景德傳燈錄 1.67

1.67

The fourth patriarch was Upagupta. He was a native of Ca-li. He was also named Youbajuoduo, and also named Wubojuoduo. His surname was Śūdra, and his father was Śāntamati. At seventeen he went forth from home, and at twenty he realized the fruit [of the Path]. Traveling and transforming beings according to circumstances, he reached Mathurā. Those who attained liberation were exceedingly numerous. Because of this, the palace of Māra shook; Pāpīyān was distressed and terrified, and exerted all his demonic powers to harm the correct Dharma. The Venerable immediately entered samādhi to observe the cause. Pāpīyān again waited for an opportunity and secretly took a necklace and fastened it around his neck. When the Venerable emerged from concentration, he took the three corpses of a human, a dog, and a snake, transformed them into a garland of flowers, and gently consoled Pāpīyān, saying: 'The necklace you gave me is exceedingly precious and wondrous. I have a garland of flowers to offer in return.' Māra was overjoyed, stretched out his neck, and received it. It immediately changed into three kinds of foul, worm-ridden, decaying corpses. Māra was disgusted and deeply distressed; exerting all his spiritual power, he could not move them. He then ascended to the heavens of the six desire realms to tell the heavenly kings, and also went to the Brahmā King seeking release from them. Each of them told him: 'This is a spiritual transformation wrought by a disciple of the Ten-Powered One. How could ordinary, base beings such as us remove it?' Pāpīyān said: 'If so, what can be done?' The Brahmā King said: 'If you take refuge in the Venerable, you will be able to remove it.' He then spoke a gāthā for him, bidding him to dedicate himself: