天台九祖傳 1.4

1.4

The First Patriarch, Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, was from a grand and eminent noble family of the brahmacārin caste in South India. He was born under a tree, and because he attained the Way through dragons, he was called Nāgārjuna ('Dragon Tree'). From youth he was intelligent and wise, and his talents and learning surpassed the ordinary world. While still in swaddling clothes (ju-liang phonetically for the first character, bao for the second; infants' clothing), he heard various brahmacārins recite the four Veda texts, each consisting of forty thousand verses, with each verse having forty-two syllables; he recited their texts from memory and also grasped their meanings. Coming of age, his fame spread, and he walked alone without peer across the states. In secular arts, abilities, astronomy, geography, prophetic diagrams, secret prognostication, and other occult arts, there was nothing he did not master (zi-song phonetically for the first character, lang-dian phonetically for the second). He made friends with three others who were also talents of their time. One day they conferred together, saying: 'As for the principles and doctrines under heaven that can enlighten the spirit and realize profound purports, we have exhausted them completely. By what other means can we amuse ourselves? There is only pursuing fine beauty and indulging our passions to the utmost desires—would that not be joyful? Yet we brahmacārins do not have the power of kings and dukes; how can we obtain them? We can seek the art of invisibility, and then this pleasure can be realized.' The four looked at one another in complete agreement, and went together to an occult master to seek the method of invisibility. The master thought to himself: 'These four brahmacārins possess renown throughout an entire era, looking down on all beings like grass and mustard. Now, on account of their art, they humble themselves and come to me. These men have intelligence and brilliance unmatched in the world; what they do not know is only this base art. If I teach them its recipe, they will abandon me forever. I shall just give them the medicine and keep them from knowing it. When the medicine is exhausted, they will surely return, and shall always treat me as their master.' He gave each of them a pellet of blue medicine and instructed them, saying: 'Go to a quiet place, grind it with water, and smear it over your eyes; as proof, your forms will naturally be concealed.' Nāgārjuna ground the medicine and smelled its fragrance; he fully knew the names of the ingredients, their proportions and quantities, without missing even a grain or a drachm (zi phonetically for the first character, shu for the second). He returned to the master and set forth in detail that this medicine had seventy ingredients, their names and quantities being completely according to his recipe. The master was astonished and asked: 'How did you know this?' He replied: 'Medicines have qi and components; why would I not know?' The master then sighed in admiration and said: 'Even hearing the name of such a person is difficult, how much more so that I have met him in person! Why should I begrudge this art?' He then taught the method completely to the four men. Having obtained the art of invisibility, they roamed with complete freedom. They entered into the royal palace, and the palace beauties were all violated. After more than a hundred days, many were pregnant. The matter was reported to the king. Displeased, the king said: 'What inauspicious thing is this?' He summoned his wise ministers to ask the reason. At that time, a minister said to the king: 'What is doing this does not exceed two things: first, spirits; second, arts. We may place fine earth inside all the gates and order guards to bar passersby. If it is an occult art, footprints will naturally appear; if it is a demonic spirit, it will surely enter without traces. Humans can be eliminated with weapons; spirits should be extinguished with incantations.' The king adopted his plan and prepared the method to test it. Seeing the footprints of four people, they immediately closed all the gates. Several hundred strongmen swung their swords through the air, severing the heads of three men. Within seven feet of the king, the swords did not reach; Nāgārjuna alone, contracting his body and holding his breath, stood beside the king, and therefore was not slain. Then for the first time he realized that desire is the root of suffering. A mind of revulsion toward desire arose, and he made a vow to renounce household life: 'If I obtain escape, I shall go to a śramaṇa and seek the method of leaving home.' Having later escaped, he entered the mountains and reached a stupa, where he renounced household life and received the precepts. Within ninety days, he recited the Tripiṭaka completely and mastered all its profound meanings. When he searched further for other texts, there was nowhere to find any. He then went to the Snow Mountains (Himālaya) and met a bhikṣu, who transmitted the Mahāyāna to him. He read and recited it with fondness and delight, but although he realized the true meaning, he had not yet obtained realization of the Way. His eloquence was boundless, and he was skilled at discourse. Non-Buddhists of heterodox studies, śramaṇas, and doctrinal scholars were all overwhelmed and subdued, asking him to be their master. He then said to himself, 'I am an omniscient person.' Giving rise to great arrogance, he thought to himself: 'Among the worldly dharmas, the paths and ways are boundless. Although the Buddha's sūtras are wonderful, the sentences and meanings are not fully exhaustive. I will now expound them further to enlighten later students.' Having formed this thought, he wished to carry it out: he would institute rules and precepts as a master, make different clothing, align with the Buddha-Dharma while having slight differences, and, wishing to eliminate the sentiments of the assembly, show that he did not receive their training. Selecting an auspicious day, he intended to carry it out, staying alone in a quiet room of a crystal-ground chamber. Bodhisattva Mahānāga, pitying him for being thus, immediately used supernatural power to draw him into the great ocean and took him to his palace. He opened seven-jeweled chests and handed over to him the profound, esoteric scriptures of the Vaipulya and the unsurpassed wondrous Dharma. Nāgārjuna read them over ninety days, comprehensively understanding a great deal. His mind penetrated deeply, and he personally attained real benefit. Knowing his mind, the dragon asked him: 'Have you finished reading the sūtras?' He replied: 'Your sūtras are boundless and cannot be exhausted. What I have read is fully ten times more than all in Jambudvīpa.' The dragon said: 'The scriptures existing in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven surpass these by hundreds of thousands of myriads of times; those in other places are incalculable by comparison.' At that time, having obtained these sūtras, Nāgārjuna was thoroughly enlightened and unobstructed; he skillfully understood the single characteristic, deeply penetrated non-arising, and was fully endowed with the patience of the non-arising of dharmas. Knowing that he had realized the Way, the dragon sent him back out of the palace. At that time, the King of South India harbored great wrong views, served non-Buddhists, and slandered the correct Dharma. In order to transform him, Nāgārjuna personally held a red banner and walked in front of the king for seven years. Only then did the king wonder and ask: 'Who are you, walking in front of me?' He replied: 'I am an omniscient person.' Hearing this, the king was greatly astonished and then asked him: 'An omniscient person is extremely rare. You say yourself that you are one; what proof do you have?' He replied: 'If the Great King wishes to know, you should ask me.' The king then thought to himself: 'I am the master of wisdom and a great disputant. If I ask and can confound him, it will not be extraordinary; but if I am not his equal, this is no small matter. If I remain silent and do not ask, that is already one defeat.' After hesitating for a long while, looking down and up, he asked: 'What are the devas doing now?' He replied: 'The devas are right now fighting with the asuras.' When the king heard this, it was just like a person choking (yi-jie phonetically): he could neither spit it out nor swallow it (yan phonetically). If he wished to deny his words, he had no evidence; if he wished to affirm the matter, he had no proof. While he was debating in hesitation, Nāgārjuna spoke again: 'This is not empty discourse. Let the king wait a moment, and in an instant it will be proven.' When he finished speaking, swords, sabers, halberds, and spears fell successively from the sky. The king said: 'Although shields, halberds, spears, and lances (mou phonetically for the first character, set upon war chariots, two zhang in length; shuo phonetically for the second character, one zhang and eight chi is called shuo) are weapons of war, how do we know it is devas fighting with asuras?' He replied: 'Rather than empty words, it is better to verify it with reality.' As he spoke, the ears and noses of asuras fell from the sky. He also caused the king, his ministers, and the assembly to see the two armies facing off in the sky. Only then did the king bow his head and receive his doctrinal transformation. Ten thousand brahmans in the palace consequently renounced household life. At that time, in this country, he greatly propagated the Buddha's teaching, subdued non-Buddhists, broadly expounded the meaning of the Mahāyāna, and composed an Upadeśa of one hundred thousand verses, along with treatises such as the Adornment of the Buddha Path and the Great Compassion Expedient Means, each of five thousand verses, so that the Mahāyāna teachings now flourish greatly in India. He composed the Akutobhayā, complete in one hundred thousand verses; the Madhyamakaśāstra emerged from within the Akutobhayā, consisting of five hundred verses in all. At that time, there was a brahman who was skilled in incantations and spells, and wished to contend with Nāgārjuna for supremacy with his own abilities. He said to the king: 'I can subdue this bhikṣu.' The king said: 'You are very foolish. This bodhisattva's brilliance is equal to the sun and moon, and his wisdom is on par with all the sages. How could someone mediocre and inferior like you compare to him?' The brahman said: 'The king is a wise person and should verify it by principle. Why does the Great King slight and despise me beforehand (mo-jie phonetically; to insult)?' Seeing his earnest words, the king respectfully invited Nāgārjuna, and at dawn they gathered together in the Hall of Political Virtue. Then the brahman immediately used incantations to create a great pool before the hall, broad, long, and pure, and out of the pool emerged a thousand-petaled lotus flower, upon which he sat. He said to Nāgārjuna: 'You dwell on the ground, similar to beasts; I abide atop the flower, with wisdom clear and pure. How dare you dispute and debate with me?' At that time, Nāgārjuna also used the power of incantation to transform into a white elephant. The elephant had six tusks; walking upon the water of the pool, it went toward his flower seat, wrapped its trunk around it (jiao phonetically; to entwine), pulled it up, raised it high, and cast it to the ground. Then the brahman injured his back and fell into distress; he immediately submitted and took refuge in Nāgārjuna: 'I was very stupid and obstinate, offending the Great Master. I only pray that you pity me and allow me to repent my fault.' Nāgārjuna took pity on him and ordained him. At that time, there was a Hīnayāna Dharma master who, seeing his eminence and brilliance, constantly harbored resentment and jealousy. Nāgārjuna knew this deeply; since what was to be done had already been accomplished, his conditions had run their course, and his transformation was complete, he was about to manifest quiescence. Therefore, he asked the Hīnayāna master: 'Do you now wish for me to dwell long in the world, or not?' The other said: 'Benevolent one, I truly do not wish it.' Thereupon, Nāgārjuna entered a quiet room and did not come out for days. His disciples all grew suspicious; pushing open the door to look, they saw that he had departed like a cicada shedding its shell (shui phonetically). The various states of India all erected shrines for him, making various offerings and reverently serving him as a Buddha. Because his mother gave birth to him under a tree, he was named Arjuna; Arjuna is the name of a tree. Because he accomplished his Way through dragons, 'dragon' (Nāga) was matched to his name, and he was called Nāgārjuna. Relying on taking immortal elixir, he dwelt long in the world, upholding the Buddha-Dharma for over three hundred years. Those he delivered were incalculable. As the Fu fazang zhuan states, and the sixth chapter of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: 'Mahāmati, you should know: after the Sugata's nirvāṇa, in a future age there shall be one who upholds my Dharma, a bhikṣu of great renown and virtue in the country of South India, named Nāgārjuna, who can destroy the factions of existence and non-existence, revealing my unsurpassed Mahāyāna Dharma in the world, attaining the First Joyful Stage (pramuditā-bhūmi) and being reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.' This was a prophecy spoken directly from the Buddha's golden mouth.