傳法正宗記 4.27

4.27

Basiasita was a native of the country of Jibin. He belonged to the brāhmaṇa clan and was also known as Bharadvāja and Bhāratana. His father was named Jixing, and his mother was named Chang'anle. Earlier, Chang'anle dreamed that someone gave her a precious sword, whereupon she conceived the Venerable One. Thereafter, an extraordinary fragrance filled her chambers, and flowers rained repeatedly from heaven upon her home. When he was born, his left hand was clenched as if holding something. When he reached the age of eleven, an extraordinary monk came to their dwelling and said to Jixing, “When this boy reaches the age of twenty, he will obtain the great treasure of the Dharma, and what his hand clenches will also become apparent.” Having spoken, the monk suddenly vanished. When the Venerable One reached adulthood, his father Jixing brought him to the Venerable Siṃha to discern their past affinities. Thereupon, he freely left home under Siṃha and was given his present name. After he became a śramaṇa, Siṃha was aging and their karmic connections from past lives were intimately bound, so Siṃha entrusted the Dharma to him and urged him with urgent insistence to leave the country. The Venerable One obeyed his command and left that very day. He first arrived in the realm of Central Tianzhu, whose king, named Kāśyapa, came out to meet and pay homage to him. Prior to this, there had been a non-Buddhist in that country known as Anātman, who, relying on his occult arts, frequently disparaged the Buddha's teaching. The king had always been indignant about this. At this point, he ordered the Venerable One to subdue him. When they met, the non-Buddhist demanded a silent debate, wishing not to use words. The Venerable One rebuked him, saying, “If we do not use words, how can victory or defeat be determined?” The non-Buddhist replied, “We do not contest victory or defeat, but only grasp the meaning.” The Venerable One said, “What is called meaning?” The non-Buddhist said, “No-mind is the meaning.” The Venerable One said, “Since you have no mind, whence do you obtain meaning?” The non-Buddhist said, “I say that no-mind should be named non-meaning.” The Venerable One said, “You say that non-mind should be named having no meaning; I say that non-mind constantly has meaning and is not a name.” The non-Buddhist again said, “When it is meaning and not a name, who can discern the meaning?” The Venerable One said, “You consider name to be non-meaning; what name is this name?” The non-Buddhist said, “In order to discern non-meaning, it is a non-name name.” The Venerable One said, “Since the name is not a name, meaning is also not meaning. Who is the one who debates, and what thing should be debated?” In this way, after more than fifty exchanges, the non-Buddhist was at a loss for words and finally yielded. At that moment, an extraordinary, overpowering fragrance suddenly filled the royal palace. The Venerable One, filled with solemn reverence, said, “This is my master passing away; his token has just arrived.” He then faced north and bowed. Soon afterward, he said to the king, “When I first left my master, I planned to go to the land of Southern India. Remaining here for so long now, how could this have been my master’s intention?” He hurriedly bid farewell to the king and prepared to depart. The king said, “Venerable One, please stay a little longer and allow me a request. There is currently a spring in my royal garden so boiling hot that it cannot be tested [by hand]. The rocks on its shore emit light at night. Although I find it most strange, I have never understood why it is so. I pray that you will resolve this for me.” The Venerable One said, “This is a hot spring, brought about by three causes: the first is divine karma, the second is ghostly karma, and the third is heated stones. As for heated stones, their color is like gold and their nature is perpetually flaming; therefore, the spring that emerges is like boiling water. As for ghostly karma, it refers to ghosts who have just emerged from places of retribution and roam among humans; through the force of their residual karma, they boil and scorch this spring to repay their past debts. As for divine karma, it refers to gods who do not uphold their proper path, arbitrarily producing misfortune and fortune to extract sacrifices. When their evil karma is brimming, the punishments of the unseen realm conscript them, also making them boil and scorch this spring to pay for excessive sacrificial offerings.” The king said, “I hope the Venerable One will examine which of these three causes actually brought this about.” The Venerable One said, “This is brought about by divine karma.” He immediately ordered incense to be burned and, approaching the spring, performed repentance on its behalf. Shortly after, a tall figure appeared at the water's edge, stepped forward to pay homage to the Venerable One, and said, “Having a small measure of blessing, I was able to encounter the Venerable One, and now I will be reborn among humans. I have only come to bid you farewell.” He then vanished. Seven days later, the water was indeed clear, cool, and like an ordinary spring. At that time, the people of Central India, seeing the efficacy of his words, called him Bhāratana. When Northern Tianzhu heard of it, they again called him Bharadvāja. However, what the two countries called him was akin to calling him here “the one with the spring of distinctive karma.” The Venerable One ultimately took his leave and went to Southern Tianzhu. The king personally deployed the royal guard to see him off. When he arrived in Southern India, its king, named Tiande, also came out to meet and pay homage to him. Earlier, the king had a son who served the Buddha quite strictly according to the Dharma, making merit for himself. Yet he had been ill for years. The king therefore questioned the Venerable One, saying, “My son serves the Buddha and performs wholesome deeds, yet he has contracted a prolonged illness. How does the retribution of good and evil operate?” The Venerable One said to the king, “The prince’s illness is in truth produced by his merit. Yet this principle is profound and far-reaching; may the king listen carefully. The Buddha said that when a person has heavy karma upon them, it is like an internal illness that has penetrated deep, which medicine cannot combat; when they are about to die, the disease becomes increasingly severe. When an illness is shallow, upon meeting medicine it is immediately stirred; only after it is stirred can there be improvement. Heavy karma is likewise: though there is merit, nothing can be done about it; when death arrives, the karmic retribution becomes all the more manifest. When karma is light, aided by merit, its retribution manifests at once, and thereafter one is purified. Now your majesty’s son, practicing virtue, has suffered a long illness; it must be that the merit he has performed has activated this slight karma. Though there is slight suffering at the moment, he will later be in permanent peace. Does not the sūtra say: ‘If one should suffer karmic retribution in the three evil destinies, may I repay it in this present body and not enter the evil destinies to receive it’? Why should the king doubt?” The king believed his words and further cultivated merit, and the illness was indeed cured. However, in that country there had formerly been an incantation master named Lingtong, who was trusted and respected by the king. By this time he was jealous of Sīta and plotted to poison him, but the poison could not harm him. He challenged him again with occult arts, yet his arts were even less successful, and because of this he harbored deep resentment. At that time, the Venerable One had left the king’s palace to teach in other regions for sixteen years. It happened that King Tiande passed away, and the succeeding king, Desheng, ascended the throne; he was especially fond of the teachings of incantation masters. The incantation master therefore slandered him, saying to the king, “Basiasita is not a disciple of Siṃha; how could he have the Way? I request that Your Majesty test him.” The king complied with his words. At that time, the crown prince, named Puṇyamitra, knowing that they were plotting evil against the Venerable One, remonstrated, saying, “Basiasita was revered by the ancestral king. The previous incantation master could not harm him and soon died of himself. His Way is consummate; the state must not test him.” The king was angry, thought that the crown prince was siding with Sīta, and thereupon imprisoned him. One day, he indeed summoned the Venerable One, took his seat in the main hall, and questioned him, saying, “Our country does not tolerate heterodox teachings. What school is it that the master studies?” Sīta replied, “What I study is the orthodox lineage of the Buddha’s Dharma.” The king said, “Over a thousand years have passed since the Buddha's parinirvāṇa; whence did you obtain it?” The Venerable One said, “Since Śākyamuni Tathāgata transmitted the Dharma, it has passed through twenty-four generations down to my master Siṃha. What I just obtained was indeed received from the monk Siṃha.” The king said, “Siṃha was executed; how could he have transmitted the Dharma to you? If it is truly so, what do you have as proof?” The Venerable One said, “The saṅghāṭī robe transmitting the Dharma that my master bestowed upon me is here.” He then presented it to the king. The king at first did not believe it and ordered it burned to test it. Just as the fire was blazing, an extraordinary light suddenly issued from the robe, eclipsing the worldly fire. Auspicious clouds covered it, and heavenly fragrances were luxuriant. When the fire burned out to ashes, the saṅghāṭī robe was as before. The king was filled with great faith and paid full homage to the Venerable One. The king then requested the saṅghāṭī robe for himself and issued an edict releasing his crown prince. Earlier, when Puṇyamitra was imprisoned, his attendants could not bring meals in a timely manner. Parched with thirst and hunger, he feared death was imminent. Suddenly, a stream of white milk came from the sky and poured into his mouth, tasting like sweet dew; his body and spirit were instantly at peace. Moved by this, he thought secretly to himself, “If I escape this, I shall seek to leave home.” Shortly after, the pardon arrived. The prince, having seen the king and expressed his thanks, pleaded illness, asked to resign his position as heir apparent, and begged to leave home. The king, discerning that his resolution could not be swayed, granted it. The crown prince immediately went to the Venerable One and paid the homage of a disciple. The Venerable One said, “Did your royal father give permission?” He replied, “Yes.” He further said, “Wishing to leave home, what purpose will you serve?” He replied, “I will do the Buddha's work.” The Venerable One, seeing his utmost sincerity, soon ordained him. At that moment, the earth shook and the moon appeared by day; the entire country was alarmed. The king feared it was an inauspicious omen. The Venerable One informed him, saying, “This is not inauspicious; do not worry.” The king said, “I have heard that the moon appearing by day and the sun appearing by night are inversions of yin and yang. How could this be auspicious?” The Venerable One said, “Seeing the moon by day signifies encountering a sage. Seeing the sun at night signifies that great darkness will be fully illuminated.” The king’s anxiety was immediately dispelled. He then said to the Venerable One, “I also have long harbored five doubts. Now, encountering the Venerable One’s sagely wisdom, I venture to ask about them. First, previously I saw the earth shake, sometimes near and sometimes far; what causes this? Today it happened again: are they the same or different? Second, for what reason do the sun, moon, and asterisms appear and disappear without fixed times? Third, when the earth produces extraordinary things, to whom are they an omen? When clouds, rainbows, and fine vapors arise from the earth, who inspires them? Fourth, gazing toward the eastern and western horizons, the sunset clouds shift unpredictably, suddenly bright and suddenly dark; and fifth, what makes the color of the sky deep azure? Venerable One, do not speak only of the Buddha’s Dharma without discussing worldly truth; I pray you will resolve these for me.” The Venerable One said, “The three thousand great thousand worlds with their billions of suns and moons are all within the Buddha’s realm; what among them cannot be discussed? How could there be a distinction between whether the Buddha’s Dharma and worldly truth are to be spoken of or not? Do not make such statements, O King. However, your majesty’s doubts all have their reasons. Listen well, my lord! When a Buddha appears in the world, the earth quakes four times, the moon appears by day, and the sun appears by night. When a Buddha attains the Way, the earth quakes five times, and the sun and moon grow in brightness. When a Buddha enters nirvāṇa, the earth quakes six times, and the sun and moon both darken. When a bodhisattva appears, the earth quakes three times, and the moon appears by day. When a bodhisattva attains the Way, the earth quakes four times, and the sun appears by night. When a bodhisattva passes into extinction, the earth quakes five times, and the bright stars of the heavens all dim. When an arhat appears, the earth quakes once, and stars appear by day. When an arhat realizes the fruit, the earth quakes three times, and the night stars all shine bright. When an arhat enters extinction, the earth quakes four times, and the night stars all darken. When a monk has studied the Buddha's Way without regressing for two lifetimes, upon his appearance in the world the earth quakes once. If this monk is about to realize the holy fruit, the earth quakes twice. When this monk passes away, the earth quakes three times. When a monk has studied the bodhisattva’s path without regressing for three lifetimes, upon his appearance in the world the earth undergoes a half-quake. When this practicing monk is about to realize the holy fruit, the earth quakes once. When this practicing monk is about to enter extinction, the earth quakes twice. When a monk has studied the arhat’s path without regressing for four lifetimes, upon his appearance in the world the stars all shine bright. When this practicing monk is about to realize the holy fruit, the earth undergoes a half-quake. When this practicing monk is about to enter extinction, the earth quakes once. When someone in the world practices utmost filial piety, the earth undergoes a half-quake. When someone in the world commits the five heinous crimes, the earth also undergoes a half-quake. These eight kinds of merit have magnitude and the karma has good and evil; according to what they inspire, the quaking of the earth is near or far. The concealment and appearance of the sun and moon, and the shifting colors of the eastern and western clouds, are because the eastern and western faces of Mount Sumeru are shadowed or exposed according to the sun; thus the colors of the various jewels brighten and darken diversely. The deep azure color of the sky is because the southern face of Mount Sumeru is made of vaiḍūrya; when it shines in clear weather, it produces this color. Now, the portents of heaven, earth, and humanity each have three grades: superior, medium, and inferior, and their manifestations differ.” The king said, “What are the three grades?” The Venerable One said, “Inspiring the sun is the highest-superior portent; inspiring the moon is the middle-superior portent; inspiring the stars is the lowest-superior portent. Inspiring the highest-superior portent can only be done by the Buddha, the Great Sage. Inspiring the middle-superior portent can only be done by bodhisattvas, the next sages. Inspiring the lowest-superior portent can only be done by arhats, the next-again sages. The vapors and rainbows that rise from the earth also have three grades: superior, medium, and inferior. The vapor of a rainbow is the highest-superior portent; only when a ruler possesses the Way can he inspire it. Five-colored auspicious clouds are the middle-superior portent; only when a minister possesses virtue can he inspire it. Variegated clouds like a canopy are the lowest-superior portent; only when the people have goodness can they inspire it. Auspicious omens among birds and beasts also have nine grades. When creatures rarely seen in the world suddenly appear, their form neither male nor female, their color like jade, of the class of the qilin or dragon, this is the highest-superior portent. When a creature whose color is originally not white suddenly becomes like snow, of the class of the turtle or lion, this is the middle-superior portent. When a creature that originally had no horns suddenly grows horns, and their color is like gold, this is the lowest-superior portent. When a creature that originally had no wings suddenly grows wings, and their color is like silver, this is the highest-medium portent. When a creature that originally had no scales suddenly grows scales, and their color is bright white, this is the middle-medium portent (a certain text of the ancient edition is missing the lowest-medium portent here). When a creature whose original color was not purple suddenly turns purple, this is the highest-inferior portent. When a creature’s color is neither blue-green nor yellow, and it is neither male nor female, this is the middle-inferior portent. When a creature whose original color was not black suddenly becomes dark-robed, without distinction of male or female, this is the lowest-inferior portent. Auspicious omens among herbs and trees also have nine grades. When herbs and trees, by original nature sturdy and upright, become increasingly extraordinary, and their original color was not white but suddenly turns bright, this is the highest-superior portent. When herbs and trees are somewhat sturdy and upright in nature, and their original color was not purple but suddenly turns purple, this is the middle-superior portent. When herbs and trees are originally not outstanding but suddenly become flourishing, this is the lowest-superior portent. When herbs and trees flower without fruiting, yet suddenly bear fruit, this is the highest-medium portent. When herbs and trees grow joined from different roots, this is the middle-medium portent. When herbs and trees suddenly transform and produce extraordinary flowers, this is the lowest-medium portent. When herbs and trees suddenly produce the likeness of a human form, this is the highest-inferior portent. When herbs and trees suddenly emit light, this is the middle-inferior portent. When herbs and trees suddenly produce the likeness of flying or walking creatures, this is the lowest-inferior portent. Within the realm transformed by the Buddha Śākyamuni, such auspicious omens are boundless and almost impossible to record; yet all emerge in response to the greater or lesser strength of worldly merit.” Having heard this extraordinary discourse, the king stepped forward and paid further homage. The Venerable One said to the king, “The crown prince left home, and what he inspired was such as this; he is truly a great being. It is fitting that he succeed me and foster the Dharma treasure.” Puṇyamitra soon also realized the fruit [of arhatship]. Thereupon, the Venerable One returned with Mitra to his former place of teaching. Later, he instructed him, saying, “I am very old and will not long remain before departing this world. The great Dharma-eye treasury of the Tathāgata of old, I now entrust to you. Listen to my verse:”