傳法正宗記 5.41

5.41

Hearing the spirit’s verse, Zongsheng reproached himself, resolved all the more to cultivate vigorously, and vowed never to leave the mountains for the rest of his life. At that time, the king asked Prajñātāra: "The Venerable One possesses such eloquence and wisdom; who, indeed, was your teacher?" Prajñātāra said: "The master under whom I left home was the Tripiṭaka Master Wu-sha-suo of the Śāla Monastery. The teacher from whom I received the Dharma and went forth into the world was the king’s uncle, Bodhidharma." Hearing Bodhidharma named, the king was greatly astonished and said: "My uncle is still alive? Alas, I was unequal to my burden, wrongly suppressed the sacred teachings, and brought trouble upon my venerable uncle!" He at once issued an edict to welcome him. The Venerable One and the envoy soon arrived at the royal palace. The king wept, bowed, and could not rise. The Venerable One immediately expounded the Dharma for him to repent his faults. The king then dispatched an envoy with an imperial decree for Zongsheng. The envoy reported: "Zongsheng was shamed by his exile, threw himself from a cliff, and has long been dead." The king grew even more grieved and asked the Venerable One: "Zongsheng’s death was indeed my fault. By what means can my venerable uncle absolve me of this sin?" The Venerable One said: "Zongsheng is not dead; he is merely sitting in quiet meditation upon a crag. You need only go fetch him, and you will surely bring him back." The envoy went, and indeed saw him and conveyed the king's intention of having already welcomed Bodhidharma. Zongsheng declined and would not comply with the order. Knowing this, the Venerable One said to the king: "He cannot yet be raised up; he will come only if commanded a second time." Taking his leave of the king, the Venerable One returned to his dwelling and said: "The king should cultivate even more merit; before long, I fear an illness will arise." Just seven days after the Venerable One left, the king indeed contracted a grave illness that the state physicians could not cure. The royal kinsmen and close ministers, seeing that what Bodhidharma had predicted had come to pass, believed he could surely save him. The king immediately sent an envoy to earnestly entreat him, and the Venerable One came again. By that time, Zongsheng had already arrived in response to the decree. Prajñātāra also came to inquire after the king on account of his illness. The two śramaṇas then petitioned the Venerable One: "The king’s illness is already critical. Will he live or die? What expedient means does the Great Master have to save him?" The Venerable One then left his seat, examined the king’s body with his hand, and said to the two śramaṇas: "If he dies, he will certainly fall into the evil destinies." The two śramaṇas said: "How is this verified?" He said: "I have just perceived it by examining the states of the five aggregates." The two śramaṇas said: "The Great Master’s power in the Way is extraordinary; what meritorious deeds can be generated for him so that he may be spared this suffering?" The Venerable One then had the crown prince and powerful ministers declare a general amnesty for prisoners and release living creatures on a wide scale. The Venerable One also ordered incense to be burned to repent his transgressions. Shortly thereafter, the king’s illness indeed abated, and he gradually regained awareness of worldly affairs. He said to his attendants: "I just dreamed of a giant python, extraordinarily long. At first it spewed fire that pressed close and scorched my body. Soon a tall man caught it with his left hand and threw it into an open wilderness. I immediately felt cool and refreshed, whereupon I was able to rise, gallop, and rush out of an iron gate. With that, I suddenly awoke." With the king’s illness pacified, he was even more devoted to his uncle. At this time, Bodhidharma had been transforming and guiding that country for over sixty years. Thinking to follow his master’s instructions, he planned to journey east. He immediately went by supernatural power to take his leave of Prajñātāra’s stūpa and shrine, and then returned to the royal palace to bid farewell. The king soon learned that the disciples of the six sects also wished to come and take their leave. The Venerable One then went to the residence of each group, manifested himself seated upon a jeweled lotus, and expounded the Dharma to all of them to comfort and settle them. Afterward, he said to the king: "My karmic affinity with the Land of Cīna has now ripened; I am now going east. Take good care of your person and safeguard your family and country." The king wept and said: "Why did heaven not protect me, causing my venerable uncle to depart?" Unable to detain him, the king prepared his provisions and loaded them onto a large ship. On the following day, the king personally led his relatives and ministers to see him off at the seashore. The people of the realm who watched all wept.