Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

三寶感應要略錄 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language
English

2.1

Compiled by the Disciple of Śākya, Feizhuo

2.2

1. Sympathetic response of one about to recite the Avataṃsaka-sūtra washing his hands with water, and the insects sprinkled with the water being reborn in heaven (from Sūtra Records and Travel Records)

2.3

The śramaṇa Śākyamitra—here translated as 'Nengyou' [Able Friend]—of the Lion Kingdom [Siṃhala], was a person of the third fruit [anāgāmin]. At the beginning of the Linde era [664–665], he arrived in the Land of the Dawn [China]. Seeking holy traces, he traveled widely through famous mountains and monasteries. Arriving at the Western Great Taiyuan Monastery in the capital, he urged the monks to chant the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. He then had an interpreter ask them, 'What sūtra is this?' They replied, 'It is the Avataṃsaka-sūtra.' Solemnly changing his countenance, Nengyou said, 'I did not know that this sūtra existed here as well!' He joined his palms with joy and praised it, saying: 'If one hears even the words of the title of the Avataṃsaka, one will definitely not fall into the four evil realms. The merits of this Mahāvaipulya sūtra are inconceivable. In the Western Countries it is traditionally told that a person washed his hands with water when he was about to recite this sūtra. The water was sprinkled upon insects and ants; by this means they cast off their lives and subsequently gained rebirth in heaven. How much more so for those who accept, uphold, read, and recite it—their benefit is of inconceivable blessing! I have heard that more than two thousand li southeast of Khotan there is a country named Cakkuka. Beside the royal palace is a vihāra wherein Mahāyāna śramaṇas chant the Avataṃsaka, and the king and ministers make offerings to them. In the middle of the night, a great light suddenly filled the city. Amid the light were hundreds of thousands of devas, who presented various divine robes, pearls, and jewels to the king and the śramaṇas. The king asked, "Who are you?" The devas replied, "We were the insects beside the vihāra. The śramaṇa washed his hands with water when he was about to recite the Avataṃsaka. Sprinkled by the water, we cast off our lives and were born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. In the heavens, by the nature of phenomena, one immediately knows one's original cause; therefore we have come down to repay the kindness." Hearing the devas' words, the king, moved with grief and joy, established a decree: "Our country esteems the Mahāyāna exclusively; the minor teachings must not circulate." From that time on, the kings of that land through successive generations have revered the Mahāyāna. Famous monks from various lands who enter their borders are all tested: if they study the Hīnayāna, they are sent away and not retained; if they are people of the Mahāyāna, they are invited to remain and receive offerings. Even to this day this has not changed. Within the royal palace itself are twelve divisions of sūtras including the Avataṃsaka, Mahāprajñāpāramitā, Mahāsaṃnipāta, and Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, totaling one hundred thousand verses. The king personally accepts and upholds them, holding the key to the door himself. When chanting, he opens it and makes offerings of incense and flowers. Anomalies such as these are indeed numerous.'

2.4

2. Sympathetic response of Hīnayāna masters of the Viṣṇu Monastery placing the Avataṃsaka beneath the Āgamas, yet it was always found on top (from Biographies and other texts)

2.5

Tripiṭaka Master Rizhao [Divākara] said: 'In South India near the city of Campā, there was a saṅghārāma named Viṣṇu where Hīnayāna masters dwelt. Later, a Mahāyāna Dharma master carrying one case of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra came to that place. The Hīnayāna masters showed him no respect at all. The Mahāyāna master then left the one case of the sūtra behind and departed. The Hīnayāna scholars, utterly faithless in their hearts, threw it into a well. Later they saw that inside the well there was light like blazing fire; though submerged in water for a long time, it was neither moistened nor warm. They then believed that this sūtra was preached by the Buddha, yet they still considered it inferior to the Hīnayāna, and so placed it beneath sūtras and vinaya texts such as the Āgamas. At dawn, it was suddenly seen on top. They scolded the novices, asking, "Who moved it without permission?" The reply was, "No one moved the sūtra." They placed it beneath again. The next morning it was as before, once more on top. This occurred several times. The Hīnayāna masters were all greatly astonished and marveled at the teaching, only then realizing that this sūtra surpassed their own study. Throwing their bodies to the ground, they rolled about weeping and wailing, repented and apologized, converted their hearts, and together devoted themselves exclusively to accepting and upholding the single sūtra of the Avataṃsaka, which flourished in this country.'

2.6

3. Sympathetic response of the Śākya Linggan lecturing on the Avataṃsaka-sūtra, seeing the heavenly palace welcoming him, and changing his rebirth to the Lotus Treasury World (from Sūtra Biographies)

2.7

Whenever the Śākya Linggan lectured on the Avataṃsaka, far and near were cooled or warmed [accordingly]. In the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang era [597], he fell ill and swooned away into unconsciousness; only his heart remained warm, so they dared not inter him. Later he awoke and said: 'I was born in Tuṣita Heaven, where I saw the two Dharma masters Huiyuan and Tanyou, sitting side by side on a lotus platform, their brilliance peerless in the world. They said to Gan, "You and my disciples will all be born here again!"' In the first month of the eighteenth year [598], he died at the monastery at the age of seventy-eight, and was cremated on the northern side of Mount Zhongnan. Earlier, Gan had dedicated his will to honoring the Avataṃsaka, and frequently based himself on the text to contemplate the Ocean of the Lotus Treasury World, as well as the contemplation of Maitreya's heavenly palace. When his illness became severe, his pupils stared upward and he did not respond to people. After a long while, he returned to normal. The śramaṇa Tongzhen, who was at his side inquiring after his illness, was addressed by Gan: 'Just now I saw a blue-clad youth lead me to the Tuṣita heavenly palace. However, heavenly pleasure does not last long; in the end one falls back into saṃsāra. The Lotus Treasury is what I aim for.' Shortly thereafter his breath ceased. In a moment, Tongzhen asked again, 'What did you see?' Gan said: 'I saw great waters filling everywhere, with a flower like a chariot wheel; I sat atop it. My wish has been completely fulfilled.' Soon thereafter he expired.

2.8

4. Sympathetic response of the Tang Dynasty Chaosan Dafu Sun Xuande generating the vow to copy the Avataṃsaka (new record)

2.9

Sun Xuande, Chaosan Dafu of the Tang dynasty, was a man of Yong'an County in Yongzhou. Relying on causes and conditions, Xuande made a vow that he would produce a copy of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. Along the way, encountering worldly affairs, doubt arose; thereupon he abandoned it, leaving no evil uncommitted. Later, while hunting, he fell from his horse and was knocked unconscious. After a day, he regained consciousness, weeping bitterly and throwing himself to the ground, repenting of his faults and reproaching himself. He said to Simiao: 'When I first died, I saw three underworld officials driving condemned officials to the front of a great city. The great ministers of the five destinies were arranged in order of rank, and King Yama was seated. In anger he rebuked me, saying: "You foolish person! You indulged in committing evil. In accordance with the complaints of the birds and beasts you killed, you have been summoned contrary to your span!" Then in the courtyard I saw the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of living beings I had killed, each reporting to the king the circumstances of their lives being taken contrary to their allotted span. The king grew increasingly enraged. At that time there was a youth who called himself Sudhana, who suddenly came to the king's presence. Reverently stepping down from his seat, the king joined his palms toward the youth. The youth said: "You should release Xuande. Although he did not fulfill his vow to produce the Avataṃsaka, at the time he made the vow, there was none who lacked faith. How could later evil cause earlier good to be discarded?" The king rejoiced and said: "The principle is indeed so. He should be released and sent back." The youth then showed me the path of return, and I was able to awake. The merit of the Great Avataṃsaka-sūtra is inconceivable!' Repenting of his prior foolishness, he further gave all his possessions to copy it. He died at eighty-six. Addressing his relatives and friends, he said: 'Having copied the Avataṃsaka, I shall be born in Tuṣita Heaven to serve Maitreya.'

2.10

5. Sympathetic response of Xingzheng of the East Market copying the Avataṃsaka for his parent and rescuing him from suffering (from Sūtra Biographies)

2.11

Kang Alushan of Wannian County in Yongzhou contracted an illness and died on the first day of the fifth month of the second year of the Tiaolu era [680]. On the fifth day he revived. He himself said that along that underworld path he had been summoned by mistake before King Yama. At that time, he saw Master Ayong, a medicine merchant of the East Market, passing by. In the first year of the Tiaolu era, Ayong had fallen ill and died; in life he had boiled chicken eggs, and together with seven hundred people had entered the Hell of the Boiling Cauldron. Having known Lushan previously, he entrusted him with a request, saying: 'My fourth son, Xingzheng, possesses some benevolence. Please tell him for me: now copy one set of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra; other deeds will not match it. If he would just copy this for me, seven hundred people will all gain liberation.' Lushan went to the A family of medicine merchants in the East Market and told Xingzheng everything Master Yong had said. Xingzheng was deeply moved with sorrow; thereupon at the Western Great Taiyuan Monastery he requested the sūtra and had people copy it. Earlier, from the time Master Yong died, the family had had no dreams of him. On the evening when the sūtra first began to be copied, the entire family shared the same dream: their father came, joyful without end. By the eighth month of the first year of the Yonglong era [680], the adornment was completed, and they invited the Great Virtue Fazang and scholarly śramaṇas to celebrate the sūtra and offer a vegetarian feast. On that day Lushan was also present in the assembly. He then saw Master Yong and the crowd of seven hundred ghosts all come to the feast place to pay homage to the Three Jewels, kneeling together before the monks to repent and receive the precepts. When the matter was concluded, they said: 'Relying on the power of the sūtra, we have altered our retribution to the heavenly halls.' Having spoken, they departed. Having been spared, Lushan had fully witnessed the underworld tribunal, and deeply believed in karmic transgressions.

2.12

6. Sympathetic response of the Wang family being moved by Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha (from Sūtra Biographies, Separate Records, and others)

2.13

A man of the capital surnamed Wang, whose given name is lost (another record gives his name as Dingzang), had no practice of the precepts and had never cultivated good. In the first year of the Wenming era [684], he died due to an illness. Two men led him to the gate of hell. Wang originally served Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha, and he saw a monk who said he was Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha. He then taught Wang to recite a one-line verse, the text of which ran: / 'If one wishes to fully know / all the Buddhas of the three times, / one should contemplate thus: / mind creates all the Tathāgatas.' / The bodhisattva said: 'Being able to recite this can overturn hell.' Wang recited it completely, and thereupon entered to see King Yama. The king asked, 'What merit does this person possess?' The reply was, 'He upholds only a single four-line verse, fully as recorded above.' The king then pardoned and released Wang. When he recited this verse, all those undergoing suffering within reach of his voice gained liberation. Wang revived after three days and merely told this to the various śramaṇas (the so-called single verse is the text from the chapter on the clouds of immeasurable bodhisattvas gathering to preach the Dharma in the Yama Heavenly Palace, in the twelfth fascicle of the Avataṃsaka).

2.14

7. Sympathetic response of the novice Dingsheng of Kongguan Monastery seeing the Red Lotus Hell and mistaking it for the real Lotus Treasury World (from Separate Records)

2.15

The novice Dingsheng was unable to recite the sūtras and precepts taught by his master. Hearing expositions of the characteristics of the Lotus Treasury World, he always longed for it in his heart. Indulging in errors in monastic duties, he entered the Red Lotus Hell, but mistook it for the Lotus Treasury World, joyfully praising the wondrous land of the Lotus Treasury. At that moment the hell transformed into the Lotus Treasury; those suffering who heard his chant all sat on lotus flowers. The hell warden reported this to King Yama. The king said, 'This is the power of the great inconceivable sūtra, the Avataṃsaka.' He then spoke a verse:

2.16

I take refuge in the Avataṃsaka,
the inconceivable sūtra.
If one hears its title
or a single four-line verse,
it can overturn the hells
and liberate one from the bonds of karma.
All the instruments of hell
all become the Lotus Treasury,
and all see themselves
sitting on jeweled lotus flowers.

2.17

The novice revived only after a day and a night, and recounted these circumstances himself. Thereafter he possessed supernormal powers; after his matters were compiled, the regions where he traveled were unknown.

2.18

8. Sympathetic response of a dragon's son learning and reciting the Āgama-sūtra from the monk Saṅgharakṣita (from the Saṅgharakṣita-sūtra)

2.19

Formerly, when the Buddha was in the world, there were five hundred merchants in the country of Śrāvastī who went out into the great ocean to seek rare gems together. They invited the monk Saṅgharakṣita to serve as their Dharma master. Before they reached the place of treasures, a dragon king came and held the ship fast. The merchants, terrified, looked up and asked, "What spirit is this that has made our ship halt?" At that time, the dragon king manifested his form and invited the monk Saṅgharakṣita. Overawed by his might, the merchants gave him up and departed. The dragon king was delighted and led him to his palace. The dragon had four sons, all intelligent and wise. Becoming Saṅgharakṣita's disciples, they said, "Teach these four dragons for my sake, one Āgama for each. Teach the first dragon the Ekottarika-āgama; teach the second dragon the Madhyama-āgama; teach the third dragon the Saṃyukta-āgama; teach the fourth dragon the Dīrgha-āgama." Saṅgharakṣita then taught them. The first dragon listened and received it in silence. The second dragon closed his eyes and recited it with his mouth. The third dragon turned his head away as he listened and received it. The fourth dragon stood far off as he listened and received it. These four dragon sons were intelligent and wise; within six months, they recited the four Āgamas, retaining them completely in their minds without any omission. At that time, the great dragon inquired, "Are you not grieved and weary?" Saṅgharakṣita replied, "I am exceedingly grieved and weary. Why? Those who receive and uphold the Dharma must observe proper deportment. These dragon sons belong to the animal realm and have no mind for deportment, failing to receive, uphold, recite, and practice in accordance with the Buddha's Dharma." The dragon king said, "The Venerable One should not scold them. It was to protect the Master's life. Dragons possess four kinds of poison, so they could not receive, uphold, recite, and practice in the usual manner. Why? He who received it in silence did so because of his vocal poison: had he made a sound, it would surely have taken the Master's life; therefore he received it in silence. He who received it with closed eyes did so because of his gaze poison. He who received it with averted head did so because of his grasping poison. He who received it standing far off did so because of his contact poison." At that time, the merchants returned to the place where they had lost their master. The dragon, knowing the merchants' minds, immediately returned Saṅgharakṣita to them, and so forth. Even dragons strive to recite it; how much more should human beings!

2.20

Nineteen: Sympathetic response of the Silla monk Sŭngyu reciting the Āgamas and being born in the Pure Land (from a new record)

2.21

The Silla monk Sŭngyu was a man of Silla. He left home when young and turned his heart toward the Pure Land teachings. Seeing those who recited and upheld the Āgamas, he reviled and scolded them, telling them to abandon them. In a dream he reached the eastern gate of Sukhāvatī. Just as he was about to enter through the gate, immeasurable divine youths were standing outside the gate, and with jeweled staves they drove Sŭngyu out, saying, "When the lesser path is extinguished, that is the sign of the extinction of the great teaching. Using the lesser Dharma as a ladder to ascend to the Great Path—this is the model in your country! You slighted the Āgamas and discarded them without reciting them; you cannot enter the Mahāyāna gate," and so forth. Upon waking from the dream, he wept bitterly, repented his faults, and also upheld and recited the four Āgamas. He then attained welcome to the Pure Land. His disciple also dreamed of the master sitting on a lotus flower, who came and spoke to him, saying, "In the Sahā world I also recited the Āgamas; relying on that former practice, I first attained the lesser path, and before long I shall return and enter the Great."

2.22

Ten: Sympathetic response of being born in heaven by copying the Āgama-sūtras (from the Records of Foreign Lands)

2.23

Formerly, within one hundred years after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, in the middle of the night a god came down to Ānanda's stūpa, emitting light, and scattered flowers in offering. At that time there was a great arhat named Upagupta, who was the master of the great King Aśoka. He asked the god, "Why do you constantly come to pay homage to the stūpa?" [The god] replied, "Formerly, by copying the four Āgamas, I attained rebirth in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. This is due to Ānanda's kindness; for this reason I constantly come to make offerings." He asked again, "In that heaven, are there others like you?" He replied, "There are hundreds of thousands of people with the same karma, among whom those who upheld the Ekottarika-āgama and were born in heaven are exceedingly numerous."

2.24

Eleven: Sympathetic response of an arhat of the country of Gandhāra who formerly heard the Āgamas (from the same record)

2.25

Formerly, at the Gomaya vihāra in the country of Gandhāra, there was an arhat named Puṇyaśrī. His six supernatural knowledges and three clarities were purely luminous. Day and night he recited the Madhyama-āgama, never pausing even for a moment. Someone asked, "Master, you are already an ultimate sage; why are you so exclusively devoted to reciting it?" The arhat replied, "I entered the samādhi of recollecting past abodes and, observing, came to know my past karma. Formerly I was born among dogs and accompanied a monk as he walked. The monk recited the Madhyama-āgama; following him, I heard it, took delight in it, and did not bark. Relying on this single good deed, I was born into a brāhmaṇa family in the country of Gandhāra. When I left home, I then attained the fruit of an arhat. Due to these causes and conditions, I constantly recite it without cease."

2.26

Twelve: Sympathetic response of five hundred bats hearing the Abhidharma Pitaka (from the Record of the Western Regions)

2.27

Formerly, by the shore of the southern sea, there was a withered tree. Five hundred bats gathered and dwelt inside its hollow. A party of merchants stopped beneath the tree. As the wind was cold, the men were all freezing and hungry. They gathered firewood and made a fire beneath it to warm themselves. The smoke and flames gradually blazed up, and the withered tree caught fire. At that time, among the merchants was a traveler who, after midnight, recited the Abhidharma Piṭaka. Though distressed by the fire, the bats took delight in the sound of the good Dharma, endured it, and did not leave. Thereupon their lives ended. Born according to their karma, they all obtained human bodies, left home, and cultivated the Hīnayāna Dharma. Being clever and of sharp intellect, they all realized the holy fruit. Recently, King Kaniṣka and Venerable Pārśva gathered five hundred sages and worthies in the country of Kaśmīra to compose the Vibhāṣā treatise. These were the five hundred bats from inside that withered tree.

2.28

Thirteen: Sympathetic response of a rat hearing the Vinaya Piṭaka

2.29

Formerly, at the arhat vihāra of Madhyāntika in the country of Kapiśa, there was an arhat whose three clarities and six supernatural knowledges were purely luminous. He had mastered the Tripiṭaka and the twelvefold teaching, and among these his monastic discipline was pure and lofty, identical to Upāli when he was in the world. He constantly scolded his disciples, saying, "You should diligently cultivate and study the Vinaya. Why is this? Formerly, when I was in the ordinary state, due to evil karma I took on the body of a rat and dwelt in a stone cavern. At that time, a monk stayed overnight in the cave and recited the Vinaya Piṭaka. I heard it, and relying on this wholesome root I obtained a human body and attained arhatship, becoming lucid and clear in the Vinaya. If it is thus even for hearing the Vinaya Piṭaka in the body of a rat, how much more so for those who practice it with faithful mind!"

2.30

Fourteen: Sympathetic response of upholding the Vinaya Piṭaka (from the same text)

2.31

Formerly, at the Kavi vihāra in the country of Kapiśa, there were two monks: one upheld the Vinaya Piṭaka, and one upheld the Abhidharma Piṭaka. People all offered supreme food to the Vinaya master. In the middle of the night, gods would arrive and pay homage to the monk who upheld the Vinaya, but not to the monk who upheld the Abhidharma. After more than a month like this, the monk who upheld the Abhidharma harbored anger in his heart. A god scolded him, saying, "The Vinaya opens the way of humans and devas, and even the way to nirvāṇa. Due to these causes and conditions, gods revere those who uphold and recite it. You should not harbor resentment." Thereupon, the monk who upheld the Abhidharma diligently cultivated the Vinaya Piṭaka, and both attained the first fruit. Then the gods made offerings to both monks.

2.32

Fifteen: Sympathetic response of Śākyamuni formerly obtaining a box of the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra and eradicating sins (from the Sūtra of the Dhāraṇī of Gathering Dharma Delight and Renouncing Suffering; this is a separate offshoot of the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra)

2.33

Formerly, countless kalpas ago, when Śākyamuni was an ordinary person, his name was Cheda. In the country of Kālunluo, he made his living as a merchant by trading. He was deceitful and untrue, committed various evil deeds, killed his father, and lusted after his mother. After several years had passed, all the people throughout the country knew of it, calling out aloud, "Chedatha has killed his father and lusted after his mother!" He then thought to himself that he was no different from a beast. Then, by night, he leaped over the city wall and fled into deep marshes. The king of the country, Vijaya, proclaimed to the people of the country, "This man is moreover lustful, foolish, and devoid of the Way. Whoever can capture him will be richly rewarded with treasures." The people of the country each accepted the enlistment, wishing to arrest him. He then left the country and became a śramaṇa. In another country, he practiced seated meditation and studied the Way, weeping tears day and night. Thirty-seven years passed; because of the obstacle of the five inexpiable sins, for thirty-seven years his mind could not attain [peace]. In a mountain cave, he wailed aloud and lamented sorrowfully. Descending from the cave to beg for food, he found a large almsbowl on the road, inside which was a box containing a sūtra. There was no other scripture, only the Mahāsaṃnipāta-dhāraṇī-sūtra on Gathering Dharma Delight and Renouncing Suffering. This sūtra can eliminate the great sins of the five inexpiable offenses in birth and death for hundreds of billions of kalpas. If anyone receives, upholds, reads, and recites it, they will never fall into the three wretched realms. Why? Because it was spoken by Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. When he obtained this scripture, he immediately gave up begging for food. With joy, he faced the cave, burned incense, paid homage, and with sorrowful tears praised and gazed up at it. Practicing, reading, and reciting it in the cave, it was only after one year that he first mastered it. Because of the obstacle of his sinful karma, it could not enter his heart. After several more years of cultivation, he flew through the air without hindrance and saw the Buddhas of the ten directions. Furthermore, there are practitioners who practice it in accordance with the Dharma, and so forth.

2.34

Sixteen: Sympathetic response of the monk Daoru of Bingzhou who, merely by hearing the title of the Vaipulya scriptures, was born in the Pure Land

2.35

In Bingzhou there was a monk named Daoru. In this prefecture, most people seven years of age and older knew how to practice recollection of the Buddha. Yet this monk did not practice recollection of the Buddha, nor did he keep the precepts. He kept impure goods and committed transgressions in body without repenting. At the age of sixty-one, he suddenly suffered from a stroke and died after more than a month. After three days, he first revived; his physical movements were agile and light, and his illness was completely cured. He said, "When I first died, I saw Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta come, who instructed, taught, benefited, and gladdened me, saying, 'You did not cultivate Pure Land karma; you only heard the titles of the Mahāyāna Vaipulya scriptures in twelve divisions. Due to these causes and conditions, your sinful defilements are slight. We have come from afar to manifest our forms. Your remaining lifespan is not yet exhausted; twelve years from now, you will be born in the Pure Land.' Thereupon, I joined my palms, wept tears, and only then awakened and revived." He then gave away all his possessions, produced the Vaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta, and also cultivated recollection of the Buddha. On the fifteenth day of the first month in the twelfth year, he finally passed away. Music sounded in the room, heavenly flowers fell like rain, and this was seen and heard by those present.

2.36

Seventeen: Sympathetic response of the two men Tanrong and Sengding practicing the Vaipulya repentance rite and receiving vyākaraṇa (from the Tang Biographies of Eminent Monks)

2.37

Under the Tang, Shi Tanrong of Fazhu Monastery in Luzhou, in the seventh year of the Zhenguan era, upon the request of the faithful layman Chang Ningbao and others, performed the Vaipulya repentance rite at Fazhu Monastery. On the fourteenth day of the seventh month, a śramaṇa of that monastery named Sengding, whose moral conduct was refined and lofty, saw within the ritual arena a great light of five interlaced colors rising and falling. Within it were seven Buddhas, extraordinarily adorned with major and minor marks. They said to Sengding, "I am Vipaśyin Tathāgata, the Lord Free from Attachment, Truly and Perfectly Enlightened. Because your sins are eliminated, I have come to bear witness. However, I am not your root master, so I do not confer vyākaraṇa upon you." In this manner, all six Buddhas spoke the same words. The final Buddha said, "I am your root master, Śākyamuni. Because your sins are eliminated, I have come to confer vyākaraṇa upon you. Tanrong is your good cause for eradicating sins; in the Bhadrakalpa, he shall be named Samantanirvṛta Buddha. Your bodily vessel is pure; later you shall become a Buddha, also named Samantaprabha." Auspicious signs and miraculous responses like these are truly rare to hear of!

2.38

Eighteen: Sympathetic response of the Great Master Zhiyi of the Sui dynasty lecturing on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra (from the Biographies, the Record of Auspicious Responses, and other texts)

2.39

The Great Master Zhiyi of the Sui dynasty was named Zhiyi, surnamed Chen, a man of Yingchuan. At his birth, a mountain surged forth from the earth, called Daxian; at his death, the mountain immediately sank away, becoming Daxian Lake. While lecturing on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, he suddenly saw three jeweled banners descending from the sky, and the assembly of Akṣobhya Buddha's realm appeared majestically. Over ten Indian monks holding incense burners entered the hall, circumambulated Zhiyi three times, and praised him, saying:

2.40

"Excellent, Zhiyi! / Profoundly awakening to the Buddha's intent, / we have come to manifest our forms— / such is the sympathetic response."

2.41

Nineteen: Sympathetic response of Shi Puming reciting the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra (from the Liang Biographies of Eminent Monks)

2.42

Under the Song dynasty, Shi Puming of Linzi recited the two sūtras of the Lotus and Vimalakīrti. When reciting the Vimalakīrti-sūtra, he heard musical chanting in the air. He was also skilled in divine dhāraṇīs; whomever he saved was healed. There was a minister named Wang Daozhen whose wife was ill; he invited Puming into the inner quarters. The wife then fainted away. Soon, a creature resembling a wildcat, several feet long, was seen, and so forth.

2.43

Twenty: Sympathetic response of a scholar in Shanyin of Kuaiji copying the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra (from a new record)

2.44

In Shanyin County of Kuaiji, there was a scholar whose surname and given name are lost. His body had a slight ailment, and he vowed to copy the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra. On the night he first inscribed the title, he dreamed of a heavenly maiden stroking his body; when he awoke from the dream, his bodily illness was instantly gone. He brought forth even greater faith and finished one complete copy of the text. Then he made a vow to copy a set for his deceased parents. When he reached the "Inquiring after the Ailment" chapter, he suddenly dreamed of a devaputra riding a cloud, who came to his dwelling room and said: "I am your father. On account of evil karma, I fell into the Dark Hells. Because you produced this sūtra for us, its light shone upon my body, my suffering ceased, and I was reborn in heaven. Out of joy, I have come to tell you the cause." He then asked: "I do not know where my mother is?" The father answered: "Your mother, on account of greed for wealth, fell among the hungry ghosts. When you copied the 'Buddha Land' chapter, she was freed from suffering and was reborn directly in the Land of Akṣobhya (the Immovable). I too will soon be born there." The scholar copied diligently to the end, wept upon waking from the dream, completed another set, and made offerings to it. Again he dreamed of an official in strange robes, holding a banner, who came to announce: "In King Yama's register of summons, your name was present. Because you copied the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, you may be born in the Buddha land of Golden Millet (Jinshu). The King grants you twenty more years of life. Strive diligently, do not be remiss." He died at the age of seventy-nine; his body turned golden in colour. People near and far all said that this was an outward sign of his rebirth in the Buddha land of Golden Millet, nothing else.

2.45

21. Sympathetic response of Dharma Master Fazhu expounding the Śūraṅgama-sūtra for King Yama (drawn from the Biographies)

2.46

Bo Yuan, styled Fazhu, was a man of Henai. In Chang'an, he built a vihāra and took lecturing on and practicing the Śūraṅgama-sūtra as his vocation. At that time, there was a man named Li Tong who died and revived, saying that he had seen Dharma Master Fazhu at King Yama's court, expounding the Śūraṅgama-sūtra for the king. Immeasurable numbers of sinners heard the Master's lecturing voice and were reborn in the second heaven. He himself said: "When the lecture is completed, I ought to be born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. If those devas hear this sūtra, they will attain the merit of non-retrogression."

2.47

22. Sympathetic response of Dharma Master Yun of Guangzhai Temple bringing rain by expounding the Śrīmālā-sūtra (drawn from the Biographies)

2.48

Emperor Wu of the Liang wished to pray for rain. Master Baozhi said: "Let us invite Master Yun of Guangzhai Temple; just invite him to expound the Śrīmālā-sūtra." The rain fell, and its moisture was fully sufficient.

2.49

23. Sympathetic response of a poor woman upholding the Śrīmālā-sūtra becoming empress in this very life (drawn from the Sanbao ji)

2.50

Anciently, within three hundred years of the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, in the country of Ayodhyā, there was a poor woman who had none of the six kinds of kin; she gathered firewood to survive. In her spare time, she accepted and upheld the Śrīmālā-sūtra. The poor woman entered the mountains once more for firewood; exhausted in body, she could not return, and lay in the mountains reciting the sūtra. At that time, the king of the country entered the mountains on a hunt, and suddenly saw this woman, with clouds canopying her body. The king marveled at it and approached to see an upright and fair woman. Rejoicing, he took her back to the palace and established her as his empress. In that country, this scripture had long been lost and unpracticed. At this time, it was revived by those who sought the Dharma, and they obtained the text of this sūtra through this [woman].

2.51

24. Sympathetic response of Chan Master Daozhen reciting the Amitābha-sūtra and being reborn in the Pure Land (drawn from the Ruiying zhuan and other texts)

2.52

During the Liang dynasty, Daozhen was mindful of the Buddha and practiced the water contemplation. He dreamed of seeing a expanse of water, and a hundred people boarded a boat wishing to go to the Western [Land], and he asked to board with them. The people on the boat would not permit it. Zhen said: "Throughout my life I have cultivated the karma for the Western [Land]; for what reason will you not permit me?" The people on the boat said: "The Master's karma lacks the recitation of the Amitābha-sūtra, as well as the provision of a bathhouse [for the saṅgha]." Thereupon, the people on the boat all set off at once. Having been unable to go, he wept and awoke from sleep; he then recited the sūtra and provided baths for monks. At a later time, he dreamed again: one person on a silver multi-storey pavilion raised his hand and said: "Your karma is already complete; apply your mind well. Therefore I have come to inform you: you are certain to be born in the West." On the night he approached his end, the mountaintop appeared as if several tens of torches were blazing, and a strange fragrance filled the monastery. After his death, inside a sūtra case, the written testament he left during his life was retrieved.

2.53

25. Sympathetic response of Dharma Master Tanluan receiving the Contemplation Sūtra and being reborn in the Pure Land (from the same text)

2.54

During the Qi dynasty, Dharma Master Tanluan obtained ten scrolls of immortal texts of this land and wished to visit the Hermit Tao to study the arts of the immortals. Later, he met Tripiṭaka [Master] Bodhiruci and asked: "Is there in the Buddha's Dharma a method for longevity and immortality that surpasses the immortal texts of this land?" The Tripiṭaka [Master] spat on the ground and said with astonishment: "Where in this realm could there be a method for longevity and immortality? Even if one attains prolonged life, when one's years are exhausted, one must fall back into the three realms of existence!" He immediately took the Sūtra on the Contemplation of Amitāyus, handed it to Tanluan, and said: "This is the prescription of the Great Immortal; cultivate according to it, and you will forever attain liberation and be parted from birth and death forever." Tanluan thereupon called for fire and subsequently burned the immortal texts. Suddenly, at midnight, he experienced Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna speaking a verse, and thus knew his life was coming to an end. Holding a censer himself, he faced west, was mindful of the Buddha, and thereupon ended his life. Music was heard in the air coming from the west, which returned after a short while.

2.55

26. Sympathetic response of the Bingzhou monk Senggan upholding the Contemplation Sūtra and the Amitābha-sūtra and being reborn in the Pure Land (new record)

2.56

In Bingzhou, there was a bhikṣu named Senggan, who took the upholding of the Sūtra on the Contemplation of Amitāyus and the Amitābha-sūtra as his vocation. Gan dreamed of seeing himself grow wings, on the left the text of the Contemplation Sūtra, on the right the text of the Amitābha-sūtra; wishing to fly, his body was still somewhat heavy. Awakening, he recited both sūtras even more intensely. Three years later he dreamed that his wings were fully grown; wishing to fly, he felt somewhat lighter. After another two years, he dreamed that his body was light and soared through empty space without hindrance; pointing toward the west, he flew and arrived at the Land of Ultimate Bliss. At that time, there was one Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, [who said:] "By the power of your sūtra recitation, you have arrived at the borderland of Ultimate Bliss. Return quickly to the Sahā world, recite forty-eight fascicles every day for one thousand days, and only then will you be born into the high grade of land." Waking from the dream, he cultivated as told; after three years, he passed away. At the place where he lay, nine stems of lotus flowers suddenly grew and did not wither or drop for seven days.

2.57

27. Sympathetic response of a small kingdom in Western India achieving peace with a hostile state by expounding the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra (drawn from the Kaiyuan Record and the Biography of Mātanga)

2.58

In Western India, there was a small kingdom that invited the venerable Dharmananda [or Kāśyapa Mātaṅga] to expound the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra. Soon, the army of a neighboring kingdom came; when they were about to step across the border, there was always an obstruction, and the troops could not advance. The troops of that kingdom suspected that [the other kingdom] possessed some strange sorcery and secretly sent an emissary to spy on them. He saw only all the ministers sitting peacefully, listening together to the Mahāyāna scripture that was being expounded, which explained the king of earth spirits' method of protecting the kingdom. Thereupon that kingdom sued for peace and sought the Dharma, and both attained peace and security.

2.59

28. Sympathetic response of a central country in Central India expounding the Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarāja-sūtra (drawn from the Record of the Western Realm)

2.60

In Central India, there was a kingdom named Puṇḍravardhana. Eight hundred years after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, the kingdom was overgrown and barren, the five grains did not ripen, the king, ministers, and native people suffered starvation, epidemics spread widely, and uncanny deaths filled the roads. The king asked his ministers: "By what expedient can we save [them] from this suffering?" A wise minister addressed the king, saying: "To eradicate disasters and calamities in the kingdom, nothing compares to the Buddha's sūtras. The king should cultivate the Buddha's teachings." The king said: "Which scripture?" The minister said: "Anciently, when Magadha averted disaster, it relied on expounding the Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarāja scripture. The king should lecture on and listen to that scripture." The king immediately invited a Dharma Master, and over the course of one summer retreat, he expounded the sūtra five times. At that time, [the king] dreamed of boys holding bamboo staves chasing and beating evil ghosts, driving them out of the kingdom; immediately the epidemic ceased. He also dreamed that a mighty spirit-deity dug the ground, and sweet water welled forth to fill all the fields; immediately the crops flourished, and the five grains were abundant. Before a year had passed, the people of the kingdom were wealthy, and it was made an annual model.

2.61

29. Sympathetic response of Zhang Judao, Vice Prefect of Wenzhou, making a vow on the dark road to produce four fascicles of the Golden Light Sūtra (drawn from the Miezhui zhuan)

2.62

Anciently, Zhang Judao, Vice Prefect of Wenzhou, on the occasion of marrying off his daughter, slaughtered pigs, sheep, geese, ducks, and other creatures. Before a ten-day period had passed, he fell severely ill and died. After three nights, he came back to life and recounted the circumstances. At first, he saw four men arrive, who pulled a document from their robes and showed it to Judao; it was a joint lawsuit of identical testimony by the pigs, sheep, and other beasts, stating: "Although pigs and the rest, through accumulated sins of previous lives, were made to receive animal bodies, they had their own life spans; but they were unjustly slaughtered and harmed by Judao. We request judgment." Below was an order dispatching the Arbiter of Lifespans to summon him. They immediately beat and bound him and took him away, walking straight along a single road toward the north. Reaching midway along the road, the messenger said: "You are not yet meant to die; by what expedient will you seek a way to live? More than thirty of the complainants and accusers are waiting right at the king's gate; regret will be too late." Judao said: "Considering what I have committed, it is truly hard to escape; I beg for a plan." The messenger said: "If, for the sake of the living beings you killed, you resolve your mind to vow to produce four scrolls of the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra, you will escape the disaster." He then accepted the instruction and proclaimed those words twice. Soon, gazing toward the city gates, he saw in front of King Yama's hall countless billions of people, their voices of sorrow and grief too painful to hear. The messenger called his name, and the king took joy in the petition of the pigs and other animals. Judao related his document of vow; the animals he had killed, riding upon this merit, transformed their bodies according to their karma. The king was pleased and returned him to the path of life. Hearing of this circumstance, more than a hundred people brought forth the mind to copy sūtras, and those who gave up meat and stopped killing were beyond count. (There is also the circumstance of the assistant of Angu County delivering his wife from suffering; as it would be tedious, it is not related here.)

2.63

30. Sympathetic response of Empress Zetian making offerings to the Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarāja-sūtra (drawn from the Biography of the Empress)

2.64

Tripiṭaka Dharma Master Yijing was a man of Qizhou, surnamed Zhang and styled Wenming. He set his mind on traveling to the Western Regions and passed through more than thirty kingdoms. In the first year of the Zhengsheng reign era of the Heavenly Empress, he returned to the region of Luoyang. The Heavenly Empress, having received the Buddha's prediction, revered the Dharma profoundly. On the fourth day of the tenth month of the third year of the Chang'an reign era, he translated the Vaiśravaṇa-parivarta at Ximing Temple, with Huibiao, Huizhi, and others taking down the translation. On the fifteenth day of the same month, offerings were made at Ximing Temple. They donated two hundred-foot banners, forty-nine forty-nine-foot banners, one hundred bolts of silk, and offerings such as incense and flowers, all adorned with the seven jewels. At that time, purple clouds covered the temple, the sūtra scrolls emitted light, the great earth shook slightly, and the heavens rained down fine flowers. If she had not received the Buddha's prediction, who, in the final five hundred years, could have obtained such a sympathetic response?

2.65

31. Sympathetic response of Yao Dai of Zizhou copying Mahāyāna sūtras himself for his deceased parents (drawn from the Diamond Prajñā Records and others)

2.66

Yao Dai, a native of Qi County in Zizhou, went into mourning for his parents in the fourth year of the Chang'an reign era. He made a vow for his deceased parents to copy four great sūtras himself: one copy each of the Lotus and Vimalakīrti, ten fascicles of the Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra, and one hundred fascicles of the Diamond Prajñā-sūtra. At midday, a deer rushed through the door and came in, standing before the sūtra desk, raising its head to lick the desk. When the house dog saw it, it did not dare to bark. Yao Dai stepped down from his seat and caught it in his embrace; it showed no fear. He administered the Three Refuges to it; it leaped and bent its legs, and when released, it would not leave. There was also a butcher boy named Li Huinu who came and stood before the desk, grabbed a Prajñā-sūtra, and ran away. After he departed, he was never seen again, and no one knew where he went. (At that time, a neighbor dreamed that the deer was Dai's mother and the butcher was Dai's father, each receiving different bodies in accordance with their karma; because Dai copied sūtras for them himself, they came to receive his transformative deliverance, nothing else.)

2.67

32. Sympathetic response of Zhang Xie Fu of the Tang reading and reciting the Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra (drawn from the Sanbao ji)

2.68

In the Tang, Xie Fu, whose surname was Zhang, suddenly fell gravely ill. His wives and concubines invited the assembly of monks to read and recite the Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra for seven days and seven nights. On the night it was completed, Fu dreamed that the monks covered his body with sūtra scrolls. After waking, he was restored to health as before; he attributed it to the meritorious power of the sūtra.

2.69

33. Sympathetic response of Zhang Litong of the Tang copying the Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra and prolonging his lifespan

2.70

When Zhang Litong was twenty-seven years of age, a physiognomist looked at him and said, "Your lifespan is very short, sir; you cannot pass thirty-one." Litong was sorrowful and anxious, and turned to Master Mai for refuge. The master said, "There is a recipe for long life. If with a reverent heart you copy, accept, and uphold it—" and then gave him the Bhaiṣajyaguru-sūtra translated by the Tripiṭaka Master of the Tang. Tong said, "Worldly dust and affairs of the age press upon me; I deeply fear the king's reprimand. Accepting and upholding it is truly difficult; for now I must first copy it." He then requested the scripture roll and copied it himself with focused sincerity. Worldly affairs pressing hard upon him, he only managed to finish a single roll. At that time, the previous physiognomist saw Tong and said, "This is extremely rare, truly most rare! What merit do you have, sir, to have suddenly gained thirty years of life?" Tong told him of the aforementioned event. Those who heard of it and placed their faith in it were indeed numerous.

2.71

34. Sympathetic Response to Copying the Mahāvairocana-sūtra (From the preface to the sūtra)

2.72

Long ago, within the borders of North India, there was a small kingdom called Boluoruo. North of its royal city stood a great rocky mountain, its walls rising a thousand fathoms, with sheer precipices of ten thousand cubits. Halfway up its side was a cave concealing secret teachings. Every year in the seventh month, numerous holy ones gathered there; furthermore, several thousand apes and monkeys held scripture rolls and brought them out to sun. When the weather was clear and bright, one could faintly glimpse them. Having no steps to ascend, one watched them amidst the clouds and wild geese. It happened that a violent wind suddenly arrived and blew down a single Sanskrit box. A woodcutter at the time picked it up. Beholding this extraordinary thing, he at once presented it to the king. Having received it, the king obtained what had never been seen before. When that day turned to dusk, a great ape came seeking this scripture. When for a moment it was not returned, it was about to throw its body down and harm itself. With skillful means, [the king] earnestly pleaded time and again, saying, "The scripture box shall be returned at once; I only wish to copy it." Seeing that the king's words were sincere, it then agreed, accommodating him and saying, "Just receive and copy it beforehand; in three days I shall come back to retrieve it." The king then divided [the task] among many hands, and having finished copying it by the deadline, returned it. The king and the crown prince alone transmitted the original copy to each other, not letting it leak outside. Recently, a great yoga-ācārya of Central India traveled across distant mountains and rivers seeking this secret treasure. At that time, the king saw that the ācārya was extraordinary, and joyfully transmitted and bestowed this scripture upon him.

2.73

35. Sympathetic Response to Extinguishing Sin by Writing the Pratisarā-dhāraṇī and Tying It to the Neck (From the commentary, upper roll)

2.74

Once there was a bhikṣu who harbored pure faith in his heart, yet transgressed the precepts instituted by the Tathāgata. He appropriated the property of the present saṅgha and the collective property of the saṅghika, putting it to his own use. Later he contracted a severe illness and suffered great pain and distress. At that time, that bhikṣu had no one to save or help him, and uttered loud cries. In that place there was a brahmin who heard his cries and immediately went to the sick bhikṣu. Arousing great compassion and pity, he wrote this Mahāpratisarā-vidyārāja-dhāraṇī for him and tied it beneath his neck; his distress and suffering all ceased, and he then died. Born into the Avīci Hell, the bhikṣu's corpse was interred in a stūpa, bearing the dhāraṇī upon his body. Because of this, the moment that bhikṣu entered the hell, all the pains of those undergoing punishment completely ceased, and all obtained ease and joy. Due to the majestic power and virtue of this dhāraṇī, all the raging flames of the Avīci Hell were extinguished; and so forth.

First 74 of 158 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)