法苑珠林 2.12

2.12

Now, considering the trichiliocosm, the Buddha-Bhagavāns all manifest transformative appearances throughout it, manifesting birth and manifesting extinction to guide the noble and the ordinary. Taking a single set of four continents—that is, the place illuminated by a single sun and moon—Mount Sumeru is at the centre (in Tang [language] called Mount Miaogao; formerly called Mount Xumi; also called Moliu; also called Mount Milou; these are all corruptions or abbreviations). It is 3,360,000 li high and formed of four jewels: its eastern face is yellow gold, its southern face is lapis lazuli, its western face is white silver, and its northern face is crystal. It also reaches a depth of 3,360,000 li within the great ocean, resting upon the golden wheel. As stated in the Qishi jing: beneath Mount Sumeru there are eight ranges of mountains. The first mountain range is named Khadiraka. It is 42,000 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between Mount Sumeru and Mount Khadiraka is 84,000 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Outside Mount Khadiraka there is a mountain range named Īṣādhara. It is 21,000 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between the two mountain ranges is 42,000 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Outside Mount Īṣādhara there is a mountain range named Yugaṃdhara. It is 12,000 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between the two mountain ranges is 21,000 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Outside Mount Yugaṃdhara there is a mountain range named Sudarśana. It is 6,000 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The two mountain ranges are separated by 12,000 yojanas, their circumference measureless. Outside Mount Sudarśana there is a mountain range named Aśvakarṇa. It is 3,000 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between the two mountain ranges is 6,000 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Outside Mount Aśvakarṇa there is a mountain range named Nimindhara. It is 1,200 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between the two mountain ranges is 2,400 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Outside Mount Nimindhara there is a mountain range named Vināyaka. It is 600 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between the two mountain ranges is 1,200 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Outside Mount Vināyaka there is a mountain range named Cakra (in the language of Sui, "encircling wheel"; that is, the Iron Ring Mountains). It is 300 yojanas high, and its breadth at the top is also the same; it is formed of the seven jewels. The distance between the two mountain ranges is 600 yojanas wide, its circumference measureless. Between the above-listed mountain ranges, all is ocean water. In the waters there are utpala flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, puṇḍarīka flowers, and the like, and various wondrous fragrant substances entirely cover the waters. Not far from Mount Cakra there is also open land, covered with green grass, which is the great ocean. To the north of the great ocean is the king of great trees, named the jambu tree. The circumference of its trunk is seventy yojanas; its roots penetrate twenty-one yojanas into the earth; it is a hundred yojanas high; and its branches and leaves hang down covering fifty yojanas in all four directions. The Dīrgha-āgama states: in the open land of that mountain there is a great ocean water named Ujjanā. Beneath this water is the path of the wheel-turning sage kings, twelve yojanas wide. Flanking both sides of the path are seven tiers of walls, seven tiers of railings, seven tiers of netting, and seven rows of trees, intricately adorned all around and formed of the seven jewels. When a wheel-turning king appears in the land of Jambudvīpa, the waters naturally recede and this path levelly emerges. Not far from the sea is a mountain named Mount Ujjāna. Not far from this mountain is a mountain named Golden Cliff. Past this mountain there is already a mountain named the Snow Mountains (Himavat), five hundred yojanas in length and breadth, and five hundred yojanas deep. In the midst of the Snow Mountains there is a jewel mountain twenty yojanas high. A peak of the Snow Mountains juts out a hundred yojanas high. On the summit of this mountain is Lake Anavatapta, fifty yojanas in length and breadth. Its water is clear, cold, transparent, pure, and free of defilement, laid and built with the seven jewels. The bottom of the lake is filled with golden sand. Its flowers are like carriage wheels and their roots like carriage hubs; the juice flowing from the roots of the flowers is white as milk and sweet as honey. To the east of the lake is the Gaṅgā River, flowing forth from a bull's mouth, and emptying into the eastern sea through five hundred rivers. To the south of the lake is the Sindhu River, flowing forth from a lion's mouth, and emptying into the southern sea through five hundred rivers. To the west of the lake is the Vakṣu River, flowing forth from a horse's mouth, and emptying into the western sea through five hundred rivers. To the north of the lake is the Sītā River, flowing forth from an elephant's mouth, and emptying into the northern sea through five hundred rivers. According to Dharma Master Xuanzang's Record of the Western Regions, the central region of Jambudvīpa is Lake Anavatapta (in Tang [language] called "Without Heat"; formerly called Lake Anouda, which is corrupt). It lies south of Fragrant Mountain (Gandhamādana) and north of the Great Snow Mountains, eight hundred li in circumference. Gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal adorn its shores. Golden sands spread wide and clear waves reflect brightly like mirrors. A bodhisattva of the tenth bhūmi, through the power of vows, transformed into a dragon king and secretly resides therein, issuing clear, cold waters that belong to Jambudvīpa. Therefore, from the silver bull's mouth on the eastern face of the lake flows forth the Gaṅgā River (formerly called the Heng River, or Hengjia, which are corrupt), which circles the lake once and enters the southeastern sea. From the golden elephant's mouth on the southern face of the lake flows forth the Sindhu River (the former term Xindu River being corrupt), which circles the lake once and enters the southwestern sea. From the lapis lazuli horse's mouth on the western face of the lake flows forth the Vakṣu River (the former term Boxa River being corrupt), which circles the lake once and enters the northwestern sea. From the crystal lion's mouth on the northern face of the lake flows forth the Sītā River (the former term Sida River being corrupt), which circles the lake once and enters the northeastern sea. Some say that it flows underground, emerging at Mount Jishi; that is, the flow of the Sītā River forms the source of the Yellow River in the Central Kingdom. When no wheel-turning king responds to the cosmic cycle, the land of Jambudvīpa has four lords: the southern Lord of Elephants, where the heat and warmth suit elephants; the western Lord of Jewels, which borders the sea and abounds in gems; the northern Lord of Horses, where cold and harshness suit horses; and the eastern Lord of Men, where harmony and mildness bring many people. Therefore, the people of the Lord of Elephants are fiery and eager, devoted to learning, and particularly skilled in unusual arts; the lands of the Lord of Jewels lack ritual and propriety, valuing wealth and commodities; the customs of the Lord of Horses are naturally fierce and violent, heartless and fond of slaughter; the lands of the Lord of Men have customs of quick intelligence, with benevolence and righteousness brightly manifest. Among the customs of the four lords, the east is held supreme: for their dwellings, their doors are opened to the east, and daily they face east to worship; in the lands of the Lord of Men, facing south is honoured. The customs of regions differ, but such are the broad outlines. As for the etiquette between lord and minister, superior and subordinate, and the ceremonial institutions and standard codes, the land of the Lord of Men cannot be surpassed. As for instructions on purifying the mind and releasing burdens, and the methods for transcending saṃsāra, the doctrines of the country of the Lord of Elephants are superior. All these matters are recorded in scriptures and treatises, heard among local customs, widely known across past and present, and thoroughly verified by what has been seen and heard. However, the Buddha arose in the western lands, and the Dharma flowed into the eastern country; through translators' phonetic corruptions, regional vernaculars became distorted. When the sounds are corrupt, the meanings are lost; when words are distorted, principles are violated. Hence it is said: 'Must names not indeed be rectified?' What is valued is freedom from error and contradiction. Furthermore, the Qishi jing says: in the palace of Anavatapta there is a five-pillared hall, where the dragon king Anavatapta constantly resides. The Buddha said: 'Why is it named Anavatapta? What is its meaning? All dragon kings in this Jambudvīpa have three afflictions, whereas only the dragon Anavatapta is free from these three afflictions. What are the three? First, all dragons are struck by hot winds and hot sand adhering to their bodies, burning their skin, flesh, and marrow, causing them suffering, whereas only the dragon Anavatapta is free from this affliction. Second, in the palaces of all dragons, evil winds violently arise, blowing through their palaces so that they lose their gem-adorned garments and their dragon bodies are exposed, causing them suffering, whereas only the dragon king Anavatapta is free from such affliction. Third, when the various dragon kings are each enjoying themselves in their palaces, great garuḍa birds enter the palaces to seize and carry them off, or when they first produce the expedient means desiring to take and eat the dragons, the dragons are terrified and constantly harbour burning distress, whereas only the dragon Anavatapta is free from such affliction. If the garuḍa bird-king produces a thought desiring to go there, he instantly dies. Therefore it is named Anavatapta.' Anavatapta means (in Qin language) 'Without Distress'. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: on the right side of the Snow Mountains there is a city named Kumbhīra. North of that city are seven Black Mountains. North of the Black Mountains is Fragrant Mountain. On that mountain there are constantly sounds of singing, dancing, acting, and music. The mountain has two caves: one is named Exhaustion, and the second is named Well-Exhausted. They are formed of the seven heavenly jewels, soft, fragrant, and pure, just like heavenly garments. The king of the Gandharvas, Wonderful Sound, along with five hundred gandharvas, resides within them. Furthermore, the Nyāyānusāra states: among the four continents, only Jambudvīpa has the diamond seat (vajrāsana). Above, it reaches to the limits of the earth; below, it rests on the golden wheel. All bodhisattvas in their final rebirth, when about to ascend to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment, all sit on this seat and produce the diamond-like samādhi (vajropamasamādhi), because neither the residue-less substratum, nor the residue-possessing substratum, nor any other firm power elsewhere can support this seat. Furthermore, the Dīrgha-āgama states: the Buddha told the bhikṣus: there are four great devas. What are the four? First, the earth deva; second, the water deva; third, the wind deva; fourth, the fire deva. These four great elements are mutually present in one another. Hence the earth deva gave rise to the wrong view, saying: 'There is no water, fire, or wind within earth.' At that time, knowing what this earth deva was thinking, I immediately went and spoke to him: 'Did you once give rise to the thought, saying that there is no water, fire, or wind within earth?' He said: 'There truly is no water, fire, or wind within earth.' I then told him: 'Do not produce this thought that there is no water, fire, or wind within earth. Why is this? There are water, fire, and wind within earth, but because the earth element is predominant, it receives the name of the earth element.' The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'For that earth deva, I dispelled his wrong view, and through teaching, instructing, benefiting, and gladdening him, he obtained the purity of the Dharma eye. Within water there are earth, fire, and wind; within fire there are earth, water, and wind; within wind there are earth, water, and fire. It is merely because the initial element is predominant that it is designated accordingly.'