法苑珠林 11

English (machine translation) 11

Language: English

11.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

11.2

Part 5, Chapter 4: The Thousand Buddhas
Section 12: Attainment of the Way (This contains ten sub-sections)

11.3

Exposition of Intention
Begging for Food
Studying Meditation
Austerities
Eating Porridge
The Grass Seat
Subduing Māra
Attaining the Way
Praises by the Devas
Spiritual Transformations

We have heard: When the Great Sage responds to the era, his sympathetic resonance is manifest and bright; he shelters the ten directions, and his conversion extends throughout the tridhātu. He is the guide of the four modes of birth, and the ferry across the six destinies. As for his being born above in Tuṣita, his manifesting extinction in Jambudvīpa, his crowning the sun while dwelling in the womb, and his obscuring his traces like a falling star: in the Lumbinī Grove he revealed the thirty-two auspicious signs; beneath the Pippala Tree he radiated the ten kinds of light. Beholding those four gates, he cast aside these five desires; renouncing the magnificent city, he departed alone; relying on the Bodhi Tree, he transcended and ascended. He united the four bowls at the Nairañjanā River; he saved the five companions in the Deer Park. He washed away loving attachment across the vast domain; he cleansed the dark defilements of bygone kalpas. Once the Sun of Wisdom rose, its light illumined the eight hells; his profound merit unfolded its conversion, and his benevolence shone upon the four modes of birth. Expounding with a single voice, each understood according to their kind. The arising of the teaching of images has indeed a long history!

11.6

Sub-section 2: Begging for Food

11.7

As the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya states: At that time, the Bodhisattva wandered on step by step, going from the borders of Magadha to the city of Rājagṛha, and stayed there overnight. The next morning, he entered the city to beg for food. His countenance was dignified and upright; bending and stretching, looking down and up, his deportment was composed, and he looked straight ahead as he advanced, not glancing to the left or right. Donning his robes and carrying his bowl, he entered Rājagṛha to beg for food. At that time, the King of Magadha was on a high terrace, surrounded before and behind by his ministers. Seeing the Bodhisattva from afar entering the city to beg for food with composed steps, he praised him in verse to his ministers. The king then dispatched a messenger to ask: "Where does the bhikṣu wish to go?" The Bodhisattva answered him: "The mountain is named Pāṇḍava; I shall stay there overnight." The messenger returned swiftly and reported this matter to the king. Hearing the messenger's words, the king immediately adorned a fine elephant mount, and followed by the multitude, he went to pay homage to the Bodhisattva. The king then said to the prince: "You may dwell here now. I offer you everything in my entire kingdom, and I will take off this jewelled crown; you may ascend the royal throne and govern, and I will serve as your minister." The Bodhisattva replied: "I have renounced the position of a cakravartin to leave household life and study the Way; how could I remain in secular life on the royal throne of this frontier country? O King, you should know now: it is like someone who, having seen the great ocean, afterwards sees water in a cow's footprint; how could he produce a mind of attachment to it? It is just the same here: how could I abandon the throne of a cakravartin to adopt the position of a petty, millet-scattered king? This cannot be." Then the king stepped forward and said: "If you attain the unexcelled Way, come first to Rājagṛha to meet with me." The Bodhisattva replied: "So be it." Thereupon the king paid homage at the Bodhisattva's feet, circumambulated him three times, and departed.

11.8

The Fo benxing jing also states: The Bodhisattva said to the King of Magadha: "Great King! In truth, I do not fear poisonous serpents, nor do I fear thunder and lightning from the sky, nor do I fear fierce flames blown by great winds burning the wild marshes. I only fear being oppressed by the realm of the five desires. Why is this? The desires are impermanent, like bandits plundering all roots of merit." Thereupon the Bodhisattva spoke a gāthā:

11.9

"The five desires are impermanent and destroy merit; / The six dusts are empty illusions that harm sentient beings. / The retributions of the worldly realm originally deceive people; / What wise person could linger in them for even a moment? / The foolish are unsatisfied even in heaven; / How much less can they find contentment among humans! / They do not realise they are tainted and defiled by desires, / Like dry grass ignited by fierce fire. / Formerly, the holy king Māndhātṛ / Subdued the four realms, flying on a golden wheel; / He even obtained half the throne of Śakra, / Yet suddenly greed arose and he fell. / Even if one were to rule this entire earth, / In the mind one would still desire to absorb other regions. / Worldly people indulge their desires without satiety, / Like the great ocean receiving all flowing streams."

11.10

"Great King, you should know: Beneath Mount Sumeru there were asuras; two brothers, through greed and desire, both loved the same jade maiden. The two fought with each other, wounded one another, and both died." He then spoke a gāthā:

11.11

"Formerly, two asura brothers / Harmed one another for the sake of a single jade maiden. / Blood relatives bound by love became stained with hatred; / The wise person observes this and does not indulge in desire."

11.12

The Bodhisattva also said: "Some are born in heaven or as humans for the sake of the five desires; having obtained birth, through attachment to the five desires they throw themselves into water or cast themselves into fire; for the sake of the five desires, they make enemies for themselves." He further spoke a gāthā:

11.13

"Foolish people are impoverished because of love and desire; / Bound, wounded, and killed, they suffer all kinds of pain. / They expect these desires to accomplish many things, / Unaware that their strength is exhausted, bringing disaster in future lives."

11.14

Furthermore, in the Fo benxing jing, the Bodhisattva spoke this gāthā:

11.15

"Even if loved ones dwell together for long, / When the time comes and life ends, they must part. / Seeing this impermanence in a fleeting moment, / I now seek liberation."

11.16

Sub-section 3: Studying Meditation

11.17

As the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya states: Then the Bodhisattva went to Ārāḍa Kālāma and studied the concentration of the sphere of nothingness. Striving with diligence, he soon realised this dharma. The Bodhisattva then left him and went on. Later he went to Udraka Rāmaputra and studied the concentration of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. Striving with diligence, he soon realised this dharma. The Bodhisattva contemplated: "The concentrations of these two places are not nirvāṇa, nor are they the place of eternal stillness and cessation." Finding no delight in this dharma, he abandoned the two men, departed, and sought an even superior dharma. That superior dharma which the Bodhisattva sought was the unexcelled dharma of rest. At that time, five men followed the Bodhisattva, thinking: "If the Bodhisattva attains the Way, he will expound the Dharma for us."

11.18

The Fo benxing jing also states: The ṛṣi Ārāḍa told the Bodhisattva: "All ordinary people love greed and desire, and suffer afflictions such as bondage. All of this arises from sensory objects." And he spoke a gāthā:

11.19

"The wild goat is killed because of sound; / The flying moth casts itself into the lamp on account of the fire's colour; / The fish in the water hangs on the hook for swallowing the bait; / Worldly people hasten to death drawn by sensory objects."

11.20

The New Mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra also states: When the Buddha was a bodhisattva, he grew weary of old age, sickness, and death, and left the city of Kapilavastu to seek unexcelled wisdom. At that time, King Śuddhodana sent five members of the Śākya clan to follow and attend upon him. Two were maternal relatives, and three were paternal relatives. The two maternal relatives held that purity was attained through the practice of pleasure; the three paternal relatives held that purity was attained through ascetic practices. When the Bodhisattva was practicing austerities, the two maternal relatives could not bear it in their hearts, and so they departed. Later, the Bodhisattva realised that austerities were not the Way; he abandoned them, accepted food such as thick gruel, rice, ghee, and milk, anointed his body with oil, and adopted the middle practice. The three paternal relatives all thought: "The Bodhisattva has gone mad and lost his purpose," and they too abandoned him. Later, when the World-Honoured One attained Buddhahood, he had this thought: "They were all my parents' relatives who previously showed me reverence and made offerings to me. Where are they now that I wish to repay them?" A deva reported to him: "They are now in the country of Vārāṇasī, in the Ṛṣipatana Deer Park" (the detailed account is as related before).

11.21

Question: Why is it called Vārāṇasī? Answer: This is the name of a river. Not far from it, a royal city was established, and therefore this city is also called Vārāṇasī.

11.22

Question: Why is it called the Place of the Ṛṣis' Discourse? Answer: If one states that the Buddhas invariably turn the wheel of the Dharma in this place, they say: The Buddha is the supreme ṛṣi, and all [Buddhas] first turn the wheel of the Dharma here; hence it is called the Place of the Ṛṣis' Discourse. If one states that the Buddhas do not invariably turn the wheel of the Dharma here, they say: It should be called the Dwelling Place of the Ṛṣis. That is to say, when a Buddha appears in the world, it is the dwelling place of the Buddha, the Great Ṛṣi, and the community of holy disciple ṛṣis; when a Buddha does not appear in the world, it is the dwelling place of pratyekabuddha ṛṣis; when there are no pratyekabuddhas, it is inhabited by worldly ṛṣis possessing the five supernormal knowledges. Because ṛṣis have always dwelt, dwell now, and will dwell here, it is called the Dwelling Place of the Ṛṣis. Some say it should be called the Place Where the Ṛṣis Fell: in the past, five hundred ṛṣis were flying through the air, and upon reaching this place, they encountered the causes and conditions of regression, and all fell at once. Question: Why is it called the Deer-Bestowed Forest? Answer: Because herds of deer constantly roamed and stayed in this forest, it was called the Deer Forest. Formerly, a king named Brahmadatta gave this forest to a herd of deer; hence it is called the Deer-Bestowed Forest. Just as the elder Kalandaka excavated a pond in the Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha to give to the kalandaka birds so that they might disport themselves, which was accordingly named the Kalandaka-Bestowed Pond; this is also like that, and hence it is called the Deer-Bestowed Forest (the old translation named it the kalanda bird; the Samantapāsādikā says its shape is like a magpie).

11.23

Sub-section 4: Austerities

11.24

At that time, the Bodhisattva, in this Deer Forest, studied austerities under the five bhikṣus led by Kaundinya. He underwent six years of extreme hardship, surpassing his former teachers. Yet because he starved himself, he did not attain the Way, but wearied his physical form in vain. Thus the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: "The Bodhisattva should admonish his mind with austerities. Eating a single sesame seed a day for seven days; and non-glutinous rice, mung beans, hemp seeds, millet gruel, and white beans were likewise eaten for seven days each. When practicing austerities in this manner, all his flesh and skin wasted away, shrivelling and shrinking like a severed gourd left in the sun. His eyes were sunken like stars at the bottom of a well; his flesh was gone and his ribs protruded like a dilapidated thatched hut; his backbone stood out in a continuous ridge like stacked bricks tied with cord; where he sat was like a horse's footprint. When he wished to sit, he bent forward; when he wished to rise, he fell back. Although he underwent such useless suffering, he did not regress from the mind of bodhi."

11.25

The Pusa chutai jing also states: The Buddha told the ascetic Bodhisattva: "Formerly, the austerities I underwent were countless. For six years of austerities on the banks of the Nairañjanā River, eating a single sesame seed and a single grain of rice a day, this was because in the distant past I committed four verbal faults against a pratyekabuddha and severed an offering; thus a heavy retribution was received lightly."

11.26

The Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra also states: At that time, the Bodhisattva Prabhārasa spoke a gāthā for the great assembly:

11.27

Throughout immeasurable asaṃkhyeya kalpas in the past, / He practised various forms of giving, training in dāna; / Pure in śīla and kṣānti, / Zealous in seated meditation, he studied prajñā. / For the sake of bringing peace and joy to all sentient beings, / He fully endured all kinds of bitter hardships. / Sixty thousand queens, consorts, and palace ladies within the palace, / He cast aside to leave the household life as easily as casting off worn shoes. / Alone for six years, he cultivated austerities, / Eating each day but a single grain of hemp, of rice, or of barley. / Striving day and night without sleeping, / His physical form retained only skin and bones. / Sitting in contemplation beneath the Bodhi tree, / Eight hundred thousand heavenly demons came. / Filling the four directions, above, below, the earth, and the sky, / Across eighty yojanas, all was completely filled. / Such demon armies and their retinues / He was able to defeat and cause to submit. / Perfecting unsurpassed, supreme bodhi, / He attained and realized the fruit of the ultimate truth.

11.28

Part 5: Eating the Milk Gruel

11.29

Furthermore, the Fo benxing jing (Sūtra of the Buddha's Former Deeds) says: At that time, the six years having been completed, on the sixteenth day of the second month of spring, he mentally reflected thus within himself: "I should not, having consumed such food as this, realize anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi. From whom should I now seek fine and delicious food? Who can provide me with that fine food, so that upon eating it I will immediately realize and attain anuttarabodhi?" When the Bodhisattva reflected thus in his mind, a deva, knowing that the Bodhisattva was thinking this, swiftly went to the two daughters of the village headman Sujāta. Having arrived there, he addressed them, saying: "You, daughters of Sujāta, if you know the right time—the Bodhisattva now wishes to seek fine and delicious food; the Bodhisattva now requires the most supreme fine food, and after eating this fine food, he wishes to realize anuttarabodhi. You may now prepare and provide for him sixteen parts of wondrous milk gruel." At that time, the two daughters of the village headman Sujāta, having heard the deva speak thus, leapt with joy, which pervaded their entire bodies so that they could not contain themselves. They swiftly gathered one thousand cows and milked them, and then fed that milk to five hundred cows. On another day, they milked these five hundred cows and fed that milk to two hundred and fifty cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those two hundred and fifty cows and fed it back to one hundred and twenty-five cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those one hundred and twenty-five cows and fed it to sixty cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those sixty cows and fed it to thirty cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those thirty cows and fed it to fifteen cows. On a subsequent day, they milked those fifteen cows, added one part of pure, fine husked rice, and cooked the supreme milk gruel for the Bodhisattva. While the two daughters were cooking the milk gruel, various signs manifested: either there appeared the sign of a vase filled with flowers, or the sign of the deep pool of a river of merit, or the sign of a svastika, or the sign of a thousand-spoked wheel of merit, or the sign of an ox unburdened of its yoke, or the signs of the elephant king and the nāga king, or the sign of a fish, or the sign of a great man, or the sign of Śakra's form, or the sign of the Brahmā King's form. Or it appeared that the milk gruel bubbled and surged upward, rising as high as half a tāla tree before returning down in an instant; or it appeared that the milk gruel rose as high as a full tāla tree before returning down; or it appeared to rise ten feet high and return into the vessel, without a single drop leaving the vessel to fall elsewhere. While they were cooking the milk gruel, there was a soothsayer skilled in ocean reckoning and divination who came to that place. Seeing the milk gruel display such various signs and having carefully observed them, he said: "How rare! How rare! Who is it that will obtain and eat this milk gruel? Having eaten it, before long that person will realize the wondrous medicine of amṛta!" At that time, when the Bodhisattva arrived at the morning of the twenty-third day of the second month, he went outside the main gate of the village headman's house and stood silently, seeking food. When the women saw him, they took a golden bowl, filled it with milk gruel mixed with honey, held it in their own hands, and approached the Bodhisattva. Arriving, they halted and addressed the Bodhisattva, saying: "We only pray that the Venerable One will accept from us this bowl of milk gruel mixed with honey, out of compassion for us." At that time, the Bodhisattva accepted the milk gruel and took it to the Nairañjanā River. A nāga maiden named Nairañjanā surged up from the earth, holding in her hands an adorned, divine and wondrous cane seat to offer to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva accepted it and sat upon it. Having sat upon it, he took the milk gruel offered by the daughters of the village headman Sujāta and ate his fill as he wished, completely finishing it. After the Bodhisattva had eaten that milk gruel, because of the perfuming force of the karmic reward of his practice of dāna in past lives, his physical marks and characteristics were restored as before, upright, pleasing, complete and perfect without deficiency. At that time, the Bodhisattva, having finished eating the gruel, cast the golden bowl into the river. The Ocean Nāga King felt great wonder and astonishment, and in order to praise the Bodhisattva in the present world, took hold of that golden vessel, intending to make offerings to it and carry it to his own palace. At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra, the lord of the gods, transformed his body into a garuḍa with a vajra-jewel beak, snatched the golden bowl from the ocean nāga, and took it to the palace of Trāyastriṃśa among the thirty-three devas to make offerings to it perpetually. To this day in that place, the thirty-three devas have instituted a festival called the "Festival of Making Offerings to the Golden Bowl Vessel," which has continued unbroken from that time until now. At that time, the Bodhisattva, having finished eating the gruel, rose from his seat and proceeded serenely and gradually toward the Bodhi tree. That cane seat the nāga maiden retrieved and took back to her own palace to make offerings to it. And there is a verse which says:

11.30

"The Bodhisattva ate the milk gruel according to the Dharma, / Which had been offered by the daughter of Sujāta. / Having finished eating, he joyfully proceeded toward the tree of the Way, / Resolute in his desire to realize and attain bodhi."

11.31

According to Vinaya Master Daoxuan's Zhuchi ganying ji (Record of Sympathetic Resonances for the Maintenance of the Dharma): A detailed discussion of the causes and conditions is given in the section on pouring water on the sash in fascicle 10. At that time, the Prince of the Four Heavenly Kings addressed the Vinaya Master, saying: "In the eleventh year after the World-Honoured One first attained the Way, inside the park of Elder Sumana in Rājagṛha, he addressed the great bodhisattvas and great disciples, saying: 'When I first leaped over the city wall and reached the kingdom of Bimbisāra, I met a cowherd maiden on the road. I said to her: "I am slightly hungry and thirsty, and beg food and drink from you." She answered, saying: "Where are you going?" I replied: "Seeking to attain bodhi." She asked again: "What is your name?" I replied: "Siddhārtha." That maiden again said to me: "I have read the Vedic scriptures, which say that before long a person of great wisdom will attain perfect awakening. I observe that your appearance, countenance, and voice, O benevolent one, are the marks of the Buddhas. I have served as the deity of this mountain for sixteen mahākalpas, and I have personally attended all the Buddhas of the past. You may follow me to my dwelling place, and I will give you food and drink. When the past Buddha Kāśyapa entered nirvāṇa, he entrusted to me a washing flask. Around its neck two nāgas are entwined, and beneath it a lion crouches; it was fashioned by Buddha Krakucchanda and handed down successively until Buddha Rucika. Within this nāga flask, water possessing the eight virtues is fully present. If you are hungry or thirsty, you should drink this water; it can extinguish afflictions and increase bodhi. Do not look down upon this small flask: even if the water of the four great oceans were poured into this flask, it still could not fill it. Within it are four nāga kings. Most of the bequeathed teachings of the first three Buddhas who appeared in this Bhadrakalpa are within this flask and within the Sāgara Nāga Palace, one and the same without difference. Furthermore, Buddha Kāśyapa entrusted to me an incense burner and a golden casket to hand over to you, O benevolent one. In front of that incense burner there are sixteen heads, half of which are lions and half white elephants. Above the heads of these two beasts, lotus platforms are separately erected, with the platforms forming the incense burner. On the four rims of the burner, six silver towers are separately erected; from the towers emerge heavenly youths, about two inches tall. In all, there are ninety-six such heavenly youths. Whenever incense is burned, these youths take turns coming to tend the incense burner. Behind, a lion crouches facing outward. From the top of the lion's head, nine nāgas coil around, supporting a golden lotus above. Within the flower is a golden platform, which itself serves as a jewel receptacle. Within the jewel receptacle on the platform are one hundred and thirty billion large pearl towers, each containing various wondrous incenses. Furthermore, there are one hundred and thirty thousand golden leaves of the Vinaya piṭaka. Inside there are monks who have entered the meditative attainment of cessation. When the time comes to burn incense, the heavenly youths at the burner heads come to the precious platform, each chanting songs for burning incense from their mouths; the platform doors open on their own, and the monks emerge from their samādhi, take incense from the pearl towers, and hand it to the heavenly youths. Once handed over, the platform doors shut of their own accord. From the mouths of the nine nāgas, they also hold white silver towers as retinues of the platform. Inside all these silver platforms are heavenly youths who constantly play divine music in praise of the burning of incense. Their tones are clear and elegant, beyond compare. Sentient beings who hear them give rise to faith and awaken to the Way. Whenever the Tathāgata preaches the Dharma, he constantly holds this incense burner before the great assembly; the heavenly youths take the incense and present it to the Buddha for him to make offerings. Furthermore, there is a golden casket containing the Great Prajñā, totaling three billion verses, with golden leaves for the sūtra text, white jade for the margins, and white silver for the characters. That casket is three inches long, and inside are two monks who have also entered the meditative attainment of cessation. This casket and the burner were fashioned by Buddha Krakucchanda and successively entrusted until Buddha Rucika. Whenever Buddhas are about to arise in the world, they all open this golden casket to inspect and read the scriptures; through the power of prajñā, heavenly demons do not harass them, and they swiftly ascend to perfect awakening. Now I entrust them to you; strive to protect them and do not let them be damaged or lost." Having received them, during the six years of austerities beneath the Bodhi tree, I constantly drank the water of this flask, whereby my hunger and thirst were removed, and afflictions were also extinguished.'"}, sovereigns, celestial kings, Śakra, Māra, and Brahmā each washed his feet in turn. The earth shook in six ways. From beneath his feet, the Tathāgata emitted golden light and sat upon a golden lotus throne. The Buddhas of the ten directions each came and offered incense. Within the radiance, Vairocana Buddha extended a golden hand and stroked Śākyamuni Buddha's crown, and furthermore preached the wondrous Dharma: "I bid the Buddhas of the ten directions to perform the jñapti-caturtha-karman to confer upon Śākyamuni Buddha the position of the unsurpassed Dharma King." The Buddhas carried out this karman upon the golden terrace. The assembly of gods and humans, countless as the sands of the Ganges, heard the Buddhas' karman and simultaneously became tranquil, just like a monk entering the fourth dhyāna. After the Buddhas had carried out the karman and [the Bodhisattva] received the position of Dharma King, the earth shook greatly in six ways. The Buddha emitted light that illuminated the ten directions everywhere, extensively performing Buddha-activities to benefit both ordinary beings and sages, which cannot be fully described.

11.32

"Furthermore, when I was first about to attain the Way, I entered the river to bathe, accepted the milk gruel from the two maidens, and went beneath the bodhi tree wishing to ascend the vajra seat. The mountain spirit came to where I was and told me: 'Now that you are about to attain the Way, you may follow the previous Buddhas. When first attaining the Way and wishing to ascend the vajra seat, one first holds a censer and should circumambulate the seat seven times. The Buddhas of the ten directions will each pinch incense with their hands and deposit it into the censer. Now that you are about to attain the Way, you may follow the former Buddhas.' The Buddha, following this method, circumambulated the seat and circumambulated the tree, thirty-two circuits in total. The Buddhas of the ten directions also stepped forward and bestowed incense. Next, human kings, deva kings, Śakra, Brahmā, nāga kings, and bodhisattvas of the ten bhūmis were summoned, and each stepped forward and bestowed incense. By the Buddha's spiritual power, the fragrance was smelled in the ten directions, ascending as high as the Peak of Existence. Suffering sentient beings who smelled the fragrance were liberated; their faculties became complete and their wisdom increased; the various divine transformations cannot be recounted in full. He also told the Brahmā King to hold that dragon flask's water to lustrate the World-Honoured One's feet. Human kings, deva kings, Śakra, Māra, and Brahmā each took turns washing his feet. The earth quaked in six ways. The Tathāgata emitted golden light from beneath his feet and sat upon the golden lotus seat. The Buddhas of the ten directions each came to offer incense. Amidst the radiance, Locana Buddha extended a golden hand and stroked Śākyamuni Buddha's crown, and furthermore expounded the sublime Dharma: 'I bid the Buddhas of the ten directions to perform a fourfold motion-and-resolution rite to bestow upon Śākyamuni Buddha the position of the unsurpassed Dharma King.' The Buddhas conducted this rite upon the golden seat. The assembly of devas and humans, incalculable as the sands of the Ganges, heard the Buddha's rite and simultaneously became completely still, like a bhikṣu entering the fourth dhyāna. After the Buddhas conducted the rite and he received the station of Dharma King, the earth shook greatly in six ways. The Buddha emitted light that illuminated the ten directions everywhere, broadly performing Buddha-work to benefit ordinary mortals and sages, beyond full description."

11.33

Part 6: The Grass Seat

11.34

As the Fo benxing jing says: At that time the Bodhisattva, having bathed in the river, eaten the milk-rice, and washed his body, his luminous appearance was restored as before. Majestic and possessed of sovereign ease, he calmly faced the bodhi tree. The Bodhisattva reflected: 'What kind of seat should be made at this bodhi-platform?' Then he knew of himself: 'I should sit upon grass.' At that time, a Śuddhāvāsa god said to the Bodhisattva: 'When the Buddhas of the past wished to realize bodhi, they all spread grass and attained perfect awakening.' Then the Bodhisattva wondered: 'Who can give me such grass?' He looked around to the left and right. At that time, Śakra, king of the gods in Trāyastriṃśa, having known the Bodhisattva's thought with his divine wisdom, transformed his body into a grass-cutter. Standing neither near nor far to the right of the Bodhisattva, he was cutting grass. The grass was dark green, its colour like the neck of a peacock king, soft and supple to the touch, like fine Kāsika cloth; its colour was exquisite, its fragrance coiled and turned to the right. The Bodhisattva asked the man: 'Good and virtuous sir, what is your name?' The man replied: 'My name is Jili (Auspicious).' The Bodhisattva reflected: 'I now seek what is auspicious for myself, and also seek what is auspicious for others. This one named Auspicious is before me; I shall certainly attain anuttarabodhi today. Can you give me some grass?' The transformed man replied: 'I can give you grass.' Then Śakra, having transformed himself into a man, cut the grass and offered it to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva took a handful and held it in his own hand. When he took the grass, the earth shook in six ways. He carried this grass toward the bodhi tree. While carrying the grass on the way, suddenly there were a hundred blue-green sparrows coming from the ten directions that circumambulated the Bodhisattva three times to the right and, having done so, followed as the Bodhisattva walked. There were also five hundred kokila birds, five hundred peacocks, five hundred white geese, five hundred swans and cranes, five hundred white gulls, five hundred kalaviṅka birds, five hundred jīvaṃjīvaka birds, five hundred white elephants all with six tusks, five hundred white horses with jet-black heads and ears, their manes and tails all cinnabar-red, long and trailing, and five hundred kingly bulls, all with loosened yokes, looking like black clouds. At that time there were also five hundred young boys and five hundred young girls, each adorning their bodies with various exquisite necklaces; there were also five hundred gods, five hundred goddesses, and five hundred precious vases filled with various fragrant flowers and containing various exquisite perfumed waters, which floated naturally through the air without anyone holding them. Furthermore, all auspicious things in the world came like clouds and rain from the four quarters, each on the right side of the Bodhisattva; having circumambulated him three times, they followed as the Bodhisattva walked. The music of all the gods resounded in the air, joyfully singing praises to the Bodhisattva beyond all description.

11.35

Also, the Ruiying benqi jing says: Śakra Devānām Indra transformed himself into a common man holding pure, soft grass. The Bodhisattva asked him: 'What is your name?' He replied: 'My name is Jixiang (Śvastika / Auspicious).' When the Bodhisattva heard this, his heart was greatly delighted: 'Destroying inauspiciousness to achieve the auspicious!'

11.36

Also, the Guan Fo sanmei jing says: As soon as the grass seat was arranged, the earth shook greatly. The Buddhas transformed eighty thousand Buddha-trees with lion seats. Some Buddha-trees were eight thousand li or four thousand li tall; some were a hundred thousand yojanas tall. In all, the Buddha-trees numbered eighty thousand, of various sizes. Now Śākyamuni's tree was the shortest; various heavenly garments were spread upon it.

11.37

Also, the Guan Fo sanmei jing says: The Buddha told his father, the king: 'When I leapt over the palace walls and went to the aśvattha tree not far from the city of Gayā, hundreds of thousands of devaputras such as Devaputra Jīvaka all had this thought: "If the Bodhisattva sits here, he will certainly require a seat; we should now offer heavenly grass." They then took heavenly grass, pure and soft, named Śvastika. When the Bodhisattva received it, he spread it upon the ground and sat down. At that time, the devas further saw the white curl [between his brows], measuring three inches around, turning to the right, possessing hundreds of thousands of colours that flowed into all his marks. Each of these devaputras thought: "The Bodhisattva has now accepted only my grass, not yours." At that time, within the white curl, there were ten thousand kotis of bodhisattvas sitting cross-legged, each taking their grass and sitting under this tree. Each and every devaputra saw such marks within the white curl. At that time there was a devaputra named Yueti (Pramodya), who saw the grass growing from the ground piercing the Bodhisattva's flesh and growing up to his elbows. He said to the devaputras: "How extraordinary this man is! Such is his ascetic practice: not eating for a long time, not hearing shouts, unaware of the grass growing [through him]!" He then extended the white hair with his right hand. The white hair was straight, exactly one zhang, four chi, and five cun long; like a heavenly white jewel, both its interior and exterior were empty. The devas saw hundreds of kotis of rays of light within the hair, subtle and marvelous beyond description. Having seen it, the devas praised it as unprecedented. He then released the white hair, which turned to the right and returned to its original place. At this time the māras were subdued, and Māra returned to his heavenly palace. The white hair followed him straight up to the six heavens. Countless devaputras and devakanyās saw the pores of the white hair, all hollow through the middle, rounded and lovely like the banner of Brahmā. The Tathāgata has immeasurable major marks, and within each mark are eighty-four thousand minor marks. Yet all such marks do not equal a fraction of the merit of the white curl.'

11.38

Section 7: Subduing the Māras

11.39

As the Yinguo jing says: On the seventh day of the fourth month, the World-Honoured One subdued the māras. At that time the setting sun paused its light and the bright moon shone through; flowers and fruits in the groves and gardens blossomed without waiting for spring. The Zhidu lun says: At that time the heavenly demon led a host of one hundred and eighty thousand heavenly demons, all coming to trouble the Buddha. The Buddha illuminated them with a faint light from between his brows, and they all fell down. Also, the Guan Fo sanmei jing says: The demon king was furious and wished to charge straight forward. The demon's son admonished him, saying: 'Father and king, do not innocently invite sores and boils upon yourself. The Bodhisattva's practice is pure and unshakeable as the earth; how could he be destroyed?' Also, the Za baozang jing says: In the past, beneath the tree, the evil Māra Pāpīyas led a host of eighty kotis wishing to destroy the Buddha. He said to the Buddha: 'You are all alone; how can you sit here? Hurry and get up and leave! If you do not get up, I will seize your feet and throw you beyond the sea!' The Buddha said: 'I observe that no one in the world can throw me. In a past life, at a single temple, you observed the eight precepts for a single day and offered a bowl of food to a pratyekabuddha; therefore you were born in the six heavens as a great demon king. But over three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, I have made offerings to śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas beyond count.' Māra said: 'What you say about my keeping the precepts for one day and giving food to a pratyekabuddha in the past is indeed true; I know it myself, and you also know it of me. But who can bear witness to what you yourself say?' The Buddha pointed his finger at the earth and said: 'This earth bears witness to me.' When he spoke these words, the entire great earth shook in six ways. The earth deity emerged from the vajra-stratum, joined her palms, and said to the Buddha: 'I bear witness! Since this earth has existed, I have always been within it. What the World-Honoured One says is true and not false.' The Buddha said to Pāpīyas: 'If you can first move this water pitcher, then you might be able to throw me beyond the sea.' At that time, Pāpīyas and his eighty kotis could not move it. The demon king's army fell headlong of themselves, broken and scattered like stars.

11.40

Also, the Fo benxing jing says: At that time, Māra Pāpīyas's eldest son, named Sārthavāha, bowed his head to the Bodhisattva's feet, begged for repentance, and spoke these words: 'Great and virtuous Holy Son, please allow my father to confess and apologize. Foolish, vulgar, and shallow as a small child, he has no wisdom. Now he has suddenly come to harass the Holy Son, bringing the demon hosts and manifesting various forms to terrify the Holy Son. Previously, I advised my father with a loyal and upright mind: "Even if there were a wise man skilled in all arts, he still could not subdue Prince Siddhārtha; how much less could we!" May the Holy Son forgive and understand my father. My father lacks wisdom and does not know reason, terrifying the Great Holy Prince in this way. How could he gain life from this? O Great Holy Prince, may what you have vowed soon be accomplished, and may you swiftly realize anuttarabodhi.'

11.41

Section 8: Attaining the Way

11.42

As the Puyao jing says: The Bodhisattva sat beneath the tree; when the morning star appeared, he had a sudden great awakening. At the age of nineteen he went forth from the household life, and at thirty he attained the Way. Also, according to the Bore wen lun, he became a Buddha in the Uruvilvā forest. Also, the Zishi sanmei jing says: When he first became a Buddha, the Buddhas of the ten directions each sent a kāṣāya; the Buddha combined them into a single garment. This robe is now worshipped in the Brahmā heaven. Also, the Kongxing sanmei jing says: 'Amitābha Buddha attained the Way four kalpas before me; Vipaśyin Buddha attained the Way three kalpas before me; there was a Buddha named Nengru who entered extinction at thirty; Kāśyapa Buddha attained the Way at eighteen; I attained the Way at the age of twenty-seven.' Now, taking the majority view as definitive: going forth at nineteen and attaining the Way at thirty—this text is appropriate and also accords with other explanations. The Shanjiand lü says: 'On the third day of the waxing moon he attained omniscience.' The Nihuan jing says: 'The Buddha first went forth and attained the Way both on the eighth day of the fourth month.' This is now taken as correct.

11.43

Section 9: Praises by the Devas

11.44

As the Huayan jing says: At that time, the Tathāgata, by his sovereign divine power, without leaving his seat beneath the bodhi tree, the hall of wondrous victory on the summit of Mount Sumeru, and the jewelled adornment hall in the Yāma heaven palace, proceeded to the hall of all-jewelled adornment in the Tuṣita heaven palace. At that time, the king of the Tuṣita heaven, receiving the Buddha's divine power, spoke in verse, saying:

11.45

"The unimpeded Tathāgata is like the full moon, / Foremost among all that is auspicious. / He has come into this hall of manifold jewelled adornment; / Therefore, this place is the most auspicious."

11.46

The Huayan jing says: At that time, by the Tathāgata's majestic divine power, in all the worlds of the Buddhas throughout the ten directions, in all the four continents, in each and every Jambudvīpa, there was a Tathāgata sitting beneath the bodhi tree, without exception manifested. At that time, by the World-Honoured One's majestic divine power, without rising from this seat, he ascended to the summit of Sumeru and went toward Śakra's palace. At that time, Śakra spoke a verse, saying:

11.47

"The seven Buddhas, Dīpaṃkara, and all the Buddhas / Are the most supreme among all that is auspicious. / Those Buddhas once came and entered this place; / Therefore, this ground is the most auspicious."

11.48

At that time, by the World-Honoured One's majestic divine power, without leaving the bodhi tree and Śakra's palace, he went toward the jewelled adornment hall in the Yāma heaven. At that time, the heavenly king spoke in verse, saying:

11.49

"The Tathāgata of renowned fame is heard throughout the ten directions, / The most supreme among all that is auspicious. / He has come into this hall of maṇi adornment; / Therefore, this place is the most auspicious."

11.50

Section 10: Transformations

11.51

According to the Huayan jing: Disciples of the Buddha, all Buddhas in thought-moment after thought-moment are able to produce ten inexhaustible knowledges. What are the ten? In a single thought-moment they see all worlds, from decease in the Tuṣita heaven; in a single thought-moment they manifest the Bodhisattva's birth in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they manifest the Bodhisattva's going forth in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they proceed to the bodhi-platform under the bodhi tree and realize equal, perfect awakening in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they turn the pure wheel of the Dharma in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they guide and liberate all sentient beings according to their capacities in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they manifest an adorned body according with sentient beings in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they manifest the Tathāgata's sovereign store of omniscience with various and countless adornments in all worlds; in a single thought-moment they manifest pure sentient beings in all worlds; in a single thought-moment, pervading all worlds, they manifest all Buddhas of the three periods of time; in a single thought-moment, for the sake of the various faculties, vigorous strivings, and desires of beings, they reveal the lineage of the Buddhas of the three periods of time, realize equal, perfect awakening, and guide sentient beings. Disciples of the Buddha, these are the ten inexhaustible knowledges produced by all Buddhas in thought-moment after thought-moment.

11.52

Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: According to the Abhidharma, two minds cannot exist simultaneously. If an emanation Buddha speaks, the master of the emanation remains silent; if the master of the emanation speaks, the emanation Buddha should likewise remain silent. How then could the Buddha and all [his emanations] simultaneously expound the six pāramitās?

11.53

The answer states: This applies only to the emanations of non-Buddhists and śrāvakas. In the case of the Buddha's emanations, the power of his immeasurable samādhis is inconceivable. Therefore, when the Buddha himself speaks, immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of emanation Buddhas also speak simultaneously. Furthermore, regarding non-Buddhists and śrāvakas, an emanation cannot produce another emanation. But with the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, an emanation can in turn produce another emanation. Hence, after the decease of those non-Buddhists and śrāvakas, they cannot leave emanations behind; whereas after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, he can leave emanations behind, no different from the Buddha himself. As for the statement in the Abhidharma that 'two minds cannot exist simultaneously,' it is also thus with the Buddha now: when an emanation speaks, it also does not possess a mind of its own; it is the Buddha's mind that thinks of the emanation, wishing to make the emanation speak, and thereupon they all speak.

11.54

Section 13: Preaching the Dharma (this has three subsections)

11.55

Subsection on Setting Forth the Purport
Subsection on Approaching the Capacities
Subsection on the Benefits of Preaching

11.56

Subsection 1: Setting Forth the Purport

11.57

We have heard that the Great Sage's adaptation to capacities and his traces are without fixed direction; wherever he manifests, there is none that is not benefited. Therefore, the truths are divided into the ultimate and the conventional, and matters are determined by form and mind. Relying on the provisional and the real, one ascends; availing oneself of the vehicle and the expedient, one compares below. Truly, because through birth, old age, sickness, and death there is never a time of emerging on one's own, in bodhi and nirvāṇa there can be the realization of cultivation and entry. However, the inner scriptures are limitless, spoken in response to capacities. Thus, the wheel of the Dharma was first turned in the Deer Park, and the saṃgha was first delivered with Kauṇḍinya. As for the Kāśyapa brothers, the friends [Śāriputra and] Maudgalyāyana, the great influence in the Western Regions, and the universal proclamation in the eastern quarters; the lords of the twenty-eight heavens and the kings of the sixteen states—none did not submit to the Way and incline their hearts, admiring his virtue and joining their palms. Thereupon, in the Palace of Paranirmitavaśavartin, he unfolded the ten stages; atop Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, he brought together the three vehicles. Subhūti expounded the doctrine of non-attainment, and Vimalakīrti revealed the import of non-speaking. He subdued the non-Buddhists of the ten ṛṣis and restrained the bhikṣus of the group of six. In his chest he swallowed and poured forth rivers; in his palm he shook and swayed mountain valleys. In discussing kalpas, the square stone was repeatedly exhausted; in analyzing counts, even fine motes of dust could be fathomed. Truly, he is the Great Master of the tridhātu, walking alone across ten thousand ages. With my mediocre talent, how could I describe him fully? Even if the Duke of Zhou instituted rituals and created music, Confucius commented on the Changes and edited the Odes, Zigong and Ziyou possessed eloquence, and Zixia and Ziyou possessed literary scholarship; down to Zuo Yuanfang, Ge Xianzi, Laozi, the Master of the Riverbank, Zhuang Zhou, and their kind—they were all confined within the mundane realm; how could they be worth mentioning? As for our Master's Great Dharma, it is the model for humans and gods, the standard for the three-thousandfold world. When it flowed into the Central Xia, its benefits were deep and vast. Widely curing the three poisons, transmitting illumination like a hundred lamps, continuing unbroken—how could it be fully described?

11.58

Subsection 2: Approaching the Capacities

11.59

As the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: When the Tathāgata appears in the world, it is like the rising sun: it first illuminates all the great kings of mountains, next illuminates all the great mountains, next illuminates the diamond-jewel mountains, and then illuminates the entire great earth everywhere. Yet the sunlight does not form this intention: 'I shall first illuminate the great mountains, and down to later illuminate the great earth.' Because the mountains have heights and depths, the illumination occurs earlier and later. The Tathāgata is also like this: he delivers all equally and universally, yet because beings' capacities are sharp or dull, their resonance with the Buddha occurs earlier or later, and their seeing and hearing differ, with differences in great and small.

11.60

According to the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya: After the Buddha attained the Way, he experienced the bliss of liberation for seven days. There were five hundred wagons carrying rock sugar to engage in trade abroad, and their route passed beneath the tree. The two brothers who were the wagon masters, Trapuṣa and Bhallika, first offered honey and parched flour. The Four Kings offered bowls, and after the Buddha received them, he expounded the three refuges for them. For another seven days, the nāga king Mucalinda offered non-human food. After another seven days, Senā offered food, and the four sisters received the three refuges. After another seven days, the Brahmā king came to request the turning of the wheel of the Dharma. Furthermore, the Lalitavistara states: At that time, the Brahmā king, together with sixty-eight thousand Brahmā kings and their retinue, came to the Buddha's presence, prostrated at his feet, and requested the turning of the wheel of the Dharma. After the Buddha accepted the request, he said: 'In my past lives in Vārāṇasī, I made offerings to sixty billion Buddhas; I ought to turn the wheel of the Dharma here.' Because he gazed at the tree for seven days to repay its kindness, he had not yet preached the Dharma.

11.61

Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: After the Buddha attained the Way, he did not preach the Dharma immediately; for fifty-seven days, he carefully examined the conditions of capacities, and only then did he preach the Dharma. During the first seven days, he contemplated delivering beings through the Mahāyāna Dharma; during the seventh seven days, he applied the Hīnayāna to adapt to sentient beings.

11.62

Furthermore, the Bodhisattva-mālā-sūtra states: He shall turn the wheel of the Dharma in the Clear and Bright Deer Park, moistening those long starved and emptied with the nectar of the Dharma.

11.63

Furthermore, the Zhong benqi jing states: The World-Honoured One thought: 'Formerly my path went via the brahmacārin Ārāḍa Kālāma, who treated me with courtesy; I should go and deliver him.' In the sky, a deity said: 'This person passed away seven days ago.' Again he thought: 'I should deliver Udraka Rāmaputra.' The deity again announced: 'He passed away yesterday.' Again he thought: 'Formerly my father the king dispatched five men: the first named Kauṇḍinya, the second named Aśvajit, the third named Bhadrika, the fourth named Daśabala Kāśyapa, and the fifth named Mahānāman. Their service and toil were diligent; I should go and deliver them.'

First 63 of 69 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese