景德傳燈錄 2
English (machine translation) 2
- Language
- English
2.1
Thirty-five Patriarchs of India (thirteen patriarchs are recorded in the main entries; twenty-two collateral patriarchs have no main entries)
2.2
The fifteenth patriarch, Kāṇadeva
The sixteenth patriarch, Rāhulata
The seventeenth patriarch, Saṅghanandi
The eighteenth patriarch, Gayaśata
The nineteenth patriarch, Kumāralata
The twentieth patriarch, Jayata
The twenty-first patriarch, Vasubandhu
The twenty-second patriarch, Manorhita
The twenty-third patriarch, Haklena
The twenty-fourth patriarch, the Venerable Simha
Dharmatā (collateral branch of the Venerable Simha)
Indra (two patriarchs branched from Dharmatā)
Gorakiliva
Dharmaśrīti (four patriarchs branched from Indra)
Nāganandi
Polouqiuduoluo
Poluobati
Poluobamo (two patriarchs branched from Gorakiliva)
Saṅgharakṣa
Modilipila (two patriarchs branched from Dharmaśrīti)
Helibamao
Vasubandhu (three patriarchs branched from Polouqiuduoluo)
Dharmaketi
Candralata
Lenatuoluo (three patriarchs branched from Poluobamo)
Bandhulatara
Poluobaduo
Viṣayata (five patriarchs branched from Saṅgharakṣa)
Pilouluoduomo
Pilichutuoluo
Upasandha
Po'nantiduo (The above twenty-two patriarchs have no recorded words and are not included in the main records.)
The twenty-fifth patriarch, Vasiṣṭha
The twenty-sixth patriarch, Punyamitra
The twenty-seventh patriarch, Prajñātāra
2.3
Thirty-five Patriarchs of India (thirteen patriarchs recorded in main entries):
The fifteenth patriarch, Kāṇadeva
The sixteenth patriarch, Rāhulata
The seventeenth patriarch, Saṅghanandi
The eighteenth patriarch, Gayaśata
The nineteenth patriarch, Kumāralata
The twentieth patriarch, Jayata
The twenty-first patriarch, Vasubandhu
The twenty-second patriarch, Manorhita
The twenty-third patriarch, Haklena
The twenty-fourth patriarch, the Venerable Simha
The twenty-fifth patriarch, Vasiṣṭha
The twenty-sixth patriarch, Punyamitra
The twenty-seventh patriarch, Prajñātāra
Collateral branch of the Venerable Simha: Dharmatā
Dharmatā produced two patriarchs:
1. Indra
2. Gorakiliva
Indra produced four patriarchs:
1. Dharmaśrīti
2. Nāganandi
3. Polouqiuduoluo
4. Poluobati
Gorakiliva produced two patriarchs:
1. Poluobamo
2. Saṅgharakṣa
Dharmaśrīti produced two patriarchs:
1. Modilipila
2. Helibamao
Polouqiuduoluo produced three patriarchs:
1. Vasubandhu
2. Dharmaketi
3. Candralata
Poluobamo produced three patriarchs:
1. Lenatuoluo
2. Bandhulatara
3. Poluobaduo
Saṅgharakṣa produced five patriarchs:
1. Viṣayata
2. Pilouluoduomo
3. Pilichutuoluo
4. Upasandha
5. Po'nantiduo
(The above twenty-two collateral patriarchs have no recorded encounter dialogues and are not included in the main records.)
2.4
The fifteenth patriarch, Kāṇadeva, was a person of Southern India, of the Vaiśya clan. At first, he sought karmic merit through fortune and also took pleasure in debate. Later he went to call upon the Mahāsattva Nāgārjuna. As he was about to reach the gate, Nāgārjuna knew he was a man of wisdom. He first sent an attendant to place a bowl full of water in front of his seat. When the Venerable saw it, he cast a single needle into it and entered. With joy, their minds tallied. Nāgārjuna then preached the Dharma for him; without rising from his seat, he appeared in the form of a moon disk, where only his voice was heard and his form was not seen. The Venerable said to the assembly, "This auspicious sign now is the master manifesting the Buddha-nature, representing that preaching the Dharma is neither sound nor form." After the Venerable attained the Dharma, he later arrived in the country of Pila. There was an elder there named Fanmo Jingde (Brahmaviśuddhadharman). One day, a tree in his garden produced a large ear[-like fungus] shaped like a mushroom, with an extremely delicious flavor. Only the elder and his second son, Rāhulata, picked and ate it. As soon as it was picked, it grew again; when depleted, it was born anew. None of the other relatives could see it. At that time, the Venerable knew of their past causes and went to their house. The elder asked about the reason for this. The Venerable said, "In the past, your family made offerings to a bhikṣu. However, this bhikṣu's eye of the Way was not yet clear. Because he received faithful offerings in vain, he received retribution as a tree mushroom. Only you and your son (the Zhengzong ji says 'second son') made offerings with complete sincerity; thus you are able to enjoy it, whereas the others cannot." He further asked, "How old is the elder?" He replied, "Seventy-nine." The Venerable then spoke a verse:
2.5
Entering the Way without comprehending the principle,
One repays the faithful offerings with one's body.
When your years reach eighty-one,
This tree will no longer grow ears.
2.6
Hearing the verse, the elder admired and submitted even more, and said, "Your disciple is decrepit and old, unable to serve the master. I wish to give up my second son to follow the master and leave the household." The Venerable said, "Formerly, the Tathāgata prophesied that this boy would become a great religious leader during the second five hundred years. Our meeting today accords with past causes." He then shaved his head and took him as an attendant. They arrived at the city of Pāṭaliputra. Hearing that various outsiders had long plotted to obstruct the Buddha Dharma, the Venerable held a long banner and walked into their assembly. They asked the Venerable, "Why do you not advance?" The Venerable said, "Why do you not retreat?" They said again, "You resemble a base person." The Venerable said, "You resemble a fine person." They said again, "What dharma do you understand?" The Venerable said, "You understand nothing whatsoever." They said again, "I wish to attain Buddhahood." The Venerable said, "I certainly attain Buddhahood." They said again, "You ought not attain it." The Venerable said, "You say originally that I attain it; you truly do not attain it." They said again, "Since you do not attain it, why do you speak of attaining it?" The Venerable said, "Because you have a self, therefore you do not attain it. Because I am without self and 'mine', I naturally ought to attain it." Their words having been defeated, they asked the master, "What is your name?" The Venerable said, "My name is Kāṇadeva." Since they had long heard of the master's name, they repented of their transgressions and expressed their apologies. At that time, members of the assembly still raised questions and challenges with one another. The Venerable resolved them with unhindered eloquence, and through this they submitted. He then addressed his senior disciple Rāhulata and entrusted the Dharma eye to him, with a verse saying:
2.7
Originally facing the person to whom the Dharma is transmitted,
I preach the principle of liberation for them.
With regard to phenomena, there is truly nothing to be realized;
There is neither end nor beginning.
2.8
Having spoken the verse, the Venerable entered the Lion's Vigorous Samādhi, his body emitting eight lights, and returned to tranquility and extinction. The assembly of disciples erected a stupa and made offerings to him. This was the nineteenth year of Emperor Wen of the Former Han, the year gengchen.
2.9
The sixteenth patriarch was Rāhulata, a native of the country of Kapila. In the course of his teaching and conversion, he reached the city of Śrāvastī. There was a river named the Golden Water, whose taste was remarkably delicious. In its midstream, the reflections of five Buddhas appeared. The Venerable One addressed the assembly, saying: 'The source of this river is five hundred leagues away. There is a sage, Saṃghanandi, dwelling in that place. The Buddha recorded that after one thousand years, he should inherit the holy rank.' Having spoken, he led the assembly of learners against the current upstream. Arriving there, they saw Saṃghanandi sitting peacefully in samādhi. The Venerable One waited with the assembly for three times seven days before [Saṃghanandi] arose from samādhi. The Venerable One asked, 'Is your body in samādhi, or is your mind in samādhi?' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'Both body and mind are in samādhi.' The Venerable One asked, 'If both body and mind are in samādhi, how can there be coming out and going in?' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'Although there is coming out and going in, the characteristic of samādhi is not lost. It is like gold in a well: the substance of gold is ever tranquil.' The Venerable One said, 'Whether gold is in the well or gold comes out of the well, gold is devoid of movement or stillness. What thing comes out and goes in?' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'To speak of gold moving or being still: what thing comes out and goes in? If one permits gold to come out and go in, gold is neither movement nor stillness.' The Venerable One said, 'If gold is in the well, what gold is it that comes out? If gold comes out of the well, what thing is it that remains?' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'If gold comes out of the well, that which remains is not gold. If gold is in the well, that which comes out is not a thing.' The Venerable One said, 'This meaning is not so.' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'That principle is not established.' The Venerable One said, 'This meaning should fall.' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'That meaning is not accomplished.' The Venerable One said, 'Since that meaning is not accomplished, my meaning is accomplished.' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'Although my meaning is accomplished, phenomena are not mine.' The Venerable One said, 'My meaning is already accomplished because I am without a self.' [Saṃghanandi] replied, 'Since you are without a self, what meaning is accomplished again?' The Venerable One said, 'Because I am without a self, your meaning is accomplished.' [Saṃghanandi] asked, 'O benevolent one, under what sage did you study to attain this selflessness?' The Venerable One said, 'My teacher Kāṇadeva realized this selflessness.' [Saṃghanandi] said, 'I bow to master [Kāṇa]deva, and it proceeds to the benevolent one. Because the benevolent one is selfless, I wish to take the benevolent one as my master.' The Venerable One said, 'Because I am already selfless, you must see my self. If you take me as your master, know that I am not my self.' Nandi's mind was opened wide, and he at once sought liberation. The Venerable One said, 'Your mind is inherently free; it is not bound by me.' Having spoken, he raised his golden bowl with his right hand aloft to the Brahmā palace, took their fragrant rice, and was about to feed the great assembly. But the great assembly suddenly gave rise to disgust. The Venerable One said, 'This is not my fault, but your own karma.' He then bade Saṃghanandi to share the seat and eat together with him. The assembly was surprised once more. The Venerable One said, 'That you cannot eat is entirely due to this. You should know that the one sharing the seat with me is none other than the Tathāgata King of the Śāla Tree of the past, who descended in bodily trace out of compassion for beings. You people, too, were in the Ornamented Kalpa ones who had reached the third fruit yet had not realized the influx-free.' The assembly said, 'Our teacher's supernormal powers are indeed believable, but that he is a Buddha of the past is something we secretly doubt.' Saṃghanandi, knowing the arrogance of the sentient beings, then said: 'When the World-Honoured One was in the world, the earth was flat and even, free of hills, mounds, rivers, and ditches. The waters were all sweet and delicious, the vegetation lush and flourishing. The realms were abundant and plentiful, free of the eight sufferings, practicing the ten virtues. Since the double trees showed extinction more than eight hundred years ago, the world has become ruins and mounds, trees withered and exhausted. People lack supreme faith, and right mindfulness is flimsy. They do not believe in tathatā, loving only supernormal powers.' Having spoken, he slowly stretched forth his right hand into the earth down to the Diamond Wheel, took the water of nectar (amṛta), and brought it to the assembly in a lapis lazuli vessel. Seeing this, the great assembly at once admired him, repented their faults, and bowed. Thereupon the Venerable One commanded Saṃghanandi and transmitted to him the correct Dharma eye, uttering a gāthā:
2.10
Regarding phenomena, there is truly nothing to realize; / Neither grasping nor abandoning. / Phenomena are not the marks of existence or non-existence; / How could internal and external arise?
2.11
Having transmitted the Dharma, the Venerable One sat peacefully and entered extinction. The fourfold assembly erected a stūpa. This corresponded to the twenty-eighth year, wuchen, of Emperor Wu of the Former Han.
2.12
The seventeenth patriarch was Saṃghanandi, the son of King Precious Ornament of the city of Śrāvastī. Born able to speak, he constantly praised Buddha-work. At seven years old he was already weary of worldly pleasures, and informed his parents with a gāthā, saying:
2.13
I bow my head to my greatly compassionate father, / And prostrate before the mother of my bone and blood. / I now wish to leave household life; / May you kindly grant your compassionate consent.
2.14
His parents firmly restrained him. Thereupon he did not eat for the whole day. They then permitted him to leave household life at home, naming him Saṃghanandi. They also ordered the śramaṇa Shanliduō to be his master. For nineteen years he never slackened or wearied. The Venerable One often reflected to himself: 'Dwelling in the royal palace, why is this leaving the household life?' One evening a heavenly light descended upon him. He saw a flat, even path and unawares walked slowly along it. After about ten leagues, he arrived before a great cliff where there was a stone cave. He then resided in quietude within it. His father, having lost his son, banished Shanliduō from the country and searched for his son without finding where he was. After ten years, the Venerable One, having obtained the Dharma and received the prediction, was traveling and teaching in the country of Madra. Suddenly a cool breeze blew over the assembly; their bodies and minds felt extraordinarily comfortable and pleasant, without their knowing why. The Venerable One said: 'This is the wind of the Dao and virtue. Must there be a holy one appearing in the world to succeed the ancestral lamp?' Having spoken, he took the great assembly with supernormal power to travel through mountains and valleys. In the time of a meal, he arrived beneath a peak and addressed the assembly, saying: 'Above the summit of this peak are purple clouds like a canopy. A holy person dwells here.' He then paced back and forth with the great assembly for a long time. They saw a young boy from a mountain house holding a round mirror come straight before the Venerable One. The Venerable One asked, 'How old are you?' He replied, 'A hundred years old.' The Venerable One said, 'Your age is still tender; why do you say a hundred years old?' He replied, 'If I do not understand the principle, I am precisely a hundred years old.' The Venerable One asked, 'Are you skilled in faculties and conditions?' He replied, 'The Buddha said: "If a person lives for a hundred years without understanding the faculties of the Buddhas, it is not as good as living for one day and obtaining a decisive comprehension of them."' The master said, 'What does that which is in your hand signify?' The boy said, 'The great round mirror of the Buddhas has no flaw or obscuration inside or outside. Two people see it together; their minds and eyes are both alike.' When his parents heard their son's words, they at once gave him up to leave household life. The Venerable One took him back to his original place, and after he received the full precepts, he was named Gayāśata. At another time, hearing the wind blow the copper chimes of the hall, the Venerable One asked the master, 'Is the chime sounding, or is the wind sounding?' The master replied, 'It is neither the wind nor the chime; it is only my mind that sounds.' The Venerable One said, 'And who is the mind?' The master replied, 'Both are tranquil.' The Venerable One said, 'Excellent, excellent! Who other than you can succeed to my Way?' He then transmitted the Dharma with a gāthā, saying:
2.15
The mind-ground is fundamentally unborn; / From the cause-ground it arises dependent on conditions. / Conditions and seeds do not obstruct each other; / The flowers and fruits are likewise so.
2.16
Having transmitted the Dharma, the Venerable One grasped a tree with his right hand and passed away. The great assembly deliberated, saying: 'The Venerable One entered extinction under the tree; does he bestow shade upon later descendants? We shall take his whole body and erect a stūpa on a high plateau.' The assembly's strength could not lift it. So they erected a stūpa right beneath the tree. This corresponded to the thirteenth year, dingwei, of Emperor Zhao of the Former Han.
2.17
The eighteenth patriarch was Gayāśata, a native of the country of Madra. His surname was Udra. His father was Tiangai, and his mother was Fangsheng. She once dreamed of a great spirit holding a mirror, through which she became pregnant. After seven days she gave birth. His skin and flesh were glistening like lapis lazuli; without ever being bathed, he was naturally fragrant and clean. In childhood he was fond of seclusion and quietude, and his speech was unlike that of ordinary children. Holding a mirror, he went out on an excursion and met Venerable [Saṃgha]nandi, from whom he attained deliverance. Leading his disciples, he arrived in the realm of the Great Yuezhi, where he saw a Brahmin house with an unusual aura. When the Venerable One was about to enter that house, the householder Kumāralata asked, 'What assembly of disciples is this?' He replied, 'Disciples of the Buddha.' Hearing the name of the Buddha, [Kumāralata's] mind was startled and awed, and he at once shut the door. After a long while, the Venerable One knocked on the door himself. [Kumāra]lata said, 'There is no one in this house.' The Venerable One said, 'Who is it that answers "none"?' Hearing these words, [Kumāra]lata knew he was an extraordinary person, and quickly opened the latch to welcome him. The Venerable One said: 'Formerly the World-Honoured One predicted: "One thousand years after my extinction, there will be a great being who appears in the country of Yuezhi to carry forward the profound teaching." Now you have met me, matching this auspicious occasion.' Thereupon Kumāralata gave rise to the knowledge of past lives, surrendered his sincere faith, left household life, and received the full precepts, after which [the Venerable One] transmitted the Dharma to him with a gāthā, saying:
2.18
There is a seed and there is the mind-ground; / Causes and conditions are able to sprout. / Regarding conditions, there is no mutual obstruction; / When arising, it arises as unborn.
2.19
Having transmitted the Dharma, the Venerable One leapt up into empty space, manifested eighteen kinds of supernormal transformations, entered the fire-radiance samādhi, and incinerated his own body. The assembly erected a stūpa with his relics. This corresponded to the twentieth year, wushen, of Emperor Cheng of the Former Han.
2.20
The nineteenth patriarch was Kumāralata, the son of a Brahmin of the Great Yuezhi country. In the past, he was a devaputra in the Heaven of Sovereignty over Others' Transformations (the sixth heaven of the desire realm). Seeing a bodhisattva's necklace, he suddenly gave rise to attachment and fell to be born in Trāyastriṃśa (the second heaven of the desire realm). Hearing Kauśika expound the Prajñāpāramitā, because the Dharma was supreme, he ascended to the Brahmā Heaven (the form realm). Because his faculties were sharp, he was skilled at explaining the essentials of the Dharma. The devas revered him as a guide to succeed the patriarchs. When the time arrived, he descended to Yuezhi. Later he arrived in Central India. There was a great being named Jayata who asked: 'The parents of my family have always had faith in the Three Jewels, yet they often suffer from illness and wasting disease, and whatever they undertake turns out badly. Meanwhile, my neighbour has long engaged in the conduct of a caṇḍāla, yet his body is always robust and healthy, and all that he does flourishes. Why is he so fortunate while I am so blameless?' The Venerable One said: 'Why should you doubt? The retribution of good and evil occurs in three periods of time. Ordinary people always see the benevolent dying young and the violent living long, the rebellious meeting fortune and the righteous meeting misfortune; then they claim that cause and effect are absent, and sin and merit are empty. Little do they know that retribution follows like shadow and echo, without the slightest error. Even after hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas, it is never obliterated.' At that time, hearing these words, Jayata instantly resolved his doubts. The Venerable One said: 'Although you already have faith in the three karmas, you have not understood that karma arises from delusion, delusion exists on account of consciousness, consciousness relies on non-enlightenment, and non-enlightenment relies on mind. The mind is fundamentally pure, without arising or ceasing, without fabrication, without retribution, without victory or defeat, tranquil and luminous. If you enter this dharma-gate, you can be equal to all Buddhas. All good and evil, conditioned and unconditioned, are like dreams and illusions.' Receiving his words and grasping the purport, Jayata at once brought forth innate wisdom and earnestly sought to leave the household life. After he received the full precepts, the Venerable One told him: 'The time of my extinction has now arrived. You should succeed to the traces of teaching and conversion.' He then transmitted to him the correct Dharma eye, uttering a gāthā:
2.21
Upon the nature there is fundamentally no arising; / It is spoken for the sake of those seeking it. / Since regarding phenomena there is nothing attained, / Why harbor determination or lack of determination?
2.22
The master said, 'These are the lines of the Tathāgata Wonderful Sound regarding seeing the purity of the nature. You should spread them among later students.' Having spoken, he scratched his face with his fingernails upon his seat like a red lotus opening, emitting great radiance that illuminated the fourfold assembly, and entered extinction. Jayata erected a stūpa. This corresponded to the fourteenth year, renwu, of the Xin dynasty.
2.23
The twentieth patriarch, Jayata, was a man from northern India. His wisdom was profound and vast, and his teaching and transformation of beings was immeasurable. Later, he arrived at Rājagṛha to expound the sudden teaching. There was an assembly of students there who valued only debate; their leader was named Vasubandhu (which means "pervasive traveler"), who constantly took only one meal a day, never lay down, and worshipped the Buddha at the six periods of the day. Pure and free of desires, he was someone to whom the crowd turned. The venerable one, wishing to liberate him, first asked that assembly: "Can this ascetic pervasive traveler, by practicing celibacy, attain the Buddha Path?" The assembly said, "Our teacher is vigorous; why could he not?" The venerable one said, "Your teacher is far from the Path. Even if he practices austerities across dust-like eons, it is all the root of falsehood." The assembly said, "What virtues and conduct does the venerable one possess to mock our teacher?" The venerable one said, "I do not seek the Path, nor am I confounded. I do not pay homage to the Buddha, nor am I arrogant. I do not sit for long periods, nor am I indolent. I do not take one meal a day, nor do I eat indiscriminately. I am not contented, nor am I greedy. When the mind has no longing, this is called the Path." Hearing this, the pervasive traveler gave rise to undefiled wisdom, rejoiced, and praised him. The venerable one further said to that assembly, "Do you understand my words? Why I did this was because his mind for seeking the Path was too intense. When a string is drawn tight, it snaps; therefore I did not praise him, so that he might abide in the place of peace and joy and enter the wisdom of all Buddhas." He then addressed the pervasive traveler: "Just now, before the crowd, I restrained and brought you low; did it bring distress to your heart?" He replied: "I recall seven eons ago, I was born in the realm of Constant Peace and Joy. I took the wise one Candraviśuddha as my master. He predicted that before long I would attain the fruit of a sakṛdāgāmin. At that time, Bodhisattva Mahāprabhā appeared in the world. Being old, I leaned on a staff to pay homage. My master rebuked me: 'To respect the son while slighting the father—how utterly base!' At the time, I thought I was without fault and asked the master to point it out. The master said: 'When you paid homage to Bodhisattva Mahāprabhā, you rested your staff against the wall-painting of the Buddha's face. Through this fault of arrogance, you lost the second fruit.' Ever since I blamed myself and repented of my fault, I have heard all harsh words as wind and echo. How much less, having now drunk the supreme sweet dew, would I in turn produce affliction? My only wish is that your great compassion grant instructions in the wondrous Path." The venerable one said: "You have long planted many virtues; you shall inherit my lineage. Hear my verse:"
2.24
Upon these words, accord with the unarisen; / It is identical with the nature of the Dharmadhātu. / If you can understand in this way, / You will have fully penetrated phenomena and principle.
2.25
Having transmitted the Dharma, the venerable one did not rise from his seat, but quietly passed into extinction. They cremated him, collected his relics, and built a stupa. It was the seventeenth year of the reign of Emperor Ming of the Later Han, the jiaxu year [74 CE].
2.26
The twenty-first patriarch, Vasubandhu, was a man from Rājagṛha. His family name was Vaiśākha. His father was Guanggao, and his mother was Yanyi. The family was wealthy but childless, so his parents prayed at a Buddhist stupa to seek an heir. One night, the mother dreamed she swallowed two pearls, one bright and one dark; upon waking, she was pregnant. After seven days, an arhat named Xianzhong arrived at their home. Guanggao bowed to him; Xianzhong sat upright and received it. When Yanyi came out and bowed, Xianzhong vacated his seat and said, "I return the bow to the Mahāsattva of the Dharmakāya." Guanggao could not fathom the reason, so he took a precious pearl, knelt, and offered it to Xianzhong to test his authenticity. Xianzhong received it immediately, with no modest decline at all. Unable to bear this, Guanggao asked, "I am the master of the house, yet you disregarded my bow; what virtue does my wife possess that the venerable one yielded his seat to her?" Xianzhong said, "I accepted your bow and received your pearl solely to bring you blessings. Your wife carries a holy son; when born, he shall be the lamp of the world and the sun of wisdom, which is why I yielded my seat, not because I esteem a woman." Xianzhong further said, "Your wife shall give birth to two sons: one named Vasubandhu, who is the one I revere; the other named Chuni (which means 'magpie'). Formerly, when the Tathāgata was practicing the Path in the Snow Mountains, a magpie nested on the crown of his head. After the Buddha attained the Path, the magpie received retribution and became the king of the kingdom of Nadi. The Buddha predicted: 'In the second five-hundred-year period, you will be born in Rājagṛha in the Vaiśākha family, sharing the womb with a holy one.' Now it is without discrepancy." A month later, she indeed gave birth to the son. When the venerable Vasubandhu reached the age of fifteen, he bowed to the arhat Guangdu and went forth from home, and was moved by Bodhisattva Vibhāvaha, who conferred the precepts upon him. Traveling and converting, he arrived in the kingdom of Nadi. The king there was named Changzizai, who had two sons: the first was named Mahāra, and the second was named Manorhita. The king asked the venerable one: "How do the customs of Rājagṛha differ from here?" The venerable one said, "Three Buddhas have appeared in that land; now in the king's realm, two masters teach and transform." He asked, "Who are the two masters?" The venerable one said, "The Buddha predicted that in the second five-hundred-year period, a Mahāsattva of great spiritual power would go forth from home to succeed the holy one; the king's second son, Manorhita, is one of them. Though my virtue is slight, I dare count as the other." The king said, "Truly, as the venerable one has spoken, I shall give up this son to become a śramaṇa." The venerable one said, "Excellent, Great King, that you can follow the Buddha's command!" He then conferred the full ordination on him and transmitted the Dharma with a verse:
2.27
Bubbles and illusions are equally unobstructed; / Why can you not realize and awaken? / Penetrating the Dharma lies right within them; / It is neither of the present nor of the past.
2.28
Having transmitted the Dharma, the venerable one leaped into the air to a height of half a yojana and stood motionless. The four assemblies looked up in reverence and devoutly begged him to sit again; he sat cross-legged and passed away. They cremated him, obtained his relics, and built a stupa. It was the twelfth year of Emperor Shang of the Later Han, the dingsi year [107 CE] (which should be the eleventh year of Emperor An, as Emperor Shang was on the throne for only one year).
2.29
The twenty-second patriarch, Manorhita, was the son of King Changzizai of the kingdom of Nadi. At the age of thirty, he encountered the ancestral master Vasubandhu, left home, and received the transmission of the Dharma. He traveled to western India. The king of that country was named Dede, of the Gautama clan. He had taken refuge in the Buddha vehicle and practiced with diligence. One day, at the place where he practiced the Path, a small stupa appeared; wishing to take it to make offerings, none among the multitude could lift it. The king then assembled the three assemblies of practitioners of celibacy, dhyāna meditation, and mantra spells, wishing to question their doubts. At that time, the venerable one also attended this gathering. None of the three assemblies could explain it. The venerable one then expounded to the king the origin of the stupa at length (it was built by King Aśoka, not recorded here in detail): its appearance now was brought about by the king's power of merit. Hearing this explanation, the king said: "The supreme sage is difficult to encounter; worldly pleasures do not last long." He then abdicated the throne to the crown prince, took refuge with the patriarch, and went forth from home. In seven days, he attained the four fruits. The venerable one comforted and instructed him deeply, saying: "Abide in this country and skillfully liberate people yourself. Now in another realm, there is a great vessel of the Dharma; I shall go to transform and liberate him." He asked: "Master, your traces respond to the ten directions; as soon as a thought moves, you arrive—why trouble yourself to go?" The venerable one said: "Indeed." Thereupon, burning incense, he spoke from afar to the bhikṣu Haklenayaśas in the country of the Yuezhi: "You are teaching the flock of cranes in that land; the fruit of the Path is about to be realized, as you should know yourself." At that time, Haklenayaśas was expounding the verses of the sūtra for King Baoyin of that country. Suddenly, he saw extraordinary incense rising in clusters. The king asked: "What auspicious omen is this?" He replied: "This is the ancestral master Manorhita of western India, who transmits the Buddha's mind-seal, about to arrive. He sends the incense of faith ahead." The king asked: "What is this master's spiritual power like?" He answered: "This master received the Buddha's prediction from afar; he will broadly propagate the profound transformation in this land." At that time, the king and Haklenayaśas together bowed toward the distance. Knowing this, the venerable one took leave of the bhikṣu Dede and went to the country of the Yuezhi, where he received offerings from the king and Haklenayaśas. Later, Haklenayaśas asked the venerable one: "I have stayed in the forest for nine whites (in India, one year is called one white). I have a disciple named Longzi, who has been intelligent from childhood. When I examine his roots throughout the three times, I cannot know their origin." The venerable one said: "This boy was born in the fifth eon into a brahmin family in the country of Abhirati. He once gave sandalwood to a Buddhist temple to make a mallet to strike the bell; as a karmic result, he is clever and revered by the crowd." He further asked: "What condition led me to influence a flock of cranes?" The venerable one said: "In your fourth eon, you were once a bhikṣu and were about to attend an assembly in the dragon palace. All your disciples wished to accompany you. You observed the assembly of five hundred, and not one was worthy to receive the wondrous offerings. At that time, the disciples said: 'The master constantly preaches the Dharma that he who is equal in food is also equal in Dharma; since this is not so now, what holiness is there?' You then let them attend the assembly. Since you abandoned life and entered new lives, moving and transforming various lands, those five hundred disciples, due to meager blessings and slight virtue, were born among the winged flock. Now, moved by your favor, they follow you as a flock of cranes." Hearing these words, Haklenayaśas asked: "By what skillful means can they be liberated?" The venerable one said: "I have the unsurpassed Dharma jewel; you must hear and receive it to transform the future." And he spoke a verse:
2.30
The mind turns following the ten thousand realms; / Where it turns is truly profound. / Flowing along, recognize the nature: / There is neither joy nor sorrow.
2.31
At that time, the flock of cranes heard the verse and flew away crying. The venerable one sat cross-legged and quietly passed away. Haklenayaśas and King Baoyin erected a stupa. It was the nineteenth year of Emperor Huan of the Later Han, the yisi year [165 CE].
2.32
The twenty-third patriarch, Haklenayaśas (Leno is Sanskrit; 'crane' [he] is the Chinese term; because when the venerable one appeared in the world, flocks of cranes always longed for him with admiration, he was thus named), was a man from the country of the Yuezhi. His family was brahmin. His father was Qiansheng, and his mother was Jinguang. Being childless, they prayed to the seven Buddhas. Jinchuang then dreamed that atop Mount Sumeru a divine child holding a golden ring said, "I have come." Upon waking, she was pregnant. At the age of seven, walking through villages, he saw the excessive sacrifices of the common people, entered a shrine, and scolded them: "You falsely bring about misfortune and fortune, deluding people; every year you slaughter livestock, which brings great harm!" As soon as he spoke, the shrine suddenly collapsed. Because of this, his villagers called him the holy child. At the age of twenty-two, he went forth from home. At thirty, he met the venerable Manorhita, who transmitted to him the treasury of the Dharma eye. Traveling and transforming, he reached central India. The king of that country was named Wuweihai, who revered the Buddha Path. The venerable one preached the correct Dharma for him. Then the king suddenly saw two people in red and white clothes bowing to the venerable one. The king asked, "Who are these people?" The master said, "These are the gods of the sun and the moon. Formerly I preached the Dharma for them, which is why they have come to pay homage." After a short while, they were no longer seen, and only an extraordinary fragrance was smelled. The king asked, "How many realms of the sun and the moon are there in all?" The venerable one said, "In the worlds transformed by a thousand Śākyamuni Buddhas, each has a billion Meru suns and moons; if I were to explain it at length, it could not be exhausted." Hearing this, the king was delighted. At that time, the venerable one expounded the unsurpassed Path and liberated beings with karmic affinities. Because his senior disciple Longzi had died young, there was his elder brother Siṃha, who was widely learned, had a powerful memory, and served a brahmin. When his master died and his younger brother also passed away, he took refuge in the venerable one and asked: "I wish to seek the Path; how should I employ my mind?" The venerable one said: "If you wish to seek the Path, there is nowhere to employ your mind." He asked: "If there is no employing of the mind, who performs the Buddha work?" The venerable one said: "If you have an employment, that is not merit. If you are without action, that is the Buddha work. The sūtra says: 'The merit that I make has no "mine".'" Hearing these words, Siṃha entered the Buddha's wisdom. Then the venerable one suddenly pointed to the northeast and asked, "What omen is that?" Siṃha said, "I see a vapor like a white rainbow piercing heaven and earth, and there are five streaks of black vapor crossing through it." The venerable one said, "What does it portend?" He said, "It cannot be known." The venerable one said, "Fifty years after my extinction, there will be a disaster arising in northern India, falling upon your person. I am about to pass into extinction; now I entrust the Dharma eye to you, to guard and maintain well." He then spoke a verse:
2.33
When the mind's nature is recognized, / It can be called inconceivable. / Clearly, there is nothing to be attained; / When attained, one does not speak of knowing.
2.34
The bhikṣu Siṃha heard the verse and was pleased, but he did not yet understand what kind of disaster he would suffer. The venerable one then secretly showed it to him. Having spoken, he displayed the eighteen transformations and returned to quietude. After the cremation was completed, they divided the relics, each wishing to build a stupa. The venerable one reappeared in the air and spoke a verse:
2.35
One dharma is all dharmas; / All dharmas are subsumed in one dharma. / My body is neither existent nor non-existent; / Why divide it into all these stupas?
2.36
Hearing the verse, the great assembly no longer divided them, but erected a stupa right at the site of the dhātu. It was the twentieth year of Emperor Xian of the Later Han, the yichou year [209 CE].
2.37
The twenty-fourth patriarch, the bhikṣu Siṃha, was a native of Central India. His surname was Brahmin. Having obtained the Dharma, he traveled abroad and arrived in the kingdom of Jibin (Kashmir). There was one named Pālikā, who originally practiced dhyāna-contemplation, and thus there were five assemblies: dhyāna absorption, views, clinging to signs, abandoning signs, and non-speaking. The Venerable One questioned and transformed them, and four assemblies all silently submitted from their hearts. Only the master of dhyāna absorption, Dharmadatta, hearing that the four assemblies had been rebuked, came in indignation. The Venerable One said, “Virtuous one, you practice absorption; why have you come here? Since you have come here, why do you speak of practicing absorption?” He said, “Though I have come here, my mind is not disturbed. Absorption follows the person's practice; how could it depend on a place?” The Venerable One said, “Since you, virtuous one, have come, your practice has also arrived. Since there is no place, how could it depend on a person's practice?” He said, “Absorption practices the person, therefore it is not the person who practices absorption. Though I have come here, its absorption is constantly practiced.” The Venerable One said, “Since it is not the person who practices absorption, but absorption that practices the person, when you came of yourself, who practiced that absorption?” Dharmadatta said, “Like a pure, bright pearl without inner or outer obscuration: if absorption penetrates, it must surely be like this.” The Master said, “If absorption penetrates, it is entirely like a bright pearl. Now seeing you, virtuous one, you are not of the pearl's kind.” Dharmadatta said, “That pearl is clear and thorough, inside and outside all absorbed. My mind is not disturbed, just like this purity.” The Master said, “That pearl has neither inside nor outside; how can you, virtuous one, achieve absorption? Defiled objects are not shaking; this absorption is not purity.” Dharmadatta, receiving the Venerable One's awakening, had his mind-ground become brilliantly clear. After the Venerable One gathered in the five assemblies, his fame was heard far and wide. Just as he was seeking a Dharma heir, he met an elder leading his son, who asked the Venerable One, “This child is named Sthita (Si-duo). From his birth he clenched his left hand; now that he has grown, he still has not been able to extend it. May the Venerable One reveal his past causes.” The Venerable One looked at him, and reaching out his hand said, “You may return my pearl.” The boy immediately opened his hand and offered the pearl. The assembly was all astonished. The Venerable One said, “In my former retribution I was a monk, and there was a boy named Baśita (Ba-she). I once attended a feast at the Western Sea and received a donated pearl, which I entrusted to him. Now he returns my pearl; the principle is naturally so.” The elder then relinquished his son to leave household life. The Venerable One then gave him full ordination, and because of the former causes, named him Baśiasita (Ba-she-si-duo). The Venerable One then told him, “My teacher had an esoteric prediction that my meeting with disaster would not be long [delayed]. The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye of the Tathāgata is now transmitted to you; you should protect it and universally moisten the future.” He spoke a verse:
2.38
At the very time when seeing and knowing are spoken of, / Seeing and knowing are both the mind.
When you are at the mind, that is seeing and knowing; / Seeing and knowing are right now.
2.39
Having spoken the verse, the Venerable One secretly transmitted the saṃghāṭī robe to Sthita (Baśiasita), ordering him to go to another kingdom and propagate the transformation according to capacity. Baśiasita received the instruction and went straight to Southern India. Considering that the disaster could not be avoided by improper evasion, the Venerable One remained alone in Jibin. At that time, there were two non-Buddhists in that country: one named Mamukta and the other named Tulākṣa. They studied various magical arts and wished to plot rebellion together. They stealthily assumed the guise of disciples of Śākya and slipped into the royal palace, saying, “If it fails, the blame will fall on the Buddha's disciples.” The sorcery being of their own doing, misfortune turned on their heels. When the matter failed, the king was indeed enraged and said, “I have always taken refuge in the Three Jewels; why have they plotted injury to such an extent?” He immediately ordered the destruction of monasteries and the expulsion of the Śākya assembly. He also took a sword himself and went to the Venerable One's place. He asked, “Master, have you attained the emptiness of the aggregates?” The Venerable One said, “I have already attained the emptiness of the aggregates.” The king said, “Are you free from birth and death?” The Venerable One said, “I am already free from birth and death.” The king said, “Since you are free from birth and death, you can give me your head.” The Venerable One said, “The body is not mine; why begrudge the head?” The king immediately brandished the blade and severed the Venerable One's head. White milk surged up several feet high. The king's right arm also immediately fell to the ground, and after seven days he died. The crown prince Guangshou sighed, “Why did my father bring this calamity upon himself?” At that time there was a hermit on White Elephant Mountain who deeply understood cause and effect; he broadly proclaimed the past causes for Guangshou to dissolve his net of doubts (the matter is detailed in the Shengzhou ji and Baolin zhuan). They then built a stūpa for the Venerable Siṃha's retribution body. It was the twentieth year, the yimao year, of King Qi of Wei (it should be the sixth year of the Duke of Gaoguixiang, for King Qi Fang was deposed after fifteen years on the throne. The Zhengzong ji says that the Baolin zhuan mistakenly wrote yimao; it should be the dingmao year of King Qi Fang, which would then be the eighth year). The Venerable Siṃha transmitted the mind-Dharma and the robe of faith to Baśiasita as the legitimate heir; collaterally, from Dharmadatta came four generations and twenty-two masters.
2.40
The twenty-fifth patriarch, Baśiasita, was a native of the kingdom of Jibin. His surname was Brahmin. His father was Jixing (Śānticaryā) and his mother was Chang'anle (Nityasukha). At first, his mother dreamed of obtaining a divine sword and consequently became pregnant. After he was born, he clenched his left hand; upon meeting the Venerable Siṃha, his past causes were manifested and he secretly received the mind-seal. Later he went south and reached Central India. The king of that country was named Jia-sheng (Jayasena), who arranged offerings with full etiquette. At that time, there was a non-Buddhist titled Venerable Non-Self, who had previously been revered by the king. He was intensely jealous of the Patriarch's arrival and wished to debate doctrine with him, hoping to prevail over him to secure his own position. He then said to the Patriarch before the king, “I understand silent debate without relying on words.” The Patriarch said, “Who knows victory or defeat?” He said, “I do not contend for victory or defeat, but only grasp its meaning.” The Patriarch said, “What do you consider to be the meaning?” He said, “No-mind is the meaning.” The Patriarch said, “Since you have no mind, how can there be meaning?” He said, “I say no-mind: this should be called non-meaning.” The Patriarch said, “You say no-mind, which should be called non-meaning; I say non-mind, which should be meaning, not a name.” He said, “When it should be meaning, not a name, who can discern the meaning?” The Patriarch said, “Your name is non-meaning; what name is this name?” He said, “In order to discern non-meaning, this name is called no-name.” The Patriarch said, “Since the name is already non-name, the meaning is also non-meaning. Who is the one who discerns? What thing should be discerned?” In this manner, after fifty-nine exchanges back and forth, the non-Buddhist was struck dumb and submitted with conviction. At that time, the Patriarch suddenly faced north, joined his palms, and sighed deeply, saying, “My master, the Venerable Siṃha, has met with disaster today; how lamentable!” He then took leave of the king, journeyed south, reached Southern India, and went into seclusion in a mountain valley. At that time, the king of that country was named Tiande (Devapuṇya), who welcomed and made offerings to him. The king had two sons: one was fierce and violent with abundant physical strength; the other was gentle and chronically afflicted with illness. The Patriarch then expounded cause and effect for him, and the king immediately resolved his doubts. There was also a sorcerer who envied the Patriarch's Way, and secretly placed poison in his food and drink. The Patriarch knew of it and ate it, while the sorcerer suffered the calamity in turn; he then threw himself before the Patriarch to leave household life, and the Patriarch granted him full ordination. Sixty years later, Crown Prince Desheng (Jayavijaya) ascended the throne. He again had faith in non-Buddhists and brought troubles upon the Patriarch. The crown prince Punyamitra was imprisoned for offering remonstrance. The king hastily asked the Patriarch, “My country has always been free of sorcery and deceit. What school is that which you transmit?” The Patriarch said, “Your Majesty's kingdom has truly had no heterodox teachings from the past. What I have attained is the Buddha's school.” The king said, “Twelve hundred years have passed since the Buddha's nirvāṇa; from whom did you obtain it?” The Patriarch said, “The Mahāsattva Kāśyapa personally received the Buddha's seal; handed down through generations, it reached the twenty-fourth patriarch, the Venerable Siṃha. I obtained it from him.” The king said, “I have heard that the bhikṣu Siṃha could not avoid execution; how could he transmit the Dharma to later people?” The Patriarch said, “Before my teacher's disaster arose, he secretly bestowed on me the robe of faith and the Dharma verse to manifest the lineage succession.” The king said, “Where is that robe?” The Patriarch immediately took the robe out of his bag and showed it to the king. The king ordered it burned; the five colors shone brightly, and when the firewood was consumed, it was just as before. The king immediately repented, paid homage to Siṃha, and having clarified the true lineage, pardoned the crown prince. The crown prince then sought to leave household life. The Patriarch asked the prince, “When you wish to leave household life, what matter will you undertake?” The prince said, “If I leave household life, I will not undertake those matters.” The Patriarch said, “What matters will you not undertake?” The prince said, “I will not undertake mundane matters.” The Patriarch said, “What matters will you undertake?” The prince said, “I will undertake Buddha matters.” The Patriarch said, “The prince's wisdom comes from heaven; it must surely be the descent of a holy one.” He then permitted him to leave household life. For six years he attended upon him. Later, when he received the karmavācanā of full ordination in the royal palace, the great earth shook and there were many miraculous signs. The Patriarch then directed him, saying, “I am already decrepit and decayed; how could I linger long? You should well guard the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye and universally deliver all beings. Listen to my verse:”
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- 景德傳燈錄 — Classical Chinese