法苑珠林 11.31

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.