華嚴經傳記 4.7

4.7

Monk Biancai: His clan is not detailed. He went forth from the household life when young, serving Dharma Master Yu as his teacher to inquire about and receive doctrines. Because the Avataṃsaka is the supreme scripture and universally praised as the profound ultimate, he exerted his energy to absorb and savor it, yet could not fathom its shores. Lamenting the entanglement of his karmic hindrances and burdens, he was about to undertake rituals of confession. He then separately maintained cleanliness, fashioned a fragrant casket to contain the sūtra, and carried it atop his head, circumambulating for three years. Then he dreamt that Bodhisattva Samantabhadra instructed him in its subtle depths; thereupon he suddenly could recite its text from memory, clear from beginning to end as in a mirror. Having received this sacred aid, Biancai applied himself even beyond his normal standard. From then on, he thoroughly mastered both its principles and teachings, and at times expounded them to guide and benefit others. Later, his end was unknown. There was also a monk whose family name and given name are lost. Seeing Biancai's auspicious sign, he gave rise to deep sincerity. He then adopted carrying [the scripture] on his head, receiving the protective light of Mañjuśrī on Qingliang [Mountain], his mind praying for sacred power. From time to time he travelled to pay homage, coming and going, circumambulating, never forsaking the scripture from the beginning. Whenever longing [stirred in him], he would place the scripture atop three canes, burn incense, bow with his head to the ground, and sit cross-legged beneath it, pondering its subtle depths as his constant practice. Altogether for seventeen years, what he experienced was just as before. The casket is still extant today. At that time, at Baofu Cliff in Fenzhou, there was a novice named Huiri who also carried this sūtra on his head inside a pagoda; after three years, both the text and its meaning were fully understood by him. At the time, this pagoda was called the "Avataṃsaka [Pagoda]".