釋迦方志 2.16

2.16

Adjoining it to the southeast is a three-story pavilion with unique eaves, all carved and decorated with gold and silver. In the niches outside the triple gate, to the left is an image of Avalokiteśvara and to the right an image of Maitreya, both cast in silver and about ten cubits tall, made by King Aśoka. The vihāra was originally small and was later enlarged. Inside was placed an image of the Buddha attaining enlightenment. A Brahmin had answered the call to make it, asking only for fragrant clay and a single lamp inside the vihāra, closing the door for six months to fashion it. When four days still remained, the monks grew suspicious, so they opened the door to inspect it and found the statue dignified and complete, seated facing east with the right leg crossed on top, the left hand drawn in, and the right hand pointing down, but no maker was seen. The seat is four cubits two inches high and twelve cubits five inches wide; the image is eleven cubits five inches tall, with eight cubits eight inches between the two knees and six cubits two inches between the shoulders, complete with all marks and signs, except that the decoration on the right breast was not yet finished. Though they filled it with various gems, when viewing the statue from afar, it still seemed incomplete. A monk dreamed that the artisan said, 'I am Maitreya. Fearing that worldly craftsmen might misrepresent the design, I painted it myself.' The lowering of the hand depicts the Buddha telling Māra that he points to the earth as his witness. Recently, when King Śaśāṅka cut down the tree, he commanded his minister to destroy the statue while the king himself returned to the east. The minister, having faith at heart, erected a brick barrier in front of the statue; remorseful of the darkness, he placed a lamp inside, and on the outside painted an image of Maheśvara. When the work was complete, he reported his duty done. When King Śaśāṅka heard this, he was filled with terror; blisters erupted all over his body, his flesh cracked, and he soon died. The minister rushed back and immediately removed the barrier; after many days of journeying back and forth, the lamp had still not gone out. Today, it resides in an inner chamber; in the morning, holding a mirror to reflect the light, one can view its visage; those who behold it are filled with sorrowful longing and deep reverence, forgetting to return. The Buddha attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the third month according to the Chinese calendar; the Sthaviras say it corresponded to the fifteenth day of this third month. As for his age being thirty, or according to some, thirty-five, such discrepancies are merely their own differences. Because of differing calendars, this variation arose, just like the different dynastic calendar epochs in China, where the Three Dynasties established varying New Year beginnings and different lengths of months—why should it be a wonder? One should simply rely on one account to gain understanding and leave it at that.