道宣律師感通錄 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

1.1

Composed in the first year of the Linde era [664 CE] by the Śramaṇa Daoxuan of Mount Zhongnan.

1.2

Biography of Vinaya Master [Dao]xuan's Spiritual Resonance with Celestial Attendants

I once saw the Record of Inquiring into Spirits compiled by Yu Bao, Minister of Ceremonies of the Jin, in which it is related: The late Magistrate of Zhongmu of the Jin, Su Shao, was a man of talent and discernment. Having died unexpectedly in the unseen realms, he manifested his form in broad daylight at his home. When his various relatives and old friends heard of it, they all gathered together. He drank, ate, talked, and laughed no differently from living people. Someone questioned him: "When the magistrate of Zhongmu was alive, he wrote many rhapsodies and treatises. The words came forth so fast that it was difficult to trace their origins." He recited his verses, saying: / "Channeling the refined spirit, I cast off my former form; / The spirit wanders vast and wide, briskly roaming the dark mystery. / Returning to the Northern Emperor, I arrive at the capital of Feng; / Lofty walls rise densely, vast and towering high. / Ascending to the Phoenix Portal, I recite verses in the Imperial Court. / Drawing near to Bu Shang, I share the chamber with Master Yan; / Intimately serving the Great Sage, I chant eulogies of the completed Liang. / Aspiring to the Young Prince of Wu, whose brilliance shines forth bright; / Airing pure discourses, the wind blows fair and fine; / Spreading floral adornments, the patterns shine in glory. / Hoping to raise my body and mount Kunlun and Yingzhou; / To receive good fortune and enjoy a thousand ages." / The rest is voluminous and not recorded in full. When I first saw these words, they seemed both real and illusory. I also saw that at the beginning of the Liang, the daughter of Jiang Mi recited more than thirty sūtras from memory, such as the Great Adornment of the Pure Land. Coming down to the present day, such occurrences are witnessed with one's own eyes. By good fortune born of affinity, recently, in the latter part of the second month of this year, I repeatedly experienced spiritual resonance with devas who appeared as though we had met before. They said to me: "The treatises and compositions you have authored—the Xu gaoseng zhuan and the Guang hongming ji—have aided the holy transformation. The unseen spirits rejoice along with you, and all praise and delight in them. As for the vinaya section, your extracted commentaries and ceremonial manuals have no equal. However, in determining light property and heavy property, there are slight oversights. This is not due to your own negligence; it is merely that the translators [failed to consider]: how could a king's precious robes be equated with the secular garments of white-robed laypersons, so that they are treated accordingly as non-heavy property? Even woolen rugs of matching proportions are also placed in the category of light property. Now, when a king wears precious robes, they are comparable to the three robes of a monk. Being worth a hundred thousand, they are therefore called precious robes; when used as offerings to the Saṃgha, can they be equated with the limit of light property? The garments of white-robed laypersons and non-Buddhists are originally renounced by those who have left the household life. The three robes were instituted solely by the Buddha, and those who wear them are assured of attaining liberation. The secular garments of white-robed laypersons are strictly prohibited by the Buddha's discipline; if a monk dies possessing them, they must all be treated as heavy property. As for woolen rugs, if their measurements match those of the three robes, they are treated as identical to the three robes. In frontier regions, the use of leather bedding is permitted, and these too serve as the three robes, with the strips and leaves on the outside and the soft fur on the inside. In countries of extreme cold, the Buddha permitted them for the practice of the Way, but once one reaches a land of cloth fabrics, they no longer belong to the light limit. You should rectify your earlier misconceptions and follow this later awakening. While the Tathāgata was in the world, there were already later regulations that superseded earlier ones; how much more so nowadays, when the distinction between confusion and awakening is not preserved!" / I asked where they had come from. A deva came forward, made salutations, exchanged greetings about the weather, and then said: "This disciple's surname is Wang, and personal name is Fan. I was an official of the Orchid Platform (Secretariat) of the Great Wu. When Master Kang [Senghui] first arrived in Jianye, the ruler Sun [Quan] gave him permission. Through mutual resonance with rare and wondrous omens, an extraordinary temple was erected for him. At that time, the gods and spirits of heaven and earth all bestowed spiritual aid, and after three weeks of seven days, a śarīra was miraculously obtained. The ruler of Wu held a bronze vase with his own hands and poured it out into a bronze dish; wherever the śarīra struck, the dish cracked and broke. Even when tested with fire and struck with hammers, it suffered no harm at all. People like Kan Ze and Zhang Yu were also assisted and protected by devas, who entered their bodies so that their spirits became lucid and agile, enabling them to respond harmoniously and appropriately. Now they are all in heaven, engaged in propagating and protecting the Buddhadharma. This disciple is an emissary under General Wei of the Southern Heaven. The General's duties are extremely numerous: he protects the Buddhadharma across the three continents, and whenever there are disputes, conflicts, invasions, or perils, there is nowhere he does not personally go to instruct and exhort them, leading them to yield in veneration. Being eager to come, but detained by prior matters, he will arrive before long. For the time being, he has sent us disciples to attend upon you, Master." / Shortly after this conversation concluded, another deva arrived, saying: "My surname is Luo, and I am a man of Shu." Speaking with the accent of Shu, he expounded at length on the characteristics of the vinaya. When we first met, he observed secular etiquette; his narration of origins was methodical, yet parts of it were subsequently forgotten. / Another deva arrived, saying: "My surname is Fei." After paying respects as before, he said: "In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, this disciple was born in the lowest heaven under General Wei. The devas are intoxicated with greedy desires; this disciple, by the power of past vows, does not cling to celestial desires, practicing pure brahmacarya and paying special reverence to the vinaya. General Wei practices the brahmacarya of a kumārabhūta, not indulging in celestial desires. Beneath each of the four kings are eight generals, making thirty-two generals under the Four Kings, who travel back and forth throughout the four continents to protect and assist all renunciants. Among the four continents, the northern continent has little Buddhadharma, while across the remaining three continents, the Buddhadharma flourishes greatly. However, renunciants frequently break the restrictive precepts, and few act in accordance with the Dharma. The people of the eastern and western continents have little sharp wisdom, and their afflictions are hard to transform. Although the people of the southern continent commit many offenses, when transformed to follow goodness, their minds are easily subdued. When the Buddha was on the verge of nirvāṇa, he personally entrusted [the Dharma] to them and commanded them all to guard and protect it, not allowing demonic disturbances. If we do not guard and protect those who break the precepts in this way, who would practice my teachings? Therefore, in keeping with the Buddha's bequeathed admonitions, we dare not fail to practice them. Even when we see transgressions of the prohibitions, we protect them out of pity. If we see a single good deed, myriad faults are overlooked; this is treated as forgetting flaws, without retaining past failings. Furthermore, the foul stench of human beings wafts upward into the sky for four hundred thousand li; all the pure devas abhor it. Yet solely because we have received the Buddha's entrustment to protect the Dharma, we even reside among humans, and the devas dare not fail to come. Among the thirty-two generals, General Wei is the most committed to broad protection. There are many demonic sons and daughters who mock and harass monks, and those whose power of the Way is weak are bewildered and disordered by them; the General hastily rushes there to eliminate them according to the situation. Thus, when matters arise, he must report to the Four Kings; whenever they see him, the Kings all rise, because General Wei cultivates the conduct of a kumārabhūta and protects the true Dharma. This disciple by nature takes pleasure in the vinaya precepts. During the Tathāgata's entire lifetime, whenever he instituted vinaya rules, I sat in the assembly, listening and receiving the ordination precepts." / Thereupon I questioned him concerning various obscure passages and meanings in the vinaya, and there was none he did not resolve. However, in this Eastern Flower land, the Three Jewels have long possessed marine stone statues that appear in various places. People regard them as miraculous and venerate them, but when seeking their origins, none know where to turn. Therefore, taking advantage of this opportunity, I made inquiries of him. General textual expressions can be gathered by reason; yet without extensive observation, one cannot speak of them. In my youth, I took pleasure in broad learning and in texts rare in the world that transcend the mundane. Thus I had perused records such as Inquiring into Spirits, Investigating the Spirits, Resonances of the Unseen, Retributions of the Unseen, Manifesting the Extraordinary, Narrating Anomalies, Accounts of Marvels, and Records of the Obscure. Hence, I had no doubts or hesitations. How much more so the words spoken by extraordinary persons among the Buddhas, writings of energetic and valiant resolve, protecting the physical and spiritual forms, and guarding cities and stūpas—these matters come from prior hearsay and are not spoken in vain. The subsequent accounts of circumstances are all written out and annotated in accordance with what emerged. / I first asked about Buddhist affairs: "Regarding the stone statue of Duobao (Prabhūtaratna) in Chengdu of Yizhou, in what era did this image well forth from the earth?" He answered: "The original foundation of the Shu capital was on Mount Qingcheng. What is now Chengdu was once the bed of a great sea. Long ago, in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, someone carved it by the Xi'er River, fashioning it after the complete body of Prabhūtaratna Buddha. It was placed at the Temple of Gṛdhrakūṭa on the Xi'er River. A man from Chengdu went there to trade, invited the image, and was bringing it back. When he reached the site of the present Duobao Temple, it was overturned and submerged by the sea god treading upon the boat. Earlier, the man who retrieved the image had seen the sea god's son walking on the shore; mistaking him for a mountain mushroom, he killed him. Because of this, the god grew enraged, overturned the boat, and drowned the laborers and the image together in the single vessel. The Prabhūtaratna Buddha was originally at the Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain Temple; its ancient foundation still remains, and there is still a stūpa that constantly emits light. Today, traveling toward that land, the road goes through Langzhou, and only after passing more than three thousand li does one reach the West River. The river is very wide, sometimes a hundred li, sometimes five hundred li across. On islands within the river, there are also ancient temples, sūtras, and statues, but no monks reside there. The sūtras are written in this script, and bells are occasionally heard. The common people are prosperous and make offerings to the ancient stūpas twice a year. The stūpas resemble three-tiered ordination platforms, with stone masonry and inverted bowls on top, and are exceedingly numerous. The people of that land simply call them divine mounds. Whenever they emit light, people offer vegetarian food to sacrifice to them, seeking blessings. That region lies more than two thousand li to the west of Xizhou. When questioned, they say it is not far from India, and people occasionally travel there, and so on."

1.4

"Coming down to the Jin dynasty, a monk saw a mound of earth swelling up from the ground; though he repeatedly leveled it, it could never be made flat. Later, seeing it split open, he marvelled even more at the occurrence. Digging more than a zhang deep, he found the image and human bones inside a boat. The skull, arm, and shin bones were all thick and large, several times larger than those of modern humans. That was indeed from the era of Kāśyapa Buddha, when the lifespan of humans in Jambudvīpa was twenty thousand years. In present times, life is short and physical stature small, which is naturally as expected. When the image was first unearthed, it was difficult to drag out; this disciple transformed into an old man and directed the expedient means, so that in a short moment it was brought out. During the Zhou persecution of the Dharma, it was temporarily hidden, but when the religion revived, it was brought out again. The people of Shu only knew that it miraculously welled forth from the earth, but could not fathom its origin. Seeing the characters 'Duo Bao' (Prabhūtaratna) on its lotus pedestal, they consequently named it Prabhūtaratna Buddha, and called the temple Duobao Temple." / I asked: "The clerical script for 'Duo Bao' originated during the era of the Three Qin dynasties. How could this divine script have already existed during the time of Kāśyapa Buddha?" / He answered: "The clerical script of Li Si of the Qin merely inherited traditions from distant antiquity. The emergence of clerical script actually began in the era of ancient Buddhas. If you look at the more than one thousand provinces on the four sides of the southern continent today, and the more than ten thousand and one hundred kingdoms that adorn Jambudvīpa, their written characters and spoken sounds are identical. Today, the Tang empire is separated by distant sea routes, often extending hundreds of thousands of li, and translators have not transmitted them; this has caused people in this region to remain stubbornly stuck to their old ways, which is hardly surprising. Have you not heard, Master? Gu Yewang of the Liang was a Great Erudite of the Imperial Academy. He investigated the origins of characters thoroughly, finding their emergence and disappearance to be unfixed. Thus the preface to the Yupian states that someone opened the tomb of Lord Chunshen and obtained inscriptions from it, all of which were in clerical script. When one examines Lord Chunshen, he lived in the Zhou era when the six states were contemporaneous with Qin; that was the era of the annexation. If this country's seal script, clerical script, and various writings are still obscure, how could one comprehend matters from the era of Kāśyapa Buddha? It is simply not something their ears and eyes have heard and seen."

1.5

I also asked: "Now to the west of the capital city there is the Gaosi Earthen Platform. Popular saying has it that it is the platform where Cangjie created writing. Why is it said that clerical script already existed in ancient times?"
He answered: "Cangjie heaped up earth on this terrace to construct the platform; that he observed bird tracks is not without basis. Furthermore, as for the traditions regarding Cangjie, people in this land rarely know their source: some say he was an official of the Yellow Emperor, and some say he was an ancient monarch. The writing of bird tracks was a temporary transformation along one trajectory, which is now completely extinct; regarding such useless talk, we need not labour to discuss it.
Moreover, a deva named Lu Xuanchang came to visit and said: 'In the time of King Mu of the Zhou, this disciple was first born into heaven. Originally in the era of Kāśyapa Buddha, the heavens served to spread and transform [beings], and hence I temporarily manifested myself. As for the Gaosi Platform about which you asked: originally Kāśyapa Buddha preached the Dharma here to deliver beings at his third assembly. When it came to the time of King Mu of the Zhou, Mañjuśrī and Maudgalyāyana came to transform King Mu, and King Mu followed them; they were indeed the "transformed men" spoken of in the *Liezi*.
The transformed men showed King Mu the Gaosi Platform, [revealing that] it was the place where Kāśyapa Buddha preached the Dharma. Consequently, he constructed the Sanhui Sanctuary (Three Assemblies Sanctuary). When it came to the time of Duke Mu of Qin, a stone Buddha was found in Fufeng. Duke Mu did not recognize it and discarded it in the horse stables, defiling this statue. The spirit was enraged and caused the Duke to fall ill. The Duke also dreamed that he traveled to the Celestial Sovereign, where he was severely rebuked and reprimanded. Upon awakening, he inquired of his attendant minister You Yu, who replied: "Your subject has read ancient texts stating that in the time of King Mu of the Zhou, a transformed man came to this land and said he was the Buddha Spirit. King Mu had faith in him, and built the Zhongtian Platform on Mount Zhongnan, over a thousand feet high, whose foundation still exists today. He also constructed a spiritual shrine upon the Cangjie Platform, named the Sanhui Sanctuary. Could the illness that Your Grace now suffers not have been caused by the Buddha Spirit?"
Duke Mu was greatly terrified upon hearing this. He said to You Yu: "I recently obtained a stone man whose clothing and cap are not of contemporary make. I cast it into the horse stables. Could this not be the Buddha Spirit?" You Yu went to examine it upon hearing this, and responded: "This is truly the Buddha Spirit." The Duke took the statue, bathed it, and placed it in a pure and clean spot. Thereupon, the statue emitted light. The Duke was terrified again, thinking that the spirit was enraged. He slaughtered the three sacrificial animals to offer sacrifices to it. The spirits lifted them up and hurled them to a distant place. The Duke was once more greatly terrified and questioned You Yu. You Yu answered: "Your subject has heard that the Buddha Spirit is pure and clean, does not partake of wine or meat, and cherishes the lives of living beings just as one protects an only child. In all offerings made to it, one only burns incense; that which can be offered in sacrifice consists merely of pastries and fruit." The Duke was overjoyed and wished to make a statue, but lacked craftsmen. He again asked You Yu, who replied: "Formerly, when King Mu built the temple, there must have been artisans nearby." Thereupon, in a village south of the Gaosi Platform, they found an old man whose surname was Wang and given name was An, one hundred and eighty years old. He himself said: "I once saw it being built at the Sanhui Sanctuary. I am now in old age, lacking the strength to work. North of the village where I live, there are four brothers who once laboured under various craftsmen within the sanctuary. Please summon them together to construct it." They made it according to his words, completing a bronze statue, its marks and signs fully perfected. The Duke was pleased and rewarded them lavishly. The men who received the wealth made meritorious deeds together, building a multistoried pavilion three hundred feet high on top of the earthen terrace. People of that time called it the Gaosi Platform, or the Gaosi Pavilion. The men bore the surname Gao, and the eldest was named Si; or, some say, it was because four brothers jointly erected it; or, taking the name of the eldest brother, they named the pavilion after him. Therefore, the name Gaosi has been used down to the present day.'

1.6

I also asked: "Maudgalyāyana had already passed into extinction while the Buddha was still in the world; how could he be seen again?"
He replied: "Six people shared the same name. This one was named Maudgalyāyana, but was not the Great Maudgalyāyana.
When it came to the Yuwen Zhou dynasty, Mañjuśrī transformed into an Indian monk and came wandering to this land, saying that he wished to pay homage to the place where Kāśyapa Buddha preached the Dharma, as well as Mount Qingliang, the dwelling place of Mañjuśrī. He questioned monastics and laity everywhere, but none knew of them. At that time there was Dharma Master Zhimeng, only eighteen years of age, who asked the Indian monk in turn: 'For what reason do you know that traces of the two sages remain?' He answered: 'Twenty *li* south of the Qin capital city, there is the platform where Cangjie created writing; that is the very ground.' He also said: 'It is fifty *li* south of the Sand River, and forty *li* north of the Green Mountains.' He further asked: 'What do "Sand River" and "Green Mountains" mean?' He answered: 'The Wei River and Mount Zhongnan.'
This monk then went directly south from the Wei River, eventually arriving at the Gaosi Platform, whereupon he said: 'This is the place where the ancient Buddha preached the Dharma.' At that time, Dharma Master Zhimeng followed him there to pay homage, but shortly after, he lost track of the Indian monk's whereabouts. When Zhimeng grew up, he recounted all of this to Chamberlain for Ceremonials, Lord Wei, and petitioned to establish a monastery upon the site of the terrace in accordance with its origin, which was then memorialized to the Zhou king. The Buddha head facing south to the west of the Bodhi Temple is indeed the Buddha of the Sanhui Temple.
Twelve years after Śākyamuni Tathāgata converted Kāśyapa, he came to this platform; beneath it there are Kāśyapa Buddha's relics to be seen. When King Mu of Zhou traveled in person to Daxia, the Buddha told him: 'There is an ancient stūpa where you may resume the original devotions.' The king asked in which direction, and the Buddha replied: 'To the southeast of Haojing.'
Western India has a separate transmission. Last year an elderly monk from the Lion Country (Siṃhala), who had ninety-nine rains retreats and was a person of the third fruit, heard of these supreme traces and walked barefoot until arriving here to seek Mount Qingliang. The state provided his travel necessities, and this summer he is there; his wish should be fulfilled.
I asked: "From of old it has been handed down that Mañjuśrī leads five hundred ṛṣis in preaching the Dharma on Mount Qingliang. It is stated clearly in the sūtras that he is a bodhisattva who dwells for a long time in the Sahā world. 'Sahā' is the general designation for the great trichiliocosm; why would he be situated exclusively in this land?"
He replied: "Mañjuśrī is the foremost master of all Buddhas. According with conditions, he manifests to benefit beings, his responsive adaptations being manifold. The spiritual works of the Great Being are not the realm of ordinary humans; you need not criticize or belittle them. The holy wisdom frequently resides at Qingliang; in Xianhua Mountain of Qingliang Prefecture in Wutai County, people often arrive there, so one cannot fail to believe it."

1.7

I also asked: "Thirty *li* southeast of the Central Peak of Mount Wutai, there is now Dafu Lingjiu Temple. The two halls separated by a ravine still stand. To the south there is a flower garden of about two *qing*, blooming with brilliant colours in all four seasons, which no one can fully explain. Some say it was established by Emperor Ming of Han; others say Emperor Xiaowen of Wei built it. How do we account for these differing accounts?"
He replied: "It was built by both emperors. Formerly, in the time of King Mu of Zhou, the Buddha-Dharma was already present. This mountain is miraculous and numinous, the abode of Mañjuśrī. King Mu of Zhou constructed a temple therein to make offerings, and King Aśoka also erected a stūpa according to tradition. At the beginning of Emperor Ming of Han, Kāśyapa Mātaṅga also saw with the divine eye that there was a stūpa, and petitioned the emperor to establish a monastery. Because the shape of the mountain resembles Gṛdhrakūṭa (Vulture Peak), it was named Dafu. *Fu* means faith. The emperor had faith in Buddhist principles and established the temple to encourage the people. As for Emperor Xiaowen of the Yuan Wei, because the Northern Peak was not far off, he frequently came to pay homage, and the tracks of his men and horses can be clearly seen on the rocks; this matter can well be known. Not only Mount Wutai, but now Mount Zhongnan, Mount Taibai, Mount Taihua, and the Five Sacred Peaks and celebrated mountains all have holy persons who abide there for the sake of the Buddha-Dharma; they exist everywhere.
If someone prepares an offering, they must invite them beforehand. Seven days prior, within a quiet room, one arranges an altar and seat, burns incense, lays out the memorial petition, and closes the door to pray; there is none that does not receive a response. When the time comes, they will arrive, though ordinary beings and holy ones are hard to distinguish. If one does not do so, since invitations based on affinity are numerous, they will rarely come to partake of the meal.
Nowadays there are those who fashion statues of the holy monk Piṇḍola and place them in their rooms to make offerings; this is also a viable way. However, on a separate piece of ground, one must place a bowl before an empty seat. When the monastic meal arrives, have a senior monk receive it on his behalf; one must not serve it with monastic trays and dishes. For although the ordinary and the holy differ, neither touches monastic food vessels. When arriving at a lay household, it is what the laity set out. If one does not prepare a quiet room beforehand in this manner, only the rest of the holy assembly might descend; since the three continents share the same offerings, they respond separately according to conditions, so that this Piṇḍola can rarely be encountered."

1.8

I also asked: "Now in Fanhe (pronounced *pan*) County, west of Liangzhou, the mountain split open and a statue emerged. In what dynasty was it made?"
He replied: "In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there was Bodhisattva Libin. Seeing that the people of this mountain did not believe in karmic retribution and took slaughter as their occupation—at that time there were tens of thousands of households in this place, none of whom revered the Buddha-Dharma—the Bodhisattva came to save them, establishing a saṅghārāma for them. The Great Brahmā Heavenly King fashioned the statue's body with his own hands. After it was first completed, the Bodhisattva's supernatural power was able to make this statue indistinguishable from a true Buddha, walking about, preaching the Dharma, and teaching the people. Although they were granted this guidance, they still did not accept it in faith.
Then the Bodhisattva manifested the act of terror: he held up a huge boulder in his hands as if it were about to drop, intending to crush them beneath it. The Bodhisattva accompanied their terror by exhorting and converting the people, who suddenly changed their minds and had faith and reverence toward the Buddha. All slaughtering implements turned into lotus flowers, and wherever there were streets and alleys, flowers appeared as if planted. Such miraculous signs stemmed from the spiritual power of transformation in this region.
The Bodhisattva also urged the upāsakas to build seven monasteries, spanning one hundred *li* from north to south and eighty *li* from east to west, filling mountains and crossing valleys, with monastic quarters and Buddha halls everywhere. Only after thirteen years was this accomplished. Twenty thousand people went forth from the household at the same time to dwell in the seven monasteries. When three hundred years had passed, those people possessed great strength from their present karma: the evil karma they had created in the past was experienced lightly in their present lifetime without them falling into hell. Those who had previously been harmed by them were in the evil destinies, and made an evil vow: 'Before those who harmed us attain sagehood, I shall harm them; if I do not inflict harm upon them, their evil karma will be exhausted, and I shall have no way to take retribution.' Together they spewed out great fire, burning down the monastic dwellings and their settlements, incinerating them all at once; even if they managed to escape by stealth and survive, great floodwaters washed them away and drowned them, leaving not a single person surviving.
At that time, before the monastery was destroyed, the mountain spirit took this statue and held it high in the air. After the monastery was destroyed, it brought it down into a stone chamber to place and make offerings to it. As months and years grew long, the stone grew and the chamber vanished. As for Liu Sahe's paying homage at the mountain and revealing its statue, his previous existence was originally Bodhisattva Libin. The body and head being in separate places was due to yet other circumstances."

1.9

I also asked: "Regarding the auspicious Longguang statue south of the Yangzi, people transmit that Kumārajīva brought it, having obtained it in Funan; how was it?"
He replied: "It was not Kumārajīva. This was obtained by Emperor Xiaowu of Song when he campaigned against Funan. In the past, during the three hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the great arhat of Northern India, Upagupta, exerted divine power together with craftsmen: over three hundred years, he chiseled a great rocky mountain to establish Buddha caves. From top to bottom there were five tiers in all. The upper tier was over three hundred feet high, where he requested Bodhisattva Maitreya to indicate the spot to make a sandalwood statue. Master Xuanzang's biography says it was over one hundred feet high, while the *Records of Sacred Traces* says it was eighty feet tall, with feet matching at eight feet, and on the six days of purification it regularly emitted light. When it was first being made, the arhat took the craftsmen up to the heavens, only completing it after going three times. The second was ox-head candana; the third gold; the fourth jade; the fifth a bronze statue. Ordinary mortals are now restricted to the lower tier, while the four upper tiers are closed. The stone caves are clear and translucent, so that one can see a person's viscera.
In the sixth century, there was the arhat Fanazhe (Bhadrika). His birth mother was in the country of Funan. Mindful of his mother's heavy kindness, he took the wooden sandalwood statue from the upper tier and caused his mother to make offerings to it. When his mother passed away, she was reborn in Yangzhou, went forth from the household to dwell at Xinxing Temple, and attained realization of the third fruit. When Emperor Xiaowu of Song campaigned against Funan, he obtained this statue and brought it to the capital, which was also due to the arhat's supernatural power. His mother is alive even now, frequently traveling to Luofu, Tiantai, the Western Regions, and other places. In the past, Faxian made a second journey to the west; there is a five-fascicle record that briefly recounts these circumstances. How could one say that Master Kumārajīva carried it on his back when coming?"

1.10

I asked: "Why is it that the scriptures translated during the lifetime of Dharma Master Kumārajīva have continued to be received, held, and increasingly flourish down to the present day?" He replied: "That man was intelligent and had an exceptional understanding of the Mahāyāna, and those below him were all outstanding talents, the treasures of an era. Surpassing the past and illuminating the future, they are beyond our capacity to look up to. Therefore, what he translated prioritized awakening and comprehension, grasping the intent behind what the Buddha bequeathed. I asked further: "Among worldly discourse, it is often said that he fell short regarding the restraints of the precepts." He answered: "This does not require mutual criticism; it is not for idle men to discuss. Master Kumārajīva's current stage of attainment is among the Three Worthies, and he travels wherever teaching calls him. Furthermore, when he translated the scriptures, he abridged redundancies and supplemented omissions according to the faculties of his audience. Thus, for the Da zhidu lun in one treatise, nine-tenths were omitted. The remaining scriptures and treatises can be understood by analogy with this. Ever since his scriptures were produced, their sincere reading and recitation have never ceased. Unseen omens and spiritual resonances have descended, growing ever newer across successive eras. Evaluating it in this light, he profoundly concurred with the sacred intent. Moreover, Mañjuśrī instructed him in person to edit and settle them, making him uniquely extraordinary beyond the common run. How could he be criticized over a separate chamber, completely discarding his profound intent? It is utterly unworthy of discussion."

1.11

I asked again: "In what era was the ancient image erected that emerged from the mountain at Xianji Temple in Fangzhou?" He replied: "The image was made by Duke Mu of Qin. The place where the image emerged is where King Mu of Zhou built a temple. After the Buddha passed away, the fourth daughter of King Aśoka also made an image and a stupa, making offerings there. At that time, an attainment-holder of the third fruit resided in this temple, whom the Qin prime minister Youyu revered. Formerly, during the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, a temple was also established here; it was built by that novice named Xianji. Following its original name, it was made the temple's plaque."

1.12

I asked: "South of the present Yuhua Palace at Mount Tālatā, there is a brick stupa, thirty paces on each side. The lower story is exceedingly grand, with stone niches on all four sides and broken bricks nearby. There are also over thirty brick kilns; the elders do not know from what era they date. Yet a bell is often heard ringing." He replied: "This is King Mu's temple; it was called Lingshan. In the time of King Aśoka, an edict commanded the mountain deity to build a stupa here. During the chaos at the end of the Western Jin, when the Five Hu seized power, Liu Yao made Chang'an his capital and repeatedly dreamed that a Buddha on this mountain appeared in a brick stupa, sat, and spoke to Yao, saying: 'Drink less wine, do not indulge in sensual desires, dismiss the crooked and flattering, and promote the loyal and good.' Yao could not comply. Later in Luoyang, he fell from his horse while drunk and was captured by Shi Le. Earlier, when Yao was awakened by the dream, he sent people to search the mountain, and they subsequently found this image sitting in a small brick stupa, matching the dream. Thereupon, he destroyed the small stupa and built a larger one, nineteen stories high, along with temple buildings that were exceedingly grand and beautiful. The temple was named Fadeng, and three hundred monks were ordained to reside there. When Yao went to Zhao, thirty-two men in the temple cultivated and attained the third fruit. Behind the present stupa, the mountain deity built another temple to make offerings to monks of the second fruit. The deity went to Mount Taibai to gather lingzhi herbs and make offerings to the holy monks, all of whom obtained prolonged lives. The temple still exists today, but ordinary people cannot see it; the sound of the bell that is heard is the bell of that temple. As for the stupa's original foundation, though it arose through Liu Yao, it remains the site where King Mu founded a temple and is also an ancient temple of Kāśyapa Tathāgata. During the Zhenguan era, deer were frequently seen gathering in the mountains of Ciwuchuan north of Yuhua; when chased away, they returned. Someone found this strange and dug ten feet deep where the deer gathered, obtaining a stone image about ten feet tall."

1.13

I asked again: "Regarding the sandalwood image of the former Daming Temple in Jingzhou, which is said to have been made by King Udayana and, according to tradition, copied from there and brought to Liang, whereas one now also exists in the capital: which is the original?" He replied: "The one at Daming is the original image. After Emperor Wu of Liang passed away, the image came to Jingzhu. In the third year of the Chengsheng era of Emperor Yuan, after the Zhou pacified the Liang, the inventories of treasures all entered the Northern Zhou. As for that sandalwood image, Dharma Master Sengzhen hid it in his room and gave many gifts of property and goods to bribe the envoys, so it was able to remain. In the ninth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui, Emperor Wenzu sent the envoy Liu Guyan to inspect and organize the temple monks, and he also sought the image to stabilize the Jingchu region. Guyan, being a native of that region, complied with them and ordered another sandalwood carving to be made to take back and respectfully obey the imperial decree. The artisan at that time obtained a brāhmaṇa monk named Zhenda to make it; this is the image now at Xingshan Temple. It is also exceedingly miraculous. The original image remained in Jingzhou, but the monks covered it with lacquered cloth, so its marks and signs were inferior to the former ones. The genuine original was made as the Buddha's body when he was seven days old; by adding the cloth and lacquer, it matched his mature years, so it was completely different from the original. Daming was originally a dwelling place of the ancient Buddha, which was why the efficacious image was unwilling to be moved north. Recently, Dharma Master Miaoyi, having received the unseen praise of devas, was awakened and inspired to strip away the lacquered cloth, so that its full form was manifested once more, greatly stirring faithful minds. When one looks upon the spiritual likeness, it was carved from a single piece of sandalwood without any joins or patches; its halo and pedestal are uniquely extraordinary, and the carving of the fine details could by no means have been accomplished by human skill. The image at Xingshan departs from the original in every respect."

1.14

I asked again: "Why is it that in the region of Shu, at the Sanxueshan Temple in Jianzhou, the sky-lamp is constantly bright?" He replied: "The mountain has a Bodhisattva Temple, originally established during the True Dharma era of Kāśyapa Buddha; it was built by Bodhisattva Joyous King. The temple was named Fadeng. From then until now, it has remained constantly bright in the open sky. There are three hundred lesser bodhisattvas who abstain from grain and have attained longevity, constantly residing on this mountain. The lamp was later maintained as an offering by the mountain deity Li Te (Te was formerly ruler of Shu). Therefore, in the first month, lamps are lit everywhere to make offerings to the Buddhist temples."

1.15

I asked again: "Beside the Xiangsi Temple in Fuzhou there are many ancient sites carved with seal inscriptions, but their background is unknown." He replied: "During the era of Kāśyapa Buddha, there was a mountain deity whose surname was Luo and given name was Ziming, a man of Shu. Formerly, he was a precept-holding monk who detested those who broke the precepts and made various evil vows: 'Let me, after death, become a powerful ghost and devour precept-breakers!' In accordance with his vow, he took rebirth as this mountain deity, having numerous retinues. The territory he ruled spanned over five thousand li east to west and over two thousand li north to south, and he devoured more than ten thousand people a year. This deity had originally been an elder brother of Kāśyapa Buddha and later became his disciple. That Buddha pitied him and came to teach and transform him through various supernormal transformations, only then subduing him. He begged to receive the five precepts and thereupon recognized his past lives; consequently, he ceased eating people. Fearing that his mind might change later, the Buddha left footprints behind. King Aśoka erected a stupa above them on the mountain summit, and the deity then concealed himself within the rock. The stupa was made by King Aśoka; that deity is still alive today. The temple and stupa below the outer city walls were erected by King Aśoka (these matters appear in the Ritual of Entrustment). At Lingkan Temple within the boundary of Xingning County on the northern mountain of Xunzhou in the Southern Sea, there are many spiritual traces. This was a disciple of the Holy One Mañjuśrī who, having become this mountain deity, committed many evil deeds. Mañjuśrī pitied him and taught him, whereupon he recognized his past lives and requested: 'Please leave traces for me so that I may constantly worship them and become free from all evil.' Mañjuśrī manifested them for him, which are the ones seen today. In the third year of the Zhenguan era, the mountain deity's life ended, and he was reborn in Tuṣita Heaven. Another deity came to reside in this place, who was a relative of the former deity's family by marriage. He committed great evil deeds. The former deity, now born in heaven, pitied him, came down, and requested Mañjuśrī to manifest small traces in order to transform the later deity, who then followed the True Dharma. Therefore, that both large and small traces appear on this mountain today is entirely due to this (these matters appear in the Ritual of Entrustment)."

1.16

I asked again: "Why is it that on the mountain of the stone caves on the northern mountain of Mizhou, there is constantly bright light?" He replied: "This cave was fully provided for in both the eras of Kāśyapa Buddha and Śākyamuni Buddha. In the past, the second son of King Mu of Zhou made an image of Kāśyapa Buddha."

1.17

I asked again: "In Mount Zhongnan County of Weizhou, there are Buddha Face Mountain and Seven Buddhas Ravine; their background is the same as before. The Great Treasury in the Ku Ravine of the Southern Mountains is a treasury made by the very hands of Kāśyapa Buddha. Currently, there are thirteen pratyekabuddhas residing in the ravine." He also said: "The stupas and temples in various places today are mostly the surviving foundations of ancient Buddhas, marked out by King Aśoka; therefore, the fields of merit remain permanently and must not be treated lightly. Nowadays, there are famous stupas as are commonly heard of, but there are also nameless stupas everywhere. Under the temple stupa within the city walls of Ganzhou in Hexi there are śarīras, under the Buddha hall of Lingyan Temple in Hezhou there are śarīras, and under the Buddha hall of Maijiyan in Qinzhou there are śarīras. The mountain deity abandoned them. This temple was built by King Mu of Zhou, named Ling'an; for the past forty years, people have frequently appeared from it. The stupa of Changning Temple in Jingzhou was built by King Aśoka; underneath it are śarīras, over ten feet into the ground, in a five-tiered stone reliquary containing the broken bones of his body."

1.18

The three stupas of Yizhou—Dashi (now named Fugan), Wudan (now named Jingluan), and Luoxian (now named Baoyu)—all possess spiritual wonders, as recorded in separate biographies.

1.19

I asked again: "Are the Changgan stupa and the Mao stupa in Yangdu built by King Aśoka or not?" He replied: "They are. Formerly, Liu Sahe had a spiritual resonance; when he went to Yangzhou, he climbed Yuecheng and gazed into the distance, seeing an extraordinary aura at Changgan, whereupon he marked and excavated it, as is explained in his biography today." I asked: "If so, since there was already a 'Changgan', did it mean a Buddhist mast?" He replied: "It is not a stupa mast; it is the name of the place. A long mound is called a 'gan'. The stupa was adjacent to the long mound. Does not the text say, 'encompassing Gan and Yue'? 'Gan-Yue' is the name of a mound. The stupa in Mao County of Linhai was also built by King Aśoka. Among the Buddhas at the beginning of the Bhadrakalpa, it holds an arm bone of Kāśyapa Buddha, not visible to mortals. An arhat brought it toward the Iron Ring Mountains and left a small stupa. As for that large stupa, there are good deities, and two fish have appeared: eel-like fish in the well are the deities guarding the stupa. Beside it, on the rock, there are footprints said to be the places trodden by the three previous Buddhas. They welled up from the earth to open up worldly blessings. Formerly in the Zhou dynasty, many people lived in this land, and therefore this stupa was placed here."

1.20

I asked again: "If so, when the kings after King Mu of Zhou came across the placement of stupas, why do written records in this land rarely mention them?" He replied: "Efficacious stupas existed due to past conditions; Prabhūtaratna was made by spirits and divinities. Few humans have seen them, so few written records have been transmitted. Yang Xiong and Liu Xiang searched the shrine records and occasionally saw them. Regarding Buddhist scriptures, how could it be that scriptures and stupas did not already exist prior to Qin?"

1.21

About five to six hundred li south of Mount Heng, north of Yongzhou, there is a great river plain, extending over five hundred li east to west and over one hundred li north to south. Formerly, several hundreds of thousands of households lived on this plain. Now giant trees grow there, the largest having a diameter of twenty to thirty feet; below them there is no grass or wood, making a lovely deep forest. In its midst there is a great river flowing east into the Xiang River; following the ravine to see it, one reaches the plain. In the south, there is a valley entering northward; in the valley is a square pool, paved on all four sides with stone, with deep water where a dragon resides. Whenever anyone offends it, thunder shakes the mountain valley. On the left are many mountain fruits, such as oranges, pomelos, and bayberries, planted in succession. South of the pool is a great Aśoka stupa, upheld by stone flowers, covered with a stone niche level with the ground. On the cliff east of the stupa there is a full stele inscription, identifiable as seal script; climbing a ladder to copy it, one can fully know the reason the stupa was erected.

1.22

South of Mount Heng, at the place where Master Daming established a temple, there is also an ancient stupa, and so forth. That temple is more than ten li north to south; its Seven Locations and Eight Assemblies, flowing channels, and quiet cloisters are established everywhere.

1.23

I asked again: "In this land it is commonly transmitted that the Buddha appeared during the Yin dynasty, during the time of King Zhao of Zhou, or during Duke Zhuang of Lu, their mutual accounts differing. How can this be definitively determined?" He replied: "All have their reasons. This disciple was born in the time of Jie of Xia and fully witnessed the Buddha descending to teach. Furthermore, the Buddha has three bodies: the dharmakāya and saṃbhogakāya cannot be seen by ordinary humans; they are seen together by those who have ascended to the stages and above. Only the nirmāṇakāya universally covers the three thousand, hundreds of millions of worlds. Therefore, there are hundreds of millions of Śākyamunis, and according to what people resonate with, the earlier and later are not fixed. Some were at the end of the Yin, and some were under Duke Zhuang of Lu, both being within the great trichiliocosm. Earlier and later, all transmit one teaching. Resonance and perception depend on the capacity of beings; earlier or later, the dharmakāya and saṃbhogakāya are always tranquil in themselves. There is no need to doubt this."

1.24

He also asked: "It is commonly said today that the various auspicious images were made by King Aśoka's fourth daughter. This matter is obscure and distant, so it is difficult to obtain the truth of it." [The deva] replied: "King Aśoka's fourth daughter had an appearance that was far from beautiful. For a long time she remained unmarried, and she constantly lamented her ugliness. She then painted the form of the Buddha, but its primary and secondary marks were different from the Buddha's and resembled her own person instead. When it was finished, she made a vow: 'The Buddha's primary and secondary marks are vastly different from those of humans. How could they be the same as my appearance?' With this anguished petition, months and years passed. Later, she moved the Buddha to manifest, and suddenly her past appearance changed. Her father questioned her in detail, and she recounted what she had vowed. The present images at Feishan, Yuhua, Changsha in Jingzhou, Gao Kui's in the southern capital, and the present one at Chongjing Temple are all these images. Some have inscriptions on their halos or pedestals, but people rarely recognize them. King Aśoka commanded the various spirits and ghosts to carry them everywhere to awaken [beings] to the Buddha's Dharma. The faces of these images are none other than female forms. The site of Chongjing Temple was originally a battlefield. At the end of the Western Jin, the Five Hu arose in great arms and slaughtered people; here there were especially many. The human bones beneath the ground can still be seen today. Those killed were innocent, brutalized and murdered without cause. Therefore, the various spirits and ghosts carried it here to suppress [the malevolence] so that these aggrieved souls might give rise to wholesome thoughts. When the Zhou suppressed the Buddha's Dharma, the spirits also followed along [and concealed it]. When the founder of the Sui arose and flourished, the Buddha[-image] emerged once again, and so on."

1.25

He also asked: "The sovereign spiritual power of the various spirits is exceedingly great. As for the three stūpas of Shuchuan, all called 'Great Stone,' people have dug them but none could fathom their origins. As for the stūpa at Wugong in Qinchuan, ancient tradition calls it an Aśoka [stūpa]. Once in thirty years it appears; since the Zhenguan era it has appeared twice. Its auspicious light is extraordinarily magnificent, yet its śarīra is like a finger bone placed inside a stone mortar. How can it be so cramped and crude like this?" [The deva] replied: "Among the various spirits and ghosts, wealth and poverty are unfixed; each depends on past karma, no different from humans. In the heavens it is also like this. They make offerings to this stūpa according to what they possess, and so on." He also asked: "Spiritual resonance with the netherworld frequently occurs among the laity. I doubt whether, when the spirit decays along with the physical form, it can still return again. As in biographies and records, sometimes after seven days, a hundred days, or up to three years, the consciousness returns and the physical form arises, no different from life. As sūtras say, 'Their consciousness is recorded and held at that king's place for five, three, or seven days.' Why is this?" [The deva] replied: "Humans are endowed with seven consciousnesses, and each consciousness has its spirit. The mind-consciousness is the master. Although the master goes forward, the remaining spirits guard and preserve [the body]; it is not something to marvel at." [The deva] dared to ask me: "Master, in taking the precepts, how many spirits belong to a single precept?" I replied: "In the Five Precepts, I have seen that there are five spirits to one precept. I do not know how it is with the full precepts." He replied: "When a monk receives the precepts, there are two hundred and fifty spirits. If he violates one serious precept, only one spirit departs; thus two hundred and fifty spirits constantly follow the precept-holder."

First 25 of 42 passages. Read on

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道宣律師感通錄 — Classical Chinese