神僧傳 1
English (machine translation) 1
- Language
- English
Contents
- 1.21 — 4 parts
1.1
Imperial Preface to the Biographies of Divine Monks
1.2
Divine monks are those whose divine transformations are manifold, and who transcend the ordinary lot of their kind. Yet all have biographies scattered throughout the scriptures and canonical records. When viewers suddenly wish to examine and seek them out, the texts of the Tripiṭaka are so vast and expansive that they cannot easily cover them entirely. For this reason, the world mostly cannot know them completely, nor can it plumb how they became divine. Therefore, in intervals of reading, I have selected and compiled their biographies into a total of nine fascicles, so that readers need not spend their effort in searching, but may take them in completely at a single glance, like entering a treasure house where all beauties are displayed at once. Thereupon I have had it carved on woodblocks to transmit it, making their traces manifest throughout heaven and earth, so that all people may know that how the divine monks were divine has proof. I therefore write this at the head of the volume to give a general account of its main purport.
1.3
Yongle fifteenth year, first month, sixth day [23 January 1417]
1.4
Mātanga
1.5
Shi Mātanga was originally a native of Central Tianzhu. He was fine in bearing and deportment, and understood both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna scriptures. He always took traveling and converting others as his mission. He went to a small vassal state of Tianzhu to lecture on the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra, and it happened that a hostile state invaded its borders. Mātanga reflected: 'The scripture says that whoever can explain this Dharma will be protected by the earth spirits, who will cause their dwelling place to be peaceful and joyful. Now, when the arrowheads and spearheads have just begun to fly, can this indeed be of benefit?' Thereupon, vowing to forget his own life, he went in person to harmonize and persuade them, and so brought the two countries to mutual harmony and joy. On account of this, his fame became illustrious. Coming down to the Yongping era of the Han dynasty, Emperor Ming dreamt at night of a golden person flying through the air and arriving. He then assembled his courtiers in great numbers to divine what he had dreamt. The erudite scholar Fu Yi submitted a memorial, saying: 'Your servant has heard that in the Western Regions there is a divine being whose name is Buddha. Could what Your Majesty dreamt be him?' The emperor took this to be true, and immediately dispatched the Court Gentleman Cai Yin, the Erudite Disciple Qin Jing, and others to Tianzhu to seek out the Buddha's Dharma. Cai Yin and the others encountered Mātanga there and invited him to return to the land of Han. Mātanga, having vowed his resolve to broadly propagate [the Dharma], did not shrink from weariness and hardship; braving the crossing of the flowing sands, he arrived at Luoyi. Emperor Ming received and treated him with great esteem, erecting a vihāra outside the western gate of the city to lodge him. That the land of Han had śramaṇas began with Mātanga. However, as the Great Dharma was newly transmitted and had not yet gained devotion and faith, he held within himself his deep understanding, having nowhere to proclaim or expound it. Later, he died in Luoyang. There is a record stating that Mātanga translated the Sūtra of Forty-two Sections in one fascicle, which was originally stored in the fourteenth room of the Stone Chamber of the Orchid Pavilion. The place where Mātanga resided is the present White Horse Monastery outside the Yong Gate, west of the city of Luoyang. A tradition says: A king of a foreign land once destroyed various monasteries, but only the cāturdiśa monastery had not yet been destroyed. At night, a white horse circled its stūpa, whinnying mournfully. When this was reported to the king, he immediately halted the destruction of the monasteries. He accordingly changed the cāturdiśa [monastery's name] to White Horse. Therefore, when various monasteries are named, many take this as their model.
1.6
Dharmaratna
1.7
Zhu Dharmaratna was a native of Central Tianzhu. He said of himself that he had chanted tens of thousands of verses of sūtras and treatises, and was a teacher of scholars in Tianzhu. When Cai Yin had arrived in that country, Dharmaratna made an agreement with Mātanga to travel and convert, and so followed him in coming. Having reached Luoyang, he lodged together with Mātanga. Before long, he became proficient in the Chinese language. The sūtras that Cai Yin obtained in the Western Regions were translated by him: namely, the five works including the Ten Stages for Severing Bonds, the Buddha's Jātaka, the Ocean of the Dharma Treasury, the Deeds of the Buddha, and the [Sūtra of] Forty-two Sections. Owing to the relocation of the capital and bandit uprisings, four of the texts lost their originals and were not transmitted. East of the Yangtze River, only the Sūtra of Forty-two Sections survives today, amounting to some two thousand words. Among the extant sūtras in the land of Han, this is the very first. Cai Yin also obtained in the Western Regions a painted reclining image of Śākyamuni, which was the fourth work of the masters who carved King Udayana's sandalwood image. Once it reached Luoyang, Emperor Ming ordered painters to copy it and place it in the Qingliang Terrace and atop the Xianjie Tomb. The old image no longer survives. Furthermore, in the past, when Emperor Wu of Han excavated the bottom of the Kunming Pool, he found black ash and asked Dongfang Shuo about it. Dongfang Shuo said: 'You can ask a Western Region brahman.' When Dharmaratna arrived, the crowd pursued the question with him. Dharmaratna said: 'When the world comes to an end, the kalpa fire burns completely through; this ash is that.' His words having proof, those who believed him were very numerous. Later he died in Luoyang, his springs and autumns being sixty-odd years.
1.8
An Shigao
1.9
An Qing, whose courtesy name was Shigao, was a crown prince of the Arsacid Empire. In his youth he was renowned for filial conduct, and in addition his intellect was keen and sharp, earnestly dedicated to learning. The classics and records of foreign countries, as well as the seven luminaries, the five phases, medical methods, esoteric arts, and even the sounds of birds and beasts, there were none he did not master thoroughly. Once while traveling, he saw a flock of swallows and suddenly said to his companions: 'The swallows say that someone should bring food.' In a short while, someone indeed presented it, and all were amazed at him. His extraordinary reputation spread early throughout the Western Regions. He yielded the kingdom, renounced household life, and cultivated the Path, becoming extensively versed in the scriptural canon and especially proficient in the study of Abhidharma. Soon afterward, he traveled through various regions and visited countries far and wide, arriving in the Central Lands in the early years of Emperor Huan of Han. He thoroughly learned the Chinese language and translated various sūtras, manifesting many divine traces. He spoke of himself as having already renounced household life in a previous life. He had a fellow student who was prone to anger; when performing piṇḍapāta, whenever he encountered a donor who was not pleasing, he would always harbor resentment. Shigao repeatedly rebuked and admonished him, but in the end he did not mend his ways. After more than twenty years of this, he parted from this fellow student, saying: 'I must go to Guangzhou to settle an encounter of past karma. Your comprehension of the scriptures and diligent practice are not behind mine, but by nature you harbor much resentment; upon the end of life, you must receive an evil form. If I attain the Path, I will surely deliver you.' Soon afterward, he went to Guangzhou, where he encountered bandit uprisings. On the road he met a youth, who spat on his hands, drew his blade, and said: 'I have truly caught you!' Shigao smiled and said: 'In past karma I owed you; I have come from afar to repay it. Your anger is still the intention from a former life.' He then extended his neck to receive the blade, without any sign of fear on his countenance. The youth killed him. The spectators crowded the thoroughfare, none of whom were not terrified by this extraordinary event. Soon after, his consciousness returned to become the crown prince of the Arsacid king. He traveled to convert the Central Lands. During the disturbances in Guan and Luo at the end of Emperor Ling's reign, he raised his mendicant's staff toward Jiangnan, saying: 'I shall pass Mount Lu to deliver my former fellow student.' Traveling, he reached the shrine at Lake Gongting. This shrine had long possessed awe-inspiring divine power; when merchant travelers prayed, it could divide the wind to send their boats up and down the lake, none experiencing delay. Once someone asked the spirit for bamboo; taking it without permission, the boat immediately capsized and the bamboo returned to its original place. From then on, boatmen held the spirit in respectful dread, and none dared even cast their shadow toward it. Shigao and his companions, in thirty-odd boats, offered livestock to pray for blessings. The spirit then descended through a shaman, saying: 'There is a śramaṇa on the boat; you may call him up at once.' The travelers were all astounded and invited Shigao to enter the shrine. The spirit addressed Shigao, saying: 'In the past in a foreign country, I renounced household life and studied the Path together with you. I was fond of practicing dāna, but by nature was prone to wrath. Now I am the spirit of the Gongting shrine; a circumference of a thousand li is all under my governance. Because of dāna, rare treasures are exceedingly abundant; because of anger, I fell into this divine retribution. Now, seeing my fellow student, my sorrow and joy are beyond words. My lifespan will end in a morning or an evening, yet my ugly form is long and great. If I give up my life here, it will pollute the rivers and lakes; I must cross to the marsh west of the mountain. After this body perishes, I fear I will fall into hell. I have a thousand bolts of silk and assorted treasures; you may establish Dharma and construct a stūpa for me, so that I may be born in a good realm.' Shigao said: 'I have come from afar to deliver you; why do you not show your form?' The spirit said: 'My form is extremely ugly and bizarre; the crowd would surely be terrified.' Shigao said: 'Just come forth; the crowd will not find it strange.' From behind the couch, the spirit brought out its head—it was a huge python, the length of whose tail was unknown. It reached to Shigao's knees. Shigao addressed it several times in the Sanskrit language and chanted praises several stanzas. The python wept tears like rain, and in an instant concealed itself again. Shigao then took the silk and goods, bid farewell, and departed. The boat companions hoisted sail; the python again emerged and climbed the mountain to gaze after them, disappearing only after the people raised their hands. In a flash, they reached Yuzhang, where Shigao used the shrine's goods to build the Eastern Monastery. After Shigao departed, the spirit immediately ended its life. In the evening, a youth boarded the boat, knelt before Shigao, received his blessing and prayer, and suddenly vanished. Shigao said to the boatmen: 'The youth just now was the spirit of the Gongting shrine; he has been able to leave his evil form.' Thereupon the shrine spirit ceased to be, possessing no further efficacy. Later, people saw a dead python in the marsh west of the mountain, its head and tail stretching several li; this is the present Snake Village in Xunyang Commandery. Later, Shigao went again to Guangzhou to seek out the youth who had killed him in his previous life. At that time, the youth was still alive. Shigao went straight to his house, recounted the matter of the past repayment of retribution, and narrated their past karmic connection. Facing each other with joy, he said: 'I still have a remaining retribution; I must now go to Kuaiji to complete the settlement.' The traveler of Guangzhou realized that Shigao was no ordinary man; suddenly enlightened in mind, he repented of his former transgression, generously supplied him with provisions, and followed Shigao on his eastward journey. They thereupon reached Kuaiji. As soon as they entered the market, it happened that there were people brawling in the market, who mistakenly struck Shigao's head, and he died on the spot. The traveler of Guangzhou had repeatedly verified the two retributions; he thereupon diligently pursued the Buddha's Dharma and fully related the circumstances of these events. When those near and far heard of it, none did not sigh in wonder.
1.10
Kang Senghui
1.11
Shi Senghui had the secular surname Kang. His ancestors were people of Kangju who had resided in Tianzhu for generations. Because of commerce, his father moved to Jiaozhi. When Senghui was a little over ten years of age, both of his parents died. He observed the mourning with the utmost filial nature, and once the mourning period concluded, he renounced household life. His observance of religious practice was exceedingly strict. As a person he was magnanimous and elegant, with discerning capacity; he was resolute in purpose and fond of learning. He clearly understood the Tripiṭaka and read widely in the Six Classics. He thoroughly studied astronomical charts and apocryphal texts, was discerning regarding statecraft, and had considerable talent for literary composition. At that time, Sun Quan already controlled Jiangzuo, but Buddhism was not yet practiced there. In the tenth year of the Chiwu reign era, [Senghui] first arrived in Jianye, where he constructed a thatched hut, set up an image, and practiced the path. At that time, because the state of Wu had newly encountered a śramaṇa and saw his appearance without yet understanding his path, they suspected him of being deceptive and bizarre. An official memorialized: "There is a barbarian who has entered our borders calling himself a śramaṇa, whose appearance and attire are unusual; this matter should be investigated." Sun Quan said: "In the past, Emperor Ming of Han dreamt of a deity called the Buddha. Could what he serves be the remaining tradition thereof?" He thereupon summoned Senghui and questioned him: "What spiritual efficacy do you have?" Senghui said: "Since the Tathāgata departed his traces, over a thousand years have suddenly passed. His remaining bone relics possess divine radiance beyond measure. Formerly, King Aśoka erected stupas to the number of eighty-four thousand. Indeed, the rise of stupas and temples serves to display his remaining teachings." Sun Quan deemed this boastful and absurd, and said to Senghui: "If you can obtain a relic, I shall build a stupa for it. If it is false, the state has its established punishments." Senghui requested a limit of seven days. He then addressed his disciples, saying: "The rise or fall of the Dharma depends upon this one undertaking. If we are not of utmost sincerity now, how will it avail later?" Thereupon, together in a quiet room, they purified themselves and fasted; placing a bronze vase on a table, they burned incense, paid homage, and prayed. When the seven-day period was completed, all was quiet with no response. They asked for an extension of a second seven days, but it was likewise as before. Sun Quan said: "This is deceit; I am going to impose punishment." Senghui further requested a third seven days, and Sun Quan specially granted it again. Senghui said to his Dharma companions: "Xuanni had a saying: 'King Wen having passed away, is not culture residing here?' The Dharma cloud ought to descend, and we have no regrets. Why dread the royal laws? We must make the vow unto death our limit!" At dusk on the twenty-first day, still nothing had been seen, and there was none who was not trembling with dread. Once it entered the fifth watch, suddenly a clinking sound was heard inside the vase. Senghui went himself to look, and indeed obtained a relic. The next morning, Sun Quan personally held the vase with his own hands and poured it out onto a bronze tray. Wherever the relic struck, the tray was immediately shattered. Sun Quan arose in solemn astonishment and said: "A rare and auspicious sign!" Senghui stepped forward and said: "How could the spiritual power of the relic be limited merely to the appearance of its light? Even the fire of the kalpa burning cannot consume it, and a diamond pestle cannot shatter it." Sun Quan ordered it to be tested. Senghui made another vow, saying: "The Dharma cloud is just now spreading, and the common people look up to its moisture. May you deign to manifest further divine traces to display widely its spiritual power!" They then placed the relic on an iron anvil and hammer, and had a strongman strike it. Thereupon, the anvil and hammer both caved in, while the relic was undamaged. Sun Quan was greatly filled with admiration and submission, and immediately erected a stupa for it. Because it was the first Buddhist temple, it was named the Jianchu Monastery ("Founding Monastery"), and the place was named Fotuoli ("Buddha Ward"). From this, the Great Dharma came to flourish in Jiangzuo. When Sun Hao ascended the throne, his laws were harsh and cruel; he abolished illicit cults and destroyed Buddhist temples. He once sent palace guards into the rear palace to work the garden. In the ground, they found a golden image several feet tall and presented it to Hao. Hao had it placed in an unclean spot and poured foul wastewater over it, making sport of it together with his ministers. In an instant, his entire body became severely swollen, his private parts were in excruciating pain, and his cries reached heaven. The Grand Astrologer divined it, saying: "This is caused by offending a great deity." They immediately prayed at the various shrines to seek blessings. A palace woman at once brought the image, placed it in the hall, washed it with fragrant water several tens of times, burned incense, and repented. Hao knocked his head on his pillow and personally confessed his transgressions. After a short while, the pain subsided. He dispatched an envoy to the monastery to invite Senghui to preach the Dharma. Senghui immediately followed him in. Hao thoroughly asked about the causes of sins and blessings, and Senghui analyzed them for him, his words being extremely essential. Hao had talent and understanding, and was immensely delighted. He then requested to view the śramaṇa precepts. Because the precept texts were secret and could not be casually disclosed, Senghui took the one hundred and thirty-five vows of the *Original Action* and divided them into two hundred and fifty matters: in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, they all vow for sentient beings. When Hao saw that the compassionate vows were vast and pervasive, he increased his good intentions all the more. He thereupon received the five precepts from Senghui. Within ten days, his illness was cured. He then further renovated the place where Senghui resided, and proclaimed to the imperial clan that none should fail to venerate and uphold it. While in the court of Wu, Senghui frequently preached the true Dharma; because Hao's nature was fierce and coarse, he could not reach subtle meanings, so [Senghui] only recounted immediate matters of karmic retribution to open his mind. In the fourth year of the Tianji reign era, Hao surrendered to Jin. In the ninth month, Senghui contracted an illness and died. This year was the first year of the Taikang reign era of Emperor Wu of Jin. In the Xianhe reign era of Emperor Cheng of Jin, Su Jun rebelled and burned the stupa erected by Senghui. Minister of Works He Chong rebuilt it. General Who Pacifies the West Zhao You's family had for generations not upheld the Dharma, being arrogant and contemptuous toward the Three Jewels. Entering this monastery, he said to the monks: "I have long heard that this stupa repeatedly emits light; this is absurd and unfounded, something I cannot believe. If I see it for myself, that would be another matter." Just as he finished speaking, the stupa immediately emitted a five-colored light that illuminated the hall and pole. Solemnly his hair stood on end, and from this he came to have reverent faith, erecting another small stupa to the east of the monastery. During the Yonghui reign era of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, [Senghui] appeared again in bodily form in Yue, calling himself a wandering monk. His spiritual bearing was magnificent and extraordinary; those who saw him were awestruck, and no one knew his spiritual stage. At that time, the monastic administrator interrogated him regarding his background, reviled him, and drove him out. When Senghui reached the gate, he said to him: "I am Kang Senghui. If you can keep my true body, it will bring blessings to your monastery." Within a single pace, he stood still and ceased breathing. Shortly thereafter, his two eyes were slightly closed, his vital spirit did not dissipate, his raised hand was as if greeting in bow, and his stepping foot was as if about to walk. The assembly deliberated over laying his spiritual body down to place it in a tomb, but human strength was utterly exhausted without moving it in the slightest. Thereupon, they transferred it to an auspicious site and separately built a lofty hall. The people of Yue vied with one another to present incense, flowers, lamps, candles, patterned silks, banners, canopies, fruits, clothing, and vessels, making prayers and vows, most of which were granted in accordance with people's wishes. Earlier, the military forces of Yue mostly lodged at Yongxin Monastery. Their women gave birth to children, and the soldiers' meat and blood defiled the saṅghārāma; people could not bear its foul wickedness. Senghui then transformed his form and went to visit the Military Commission Surveillance Commissioner of Min, Li Ruochu, saying: "Your Excellency governs the frontier command of Yue; I entrust you to relocate the troops." Having finished speaking, he shook his robes and left, and immediately his traces were lost. Lord Li was pleased yet astonished, and kept his words in mind. Later he was indeed assigned to this commandery, and upon completing his installation in office, he visited the spiritual trace and recognized that the one who had spoken at that time was this very monk. He ordered the withdrawal of the military households, compelling them to move to barracks. Furthermore, an ordinary woman was once at night upon the childbed, without tallow or candle, and her neighbors had no chink of light. Suddenly a monk holding a candle entered through the window. The next morning, her husband entered Yongxin and recognized Senghui's appearance: he was the monk who had provided fire and saved the childbirth. From then on, many among the people came to pray for sons or daughters. He also once went to common households begging for straw sandals. To this day, the people of Yue mostly offer rush shoes and oiled banners; the responsive echoes manifest, each coming to people's households, too numerous to recount in full. He was titled Dhyāna Master Chaohua ("Transcending Transformation").
1.12
Zhu Shixing
1.13
Zhu Shixing was a native of Yingchuan. He renounced household life at an early age and devoted himself exclusively to the scriptural texts. Once, when lecturing on the *Daoxing jing*, he perceived that the meaning of the text was obscure and hidden, so he vowed to seek the large version far away. He went west to Khotan, where he obtained the authentic Sanskrit text. As he was about to return to Luoyang, the monastic assembly of that country addressed their king, saying: "The Han śramaṇa wishes to use a brāhmaṇa book to confuse and disrupt the true canon. If you do not prohibit it, we fear it will blind and deafen the land of Han." The king thereupon would not permit him to carry the scripture away. Shixing harbored deep grief, and so requested that the scripture be burned as proof. The king granted it. Thereupon, firewood was piled before the hall to burn it. Facing the fire, he vowed, saying: "If the Great Dharma should spread in the land of Han, the scripture will not burn. If there is no protection, it is my fate!" Having spoken, he cast the scripture into the fire. The fire was immediately extinguished, not harming a single character. The great assembly was awestruck and submitted, all praising his spiritual resonance. Thus he was able to have it conveyed to China. Later, Shixing died in Khotan at the age of eighty. When the firewood for the cremation was consumed and the fire extinguished, his corpse was still whole. The assembly was all astonished and marvelous, and made an incantation, saying: "If you have truly attained the Way, according to the Dharma it should disintegrate." At the sound of the words, it shattered and dispersed. Thereupon they gathered the bones and erected a stupa.
1.14
Hēluójié
1.15
As for Hēluójié, his lineage is not known. He renounced household life at an early age, and recited two million words of scriptures. His nature was tranquil and profound; he maintained the precepts and rules, was graceful in deportment, and possessed handsome countenance. He practiced many dhūtas, lodging alone in mountains and wilderness. In the ninth year of the Taikang reign era of Emperor Wu of Jin, he briefly arrived in Luoyang. At that time, an epidemic was raging, and the dead followed one another in succession; Hēluójié cured them with spells, and eight or nine out of ten recovered. In the first year of the Yuankang reign era of Emperor Hui of Jin, he went west and entered a stone chamber on Mount Louzhi to practice seated meditation. This chamber was extremely far from water. The people of the time wished to dig a mountain stream for him. Hēluójié said: "There is no need to trouble you." He then used his left foot to grind against the western stone wall of the chamber. The wall sank in, burying his toes. When he withdrew his foot, water emerged from within, clear, fragrant, sweet, and delicious, never ceasing through the four seasons. Those who came to drink all had their hunger and thirst stopped and their diseases eliminated. In the eighth year of the Yuankang reign era, he sat upright and passed away. His disciples cremated him according to the customs of the realm. It burned for successive days, yet the corpse still sat within the fire, never turning to ashes. Thereupon, they moved it back into the stone chamber.
1.16
Jīvaka
1.17
Jīvaka was a native of Tianzhu. Wandering throughout both Chinese and frontier lands, he had no fixed dwelling. Untrammeled, extraordinary, and following his whims, he disregarded worldly conventions, and his traces and conduct were never constant; people of the time could not fathom him. From his departure from Tianzhu up to Funan, passing along the various sea coasts, he traversed Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, working wonders at every step. Having reached Xiangyang, he wished to take passage across the river. The boatman, seeing the Indian śramaṇa's robes were ragged and lowly, despised him and would not take him aboard. When the boat reached the north bank, Jīvaka had already crossed and was walking ahead. He saw two tigers; the tigers dropped their ears and wagged their tails, and Jīvaka patted their heads with his hand, whereupon the tigers stepped off the road and left. Those on both banks who saw this followed him in crowds. At the end of the reign of Emperor Hui of the Jin, he arrived at Luoyang. Everyone bowed in homage to him, yet Jīvaka knelt in barbarian fashion, impassive and unmoving in countenance. From time to time he would tell people about their previous lives, saying that Zhi Fayuan had come from among sheep, and that Zhu Faju had come from among humans. He also ridiculed the assembly of monks, saying that their fine, resplendent robes were not in keeping with the plain rule. Seeing the palaces and city walls of Luoyang, he said, 'It vaguely resembles the palace of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; only that between what is natural and what is made by human effort, there is a difference.' Jīvaka said to the śramaṇa Qijiemi, 'The artisan who built this palace came down from Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; once it was completed, he returned to heaven. Beneath the tiles of the roof ridges there ought to be one thousand five hundred construction tools.' At that time, everyone said that long ago they had heard that this artisan indeed placed his tools under the tiles. At that time Teng Yongwen of Nanyang, governor of Hengyang, was staying in Luoyang at Manshui Monastery. Both of his legs were crippled and bent, so that he could not get up and walk. Jīvaka went to see him and said, 'If you wish to be cured of your illness, why not fetch a cup of pure water and a willow branch?' Jīvaka then sprinkled the water with the willow branch, raised his hand toward Yongwen, and chanted incantations. He did this three times, and then grasped Yongwen's knees with his hands to make him stand up. Immediately he stood up and walked as of old. In this monastery there were several dozen withered and dead trees of contemplation. Jīvaka asked Yongwen, 'How long have the trees been dead?' Yongwen said, 'For many years.' Jīvaka then chanted incantations toward the trees just as he had done for Yongwen. The trees soon sprouted shoots, spreading their branches in lush abundance. In the Directorate of Imperial Manufactures, there was a man suffering from an abdominal mass who was on the verge of death. Jīvaka placed a begging bowl upon the patient's belly and covered him completely with a white cloth. He chanted incantations of wishing for several thousand words, whereupon a foul stench permeated the entire room. The sick man said, 'I shall live!' Jīvaka had someone lift the cloth, and inside the begging bowl were several pints of what looked like foul sludge, reeking so badly that one could not approach it. The sick man was thereupon healed. When warfare erupted in Luoyang, he took his leave to return to Tianzhu. Several hundred śramaṇas in Luoyang each invited Jīvaka to a midday meal. Jīvaka agreed to go to all of them. The next morning, there was a Jīvaka at every one of the five hundred houses. At first each thought he had visited them alone, but later, when they compared notes, they realized he had multiplied his body to descend among them. When he departed, the monks escorted him as far as the walls of Henan. Jīvaka walked slowly, yet his pursuers could not catch up. Jīvaka then drew a line on the ground with his staff, saying, 'Here we part.' On that very day, someone arriving from Chang'an saw Jīvaka in a monastery there. Later, a Sogdian merchant named Hushedeng said that toward dusk on that day, he met Jīvaka in the Flowing Sands, a distance estimated at over nine thousand li. After returning to the Western Regions, his end was not known.
1.18
Falang
1.19
The monk Kang Falang studied at Zhongshan. During the Yongjia era, he traveled west with a bhikṣu to Tianzhu, crossing over more than a thousand li of the Flowing Sands. Along the road they saw a ruined stupa; no halls or pavilions remained, and mugwort filled their eyes. Falang and his companion went off the road to gaze and pay homage, and saw two monks living separately beside it: one was reciting a sūtra, while the other suffered from dysentery, his room filled with foul filth. The one reciting the sūtra paid him no heed at all. Grieved, Falang and his companion took pity, cooked gruel for him, swept the room, and washed his clothes. On the sixth day, the sick man grew increasingly exhausted, his dysentery pouring out like a spring. Falang and his companion tended to him together. That night, Falang and his companion both thought the patient would certainly not survive until morning. When they went to see him the next dawn, his countenance was radiant and joyful, and his symptoms had vanished completely; moreover, the filth in the room had all turned into fragrant flowers. Falang and his companion then realized that he was an adept who had attained the Way, testing people. The sick man said, 'The bhikṣu in the next room is my upādhyāya; he long ago attained the wisdom of the Way. You may go pay homage to him.' Falang and his companion had previously resented the sūtra-reciting śramaṇa for lacking compassion; hearing this, they bowed in homage and repented their fault. The reciter said, 'Your sincere intentions have both arrived, and you will both enter the Way. Master Lang, your past study and karma are shallow; you will not attain your vow in this life.' He said to Lang's companion, 'Huiruo, your roots are planted deeply; you shall attain your vow in this present life.' He therefore retained him. Falang later returned to the mountains and became a great Dharma master, revered by both clerics and laypeople.
1.20
Fotudeng
1.21.1
Fotudeng was a native of the Western Regions. His original surname was Bo. He renounced household life in his youth, was pure and devoted to learning, and recited several million words of sūtras. In the fourth year of the Yongjia era, he came to Luoyang, resolved to propagate the great Dharma. He was adept at chanting divine incantations and could command ghosts and spirits. By mixing sesame oil with rouge and smearing it on his palms, affairs from a thousand li away could be clearly seen in his palms as if face to face; he could also enable those who observed fasting and purifications to see. Moreover, when he listened to the sound of bells to pronounce on affairs, he was never without verification. He wished to establish a monastery in Luoyang, but encountered Liu Yao's invasion of the Luoyang terraces, plunging the imperial capital into chaos. Deng's aspiration to establish a monastery was consequently not fulfilled, so he concealed himself among the grasses and wilds to observe the changes of the world. At that time, Shi Le was garrisoning troops at Gebei, relying solely on slaughter as his authority, and many śramaṇas were killed. Pitying the living beings, Deng wished to transform Shi Le through the Way. Thereupon, resting on his staff, he went to the army gates. Le's senior general Guo Heilüe had long revered the Dharma; Deng immediately took shelter at Heilüe's home. Heilüe received the five precepts from him and treated him with the courtesy due to a master. Later, when Heilüe accompanied Le on military campaigns, he foresaw victory and defeat every time. Le grew suspicious and asked, 'I have not noticed that you possess outstanding wisdom or stratagems, yet you always know the fortune of the army's movements; why is that?' Heilüe said, 'The General is endowed by Heaven with divine martial prowess, aided by the unseen spirits. There is a śramaṇa whose knowledge and arts are extraordinary; he says that the General will conquer the Central Plain and that he should already be your master. Everything I have reported before was his words.' Le was delighted and said, 'A gift from Heaven!' He summoned Deng and asked, 'What spiritual efficacy does the Buddha's Way possess?' Deng knew that Le did not comprehend profound principles and could only be instructed through arts of the Way. He therefore said, 'Although the Supreme Way is remote, it can also be verified by near matters.' He immediately took a vessel, filled it with water, burned incense, and chanted incantations over it. In an instant, blue lotuses grew forth, their radiant colors dazzling the eyes. Le thereby believed and submitted. Deng then admonished him, saying, 'When the virtuous transformation of a king permeates the universe, the four auspicious beasts manifest good omens; when governance decays and the Way declines, comets appear above. Constellations manifest clearly, and good and ill fortune follow one's actions. This is the constant principle of past and present, the clear warning between Heaven and humanity.' Le was exceedingly pleased. Of all those who were due to be executed or maimed, eight or nine out of ten benefited from his intervention. Thereupon, the northern tribesmen of the Central Plains all wished to revere the Buddha. At that time, there were chronic illnesses that the world could not cure; Deng treated them with medicine, and they were healed in response. When Le returned north of the Yellow River from Gebei, passing through Fangtou, [the enemy] intended to raid his camp at night. Deng said to Heilüe, 'The bandits will arrive in a moment; you may inform the Duke.' It turned out just as he had said; because they were prepared, they were not defeated. Le wished to test Deng; at night, wearing a helmet and armor and holding a blade, he sat and sent someone to tell Deng, 'Tonight we do not know where the Senior General is.' The messenger had just arrived and had not yet spoken when Deng preemptively asked, 'In peacetime without bandits, why are you heavily armed at night?' Le respected him all the more. Later, in an anger, Le wished to harm all the religious practitioners and also make Deng suffer. Deng then avoided him and went to Heilüe's residence, telling his disciples, 'If the General's messenger arrives and asks where I am, reply that you do not know where I went.' The messenger arrived shortly, but could not find Deng. The messenger returned and reported to Le. Le was startled and said, 'I harbored ill intentions toward the holy man; the holy man has abandoned me and left!' He did not sleep all night, longing to see Deng. Deng knew that Le regretted his actions, and the next morning he visited Le. Le said, 'Where did you go last night?' Deng said, 'You had wrath in your heart, so yesterday I temporarily avoided you. Now you have changed your mind, and for that reason I dared to come.' Le laughed heartily and said, 'The man of the Way is mistaken!' The water source for the moat of Xiangguo city was five li northwest of the city, below the Tuanwan Shrine. The water suddenly dried up. Le asked Deng, 'How can water be brought forth?' Deng said, 'Now I must command the dragon.' Le's courtesy name was Shilong ('Generational Dragon'); thinking Deng was mocking him, he replied, 'It is precisely because the dragon cannot bring forth water that I asked you.' Deng said, 'These are sincere words, not in jest. In the source of the spring, there must be a divine dragon dwelling; if we go and address it with a command, water can certainly be obtained.' He then went to the spring source with several disciples, including Fashou. The old site of the source had long been parched, cracked like cart ruts. His followers doubted in their hearts, fearing that water would be difficult to obtain. Deng sat on a rope bed, burned benzoin incense, and chanted incantations and prayers of several hundred words. After three days like this, water trickled out faintly. There was a small dragon, five or six inches long, that emerged following the water. The practitioners vied to go look at it. Deng said, 'The dragon has venom; do not approach it.' Shortly afterward, water arrived in great volume, filling the moats completely. Deng sat at leisure and sighed, 'In two days, a petty person will cause a disturbance here.' Soon after, a man of Xiangguo named Xue He had two sons, who were both young and arrogant. They insulted a Xianbei slave; the slave was enraged, drew a knife, and stabbed the younger brother to death. He seized the elder brother in the room and held the knife to his heart; if anyone entered the room, he would strike. He said to Xue He, 'Send me back to my state and I will let your son live; otherwise, we will die together.' At this, everyone inside and outside was terrified and dared not go to look. Le went in person to see it, and said to Xue He, 'Sending the slave back to preserve your son is indeed a good deed, but once this precedent is known, it will create future harm. Bear your grief for now; the state has standard laws.' He ordered men to seize the slave. The slave thereupon killed the boy and died. Duan Bo of the Xianbei attacked Le; his forces were very strong. Le was terrified and asked Deng. Deng said, 'Yesterday the monastery bell rang, saying, "Tomorrow at mealtime, Duan Bo will be captured."' Le mounted the wall to look at Bo's army; unable to see its front or rear, he paled and said, 'As the army marches, the earth tilts. How can Bo be captured? These are just words to comfort me.' He again sent Kui An to ask Deng. Deng said, 'Bo has already been captured.' At that time, ambushers north of the city emerged, encountered Bo, and captured him. Deng advised Le to pardon Bo and send him back to his native state; Le complied, and eventually obtained his service. At that time, Liu Zai had died; Zai's cousin Yao usurped the illegitimate throne and proclaimed the first year of the Guangchu era. In the eighth year of Guangchu, Yao sent his cousin Yue, King of Zhongshan, leading troops to attack Le. Le sent Shi Hu leading infantry and cavalry to resist him. A great battle was fought west of Luoyang; Yue was defeated and held Shiliangwu, while Hu built strong palisades to besiege him. Deng, accompanied by his disciples, was going from the Official Monastery to the Middle Monastery; just as he entered the monastery gate, he sighed and said, 'Liu Yue is pitiable!' His disciple Fazuo asked the reason, and Deng said, 'Yesterday at the hai hour, Yue was already captured.' It turned out just as he had said. In the eleventh year of Guangchu, Yao personally led troops to attack Luoyang.
1.21.2
Shi Le wished to go in person to resist Liu Yao. None of his officials and advisors, inside or outside [the court], failed to remonstrate with him. Le consulted Fotudeng about it. Deng said: "The bell on the stūpa finial says: 'Xiuzhitiligang pugukutudang.' This is the Jie language. Xiuzhitiligang means 'the army marches forth'. Pugu is Liu Yao's barbarian title. Kutudang means 'to capture'. This means that when the army marches forth, it will capture Yao." At that time Xu Guang heard these words of Deng's and earnestly urged Le to go. Le then left his eldest son Shi Hong together with Deng to guard Xiangguo, while he himself led the infantry and cavalry of the central army directly toward the city of Luoyang. No sooner had the two battle lines engaged than Yao's army suffered a great rout. Yao's horse sank in the water, and Shi Kan captured him alive and sent him to Le. At that time, Deng smeared a substance on his palm; looking into it, he saw a man bound in the midst of a great host, his elbows tied with red silk. He then told this to Hong. At that very moment, Yao was indeed captured alive. After Yao was subdued, Le illegitimately assumed the title of Heavenly King of Zhao and performed the affairs of an Emperor, changing the reign era to Jianping. This year was the fifth year of the Xianhe era of Emperor Cheng of Jin. After Le ascended the throne, he served Deng with ever greater devotion. At that time Shi Cong rebelled. In that year, Deng warned Le, saying: "This year there are worms in the scallions; eating them will surely harm people. You should order the common people not to eat scallions." Le issued an announcement throughout his territory strictly forbidding the eating of scallions. When it came to the eighth month, Shi Cong indeed fled. Le respected [Deng] all the more; whenever there was an affair, he always consulted him before acting, calling him the Great Upādhyāya. Shi Hu had a son named Bin, whom Le later adopted as his own son. Le loved him very deeply. Suddenly he fell violently ill and died; two days had already passed. Le said: "I have heard that when the Crown Prince of Guo died, Bian Que was able to bring him back to life. The Great Upādhyāya is a divine man of the state; we must urgently go and report this to him, and he will surely be able to bring about good fortune." Deng then took a willow branch and chanted incantations over it. In an instant [Bin] was able to rise, and after a short while he recovered. Because of this, Le's young children were mostly raised in Buddhist monasteries. Every year on the eighth day of the fourth month, Le would go in person to the monastery to bathe the Buddha and make vows on behalf of his sons. In the fourth month of the fourth year of Jianping, the sky was calm and windless, yet a single bell atop the stūpa rang on its own. Deng said to the assembly: "The sound of the bell says: 'The state will have a great mourning, not beyond this year.'" In the seventh month of that year, Le died. Crown Prince Hong succeeded to the throne. Before long, Hu deposed Hong and set himself up [as ruler], moving the capital to Ye and designating the reign era as Jianwu. He devoted his heart to serving Deng with even greater reverence than Le had. At that time, Deng resided in the Central Monastery within the city of Ye. He dispatched his disciple Fachang north to Xiangguo, while his disciple Fazuo was returning from Xiangguo. They met below Liangji Castle and lodged together, talking through the night across their carriages and mentioning the Upādhyāya. At dawn they parted. When Fazuo arrived, he first went in to pay respects to Deng. Deng met him with a smile and said: "Last night, did you and Fachang park your carriages together and talk about your master? The ancients had a saying: 'Is it not said that one must be reverent when hidden from view without altering, and cautious when alone without becoming slack?' Being hidden and alone is the root of reverence and caution; did you not know this?" Zuo was astonished and felt ashamed, confessing his fault. Thereupon, the people of the state would always say to one another: "Do not give rise to evil thoughts; the Upādhyāya knows you." Wherever Deng was, none dared to spit, blow their nose, or relieve themselves facing his direction. At that time, the Crown Prince Shi Sui had two sons in Xiangguo. Deng said to Sui: "Little Ami will soon fall ill; you should go and fetch him." Sui immediately dispatched a courier to go and look; [the child] had indeed already fallen ill. The imperial physician Yin Teng and a foreign Daoshi claimed that they could cure it. Deng told his disciple Faya: "Even if a sage were to appear again, he could not cure this illness, how much less such people as these!" After three days, he indeed died. Shi Sui, indulged in drink, was planning rebellion. He said to his eunuchs: "The Upādhyāya has spiritual powers; if he exposes my plot, when he comes tomorrow we must eliminate him first." On the fifteenth of the month, as Deng was about to enter to pay respects to Hu, he said to his disciple Senghui: "Last night a heavenly deity called to me, saying: 'If you enter tomorrow, on your return do not visit anyone. If I happen to visit someone, you must stop me.'" Whenever Deng entered, he would always visit Sui. Sui, knowing Deng was coming, was waiting anxiously for him. When Deng was about to ascend the Southern Terrace, Senghui pulled his robe. Deng said: "This matter cannot be stopped." Before he was even comfortably seated, he arose. Sui tried firmly to detain him, but could not keep him, and the plot was thus foiled. Returning to the monastery, Deng sighed: "The Crown Prince's rebellion is almost formed. Wanting to speak of it, it is difficult to speak; wanting to endure it, it is difficult to endure." He then took occasion to admonish Hu calmly, but Hu never understood. Soon after, the matter came to light, and only then did [Hu] realize Deng's words. Later, Guo Heilüe led troops to campaign against the Qiang of the northern mountains of Chang'an and fell into the midst of the Qiang and Di. At that time Deng was sitting in the hall with his disciple Fachang by his side. Deng looked sorrowful and his expression changed, saying: "Lord Guo has fallen into the enemy's hands." He instructed the assembly of monks to chant incantations and make vows, and Deng himself also chanted incantations and made vows. In an instant he said again: "If he exits to the southeast he will live; in other directions he will be trapped." Again he chanted incantations and made vows. After a short while he said: "He has escaped." More than a month later, Heilüe returned and recounted that when he fell into the Qiang encirclement, he fled to the southeast until his horse was exhausted. He happened to meet one of his subordinates, who yielded his horse to him, saying: "You, my lord, ride this; I, a lowly man, will ride your horse. Whether we survive or not is up to fate." Heilüe obtained his horse and thus escaped. When they calculated and verified the day and hour, it was precisely the time when Deng was chanting incantations and making vows. Shi Bin, the Duke of Yan and illegitimate Grand Commander, was made Shepherd of Youzhou by Hu to garrison it. Bands of villains gathered there, and he gave free rein to violence. Deng warned Hu, saying: "The heavenly deity said last night: 'Quickly recall the horses and send them back. By autumn, Qi will suffer paralysis and rot.'" Hu did not understand these words, but immediately ordered all places to gather the horses and send them back. That autumn someone slandered Bin to Hu. Hu summoned Bin and gave him three hundred lashes of the whip, and killed his birth mother, Lady Qi. Hu drew his bow and fitted an arrow, watching the punishment of Bin himself; thinking the punishment too light, Hu personally killed five hundred [of Bin's men]. Deng remonstrated: "The mind must not be given free rein; the dead cannot be brought back to life. According to the rites, one does not kill with one's own hand lest it wound benevolence. How could the Son of Heaven carry out punishments with his own hand?" Hu then stopped. Later, the Jin army advanced beyond the Huai and Si rivers; Longbei and Wacheng were both pressed and invaded. The three fronts reported emergencies, and the people were anxious and disturbed. Hu then said in anger: "I serve the Buddha, yet on the contrary this brings foreign invaders; the Buddha has no divine power!" The next morning Deng entered early. Hu asked Deng about the matter. Deng then rebuked Hu, saying: "In a past life, your majesty was once a great merchant leader. Arriving at a monastery in Kapiśa, you once provided offerings at a great assembly in which there were sixty arhats. I myself also took part in this assembly. At that time, a man of the Way told me: 'When this host's life ends, he will be reborn as a chicken, and afterward become a king in the land of Jin.'"
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- 神僧傳 — Classical Chinese