傳法正宗記 5.8

5.8

般若多羅尊者。東天竺國人也。姓婆羅門氏。幼喪父母。孑然胸食自養。遊於閭里。時人但以瓔珞童子號之。有命之役者。不辭勞不論直。或問曰。汝何姓。曰我與汝同姓。或曰。汝行何急。曰汝行何緩。人皆不測其然。會其國王堅固者與不如蜜多共駕還其故城。尊者遂東出趣其駕前。自說昔緣。至是尊者之迹大顯。蜜多即携至王宮。他日為之出家。會勝僧受之具戒。而尊者之體即發異光。未幾蜜多果以法眼付之。縱其遊化。及尊者至南天竺國。其國王香至者。詔禮於宮中。以寶珠施之。初王有三子。而其志各有所修。其長曰月淨多羅者。好修念佛三昧。其次曰功德多羅者。好修福業。其次曰菩提多羅者。好通佛理。以出世為務。至是香至皆命出禮尊者。尊者以三子皆好善。意欲驗其智之遠近。即以王所施珠使各辨之曰。世復有加此珠乎。其一月淨多羅曰。此寶珠最上。世無有勝之者也。非吾王家孰能致之。其二功德多羅亦如其說。其三菩提多羅曰。此珠世寶未足為上。夫諸寶之中法寶為上。此是世光。諸光之中智光為上。此是世明。諸明之中心明為上。然此珠光明不能自照。要假智光明辨於此。既明辨此即知是珠。既知是珠即明其寶。若明其寶寶不自寶。若辨其珠珠不自珠。珠不自珠者。要假智珠而辨世珠。寶不自寶者。要假智寶而明法寶。然則我師有道。其寶即現。眾生有道。心寶亦然。尊者嘉其才辨。復問曰。諸物之中何物無相。曰於諸物中不起無相。又問曰。諸物之中何物最高。曰於諸物中人我最高。又問曰。諸物之中何物最大。曰於諸物中法性最大。尊者默喜。謂是大法器。必為已嗣。其後會父病既亟。輒以手覽空。雖左右不能止。菩提多羅因以問尊者曰。吾父務善興福。平若未有如其為心者。今感疾恍惚。手覽虛空。恐非善終。何其報之相反耶。我甚惑此。尊者果能釋之。願從出家。尊者曰。此其業之所應也。然物皆有業。雖三乘聖人亦不能免之。但其業有善惡耳。佛謂。人有為善之至。及其終也報當生天。則天光下垂如引經綵。欲其終者覽之。而神隨以上征。其光或五色互發者。蓋表其所嚮乃往天界也。今汝父手有所覽。是亦報生天上也。亦其為善之明効。非不令終。然當其大漸。將有天樂異花應之。尋如其言。及王崩二子方甚號慟。而菩提多羅獨於喪所端然默坐。終朝不興。其二兄怪之。以問尊者。尊者曰。此子入定將有所觀。七日當自起勿驚。及菩提多羅定起。謂二兄曰。我欲觀父何往。而他無所覩。但見一日明照天地。其父殯已菩提多羅果告二兄。求從尊者出家。尊者知其道緣純熟勢不可沮。遂當其師。乃為安其法名。久之遂以法而付囑曰。如來大法眼藏展轉而今付於汝。汝善傳之無。使斷絕。聽吾偈曰。

The Venerable Prajñātāra was a native of eastern Tianzhu, belonging to the Brahmin caste. Having lost his parents at an early age, he lived alone and fended for himself, wandering through neighborhoods and villages. People of the time simply called him the 'Necklace Boy'. Whenever someone ordered him to do labor, he never refused the hard work and never discussed payment. Someone asked him, 'What is your surname?' He replied, 'I have the same surname as you.' Another asked, 'Why do you walk so fast?' He replied, 'Why do you walk so slow?' No one could fathom the reason for this. It happened that his king, Dṛḍha, along with Puṇyamitra, was returning by chariot to his old city. The Venerable [Prajñātāra] thereupon came out from the east and approached the front of his chariot, recounting their past conditions. At this point, the Venerable's traces became greatly evident. Mitra immediately took him to the royal palace. Later, he ordained him, assembled eminent monks, and administered the full precepts to him, whereupon the Venerable's body emitted an extraordinary radiance. Before long, Mitra indeed entrusted the Dharma-eye to him, allowing him to travel and teach freely. When the Venerable arrived in southern Tianzhu, the king of that realm, Sugandha, summoned him with reverence into the palace and made an offering of a precious jewel to him. Earlier, the king had three sons, each of whose aspirations lay in a different practice. The eldest was named Candraviśuddhitāra, who was fond of practicing the recollection-of-the-Buddha samādhi; the second was named Puṇyatāra, who was fond of cultivating meritorious deeds; the third was named Bodhitāra, who was fond of penetrating Buddhist principles and took world-transcendence as his mission. At this point, Sugandha ordered them all to come out and pay homage to the Venerable. Seeing that all three sons loved virtue, the Venerable wished to test the depth of their wisdom, so he presented the jewel offered by the king and had each discern it, asking: 'Is there anything in the world superior to this jewel?' The first, Candraviśuddhitāra, said, 'This precious jewel is supreme; nothing in the world surpasses it. Who could possess it except our royal family?' The second, Puṇyatāra, spoke likewise. The third, Bodhitāra, said, 'This jewel is a worldly treasure, insufficient to be considered supreme. Among all treasures, the Dharma-treasure is supreme. This is worldly light; among all lights, the light of wisdom is supreme. This is worldly brightness; among all brightnesses, the brightness of the mind is supreme. Moreover, the radiance of this jewel cannot illuminate itself; it requires the light of wisdom to discern it. Once it is clearly discerned, one knows it is a jewel; once one knows it is a jewel, one understands it to be a treasure. If one understands its treasure, the treasure does not treasure itself; if one discerns the jewel, the jewel does not jewel itself. That the jewel does not jewel itself means that one must rely on the jewel of wisdom to discern the worldly jewel; that the treasure does not treasure itself means that one must rely on the treasure of wisdom to understand the Dharma-treasure. Thus, when my master has the Way, his treasure becomes manifest; when sentient beings have the Way, the treasure of their minds is likewise so.' The Venerable praised his talent and eloquence, and asked again, 'Among all things, what thing is formless?' He replied, 'Among all things, non-arising is formless.' He asked again, 'Among all things, what thing is the highest?' He replied, 'Among all things, self-pride is the highest.' He asked again, 'Among all things, what thing is the greatest?' He replied, 'Among all things, the Dharma-nature is the greatest.' The Venerable rejoiced silently, recognizing him as a great Dharma vessel who would certainly become his heir. Later, when Bodhitāra's father fell critically ill, he would continually grasp at empty space with his hands, and even his attendants could not stop him. Bodhitāra therefore asked the Venerable, 'My father devoted himself to goodness and promoted merit; normally, no one's mind was like his. Now, stricken with illness, he is delirious and grasping at empty space with his hands. I fear this is not an auspicious end. Why is the retribution so contrary? I am very perplexed by this. If the Venerable can indeed explain it, I wish to leave household life under you.' The Venerable said, 'This is what corresponds to his karma. Yet all beings have karma, and even the sages of the three vehicles cannot avoid it; it is just that their karma is good or evil. The Buddha said that when a person has achieved the utmost virtue, upon his death, if his retribution is to be born in heaven, heavenly radiance will descend like pulled strands of patterned silk, wishing the dying one to grasp it, whereupon the spirit ascends with it. That its light shines forth in alternating five colors indicates that his destination is the heavenly realm. Now your father grasps at something with his hands; this too is retribution of rebirth in heaven. It is also a clear sign of his good deeds, not an inauspicious end. However, as he nears his end, heavenly music and extraordinary flowers will appear in response.' Soon it was as he had spoken. When the king died, the two sons wailed and lamented bitterly, but Bodhitāra sat upright and silent at the mourning hall, not rising all morning. His two elder brothers found it strange and asked the Venerable about it. The Venerable said, 'This boy has entered samādhi and is observing something. He will rise on his own in seven days; do not be alarmed.' When Bodhitāra emerged from samādhi, he said to his two brothers, 'I wished to see where our father went, but saw nothing else; I only saw a sun brightly illuminating heaven and earth.' After his father was buried, Bodhitāra indeed told his two elder brothers, requesting to leave household life under the Venerable. The Venerable, knowing that his conditions for the Way were mature and could not be hindered, took him as his disciple and conferred a Dharma name on him. After a long time, he entrusted the Dharma to him, saying: 'The great Dharma-eye treasury of the Tathāgata has been transmitted down to you now. Transmit it well, and do not let it be severed. Listen to my verse:'