三寶感應要略錄 2.3

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.'