釋迦方志 2.104

2.104

The ruler of Wu, Sun Quan, asked: "What spiritual verification does the Buddha possess?" Hui said: "Since the Buddha concealed his spiritual traces, more than a thousand years have passed. His bequeathed bodily relics manifest without fixed bounds." Quan said: "If you can obtain a relic, I shall erect a stupa for you." After three weeks, he indeed obtained a relic; five-coloured light shone across the heavens. Cleaved, it grew even harder; burned, it would not ignite. A light emerged from the fire, forming a great lotus flower that illuminated the palace halls. The ruler of Wu sighed in wonder, and his faith arose. For him he built the Jianchu Temple and ordained people to leave household life. Quan asked the Prefect of the Masters of Writing and Marquis of Duxiang, Kan Ze: "How many years has it been since Emperor Ming of Han? The Buddhist teaching has entered the Han for a long time; why has it only now reached Jiangdong?" Ze said: "From the tenth year of Yongping to the present fourth year of Chiwu is altogether one hundred seventy years. However, in the fourteenth year of Yongping, when the Daoists of the Five Sacred Peaks competed in power with Mātaṅga, the Daoists were inferior. Chu Shanxin, Fei Shucai, and others of the Southern Peak were moved to their deaths right in the assembly. Their disciples returned to bury them at the Southern Peak and did not leave home [as monks], so there was no one to disseminate it. Later, experiencing the decline of Han rule and unending warfare, only after many years could it finally be revived and spread." The ruler of Wu said: "Can Confucius and Laozi be compared with the Buddha?" Ze said: "Your servant considers that Kong Qiu of Lu possessed extraordinary talent and rare preeminence, with sage virtue beyond the ordinary; the world calls him the Uncrowned King. He crafted classics and canons, instructed and encouraged the Zhou way, and educated future generations. The style of the master Ru has nourished both past and present. There were also recluses such as Xu Chengzi, Yuan Yangzi, Zhuangzi, and Laozi; the books of the Hundred Schools all cultivate the self for personal pleasure, giving free rein in mountains and valleys, indulging their own minds. Their learning returns to tranquility, yet their deeds run counter to human relations and the decorum of elder and junior, nor do they possess the manner of bringing peace to the world and transforming the people. Down to Emperor Jing of the Han, because the essential substance of Huangzi and Laozi was especially deep, he changed the 'masters' to 'canons' and first established Daoist studies, decreeing that both court and populace recite them. But if we compare the two schools of Confucius and Laozi from afar with the Buddha-Dharma, the distance is great indeed! Why is this so? When Confucius and Laozi set forth teachings, they took Heaven as their model and instituted practices, not daring to contravene Heaven. When the Buddhas set forth teachings, the heavenly beings take them as law and practice them, not daring to contravene the Buddha. Judged by this, they are truly no match; this is clear." The ruler of Wu was greatly pleased and appointed Ze as Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. The *Wei shu* states: Emperor Ming once wished to destroy the stupa west of the palace. A foreign śramaṇa then filled a golden basin with water and placed it in front of the hall, casting a relic into the water; thereupon five-coloured light arose. The Emperor marveled at it exceedingly, and so constructed a covered arcade of a hundred bays east of the road to serve as a vihāra. Sun Hao, the last ruler of Wu, governed tyrannically and abolished licentious sacrifices; Buddhist temples were swept up along with them and slated for abolition. All the ministers said: "The auspicious omen Kanghui moved caused the founding emperor to establish the temple; if you destroy it completely, we fear regret will follow." Later, when digging the ground inside the palace, a golden image was found. Hao defiled it, whereupon his private parts became excruciatingly painful, and he screamed in unbearable agony. The Grand Diviner said: "This was caused by offending a great god." Thereupon he offered widespread prayers to famous mountains and great rivers, visiting every one, yet the pain only intensified. Someone suggested praying to the Buddha. Hao said: "Is the Buddha a great god? We may try beseeching him." With a single prayer he was immediately cured. He then sent a horse carriage to welcome Hui, who explained karmic retribution to him. Hao saw the hundred and twenty vows of the *Benye jing*, which were all for the sake of living beings, and showed deep reverence, whereupon he received the Five Precepts from Hui. According to this discovery of the statue upon digging the ground, it is clearly proven that the Qin and Zhou had the Buddhist teaching. In the first year of the Jianxing era of Emperor Min of the Western Jin, two stone statues floated on the Wusong River. Fishermen suspected they were sea spirits and invited shamans and priests to welcome them, but the wind and waves grew even fiercer. Followers of Huang-Lao thought they were the Heavenly Master and went again to welcome them, but the wind and waves remained as before. The Buddhist upāsaka Zhu Ying, a man of Wu County, had always been sincere and devout; together with the nun Bai of Dongling Temple and several other believers, he went to the mouth of the Hudu River to invite them, and the wind and tide suddenly fell still. Looking from afar, two people seemed to arrive, which were in fact stone statues standing seven feet tall, borne amidst the waves. They were brought up and placed in Tongxuan Temple. Inscriptions on their backs read: the first was named Vipaśyin, and the second was named Kāśyapa. The reign era was unfathomable, but the characters were distinct and clear.