釋迦方志 2.13

2.13

The Buddha ascended to the summit from the northeastern ridge, intending to enter the vajra-samādhi, but the earth shook and the mountain deity, terrified, cried out to inform him. The Buddha then proceeded halfway up the southwestern crag, sat upon a rock facing the ravine, and the earth and mountain shook once more. A Śuddhāvāsa deva told him, 'Fifteen li to the southwest from here, near the site of austerities, beneath the pippala tree, is the vajrāsana. That is the bodhimaṇḍa where all buddhas of the three periods attain enlightenment.' Only then did the Buddha proceed to that place. He still left his shadow in the dragon's stone cave, which can still be seen by some today. When Aśoka arose in the world, he marked all the holy sites with stūpas, and showers of heavenly flowers rained down. Whenever the summer retreat ended, monks and laypeople together would climb the mountain to make offerings to the Bodhi Tree. The Bodhi Tree is surrounded by brick walls built for height and durability, measuring around five hundred and forty paces in circumference from east to west. Rare trees and celebrated flowers are planted in dense rows, offering shade. The main gate opens to the east, facing the Nairañjanā River; the south gate leads to a large lotus pond; the west is rugged and strongly fortified; the north gate connects to a great monastery. Within the enclosing courtyard, holy traces, stūpas, and vihāras are arrayed like stars. The vajrāsana at the exact center of the tree's enclosure was formed at the beginning of the Auspicious Kalpa, coeval with the great earth. In the trisāhasramahāsāhasralokadhātu, it extends down to the golden wheel and up to the surface of the earth. Fashioned from vajra, it is more than a hundred paces in circumference; the thousand buddhas all sit upon it to enter the vajra-samādhi, hence its name. It is indeed the place where the Path was realized. It is also said that when the great earth quakes, the bodhimaṇḍa alone remains unshaken. After the Buddha attained awakening, as the age entered the Latter Day of the Dharma, sand and soil covered it entirely, so that its true substance can no longer be seen, and it is known only through the Buddha's teachings. Later, two statues of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva were placed to mark its boundary on the north and south, facing south. The prophecy says: 'When the bodies of these statues sink [into the ground], the Buddha-dharma shall perish.' The statue at the southern corner is now submerged up to its chest.