景德傳燈錄 2.4

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: