kingdom of Bāmiyān. There are several thousand monks who study the Lokottaravāda school. In the mountain north of the royal city is a standing stone image, a hundred and fifty feet high. East of the city is a reclining Buddha over a thousand feet long. Both are housed in layered vihāras, adorned with gold and jewels, dazzling the eye. Those who behold them praise them. There are also tooth relics of the Buddha, a pratyekabuddha's tooth from the beginning of the kalpa about five inches long, and a gold-wheel-turning king's tooth about three inches long, as well as the bowl of Śāṇakavāsa and his nine-strip robe, whose crimson color still remains. Traveling east through the mountains, he reached the kingdom of Kapiśa. Their devotion is even greater. There are six thousand monks, mostly studying the Mahāyāna. Every year the king makes an eighteen-foot silver statue, invites people from far and near, and establishes many famous altars. In the kingdom there is a tooth from when the Tathāgata was a bodhisattva, about an inch long, and his hair, which can be pulled out to over a foot long and spirals back when released. North of this region, the populace is mixed with Hu and Rong barbarians; their dress and deportment do not conform to the Great Xia. They are called a border kingdom of the mleccha kind, translated in the Tang language as an impure race. Going southeast for seven hundred li, he reached the kingdom of Lampa, which is the northern border of India. As for the term "Yindu", it is the correct name for Tianzhu, whereas Shendu and Xiandou are erroneous transliterations. Regarding its territory, backed by the Snowy Mountains to the north and flanked by the great ocean on three sides, its shape is narrow in the south like a crescent moon. The plains are broad and expansive, ninety thousand li in circumference. Over seventy kingdoms reside within it. Sometimes they splinter into territories as separate kingdoms, but now they all obey the command of a single king throughout the reaches of the three oceans. Further east across the Snowy Mountains, he reached the kingdom of Nagarahāra, which is the old site where the Buddha spread his hair to cover the mud. Examining the marks in the scriptures, there are doubts about this: for if one investigates the past events, they took place before the Bhadrakalpa. Padmaprabha and Dīpaṃkara had different names, and the three Buddhas were not in the same kalpa; having repeatedly undergone fire destructions, how could the original place still be muddy and wet today? Yet if one considers it false, the Buddha does not speak falsely. Various masters offer different explanations. Some commentators say: "This is truly the original place, and the Buddha is not speaking falsely. Although it has undergone kalpa destructions, the adornment produced by the power of vows at the site of original emptiness is just as it was in the causal stage. These are all the flowing transformations of the Tathāgata; that these traces remain constant is not to be wondered at." Therefore, on the left of this sacred site, stūpas have been erected—stūpa is the correct name for a sacred pagoda, while toupo and dousoupo are erroneous transliterations. King Aśoka, whose name means "Free from Sorrow", lamented that he had not seen the Buddha, and was filled with longing; wherever there were holy traces, he erected monuments. Therefore, he built a stone stūpa here, over three hundred feet high. There are also the Buddha's shadow on the stone wall and various marks of his footprints, all marked with monuments, just as described before.

4.6.1

Not far to the south of the city, in the city of Hiḍḍa, there is the Buddha's uṣṇīṣa bone, two inches in circumference according to the standard ruler; its appearance is upturned and flat, shaped like a heavenly canopy. The Buddha's cranium is shaped like a lotus leaf plate. The Buddha's eyeball is round, about the size of a Chinese plum, lucid and clear. There is the Buddha's great robe (saṅghāṭī), yellowish-red in colour. There is the Buddha's khakkhara (monk's staff), which has an iron ring and a shaft of red sandalwood. These five sacred traces are located in the same city, and the duty of guarding them is like that of protecting the state's regalia. To the north, it is close to the Turks, and in the past, it suffered their invasions; yet although [the relics] were carried to other places, they secretly returned to their original site. Thus their concealment and appearance correspond to conditions, and have never been overcome by military might. When Xuanzang venerated these spiritual relics, tears streamed from his eyes. Parting the powdered incense with his own hand to view their physical forms directly, his joy doubled. Then, using mixed incense, he pressed an impression on the uṣṇīṣa bone, and seeing an auspicious sign appear, his feelings of awe and celebration increased all the more. Recently, a northern barbarian, the king of the Great Yuezhi, wishing to know his future recompense, used incense to obtain an impression; it showed the form of a horse, which was far from what he had hoped for. He then added more alms, accumulated merit, and repented; when he took an impression with incense again, it displayed the form of a lion. Although it was the lord of the beasts, it was still an animal. With doubled devotion, he further gave alms and kept the precepts; thereupon, the forms of humans and devas appeared, and only then did he return to his native land. For this reason, according to local custom, those who wish to see the five relics pay one gold coin for each, and those who take an impression of them pay seven gold coins. The laymen exploit these treasures to supply funds for merit; since the relics are not under the custody of monks, their safeguarding is even more rigorous, and whether cleric or lay, one must pay the fee first. Receiving the king's order, Xuanzang was able to view all of them completely. The monks of neighbouring countries, relying on this honour, came together to pay homage. Further travelling through the eastern mountains, he reached the kingdom of Gandhāra. There were over a thousand Buddhist monasteries, but the people followed mixed beliefs. In the city, there had originally been a shrine for the alms-bowl, fully adorned in various ways; in the past, the Tathāgata's bowl had remained in this shrine for several hundred years, but it has now been moved to the palace of the king of Persia for worship. To the east of the city, there is the great stūpa of King Kaniṣka, with a base circumference of a li and a half. One hu of relics of the Buddha's bones is housed inside. It rises to a height of over five hundred feet, with twenty-five tiers of finial wheels above and below. Having suffered the three calamities of celestial fire, it was then being rebuilt; this is what is known in the world as the Que-li stūpa. Empress Dowager Ling, née Hu, of the Northern Wei, having deep devotion, sent the śramaṇa Daosheng and others, carrying a great banner over seven hundred feet long, to go there and hang it up; the bottom edge just barely reached the ground. It was this very stūpa. The origin of the name 'Que-li' is unknown. To its left and right, the sacred sites are extremely numerous: nearby are the places where Vasubandhu and Manoratha composed treatises; further off are the places where [the Buddha in past lives] gave up his thousand eyes and served his two parents as Śyāma. The renowned Mount Daṇḍa, the site of Viśvantara's former deeds, where a hermit was disturbed by a woman, and where the Buddha converted the Mother of Demons (Hārītī)—all these are within its borders. King Aśoka built stone stūpas for all of them, the tallest being several hundred feet high, erecting markers for them. Travelling from the northern mountains, he reached the kingdom of Uḍḍiyāna, which is what is commonly known in the world as the kingdom of Uḍḍiyāna in North Tianzhu. Its territory is over five thousand li in circumference; fruits are abundant, and it is held in high esteem by various countries. Tradition relates that it was the pleasure park of a former Cakravartin king. There are more than ten thousand monks, who also study the Mahāyāna. Around the royal capital are many ancient monuments: the sites of Kṣāntirṣi, the Buddha's footprints, giving up one's life over half a verse to avoid an enemy, breaking bones to write scriptures, cutting flesh to ransom a dove, medicine from a serpent saving lives, and giving blood to a yakṣa—all such signs are fully arrayed in this land. He paid respects to each of them, his heart filled with redoubled joy. Less than three hundred li northeast of the city, there is a dragon spring in a great mountain named Apalāla, which is the source of the Indus River, flowing to the southwest; this is what is called the Sindhu River in the sūtras. Going southeast from the royal capital, crossing mountains and ascending the river over iron suspension bridges and wooden plankways, the path was extremely perilous; after more than a thousand li, he reached a very large valley, which was the former royal capital of Uḍḍiyāna. Inside there was a wooden image of Maitreya, over a hundred feet tall; it was made by the arhat Madhyāntika, who took craftsmen up to heaven three times before it was completed. The dignified and noble appearance of its body is exceptionally hard to describe. Turning back from Uḍḍiyāna, he went south to the kingdom of Takṣaśilā, where he saw in detail the pool where the dragon Elāpatra dwelt, the place where Candraprabha sacrificed his eyes, and the stūpa marked by King Aśoka rising ten chang high. To the north there is a stone gate, extraordinarily lofty, towering amidst layered mountains, through the middle of which the road passes; this is also the place where Sattva gave up his body. From here, proceeding southeast along rugged mountain paths, passing through a small kingdom and crossing several iron suspension bridges for less than two thousand li, he reached the kingdom of Kaśmīra, which is commonly called Jibin in local tradition; it is unknown how the name Jibin originated, but looking at its geographical boundaries, it is identical to Jibin. Originally, it was a dragon sea; an arhat took it, settled the assembly there, and propagated the Tripiṭaka. Hence the realm is enclosed on all four sides by mountains, more than seven thousand li in circumference, with narrow passes and approaches. There are five thousand monks, most of whom study the Hīnayāna. The kingdom had an eminent elder, a master of great virtue named Skandhila. Xuanzang studied the Kośa, the Nyāyānusāra, Hetuvidyā, Śabdavidyā, and the Mahāvibhāṣā under him. The king, showing pity for his coming from afar, provided ten scribes to assist him in copying texts. There was a Buddha's tooth about an inch long, bright white like snow. From Lampā to this place, the various kingdoms surrounding the mountains had vulgar physical appearances and followed barbarian customs; though included within the Five Regions, they are not properly within India itself. Because they dwell in mountain valleys, their customs are mixed with those of the borders. Descending southward from here, the view opens up without mountains; after nearly a thousand li, he reached the kingdom of Ṭakka. The territory is situated on a flat plain, more than ten thousand li in circumference, with two rivers flowing separately, and vegetation lush and luxuriant. At that time, accompanied by more than twenty companions, he entered a great forest and was robbed by bandits, barely escaping with his life. Entering a village to beg for alms, they finally reached the eastern border. In the great forest there was a brāhmaṇa, seven hundred years of age, whose appearance was like that of a man of thirty, who thoroughly understood the Madhyamakaśāstra and the Śataśāstra as well as non-Buddhist texts; he said he was a disciple of Nāgārjuna. Xuanzang stayed with him for a month to study. Moving further east, he reached the kingdom of Cinabhukti, where he studied treatises such as the Abhidharma, the Samayapradīpikā, and the Nyāyamukha under Master Vinitaprabha. Moving further east, he went to the Nagaradhana Monastery, where he studied the Prakaraṇapāda-vibhāṣā under the treatise master Candravarmā. Moving further east to the kingdom of Śrughna, he studied the Sautrāntika Vibhāṣā under the bhadanta Jayagupta. He also studied the Satyasiddhi-śāstra of the Sarvāstivāda under the master Mitrasena. Gradually proceeding southeast, he passed through six kingdoms with many relics. The stūpas marked by King Aśoka standing twenty chang high were not few. Among these was the kingdom of Mathurā, which possessed the most abundant traces. Six li east of the city, there is a mountain monastery; long ago Upagupta—translated into the language of the Tang as 'Jinhu' (Near Protector)—who was one of the Five Masters, [dwelt here].

4.6.2

[These] were built at the place of his original residence. The stone chamber in the northern cliff was more than two hundred feet high and thirty paces across. Not far to its side were the place where the monkey fell into the pit, the places where the four Buddhas circumambulated, and the place where sages and worthies dwelt; numinous signs were manifold. Continuing southeast, he passed through seven countries and arrived at the country of Kapiṭha. The folk custom was to serve Maheśvara. Their shrine was more than a hundred feet high, inside of which was a likeness of the deva, exceedingly vast in form; it was said that all the destinies of rebirth are born from him. Kings and commoners revered it together without finding it base or shameful; the shrines to devas throughout various countries mostly set up this form. Generally speaking, there were roughly a hundred heterodox traditions, and among them the revered one was mostly Maheśvara. There was a great monastery with five hundred monks, while the pure attendants and servants numbered several tens of thousands, all residing beside the monastery. Inside were three flights of steps, arranged from south to north; these were made by Śakra when the Buddha spent the summer retreat in Trāyastriṃśa for his mother's sake and descended from heaven at the summer's end. The original foundation of the jeweled steps had sunk and disappeared entirely; later kings modeled [steps] after them on their ancient site, still more than seventy feet high. King Aśoka had erected for them a stone pillar, more than seventy feet tall, brightly polished and clear, within which the shadow of human transgressions and merits was reflected. Beside it was the stone foundation where the four Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa circumambulated, some fifty paces in length and over seven feet high; wherever their feet had trodden, lotus patterns arose. Not far to the northwest of the country, some two hundred li, one reaches the country of Kanyākubja—which in Tang speech is Qunücheng (City of Hunchbacked Maidens). The royal capital overlooks the Gaṅgā River, which is the correct name for the Henghe (Ganges). Its source comes from the north, emerging from the great Snow Mountains (Himālaya). In that land, false and correct [teachings] are both revered; the monks exceed ten thousand. There are many holy traces: places where the four Buddhas walked and sat, places where the Dharma was preached for seven days, and stūpas for the Buddha's teeth, hair, and nails; shrines number over a thousand. Famous monasteries of extraordinary appearance mostly overlook the north of the river. Xuanzang studied the two Vibhāṣās of Buddhadāsa and Sūryavaṃśa under the Tripiṭaka Master Vīryasena in this country for three months. The king's title was Śīlāditya; he governed the world with the true Dharma for nearly fifty years. The name 'Śīlāditya' was a posthumous-style name; in this land, after someone passes away, their virtue is weighed to confer it, whereas in that land, upon first ascending [the throne], they are first presented with the title, considering that praise after demise is merely empty fame. He still governs the world today, commanding the Five Indias. In the beginning, he governed a border territory as a minor kingdom. Previously there was King Śaśāṅka, whose authority held sway across the seas; cruel, tyrannical, and devoid of the Way, he slaughtered the Śākya clan, uprooted the bodhi tree, and severed its roots and shoots, choosing only some three hundred famous and virtuous ones to retain, while the rest were turned into slaves. Śīlāditya keenly knew that the misfortune originated with the tree; he went with various officials to the bodhi pit and took a great vow, saying: 'If I have the merit to reign over all within the seas and can truly elevate and build the Buddha-dharma, may the bodhi tree sprout forth from the earth!' Having spoken, he looked around and saw a bodhi sprout leaping up from inside the pit. He then turned his troops and horses and marched to Śaśāṅka's place; through the power of his majesty and merit, he promptly eliminated him. It was on account of this that he embraced a sincere faith that redoubled compared to before. He returned to rule the five regions with eighty thousand war elephants; wherever his military might reached, it relied upon their power. By nature, he did not eat blood; where sheep existed within his transformed realm, he redeemed them all and gave them to the monks to provide milk and curd. Once every five years he held an almsgiving, emptying his treasuries; once the treasuries were exhausted, he replenished them again, and when the time arrived, he carried it out once more, using this as a regular rule. For those who violated royal law or even committed rebellion, whose crime deserved death, he banished them to distant borderlands; as for other punishments, they are hardly worth speaking of. For this reason, thefts and robberies were frequent throughout the countries; unless one relied on companions and assistance, one could not venture forward rashly. Going further southeast for more than two thousand li across four countries, following the bank of the Gaṅgā River, [he] was suddenly captured by autumn bandits who needed a person to sacrifice to heaven. Some eighty people aboard the same boat were all bound and seized; they chose only Master Xuanzang as fit to serve as food for the deity. Thereupon they erected an altar by the river and placed Xuanzang upon it; at first, they intended to feast on him raw, and then plunge him into a cauldron. At that very moment, there was no way to seek rescue. He directed his contemplation to the Merciful Honoured One, the Tathāgata Maitreya, and to the Triple Gem preserved in the Eastern Xia, privately making a vow: 'If my remaining karmic fortune has not run out, may I receive release; if I am bound not to meet it, what can be done about fate?' The people on the boat wept and wailed aloud together. Suddenly an evil wind arose from all sides, and the bandits' boat was overturned and sunk; flying sand and snapping branches filled them all with terror. The people also addressed the bandits, saying: 'This person is to be pitied; he did not shun danger and hardship, and his mind is solely devoted to the Dharma to benefit the border regions. If you kill him, your crime will be supreme! Rather kill us; you must not harm him.' Hearing this, the bandits dropped their blades, bowed in shame, received the precepts, repented their faults, and released him to go wherever he wished. He arrived at Kauśāmbī. The heterodox were flourishing. In the royal capital was a Buddha shrine sixty feet high, housing a sandalwood image made in antiquity by the Great King Udayana, modeled after his reflection in heaven. Beside it were many dragon caves and holy traces. Further northeast for more than a thousand li, he reached the country of Śrāvastī—which is the correct name for Shewei and Shepoti. Looking around in all directions, it was ruined and destroyed, with only ancient foundations remaining. The palace where Prasenajit ruled and the former mansion of Sudatta still had their foundation stones preserved. Five li south of the city was the Jetavana—that is, the Jeta Grove, built by the minister Sudatta for King Prasenajit. The entire monastery had collapsed, but there remained a stone pillar, seventy feet tall, erected by King Aśoka. Beside it was a brick chamber housing a statue of the Tathāgata preaching the Dharma for his mother. The rest of the courtyards and halls had all vanished and been swept away; there was only the place where the Buddha washed the sick bhikṣu, the place where Maudgalyāyana lifted Śāriputra's robes, the old well where the Buddha and monks regularly drew water, the place where the heterodox secretly slandered [him] by murdering the courtesan, the place where the Buddha debated heterodox doctrines, the place where Śāriputra debated, the place where Virūḍhaka sank [into hell], the Grove of Regaining Sight, and the birthplace of Kāśyapa Buddha. Stone stūpas were erected at all of the above places, all constructed by King Aśoka. Not far east of the monastery were three great deep pits: these were the places where Devadatta, Gopā, and the woman Ciñcā were swallowed up. The pits were exceedingly deep; looking down, they had no bottom. From antiquity down to the present, even with great torrents of rain pouring in, they have never overflowed. Further east for nearly seven hundred li, he arrived at the country of Kapilavastu, which was the capital governed by King Śuddhodana of Kapilavastu. There were more than ten empty towns with no one dwelling in them. The brick walls of the old palace were fifteen li in circumference, with more than a thousand desolate monasteries, of which only one remained within the palace. On the foundation of the king's bedchamber was an inscribed stūpa: this was the place where the Tathāgata descended in spirit. There they have an account saying that his spirit descended on the eighth day of the fifth month; the Sthaviras say it was on the fifteenth day, which also differs slightly from the accounts in this land. How could there be discrepancies?

4.6.3

As for what is revered in the Eastern Xia, with the Plain King (Confucius) regarded as the sage, when one seeks to determine the chronology of years, even the ancient luminaries were still confused—how much more so given the calendars of the Three Dynasties, where recorded dates and reign titles still disagree among themselves! When we reflect that the ultimate principle transcends ordinary emotional quests and that spiritual responses adapt to the capacities of beings, they all avail themselves of expedient means, taking accommodation to change as paramount. How could the ears and eyes of ordinary men be used to fathom the supreme ultimate? To the south and north of the city, there are various stūpas marking the birthplaces of two past Buddhas, with many inscriptions on King Aśoka's stone pillars. Northwest of the capital city are hundreds of thousands of stūpas, all for the Śākyas slain by Virūḍhaka; because they were noble ones, later generations built these for them. At that time, there were four Śākya youths who, resentful of being oppressed and giving no thought to violating the precepts, went out to resist the army. Virūḍhaka then retreated. When they later returned to their native city, the city would not receive them, announcing to them: 'We are the lineage of the Dharma and have vowed never to wage war. That you repelled their army means you are not of our clan.' Having been banished, they cast their lot afar among various kingdoms. Because they were originally of noble lineage, people vied to honour and establish them. The present kings of Uḍḍiyāna, Bāmiyān, and elsewhere are all their descendants. One hundred li east of the city is the forest where the Tathāgata was born; it still exists today. Some say it was the eighth day of the third month; the Sthavira school says it was the fifteenth day; and the scriptures of this land all say it was the eighth day of the fourth month. This is nothing other than varying capacities of spiritual perception giving rise to differing views. Going another seven hundred li east, one reaches Kuśinagara; the various wonders along the way will not be related in detail here. When he first arrived at this city, he unconsciously lost control of his five feelings, collapsing and beating the earth in sorrow. When he looked around after a moment, he saw only a desolate city falling into ruin, with only marked sites indicating the foundation of Cunda's residence. Four li to the northwest, on the west bank of the river, is the great Śāla forest, forty-odd li in circumference. Its centre rises loftily; this is the site of the Parinirvāṇa. There is a brick chamber with a reclining image facing north. Beside it are erected a stūpa and a pillar, fully inscribed with records; yet the various accounts are confused and all listed upon it. Some say he entered nirvāṇa on the fifteenth day of the second month; some say he entered nirvāṇa on the eighth day of the ninth month; some say that over 1,500 years have elapsed from then to the present; and some say over 900 years have elapsed. Crossing the river north of the city is the site where the body was cremated, more than two li square and about three zhang deep. The earth is still yellowish-black, resembling scorched charcoal. Whenever the sick of various kingdoms ingest this earth, there are none who are not cured; this is why there is a pit at the cremation site. Beside it are also various stūpas marking where he showed his feet, divided his relics, and the episodes of the pheasant and the deer; [Xuanzang] paid full reverence to all of them. Going southwest through a great dense forest for over seven hundred li, he reached the kingdom of Vārāṇasī, which is what is commonly called Banaras. The city borders the Gaṅgā. Non-Buddhists flourish abundantly, numbering in the tens of thousands. There are over a hundred deva temples, mostly revering Maheśvara. There are three thousand monks, all belonging to the Hīnayāna Saṃmatīya school. To the northeast of the royal capital and west of the Varaṇā River, twin stūpas and pillars were erected by King Aśoka; a shadow of the Buddha's image appears, and those who behold it give rise to veneration. Crossing the river for ten li is the Mṛgadāva (Deer Park) Monastery. Its surrounding walls and tiered pavilions look like an immortal's palace. There are just under two thousand monks, all belonging to the same school mentioned above. The Buddha-work conducted here is noble and superior, the foremost among the various kingdoms. Within it is a statue of the Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, looking as though it were speaking. Beside it is erected a stone pillar over seventy feet high, with internal reflections appearing outwardly, complete with manifold marks. This is where the Tathāgata first turned the wheel of the Dharma. Beside it there are also a stūpa for five hundred pratyekabuddhas and the site where three Buddhas walked and sat. In the monastery there are an immense number of inscribed stūpas and sacred traces, amounting to several hundreds. There are also the pool where the Buddha bathed and the waters where he washed his robes and cleansed his vessels, all protected by nāgas; the square stone where his robes were dried in the sun; and the site where the Deer King welcomed the Buddha. Stone stūpas have been erected at all of them, commonly over three hundred feet high and extremely magnificent in appearance, so they are only briefly set forth here. Following the river eastward for just under a thousand li, he reached Vaiśālī, which is also called Visālā. Naked ascetics and exotic arts are particularly abundant there. The old foundations of the kingdom's city are seventy li in circumference; people and things are scarce, and it remains merely a famous site. Among them are the site where the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra was spoken; the former residences of Ratnarāśi and Vimalakīrti; the site where Śāriputra attained the fruit; the site where the Buddha's maternal aunt attained extinction; the site of the council of seven hundred; and the site where Ānanda divided his body. At each of these five sites, an extraordinary stūpa has been built to indicate it to later generations. Going more than two thousand li northeast from here, one enters the Great Snow Mountains to reach the kingdom of Nepāla. They have pure faith in the Buddha, with two thousand monks studying both Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. East of the city is a pool in which divine gold floats with light upon the water. The elders transmit the tradition that when Maitreya descends to be born, it will be used as a head ornament. Some who coveted its treasure went by night to steal it, but saw only a blazing mass of flames and could not approach it at all. Nowadays, it has sunk so deep that its bottom cannot be fathomed; the water is also extremely hot, making it difficult to set foot in. When envoys from the Tang state tested it by throwing in fire, flames immediately leaped up; when they used it to boil rice, it quickly became cooked. Its northern border adjoins the Eastern Women's Kingdom and borders Tibet. In recent times, state envoys traveling back and forth have mostly passed through this region. Speaking roughly, the Tang and Indic regions are more than ten thousand li apart; from antiquity, circuitous routes made the journey long and obstructed. Furthermore, crossing the Gaṅgā southward from Vaiśālī, he reached the kingdom of Magadha, which is the proper designation of Mo-jie-ti. Where this kingdom is situated is Central India. The ancestral lineage of the present king succeeds to Aśoka; Aśoka was the great-grandson of Bimbisāra. The present king is the son-in-law of Śīlāditya. The city where he now governs was not built in antiquity. On the south bank of the Gaṅgā is the city of Pāṭaliputra, seventy li in circumference, which is what the sūtras call the City of Flowers. Because the royal palace had many flowers, it was named accordingly. In the past, King Aśoka left Rājagṛha and moved the capital here. The sacred sites beside it are exceedingly numerous. Over four hundred li southwest of the city, crossing the Nairañjanā River, one reaches the city of Gayā. People and things are scarce, with only about a thousand households. Going another six li, there is Mount Gayā, where kings of old performed the feng sacrifice; hence, this mountain has been called a famous site by the world. It was here that the Tathāgata accommodated mundane ways and attained enlightenment. On its summit is a stone stūpa over a hundred feet high, which is the site spoken of in sūtras such as the Precious Cloud Sūtra. Within a circumference of forty li, it is filled with sacred traces. Southwest of the mountain is the site where the Path was achieved; there is the Vajrāsana (diamond seat), over a hundred paces in circumference. That ground is what is now called the Mahābodhi Temple. South of the temple is the Bodhi tree, some fifty feet high. Surrounding the tree is an enclosure built of layered bricks, measuring about five hundred paces in circumference, its eastern gate facing the river.

4.6.4

The north gate opens into the monastery. Within the courtyard the holy stūpas and sacred signs are numerous. Accounts differ as to the day on which the Tathāgata attained the Way: some say the eighth day of the third month, others say the fifteenth. Outside the northern gate of the enclosure stands the Mahābodhi Monastery. It has six courts and three stories, with brick walls forty feet high. The king of Siṃhala purchased this ground and erected this monastery. Its monks number nearly a thousand, abiding as adherents of the Mahāyāna Sthaviranikāya. There are bone relics shaped like a man's finger-joints, and flesh relics as large as genuine pearls. The thirtieth day of the twelfth month in that land corresponds to the fifteenth day of the first month here, which the world calls the Month of Great Miracles. When that evening arrives, miraculous lights are unfailingly emitted, and heavenly flowers and perfumes rain down, filling the courtyard around the tree. When Xuanzang first arrived here, he unwittingly swooned with grief. Only after a long while did he revive. As he gazed in succession upon these holy signs, what he had once heard expounded in the scriptures was now vividly before his eyes. Grieving that he lived in a marginal borderland and was born in the final age, never to behold the true countenance [of the Buddha], he swooned yet again. An Indian monk beside him went to his side on the ground, comforted him, and shared his sorrow. Although he performed the full round of worship and homage, he was disheartened that no miraculous light appeared. He stayed for the summer retreat until the dispersal of the session. According to the customary rule of that land, at this time monastics and laypeople in their tens of thousands vie to offer worship day and night for seven days. Their hopes are broadly twofold: to behold the luminous signs and to obtain the leaves of the tree. Every year, precisely at the end of summer, the tree’s leaves flutter down all at once, and through the night new shoots spring forth to equal the old. At that time there was a Mahāyāna upāsaka who was expounding the Yogācārabhūmi for Xuanzang. That night, as they faced each other in lecture, the lamp suddenly went out. Looking at the pearls, earrings, and necklaces they wore, no glint of color could be seen; there was only a pervading, brilliant luminescence, illuminating everything within and without, though no one could fathom its source. Wondering at the cause of this, they went out together from the thatched cottage and looked toward the Bodhi tree. There they saw a monk holding up a relic in his hand as large as a human finger, displaying it widely to the assembly above the terrace of the tree. The light it emitted illuminated heaven and earth. At that time, amid the commotion of the crowd, they could only pay homage from afar. Although his eyes witnessed the auspicious sign, his heart suspected it might be ordinary fire. With palms pressed together he knelt devoutly until dawn. As his mind grew weary, the light also faded away. The upāsaka asked, 'Now that you have seen the holy marvel, does your mind have no doubt?' Xuanzang explained his thoughts in full. The upāsaka said, 'My former doubt was also like this. Once the marvel manifests, doubt naturally resolves itself.' Seeing the Bodhi tree, whose leaves resembled the white poplar here, [Daoxuan] questioned him thoroughly about it. Xuanzang said, 'Their appearance is roughly similar, but its spreading luxuriance differs slightly.' Looking east from this monastery, one sees Mount Kukkuṭapāda, which is the Mount Cock’s Foot of the scriptures. Its three peaks rising straight up resemble the foot of a cock, hence its name. It is over one hundred li from the Bodhi Monastery. At its summit stands a great stūpa, which at night emits a divine torch whose radiance illuminates all around; it is the place where Mahākāśyapa entered serene extinction. The path is exceedingly rugged and choked with bamboo groves, where lions, tigers, and elephants roam freely; whenever one thought of ascending it, there was no way to advance. Xuanzang thereupon informed the king and requested guards for protection. He was provided with more than three hundred soldiers, each armed with sharp blades to cut through the bamboo and open a path, advancing ten li a day. At that time, when that kingdom heard that Xuanzang was going to the mountain, men and women of all ages numbering over a hundred thousand rushed in succession to follow him to Cock’s Foot. Upon reaching the mountain slope, the cliffs rose sheer with no path, so they tied bamboos into ladders, linking them together as they climbed. More than three thousand people reached the mountaintop. Looking in all directions with delight, their joy grew even more unbounded, and seeing the cleft in the rock, they scattered flowers in worship. Going northeast from the mountain for more than one hundred li, one reaches Mount Buddhavana. There is a great stone chamber where the Buddha once wandered. The Lord of Heaven went to the rock and anointed it with incense as an offering; reaching that spot today, the fragrance is still pervasive and strong. Not far off is a mountain cavern capable of holding a thousand people, in which the Tathāgata spent three months of the summer retreat. Stone was piled to make a road twenty paces wide and some five li long, which was the pathway by which Bimbisāra ascended the mountain to pay homage. Going east another sixty [li], one arrives at the ancient city of Kuśāgrapura, which in the language of the Tang means 'City of Fragrant Grass'; it is so named because it produces much kusa grass. This city is situated right in the center of Magadha; it is precisely what the scriptural texts call Rājagṛha. Lofty mountains surround it on all sides as its outer ramparts, crowned like parapets, all constructed of brick. A small pathway opens to the west, and a mountain gate is pierced to the north; its breadth and length conform to the narrows, with a circumference of one hundred and fifty li. The palace city within it has a circumference of more than thirty li; inside, the ancient sites are also numerous. About fifteen li northeast of the palace stands Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, which is the Vulture Peak of the scriptures, in the language of the Tang meaning 'Platform of the Vulture Peak'. Among all the mountains it is the highest, most prominent, and dazzling. On the sunny southern slope of the mountain the Buddha often dwelt. From the base to the summit, stones were arranged into steps more than ten paces wide and some six li long; it was along this road that the Buddha frequently came and went. Viewing the crags and caves, the ancient sites are so complete as to defy description, as detailed in the maps and accounts. A little over one li north of the mountain city’s gate lie the stone foundations of the Kalandaka Veṇuvana Monastery; a brick chamber with an eastern door still exists today. Going southwest from the park for some six li, in the shade of the southern mountain within a great bamboo grove, there is a stone cavern. This is the place where Mahākāśyapa and a thousand non-learners took shelter to compile the scriptural teachings. Another twenty-odd li to the west is the site of the council of the Mahāsāṃghika. About five li north of the mountain city, one reaches the city of Rājagṛha, which in the language of the Tang means 'New Rājagṛha'; it is what other accounts refer to. Going north another thirty-odd li, one reaches Nālandā Monastery, which in the language of the Tang means 'Giving Without Satiety'. Among all the monasteries in Jambudvīpa, none is higher or grander than this. Five kings jointly built it, each making offerings with redoubled magnificence; hence it was named accordingly. The monastery has five courts in total, sharing a single main gate, surrounded by four concentric enclosures some eighty feet high, all built of piled bricks. Even the uppermost walls are still six feet thick. The outer enclosure has three tiers, its walls also built of piled brick, some fifty feet high. In between, water encircles deep moats and pools, fully adorned with flowers and domestic animals, splendid to behold. From its founding down to the present, its defenses have been strictly maintained; women and disorderly misconduct have never been harbored or concealed. Over four thousand monks permanently reside there. Accommodating in addition over ten thousand monastics and laypeople, both orthodox and heterodox from outside, it provides them all with clothing and food without ever being exhausted. For this reason, too, the monastery is called 'Giving Without Satiety'. In its center is the Buddha Court, complete with all holy sites; its loftiest vihāra is over two hundred feet high, wherein the Buddha formerly expounded the Dharma for four months.

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續高僧傳 — 道宣, Classical Chinese