法苑珠林 14.45

14.45

There was also a celestial being whose family name was Lu and personal name Xuanchang, who came to pay respects to the Vinaya Master and said, "I was born into the First Heaven in the time of King Mu of the Zhou. Originally I was a celestial from the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, but in order to penetrate and transform, I temporarily appeared during the Zhou. Concerning the High Four-Earth Platform you asked about: its origin was that Kāśyapa Buddha preached the Dharma and delivered people here at his Third Assembly. By the time of King Mu, Mañjuśrī and Maudgalyāyana came to transform [the land], and King Mu followed them; these were precisely the 'transformed persons' spoken of in the Liezi. The transformed person showed King Mu that the High Four Platform was the place where Kāśyapa Buddha preached the Dharma; thereupon, he built the Sanctuary of the Three Assemblies (Sanhuidaochang). In the time of Duke Mu of Qin, a stone Buddha was obtained in Fufeng. Duke Mu did not recognize it and discarded it in the horse stables, defiling this image. The spirit protecting the image was angered and caused the Duke to fall ill. The Duke also dreamed that he journeyed to the Sovereign on High, where he was severely rebuked. Upon waking, he questioned his minister You Yu, who replied, 'Your servant has heard that in the time of King Mu of Zhou, a transformed person came to this land, saying he was a Buddha-spirit. King Mu believed in him and built the Mid-Heaven Platform (Zhongtiantai) on Mount Zhongnan, over a thousand feet high, whose foundations still exist today. He also built a shrine at Cangjie's Platform, named the Sanctuary of the Three Assemblies. Might not Your Grace's present affliction be caused by this Buddha?' Hearing this, the Duke was terrified and told You Yu, 'I recently obtained a stone man whose garments and caps were not of modern manufacture; I threw it into the horse stables. Could this be the Buddha-spirit?' Hearing this, You Yu went to inspect it and replied, 'This is a genuine Buddha-spirit.' The Duke retrieved the image, bathed it, and placed it in a pure location; the image then radiated light. Terrified again, the Duke thought the spirit was angry, so he slaughtered the three sacrificial beasts to offer to it. The good spirits lifted them up and discarded them far away. The Duke was once more terrified and questioned You Yu. He answered, 'Your servant has heard that the Buddha-spirit is pure and does not consume wine or meat; he cherishes and treasures living beings as if protecting an only child. For all offerings, one merely burns incense; what may be sacrificed are types of cakes and fruits.' The Duke was greatly pleased. He wished to make a Buddha image, but there were no craftsmen; he asked You Yu again, who replied, 'Formerly, next to the temple built by King Mu, there should have been artisans.' They subsequently found an old man in the village south of the High Four Platform named Wang An, one hundred and eighty years of age. He said of himself, 'I once saw people making them at the Sanctuary of the Three Assemblies. I am now old and lack the strength to work. North of the village where I dwell, there are four brothers who formerly worked as artisans inside the sanctuary; please summon them to make it together.' They made it according to his words, completing a bronze image with all marks and signs fully perfected. The Duke was delighted and rewarded them bountifully. Those men took the wealth and collectively produced merit: atop the earthen platform they constructed a multi-storey pavilion, three hundred feet high. The people of the time called it the High Four Platform, or the High Four Tower. The men had the surname Gao, and the eldest was named Si; or, some say, it was because four brothers jointly erected it, or took the eldest brother's name to designate it. Thus the name High Four is used down to the present."