法苑珠林 10.9

10.9

At that time, the Four Heavenly Kings addressed Vinaya Master Daoxuan: "When the Tathāgata was approaching nirvāṇa, he was dwelling together with the great assembly of humans and gods at the Oxhead Vihāra south of Lake Anavatapta on the summit of Mount Gandhamādana. He addressed Mahākāśyapa: 'Take Subhūti to the summit of Mount Sumeru and blow the great Dharma conch to summon the bodhisattvas of the ten grounds from the ten directions, the saṃgha of śrāvakas, the ten billion Brahmās and Śakras, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the like; also summon the Buddhas of the ten directions to assemble at Mount Gandhamādana.' Kāśyapa complied with the instruction, and the great assembly gathered like clouds. At that time, the World-Honoured One sat cross-legged and entered the vajrasamādhi. The great earth shook in six ways, and he also emitted light from his eyebrows that illuminated throughout the great trichiliocosm for seven days. The great assembly all wondered, not knowing what the reason was. The World-Honoured One arose from samādhi, smiled serenely, and addressed the great assembly: 'When I first vaulted over the city wall and just emerged from the palace gate, outside there was a gandharva king leading his clan, playing hundreds of thousands of divine musical pieces, who came to my place and asked me: "Where do you wish to go?" I replied to him: "I wish to seek bodhi." He said to me: "You are certain to achieve saṃbodhi. When Krakucchanda Buddha was about to enter nirvāṇa, he entrusted me with a golden vase. Inside the vase is a jewelled stūpa containing seven-jewel seals: two golden seals and five silver seals. He bade me entrust them to Siddhārtha and always instructed me to guard them. When you achieve saṃbodhi, I shall promptly come." Relying on his words, I received the vase, and before long achieved the Way. Mahābrahmā and the earth deity Dṛḍhā constructed a great vajra-platform adorned with myriad jewels out of yellow gold and white jade to the south of the Bodhi tree. At that time, the gandharva king addressed the Buddhas of the ten directions: "I saw that when past Buddhas first achieved the Way, they all ascended the vajra-platform, and golden vases holding water were used to consecrate their heads to establish them in the rank of Dharma King. Now I see Śākya-Venerable has just attained bodhi; he too should ascend the vajra-platform like the previous Buddhas. I have heard that below the King of Mountains, within the sevenfold blue sea, there is water endowed with the eight virtues. When the Buddhas of antiquity wished to ascend to the rank of Dharma King, they all climbed the vajra-platform and used this water to consecrate their heads. I shall go myself to fetch it, wishing to consecrate Śākya's head." That gandharva king opened the vase, took out the seal-stūpa, and carried the vase to fetch the water. At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions bid me ascend the platform. I then circumambulated the platform three times, ascended from the south, turned west and paused at the north, and arriving at the centre of the platform, I spread my niṣīdanamyself and paid homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions. The Buddhas instructed me to sit and enter the vajrasamādhi. The Buddhas who had come from the ten directions also told the Nāga King Sāgara: "Go to the summit of Mount Piṅgala on the Jewel-Horse King Isle at the bottom of the great ocean. There is a great rock cave there named the Vajragarbha, which is used to store the bells of cakravartins and the bells of Dharma Kings. They are all made of yellow gold and inlaid with the seven jewels and white jade. When Buddhas appear in the world, a thousand bells are used to pour consecration on their heads; when cakravartins appear in the world, a thousand bells are also used for consecration. Bring the Buddha-bells, do not use the cakravartin ones, to hold the water of eight virtues to consecrate Śākya." At that time, having received the Buddha's instruction, the Nāga King took the golden bells and offered them to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas instructed the gandharva king: "Take that water and pour it into our golden bells." When the Buddhas had received it, the earth shook in six ways, and the Buddhas who had come from the ten directions each emitted a white uṣṇīṣa-curl light. Within that light they praised the merits of the Buddha Jewel. Arising from samādhi, I also emitted light from my eyebrows, which merged with the lights of the Buddhas into a single jewelled canopy that covered the great trichiliocosm everywhere. The sun, moon, stars, constellations, great ocean, mountains, and the karmic retributions of sentient beings all appeared within the canopy. Furthermore, within this jewelled canopy were ten billion Buddha-lands. The Buddhas instructed me to rise and stand upon the golden platform, and I again paid homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions. At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions again addressed the Nāga King Vāsuki: "Go to the summit of Mount Piṅgala. In that mountain there is a cave that conceals the seats of Buddhas and the seats of cakravartins. They are all made of yellow gold, like Mount Sumeru. The Buddha-seat is encircled by nine nāgas, and the cakravartin-seat is encircled by five nāgas. Now is the seat for when the Dharma King ascends the throne." At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions also commanded the great demon king and Mahābrahmā to carry the Buddha-seat together and bring it onto the golden platform. The Buddhas bid me sit, and I complied with their words and sat down. At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions held the golden bells filled with water and consecrated my head. After the Buddhas had consecrated me, next the Four Kings, Śakra, Māra, and Brahmā consecrated me in turn. After receiving the consecration, I attained the pure samādhi, and immeasurable Buddha-dharmas all manifested at once. The earth shook greatly again, and ten billion māras all came to surrender. The Brahmā kings of the ten directions each held heavenly musical instruments and played the melody of the Buddha's attainment of the Way, and from within all the musical instruments light was emitted, expounding the six pāramitās. Then the gandharva king brought the previous seven-jewel seals and offered them to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas imprinted them on the seven apertures of my face. The Buddhas further addressed me, saying: "Now we imprint your seven apertures so that you are endowed with the seven limbs of awakening. First we imprint your mouth in order to select among afflictions and the factors of knowledge; in this manner your ears, eyes, nose, and so forth are imprinted in turn." They also offered the golden seals to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas imprinted them on three places on my chest: because I obtained the Dharma-seals, I thereby realized the knowledge of the three voids and understood all Buddha-dharmas. Next he took the silver seals and also offered them to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas imprinted them on my crown as well as my hands and feet: having received the seals, I realized the uncontaminated knowledge and was endowed with the fivefold dharmakāya. When the Buddhas had finished imprinting, they all extended their golden hands to stroke my head. Having received the stroking, I realized hundreds of thousands of samādhis and attained a thousand illuminative gateways of the Dharma. These Buddha-dharmas I had already realized long ago, but for the sake of sentient beings I displayed the same characteristics as a cakravartin, and also displayed rare and auspicious signs. My crown and my hands and feet all emitted five-coloured light, and within each light were hundreds of thousands of multi-storeyed pavilions. My emanation-buddhas were all inside the pavilions, and all received the seals and ascended the great Dharma rank just as I had. Since attaining the Way, I have constantly kept this vase and stūpa; I had never shown them to you, but only now do I reveal them.' Furthermore, the Buddha instructed the Great Being Samantabhadra to open the vase and take out the jewelled stūpa. In accordance with the command, he took out the stūpa and set it standing before the World-Honoured One. The World-Honoured One arose and paid homage to the stūpa, whereupon the stūpa door opened on its own. Inside there were pearl pavilions, numbering one hundred and thirty thousand; each pavilion formed a single seal, together with golden folds of vinaya, also numbering one hundred and thirty thousand. Inside were five bhikṣus who had entered the cessation concentration. The Buddha addressed Mañjuśrī: 'Take my Dharma horn mounted with yellow gold, go to where those bhikṣus are, and blow my melody of appearance in the world and my melody of arising from deep concentration.' Hearing the musical sound, the bhikṣus immediately arose from concentration and asked Mañjuśrī: 'What Buddha has arisen in the world now?' He replied: 'The fourth, Śākyamuni Buddha, in this Bhadrakalpa.' The bhikṣus said further: 'We are great śrāvaka disciples of Krakucchanda Buddha. When he entered nirvāṇa, he bid us stay inside this stūpa to guard the seals and the like until Rucika Buddha, when we may finally enter nirvāṇa.' At that time, the bhikṣus arose from their seats, paid homage to the World-Honoured One from afar, enquired after his health, and also addressed Mañjuśrī: 'That Buddha instructed us: "When Śākyamuni approaches nirvāṇa, take twenty-three seals from among the seals and entrust them to all the bequeathed teachings after Śākyamuni Buddha passes into extinction. The sentient beings of that time will have heavy defilements and wrong views, and will not observe the prohibitions and precepts; the gods, nāgas, and spirits will not protect them, causing the four assemblies to lack majesty and virtue. I leave these seals for Śākyamuni Buddha, bidding the great bodhisattvas in future ages to take the twenty-three seals and stamp them everywhere upon the bequeathed Dharma, imprinting those four assemblies so that they are free from violations. If there are those who delight in chanting and reciting the sūtras, imprint their mouths so that they have no forgetfulness. If there are those who cultivate concentration and practice with a straight mind, imprint them all, causing their corpses after death to not decay, or to possess radiance. When wicked sentient beings see such auspicious signs as these, they will all give rise to joyful and reverent minds."' Having spoken these words, the stūpa door closed again on its own."