[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法苑珠林](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122) › 12.99 # 法苑珠林 12.99 法苑珠林 12.99 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [12.99](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.12.99) 齊文宣皇帝時。有先師統上。家世涼州。年至十三。發誓西行。至宋元徽三年五月。遂發京師至。五年方到芮國。進到于闐。臨發之日有一僧。於密室之中出銅函一枚。手授先師曰。此函有佛牙。方一寸長三寸。可將還南方廣作利益。先師歡喜頂受如覩佛身。此僧又云。我於烏纏國取此佛牙。甚為艱難。又獲銅印一枚國王面像以封此函。先師後聞諸僧共議云。烏纏國失却佛牙不知何國福德僧當獲供養。先師聞已。私懷密喜倍加尊敬。於是齎還鍾山。十有五載。雖復親近而弟子莫知。唯密呈靈根寺法頴律師。頂戴苦勤出示舊聞。龜茲一僧莫知真偽。心多疑偽。是時司徒竟陵王文宣王。幼含勝慧結志隆芸。誠感懇徵亟發靈應。以永明七年二月八日。於西第在內堂法會。見佛從東來威容顯曜。文宣望身頂禮。因而侍立。自覺己冠裁及趺踝。佛俛而微笑。既而咳唾。白如凝雪。以手承捧變為玉稻。後移鎮東府。以六月二十九日又夢。往定林見先師稱疾而臥。因問。生老病死五通未免。法師衣鉢之餘。寧可營功德不。對曰。貧道庫中有無價神寶。敬以憑託。宜自取之。依言往求。見有函匱。次第開視多是經像。未見小函懸在虛空。取而開之光色不恒。始言是像。而復非像既云非像而復是像。文宣從夢而覺。心知休徵。明旦即遣左右楊曇明。密夢證。法師庫中必有異寶。宜以惠示。先師造次之間。謂求俗珍殊。不意是牙。乃修常答旨。續更尋思。中夜方悟。以事難傳說。乃躬自到府具敘本源。貧道唯示頴律師一人。更無知者。今檀越感通冥應信而有徵。便是不可思議。其迹已現。寧敢久辱威神以廢佛事。今奉歸供養。後經三日自送東府。文宣得牙。十許日又夢。在空中狀若牛角。長三尺餘。神光洞發。燭其右臂。俄覩一鑞像高亦三尺。瞬目而語三稱極佳。先師又於于闐得舍利十五枚。處處分布。枳園禪靈起剎之時。悉皆得分。以一枚送與文宣。文宣時東宮。即取淨水試其真偽。浮在鉢中俄頃不見。道俗數十。精心撿覓永不能得。內外周迴莫不疲怠。文宣方竭誠懺悔。俄爾之間。復於向處忽見在地。光高尺餘。輝彩炳曜。眾咸共覩莫不讚美。先師所餘二枚。各一銀函封題府篋。後更撿視。與函俱失。垂三載後開取佛牙。忽於本篋還復得之。先有二枚而長。獲一凡成三枚。同在一處。但先銀函猶遂失焉。故神化不可測度矣。文宣素聞西方有佛牙佛髮。喜躍特深。到建元三年。啟高皇帝遣外國沙門曇摩多羅。索供養之具以申虔仰。又造小形寶帳擬送西域。既而定留如有所得。俄而先師屆都果獲靈瑞。即此寶帳迴以供養。冥理相契非一朝焉。文宣後造寶臺以盛帳。製寶藏以貯函。敬事尊重。傾歷心力矣（右前諸事出漢法內傳并雜史高僧傳等錄）。 > In the time of Emperor Wenxuan of the Qi, there was the former master Tongsheng. His family had resided in Liangzhou for generations. At the age of thirteen, he made a vow to travel west. In the fifth month of the third year of the Yuanhui era of the Song, he set out from the capital; by the fifth year, he finally reached the state of Rouran, and advanced further to Khotan. On the day of his departure, there was a monk who brought out a copper casket from a secret chamber and handed it with his own hands to the former master, saying: 'This casket contains a Buddha tooth. It is one inch square and three inches long. You may carry it back to the South to broadly generate benefit.' The former master joyfully received it atop his head as if beholding the Buddha's body. This monk also said, 'I obtained this Buddha tooth in the country of Uḍḍiyāna with exceeding difficulty.' He had also obtained a copper seal bearing the likeness of the king's face, with which he sealed this casket. Later, the former master heard various monks discussing together, saying: 'The country of Uḍḍiyāna has lost the Buddha tooth; we do not know what country's monk of blessing and virtue will obtain it to make offerings.' Having heard this, the former master harbored secret joy within himself and redoubled his respect. Thereupon, he carried it back to Mount Zhong. For fifteen years, although they were close to him, none of his disciples knew. He only showed it secretly to Vinaya Master Faying of Linggen Temple, who bore it upon his head with bitter diligence, revealing what had formerly been heard. A monk from Kucha did not know whether it was authentic or false, and was deeply suspicious of its authenticity. At that time, Prince Wenxuan, the King of Jingling and Minister of Works, had embraced superior wisdom from childhood and set his aspirations on lofty pursuits. His sincere resonance and earnest evidence frequently brought forth divine responses. On the eighth day of the second month in the seventh year of the Yongming era, at a Dharma assembly in the inner hall of his Western Residence, he saw a Buddha coming from the east, his majestic appearance radiant and glorious. Wenxuan gazed upon his person and made prostrations, subsequently standing in attendance. He felt his own cap barely reached \[the Buddha's\] ankles. The Buddha leaned down and smiled, and presently coughed and spat, white as congealed snow; \[Wenxuan\] received it with his cupped hands, and it transformed into jade rice. Later, when he was transferred to garrison the Eastern Headquarters, on the twenty-ninth day of the sixth month he dreamed again: he went to Dinglin \[Temple\] and saw the former master lying down, claiming to be ill. He then asked, 'Birth, old age, sickness, and death—even those with the five supernormal knowledges cannot escape them. Beyond your robes and bowl, Dharma Master, would you be willing to cultivate merit?' \[The master\] answered, 'In my storehouse is a priceless spiritual treasure. Reverently I entrust it to you; you should take it yourself.' Following his words, he went to seek it and saw that there were caskets and chests; opening and inspecting them in succession, they were mostly sūtras and images. Without seeing the small casket, it was suspended in empty space; taking and opening it, its light and colors were inconstant: at first one would say it was an image, yet it was not an image; having said it was not an image, it was again an image. Wenxuan awoke from the dream, knowing in his heart it was an auspicious omen. The next morning, he immediately dispatched his attendant Yang Tanming to secretly verify the dream: 'There must be an extraordinary treasure in the Dharma Master's storehouse; you should bestow and show it to us.' In the rush of the moment, the former master thought he was seeking worldly rarities, never suspecting it was the tooth, so he drafted an ordinary reply to the message. Continuously reflecting further, he realized it only at midnight. Considering the matter difficult to convey through others, he personally went to the headquarters and fully recounted its origins: 'I showed it only to Vinaya Master Ying alone; no one else knew. Now that the dānapati's spiritual resonance and dark response are verified by evidence, it is truly inconceivable! Since its signs have already manifested, how could I dare long dishonor its majesty and spiritual power so as to neglect the Buddhist affairs? I now respectfully present it for you to make offerings.' After three days, he personally brought it to the Eastern Headquarters. When Wenxuan obtained the tooth, after ten-odd days he dreamed again: suspended in the air, its shape was like an ox horn, more than three feet long, with spiritual radiance shining forth, illuminating his right arm. Presently he beheld a pewter image, also three feet high, blinking its eyes and speaking, praising three times, 'Extremely wonderful!' The former master had also obtained fifteen relics in Khotan and distributed them in various places. When the caityas of Zhiyuan and Chanling were erected, each received a share; he sent one piece to Wenxuan. Wenxuan was then at the Eastern Palace; he immediately took pure water to test its authenticity. Floating in the bowl, in an instant it disappeared. Several tens of monastics and laypersons meticulously searched for it, but could never find it. Searching all around inside and out, everyone was exhausted. Only when Wenxuan exhausted his sincerity in repentance, in an instant, it was suddenly seen on the ground at the previous spot, its light over a foot high, its luminescence brilliant and dazzling. The multitude all beheld it together, and none failed to praise it. As for the two remaining pieces of the former master, each was sealed in a silver casket and inscribed within the chests of his quarters. When he inspected them again later, they were lost together with the caskets. Nearly three years later, when he opened \[the chest\] to take the Buddha tooth, he suddenly found them again in the original chest: where there were originally two pieces, another had grown and been obtained, making three pieces in total, all in the same place; yet the former silver caskets remained lost. Thus divine transformations cannot be fathomed. Wenxuan had long heard that the West had a Buddha tooth and Buddha hair, and rejoiced with extraordinary depth. Reaching the third year of the Jianyuan era, he petitioned Emperor Gao to dispatch the foreign śramaṇa Dharmatara to seek articles for offerings so as to express his devotion. He also constructed a small-sized jeweled canopy, intending to send it to the Western Regions; yet it was kept behind as if something were to be gained. Soon after, the former master arrived at the capital and indeed brought forth the divine portent; this very jeweled canopy was then turned around to be offered to it. The concordance of the dark principle was not the work of a single day! Later, Wenxuan constructed a jeweled terrace to contain the canopy, and crafted a jeweled repository to store the casket. In serving it with respect and veneration, he poured out his heart and strength. (The preceding affairs are extracted from the Han fa neizhuan, miscellaneous histories, the Biographies of Eminent Monks, and other records.) > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 12.98](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.12.98) - [Next: 12.100](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.12.100) - [Up: 12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.12) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.12.99) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.12.99](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.12.99) · Pramāṇa