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道宣律師感通錄 1.6

English (machine translation) 1.6

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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."

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