經律異相 6
English (machine translation) 6
- Language
- English
6.1
Compiled by the Liang śramaṇas Sengmin, Baochang, and others
6.2
1. Gods, Humans, and Nāgas Divide the Śarīra and Erect Stūpas
2. King Aśoka Builds 84,000 Stūpas
3. Ānanda Asks About the Cause of the 84,000 Stūpas
4. King Puṣyamitra Destroys the Stūpas
5. King Devānaṃpiya Tissa Erects a Stūpa and Requests Śarīra and the Bodhi Tree
6. The Monk Kalavinka Erects a Stūpa with Others and Gives Exclusive Offerings, Causing Seven Jewels to Rain from His Hands
7. Sudatta Erects Hair and Nail Stūpas
8. The Body Departs but the Shadow Remains; An Ṛṣi is Converted and Erects Hair and Nail Stūpas
9. Devas Erect Stūpas for the Tooth and the Collarbone
10. Young Boys Gather Sand to Make a Stūpa
11. The Monkey's Earth and Stone Stūpa
12. Four Stūpas in the Heavens
13. Four Stūpas Among Humans
14. The Stūpa of Mahāsattva's Remaining Bones
15. The Buddha Manifests a Bodhisattva's Śarīra Stūpa
16. King Jinmei Erects a Stūpa for Kāśyapa Buddha
17. Repairing an Ancient Stūpa of Kāśyapa Buddha
18. King Dezhū Erects Five Hundred Stūpas
19. The Precious Stūpa Welcoming Up from the Earth
20. The Śarīras of the Buddhas in the Vajra Stūpa
21. Regret in the Midst of Erecting a Stūpa
22. Making Images
23. Complete Extinction of the Dharma
6.3
1. Gods, Humans, and Nāgas Divide the Śarīra and Erect Stūpas
6.4
After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, the Mallakas (which means "wrestlers" in the Liang language) of the kingdom of Pāvā; the Bulis of the kingdom of Calakalpa; the Kolyas of the kingdom of Rāmagāma; the brāhmaṇas of the kingdom of Vethadīpa; the Śākyas residing in the kingdom of Kapilavastu; the Licchavis of the kingdom of Vaiśālī; and King Ajātaśatru of the kingdom of Magadha (in the *Garbha Sūtra* called King Udayana, King Mūrdhaka, [King] Virūḍhaka, and King Ajātaśatru, as well as the Master of Supreme Armies, the Master of Handsome Armies, the Master of Flourishing Armies, and the Master of Vajra Armies) each prepared fourfold armies. The kings dispatched the brāhmaṇa of the Droṇa clan (in the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya* called the In clan; in the *Garbha Sūtra* called Upakīrṇa) to address the Malla wrestlers of Kuśinagara, saying: "The Buddha was our teacher, whom we revered. It was in your state that he entered nirvāṇa. Therefore we have come from afar to request a share of the śarīra to take back to our countries and erect stūpas. If you will grant a share to us, we will share the treasures of our entire kingdoms with you." The wrestlers answered: "The Bhagavat deigned to descend upon this land and here entered nirvāṇa. The people of our realm should properly make offerings themselves. It is impossible to grant them to you after you have wearied yourselves coming from afar." The various kings discussed this together: "Since he does not grant them when we ask politely and in harmony, we shall take them by force, sparing neither body nor life." The king of the wrestlers said: "If you wish to mobilize troops, our strength is ample to oppose you. You will never obtain them." In the midst of the eight assemblies, the brāhmaṇa of the Droṇa clan proclaimed in a loud voice: "The Buddha accumulated the practice of wholesome forbearance over immeasurable kalpas. You gentlemen must also have heard him praise patience. How can you raise armies to assault and pillage one another? This is not an act of reverence. Now that the śarīra are present, we should simply divide them into eight portions, so that the people in every place may all make offerings. You gentlemen have all received the Buddha's precepts and recited his words. How can you fight over the śarīra and end up harming one another?" The wrestlers replied: "We respectfully accept your proposal." Then the brāhmaṇa of the Droṇa clan divided them into eight portions. Then Śakra Devānām Indra manifested in human form and spoke to the kings, saying: "We, the gods, should also have a share. If we fight together by strength, there will be victory and defeat. Fortunately, you can grant them to us; do not let it become difficult." Then the nāga king Anavatapta, the nāga king Mucilinda, and the nāga king Elāpattra spoke to the eight kings, saying: "We too should have a share of the śarīra. If you do not grant it to us, our strength is sufficient to subdue you." Then Upakīrṇa said: "Gentlemen, stop for a moment; it is fitting to divide them together." He then divided them into three portions: one portion was given to the gods, one portion to the nāga kings, and one portion belonged to the eight kings. He coated the inside of a jar with honey and measured them out with the jar. The gods obtained their share, returned to heaven, and built seven-jeweled stūpas. The nāgas obtained their share, returned to the nāga palace, and likewise built precious stūpas. When King Ajātaśatru counted his share with the others, each obtained 84,000 śarīra. There remained one whisker from the Buddha's mouth, which no one dared to take. Because King Ajātaśatru, when first seeking the śarīra, had thrown himself on the ground in exhaustion with the utmost sincerity, they all held it and gave it to him. Ajātaśatru rejoiced, and drums and music shook the heavens. Halfway along the path, the nāga king Nando[pananda] met him and said: "The Buddha left behind his śarīra; give one share to me." The king said: "That cannot be done." The nāga said: "I am Nando[pananda]. I can lift your country, cast it eighty thousand li away, and grind it into dust." The king was frightened and gave him the Buddha's whisker. The nāga built a stūpa beneath Mount Sumeru, 84,000 li high, raising a tower of crystal and lapis lazuli. After King Ajātaśatru died, Aśoka obtained his realm. Then a minister said to King Aśoka: "The nāga Nando[pananda] formerly slighted Ajātaśatru and took away the Buddha's whisker." When Aśoka heard this, he ordered the ghost and spirit kings to forge iron nets and iron bindings, and placed them in the water beneath Mount Sumeru, intending to bind and capture the nāga king. The nāga king was greatly frightened, and they devised a plan together, saying: "Aśoka serves the Buddha. We should wait until he is sound asleep, take his palace, and move it into the water of Mount Sumeru. When I appear beneath the crystal stūpa and explain the entire background to him, his anger will certainly subside." He then dispatched nāgas to carry King Aśoka's palace away. Waking from his sleep, [the king] did not know where he was, but saw the crystal stūpa, 84,000 li high. Joy and fear mingled in his heart. The nāga Nando[pananda] came forward himself, bowed, and apologized, saying: "King Ajātaśatru gave it to me himself; I did not seize it. In the past, Śākyamuni Tathāgata made an agreement with me, saying: 'After my parinirvāṇa, when the kalpa is about to end, take all the sūtras, vinaya, kāṣāya robes, and bowls, and store them within this stūpa. When Maitreya descends, you must bring them forth again.'" The nāga then returned the king's palace to its original location. The brāhmaṇa of the Droṇa clan said: "I request the śarīra urn (in the *Bodhisattvagarbha Sūtra* called a basin), that I may return to the village of Droṇa and erect an urn stūpa." The wrestlers gave it to him, and with the urn and the śarīra adhering to it, he erected a precious stūpa. The brāhmaṇa householder Pārāyaṇa further said: "Give me the charcoal from the place where the Buddha was cremated. I will return to my home country and erect a charcoal stūpa." A non-Buddhist practitioner from the state of Heng asked to take the earth ashes to return to his country and build a stūpa. The wrestlers agreed to both. There was also a precious stūpa erected at the cremation ground. The ashes, charcoal, and earth amounted to forty-nine hu, and forty-nine precious stūpas were built, all erected with tall pillars, Dharma-wheels, and silk banners. (Drawn from the two-fascicle *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*, the preface to the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya*, the *Bodhisattvagarbha Sūtra*, and the *Aśokāvadāna*.)
6.5
2. King Aśoka Builds 84,000 Stūpas
6.6
King Aśoka equipped a fourfold army and went to open the seven old stūpas to take their śarīra, leaving only the nāga's stūpa. The nāga brought the king into his palace and said: "I make offerings to this stūpa; please leave it behind." The king consented. Returning to his kingdom, he crafted 84,000 precious caskets and distributed the śarīra evenly within them. He also made 84,000 precious vases, as well as banners and parasols, and entrusted them to yakṣas to erect stūpas throughout all the lands of Jambudvīpa, and even to the great ocean. He first consulted the arhat Yaśas, saying: "I wish to erect 84,000 stūpas in a single day and single thought, having them all completed at the same moment." The arhat Yaśas praised him greatly. Later, the king compared his merit with that of the nāga, weighing their two images together, and the nāga was heavy while the king was light. The king widely invited the saṃgha to plant merit without cease. Later, they weighed them together again, and the scale was balanced. The king practiced even further, knowing his merit grew day by day. He raised an army to go attack, but when he had just set out on the road, all the nāga kings, great and small, came out to welcome him. They respectfully presented the śarīra from their one stūpa to the king. Later, visiting the places where the Buddha had attained the Way and converted people, he built stūpas at each of them. (Drawn from the first fascicle of the *Aśokāvadāna* and the upper fascicle of the *Saṃyuktāvadāna Sūtra*.) Within the king's domain there were one thousand two hundred monasteries. He had one thousand two hundred banners woven with gold thread made. He also wished to hang and scatter one thousand-petaled gold flowers with his own hands. But just after preparing them, he contracted a severe illness. Fearing that his original wish would be thwarted, he shed tears. A śramaṇa said to the king: "The merit you have cultivated is beyond count. You should simply open your mind; what use is sorrow? Merely focus your mind, and I will enable you to achieve what you wished." With his spiritual power, the śramaṇa caused all one thousand two hundred monasteries to appear before the king. His painful illness was instantly eradicated. When he wished to attach the banners, all the stūpa pillars lowered themselves into the king's hands, fulfilling his original vow. His lifespan was extended by twenty-five years. (Drawn from the *Kāśyapa Sūtra* and the *Saṃyuktāvadāna Sūtra*.) Furthermore, over twenty years of promoting meritorious deeds, when approaching the end of his life, his continuous recollection of the Three Jewels was unbroken from thought to thought. Grudging nothing, he dedicated everything toward bodhi. (Drawn from the twenty-fifth fascicle of the *Saṃyuktāgama*.)
6.7
3. Ānanda Asks About the Cause of the 84,000 Stūpas
6.8
Ānanda asked the Buddha: "What past cause was created for your śarīra to be divided and 84,000 precious stūpas erected?" The Buddha said: "In the past, there was a king named Arindama who ruled over the 84,000 kingdoms of Jambudvīpa. At that time, there was a Buddha named Puṣya in the world. The king, along with his ministers and people, made offerings to the Buddha and the bhikṣu saṃgha. Then the king thought: 'The small border states are remote and isolated; people of their sort have no means to cultivate merit.' He immediately summoned painters to paint images of the Buddha, distributing them to distant lands so that all could make offerings. At that time, the painters observed the Buddha's marks and characteristics, but as soon as they captured one feature, they forgot the others and could not succeed. Then King Arindama mixed the various colors and painted the image with his own hands to serve as a model. The painters studied and copied it, painting 84,000 images, which were distributed among the 84,000 minor states. The minor kings were all able to make offerings. King Arindama was I myself in a past life. By virtue of this merit, my body possesses the thirty-two marks, and after my parinirvāṇa, I also obtain these 84,000 stūpas." (Drawn from the fourth fascicle of the *Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish*.)
6.9
4. King Puṣyamitra Destroys the 84,000 Stūpas
6.10
When King Aśoka passed away, the ministers wished to establish the crown prince to succeed to the royal throne. There was a great minister named *Atuladharma (Atuoluodi) who said, "The Great King Aśoka vowed to donate a full hundred thousand kotis of gold to perform various meritorious deeds, but four koti were still lacking. The crown prince sealed the treasury and would not give it. The king then donated the earth of Jambudvīpa to give to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, wishing to fulfill it thereby. Today the great earth all belongs to the Three Jewels; how could we simply make the crown prince king?" The ministers then provided the four koti of gold and sent them to the monastery, and only then did they jointly establish him. Note that this was the fourth-generation king, named Puṣyamitra. He asked the ministers, "What kind of deed should I do to make my name and deeds endure for a long time?" A minister replied, saying, "Your Majesty, the former king, Aśoka, built eighty-four thousand stupas for the Tathāgata and also initiated various kinds of offerings, so that his fame and virtue have been handed down without interruption." The king said, "The former king possessed great awe-inspiring virtue and was able to accomplish this. I cannot do it; think of something else." Another minister said, "There are two ways for a name to be handed down without perishing: the first is doing good, and the second is doing evil. The former king built stupas; now let Your Majesty destroy the stupas. Both will equally endure immortal." The king then followed his counsel. He immediately mobilized the fourfold army and went to the monasteries. First he arrived before the central gate of Kukkuṭārāma Monastery, where there was a stone lion that instantly let out a lion's roar. When the king heard it, he was terrified and returned into the city. Having done so two or three times, he summoned the monks and asked them, "If I destroy the stupas or destroy the dwellings, which is preferable?" The monks replied, saying, "Neither should be done at all. If it is absolutely unavoidable, it would be better to destroy the monks' dwellings rather than destroy the stupas." The king thereupon slaughtered the monks and destroyed the stupas and monasteries. Arriving at the kingdom of Śākala, he furthermore proclaimed, "If anyone obtains the head of a śramaṇa, I shall reward him with a thousand pieces of gold." In this country there was an arhat who transformed himself into many monks' heads and passed them to the common people, who brought them forward to claim the gold. The king's storehouses of gold and treasures were completely exhausted. When he later discovered that this was an arhat, he grew doubly enraged. The arhat entered the concentration of cessation (nirodhasamāpatti). The king went to kill him, but in the end was unable to do so; through the power of the concentration of cessation, his body could not be harmed. Proceeding gradually in this manner, he reached the side of the gate of the Stupa of the Tooth Relic. The deity of the stupa said, "There is a crawling-insect spirit who previously sought my daughter's hand, but I did not grant it to him. Now, to protect the Dharma, I shall call for my daughter and give her to him, making a mutual pledge: 'Subdue this king so that he does not destroy the true Dharma!'" The crawling-insect spirit then went into the southern ocean, shoved and propped up a great mountain, and pushed it down upon the king and his fourfold army, so that none failed to die. The crowd cried out, "Splendid! Splendid! The lineage of the Mauryas has ended forever with this!" (Drawn from the *Saṃyuktāgama*, fascicle 25).
6.11
5. King Devānaṃpiya Tissa Builds a Stupa and Requests the Śarīra and the Bodhi Tree
6.12
Mahinda and the other monks, having received the four requisites of support during the three summer months from the king of the Lion Country (Siṃhala) named Devānaṃpiya Tissa, took leave of the king, saying, “Formerly, we attended upon our teacher in his very presence, serving, making offerings to, and revering him morning and evening. We have now been separated [from him] for a long time, and we now wish to return.” The king said, “Relying upon the Dharma masters, I was able to receive the refuges and precepts. Receiving the four requisites of support, what makes you unhappy? Previously you said the Buddha had already attained nirvāṇa; now you say you wish to return to pay your respects!” The monks said, “The Buddha has attained parinirvāṇa, but his śarīras still remain.” The king said, “Venerable Ones! If you wish me to build a stūpa, please measure out an auspicious site.” He then went to the novice Sumana and asked, “How can we obtain the Tathāgata’s śarīras?” The novice replied, “Merely cleanse and level the roads, burn incense, and scatter flowers. Let the king and his retinue together take the eight precepts and proceed to the Nāga Grove; they will arrive of themselves.” The king thereupon prepared everything. Sumana returned and informed his grandfather, fully reporting the above matter: “[The king] wishes to build a stūpa, and prays that you grant him śarīras.” Aśoka said, “You may go to the palace of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven and speak to Śakra. Śakra has two śarīras: one, the right tooth, is kept for Śakra to worship; the other, the right collarbone, he will certainly deliver to you to bring back.” He opened a casket, took out śarīras, and placed them in a bowl. The bowl was filled with white light resembling real pearls, and he handed it to the novice. The novice then went to Śakra’s palace to request the right collarbone. Śakra said, “Excellent!” He opened the casket and gave it to him. The novice presented the śarīras given by his grandfather to the king. The king thought, “I should carry the Tathāgata’s śarīras on the crown of my head.” Before his thought had finished, the elephant prostrated on the ground, a white parasol lowered of itself, and the casket went up onto the crown of his head. The king was filled with joy throughout his body, as if tasting amṛta. A fine, subtle rain fell, and the great earth shook. The king asked the Venerable One, “Where should it be placed now?” [Mahinda] replied, “Set it down upon the elephant’s head.” The elephant roared, making an offering to the śarīras. The devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits all rejoiced greatly. They then entered the city, where the people made offerings. They exited through the south gate and circumambulated [the grounds] to locate the stūpa [site]. The śarīras of the three past Buddhas had also been in the garden of this stūpa. They immediately cleared the thorns and briars and first raised the foundation of the stūpa so that it was level with the elephant’s head. [The king] addressed the Venerable One, saying, “What should the shape of the stūpa be like?” Mahinda replied, “Like a heap of harvested rice.” The king said, “Excellent!” He then raised a small stūpa, wishing to deposit the śarīras. The people of the entire country all gathered together. The śarīras rose from the elephant’s head into empty space to a height of seven tāla trees and displayed various supernormal transformations: the five colours—black and yellow—and sometimes gushing water, sometimes emitting fire. Thereupon they took the śarīras and enshrined them in the stūpa. Heaven and earth trembled. The great king’s principal queen, named Anulā, sought to leave the household under Mahinda. Mahinda said, “I am not permitted to ordain women. I have a younger sister named Saṅghamittā in the realm of Pāṭaliputra. The king may go to invite her, as well as the Bodhi Tree.” The king dispatched his nephew named Ariṭṭha. By his supernormal power, Mahinda caused [Ariṭṭha] to board a ship and arrive in a single day. He said to King Aśoka, “Mahinda sent me here to convey his intentions fully.” The king said, “Since parting from my son Mahinda and grandson Sumana, I have been consumed by grief and anxiety, unhappy in heart; day and night I am distressed, as if my hands and feet had been severed. Only occasionally seeing this nun brings relief to my heart. If she leaves too, I will certainly die.” He told the nun not to go. The nun said to the king, “The intention shown [in this request] is hard to refuse; a kṣatriya queen awaits me to leave the household.” The king consented. [Yet] the Bodhi Tree could not be split with knife or axe. Moggaliputta Tissa said, “When the Tathāgata was in the world, he had already given five commands: first, King Aśoka would take the Bodhi Tree to give to the Lion Country without using knife or axe, for its southern branch would sever itself and enter a golden vessel; second, it would ascend into the empty sky and abide riding the clouds; third, after seven days, it would descend of itself back into the golden vessel, luxuriant with spread leaves and bearing abundant fruit, its leaves black and yellow; fourth, when the Lion Country first desires to obtain my śarīras, it shall produce various supernormal transformations; fifth, whatever major marks it has, arriving in the Lion Country, will be just as when I was in the world.” Hearing this, the king rejoiced and thereupon made a vow, saying, “If it is permitted to take a branch, let the tree fully reveal all its branches on every side. If it is permitted to go to the Lion Country, may it fall of itself into the golden vessel, and let the [parent] tree be restored as before.” He then filled the golden vessel with fragrant mud. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, at late afternoon, he drew with a brush across the curved part of the tree branch, making ten strokes in all. The first stroke produced roots, and the last stroke severed [the branch]. The roots were four inches long and further produced fine roots, which branched out in an interlocking lattice like a net. The main branch was ten cubits long, and there were also five branches, each four cubits long. Each of the five branches produced a single fruit, and there were also a thousand small branches. Seeing this supernormal transformation, the king’s heart rejoiced greatly. He shouted aloud toward the tree; the Saṅgha chanted “Sādhu”; the lesser kings and all their attendants, along with the entire great assembly, all shouted aloud. The earth spirits were astonished and also shouted aloud, their sound reaching up to empty space, echoing progressively up to the Brahmā heaven. From the place where the tree branch had severed from the trunk, a hundred roots emerged: ten roots went straight down to the bottom of the vessel and penetrated through it, while ninety fine roots grew encircling it. In this way, they grew continuously day and night. At that time, the earth shook in six ways; in the sky the devas played diverse instrumental music; the mountains and trees appeared as though dancing; the devas clapped their hands; the yakṣas smiled and made merry; the asura kings sang praises; the Brahmā king rejoiced; thunder and lightning clapped in the sky; four-footed creatures ran and cried out; and flocks of birds flew about emitting various sounds. The fruit of the Bodhi Tree emitted light of six colours, which illuminated everywhere, filling the sahā world and reaching up to the Brahmā heaven. Then the Bodhi Tree rose into empty space and stayed there for a full seven days. The assembly saw only light, not the vessel or tree. The king stepped down from his throne and made offerings to the Bodhi Tree. After seven days, the tree again emitted light, illuminating the sahā world up to the Brahmā heaven. As it gathered its light back, the sky became completely clear; spreading its leaves and bearing fruit, it descended from empty space back into the golden vessel. Seeing this, the king was delighted, and again offered the land of Jambudvīpa to the sapling Bodhi Tree for a full seven days. For seven days, the king bowed to the Bodhi Tree as the monarch of Jambudvīpa. On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, the assembly of monks held the poṣadha. From its original place of growth, the Bodhi Tree arrived east of the city of Pāṭaliputra, stopping beneath a sāla tree, its branches and foliage lush and flourishing. Seeing it, the king rejoiced and again bowed to it as the monarch of Jambudvīpa. He said to Saṅghamittā, “It is time to go.” She replied, “Excellent, Great King.” Thereupon [the king] assigned the eight classes of spirits to guard the Bodhi Tree: eight ministers, eight brāhmaṇas, eight householders, eight gopakas, eight taracchas, and eight kaliṅgas. The king provided eight golden urns and eight silver urns, carrying water on carts to water the Bodhi Tree. Having received the king’s instructions, they acted accordingly. The king and the great assembly circumambulated the Bodhi Tree, escorting it along the way. Devas, humans, yakṣas, gandharvas, and asuras made offerings day and night. Arriving at Tāmalitti, the king himself carried the Bodhi Tree, wading into the water neck-deep, and handed it onto the ship to Saṅghamittā. The king called out to Ariṭṭha, “Ariṭṭha! While the Bodhi Tree was in my country, I bowed to it three times as the king of Jambudvīpa. I myself bore the Bodhi Tree on my head, entered the water up to my neck, and sent it aboard the ship.” He commanded Ariṭṭha, “When the Bodhi Tree reaches that country, you must tell your king that he should personally enter the water up to his neck, welcome the Bodhi Tree, carry it on his head and shoulders, just as I made various offerings to it here.” Having given this command, the ship set sail. At that time, for an extent of one yojana in the ocean around where the ship was, there were no waves. The king thought to himself, “The Buddha’s Bodhi Tree is now departing from my country.” As he had this thought, his tears flowed and he choked with grief. After the ship had departed, the king looked into the distance and saw various flowers emerging from the sea water, following behind the ship to make offerings to it. Moreover, in empty space, various flowers were scattered and instrumental music was offered; the water spirits also offered various flowers and incense. Thus it reached progressively down to the palace of the Nāga King. The Nāga King came out, wishing to seize the Bodhi Tree. Thereupon, the nun Saṅghamittā transformed herself into the king of garuḍas. The Nāga King prostrated with his forehead to her feet and said, “I now wish to invite the Bodhi Tree and the Venerable One to return to my palace for seven days of offerings.” Thereupon, the Bodhi Tree and the great assembly all entered the nāga palace. The Nāga King offered his royal throne, bowed to the tree as king, and made offerings for seven days. When the seven days were over, the Nāga King himself escorted the Bodhi Tree to the landing of Jambukola. King Aśoka, looking from afar, could no longer see the Bodhi Tree; weeping, he returned. At that time, King Devānaṃpiya Tissa leveled and cleared the road from the city to the landing of Jambukola, making the ground as smooth as the palm of a hand. By her supernormal power, Saṅghamittā enabled the king inside the palace city to see the Bodhi Tree approaching from afar. The king went out to the landing of Jambukola, entered the water neck-deep, and the tree emitted light of six colours. Seeing this, the king rejoiced; he immediately carried it upon his head and brought it up onto the shore. There were elders of sixteen noble lineages in the country who joined the king in welcoming the Bodhi Tree. When the tree reached the shore, for three days they offered the island of Siṃhala to the Bodhi Tree. The sixteen noble lineages governed the affairs of the kingdom. When the three days ended, on the fourth day, they carried the Bodhi Tree and arrived in succession at the kingdom of Anurādhapura. The people of the entire country joyfully bowed down and made offerings. Past noon on the fourteenth day of the tenth month, the Bodhi Tree entered the center of the city through the north gate, and then exited through the south gate of the city. Five hundred bow-lengths away from the south gate of the city was a place where past Buddhas had also entered into samādhi: the Bodhi Tree of Kakusandha Buddha was named Mahāsaripā; the Bodhi Tree of Koṇāgamana Buddha was named Udumbara; and the Bodhi Tree of Kassapa Buddha was named Nigrodha. In the land of Gāmi, the novice Sumana had the foundation laid out, measuring the entire perimeter, arranging the gates and rooms, and ensuring that the dwelling place of the Bodhi Tree was square and orderly, set where the king’s gateway chambers were. At that time, the sixteen noble lineages all donned robes, encircled the ground of the king’s gateway chambers, and only then set down the tree. The tree rose into empty space to a height of eighty cubits, emitting light of six colours that illuminated the island of Siṃhala all around, reaching up to the Brahmā heaven. The assembly, seeing the tree’s transformations, rejoiced greatly in their hearts. Ten thousand people in the assembly simultaneously recollected the Buddha; one after another, they left the household and attained the way of an arhat. Before the sun’s rays had set, the tree was still in empty space. After sunset, the stars and comets all descended, and the great earth shook violently. At that time, Mahinda, together with Saṅghamittā, the king, and the people of the country, gathered beneath the Bodhi Tree. A single fruit on the northern branch ripened, fell from the branch, and was offered to Mahinda. Mahinda gave the seed to the king, telling him to plant it. The king received it in a golden vessel, heaped rich soil around it, and covered it with scented unguent. In a short moment, it produced eight saplings, each four cubits tall. Seeing this, the king was amazed and praised it, covered them with a white parasol, and bowed to the saplings as kings. The king took one sapling and planted it at the landing of Jambukola; he took another sapling and planted it in the brāhmaṇa village of Tivakka; he took another sapling and planted it at the gateway; he took another sapling and planted it in the stūpa garden; he took another sapling and planted it at the Maheśvara monastery; he took another sapling and planted it in the middle of Cetiya Mountain; he took another sapling and planted it in the village of Rohaṇa; and he took another sapling and planted it in the village of Candana. The remaining four fruits on the tree ripened and fell one after another, producing thirty-two saplings in all. All of them were taken and planted in the Yona Park. In this way, stūpas spread throughout the Lion Country. Because of the Bodhi Tree, the country was tranquil and free of disasters and suffering. At that time, Queen Anulā, together with a thousand women, went to Saṅghamittā to become nuns. After being ordained, they attained arhatship one after another. The king’s nephew Ariṭṭha, together with five hundred people, left the household and attained arhatship one after another. On another day, the king went with Mahinda to pay homage to the Bodhi Tree. When they reached the site of the Brazen Palace (Lohapāsāda), the people presented flowers to the king. The king offered the flowers to Master Mahinda in worship of the Brazen Palace; when the flowers fell to the ground, the earth shook. Seeing the earth shake, the king asked the Venerable One, “Why did this earth suddenly shake?” He replied, “Great King, in the future the Saṅgha will recite the precepts in this hall; therefore the earth displayed this auspicious sign.” Proceeding along in sequence, they reached a mango grove. Someone presented ripe mangoes, complete in fragrance and taste, to the king. The king offered them to Mahinda. Mahinda ate them, and handing the seed to the king, said, “You may plant this seed.” The king immediately planted it and sprinkled the ground with water, whereupon the earth shook. The king asked, “Why did the earth shake?” He replied, “Because in a future age the Saṅgha will assemble here, it displayed this auspicious sign.” The king then scattered flowers, paid homage, and departed. Arriving at the Cetiya site, someone presented campaka flowers to the king. The king offered them to Mahinda, and the earth shook. The king asked, “Why did the earth shake?” He replied, “Because in the future a great stūpa of the Buddha will be erected here, it displayed this auspicious sign.” The king said, “I shall erect the stūpa now.” Mahinda replied, “There is no need for the king to erect it. The king has many construction projects; in a future age, the king’s grandson named Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya will erect the great stūpa.” The king asked, “If he is my grandson, will I obtain that merit?” He replied, “You will not.” The king took a stone pillar twenty feet tall and carved an inscription on the stone pillar: “My descendant named Duṭṭhagāmaṇī Abhaya shall in the future erect a great stūpa here.” (Extracted from the third fascicle of the Samantapāsādikā).
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6. A Gṛhapati Built a Stūpa Together with Others and Specially Made Offerings, Wherefore Seven Treasures Rained from His Hands
6.14
Formerly, in the realm of King Aśoka, there was a gṛhapati who made offerings to twenty thousand bhikṣus, inviting them continuously for an entire year so that his fame reached the king. The king summoned and met with him, asking: 'I have heard that your household is immensely wealthy. What things do you possess?' He replied: 'In truth, I have nothing.' Disbelieving him, the king detained the gṛhapati and sent [men] to inspect his home. They saw that the residence had seven tiers of gates, and the halls and buildings were all made of the seven treasures, surpassing the royal palace; the women were also superior, but there was neither grain, silk, money, nor goods. Returning, they reported this to the king. The king’s mind gradually understood. The gṛhapati smiled. The king asked: 'Why do you smile?' He answered: 'Only because Your Majesty did not believe me.' The gṛhapati pointed his hand toward the eastern sky, and the seven treasures rained down; he pointed to the south, and treasures likewise rained down boundlessly. The king then sent him home. As the vihāra of the sangha was not far from the palace, the king prepared his carriage and went to the vihāra. Seeing the bhikṣu-saṅgha, he paid homage respectfully and asked the senior elder: 'What past merit does this gṛhapati possess, that natural treasures arrive as soon as he thinks of them?' The senior elder bhikṣu entered samādhi and viewed the thoughts and minds of beings within four hundred yojanas; he saw this son of an elder: Formerly, in the time of Vipaśyin Buddha, four persons jointly erected a stūpa and monastery. Among them was one man who applied his mind most earnestly. After the stūpa and monastery were completed, he mixed gold, silver, the seven treasures, and various fine flowers together, ascended the third tier of the stūpa, and scattered them on all four sides like rain, making the vow: 'May the merit I enjoy in the future constantly never cease.' The one who now obtains natural treasures is this very person. Hearing this, the king extensively cultivated merit. (Extracted from the Avadāna Sūtra, fascicle 1)
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10. Sudatta Built a Hair-and-Nail Stūpa
6.16
The Buddha had long been traveling through various kingdoms. The elder Sudatta longed for him thirstily, and said to the Buddha: 'May you leave behind a small object so that I may constantly make offerings to it.' The Buddha gave him hair and nails. [Sudatta] requested permission to build a stūpa, and the Buddha consented. In the city of Śrāvastī, he constructed brackets and pillars, embellishing them with painted ornamentation. (Extracted from the Sarvāstivāda Vinaya, fascicle 1)
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8. His Body Departed but His Shadow Remained; a Rṣi Converted by Him Built a Hair-and-Nail Stūpa
6.18
When the Buddha reached the Yuezhi kingdom, he subdued a female rākṣasa in the west. At that time he stayed overnight in a stone cave, and to this day the Buddha's shadow remains there. If someone goes inside to look at it, they cannot see it; but upon exiting the aperture, the luminous marks are like those of the Buddha. At times it flew to the mountain of the ṛṣi Revata in the kingdom of Kaśmīra, hovering in the sky to subdue this ṛṣi. The ṛṣi said: 'I delight in dwelling here. May the Buddha grant me hair and nails to build a stūpa and make offerings.' The stūpa still exists today beneath this mountain, where there is the monastery of Liyue; 'Liyue' should be Revata. (Extracted from the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, fascicle 12)
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9. Devas Built a Tooth and Collarbone Stūpa
6.20
The Buddha's right tooth and right collarbone [relics]: on Siṃhala Island, [a king] requested and obtained two collarbones and a tooth, and built a stūpa in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven; they are now in Śakra's palace. (Extracted from the Samantapāsādikā, fascicle 2)
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10. Young Children Piled Sand to Make a Stūpa
6.22
When the Buddha was traveling in Vārāṇasī, five hundred young children formed a group. Playing together by the river, they piled sand to make stūpas, each saying: 'My stūpa is very fine; you should imitate what I make.' Although these five hundred children had good intentions, their past karmic fortune was slight: torrential rain fell, and the river suddenly rose; the five hundred young children all drowned at the same time. Their parents wailed, searching for the corpses, not knowing where they were. The Buddha said: 'Do not harbor resentment over what was not invited in past lives. These children were destined to this by their past lives; they are now born in the Tuṣita heaven.' The Buddha emitted light, enabling these parents to see their sons from afar. Instantly, [the devas] all came down, scattering flowers in offering. The Buddha said: 'Excellent! Because they made sand stūpas, they were immediately born in heaven and will see Maitreya Buddha.' The five hundred devaputras each addressed their parents: 'Do not grieve any longer; just strive with vigor.' Circling the Buddha three times, they bowed and flew away. (Extracted from the Sūtra of the Five Hundred Young Children and fascicle 4 of the Jātaka Sūtra)
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11. Monkeys Built an Earth-and-Stone Stūpa
6.24
When the Buddha was in the city of Rājagṛha, he dispatched an arhat named Sumana, bearing the Buddha's hair and nails, to build a stūpa in the southern mountains of Kaśmīra. Five hundred arhats constantly resided in the monastery, burning incense and circumambulating the stūpa morning and evening in worship. Five hundred monkeys saw the monks making offerings, went to the side of a deep ravine, carried mud and stones, and erected a Buddha stūpa. Setting up a wooden pole as a mast, they tied tattered banners to it, bowing morning and evening. A flash flood swept over them, and they were all drowned at once. They were born in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. Immediately, using their divine eyes, they saw their own past and present. Each holding flowers, incense, and musical instruments, they approached their former corpses and circumambulated them seven times. While the devas were seen from afar scattering flowers, playing music, and circumambulating the monkeys' corpses, five hundred brāhmaṇas with heterodox views from outside traditions asked the devas: 'Why do you deign to make offerings here?' They answered: 'These are our former bodies. Formerly in the world, we imitated the śramaṇas and playfully erected a stūpa and monastery. Relying on this, we were born in heaven; we are now repaying their kindness. You of heterodox views have toiled for a hundred kalpas without gaining a single thing. It would be better to go together to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa to worship and serve [the Buddha]; its merit is limitless.' Thereupon, the brāhmaṇas were all filled with joy, went together to the Buddha's abode, cast their five limbs to the ground, and scattered flowers in offering. (Extracted from the Dharmapada-avadāna Sūtra, fascicle 1)
6.25
12. Four Stūpas in Heaven
6.26
In the Trāyastriṃśa heavenly city, in the Zhaoming (Illumination) Park to the east, there is a Buddha hair stūpa. In the Cuse (Rough) Park to the south, there is a Buddha nail stūpa. In the Huanxi (Delight) Park to the west, there is a Buddha bowl stūpa. In the Jiayu (Charioteering) Park to the north, there is a Buddha tooth stūpa. (Extracted from Excerpts from Collected Sūtras; the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says that Śakra took the Bodhisattva's hair and erected a stūpa outside the eastern gate of the city, and also took his precious robes and erected a stūpa east of the city)
6.27
13. Four Stūpas among Humans
6.28
In the realm of Kapilavastu, said to be the center of heaven and earth, the Stūpa of the Birthplace was erected. In the realm of Magadha, at the Bodhimanda of Supreme Victory, beneath the Primordial Auspicious Tree, the Stūpa of the Attainment of the Way was built. In the realm of Vārāṇasī, at the Ṛṣipatana in the Deer Park, the Stūpa of the Turning of the Wheel of the Dharma was erected. In the realm of Kuśinagara, at the birthplace of the Mallas, amidst the lush twin trees, the Stūpa of Parinirvāṇa was built. (Extracted from Excerpts from Collected Sūtras)
6.29
14. A Stūpa Built over the Remaining Bones of Mahāsattva
6.30
In the past, a prince named Mahāsattva went roaming in the forests and wilds. He saw a tigress that had newly given birth to seven cubs; starving for many days, their lives were on the verge of extinction. He thereupon stripped off his clothes, pierced his neck with a bamboo stalk, leaped down from a height, and lay before the tigress. The tigress licked his blood, gradually consumed him entirely. Hearing that their son had not returned, the Great King and the palace sent people to search for him. The messenger returned and recounted the matter in full. The king ordered his relics to be gathered and a stūpa of the seven treasures to be built. (Extracted from the Golden Light Sūtra, fascicle 4)
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15. The Buddha Manifests the Relic Stūpa from When He Was a Bodhisattva
6.32
A stūpa of the seven treasures welled up from the earth. The Buddha arose from his seat and paid homage to the stūpa. At that time, the deity of the Bodhi Tree at the bodhimaṇḍa asked: 'The Tathāgata is most supreme and most revered; for what reason do you pay homage to this stūpa?' The Buddha answered: 'Formerly, when I practiced the bodhisattva path, my whole-body relics were placed within this stūpa. Because of this body, I quickly attained the Buddha way.' He instructed Ānanda to open the stūpa, take out the relics, and show them to this great assembly. Ānanda unlocked the stūpa and opened the casket of seven treasures; the relics were red and white. The Buddha said: 'These were cultivated and perfumed by morality, meditation, and wisdom; exceedingly difficult to obtain, they are the supreme field of merit.' The great assembly rejoiced, and reverently bowed their heads in homage. (Extracted from the Golden Light Sūtra, fascicle 4)
6.33
16. King Jinmei Built a Stūpa for Kāśyapa Buddha
6.34
In a past age, there was King Jinmei. After Kāśyapa Tathāgata entered parinirvāṇa, this king built a stūpa of gold and silver, one thousand yojanas in length and breadth and one yojana high. He stacked silver and gold to make a moat, which remains underground to this day. At that time, the Tathāgata brought forth this stūpa and displayed it to the four assemblies; Kāśyapa's whole-body relics were dignified as of old. (Extracted from the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, fascicle 30)
6.35
17. Repairing the Ancient Stūpa of Kāśyapa Buddha
6.36
After Kāśyapa Buddha's nirvāṇa and cremation, a stūpa of the seven treasures was built with the Buddha's relics, and offerings were reverently made. Passing through several generations, the stūpa decayed and fell into ruins of itself, with no one to repair it. There was a righteous association in the city of ninety-three thousand people, with King Bimbisāra of that time as their leader. He told the assembly: 'Each of you should encourage yourselves to jointly create merit. A Buddha era is hard to encounter; a human body is hard to obtain. Even if one gains a human body, one might fall into border lands or be born in a house of heterodox views. Why should we crave these worldly pleasures? It is better to open our minds and repair the decaying stūpa and monastery.' They jointly repaired it, and jointly made a vow: 'If there is merit, may we not fall into the three wretched destinies or the eight states of adversity, but be born together among humans and devas, meet Śākyamuni, and at his first assembly's expounding of the Dharma, all attain liberation.' With the king as their leader, when the people of that time died, they were born in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. Passing through several generations, when Śākyamuni appeared in the world, the ninety-three thousand people were born in the kingdom of Magadha, with Bimbisāra becoming king. (Extracted from the Lalitavistara Sūtra, fascicle 9)
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18. King Dezhū Built Five Hundred Stūpas
6.38
In a past age, there was a cakravartin named Dezhū (Master of Virtue). Once, in a single day, he built five hundred stūpas, five hundred yojanas high. (Extracted from the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, fascicle 57)
6.39
19. The Welter-up of the Precious Stūpa
6.40
At that time, in front of the Buddha, there was a seven-jeweled stupa, five hundred yojanas in height, and two hundred and fifty yojanas in length and breadth, which welled forth from the earth and stayed in mid-air. It was adorned with various precious substances. Five thousand railings, tens of millions of niches and chambers, and countless banners and streamers were used as its ornaments. Jeweled necklaces hung down, and hundreds of millions of jeweled bells were suspended above it. From all four sides issued the fragrance of tamālapattra and candana, permeating the entire world. Its various banners and canopies were composed of the seven jewels: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, musāragalva, agate, pearl, and amber. It reached up as high as the palaces of the Four Heavenly Kings. The gods of the Thirty-Three Heavens rained down divine māndārava flowers in offering to the jeweled stupa. Down to the eight classes [of beings], they made offerings to the jeweled stupa with all kinds of flowers, incense, necklaces, banners, canopies, and music. At that time, a great voice issued from the stupa, praising: 'Excellent, Śākyamuni Buddha! With impartial wisdom, you teach the bodhisattvas the Dharma.' When the four assemblies heard the voice issuing from the stupa, they all attained the joy of the Dharma and marveled at this unprecedented event. Within this jeweled stupa was the entire body of a Tathāgata. In the past, immeasurable tens of millions of asaṃkhyeya worlds away in the east, there was a land named Jewel Purity; the Buddha's name was Many Treasures (Prabhūtaratna). When that Buddha was practicing the bodhisattva path, he made a great vow: 'If, after I attain Buddhahood and enter extinction, in the lands of the ten directions there is a place where the Lotus Sūtra is preached, my stupa-shrine, in order to hear the sūtra, shall well forth and appear before it to bear witness. If someone preaches the Lotus [Sūtra], the relics of my whole body within the stupa shall utter praise, saying: "Excellent!"' The Bodhisattva Great Joy in Preaching (Mahāpratibhāna) said to the Buddha: 'Bhagavat, we wish to see the body of this Buddha.' The Buddha said: 'The Buddha Prabhūtaratna has a profound and weighty vow: "When my jeweled stupa appears before the Buddhas to hear the Lotus Sūtra, if anyone wishes to show my body to the four assemblies, the replica Buddhas of that Buddha in the ten directions must all return together to one place, and only then will my body appear."' Great Joy in Preaching said: 'We also wish to see the replica Buddhas of the Bhagavat.' The Buddha emitted a single ray of light from his white curl between the eyebrows. [The light reached] the Buddhas in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above, and below. Each of those Buddhas told his assembly of bodhisattvas: 'Good men, I must now go to the Saha world, to the place of Śākyamuni Buddha, and also make offerings to the jeweled stupa of Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata.' Then the Saha world immediately became pure: lapis lazuli formed the ground, jeweled trees were arrayed as adornments, golden cords marked off the eight roads, and there were no villages, towns, cities, great oceans, rivers, mountains, streams, forests, or marshes. Great precious incense was burned, and all the devas and humans were relocated to other lands. At that time, each of the Buddhas brought along one great bodhisattva as an attendant, arrived in the Saha world, and each went beneath a jeweled tree. Beneath each tree was a lion throne, five hundred yojanas high. The Buddhas of the ten directions all assembled and sat in the eight directions. The Buddhas wished together to open the jeweled stupa, so they arose from their seats and stood in empty space. The entire four assemblies stood up, joined their palms, and single-mindedly gazed at the Buddha. Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha, with his right finger, opened the door of the seven-jeweled stupa. It emitted a great sound, like the drawing back of a lock and key. The entire great assembly saw Prabhūtaratna Tathāgata seated on the lion throne within the jeweled stupa, his whole body intact, as if he had entered meditative absorption. They also heard him say: 'Excellent! Excellent! Śākyamuni Buddha, you have delightfully preached this Lotus Sūtra. I have come to this place to hear this sūtra.' At that time, the four assemblies and others, seeing a Buddha who had entered extinction immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas ago speak such words, praised it as unprecedented, and scattered masses of divine jeweled flowers upon Prabhūtaratna Buddha and Śākyamuni Buddha. Then Prabhūtaratna Buddha, within the jeweled stupa, yielded half of his seat to Śākyamuni Buddha to sit upon. Śākyamuni Buddha then sat on that half of the seat, and with his supernatural powers, he drew the entire great assembly up so that they were all in empty space. (From the fourth fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra)
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- 經律異相 — Classical Chinese