華嚴經傳記 4.11

4.11

The Tripiṭaka Master Divākara also related that he once traveled in South India and stayed at a saṅghārāma named *Kroñca*, which means 'wild goose'. Seeing that all the virtuous monks of that monastery upheld the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, he asked, 'For what reason was this monastery named after a bird?' A monk there answered him, saying: 'Long ago there was a monk who drank and ate [meat] like a layperson, yet he always recited the Avataṃsaka Sūtra as his personal practice. After his life ended, because of his breaking the precepts he was reborn in the Southern Sea as a wild goose. His body was about thirty feet long, and he could still speak in a human tongue, reciting the sūtra without ceasing. At that time, a pure faithful layman set out to sea to gather jewels, but suddenly met with a foul wind; his boat overturned and sank. Grasping only a single plank, he happened to land on an islet. His clothing and provisions were all gone, and he stayed there in sorrow. Suddenly he heard the sound of sūtra recitation from above in a tree, and he immediately listened attentively. He then saw a wild goose reciting the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Marveling in admiration for a long while, he praised it, saying, "Splendidly recited! Splendidly recited!" Hearing his praise, the wild goose flew down from the tree and spoke to the man, saying, "Could you build a saṅghārāma for me, or not?" The man replied, "I cannot even preserve my own life, so how could I build a monastery?" The goose said, "If you can do it, I will convey precious treasures and send you back to your homeland." The man said, "If it be as you say, that would be very good." The wild goose then carried the man on its back and flew to a jewel mountain. The man, knowing jewels, gathered many treasures, and together they were loaded on the goose's back. Flying through the sky and crossing the sea, it conveyed him back to India. Coming ashore, it set him down, and the goose said, "I pray that you build a saṅghārāma for me, and use my name as the title of the monastery." The faithful layman, feeling deep indebtedness and choked with sorrow, bade it farewell. He offered those precious goods and reported the matter to the king. The king then enfeoffed him with five hundred households and ordered him to build the monastery. For this reason it was named after the wild goose.'