法華傳記 10
English (machine translation) 10
- Language
- English
10.1
Chapter 12: Offerings according to Principle and Dharma, with Dharma Offerings Appended
10.2
Shi Huishao, 1
Shi Huiyi, 2
Shi Faguang, 3
Shi Dazhi, 4
Shi Huitong, 5
Bhikṣuṇī, 6
Scholar, 7
Shi Sengyu, 8
Ten Kinds of Offerings, 9
Benefits of Offerings, 10
Wonderful Flower Deva, 11
Jeweled Garland Deva, 12
Old Woman, 13
Upāsaka, 14
Shi Sengda, 15
Dharma Offerings, 16
Bhikṣu Wuxing, 17
10.3
Shi Huishao of Zhaoti Monastery in Linchuan under the Song, 1
10.4
Śramaṇa Huishao: His clan and ancestry are unknown. As a small child, whenever his mother fed him fish or meat he would invariably vomit, yet he swallowed vegetables without hesitation; thereupon he took to a vegetarian diet. At the age of eight, he left household life to become a monk. Later, following Yao, he stayed at Zhaoti Monastery in Linchuan. He recited the Lotus Sūtra, and whenever he came to the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', he secretly formed the aspiration to burn his body. He often hired men to chop firewood, piling it several fathoms high in a stone chamber on the Eastern Mountain. In the center he opened a niche sufficient to hold his own body. He then returned to the monastery to bid Yao farewell. On the day of burning his body, he held a grand assembly on the Eastern Mountain to take his leave. His acquaintances and the entire region came rushing—carriages, horses, crowds of people, as well as those bringing gold and valuables, were beyond count. At the first watch of the night, while circumambulating and reciting the sūtra, Shao personally offered incense, held a torch, lit the firewood, entered inside, and sat down. He recited the 'Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Bhaiṣajyarāja'. When the assembly could no longer see Shao, they realized he had already gone. Before their prostrations were finished, all arrived [to find] the ghee fully consumed and ablaze, yet the sound of his sūtra recitation had not ceased. When the fire reached his brow, he was heard to chant 'One Mind', and with these words he expired. The great assembly all saw a star as large as a bushel measure descend straight into the smoke and, after a moment, ascend to heaven. Those who saw it at the time all said that the heavenly palace was welcoming Shao. After three days, the pile of firewood was finally exhausted. Before approaching his end, he had told his fellow practitioners: 'At the place where I burn my body, a wutong tree will grow. Be careful not to fell it.' Three days after he burned his body, it indeed grew.
10.5
Śramaṇa Huiyi of Zhulin Monastery in the Song Capital, 2
10.6
Śramaṇa Huiyi was a native of Guangling. He left household life while young and accompanied his master to reside in Shouchun. During the Xiaojian era of the Song dynasty, he traveled to the capital and rested at Zhulin Monastery. Diligent in his ascetic practices, he recited and mastered the Lotus Sūtra. Whenever he reached the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', he would weep and sigh, saying: 'A human body is difficult to obtain, and the Buddha's teaching is difficult to encounter. Having attained [human life], I wish to burn my body.' When the multitude heard this, their words alternated between blame and praise. In the fourth year of Daming, he first severed grains, consuming only hemp and wheat. By the sixth year, he further ceased wheat and the like, eating only ghee and oil. He then discontinued ghee and oil, consuming only incense pills. Although his four great elements grew faint and feeble, his spirit and consciousness remained sharp and upright. Emperor Xiaowu deeply revered and marveled at him, sending inquiries, and earnestly dispatched the Grand Preceptor, Prince Yigong of Jiangxia, to visit the monastery to admonish Yi. Yi's sworn aspiration remained unaltered. On the eighth day of the fourth month in the seventh year of Daming, when he was about to submit to the flames, a cauldron was set up to the south of Mount Zhong and oil was prepared. On the morning of that day, he rode in an ox cart drawn by men from the monastery to the mountain. Considering that the emperor is the one upon whom the myriad people rely and the one to whom the Three Jewels are entrusted, he mustered his strength to enter the palace. Reaching the Yunlong Gate, he was unable to walk down and had someone convey word: 'The man of the Way Huiyi now relinquishes his body, arriving at the gate to offer his farewell, deeply entrusting the Buddhadharma [to your care].' Hearing this, the Emperor changed his countenance and immediately came out in person to the Yunlong Gate. When Yi saw the Emperor, he repeatedly entrusted the Buddhadharma to him, and then took his leave. The Emperor also followed and arrived. Princes, consorts, empresses, monastics, and lay commoners filled the valleys, casting off clothes and discarding treasures beyond count. Yi entered the cauldron, sat upon a small bench, wrapped himself in robes, placed a tall cap on his head, and poured oil over himself. As he was about to set it ablaze, the Emperor commanded the Grand Preceptor to go to the cauldron to urge him, saying: 'There are many paths to practicing the Way; why must you forfeit your life? We hope you will think thrice and take another route.' Yi's noble resolve was steadfast, without the slightest regret. He then replied: 'How could this humble body and lowly life be worthy of occupying the Heavenly Mind? If Your Sage Compassion is boundless, I pray that you permit twenty people to leave household life.' An imperial edict was issued immediately granting this. Yi then took the torch in his own hand to light the cap. Once the cap caught fire, he discarded the torch, joined his palms, and recited the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter'. When the fire reached his eyebrows, the sound of his recitation was still distinct; only when it reached his eyes did it fade away. High and low lamented and sighed, their sounds shaking the secluded valley; all snapped their fingers, called upon the Buddha, and wept sorrowfully. The fire was extinguished only by the next morning. At that time, the Emperor heard reed pipes in the air and smelled an extraordinary, fragrant perfume. Only at the end of the day did the Emperor return to the palace. That night, he dreamed that he saw Yi coming, shaking his tin staff, and again entrusting him with the Buddhadharma. The next day, the Emperor held an assembly to ordain monks on his behalf, ordering the patron of the feast to make an announcement detailing the portents. The place where he burned his body was named Bhaiṣajyarāja Monastery to emulate the ancient deeds.
10.7
Śramaṇa Faguang of Longxi under the Qi, 3
10.8
Śramaṇa Faguang was a native of Longxi in Qinzhou. He had faith from his youth and only left household life at the age of twenty-nine. Practicing the ascetic dhūtas, he did not wear silk or cotton, eliminated the five grains, and fed solely on pine needles. Later, he vowed to burn his body to make an offering to the Dharma. He then consumed pine resin and drank oil for half a year. On the twentieth day of the tenth month in the fifth year of the Yongming era of the Qi dynasty, inside Jicheng Monastery in Longxi, he gathered firewood and burned his body to fulfill his former vow. When the fire reached his eyes, the sound of his recitation of the Lotus Sūtra could still be noted; when it reached his nose, it faded, and he expired. His springs and autumns were forty-one. (The above three accounts are from the Liang Gaoseng zhuan, fascicle 12.)
10.9
Śramaṇa Dazhi of Mount Lu in Jiujiang under the Sui, 4
10.10
Śramaṇa Dazhi had the secular surname Gu and was a native of Shanyin in Kuaiji. He left household life in his childhood and served Tiantai Zhizhe as his master. Zhiyi observed that his form and spirit were unconstrained, lofty, and beyond worldly things, and therefore named him Dazhi ('Great Aspiration'). Meditation and recitation were his vocation, and he devoted himself to rigorous discipline. No famed site in the four quarters was too distant for him to visit; his demeanor and speech were pure and serene, and his conduct and appearance were truly dignified, so that whoever beheld him knew he was no ordinary vessel. In the tenth year of Kaihuang, he came to wander Mount Lu and resided at Fengding Monastery. He did not register his name with the authorities nor associate with the monastic community. He recited the Lotus Sūtra with an unfettered and elegant manner, his melodious chanting so exceedingly clear that all listeners forgot their weariness. Later, south of Ganlu Peak on Mount Hua, he established the Jingguan Bodhimaṇḍa and took up the dhūtas as his practice. Solitary in body, he did not avoid roaring tigers; hearing of ferocious beasts, he would immediately go and cast himself before them, but they all avoided him and did not devour him. Grains were originally absent on the mountain; all day long he forgot to eat, occasionally sustaining his life with cakes and fruit alone. Outsiders could not bear such hardships, yet Zhi was at ease with them, his countenance remaining unchanged. For seven years, his practice of meditation was never interrupted. Later, he resided at Fulin Monastery on this mountain. During the Daye era, when the recluses and hermits were dismissed and banished, he lamented that the Dharma had declined to such an extent. Thereupon, he altered his robes, disfigured his appearance, put mourning garb upon his head, wore coarse cloth as clothing, and wept bitterly in the Buddha hall with loud cries for three days and three nights without cessation. When the monastery monks consoled him, Zhi said: 'I lament that evil karma has come to this! I must exhaust this bodily frame to make clear the correct teaching.' He then went to the Eastern Capital and submitted a memorial: 'I pray Your Majesty will cause the Three Jewels to flourish. I shall burn one of my arms on Mount Song to repay the debt of gratitude to the state.' The Emperor consented and decreed the holding of a grand vegetarian feast, where the sevenfold assembly gathered together. Zhi fasted for three days, climbed onto a large platform, and heated an iron until it was blazing, using it to sear his arm until it turned black, then severed it with a knife, the flesh tearing and the bone showing. He further seared the bone until it was black, wrapped it in cloth, poured wax over it, and lit it with fire beneath. The light illuminated the cliffs and peaks. At that time, seeing his painful practice, the hearts of the great assembly ached to the marrow and they could not stand still. Yet Zhi, though subjected to burning and searing, did not change his words or countenance, conversing and smiling as before. At times he recited verses of the Dharma, and at times praised the Buddha's virtues, preaching the Dharma for the assembly, his voice unbroken. When the arm was completely burned, he climbed down from the platform as before. He entered samādhi for seven days and passed away seated cross-legged, at the age of forty-three.
10.11
Śramaṇa Huitong of Baolin Valley in Zhongnan under the Tang, 5
10.12
Śramaṇa Huitong was a native of Yusu River in Wannian, Yongzhou. In his youth he delighted in the discipline of the Way and roamed among forests and springs; rigorous discipline and moral conduct were his constant practice. He retreated to Baolin Valley in Mount Zhongnan to live in seclusion and pursue his vocation. He read the Lotus Sūtra, and upon reaching the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', he rejoiced in renunciation. He secretly gathered firewood and vowed to carry it out. In the late Zhenguan era, on a quiet night in the forest, he piled wood into a cave-like pyre. Reciting up to the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter', he ordered the fire to be lit. The wind arose and flames burst forth, smoke and fire both raging. Aloft, he sat cross-legged, chanting aloud as before. Soon after, from the southwest, a great white light flowed into the pyre, and only then did his body fall forward. By dawn, both body and fire were extinguished. His remaining bones were gathered and a white stūpa was erected for him, with an inscription carved to preserve his memory.
10.13
Bhikṣuṇī of Jingzhou, 6
10.14
At the beginning of the Zhenguan era, in Jingzhou there were two bhikṣuṇīs, biological sisters, who recited the Lotus Sūtra together. Deeply loathing their physical vessels, both wished to relinquish their bodies. They curtailed their clothing and food, revering ascetic practices. Ingesting various fragrant oils, they gradually ceased eating grains, and later stopped all cereals completely, taking only incense and honey. Sustained by their spiritual vigor, their spirit and resolve were clear and bright. They announced to monastics and laypeople that on an appointed day they would burn their bodies. On the eighth day of the second month in the third year of Zhenguan, they set up two high seats on the main street of Jingzhou, wrapped their bodies in waxed cloth up to their crowns, exposing only their faces and eyes. The crowd gathered like a mountain, with hymns of praise convening like clouds. Reciting up to the passage on self-immolation, the elder sister first placed a firebrand upon the younger sister's crown, requesting that the younger sister likewise place a firebrand upon her own crown. In the clear night, the two torches shone together simultaneously. As the flames descended to their eyes, their voices became ever clearer; only when the fire descended to their noses and mouths did they cease. By the dawn, the pyre and seats were totally consumed, transformed by fire at once, their skeletal remains crumbling to dust, yet both their tongues remained intact. The entire assembly rejoiced and marveled, erecting a tall stūpa for them.
10.15
The Scholar West of Bingzhou City, 7
10.16
West of the city of Bingzhou, there was a scholar aged twenty-four or twenty-five who recited the Lotus Sūtra and vowed to burn himself as an offering. He gathered several bundles of dry wormwood into a coop. When people asked him the reason, he kept it secret and did not disclose it. Later, in the middle of the night, he set fire to burn himself. By the time people went to save him, the flames were blazing and he was already dead. They thereupon added firewood and completely consumed his physical form.
10.17
Śramaṇa Sengyu of Zhaoti Monastery on Mount Lu under the Song, 8
10.18
Śramaṇa Sengyu had the secular surname Zhou and was a native of Yuhang in Wuxing. He left household life upon coming of age, his practice pure and unblemished. In the fifteenth year of Yuanjia, together with his fellow students Tanwen, Huiguang, and others, he established a vihāra on the southern ridge of Mount Lu named Zhaoyin. Yu constantly considered: 'Bonds and entanglements in the three destinies are caused by sentiments and physical forms. When sentiments are exhausted, the form should also be discarded; why should Bhaiṣajyarāja's footprints alone be far away?' Thereupon, he repeatedly uttered vows, forming a compact to burn his body. On the third day of the sixth month in the second year of the Xiaojian era of the Song dynasty, he gathered firewood to make a niche, invited monks, hosted a vegetarian feast, and took leave of the assembly. On that day, clouds and mist merged darkly, and dense rain fell steadily. Yu then made a vow, saying: 'If my resolve is clearly achieved, heaven shall become clear and bright; if it has no sympathetic resonance, let it rain torrentially, so that the fourfold assembly may know the spiritual response is not obscure.' When he finished speaking, the cloud cover cleared. When the first watch ended, he entered the wooden niche, joined his palms, sat upright, and recited the 'Bhaiṣajyarāja Chapter'. As the flames converged upon him, his joined palms did not part. Knowing monastics and laypeople rushed across the mountains, bowing their heads in homage, wishing to establish a karmic connection. All saw purple vapor soaring into the sky, ceasing only after a long time. He was forty-four years of age. Fourteen days later, a pair of wutong trees sprouted in Yu's chamber; their roots and branches were luxuriant, their thickness uniform, piercing the earth and towering straight up, eventually becoming wondrous trees. Those of discerning mind considered that these were the jeweled śāla trees clearly manifesting nirvāṇa, and because Yu had nearly attained it, this proof appeared. He was thus called the 'Dual Wutong Śramaṇa'. Zhang Bian of Wujun, serving as Chief Clerk of Pingnan, witnessed the matter in person and composed a biography and eulogy. The eulogy said: / Vast and distant is the mysterious mechanism, / Boundless is the supreme Way. / Going out into life and entering into death, / What is the wondrous treasure? (Part 1) / Since ancient times, Bhaiṣajyarāja / Has displayed extraordinary transformation beyond compare. / Formerly I heard his exposition, / Today I behold this man. (Part 2) / Eminent is the śramaṇa, / Firm in wisdom and meditation. / His spirit coalesced in purple vapor, / His traces manifested in the paired trees. (Part 3) / His virtue is to be rejoiced in, / His conduct to be valued. / When these words are composed, / May they flutter faintly [in his honor]. (Part 4)
10.19
Record of the Ten Kinds of Offerings, 9
10.20
The Records of the Xiaoyao Garden says: In the foreign lands' Dharma master Kumārajīva's winter of the seventh year of Hongshi, the translation of the new Lotus Sūtra was completed, in one set of seven fascicles and twenty-eight chapters. In the spring of the following year, the first month, the copy was collated and finalized; they produced a golden-lettered sūtra, adorning it with the seven precious jewels. Its radiant colors shone upon the garden; monks and layfolk crowded like a marketplace, looking up with reverence and prostrating. An inspired dream said: 'It lacks the four characters "one dust particle, one kalpa" [一塵一劫].' When they re-examined the Sanskrit manuscript, it was just as in the dream. The king of Qin rejoiced and said: 'Master Jīva has profoundly grasped the import of the sūtra, truly matching the holy mind. What was previously copied lacked these four characters; let them be sought in the sūtra and inserted.' The king said to Jīva: 'If I am to make offerings to the sūtra scroll in accordance with the Dharma, what are the ritual forms?' Jīva said: 'If you wish to make offerings to the sūtra scroll as spoken [in the text], you must rely on what the sūtra says, summarily preparing the ten kinds of offering utensils: first, flowers; second, incense; third, necklaces; fourth, powdered incense; fifth, ointment incense; sixth, burning incense; seventh, banners and canopies; eighth, garments; ninth, music; and tenth, joining the palms.' The king said: 'I do not yet know what kind of incense and flowers.' Jīva said: 'As for incense, there are seashore incense, musk, saffron, storax, and the like; use pure and clean incense, discarding impure incense, not ground down to microfine dust. As for flowers, there are seasonal flowers of water and land, like the lotuses and their kind; if there are no seasonal flowers, fashion them of the seven precious jewels, imitating the four flowers such as the māndārava, as well as seasonal wondrous flowers; in foreign lands they use utpala flowers, sumanā flowers, and the like. As for necklaces, make them of pearls and jewels, imitating the cintāmaṇi pearl necklaces, maṇi pearl necklaces, and the like; in foreign lands they use necklaces of a hundred assorted jewels. As for powdered incense, powder the roots, stems, and parts of sandalwood; if mixed with water it becomes ointment incense, imitating aloeswood and the like; if combined with fire it becomes burning incense, meant for perfuming. As for banners and canopies, use pure, fine fabrics; in foreign lands they use lotus-fiber and other peerless garments, imitating wondrous heavenly robes. As for music, use drums, vertical and horizontal flutes, zithers, harps, and the like. As for joining the palms, take a reverent mind as the offering, using the lotus-bud handclasp. All must be pure and clean, relying on physical forms to awaken to the principle.' The king said: 'What is its retributive reward?' Jīva said: 'The retributive rewards are distant or near. The near ones are based on limited feelings and do not pertain to the good essence; the distant ones obtain the permanent Buddha fruit.' The king said: 'What are the near fruits of limited feelings and the distant wondrous fruits?' Jīva said: 'The retributive rewards of such offerings are subtle and wondrous, praised by all Buddhas. Furthermore, formerly when the Buddha was in the world, there was a monk whose mouth smelled of sandalwood incense; for ninety-one kalpas, among humans and in the heavens, sandalwood fragrance issued from all the pores of his body, and an utpala flower fragrance constantly came from his mouth. At last he met a Buddha, attained arhatship, the three knowledges, the six abhijñās, and was complete in the eight liberations. This was the retributive reward he obtained after the parinirvāṇa of Vipaśyin Buddha from offering incense to a stupa. In the city of Kapilavastu, a hundred youths were formerly together in one village; they made music and held incense and flowers to make offerings to a Buddha stupa; for ninety-one kalpas they did not fall into the evil destinies, shared in happiness together, and upon meeting the Buddha brought an end to suffering. The god Huatian formerly scattered wild marsh flowers over the Sangha; wherever he was born, heavenly flowers constantly rained down. The monk Weide scattered wilted flowers over a stupa, and it was also like this. In a foreign land there was a brahman who committed the three rebellious acts, killing his father, mother, and an arhat. Later, generating remorse, he offered incense and flowers to a sūtra scroll; his defilements of sin were lessened and reduced, yet because of remaining karma, although he fell into hell, the fierce fire was like warm water, termed a hot spring, and entering into it he felt bliss, his body possessing an unusual fragrance; when the sinners smelled it, they obtained rebirth in heaven. King Śāntikara covered a pratyekabuddha shrine with banners and canopies, which resonated in the karma of a wheel-turning king. The monk Huagai covered a stupa with a canopy of grass; for ninety-one kalpas, a canopy of flowers covered and protected his body. Gadgadasvara offered music to the Buddha, and so on up to all the Buddhas of the past: all attained the Buddha path when, upon first resolving their minds, they offered a single flower, a single incense, and the like to the Buddha. For instance, among the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa, the Tathāgata Kusuma-dhara, at the time of first resolving his mind under Buddha Priyanandana, offered fine garments and famous incense to that Buddha, and of himself attained right awakening. The Tathāgata Sudhī, at the time of first resolving his mind on the path under Buddha Samantadarśin, plucked a single lotus flower and offered it to that Buddha, and of himself attained right awakening. The Tathāgata Bhadradatta, from Buddha Mahāviśuddhaprahāsa, offered various incenses, and of himself attained right awakening. The Tathāgata Śāntamukuṭa, under the Unsurpassed Buddha, at the time of first resolving his mind, offered necklaces, and of himself attained right awakening. The retributive rewards obtained thus, both near and distant, cannot be calculated or recorded; how much more so for making offerings to the Lotus Sūtra! Even with the Buddha's wisdom, one cannot reach the bounds of its merit.' When the king heard this exposition, his mind opened and his intent was resolved. He prepared the offering utensils, swept and purified the roadways, scattered flowers and sprinkled water. The king, ministers, and the great assembly lined the grand boulevard; they collected the sūtra in a golden box and placed it on a table. The king carried it upon his own head. Three thousand monks chanted praises and walked ahead; moving serenely in practice, they entered the great monastery and made offerings with the ten kinds of offerings. Stars descended and rode the clouds in the sky; those who saw this were very many. Five-colored clouds formed a dense canopy, hanging over and covering the Xiaoyao Garden, a sight never seen before. At that time, it was the fifteenth day of the bright half of the month; entering the night, the Queen of Qin, the consorts, the Queen Mother, and the court ladies were all in the pure room beside the translation hall. The king himself dreamed that the grounds of the Xiaoyao Garden were like a vast, pure land; Mañjuśrī was on high explaining the title, and the assemblies of bodhisattvas came from the nine directions, the offering utensils they prepared filling the nine directions. He reported this matter to Jīva. Jīva said: 'This is brought about by Your Majesty's faith. The affinity for the great teaching of the Lotus Sūtra resides in this land; during the time after the parinirvāṇa, such a resonance is rare indeed.' The next day they each dispersed. Jīva sighed and said: 'In Jambudvīpa, this is the third Buddha-activity!' (The original text is verbose and extensive; I have only extracted the gist and presented it).
10.21
10. Those Who After the Parinirvāṇa Uphold and Make Offerings to the Sūtra Scroll Obtain Benefits When Maitreya Appears in the World
10.22
The Records on the Abiding of the Dharma says: After Maitreya Tathāgata achieves right awakening, for the śrāvaka assembly he turns the wheel of Dharma in three assemblies, causing them to escape saṃsāra and attain the realization of nirvāṇa; and even if all kings and ministers who cross over all, if in the True Dharma of the present Śākyamuni Buddha they are able to perform Dharma affairs and plant roots of goodness themselves, or teach others to plant them—that is to say, toward all the Mahāyāna sūtras associated with the profound emptiness in the Mahāyāna sūtra-piṭaka, namely the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtras, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra, and so forth; such Mahāyāna sūtras with a hundred koṭi divisions and differences, the Mahāyāna Vinaya, and the Śrāvaka Tripiṭaka; in such treasuries of the True Dharma, whether spoken by the Buddha, spoken by bodhisattvas, spoken by śrāvakas, spoken by gods, or spoken by the wise, which are able to bring about benefit and profit; and even if one is able, regarding a four-line verse, to read it oneself or teach another to read it, uphold it oneself or teach another to uphold it, explain it oneself or teach another to explain it; or show reverence and make offerings to a Dharma master, or show reverence and make offerings to a sūtra scroll, namely making offerings with various flowers, incense, banners, canopies, music, and lamps; or adorn the sūtra scroll with various colored pouches, silks, threads, and ribbons—by the power of such roots of goodness, when Maitreya Tathāgata achieves right awakening, they will successfully attain a human body, and in that Buddha's second assembly, with pure faith, they will leave the household life, go forth into the non-household state, shave their hair and beards, and don the Dharma robes; having joined the holy assembly, in accordance with the power of their past vows, they will then attain nirvāṇa. This is called the retributive reward obtained by those who plant roots of goodness for the sake of Dharma affairs in the second assembly. (The Fayun jing and that record largely agree with this text).
10.23
11. The Foreign Heavenly Maiden Wonder-Flower
10.24
Formerly, in a foreign land there was an iron stupa more than a zhang in height, within which were enshrined Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts of the Puṇḍarīka, Akṣayamati, Mahāvairocana Sūtras, and others, each having a hundred thousand verses. At that time, there was a heavenly maiden who often came at night, making offerings to the iron stupa with heavenly māndārava flowers. There was a travelling monk who stayed overnight in the shadow of the stupa; in the night he saw the heavenly maiden and asked: 'Who are you?' She answered: 'I am the heavenly maiden Wonder-Flower of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, an attendant maid of Śakra Devānām Indra.' The monk asked again: 'What cause and condition brings you here to make offerings?' The heavenly maiden said: 'In the past I was a poor woman who sustained myself by begging. Beside me was a pond named the Wondrous Pond; in the summer months, lotuses of four colors bloomed all over it. The brahmans and others of various kingdoms vied to come and pick the flowers to hold a lotus Dharma assembly. At that time, this poor woman gave rise to slight faith, picked two stems of white lotuses, and offered them to the Puṇḍarīka and other sūtras within the stupa. Riding upon this single good deed, I was born in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as an attendant maid of Śakra. Because of my original condition, I am named Wonder-Flower. Wishing to repay the kindness of the Dharma, I make offerings from time to time.' Having said this, she vanished and was no longer seen. The śramaṇa gave up his robes and bowl to buy flowers to make offerings to the stupa and sūtra scrolls. (From the Yaoji).
10.25
12. The Trāyastriṃśa Deva Precious Necklace
10.26
Formerly, Emperor Wu of the Liang made five hundred kāṣāyas, wishing to offer them to the five hundred arhats atop Mount Sumeru. He addressed Master Zhi; the Master went up to Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to distribute Emperor Wu's kāṣāyas. At that time, there was a deva named Precious Necklace; the necklaces worn on his body exceeded those of the heavenly king a hundred, thousand, ten thousand times, their radiance overshadowing the other devas. Master Zhi asked: 'For what reason are your clothing and necklaces so extraordinary?' The deva answered: 'Formerly I was born in Jambudvīpa in the land of Pāṭaliputra as the son of an elder; with the clothing and necklaces I wore on my body, I made offerings to the Wondrous Dharma. Due to these causes and conditions, I was born in this heaven, my clothing and necklaces surpassing those of the heavenly king a hundred, thousand, ten thousand times.' There was also a deva named Wondrous Cloud, of handsome appearance, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of heavenly maidens. Master Zhi asked the cause, and he at once answered: 'Formerly I was in Pippala village in the kingdom of Magadha, and by offering flowers to the Wondrous Dharma, I obtained this heavenly retribution as such.' The hundreds of thousands of majestic devas all obtained their retributive rewards through making offerings to the Wondrous Dharma. Master Zhi returned and recounted this in full.
10.27
13. The Old Woman of Chang'an County
10.28
In Chang'an County there was an old woman whose name is unknown. This woman was blind, deaf, and mute, and despised by others. At that time, the new Lotus Sūtra was being lectured on at the Great Monastery. Her great-great-grandson held her hand and led her to the Great Monastery. Although the woman arrived at the Great Monastery, because of her blindness and deafness she saw nothing and heard nothing. The great-great-grandson took both of the old woman's hands and joined them together toward the lecture seat. The woman held mindfulness in her heart, joined her palms, and bowed. After three months, she suddenly died abruptly. The great-great-grandson wished to conduct her funeral, but the old woman was still warm. At the third watch of the night, she raised her voice and called her great-great-grandson. Those who heard it thought it was an evil spirit and were terrified, not daring to respond. The next day, they saw her getting up and moving about; both of her eyes were bright, and she spoke like an ordinary person. Weeping tears of sorrow, she stood up. The great-great-grandson asked: 'What ghost or spirit are you?' She replied: 'I am no evil spirit. When I first died, I saw the underworld officers driving me toward the King's place. The King descended from his seat, joined his palms toward me, and said: "You are a person of great merit! Because you joined your palms in offering to the Lotus Sūtra, your karmic hindrances are entirely eliminated, and your faculties are restored to their original state. You still have remaining life; return early to the human world to demonstrate the efficacious power of the Lotus Sūtra." I then went out a short distance along the road, and my spirit entered my original body. My eyes and ears were restored, and I can speak like this.' After half a day, she ate and drank as normal. The woman and her great-great-grandson went to the Great Monastery and recounted these causes and conditions; those who saw it were moved and delighted. The woman renounced her residence to make offerings to the sūtra. The time of her death is not known. (From the Yuanji).
10.29
14. Upāsaka of Jiangning County
10.30
In Jiangning County there was an upāsaka who could believe the Hīnayāna teachings of the Abhidharmakośa and the like, but refused the Mahāyāna. Once, the county magistrate together with crowds of monastics and laypeople produced a gold-lettered Lotus Sūtra and managed offerings to it. Men and women bustled about, holding wealth lightly and prizing the Dharma. At that time the Hīnayāna upāsaka unintentionally helped [by offering] an incense burner. Seven years later, he died suddenly without any illness. His family thought it strange and did not arrange the funeral. The next day at sunset he came back to life, weeping and beating the ground. Having fainted and revived, he said to his family: "When I first died, I first saw a great city, like a golden city. Within it were many halls and chambers, wondrously adorned: grand curtains of gold and silver, and lapis lazuli and white cotton cloth, exceedingly lovely. Outside the city white houses adjoined one another. A youth within the city came out and said to me, 'You are a person of the Hīnayāna; you cannot enter into the great city. You may dwell in the white houses outside. Only Mahāyāna people reside in the city.' At that time I gazed into the city, and the palaces were mostly without residents. I asked the youth, 'Why do the palaces have no residents?' He replied, 'The various people in Jiangning County who made offerings to the Mahāyāna are to be born in those palaces. Since they are still in the human realm, there are no people [yet].' At that time I remembered having once given an incense burner in the past, and I said to the youth, 'I too made an offering to the Lotus Sūtra; why should I dwell in a white house?' The youth said, 'I know that too. Because you assisted with an incense burner, you are close to the golden city. But because it was not a direct offering, you cannot enter the city. If you wish to enter the city, return quickly to the human realm and make offerings to the Sublime Dharma. If one makes offerings to the sūtra scrolls, one will surely be born here.' Thereupon I bowed, took my leave, and was about to return. Hesitating, I asked the youth, 'Who are you, sir, and what place is this?' The youth said, 'I am Mañjuśrī. This place is the Golden World. Because you have a small mind, you see a small city; if a great person [looks], they see a vast and wonderful land.' Having spoken these words, the city and the youth suddenly vanished, and I awoke as if from a dream." Thereupon he generated the resolve, emptied his family estate, produced a gold-lettered sūtra, and cultivated offerings in accord with the Dharma. People of the time all said that by producing a gold-lettered sūtra, one is sure to be born in the Golden World.
10.31
Monk Shi Sengda of Pubu Monastery on Mount Tiantai under the Sui, fifteen
10.32
Shi Sengda was a man of Taizhou surnamed Qiang. He went forth from home at a young age, fasted, practiced austerities, and read and chanted the Lotus Sūtra. During the Yining reign of the Sui, he made a vow to copy the Lotus Sūtra, but had not yet made offerings to it when a chronic illness suddenly flared up and he died abruptly. Due to his past deeds, he arrived at the court of Yama. When the king saw Sengda coming, he rose from his seat, came forward to welcome him, and entered the main hall of the court together with him. After they had sat down, he then spoke: "Master, according to your past deeds, you have come to my place. However, you copied the Lotus Sūtra and have not yet made offerings to it. Return quickly to the human realm; your past deeds are also pardoned, and you will be born in a pure land." Having heard the king's words, he left in silence, entered his original body, and revived. He then adorned the scrolls and made offerings to the sūtra scrolls. His place of passing is not known (drawn from the monastery records).
10.33
The Superiority of the Dharma Offering, sixteen
10.34
In the distant past, immeasurable and beyond limit, at that time there was a Buddha named Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata. His world was named Daqing (Great Purity), and the kalpa was called Jingchu (Pure Removal). Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata's lifespan was twenty intermediate kalpas. His assembly of śrāvakas numbered thirty-six hundred million, and his great bodhisattvas numbered twelve hundred million. At that time there was a wheel-turning sage king named Ratnachatra who governed the four domains. The king had a thousand sons. For a full five intermediate kalpas, this king, together with his retinue, made offerings to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, bestowing all comforts and revering Bhaiṣajyarāja. When five intermediate kalpas had passed, he told his thousand sons, "I have served and attended upon the Tathāgata; you all should also follow and observe what has been established." Thereupon the thousand sons heard their father the king's instruction, and for another five kalpas they made offerings to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, presenting the most exquisite [gifts] without neglecting any comfort. The eldest crown prince among them was named Succhatra. Staying in quiet solitude, he contemplated in silence: "Now that we have made offerings to the Tathāgata, is there anything superior to this?" Supported by the Buddha's spiritual power, there was a deva in the sky who spoke to him, saying: "Son of good family, do you wish to know? There is a Dharma offering (dharma-pūjā), the most supreme and boundless." He asked again, saying: "What is called an offering of the Dharma?" The deva said: "You should go and ask Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata; he will explain it in detail for you." Succhatra then arose, went to Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata, touched his head to the ground, and addressed Bhaiṣajyarāja Tathāgata: "As for making an offering of Dharma and following the scriptures, what is it?" The World-Honoured One told him: "The Dharma offering consists of following the scriptures spoken by the Tathāgata and transforming all beings. This is the Dharma offering." Prince Succhatra heard about the Dharma offering from Bhaiṣajyarāja Buddha and immediately attained the ānulomikī dharma-kṣānti; he went forth from home to cultivate the Path and attained the five abhijñās. If you wish to know who King Ratnachatra was at that time, could he have been anyone else? He is the present Buddha Ratnāgni Tathāgata. The king's thousand sons are the thousand Buddhas who arise in this Bhadrakalpa. Crown Prince Succhatra was none other than me, Śākyamuni. Therefore, you should know that of all offerings, none surpasses the Dharma offering. The Buddhas of the past, future, and present all emerge from this. If one wishes to make offerings to the Buddhas of the ten directions, one should uphold, keep, chant, and read the Zheng fahua jing, proclaim it to all, and explain the one vehicle (eka-yāna), there being no three paths. The verse says: "If there is someone who wishes to make offerings, / They should uphold this Zheng fahua jing." (Drawn from the Zheng fahua jing.) Furthermore, as a verse in the Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha-sūtra says: "If with flowers, smeared incense, clothing, and medicinal broths / One makes offerings to the Buddha with these, it is not called true offering. / The subtle and wondrous Dharma that the Tathāgata obtained / When seated at the site of enlightenment— / If one is able to practice it, this is true offering." One should know that offering to the Lotus Sūtra is simply the supreme offering.
10.35
Bhikṣu Wuxing, seventeen
10.36
Long ago, in a foreign country, there was a monk named Wuxing who constantly cultivated the Dharma offering: namely, what was spoken by the Buddha in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra and others, which is difficult for all the world to believe and understand, difficult to receive and see. He was able to believe and understand it, uphold, read, and chant it, and through the power of skillful means, explain it in detail, demonstrate it clearly, and guard the Dharma treasury for all sentient beings. This is called the Dharma offering. When he was able to cultivate this offering, the Buddhas of the ten directions appeared like stars, and with different mouths but the same voice spoke verses, saying:
10.37
"Though one were to fill the trichiliocosm with jewels / And offer them to the Tathāgatas of the ten directions, / It would not equal a single four-line verse of the Lotus Sūtra; / Upholding, reading, and chanting it, one attains Buddhahood. / Even if beings with coarse habits who have severed all roots of good / Filled the great chiliocosm, / If they hear a single four-line verse of the Lotus Sūtra, / Its merit perfuming the mind, they will quickly become Buddhas."
10.38
Bhikṣu Wuxing, hearing the Buddhas speak these verses, deeply entered the anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti. Such is the benefit of the Dharma offering (drawn from the records of Dhyāna Master Jue).
10.39
The above has been compiled in outline, based on records from the Western Regions and on what was seen and heard by the worthy and holy of this land. Among them, some are oral traditions without written texts, and some were newly recorded by myself from direct observation and personal hearing. Though there is concern about the authenticity of the original records, the intention is to encourage faith in later generations.
10.40
Having relied on old records and oral traditions, / I have briefly compiled what was directly seen and personally heard. / Coarse speech and fine words all return to the Middle Way; / May those who see and hear both realize the anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti.
10.41
Records of the Lotus Sūtra, Fascicle Ten
10.42
Master Sengxiang of the Tang—his clan and family origin are not known—was a man of broad learning and discerning insight. In recording the efficacious verifications of the Lotus Sūtra to guide the ignorant, he specially set out categories such as origins, transmissions, and translations, encompassing the beginning and end of a single teaching era; it is truly exceedingly remarkable and wondrous. Therefore it circulated widely in the world, providing material for conversationalists. However, through copying, errors such as 'pig' for 'hai' have arisen, and omissions and truncations are beyond count. I once opened the monastic histories, biographies, and catalogues of various scriptures, and suddenly realized that these records and accounts have authentic sources. The more I examined them, the more reliable they proved; so I promptly ordered craftsmen to carve the printing blocks. May students [of the teaching] have no doubts about them! Written at that time,
10.43
On the full moon day of the third month of spring in the gēngzǐ year of the Keichō era [1600], at Luoyang (Kyoto), recorded by Shi Enchi.
Linked texts (1)
- 法華傳記 — Classical Chinese