神僧傳 8.4

8.4

Śramaṇa Jianzhen had the secular surname Chunyu and was a native of Jiangyang County in Guangling. When his hair was bound in tufts, he followed his father into Dayun Monastery. Seeing the Buddha image, his innate aspiration was stirred; he therefore told his father and requested to renounce household life. His father marveled at his resolve and granted it. Later he became the foremost leader of his region. At that time, the state of Japan had the śramaṇas Yōrei, Fushō, and others, who came east to seek the Dharma. Jianzhen agreed to go. He then purchased a boat, departed from Guangling carrying sūtras, vinaya, and dharmas, and left the shore. Reaching the haven of Yuezhou, he halted at Mount Shufeng. Jianzhen had a dream that was exceedingly miraculous. As soon as they set out to sea, they encountered fierce wind and waves. The boatmen, seeing that they were about to sink, began to cast out agarwood logs. They heard a voice in the sky saying, 'Do not cast them out!' At that time, spirit generals clad in armor and grasping weapons were seen at both the prow and the stern. Soon the wind subsided, and before long they drifted into the Sea of Snakes. The snakes were over thirty feet long, colored like patterned brocade. Later they entered the Sea of Fish; the fish were over a foot long and flew filling the air. In the next ocean, they saw only flying birds, which gathered on the back of the boat and weighed it down so that it almost sank. When they emerged from the Sea of Birds, they ran short of water. Presently they moored at an island, where there was a pool of clear water that tasted sweet to those who drank it. In due course they reached Japan. The king of the country rejoiced, welcomed him into a great monastery in the capital to reside, and called him Great Preceptor. In the first year of the Guangde era of Emperor Daizong, without illness, he took leave of the assembly and passed away in a seated posture. His body did not decay or collapse. Down to the present, his body has not been treated with ramie or lacquer; the king, nobles, and faithful laymen of that country frequently apply precious incense to it.