傳法正宗記 2.40

2.40

Afterwards, the Venerable One took the Dharma as his duty and travelled about teaching and transforming. Soon he arrived in Central India. It happened that in that country there were eight thousand great ṛṣis, whose leader was named Miccaka. Hearing of him, [Miccaka] led the assembly to visit the Venerable One, bowed to him, and said, "I remember in the past being born with the Venerable One in the Brahmā Heaven. I met the ṛṣi Asita, who transmitted ṛṣi arts to me, while the Venerable One realized the fruit and attained the status of an arhat. Since that separation, six kalpas have already passed." The Venerable One said, "What you refer to, O ṛṣi, is truly as you say. Yet in your pursuit of ṛṣi arts, where will you ultimately arrive?" [Miccaka] said, "Although I have not yet encountered the Supreme Sage, the Venerable Ṛṣi Asita once prophesied to me, saying: 'Six kalpas from now, you will attain the taintless fruit through a fellow student.' Does our encounter today not fulfill this?" The Venerable One said, "Since you know this, you may leave the household life at once. The ways of ṛṣis are a lesser path, incapable of leading people to liberation. I have been teaching and transforming for a long time, and I also wish to rest. If you truly aspire to the Great Dharma, why should you delay yourself?" Miccaka was pleased with his words and immediately requested to leave the household life. At that time, Miccaka's followers, seeing their revered ṛṣi act in this way, were all indignant, saying, "Why is Dhītika worthy to be a master, that you should follow him to leave the household life?" The Venerable One, knowing the discord in the assembly's minds and wishing them to develop faith, emitted light, stepped into empty space as if treading on level ground, and covered the assembly of ṛṣis with a magically created jewelled canopy. Furthermore, fragrant milk poured from the tips of his fingers, within the milk lotuses appeared, and within the lotuses Buddhas were manifested. When the assembly of ṛṣis saw his extraordinary spiritual transformations, they all submitted and requested to leave the household life. The Venerable One accepted them, telling them, "Even so, you must maintain right mindfulness and rely on the Buddha, allowing the monk's deportment to form naturally without requiring contrivance." The assembly of ṛṣis followed his words, and indeed their beards and hair fell away naturally, and kāṣāyas appeared upon their bodies. Soon after, they received the precepts and all became noble beings of the four fruits. Soon afterwards, the Venerable One addressed Miccaka alone, saying, "In the past, the Tathāgata secretly entrusted the great treasury of the eye of the true Dharma to Mahākāśyapa, and it has been transmitted in turn down to me. I now entrust it to you; you must pass it on and maintain it so that it is never severed. Listen to my verse:"