辯偽錄 5.19

5.19

I have heard that through three [asaṃkhyeya] kalpas of refined practice, the pure, real dharmakāya is verified; through the cultivation of the six perfections as causes, the wondrous awakening of perfect interfusion bears fruit. Unborn and unceasing, he cuts off the coming and going of the three times; neither dim nor bright, he leaves behind the traces of the hundred negations. Yet, because his true compassion transforms beings and his past vows are now fulfilled, the phoenix soared over Kapilavastu, and the dragon took flight by the tree of awakening. The signless manifested signs, suddenly displaying bodies in hundreds of millions; the eternal name is not a name, transmitting responses throughout the trichiliocosm. Defeating the ten armies upon the seat [of awakening], his voice shook the nine heavens; assembling the holy ones at the bodhimaṇḍa, his light streamed across ten thousand lands. Guiding the three wheels, he responded to spiritual resonance, reaching near and far alike; setting forth the four unhindered pratisaṃvids, he expounded the principles, embracing both the noble and the ordinary. His teachings opened the twelve divisions; his gates laid bare eighty-four thousand [dharma-doors]. Concealing the sheath and bridle of the ten knowledges, he knew the future and held the past; employing the divine mirror of the six supernatural knowledges, he penetrated the ancient and unfolded the present. Bearing the ten epithets, he was revered as the supreme one; striding alone across the trailokya, his wisdom plumbed the ultimate reality. The ten holy ones rejoiced to have heard it in the morning; its wondrousness reaching the supreme mystery, the six teachers gladly died in the evening. Pulling [beings] out of the burning house's fever of afflictions, he led them to the coolness of liberation. Without need for Fu Yue's torrential rain, he ferried across the four modes of birth within the six paths; without relying on the light of Xihe, he dispelled the heavy darkness of the seven destinies. Clouds of compassion shaded the heaven of the peak of existence; rain of Dharma moistened boundless realms. Myriad spirits stood guard as attendants, like the multitude of stars circumambulating the Northern Pole; the five Indias inclined their hearts toward him, like the hundred rivers paying homage to the Eastern Sea. How could he merely nurture Yu, rear Xia, fashion Yin, and mold Zhou? He truly suppressed the nine schools and encompassed the myriad phenomena. Even if the Duke of Zhou instituted rituals and composed music, Zhongni praised the Changes and edited the Classic of Documents, Zhuangzi and Laozi discoursed on the mystery, Mencius and Yang Xiong disputed the Dao, Zhang Hua was vast in knowledge of things, Wang Bi penetrated the subtleties, Guo Pu was erudite, Zuo Ci performed divine transformations, Dongshu and Liu Xiang were treasuries of gold and jade, Sima Qian and Ban Gu embroidered the river and heavens—they merely galloped within the mundane realm; their words did not attain the Great Way. Fit to be eminent worthies in governing the age, it was difficult for them to serve as masters of the teaching that transcends the world. If his principle did not encompass what is beyond forms, and his Dao did not transcend the mundane world, eclipsing the multitude of sages without shame, and standing preeminent atop the hundred schools, how could he sum up these myriad wonders and synthesize this grand completion? When his conditions for transformation were about to expire, his final testament was earnest: he entrusted the True Dharma to Ānanda and transmitted the mind-seal to Kāśyapa. Thereafter, he shook his robes between the twin trees and slipped off his shoes by the golden river, transcending the cage of the two kinds of death, sinking serenely into the perfect quiescence of the three dots. Yet his great compassion was unstinting, and his care to benefit beings ran deep. Pulverizing his adamantine, indestructible body, he left behind the spirit-permeated bones of the śarīra. Its color held the brilliance of clear jade; its hardness matched true gold. Dragon kings and heavenly emperors each divided them to erect [shrines] in their own palaces; India and Jambudvīpa vied to raise and honor them in jeweled stūpas. A hundred years later, reverent veneration became still more exalted: the wheel-turning king Aśoka governed Jambudvīpa and broadly erected eighty-four thousand open stūpas. From then on, miraculous traces spread throughout the five Indias, and holy transformation extended across the four seas. When Emperor Ming of Han dreamed at night, the sound of the teaching was clearly proclaimed. Sanskrit palm leaves were translated in the Orchid Terrace chamber, and the golden countenance was painted atop the Xianshijie Mausoleum. At first it surged like waves through the imperial annals; in the end, it swept through the lanes and hamlets like the wind. Hence the King of Wu founded [a stūpa] at the Jianchu [Monastery], and the Sui rulers made them flourish in the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang. In imperial capitals and dynastic seats, saṅghārāmas spread like chessboard pieces; on fertile plains and famous mountains, stūpas were laid out like stars. In every case, golden plates shone against the sun, vying in height with the immortals' palms; jeweled bells swayed in the wind, chiming in unison with heavenly sounds. Layered eaves soared majestically, vaulting upward into the Great Clear; clustered brackets lined up in rows, turning laterally beside the sun and moon. Vermilion pillars ranked like wild geese; dark azure tiles parted like mandarin ducks. Golden dragons coiled upon flowered beams; jade phoenixes soared across embroidered doors. Suddenly it seemed to have emanated from a dragon palace; dazingly one wondered if it had moved down from the heavens. All of these arose from faithful hearts, not from deception and wanton contrivance. Our Great Yuan came to possess all under heaven: taking Yao as model, Shun as ancestor, following Yu's footsteps, and founding upon Tang's basis. Its sagely Dao harmonizes with the golden wheel; its illustrious virtue shines upon the jade calendar. Responding to Heaven and accomplishing revolution, it achieved such martial merit; its heroic renown shook the hundred barbarians, and its awe-inspiring prestige pressed upon the myriad states. The eight wildernesses offered tribute, and the nine regions came as guests. Carrying forward the grand plan of the four sages, it was favored with the destined fortunes of a thousand years, drafting far-reaching measures for billions of beings and expanding the great guidelines across successive ages. Integrating the martial and the civil, instituting rituals and composing music, establishing the capital and settling the cauldrons, erecting the palace gates and constructing royal halls—it considered that without immense splendor, there is no way to manifest majesty, and without grand might, there is no way to awe all under heaven. Thereupon, the Changhe Gate was thrown open and the primordial hall was built; magnificent pavilions were raised, and the Zichen Palace was framed. Adorned with red and blue paints, enriched with intricate brocade and silk patterns, golden inscriptions and jade plinths shed radiance above and below; algal ceiling struts and carved rafters scattered luster all around. Practicing Shang Rong's Great Model, displaying the awe-inspiring ceremonies of measured paces, setting forth bells and drums to feast princes and nobles, assembling the hundred officials to receive the myriad states at court—how grand, how abundant, how solemn, how brilliant! Truly the magnificent ritual of the Son of Heaven. In the intervals of attending to governance, he turned his mind to the Buddhist fold, observing the established precedents of the imperial ancestors and issuing gentle edicts of broad benevolence. All sons of the Buddha attained quietude and peace. He repeatedly summoned eminent monks to lecture and discourse on the profound and obscure; with sincere heart for the Buddha's Dharma, he recited the golden words of the hundredfold canons; probing into what had never been heard before, he listened to the wondrous principles of the triyāna. Ever pondering that now the new capital was established, it was proper to divine for eternal years, and that to make merit the foundation nothing excelled the raising of a stūpa, hoping for the divine dragons' protection and fostering the endurance of the altars of the soil and grain, he selected a site within the forbidden gardens at the southwest corner of the capital city. The ground rose and undulated gently, spacious, elevated, dry, and flat. Polishing jade and chiseling stone, he erected this jeweled stūpa. Formerly, north of Tongxuan Gate in the old capital, there was the Yong'an Temple; its halls were completely ruined, with only the stūpa remaining. Examining its name plaque, it was the 'Stūpa of Śākyamuni's Śarīra'; inspecting its stone inscription, it was built on the fifteenth day of the third month of the second year of Shouchang of the Great Liao by the Master of Exoteric and Esoteric Interpenetration, Daocheng. Inside were twenty śarīra precept-beads, two thousand small fragrant clay stūpas, five copies of dhāraṇī scriptures such as the Pure Light without Defilement, with crystal rollers. Because it had suffered the fires of war, it was desolate and overgrown. Yet on clear nights, it repeatedly emitted divine light; nearby residents were alarmed, suspecting it was a fire, but when they approached and looked up, there was no smoke or flame. Only then did they recognize the awe-inspiring spirit of the śarīra, and people began to revere and worship it. The Palace Attendant Tule reported this auspicious omen, and His Majesty, having heard of it, believed it. Desiring to increase its great splendor, he ordered the old stūpa opened and unsealed for a close inspection. There were indeed small fragrant clay stūpas; opening the stone casket beneath, there was an iron stūpa inside, which held a bronze vase filled with fragrant water, gleaming pure and fresh white, like jade nectar. The śarīra were hard and round, dazzling like golden millet grains. In front, two dragon kings knelt in protection; upon a desk, the five scriptures lay intact without harm. Gold, pearls, the seven treasures, and ten kinds of rare fruits were arranged as offerings. At the bottom of the vase was found a bronze coin cast with the four characters 'Zhiyuan Tongbao.' Thus it was known that the Sage instituted the Dharma as preordained in the unseen world, awaiting its time to manifest and reveal the heavenly will. On the twenty-fifth day of the third month of the eighth year of Zhiyuan, the Emperor and Empress inspected it and held it in still higher reverence. Thereupon they welcomed the śarīra and erected this jeweled stūpa, taking the form of a kuṇḍikā and displaying the design of a dhātu. Their wondrous achievement exhausted singular craftsmanship, deeply plumbing the art of the chisel. Fine jade banded it above, and stone formed the lower part to symbolize the Dharma. Models were designed and carved with birds and beasts; the corners hung with jade pestles; the tiers were laid with stone balustrades; eaves were hung with flower garlands and draped with netting of pearls; precious bells met the wind and chimed in melody; golden disks faced the sun and shed radiance. Towering high into the distance, it reflected upon the Purple Palace; perilous and solitary, it climbed above into the blue skies. Such ingenuity of design was rare in ancient or modern times. Then there was the Imperial Preceptor Yilinzhen, a man of Tubo. Intelligent and divinely discerning, his capacity and vision were profound. There was no exoteric or esoteric teaching he did not master; he clearly awakened to both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna. Superior conditions converged, and his virtue met the Emperor's mind. Constantly mindful that the imperial house, with faith in the Buddha, had erected this spiritual achievement, and that benefiting the state and pacifying the people required reliance on divine dhāraṇīs, he arranged and adorned the installation of the Tathāgata's body, speech, and mind karma from top to bottom, all around, in an orderly sequence according to the esoteric teachings. First, for the support of the body: beneath the base of the stūpa, a stone casket was first laid out, engraved with the Buddhas of the Five Directions; white jade stone images were sequentially erected and displayed. Beside them were placed the wheels and images of the eight great ghost kings and eight ghost mothers to secure its base. Next, upon the stone Sumeru throne, statues were carved of the protective deities, the god governing wealth, the eight great devas, the eight great Brahmā kings, the Four Kings, the nine planets, and the devas and dragons guarding the ten directions. Afterward, upon the body of the vase, painted and printed icons of all the holy ones were installed: namely, the Buddhas of the ten directions, the Tamers of the three times, the Mother of the Buddhas Prajñā, Sitātapatrā Buddha, the Victorious and Pure Light without Defilement, Mārīcī, Vajravidāraṇa, Amoghapāśa, the Wrathful King Acala, Vajrapāṇi Bodhisattva, and Mañjuśrī Qin-yin, encircled systematically. Second, as for the dhāraṇīs supporting speech: namely, the Uṣṇīṣavimala, the Secret Karaṇḍamudrā, the Bodhimaṇḍa-alaṅkāra, the Garaṣapaṇi, the Banner-Crown Array, the Mahāpratisarā Vast Pavilion, the Three-Phrase Dhāraṇī, the Heart of Prajñā Sūtra, the verse 'All phenomena arise from causes and conditions,' and other such great scriptures over a hundred in number. Of each, more than a hundred thousand copies were produced, clamped and encased in iron bands, and neatly and compactly layered. Third, regarding the matters supporting mind: on the outside of the vase body, the Buddhas of the Five Directions were carved to signify the Dharma: in the east, a single pestle; in the south, a jewel; in the west, a lotus; in the north, a crossed pestle; and in the four intermediate directions, the implements held by the four great heavenly mothers. Furthermore, taking genuine yellow-rich earth from beneath the vajrāsana where the Buddha attained enlightenment in the Western Region, as well as earth from famous mountains and sacred traces in this region, such as Wutai and the Mount Tai of the east and west; perfumes such as camphor, aloeswood, purple and white sandalwood, storax, and saffron; and gold, silver, pearls, coral, and the seven treasures, they were pounded together with fragrant clay to form one thousand and eight small fragrant stūpas. Furthermore, blending benzoin, guggulu, white mastic, frankincense, tulasi, spikenard, and other perfumes with fragrant clay, they stamped out one hundred and thirty thousand small fragrant stūpas. All these were placed inside the stūpa, just as the Three Jewels abide constantly without perish. Thus, the divine merit and sagely virtue are difficult to measure in the realm of space; protecting the state and shielding the people resides herein. Quietly reflecting upon ancient and modern worthies and sages: only their empty names are recorded, yet when examining their miraculous traces, all is dark without trace. The Yellow Emperor's tomb at Mount Qiao vainly buried his robes and cap; Shun of Yu's tumulus at Cangwu was left with the Shao music in vain; Fuxi left only the eight trigrams, and Yu merely set forth the nine divisions. How could one ever hear of an imperishable true essence? How could one see adamantine, steadfast bones? How could they compare to Śākyamuni's śarīra, whose divine transformations are boundless? The more it is refined, the purer it becomes; the more it is hammered, the firmer it grows. Firm as gold, moist as jade, transmitted constantly through the ages, reverently honored across successive dynasties by sagely emperors and enlightened kings. Thus Emperor Taizong of the Tang had a eulogy saying: