北山錄 1.11.2

1.11.2

Dulling his ears and eyes, he quieted his nature of the Way (['dulling' means] temporarily; 'quieted' means serene and calm). When the year began to blossom (meaning the eighth day of the second month), the time for sympathetic resonance arrived, and ghosts and spirits conspired together (meaning the arrival of the devaputras of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven). The night had not yet ended ('ended' [ai] means properly upright, or also midnight). Filled with sorrow from the bottom of his heart, and utterly weary of concubines and palace women, he spurred his white horse to soar through the void, going to the green mountains and cutting off his hair (the prince thereupon vaulted the city wall, praying to become a Buddha). He embodied constant bliss and transformed all under heaven. Alas! Human contrivances are obscured by the contrivances of spirits; the contrivances of spirits are obscured by the contrivances of Heaven (obscured means darkened. Human contrivances refers to the deliberations of mortals. Although humans have schemes, being dark to the schemes of spirits, they cannot effect them). Human contrivances follow desire; Heaven's contrivances follow the Way. Spirits are no match for Heaven—how much less can mortals stand against it? For this reason, the gatekeeper took care of his portal in vain (the gatekeeper refers to the door attendant); the clepsydra keeper took care of the time in vain (in the *Rites of Zhou* there is a clepsydra keeper who managed the water clock's arrows); the palace guards dropped their armor (referring to the imperial guard); the bells and chimes suspended in the court failed to play (referring to the musicians). Dazed and bewildered, how could they have had leisure to attend diligently to their duties? Therefore, as for this body manifested in response to the world, though we speak of natural affection, its purpose was to benefit all beings, and it could not be bound by natural affection (the affection between father and son is natural affection. Although the Buddha's body was a manifest response born of transformation, its root was in rescuing beings. The conduct of rescuing beings must rely on the Way to be accomplished. The accomplishment of the Way cannot reside in passionate desire. Thus he could not but act according to his original intent). The royal father lamented his failure to return; the palace chambers became gloomy and lost their luster ('gloomy' [ai] means dark). Looking upon those distant mountain forests where he had departed for so long, tears fell in torrents. He decreed that five clan uncles and maternal uncles should go and seek him (namely, the five including Kula, all of whom belonged to the prince's clan; he commanded them to enter the mountains to seek and accompany him). He ordered them to attend to his warmth and cool, adapt to his staying or going, and never oppose the prince's wishes ('oppose' [fu] means contradict or disobey). Six years passed, of repeated reflections and awakenings. The austerities of emaciation and starvation did not constitute merit; only by nourishing the intestines and filling the belly could one become a vessel for the ultimate Way (the great carrier ate only hemp and wheat daily to subdue the non-Buddhists; then he said: 'I have a Dharma that no one in the world can know: all sentient beings abide relying on food.' Thereupon he accepted six pecks and four pints of milk rice and consumed it, and only then attained the Way). On this month, on this day, on this night—how advanced was the night? The Silver River had already turned, and all creatures had fallen silent. He took his seat upon the vajrāsana, coiled like a dragon; overcoming and eradicating the great difficulties, myriad virtues came to pay homage. How majestic was this vast kalpa's immense achievement, accomplished within the span of a single dripping clepsydra! (Having eaten the milk rice on the eighth day of the twelfth month, he bathed in the Nairañjanā River. Entering absorption upon the vajrāsana, he showed the severing of all defilements of the three realms and nine stages, and with thirty-four minds attained correct awakening). Now, Heaven has its accumulation of countless bright specks of light; the Earth has its accumulation of handfuls of soil; the mountains have their accumulation of fist-sized rocks; the seas have their accumulation of ladlefuls of water ('bright specks' [zhaozhao] means glittering light. Heaven is formed by accumulating tiny luminaries; the Earth is formed by accumulating handfuls of soil; mountains are formed by accumulating rocks; seas are formed by accumulating ladlefuls of water. All are passages from the *Doctrine of the Mean*). Therefore, by accumulating to become great, great utility is brought forth. In the past, the Great Being cultivated vast practices, omitting no good deed; by the vows of Samantabhadra, he entered universally into everything (Samantabhadra's practices and vows are as explained in the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra*). Thus at this very moment, his body sat everywhere across all sites of enlightenment. Small minds beheld him as sixteen feet tall, while great beings beheld him as vast and immense. Vast and immense, it encompasses the reward body; sixteen feet tall, it pertains exclusively to the transformation body. It is just like peeping at the heavenly way through a window: one sees much or little depending on the size of the fissure (though with a sixteen-foot body he attained equal and correct awakening upon the vajrāsana by the bank of Gayā, in true measure he has no equal, and does not belong to the three realms). How sorrowful! The ocean of suffering is roiling and chaotic; its torrential currents surge and recoil. Who will be the first to reach the shore and wait to be crossed over? I shall surely ferry them across by means of the Way ('who' [chou] means who; 'shore' [ya] means bank; 'wait' [si] means await; 'cross over' [ji] means deliver; 'ferry' [jin] means deliver. Who is the first to reach the shore and seek to cross the ocean of suffering? I shall ferry them across). Thereupon, he looked in all four directions, hesitating, and spent three weeks. Then in the morning he walked to the Deer Park. The Deer Park was a site of ancient Buddhas' prior conversion (the park was in the country of Vārāṇasī. Long ago, the king intended to slaughter a thousand deer. The Tathāgata and Devadatta were both deer kings, each leading five hundred deer. Thereupon they told the king: 'We promise to offer one deer each day.' One whose turn came was pregnant, so the deer king went in her place. The king was moved by his benevolence and spared all the deer. He then donated this park to the deer, and so it was named the Deer Park). Here he now gained the five men (namely the five companions: first, Kauṇḍinya; second, Daśabala-Kāśyapa; third, Aśvajit, who is Ma-sheng; fourth, Bhadrika; fifth, Mahānāman), tallying with those past events. He nearly finished turning the subtle words thrice (the so-called path of seeing, path of cultivation, and path of no-learning—turning the wheel of Dharma thrice; only those of great capacity awakened first). As for the rest, nothing is known of them ('nearly' [dai] means reaching; 'nothing' [mo] means not. Although it is said he initially spoke on the Four Truths, their awakenings differed). At that time, the earthly spirits raised their voices, and the hundred gods harmonized in unison. Above, it resonated throughout the nine heavens (saying that the three heavens of the first dhyāna make nine heavens that possess auditory consciousness); below, it permeated the yellow carriage (the yellow carriage is the earth; the *Huainanzi* states that the shape of the earth is like a carriage); laterally, it flowed across the eight quarters. Humans and gods congratulated one another, and the sun and moon shone with steadfast radiance. None failed to leap with joy, none failed to clap and cheer; the multitude of spirits rejoiced in harmony ('rejoiced' [xixi] means peaceful harmony; 'together' [xu] means mutually). The myriad sages joyfully acclaimed the Great Awakened One as the King of the Dharma. In the time of King Mu, an illusionist came from the western extremity. He could enter water and fire, pierce metal and stone, overturn mountains and rivers, and relocate walled cities; he mounted the void without falling and touched solid matter without obstruction, his myriad transformations beyond exhaustion (in the time of King Mu of Zhou, an illusionist had already arrived; but the sympathetic resonance of sentient beings had not yet arisen). He could not only change the shapes of physical things, but could also alter the thoughts of human minds (he could both manifest supernatural powers and transform the minds and thoughts of people). King Mu revered him like a spirit and served him like a monarch. Before long, the illusionist invited the king to journey with him. The king took hold of the illusionist's sleeve, and ascending upward, they halted only in the middle of heaven (invite [ye] means request; sleeve [qu] means robe sleeve). They then arrived at the illusionist's palace, constructed of gold and silver, and intertwined with pearls and gems.