三寶感應要略錄 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

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Compiled by the disciple of the Śākya, Feizhuo

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1. Sympathetic Response of Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (From the Qingliang zhuan and other texts)

Mañjuśrī was formerly translated as Miaode ("Wondrous Virtue") and newly translated as Miaojixiang ("Wondrous Auspiciousness"). There are two aspects to establishing his name. First, in terms of conventional reality, his name is revealed through auspicious signs. This bodhisattva possesses great compassion and was born in the house of the brahman Brahmavajra (Fande) in the village of Tāro in the kingdom of Śrāvastī. At the time of his birth, the rooms inside the house transformed entirely like lotuses. He was born from his mother's right side, his body was purple-golden, and when he fell to the ground he was able to speak like a divine boy. A canopy of seven jewels followed and covered him from above. He possessed ten kinds of sympathetic response events, and so was named Miaojixiang: first, the heavens rained sweet dew; second, hidden treasures welled up from the earth; third, the granaries turned into golden grain; fourth, golden lotuses grew in the courtyard; fifth, bright light filled the chambers; sixth, chickens gave birth to phoenixes; seventh, horses gave birth to qilin; eighth, cows gave birth to white yaks; ninth, pigs gave birth to dragon piglets; tenth, a six-tusked elephant appeared. Thus, the bodhisattva's name was revealed through auspicious signs. Second, the name is established according to ultimate truth: as the Vajraśekhara-sūtra says, because the bodhisattva's body universally gathers the Tathāgata-bodies equal to the entire Dharma-realm, all Tathāgatas' wisdom, and all Tathāgatas' supernormal transformations and sports, and is already exceedingly wondrous and auspicious, he is called Miaojixiang ("Wondrous Auspiciousness").

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2. Sympathetic Response of Mañjuśrī Transforming His Body into a Poor Woman (From the Qingliang zhuan)

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Tradition says: in the past, there was a poor woman who, meeting with the convening of a vegetarian gathering, came from the south. She arrived at the monastery at dawn carrying two children in her arms, with a dog following her. Having no other resources on her person, she cut her hair to offer as alms. Before the assembly's meal was served, she said to the head monk, "I wish to eat first and hurry on my way." The monk consented and ordered an attendant to provide food, giving her a triple portion, intending that the poor woman and her two children would all have enough. The woman said, "You must also give some to the dog." The monk reluctantly gave more. The woman said, "I have a child in my womb, and must have another portion of food." The monk then angrily said to her, "You are insatiable in seeking the monastic food! If it is in your womb and not yet born, why must it have food?" He scolded her and told her to leave. Having been reprimanded, the poor woman immediately left the ground, suddenly transforming her body: it was the image of Mañjuśrī, the dog became a lion, and the children were Sudhana and the King of Khotan. Five-coloured clouds and vapors thickly filled the sky. Thereupon he left a verse, saying: "Bitter gourds are bitter down to their roots; / Sweet melons are sweet through to their stems. / Here am I, who have transcended the three realms, / Yet despised by this monk!" Having spoken the verse, the bodhisattva then disappeared from sight. Monastics and laypeople in the assembly were all astonished and sighed in admiration. The head monk regretted failing to recognize the true holy one, and wished to gouge out his eyes with a knife, stopping only when the assembly strenuously dissuaded him. At that time, noble and base alike viewed poverty and wealth without distinction, and with the hair offered by the poor woman, they erected a stūpa to make offerings at the place where the bodhisattva mounted the clouds and ascended.

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3. Sympathetic Response of King Aśoka Making Images of Mañjuśrī (From the Gantong ji, the [Fayuan] zhulin, and other texts)

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In the past, King Aśoka ruled this continent. Learning from the lord of ghosts, he established a prison, which was exceedingly cruel and harsh. He further constructed a hell, with a ferocious man as prison warden. Mañjuśrī manifested within a cauldron; while the fire blazed, the water became pure, and blue lotuses grew. Deeply moved and enlightened, the king destroyed the prison that very day. His 84,000 consorts entered the fire pit together. For the 84,000 stūpas, he erected images, whose number was likewise 84,000. In this land, the golden image of Mañjuśrī on Mount Lu from the Eastern Jin is one of them.

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4. Sympathetic Response of Dhyāna Master Jietuo of Zhaoguo Monastery Encountering Mañjuśrī (From the Separate Biographies)

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Shi Jietuo of Zhaoguo Monastery in Wutai County was secularly surnamed Xing and a native of that place. He regularly recited the Lotus Sūtra and performed visualizations such as the Buddha-light, seeking Mañjuśrī. To the left of the Eastern Hall, he met him repeatedly. At first, after bowing, he would lose sight of him; later, he personally received instructions and teachings. Jietuo asked Mañjuśrī: "How does the Great Being benefit the foolish, ignorant, faithless, and difficult-to-transform sentient beings of this land?" Mañjuśrī replied: "Three times each day, I enter the Three Periods of Shattering the Hordes of Māras to break the māra-karma of the sentient beings of this land. I enter the Samādhi of the Mother of Wisdom to dispel the darkness of ignorance. I go into the hells; in each hell, I manifest as a buddha-body, emitting light and expounding the Dharma. I go to the city of hungry ghosts and can give them food and drink. What other people give turns into burning embers upon entering their mouths; only what I give can benefit their bodies and minds, causing them to be reborn in the heavens and attain liberation. I enter the animal realm, where I can eliminate ignorance, open up their wisdom and understanding, and cause them all to give rise to the mind of awakening (bodhicitta)." Jietuo further asked: "Which sentient beings can be saved and transformed?" Mañjuśrī said: "Those who paint my image or make my image, whether with fingernails or like āmra grass, and orally utter 'Namo'—such sentient beings are easy to save and transform. As for other sentient beings, though I exhaust my compassionate mind, they are difficult to save and transform because of their own karma." Jietuo asked further: "How may Jietuo immediately awaken to non-arising and never regress?" Mañjuśrī said: "In the past, you made an image of me about three inches tall; your roots of goodness have already matured, so why must you now personally bow to me? Through your own self-reproach, you will surely attain awakening." Jietuo respectfully received the holy instruction, looked inward within himself, and awakened to non-arising, additionally increasing in the joy of the Dharma. He then moved the buddhas to manifest their bodies and expound the Dharma.

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5. Sympathetic Response of Shi Zhimeng Painting Mañjuśrī and Sincerely Making Offerings (From the Separate Biographies and other texts)

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Shi Zhimeng was extremely foolish in his youth, having no discriminatory intellect whatsoever. His father spent thirty coins to paint an image of Mañjuśrī for him and made his son face the image. In a dream, the image emitted light, illuminating the child's crown, and the light entered his crown. Upon waking, he naturally possessed eloquence and wisdom, like a senior monk who had studied the Dharma for many years. When he inquired into the sūtras and vinaya according to the text, he recited the words and meanings from memory, understanding everything completely. After leaving household life, his talent and wisdom surpassed others, and he was named Zhimeng ("Wisdom-Fierce"). Mañjuśrī transformed into an Indian monk, came to this land, and visited Zhimeng.

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6. Sympathetic Response of Zhang Yuantong of Wutai County Making an Image of Mañjuśrī (New Record)

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Zhang Yuantong had a firm and steadfast faith. He vowed to make an image of Mañjuśrī three feet high. Placing it in his room, he made offerings to it. At the third watch of the night, two or three Indian monks holding censers in their hands came into the room, circumambulated the image three times, and suddenly disappeared. This aroused his faith all the more, and he offered fragrant flowers. The next day toward evening, the image emitted light until the fifth watch. Tong saw in a dream that the Buddhas of the ten directions gathered in the room and made offerings of wonderful flowers to the image, saying, 'This is our original teacher. Out of reverence for our teacher, we make offerings.' The Buddhas also took exquisite necklaces and offered them to Yuantong, [saying], 'Because you made an image of our teacher with faithful mind, we have come to make offerings.' In the dream, Tong addressed the Buddhas, saying, 'Wherever in the worlds of the ten directions one makes an image of Mañjuśrī or can paint one, do the Buddhas go to all those places?' A Buddha said, 'If such a thing happens in the worlds of the ten directions, we all make offerings there. Why is this? Our raising of the aspiration [for awakening] was all due to the power of Mañjuśrī’s teaching and conversion. If someone takes refuge in Mañjuśrī, that surpasses taking refuge in the Buddhas of the ten directions.' He then spoke a verse:

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Mañjuśrī, the Great Holy Honoured One, / Is the teacher of the Buddhas of the ten directions. / One who takes refuge and makes offerings to him / Surpasses making offerings to all the Buddhas.

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Having spoken this verse, he suddenly vanished. Tong again saw an assembly of holy ones coming to welcome him, saying, 'I shall be born in the Golden World,' and so forth. While Tong was alive, he kept this secret and did not speak of it; he wrote it down in his testamentary letter and stored it in a box. After his life came to an end, people opened it and saw it. The image was moved to Zhaoguo Monastery, and its miraculous efficacy exists to this day.

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Number 7: Sympathetic response of Grand Empress Lu Zhao of the Song making an image of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (drawn from Mingxiang ji and Minggan zhuan)

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In the fourth year of Daming, Grand Empress Lu Zhao of the Song made an image of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding a jewelled carriage on a white elephant, and installed it in the meditation hall of Zhongxing [Monastery]. A lecture was accordingly given at the monastery. On the eighth day of the tenth month of that year, when the vegetarian feast was concluded and the assembly dismissed, there were two hundred monks. At that time lectures were just beginning at the monastery. The emperor was extremely attentive, ordering the clearing of the streets for his imperial visit. Every stanza must bring forth four [lines]. Monks answered the imperial decree; the imperial guard was strict and solemn. On that day, the monks’ names had been fixed for a long time. Suddenly a monk was in the row of seats; his bearing was extraordinarily outstanding. The whole hall gazed with astonishment. The host of the vegetarian feast spoke with him, conversing back and forth more than a hundred times, and suddenly he was seen no more. All in the rows of seats witnessed it, and recognized him as a divine person.

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Number 8: Sympathetic response of Dharma Master Kuichong making an image of Samantabhadra, escaping peril, and reaching India (drawn from Qiufa ji)

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Dharma Master Kuichong was a native of Jiaozhou. With the ambition of reaching India, he made a vow to craft an image of Samantabhadra and prayed, saying: 'Great Being Samantabhadra has the vow to constantly accord with sentient beings; how could you abandon the sincere aspiration of this poor monk?' He was further moved to a dream: Samantabhadra rode a white elephant, stroked Chong's crown, and said, 'You have a sincere aspiration and are going to India. If you meet with hindrance or delay, I will certainly rescue you.' Awakening from the dream with joy, he boarded the same ship as Mingyuan to sail the Southern Sea. Suddenly they met with a violent wind and were about to fall into the land of rākṣasas. Chong single-mindedly concentrated on Samantabhadra, and the image appeared upon the ship; the wind calmed, and they headed toward the Lion Country (Śrī Laṅkā). Furthermore, they encountered the peril of a makara fish. Chong single-mindedly concentrated on Samantabhadra, and the image appeared upon the ship; the great fish closed its mouth and departed. Escaping peril, they reached the Lion Country. Continuing onward toward West India, he met Dharma Master Xuanzhao, and together they requested to go to Central India to pay homage to the Bodhi Tree. Further reaching the Bamboo Grove (Veṇuvana), he contracted a slight illness. As if in a dream, he saw Samantabhadra, who said, 'Relying on holy power, your original vow is fulfilled, and you have attained purity of the six faculties; let no regret arise.' Having written down his testamentary letter, he passed away, and so on.

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Number 9: Sympathetic response of Qin Anyi of Gaoling receiving Samantabhadra's cure (drawn from Ganying zhuan)

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Qin Anyi was a native of Gaoling. From youth to adulthood, he made releasing falcons and shooting in hunts his family livelihood. In a single day, those killed were unknown in their thousands; month to month and year to year, the living beings killed were completely beyond reckoning or counting. People of wrong views said, 'Anyi loves to kill, yet his body is without illness.' When he was fifty-eight years old, he suddenly broke out in sores; pus and blood defiled his body, and the foul stench made it impossible to approach him. When the sun rose, Anyi's wife saw the sores: every single blister looked like a pheasant’s beak. Producing a rare thought, she called her sons, and all said they looked like pheasant beaks. She further told the relatives, and all who saw them said they looked like pheasant beaks and lips, and the lips seemed to move. Thereupon they dispatched a courier to invite the monk Dharma Master Daojun so that he might clarify this condition. Jun said, 'The retribution for this man’s sins of falconry and hunting has heavily accumulated; in this present body, he is already being gnawed and eaten by what he killed. Unless by the power of repentance, it will be very difficult to rescue and heal him.' He asked Anyi, 'How are your body and mind?' Anyi answered, 'Body and mind are as if being pounded by a pestle. Closing my eyes, I see boundless birds and beasts snarling, baring teeth, pecking and eating my bones and flesh. I pray the master will look upon me to rescue and heal me.' Jun said, 'Present suffering is like this; how much worse will be future suffering! You must repent of your sins.' Anyi said, 'I pray you bestow your compassionate instruction.' Jun said, 'Only by making an image of Samantabhadra can you atone for your transgression.' Just at this moment, he swooned and his breath ceased. His relatives wept. Jun urged them to make an image and cultivate the Samantabhadra repentance. After three days he revived, saying: 'At first I saw horse-headed and ox-headed [jailers] glaring furiously and pulling me, saying: "You foolish and violent man! The living pheasants, chickens, and the like killed by you have entered your body to chew your skin and flesh. Deer, sheep, and the like block the hall, each accusing you of taking their lives out of season. In accordance with the letters of accusation, the King has sent messengers to summon and interrogate you; you cannot refuse." Thereupon, binding me together with four companions, they placed us in a fire cart. While being suddenly driven on the road, helpless and distraught, I met a śramaṇa who rubbed my body, and the burning suffering paused for a while. At last reaching the King’s hall, I saw hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of birds and beasts shackled with bonds and chains, who in turn bound the sinners. At that time, the previous śramaṇa came; the King rose from his seat, folded his hands, and stood. The śramaṇa entered the hall and took a seat; the King then sat down after him. The śramaṇa said, "This man is my dānapati. His relatives, to make offerings to me, have repented of his offense; release and pardon him." The King said, "What the master says cannot be firmly refused. Yet now, in accordance with the accusations of the sentient beings he killed, we have just summoned and interrogated him; what about this matter?" The śramaṇa said, "His friends and spiritual companions in the human world cultivate repentance on his behalf and dedicate [the merit] to all those living beings who were killed; only when the resentful ones dissolve their hearts of resentment can he be freed from suffering." The King said, "It is truly as the master says; he should be released and sent back." The King rose from his seat, bowed to the śramaṇa, and said, "May the master return with him." At that time, the śramaṇa took Anyi and went out together. Suddenly seeing an old house, he opened its entrance with his staff; entering it, Anyi suddenly found [the vision] gone.' At that time, his relatives told Anyi, 'We made an image for you, and the image rescued you.' Hearing these words, Anyi wept and rejoiced all at once. His bodily sores were cured, his vitality became harmonious. He further gave away all his possessions to make offerings to the image, shaved his hair to leave the household life, and admonished the descendants of his family: 'With this body like lightning and dew, do not commit grave sins! Killing a single life brings calamity for many kalpas. Matters of the unseen world are all real; one cannot escape transgressions.' Leaving only these words behind, his whereabouts became unknown.

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Number 10: Sympathetic response of Shi Puming of Upper Dinglin Monastery seeing the body of Samantabhadra (drawn from Tang seng zhuan)

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Shi Puming of Upper Dinglin Monastery under the Qi took repentance as his practice and recited the Lotus Sūtra. Whenever he reached the [chapter on] 'Encouragement [of Samantabhadra]', he would unfailingly see Samantabhadra riding the king of white elephants before him, and so on.

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Number 11: Sympathetic response of the wooden image of Maitreya in the Darel Valley of the country of Uḍḍiyāna (drawn from Waiguo ji)

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In the country of Uḍḍiyāna in North India (also called Fengzhang), in the Darel Valley, there is a vihāra with a carved wooden image of Maitreya, golden in colour, whose miraculous powers secretly penetrate; it is over ten zhang tall. After the Buddha passed into extinction, it was crafted by the great arhat Madhyāntika. The Venerable One had this thought: 'The Great Master Śākyamuni entrusted his deceased disciples to be delivered in the three assemblies of Maitreya in the far future; most are those who uttered "Namo" once or gave a single ball of food under Śākyamuni's bequeathed Dharma. The Bodhisattva was reborn above in Tuṣita; by what shall sentient beings see his true form? I only fear that in making an image, it will not resemble his wonderful body.' He then used his supernormal powers to lead and conduct craftsmen up to the Tuṣita Heaven, seeing his true face three times, after which he completed the work of crafting it. While in heaven, Maitreya told Madhyāntika: 'With my divine eye, I observe the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world; if there are those who make my image therein, I secretly dispatch blue-clad youths to unseenly assist their work. That person will definitely not fall into the evil paths. When I become a Buddha, their image will serve as a guide to come to my presence. At that time I will praise them: "Excellent, you sentient beings! In the True, Semblance, and Final Dharma of Śākyamuni, my resembling image led you to come to my presence."' At that time the image rose into empty space, emitted light, and spoke verses; those who heard wept and attained the fruits of the three vehicles' paths. Madhyāntika reverently received these instructions, and the work was then accomplished. Since then, the Dharma of the Buddha and the Dharma of the Saṅgha flowed to the eastern land.

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Number 12: Sympathetic response of Jiang Yi of Jiyang making an image of Maitreya (drawn from Seng zhuan)

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During the Jin dynasty, there was Dai Kui, whose courtesy name was Andao, of the state of Qiao. Kui's second son was Dai Yong, whose courtesy name was Zhongruo. His plain demeanor was profound and tranquil, and he was elegantly fond of the hills and gardens. Having inherited esoteric truth, he also succeeded to [his father's] artistic skill. Whenever Kui fashioned an image, they would deliberate together. Jiang Yi of Jiyang was friends with Yong from youth. Yi once entrusted Yong to make an image of Avalokiteśvara. He applied his utmost effort and deep reflection, wishing to make it consummate in beauty, yet the major and minor marks were not roundly accomplished, and after years it was not finished. Later, he dreamed that someone told him: 'Jiang Yi has no affinity with Avalokiteśvara; it may be changed to Maitreya Bodhisattva.' Dai immediately stayed his hand and sent an urgent letter to inform Jiang. Before it was dispatched, Jiang's letter had already arrived; both had had the sympathetic dream on the same night, and the words and matter matched. Dai rejoiced at the spiritual connection, and immediately changed it to Maitreya. Thereupon, as soon as his hand was released, it turned into an exquisite work; without pausing for reflection at all, the radiant countenance was round and complete, and in an instant it was finished. Those with understanding praised the unerring precision of the causes and conditions of sympathetic realization.

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Number 13: Sympathetic response of Shi Yanyu making [an image of] Maitreya Bodhisattva (new record)

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Shi Yanyu left the household life in his youth. He possessed doctrinal learning and loved praise. He constantly vowed to be born in the Tuṣita Heaven and composed a contemplation of the Tuṣita heavenly palace, annotating the 'Source of Meaning' in four fascicles. He dreamed that a blue-clad youth addressed Yu, saying, 'If you, master, wish to be born in the Tuṣita Heaven to behold the Great Being Maitreya, you should make an image and contemplate his true form.' Awakening, he immediately carved wood into an image. He died at the age of over seventy. At the approach of death, he told his disciples, 'The image I made appears in empty space; following the image, I am born in heaven.'

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Number 14: Sympathetic response of Dharma Master Shi Quanming vowing to make a three-inch sandalwood image of Maitreya Bodhisattva (new record)

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Dharma Master Shi Quanming vowed to make a three-inch carved sandalwood image of Maitreya Bodhisattva, praying and vowing to be born in the Tuṣita Heaven. He wrote an Excerpt on the Sūtra of Rebirth Above in four fascicles to illuminate its esoteric profundity. He dreamed that the image gradually grew larger, with a golden light shining brightly, and facing Ming, it smiled slightly. Ming addressed the image, saying, 'I and others vow to seek rebirth in the Tuṣita Heaven; shall we be able to be born there?' The image said, 'Having received the crucial and mighty entrustment from Great Master Śākyamuni, even those who do not think [of me] are not abandoned, how much less those who have mindful vows!' Having spoken these words, it returned to being the original image. Ming kept it secret and did not tell others. After his death, it was seen in his testamentary letter, and its sympathetic response was known. At the approach of death, people beside him dreamed that hundreds of thousands of blue-clad people came to welcome him; Ming pointed to the sky and departed.

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Number 15: Sympathetic response of the two images of Avalokiteśvara under the Bodhi Tree

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After the Buddha's nirvāṇa, according to the accounts of the kings of various states, having heard the Buddha explain the dimensions of the vajrāsana, they set up two statues of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, marking the boundaries to the north and south, facing east and west. It is heard from the elders: 'When the bodies of these bodhisattva statues sink and disappear, the Buddha-Dharma will come to an end.' Now the statue at the southern corner has already sunk past its chest. Dharma Master Xuanzang set out for the Western Regions in the eighth month of the jichou year, the third year of the Zhenguan reign of the great Tang emperor [629 CE]. The Buddha, at the age of seventy-nine, in the renshen year, the fifty-second year of King Mu of Zhou, entered extinction in the middle of the night on the fifteenth day of the second month. Up to the year [Xuanzang] set out, it was 1,578 years.

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16. Sympathetic Response of the Statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara on the Solitary Hill in Magadha (from the same Record and the Life [of Xuanzang by Huili] of Ci'en)

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In the central vihāra of the Solitary Hill in the country of Magadha, there was a statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. Although its dimensions were small, its awe-inspiring divine presence was solemn; its hand held a lotus flower, and its crown bore an image of the Buddha. There were often several people who fasted and focused their minds to seek to see the Bodhisattva, for seven days, fourteen days, or even a month. Those who achieved a sympathetic response saw the Bodhisattva's wondrous physical marks, dignified and shining with awe-inspiring brilliance, emerge from the statue to comfort and instruct them. Formerly, the king of Siṃhala in the South Sea, looking into a mirror in the clear morning, could not see his own body, but instead saw atop a solitary hill in a tāla forest in the country of Magadha this statue of the Bodhisattva. The king was deeply moved and joyful, and drew an image to search for it. When he arrived at this hill, it truly matched [what he saw]; he therefore erected a vihāra and promoted all kinds of offerings. Thereafter, the offerings of kings continued without interruption. (Above from the source.) The attendants of the offerings, fearing that visitors might soil the venerable form, erected a wooden balustrade about seven paces away on each of the four sides of the statue. When people came to worship, they all remained outside the balustrade and were not allowed to approach the statue. The incense and flowers they offered were also scattered from afar. Those whose flowers remained on the Bodhisattva's hands or hung from his arms considered it auspicious and deemed that their wishes would be fulfilled. Dharma Master Xuanzang wished to go and pray. He therefore bought various flowers and strung them into garlands. Upon reaching the place of the statue, he praised and worshipped with utmost sincerity. Having finished, he knelt and made three vows: 'First, having studied here, may I return to my home country safely without hardships; if so, may the flowers rest on the venerable hands. Second, through the merit and wisdom I have cultivated, I vow to be born in the Tuṣita Palace and serve the Bodhisattva Maitreya; if it is to be as I wish, may the garland of flowers hang upon the venerable one's two arms. Third, the holy teaching says that among sentient beings there is a portion who lack the Buddha-nature; Xuanzang now doubts this himself and does not know whether it is so or not. If I have the Buddha-nature and by practicing can attain Buddhahood, may the garland of flowers hang around the venerable one's neck.' Having spoken, he scattered the flowers from afar. He obtained a sympathetic response just as he had prayed. His wishes having been completely fulfilled, those watching beside him said: 'Unprecedented! If you attain Buddhahood in the future, please remember today's karmic conditions and deliver us first!'

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17. Sympathetic Response of the Treatise Master Śīlabhadra Receiving Instruction from Three Bodhisattvas (from the Life [of Xuanzang] of Ci'en)

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When Dharma Master Xuanzang arrived in the country of Magadha and entered the monastery without satiety for the world, he met Śīlabhadra, whom the assembly called the Treasury of the True Dharma. Śīlabhadra instructed Dharma Master Bodhibhadra, saying: 'You may explain to the assembly the karmic cause of the illness that afflicted me three years ago.' Hearing this, Bodhibhadra wept and wiped his tears, and recounted the past causes, saying: 'Our Upādhyāya previously suffered from wind disease. Every time it broke out, his hands and feet were in extreme pain and distress, as if burned by fire or pierced by knives. The pain erupted and subsided by turns for altogether more than twenty years. Three years ago, the suffering became especially severe. Loathing this body, he wished to stop eating and end his life. In the night, he dreamed of three heavenly beings: one golden in color, the second the color of lapis lazuli, and the third the color of white silver. Their features were upright, and their eyes light and bright. They came and asked the Upādhyāya: 'Do you wish to abandon this body? A sūtra says: 'Even if the body experiences suffering, one must not loathe and abandon the body.' In a past life you were once a king, and caused much distress to sentient beings; hence you have incurred this retribution. You should now contemplate your past transgressions, repent with utmost sincerity, bear suffering patiently, and diligently propagate the sūtras and treatises; then it will naturally dissolve away. Merely loathing the body will never bring an end to your suffering.' The Upādhyāya, having heard this, bowed with utmost sincerity. The golden person pointed to the green-blue person and said to the Upādhyāya: 'Do you recognize him? This is the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.' Pointing to the silver person, he said: 'This is the Bodhisattva Maitreya.' The Upādhyāya immediately bowed to Maitreya and asked: 'Śīlabhadra has always vowed to be born in your presence; I wonder if I can achieve it?' He replied: 'After you widely propagate the True Dharma, you shall be born there.' The golden one said of himself: 'I am the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. Seeing that you wished in vain to abandon your body without benefiting others, we have come to exhort you. You should follow my words and propagate the True Dharma, the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra and so on, so that it reaches those who have not yet heard it. Your body will gradually find peace; do not worry that it will not heal. There is a monk from China who delights in comprehending the Great Dharma and wishes to learn from you. You may transmit it to him.' Having spoken, they disappeared. From that time on, the Upādhyāya's illness was cured. Those among the monastic assembly who heard of this all praised it as extraordinary. Xuanzang truly matched this holy prophecy.'

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18. Sympathetic Response of Prince Harṣavardhana to the Statue of Avalokiteśvara (from the Record of the Western Regions and other texts)

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In Eastern India, the king of Karṇasuvarṇa was named Śaśāṅka; the king of Kanyākubja was named Rājyavardhana. The minister Bhandi urged the son of the late king, the younger brother of the deceased ruler, Harṣavardhana, to become king. The prince dared not accept, and forthwith went before the statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara on the bank of the Gaṅgā River, fasting and praying. The Bodhisattva manifested his form and said: 'In a previous life, you were an araṇya monk in this forest, diligent and tireless. By the power of this merit, you have become this prince. Since the king of Karṇasuvarṇa has destroyed the Buddha-Dharma, you, succeeding to the throne, should restore and propagate it anew. Taking loving-kindness and compassion as your aim, you will before long rule over the territory of the Five Indias.' Thereupon he accepted the instruction, withdrew, and succeeded to the throne. Everything happened according to the holy words, and for thirty years no weapons of war were raised.

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19. Sympathetic Response of the Efficacious Statue of Avalokiteśvara of the Bodhisattva Śrīmitra of South India (from the Biography of Shi Zhimeng)

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During the Qin dynasty of Yao Xing, the śramaṇa Shi Zhimeng from Jingzhao travelled to the Western Regions. In his youth he arrived at the stūpa of the Bodhisattva Śrīmitra in South India. Beside it was a vihāra, which had long been in ruins. Inside was a golden statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara; rain and frost did not wet the body of the statue. He prayed with a sincere mind and saw a canopy in the air. He heard from the elders: 'In the past there was a bodhisattva named Śrīmitra, who took benefiting sentient beings to heart and possessed both loving-kindness and compassion to save them. Having the greatest pity for the sentient beings suffering in the three wretched realms, he further resolved to make a statue of Avalokiteśvara. In three years the work was completed. Its efficacious wonders moved people; if one prayed with focused mind, it would manifest a wondrous body to instruct and fulfill what was wished.' Before that statue, the Bodhisattva had thought: 'The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara can eradicate the sufferings of the twenty-five states of existence; among them, those of the three wretched realms are the heaviest. May the efficacious statue respond and assist my vow to rescue them from heavy suffering.' In the second watch of the night, the efficacious statue radiated light, making heaven and earth bright. In the light were seen the sufferings of the eighteen naraka hells, the sufferings of the thirty-six hungry ghost cities, and the sufferings of the forty billion beasts. The efficacious statue suddenly manifested hundreds of thousands of troops wearing golden armor, each holding staves, blades, halberds, and clubs, who entered the eighteen naraka hells. Beginning from Avīci, they destroyed the cauldrons one after another, and the instruments of torture were immediately broken and destroyed. At that time, all the hell wardens, such as the ox-headed ones, felt fear; casting aside their torture implements, they ran to King Yama's city and reported to the king, saying: 'Suddenly there are hundreds of thousands of cavalry and troops, clad in golden armor and wielding halberds and blades, who have destroyed the cauldrons and smashed the instruments of torture. The hells have instead become cool ponds, the torture cauldrons have all turned into lotus flowers, and all the sinners have been freed from suffering. We have never seen such a thing! What should be done?' The king said: 'Could this not be the work of Avalokiteśvara? It is beyond our power.' Then, pressing his palms together toward that direction, he spoke a verse:

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"I take refuge in Avalokiteśvara,
Of great sovereignty and supernatural powers,
Manifesting hundreds of thousands of troops,
Able to destroy the vessels of the three evils."

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Having thus destroyed the eighteen naraka hells, he gathered and transformed them, preaching the Dharma for them. Next he entered the hungry ghost cities; from his right hand flowed five hundred rivers, and from his left hand flowed five hundred rivers, and in the sky he rained down sweet dew, so that all were fully satisfied, and he preached the Dharma for them. Furthermore, he entered among the animals, and with the light of wisdom broke their minds of ignorance, and preached the Dharma for them. The three wretched realms [were delivered] in a single instant. Śrīmitra, seeing this extraordinary event, personally painted the circumstances of the statue and inscribed them in carved stone. As for that efficacious statue, it is this very event. (The compiler notes: This matter is extraordinary; unless it were the solemn command of the Great Sage, it is inconceivable. Later, examining the newly translated Mahāyāna-kāraṇḍavyūha-sūtra, there is this manifestation of benefiting sentient beings; I have further compared it with that text. Wishing now to encourage the making of statues, I record this tradition for the time being. It is also said nowadays: In the Hongshi era, the Tang bhikṣu Śīla went to South India to the Avalokiteśvara Monastery at the site of Bodhisattva Mitra, and it was said to be this.)

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20. Sympathetic Response of the Layman Liu Du and Others of the Jin Dynasty Escaping Suffering through Erecting a Statue of Avalokiteśvara (from the Mingxiang ji)

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Liu Du of the Jin dynasty was a native of Liaocheng in Pingyuan. In his home district there were over a thousand families, all of whom revered the Great Dharma, erected statues, and made offerings to monks and nuns. In the time of Mianlü Zhu Muwei, this county often harbored fugitives. Wei was greatly resentful and wished to wipe out the entire city. The multitude was utterly terrified, certain that they would all be wiped out. Du then purified his sincerity and led the multitude to take refuge in Avalokiteśvara. Shortly thereafter, Wei saw an object descend from the air and wrap around the pillar of the house where he was staying. Astonished, he looked and found it was the Avalokiteśvara Sūtra. He had someone read it to him; Wei was overjoyed and reduced the executions. Thereupon, this city was spared from harm.

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21. Sympathetic Response of Shi Daoqin Increasing His Lifespan by Reciting [the Name of] Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (from the Tang Biographies of Monks and the Record of Sympathetic Responses of the Main Account)

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Shi Daoqin of the Hengtang Vihāra on Mount Changshan in the Wei dynasty was a man of the late Wei. In a dream someone said to him: 'When you reach that year, you shall die at the age of forty-two.' Qin awoke and was terrified. When he reached that year, he contracted a severe illness and was extremely worried. He used all his personal property to cultivate merit. A friend said to him: 'I have heard that making offerings to sixty billion bodhisattvas brings merit equal and no different to reciting Avalokiteśvara once. Why do you not take refuge with utmost sincerity? You will surely be able to extend your life.' Qin was moved by his words and, for four days and four nights, practiced with exclusive dedication without interruption. Beneath the curtain where he sat, he suddenly saw light enter from outside the door, and saw Avalokiteśvara's feet, between the soles and ankles, shining brilliantly in gold. [Avalokiteśvara] spoke to Qin, saying: 'If one's capacity for response is deep, even fixed karma can [be averted]. If one's conditions in past and present are shallow, even slight suffering will have no relief. If you give rise to the mind of taking refuge, know that your capacity for response is deep; if you hear and do not recite, that is because your past conditions are shallow. Do you recite Avalokiteśvara?' Qin lifted the curtain and looked, but saw nothing more. Weeping and sweating with grief and joy, he immediately felt his body grow light. Cured by the addition of that power, he ultimately prolonged his life.

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22. Sympathetic Response of an Orphan Girl in Lu Commandery Making Offerings to a Decayed Statue of Avalokiteśvara (Newly Recorded)

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In Lu commandery there was an orphaned girl who lived on the former grounds of a vihāra. Amid a wheat field she found a piece of rotten wood resembling a sacred image, which she took and placed in her thatched hut. The place in the wheat patch from which the rotten image came grew lush and flourishing. The girl considered this to be the power of the image, and took the best portion of what she ate to make offerings to it. Later she fell ill and died, but after a day and a night she revived. She donated her house and land to the vihāra, and with her own flesh and eyes [in mind] had an image of Avalokiteśvara made, weeping as she made offerings to it. People found this strange and asked the reason. The girl answered: “When I died, I saw two men gather me onto a fire-cart and bear me away. Suddenly there was a śramaṇa whose five limbs were damaged. He said to the men holding the cart, ‘I will take this person's place; she is my dānapati.’ The men holding the cart placed the cart on the ground, joined their palms, and said: ‘Mahāsattva, please spare us; we cannot fathom the king’s sincerity, so we must release this woman.’ Thereupon the śramaṇa mounted the fire-cart, and [another] śramaṇa brought me back home. At that time I said to the śramaṇa, ‘Master, who are you that saves me?’ He answered, ‘I am Avalokiteśvara. Do you not recognize that the rotten wood in the wheat field is my image?’ and so forth. Having seen this benefit, I simply did not begrudge my fields and house.”

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23. Sympathetic response in the realm of Kosala of escaping the calamity of an epidemic through making an image of Eleven-Headed Avalokiteśvara (from the Western Realms Record)

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During the eight hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, an epidemic broke out in the realm of Kosala, and half the population fell ill and died. For three years they could not escape the calamity. The king and ministers conferred together and made a vow, praying to those of great compassion above and below the heavens throughout the worlds of the ten directions to surely come to save and protect them. Then the king saw in a dream a sacred image endowed with eleven faces, its body golden in color and radiating brilliant light. Reaching out a hand, it stroked the king's crown and said: “With my eleven faces, I shall guard and protect the royal realm.” Waking from the dream, he informed his ministers. In a single day, the king, ministers, and people made an image of Eleven-Headed Avalokiteśvara, and all at once were spared the calamity. For one hundred years thereafter, they never encountered such a disaster.

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24. Sympathetic response of prolonging life through the ritual of making an image of Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara (from the Thousand-Armed Sūtra)

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Formerly, in the realm of Vārāṇasī, there was an elder who had only one son whose destined lifespan was just sixteen years. When he reached the age of fifteen, a brāhmaṇa went from door to door begging for food. Seeing the elder sorrowful and unhappy, the husband and wife haggard and their faces lacking luster, the śramaṇa asked the elder, “Why are you unhappy?” The elder recounted the circumstance. The brāhmaṇa answered the elder: “There is no need to worry; simply take the instructions of this poor monk, and your son’s lifespan will be long and far-reaching.” Thereupon the brāhmaṇa performed this ritual of the image and used the dhāraṇī of the thousand arms. After a day and a night, he received a report from King Yama saying: “The elder’s son was destined to live only to sixteen; he is now fifteen, with only one year remaining. Now having encountered a wholesome condition, he obtains an age of eighty years; therefore I have come to report this.” At that time, the elder and his wife rejoiced, gave away their entire family wealth, and donated it to the assembly of monks. One should know that this image ritual is inconceivable.

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25. Sympathetic response in the realm of Kapiśa of escaping calamity through practicing the image ritual of the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed [Avalokiteśvara] (from the same sūtra)

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Formerly, in the realm of Kapiśa, an epidemic was raging. When people caught the illness, they all died within no more than a day or two. There was a brāhmaṇa named Paramārtha (Zhendi) who at that time took this image ritual and practiced it; the relief and cure immediately made [the disease] disappear, and the demon king who spread the disease departed beyond the borders of the realm.

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26. Sympathetic response of children in the household of a great brāhmaṇa moved by the image of the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara (from Foreign Records)

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Formerly, there was a śramaṇa who practiced the Great Dharma and begged for food in regular order, arriving at the house of a great brāhmaṇa. Just when the brāhmaṇa's household encountered this śramaṇa, the ridgepole and beams of the house snapped and collapsed, water jars and earthenware vessels smashed, oxen and horses broke their halters and galloped off in all four directions. At that time the brāhmaṇa thought, “An inauspicious person has entered my home, causing these monstrous anomalies.” Hearing this, the śramaṇa replied to the brāhmaṇa, saying: “Have you not seen the children of your household with swollen bellies and puffy faces, heavy bodies and dimmed eyes, afflicted by disease spirits?” The brāhmaṇa said, “I have noticed it before.” The śramaṇa said further, “Inside your house there are evil yakṣa demons who suck people’s vital essence. That there is now illness inside your household is because these spirits, fearing me, fled in avoidance, causing these things.” Immediately, the children’s various afflictions were dispelled. The brāhmaṇa said, “What power do you possess?” The śramaṇa replied, “Because I closely attend to the Great Dharma of the Tathāgata and carry an image of the Thousand-Handed One, I possess this awesome spiritual power.” Having heard and seen this, the brāhmaṇa and his wife rejoiced and made offerings to it.

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27. Sympathetic response in the realm of South India of making an image of Amoghapāśa (from the Record of the Western Regions)

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The realm of South India had fallen into ruin and desolation; the ruler and ministers could not maintain their longevity, and the people had already perished. The king dispatched an envoy to invite Śrīmitra of Central India, desiring to save the realm from disaster. Mitra arrived in this realm and addressed the king, saying: “There is the Great Holy One, the Great King Avalokiteśvara Amoghapāśa; you must fashion an image and install it in the pavilion southwest of the city.” Having received these instructions, the king immediately fashioned the image and installed it in the pavilion southwest of the city. The image emitted bright light that shone for one yojana. The king and ministers preserved their lifespans, the five grains were bountiful, and people from other realms admired and were moved by the image. There was an old monastery south of the city, so they moved the pavilion to become a monastery.

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28. Sympathetic response of Yao Xuqu of Liangzhou painting an image of Avalokiteśvara for his deceased parents (New Record)

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Xuqu of Liangzhou was of the Yao family. He lost his parents when young and was unaware of the debt of gratitude due to them. When he grew up, hearing of the conditions for repaying kindness, tears flowed from both eyes. He therefore painted images of the Thousand-Handed and Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara and the Six Avalokiteśvaras, and made offerings to them in his old residence. A year and a half passed without the slightest response. On the night of the fourteenth day of the seventh month of the following year, a call came to Xuqu from mid-air. Not knowing where it came from, he asked, “Who is it?” They replied: “We are your two parents. Having freely committed evil karma, we fell into hell and were swallowing hot iron pellets. On the eighteenth day of the second month of last year, six śramaṇas of blazing awesome light entered the city of hell. When the hell wardens saw them, they gave rise to a mind of reverence and did not dare obstruct them. Having entered hell, they drew in their light and preached the Dharma for us. At first we had no awareness, but gradually they taught and guided us, and hundreds of thousands of people who passed away were reborn in heaven. We were reborn in the second heaven and only then came to know your kindness. However, the pleasure experienced in heaven is uninterrupted, and other matters are easily forgotten; therefore we have come late.” Xuqu said, “By what evidence may I know that you are my parents?” They replied: “If you do not believe our words, go look at the yellow box in the treasury; we stored one hundred round gold coins for you.” Having spoken, there was no more sound. The next morning he looked at the box in the treasury, and it was truly just as they had said. Joy upon joy mingled together. When he checked the date the image was painted, it tallied exactly with what had been said.

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29. Sympathetic response of Zhao Wenshi of Jingzhou painting the Six Avalokiteśvaras for his deceased parents (from the Records of the Siming)

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Zhao Wenshi was a native of Jingzhou. His parents held wrong views and did not believe in the Three Jewels. Wenshi served Avalokiteśvara. After his parents died, he thought: “My two parents held wrong views and lacked faith; I do not know where they are. I must depict images of the Six Avalokiteśvaras to rescue the six destinies. Would not my parents be among them?” He hired a skilled artisan to depict images of the Six Avalokiteśvaras, but before the colors were applied, he saw the Six Avalokiteśvaras in a dream at night. Wenshi joined his palms and addressed the Six Avalokiteśvaras, saying: “May the compassionate ones let me know where my parents have been born.” At that time, Avalokiteśvara of Great Compassion told Wenshi: “Your father is in the Great Scorching Heat Hell, suffering the agony of boiling and burning. Because you depict my image, I will go to that hell, emit light, preach the Dharma, and relieve the suffering of hell.” Avalokiteśvara of Great Kindness said: “If he shifts to the hungry ghosts, I shall save him. But your mother is currently among the hungry ghosts; I will go to that place, rain down nectar from my hand, make her fully sated, and preach the Dharma for her.” Fearless Lion Avalokiteśvara said: “If they shift into the animals, I shall deliver them.” Avalokiteśvara of Vastly Illuminating Great Light said: “If they shift among the asuras, I can save them.” Heroic Hero of Gods and Humans Avalokiteśvara said: “If they shift into the human path, I will show them the road to the Pure Land.” Avalokiteśvara of Profound and Far-Reaching Great Brahmā said: “If they are born in heaven, I can save them from the suffering of falling away and cause them to transcend the realm of the three existences.” When the Six Avalokiteśvaras finished speaking these words, he suddenly awoke. He then applied the colors, and as soon as it was completed it emitted light; seen from afar it was like the light of a lamp, but when approached it went out. Two men resembling the father of the dream came down riding purple clouds and told Wenshi: “Receiving the salvation of Avalokiteśvara, we have been reborn in the Pure Land.” Those who heard of it all said that Wenshi's parents had come to inform him.

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三寶感應要略錄 — Classical Chinese