法苑珠林 14.52

14.52

He also asked: "Now, in Fanhe County of Liangzhou, a mountain split open and an image emerged. In which era was it made?"
He answered, saying: "At the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there was the Bodhisattva Libin. Seeing that the people of this mountain did not believe in karmic retribution and took killing and harming as their livelihood—at that time there were tens of thousands of households in their dwelling places, none of whom respected the Buddha's Dharma—the Bodhisattva, to rescue them, established a saṃghārāma for them. The Heavenly King Mahābrahmā fashioned the body of the image with his own hands. When it was first completed, by the Bodhisattva's supernatural power, he caused it to be like a real Buddha, strolling about, preaching the Dharma, and transforming beings without any difference. Although the people were exposed to this path, they still did not believe. Thereupon the Bodhisattva displayed terrifying conduct: holding up a great rock in his hand, large enough to cover the settlement, he appeared about to drop it and crush them. The Bodhisattva demonstrated his majesty to exhort and transform the people, who then suddenly turned their hearts to faith and reverent devotion to the Buddha. All their instruments of slaughter turned into lotus blossoms, and in every street and lane, flowers bloomed as if planted. Only then did the auspicious image withdraw its supernatural power. The Bodhisattva also exhorted all the upāsakas to construct seven temples, spanning one hundred and four li from north to south and eighty li from east to west, filling the mountains and traversing the valleys. Monastic quarters and Buddha halls were constructed everywhere, taking thirteen years before they were completed. At the same time, twenty thousand people renounced household life and dwelt in the seven temples. After three hundred years had passed, those people had great power from their present karma: the evil they had formerly committed was borne lightly in the present life, and they did not enter hell. But those whom they had previously harmed made an evil vow while in the evil destinies: 'Before those who harmed us attain sagehood, we shall harm them. If we do not inflict harm on them, their evil karma will be exhausted, and we will have no way to repay them.' Together they spat forth great fire, burning down the monastic dwellings and incinerating the settlement all at once; even if some stealthily escaped with their lives, they were then drowned and killed by great waters, so that not one remained. At that time, before the temple was destroyed, the mountain spirit had taken this image far up into the sky; after the temple was destroyed, he brought it down and installed it inside a stone chamber to make offerings. After a long passage of time, the rock grew over and the chamber disappeared. When Master Liu Sahe came to pay homage to the mountain, he foretold that the image would emerge. That Sahe was originally the Bodhisattva Libin in a previous birth. His relics in other places are recorded in another chapter."