法苑珠林 25

English (machine translation) 25

Language: English

25.1

Compiled by Monk Daoshi, Śramaṇa of Ximing Temple

25.2

Section 17: Understanding and Insight (containing two parts)

The movements and transformations of the mind and consciousness are inherently impermanent in principle. When understanding and delusion overturn one another, how can the sages leave any trace? With mind clarified and serene illumination, they respond to circumstances like echoes. That which is called quiescent and unmoving connects through sympathetic resonance. Awakening to the Way according to conditions, spiritual transformation then unfolds. Hence, the application of words and texts encompasses the entire cosmos, and the holy transformations follow all directions, encompassing the entire dharmadhātu. Were it not for the supreme sage endowed with the six spiritual knowledges, who could bestow guidance across the five destinies?

25.5

Part 2: Citation of Evidence

25.6

As the Fenbie Gongde Lun states: The reason why the Tathāgata broadly pronounced each of the fourfold assembly to be foremost was that, within the bequeathed Dharma of the future, the renunciants of the four castes would have different understandings, contending over right and wrong, claiming themselves to be superior and others to be inferior. Persons of this sort would be beyond count. Therefore, he guarded against this beforehand, opening a path for them to be self-sufficient. Just as among radiances the sun is the foremost, among constellations the moon is the foremost, among flowing streams the ocean is the foremost, among the six desire heavens Pāpīyas is the foremost, among the eighteen heavens of the form realm the Śuddhāvāsa is the foremost, among the ninety-six schools the Śākya Saṃgha is the foremost, and among the ninety-six paths the Buddhist path is the foremost; likewise, among the five hundred śrāvaka disciples, their spiritual insights were distinct and cannot be enumerated in full (ten or twenty are briefly listed here, the rest being too numerous to include, being found in full in the comprehensive text).

25.7

First, the bhikṣu Kauṇḍinya: being the foremost of those originally converted who received the Dharma with 'Ehi bhikṣu' ('Come!'), he is called the foremost. As for the bhikṣu Gavāmpati: skillfully guarding against criticism and suspicion, he hid his body in the heavens, and is therefore called the foremost. Hence, the Gongde Lun states: The bhikṣu with cow feet could not reside in the world on account of two matters. What are they? This bhikṣu's feet were like cattle hooves, and when satiated with food, he would ruminate. On account of these two matters he could not reside in the world. If outsiders saw him, they would say that śramaṇas eat without regular times, giving rise to slanderous thoughts. Therefore, the Buddha sent him up to heaven to practice dhyāna in the Sudharmā Lecture Hall. The bhikṣu Subuddhi regularly acted as an envoy for the Saṃgha, traveling to heaven. After the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, Kāśyapa struck the bell, gathering the vast saṃgha. He commanded Aniruddha to survey the world universally to see who had not arrived. Aniruddha then surveyed the worlds and found everyone had arrived, except the bhikṣu Gavāmpati, who was currently in heaven. He then dispatched Subuddhi to summon him. Reaching the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, Subuddhi saw him entering the cessation attainment in the Sudharmā Lecture Hall. Snapping his fingers to awaken him, he said: 'The World-Honoured One entered nirvāṇa fourteen days ago. Kāśyapa has assembled the saṃgha, and sent me to summon you to descend to the world to attend the gathering.' Gavāmpati replied: 'The world is now empty, how could I bear to return? I wish to enter nirvāṇa.' He then handed his robes and bowl to Subuddhi to bring back to the saṃgha, and thereupon entered nirvāṇa. Because of these reasons, he skillfully guarded his body and dwelt peacefully in the heavens; hence he is called foremost.

25.8

Second, the treatise states: The reason why Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa is called foremost is that from past lives onward, the three brothers were always accompanied by one thousand disciples. Now encountering the Buddha, they achieved liberation and all attained arhatship. The four requisites of offerings arose from this, thus sustaining and protecting the holy assembly; hence he is the foremost among receivers of offerings.

25.9

Third, the treatise states: The reason why Śāriputra is called foremost in wisdom is that if the World-Honoured One wished to know how much wisdom Śāriputra possessed, using Mount Sumeru as an inkstone, the water of the four great oceans as ink, the bamboos and trees of the four continents as brushes, and all the people filling the four continents as scribes to write out Śāriputra's wisdom, they still could not exhaust it. How then could ordinary persons with the five superknowledges measure it? Hence he is called foremost in wisdom.

25.10

Fourth, the treatise states: The reason why Mahāmaudgalyāyana is called foremost in supernatural powers is that while the World-Honoured One was expounding the teaching, the three calamities were rampant and the people suffered from severe famine. He wished to overturn the great earth to extract the richness beneath it to sustain the lives of the people, but the Buddha stopped him and did not permit it, fearing harm to living beings. He also wished to hold living beings in one hand and overturn the earth with the other, but the Buddha again did not permit it. Thus it is known he is foremost in supernatural powers.

25.11

As the Guhyakādhipati-vajrapāṇi-sūtra states: Maudgalyāyana received the Buddha’s holy instruction that in the west there was a world named Banner of Light, where a Buddha named King of Light was currently preaching the Dharma. Maudgalyāyana went there to listen to that Buddha's words. He saw that that Buddha's body was forty li tall, and the bodhisattvas were twenty li tall. The alms-bowls used by those bodhisattvas were one li tall. Maudgalyāyana walked upon the rim of a bowl. At that time, the bodhisattvas addressed the World-Honoured One: 'Indeed, Great Sage, where does this insect come from, wearing the robes of a śramaṇa and walking on the rim of the bowl?' Then that Buddha said: 'Noble sons, beware of conceiving slight or contempt toward this worthy one. Why is that? This youth is named Mahāmaudgalyāyana, and is the foremost in supernatural powers among the śrāvaka disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha.' Then the Buddha King of Light addressed Mahāmaudgalyāyana: 'The bodhisattvas and śrāvakas of my land see your small body and all give rise to slight. Good sir, you should display your power of supernatural feats, relying upon the majestic virtue of Śākyamuni.' Maudgalyāyana bowed his head at the feet of the Buddha, circumambulated him seven times, leaped into the air, broadly displayed his supernatural feats, and then stopped before the Buddha. The bodhisattvas marveled, saying it was unprecedented. That Buddha said: 'Desiring to test the distance of Śākyamuni Buddha's voice, he arrived in this land. Worthy sir, you should not test the voice of a Tathāgata. The voice of a Tathāgata is boundless, neither far nor near, vast and immeasurable, beyond compare.' The World-Honoured One said to him: 'How could you reach this world by your own spiritual power? It was indeed established by the majestic virtue of the World-Honoured One Śākyamuni Buddha. You should bow toward Śākyamuni Buddha from afar, and you will naturally reach there. Were you to use your own supernatural powers to return to your native land, you would not arrive in an entire kalpa.' Maudgalyāyana touched his right knee to the ground, bowed toward the east to Śākyamuni Buddha, joined his palms in taking refuge, and in the time it takes to bend and extend an arm, he instantly arrived. Thus we know Maudgalyāyana is foremost in supernatural powers.

25.12

The fifth treatise states: Why Aniruddha is called foremost [in divine vision]: At that time, the Buddha was expounding the Dharma for a great assembly, and Aniruddha fell asleep as he sat. Seeing this, the Buddha addressed him, saying, 'Now the Tathāgata is expounding the Dharma; why do you sleep? Sleep is the mind and thought obstructed—how does it differ from death?' Ashamed, Aniruddha disciplined his mind and swore an oath never to dare sleep again. Having not slept for a long time, his eyes thereupon lost their sight. Why was this? In general, there are six kinds of food. The eye has two kinds of food: the first is viewing form, and the second is sleep. The five sense-faculties each likewise have two foods. Those that obtain their food keep their six sense-bases complete. Because his eyes lost their food, he lost his eye-faculty. The Buddha ordered Jīvaka to treat it, who said, 'Going without sleep cannot be treated. Having already lost the physical eye, he sees nothing anymore.' The five hundred disciples each abandoned him and scattered away. He would ask people to thread his needle as he groped about to mend his robes. When his thread was used up and needed rethreading, there was no one he could ask. He cried out to those about him, saying, 'Who that seeks merit will thread a needle for me?' The World-Honoured One suddenly arrived before him, took it up, [and said,] 'I shall thread it for you.' He asked, 'Who is this?' [The Buddha] said, 'I am the Buddha.' He asked, 'The Buddha's merit is already complete; do you still wish to seek merit?' [The Buddha] replied, 'Can one ever be sated with merits and virtues?' Aniruddha reflected, 'Even the Buddha seeks merit, how much more so ordinary people?' Moved with earnest feeling in his heart, he turned quickly toward the Buddha to look, and due to his utmost sincerity, he suddenly attained the divine eye. Reflecting again, he thereupon attained arhatship. In general, all who attain arhatship possess three eyes: first, the physical eye; second, the divine eye; third, the wisdom eye. As for looking with the three eyes, fearing that the physical eye would confound the divine, contending over function in fine and coarse details due to mixed perception, he exclusively used the divine eye to view the great-thousandfold world, completely seeing all fine and coarse details. Therefore, he is said to be foremost in the divine eye.

25.13

The sixth treatise states: Why Kātyāyana is called foremost in skillfully distinguishing meanings: When he was about to compile the Dharma treasury, he reflected in his mind, 'Because of the clamour among humans, refined contemplation cannot be focused.' He therefore hid underground. Having completely compiled the Great Dharma in seven days, he presented it to the Buddha. [The Buddha] praised him, saying, 'Excellent!' Sealed and approved by the Sage, it was taken as a treasury. These meanings were subtle and wondrous, subjugating the non-Buddhists. Hence he was called foremost. Furthermore, the Buddha praised this benevolent one as foremost in eloquence, analyzing principles, and explaining meanings.

25.14

The seventh treatise states: Why Bakkula is called [foremost in] extremely long lifespan: In the distant past, he had made offerings to sixty thousand buddhas, always cultivating a mind of loving-kindness in the presence of those buddhas. Toward flying gnats, squirming insects, and all manner of living beings with forms, he was always filled with compassionate pity, without the slightest thought of harming or killing. The Buddha told Ānanda, 'My lifespan today is precisely eighty years because the Tathāgata accords with the ways of the world to accommodate living beings and does not display exceptionality; therefore my lifespan is eighty years. Bakkula received the blessing of his mind of loving-kindness in former lives; therefore, his lifespan was doubled to one hundred and sixty years.' Formerly, when Vipaśyin Tathāgata appeared in the world, there was an elder whose dwelling was pure and righteous in practice, endowed with a gentle and modest nature. He invited the Buddha and the Saṃgha for ninety days of offerings with the four necessities. There was a monk who came seeking medicine. The elder asked him, 'What ailment troubles you?' He replied, 'A headache.' The elder answered, 'This must be water above the diaphragm surging up against the head; therefore your head aches.' He immediately gave him a harītakī fruit. Upon taking it, the illness was eliminated. By virtue of the karmic reward of this blessing, for ninety-one kalpas he never had any sickness. Ānanda asked Bakkula, 'Why do you not expound the Dharma for people? Is it because you lack the wisdom of the four unhindered analytical knowledges that you do not preach?' He replied, 'It is not that my swift wisdom in the four unhindered analytical knowledges is deficient; I simply take delight in quietude and dislike clamour, which is why I do not expound the Dharma.' Therefore, he is foremost in long life and few affairs.

25.15

The eighth treatise states: Why Upāli is called foremost in upholding the Vinaya: He was the barber for the five hundred Śākyan youths; shaving neither too lightly nor too heavily, he completely removed [their hair]. The Buddha bade him 'Come, well-come!' and he immediately became a śramaṇa. The Buddha at once conferred the precepts upon him, and he attained arhatship. Next, the five hundred Śākyan youths received the precepts, and Upāli was made the senior seat. The Śākyan youths said, 'This was our family servant; on what grounds should we bow to him?' The Buddha said, 'It is not so. In the Dharma there is no noble or base; the first to arrive is the elder brother.' Bowing repeatedly, they subdued their thoughts and paid homage. At that moment the earth shook greatly, and the gods above praised, saying, 'Excellent, excellent! Today the Śākyas have subdued their arrogance. This resolve is difficult to master; hence the earth shook.' When the five hundred Śākyan youths entered the Way, there were also ninety-nine thousand people who left home to follow the Way. Ever since Upāli received the precepts from the Buddha, he never transgressed even in the slightest measure. Therefore he is called foremost in upholding the Vinaya. Furthermore, north of the Jetavana monastery, there was a monk who had been sick for six years without recovering. Upāli went to ask him, 'What ailment troubles you, and what do you need?' He said, 'What I need violates the Buddha's teachings, so it cannot be said.' [Upāli] said, 'Just speak, there is no harm.' He said, 'I only long for five sheng of wine, and my illness will be cured.' Upāli said, 'Stay a moment; I will ask the Buddha for you.' Returning, he at once asked the Buddha, 'There is a monk whose illness requires wine as medicine; I wonder whether he may drink it or not?' The World-Honoured One said, 'The rules I institute are meant to remove the suffering of illness.' Upāli thereupon returned, obtained wine, and gave it to the sick monk. The illness was immediately cured. He expounded the Dharma to him again, and [the monk] attained the path of an arhat. The Buddha praised Upāli, 'By asking about this matter, you allowed the sick monk to receive a cure and also enabled him to attain the Way. If he had not been liberated, he would later have fallen into the three wretched destinies with no time of emergence. You are able to establish prohibitive rules for monks of the future, enabling them to know what is light and heavy and saving them from peril. You truly uphold the Vinaya. I entrust the Vinaya to you; do not let it be lost or forgotten. It must not be displayed to śrāmaṇeras or white-robed laymen.' Thus he is again called foremost.

25.16

The ninth treatise states: Why the monk Nanda is called foremost in handsome appearance: The other monks each possessed their respective marks—Śāriputra had seven marks, Maudgalyāyana had five marks, Ānanda had twenty marks, but Nanda alone had thirty marks. Nanda was golden-hued; Ānanda was silver-hued. His robes were radiant; wearing shoes sewn with gold thread and holding a lapis lazuli bowl, he entered the city to beg for food. Whoever saw him was overjoyed. Aside from the Tathāgata, none among the other disciples could equal him. Therefore, he was called foremost in handsome appearance. The mango maiden [Āmrapālī] invited the Buddha. Outside, she saw Nanda and felt deep affection for him; taking his feet in reverence, she stroked them with her hands. Although he beheld her beautiful appearance, his mind was utterly devoid of impassioned thoughts. Yet because their bodily forms and appearances stimulated one another, he discharged impurity. Not understanding this, the mango maiden suspected he possessed lustful intentions. The Buddha, knowing her thoughts, said to the mango maiden, 'Do not harbor doubts. After seven days, Nanda will attain arhatship.' From this it is said that, knowing his mind remained unchanged, he is called foremost.

25.17

The tenth treatise states: Why the monk Vāda is called foremost in resolving people's doubts and hesitations: The buddhas of the three periods of time together possess eighty-four thousand practices as the Dharma of practice. When sentient beings attain the Way, they need not practice all these practices comprehensively; they take as their main focus wherever they attain awakening. Why is this? Sentient beings have different fetters, ailments of greater or lesser degree, and defilements of varying thickness. Therefore the Tathāgata established diverse teachings. In some cases, a single medicine treats many illnesses; in other cases, many medicines treat a single illness. Just as the six perfections unite one another, when one practice serves as the master, all practices follow it; if one practice is not focused upon, all illnesses arise accordingly. Conforming to the illness that arises, a medicine is applied in response: if a grasp of permanence arises, one counters it with impermanence; if a grasp of existence arises, one counters it with emptiness. When impermanence directs practice, the ten thousand practices are all impermanent. Just as dāna constitutes the eighty-four thousand, the eighty-four thousand are all constituted by dāna. It is also like the Buddha's eight sounds, in which a single sound commands eight tones, a single tone commands a hundred teachings, and a single teaching commands a hundred principles, mutually governing one another up to thousands of millions. A single sound answers ten thousand millions; such is its transformation. The analogy of an abridged explanation commanding practice is also like this. Because this monk focused on abridged explanations as his principal method, he is called foremost.

25.18

The eleventh treatise states: Why Deva-Subhūti is called foremost in wearing fine robes: Among the five hundred disciples, there were two named Subhūti: one of royal descent and one of elder descent. This Deva-Subhūti issued from the royal lineage. That he is called 'Deva' is because for five hundred lives he was constantly born in heaven; as a manifested response for a śrāvaka, he descended to be born into a royal family. His enjoyment of blessings was natural, never lacking. When the Buddha returned to his native land, the Buddha instructed him to leave home, to restrain his body, maintain discipline, wear coarse robes, eat poor food, use straw mats as a bed, and use urine and feces as medicine. Hearing the Buddha's severe instructions, this monk was discouraged and wanted to return home. The Buddha accepted the invitation of King Prasenajit, so [Subhūti] went to the Buddha to take his leave and return. Ānanda said to him, 'Sir, stay for just one night.' Subhūti said, 'How could one dwell in the quarters of men of the Way? I shall go to a layman's house to lodge for one night and return home tomorrow.' Ānanda said, 'Just stay; I will now arrange and prepare it.' He immediately went to the king's place; all kinds of seats, banners, flowers, and fragrant oils were fully adorned and prepared. This monk then lodged therein. Because it suited his original disposition, his mind attained concentration. Contemplating the four noble truths until the latter part of the night, he thereupon attained arhatship. Ānanda said to the Buddha, 'Deva-Subhūti has already attained arhatship and is flying in the sky.' The Buddha said to Ānanda, 'Now, robes are of two kinds: those to be associated with and those not to be associated with. If wearing fine robes benefits one's resolve for the Way, these may be associated with. If they impair one's resolve for the Way, these must not be associated with. Therefore, Ānanda, some attain the Way through fine robes, while others attain the Way through five-patch rag-robes. Awakening lies in the mind, not restricted by outward appearance and dress.' Therefore it is said: Deva-Subhūti is foremost in wearing fine robes.

25.19

The twelfth thesis states: Why is Rāhula called foremost in observing the precepts without transgression? Some say: Rāhula was fond of lying and prone to anger, [thinking,] 'The Buddha relinquished the rank of a cakravartin to become a śramaṇa. Going east and west begging for food—is this not shameful?' Bearing resentment toward the Tathāgata, he thus told lies. If someone asked where the Tathāgata was, when he was actually in the Jetavana, [Rāhula] would say he was in the Andhavana; when he was actually in the Andhavana, he would say he was in the Jetavana. Repeating lies back and forth, he deceived those who came. Ānanda reported to the Buddha: 'Rāhula tells lies.' The Buddha summoned Rāhula: 'Do you really tell lies?' He replied, 'It is truly so.' [The Buddha said:] 'The reason I renounced the rank of a holy king is because it cannot be relied upon; all things return to impermanence. Even Śakra and Brahmā cannot be preserved forever, how much less could a holy king be relied upon?' The Buddha said to Rāhula: 'Time and again I have renounced this, beyond reckoning, and only now do you resent me?' The Buddha said to Rāhula: 'Fetch water.' Rāhula immediately filled a bowl with water and presented it to the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata held the bowl of water and said to Rāhula: 'Do you see this water or not?' He replied: 'I have seen it.' The Buddha said: 'This water filling the bowl without any reduction is an analogy for observing the precepts completely without any loss or flaw.' Then he poured out half and discarded it, saying to Rāhula: 'Do you see this water or not?' He replied: 'I see it.' The Buddha said: 'This water having lost half is an analogy for precepts being incomplete.' He then poured out all the water, showed it to Rāhula, and said: 'Do you see this empty bowl or not?' He answered: 'I have seen it.' The Buddha said: 'Violating the precepts entirely is an analogy like an empty bowl.' He then turned the bowl upside down on the ground, showed it, and said: 'Do you see this or not?' He answered: 'I have seen it.' The Buddha said: 'Having violated the precepts entirely, one will fall into hell; this is an analogy for the bowl's rim facing the ground.' From the time he was thus admonished onward, Rāhula never again violated even a hair's breadth of a precept; therefore, he is called foremost in observing the precepts. His practice of patience was also foremost. Once, Śāriputra took Rāhula into Śrāvastī to beg for food. At that time, a certain brāhmaṇa, seeing Rāhula walking behind, conceived an evil intention and struck Rāhula's head, breaking it open so that blood flowed and stained his face. Rāhula immediately gave rise to an evil thought: 'I must certainly find an expedient way to take revenge upon this enemy.' Śāriputra already knew the thought in his mind; wiping away his blood, he said to Rāhula: 'You should remember your father. In the past, when he was a king, someone came to beg for his eyes, and he gouged out his eyes and gave them. When his hands and feet were cut off, he likewise felt no regret or resentment. When he was an elephant, he gave his tusks to someone without wearying of it. How can you now give rise to such an evil thought?' Hearing this spoken, Rāhula immediately reproached himself: 'How could I now direct an evil mind toward him?' He then became patient like the earth, not giving rise to even a hair's breadth of harmful intent. At that time, the one who struck Rāhula fell into the Avīci hell. Due to these causes and conditions, his observance of the precepts and his practice of patience are the most foremost.

25.20

The thirteenth thesis states: Why is the monk Panthaka called foremost in being dull-witted yet able to manifest transformations? It was truly because the Buddha taught him to recite 'sweep' and 'broom'; when he remembered 'broom', he forgot 'sweep', and when he remembered 'sweep', he forgot 'broom'. For six years, he concentrated his mind on reciting this, and his intention eventually came to an understanding. He reflected to himself: ''Broom' is a besom; 'sweep' is to remove. The besom is an analogy for the eightfold noble path; the filth is an analogy for the defilement of the three poisons. Using the besom of the eightfold noble path to sweep away the defilement of the three poisons—does the meaning of what is called 'sweep the broom' refer only to this?' Deeply contemplating this principle, his mind instantly opened into understanding, and he attained the path of an arhat. There was also a brāhmaṇa named Brahmā, also called Shidian (Secular Canons). He had read extensively through numerous texts, diagrams, books, secret prophecies, astronomy, and geography, with none of which he was not thoroughly familiar; hence he was named Shidian. Deeming himself of lofty virtue, he summoned [others] to debate together. He said to Panthaka: 'Can you debate with me?' Panthaka said: 'I can even debate with your father and grandfather Brahmā, how much more so with a blind and eyeless person like you?' Following upon these words, the brāhmaṇa immediately said: 'What difference is there between being blind and being eyeless?' Panthaka remained silent and gave no answer, having no means to respond. He then responded with his supernatural powers, ascending into the air forty-nine feet above the ground and sitting cross-legged. Looking up at him, a feeling of reverence arose within the brāhmaṇa. At that time, Śāriputra knew that his words were exhausted and that he had manifested a transformation to respond; if someone did not go to subdue the brāhmaṇa, he would not be saved. Śāriputra therefore used his supernatural powers to assume Panthaka's form and caused Panthaka's original form not to appear. The transformed form asked: 'Are you a deva or a human?' He answered: 'A human.' He asked again: 'Is a human a man or not?' He said: 'A man.' He asked again: 'What difference is there between a man and a human?' He answered: 'No difference.' He asked again: ''Human' is an overarching name, while 'man' is based on physical form. How can they not be different? What was earlier called 'blind' refers to not seeing the retribution of good and evil in the present and future lives; 'eyeless' refers to lacking the eye of wisdom to sever the defilements.' The brāhmaṇa's mind understood, and he immediately attained the purity of the Dharma eye. Due to these causes and conditions, Panthaka is foremost in transforming his body. (These arhats are each designated foremost on the basis of a single specialty; but if one speaks of their true virtues and spiritual comprehension, they are all foremost in all respects.) As the Ekottarika-āgama says: At that time, when the World-Honoured One was reciting the precepts on the fifteenth day, the saṃgha of monks and a community of five hundred monks vanished from the Jetavana and went to Lake Anavatapta. At that time, the dragon king went to the World-Honoured One's place, touched his head and face to the feet [of the Buddha], and sat to one side. Observing the assembly, an empty seat was seen; Śāriputra did not yet have this seat. The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana: 'Go quickly to Śāriputra's place and announce [this] with my voice.' Maudgalyāyana received the instruction and went to Śrāvastī. He said to Śāriputra: 'The Buddha calls you to come; the dragon king of Anavatapta wishes to meet you.' Śāriputra untied his saṃkakṣikā sash, placed it before Maudgalyāyana, and said to Maudgalyāyana: 'You have supernatural powers; lift this sash and knot.' Maudgalyāyana grasped the sash but could not move it; exerting all his strength in attempting to lift it, the earth all shook violently. Śāriputra then lifted Maudgalyāyana and placed him in Pūrvavideha. He also wrapped the sash around Mount Sumeru, and Maudgalyāyana then shook and moved Mount Sumeru. Śāriputra then wrapped this sash around the Tathāgata's seat; Maudgalyāyana was completely unable to move it. Abandoning the sash, he returned to the dragon king's place. From afar, he saw Śāriputra, who had already arrived beforehand, sitting cross-legged and maintaining mindfulness before him. Maudgalyāyana addressed the Buddha: 'Have I not lost my supernatural powers? For what reason did Śāriputra vanish later but arrive first?' The Buddha said: 'You have not regressed. Śāriputra possesses great wisdom.' The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana: 'Many monks lack a mind of reverence toward your words, saying, 'Śāriputra's supernatural powers surpass yours.' You may manifest your majestic power amid this assembly.' He replied: 'I obey your instruction.' He then arose from his seat, went to the peak of Mount Sumeru, stepped on the summit with one foot, and placed the other foot in the Brahmā heaven. He kicked Mount Sumeru, causing the earth to shake in six ways. At that time, the monks exclaimed that it was unprecedented. Maudgalyāyana spoke a verse, and at that time, sixty monks exhausted their outflows and had their minds liberated because of this.

25.21

Furthermore, the Mañjuśrīparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Bhadrapāla: 'This Mañjuśrī has great compassion. He was born in this country, in the village of Tāla, in the household of the brāhmaṇa Brahmadeva. At the time of his birth, the house within transformed into a lotus flower. He emerged from his mother's right flank; his body was of purple-golden colour. Falling to the ground, he was able to speak, like a divine boy. There was a canopy of seven jewels that followed and covered him. None among the ninety-five kinds of debate masters was able to respond to him. He went forth to study the path only under the Buddha, abiding in the Śūraṅgama-samādhi. Four hundred and fifty years after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, he will go to the Snowy Mountains to proclaim the twelve divisions of scriptures for five hundred ṛṣis, and having taught and transformed them to abide in non-retrogression, he will go to the place of his original birth. In an empty wild marsh, under a nyagrodha tree, he will sit cross-legged and enter the Śūraṅgama-samādhi. Golden light will issue forth from all the pores of his body, illuminating the worlds of the ten directions everywhere to deliver those who have affinity. His body will be like a purple-golden mountain, exactly sixteen feet tall, with a round halo radiant and clear, each side one vyāma. Within the round halo there are five hundred transformed Buddhas; each transformed Buddha has five transformed bodhisattvas as attendants.' The Buddha told Bhadrapāla: 'This Mañjuśrī possesses immeasurable supernatural powers and transformations that cannot be fully recorded. If any sentient being merely hears the name of Mañjuśrī, the transgressions of birth and death for one billion two hundred million kalpas will be eliminated. If they prostrate and make offerings, in life after life they will constantly be born in a Buddha's family. If they have not yet seen him, they should recite and uphold the Śūraṅgama[-samādhi] and call upon the name of Mañjuśrī; for one to seven days, Mañjuśrī will certainly come to that person's place. If one has karmic hindrances from past lives, one will see him in a dream. Those who see him in a dream, if they seek to be a śrāvaka in their present body, will attain from srotāpanna up to anāgāmin because of seeing Mañjuśrī. If a renunciant sees him, because of having seen him, they will become an arhat in one day and one night. If there are those with deep faith in the Vaipulya sūtras, this Dharma Prince will preach the profound Dharma for them during meditative absorption. For those whose minds are largely distracted, he will preach the true meaning in their dreams, causing them to be steadfast and attain non-retrogression in the unexcelled path. After my parinirvāṇa, among all sentient beings, those who are able to hear the name of Mañjuśrī or see his image will not fall into the evil destinies for hundreds of thousands of kalpas. If there are those who uphold and recite the name of Mañjuśrī, even if they have heavy hindrances, they will not fall into the fierce raging fires of the Avīci hell, but will constantly be born in pure lands in other directions, meet Buddhas, hear the Dharma, and attain the forbearance of the non-arising of dharmas.'

25.22

Furthermore, the Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish says: The Buddha was at Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in Rājagṛha. At that time, the King of Vārāṇasī was named Brahmadatta. A prime minister had a son born to him whose primary and secondary marks were fully complete, his body of purple-gold hue, and his appearance exceptionally distinguished. When the prime minister saw his child, his joy was multiplied. The mother had originally not been of a good nature, yet ever since she conceived, she was compassionate toward those in suffering and distress, mercifully benefiting the common folk and nurturing them with an impartial mind. The father summoned a physiognomist to divine his signs. When the physiognomist saw him, he rejoiced, and accordingly bestowed a name upon him, calling him Maitreya. The child's extraordinary reputation spread throughout the entire land. Hearing of it, the king grew fearful, dreading that he would usurp the throne when grown, and thought that before he came of age he should be eliminated beforehand. He immediately ordered the prime minister: 'I hear that you have a son whose appearance and marks are extraordinary. You may bring him; I wish to see him.' At that time, the palace attendants and the father knew the king's intention and were extremely distressed, as if scalded by boiling water and fire. (Other sūtras record an expedient plan: he replied to the king that the boy had recently been sent to the home of his maternal uncle in southern India to be raised, and would be brought to show the king later.) The boy had a maternal uncle named Bāvarī, who was in the country of Pāvāpura and served as the national teacher of that realm. He was intelligent, immensely learned, and possessed rare talents of penetrating wisdom, with five hundred disciples who constantly followed and consulted him. At that time, the prime minister loved his son dearly and feared that he would be harmed, so he secretly devised a plan and sent someone to deliver him on an elephant. When the uncle saw Maitreya and observed the beauty of his appearance, he cared for and nurtured him with special affection, respectfully regarding him in his embrace. As he grew older, he instructed him in studies. What he received in a single day surpassed what others learned in an entire year. Before a full year had passed, he had mastered the standard scriptures and books. Seeing that his nephew had mastered all the books in so short a time, Bāvarī wished to hold an assembly for him to manifest and extol his excellence. He sent a disciple to Vārāṇasī to tell the prime minister about what the boy had learned and to ask for rare treasures to host the assembly. While the disciple was on his way, he heard people speaking of the Buddha's immeasurable virtues and deeds. Longing to see him, he immediately set off toward the Buddha, but before he arrived, he was devoured by a tiger. Riding on that wholesome thought, he was reborn in the heaven of the Cāturmahārājakāyika gods. Bāvarī exhausted all his own possessions to stage a great assembly, and all assembled there. When the assembly was concluded, he gave a great gift of dakṣiṇā: each person received five hundred gold coins, and his wealth was completely exhausted. There was a brāhmaṇa named Raudrākṣa who arrived last of all and alone received no food, being given only five hundred gold coins. Raudrākṣa said: 'I heard of your offerings; how can they now be empty? If you truly reject me and give me nothing [further], within seven more days your head will split into seven pieces!' At that time, Bāvarī feared evil curses and other witchcraft; the matter could not be taken lightly, and he was deeply terrified. The disciple sent earlier who had died and been born in heaven saw from afar that his master was sorrowful, emaciated, and helpless. He descended from heaven, came before him, and asked his master: 'Why are you grieving?' The master told him everything in detail. The god reported to the master: 'Raudrākṣa does not yet understand the Dharma of the head; he is an ignorant, bewildered, and wicked person of wrong views. What can he actually do that you should worry about this? Now there is only the Buddha who most thoroughly understands the Dharma of the head—he is the peerless Dharma King, the one especially worthy of refuge.' When Bāvarī heard the god speak of the Buddha, he questioned him again: 'Who is the Buddha?' The god then explained that the Buddha's merit and wisdom were beyond measure, and that he was now residing at Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa in Rājagṛha. Hearing the praise of the Buddha's virtue, Bāvarī thought to himself: 'This must be what my books record—that when the boiling star appears below, and heaven and earth shake mightily, a sage shall be born. Now all of these signs are present.' He thereupon instructed sixteen people, including Maitreya, to go and observe his marks, and to challenge him in their minds: 'How many marks does my master Bāvarī have? How old is my master? What is my master's clan? How many disciples does my master have? If he answers and knows the counts, he is certainly the Buddha, and you must become his disciples. Send one person back to tell me the news.' Maitreya and the others then proceeded toward Rājagṛha, and when they drew near to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, they saw the Buddha's radiance, his various divine anomalies, and his magnificent primary marks, and their joy increased even more. Following their master's command, they challenged him from afar with their minds. The Buddha answered them from afar, without the slightest error in any detail. Deeply reverent and admiring, they bowed their heads to his feet. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them; fifteen of them attained the purity of the Dharma eye and asked to leave the household life. The Buddha said: 'Welcome!' Their hair and beards fell away of themselves, and the Dharma robes were upon their bodies. He preached the Dharma to them again, and they became arhats. Among the sixteen, there was one named Piṅgiya, who was the son of Bāvarī's elder sister; he was sent back to report the news. Having returned to his home country, he told in detail all he had heard and seen. Bāvarī was overjoyed upon hearing it; he rose from his seat, knelt with palms joined facing Rājagṛha, and with sincere devotion invited the Buddha: 'May you condescend to come in your divine power and succour us!' The Tathāgata knew this from afar, and in the time it takes to bend or extend an arm, he arrived before him. Having bowed, Bāvarī raised his head, saw the Buddha, and was astonished and joyful. The Buddha preached the Dharma for him, and he attained the fruit of an anāgāmin. At that time, the World-Honoured One immediately returned to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa. (Only Maitreya did not take the lesser fruit, having vowed a great aspiration with his mind set on bodhi.) The Buddha told the monks: 'In the future, the land of this Jambudvīpa will be square and level, vast and broad, without mountains or rivers; soft grass will grow on the earth, like heavenly garments. At that time, human lifespan will be eighty-four thousand years, and people will be eighty feet tall, dignified and extraordinary, by nature benevolent and harmonious, and fully cultivating the ten wholesome deeds. At that time there will be a wheel-turning sage king named Śaṅkha (translated into the Jin language as 'Complete'). In that age, a brāhmaṇa family will have a son born to them named Maitreya. His body will be of purple-gold hue, fully equipped with the thirty-two marks and all the secondary characteristics, his radiance extraordinarily brilliant. He will leave the household life to train in the Path, attain the most perfect enlightenment, and extensively turn the noble wheel of the Dharma for sentient beings. In his first assembly, he will deliver ninety-three billion beings; in the second assembly, he will deliver ninety-one billion; and in the third great assembly, he will deliver ninety billion. Those who are delivered by hearing his preaching of the Dharma across these three assemblies will all be sentient beings who planted blessings in my bequeathed Dharma; they will all be among those three assemblies.' Ānanda addressed the Buddha: 'I do not know from what origin he came to be named Maitreya.' The Buddha said: 'In the remote past, he practiced the loving-kindness samādhi; his settled intention was gentle and pliant, and he was devoid of any harmful thoughts. Therefore he was named Maitreya.' (In Sanskrit, Maitreya; here rendered as Ci-shi [the Loving One]. 'Maitreya' is also his clan name. Other sūtras say that in the past there was a buddha already named Maitreya, and encountering that buddha, he made a vow to share the name Maitreya. His name Ajita means 'Invincible'; because his wisdom surpasses that of others, he is called 'Invincible'.)

25.23

The verse says:

25.24

The worthy one models the standard of deliverance,
While the lost and wandering ascend to higher spheres.
When the master's penetrations are spurred by his own impulse,
His divine radiance shines upon those with affinities.
Manifestations to accommodate beings are each distinct,
Yet the sacred records match the numinous scriptures.
Mounting the heavens by virtue of the supreme rank,
His resounding tone rings through the three-thousandfold world.
Striking the Dharma drum, he stirs the profound teaching;
Soaring like a dragon, he responds to humans and devas.
His tranquil wisdom merges with the subtle and profound;
Vaguely ethereal, he chants of the double mystery.
Winding across forty-nine cycles,
With auspicious fortune he presides over the central realm,
Displaying these four-and-eight marks
To shine brilliantly upon the Flower Grove Garden.

25.25

Circumstances of sympathetic resonance (Those such as Daosheng and Sengzhao, or Dao'an and Fotudeng, are numerous great masters of virtue; their accounts are appended to other chapters and are not repeated here at length, but two pieces of evidence are briefly cited):

25.26

The Jin monk Kumārajīva
The Song monk Shi Faxian

25.27

In Chang'an during the Jin dynasty there was Kumārajīva (translated here as "Youth of Long Life"), a man of India. His family had been state chancellors for generations. Jīva's grandfather, Datta, was chivalrous and preeminent, renowned throughout the land. His father, Kumārāyana, was intelligent and of fine integrity; about to inherit the chancellorship, he declined it and left the household, traveling east across the Congling [Pamir] Mountains. The King of Kucha, hearing that he had abandoned glory, deeply revered and admired him, went out to the suburbs himself to welcome him, and invited him to be the Preceptor of the State. The king had a sister, just twenty years of age, whose talent and perception were brilliant and acute: whatever met her eye she could master; hearing something once, she could recite it; and on her body was a red mole that was an omen she would give birth to a wise son. Although many states sought her in marriage, none were granted permission. But when she saw [Kumārā]yana, she desired him in her heart; [the king] then compelled them to marry. Soon she became pregnant with Jīva. While Jīva was in the womb, his mother's wise comprehension doubled beyond ordinary measure. Hearing that the Great Cīlan Monastery had many eminent and virtuous ones as well as monks who had attained the Way, she and the noble ladies of the royal clan, together with virtuous nuns, set out offerings day after day, held vegetarian feasts, and listened to the Dharma. Jīva's mother suddenly became able to speak an Indic tongue of her own accord; her difficult questions invariably probed the profoundest depths, and the assembly all marveled at her. The arhat Dharmaghoṣa said: "She is surely bearing a wise son," citing the proof of Śāriputra while in the womb. After Jīva was born, she forgot the foreign tongue. Before long, Jīva's mother wished to leave the household, but her husband would not permit it. She then gave birth to another boy, named Puṣyadeva. Later, going out of the city on an excursion, she saw withered bones scattered crosswise in different spots among the graves; thereupon she contemplated deeply the root of suffering and firmly resolved to leave worldly life. She took a vow to shave her head and refused to swallow food or drink. By the night of the sixth day, her breath and strength had dwindled to exhaustion, and it was doubted whether she would survive until morning. Her husband, frightened, then gave his consent. Because her hair had not yet been shaved, she still would not eat; he immediately ordered her hair to be removed, whereupon she took food and drink. The following morning she received the precepts. She then practiced meditation techniques with unflagging dedication and attained the first fruit [srotāpanna]. At age seven, Jīva also left the household alongside her. Following his master, he received the scriptures, chanting a thousand verses a day. Each verse was thirty-two syllables, totaling thirty-two thousand words. After he recited the Abhidharma, his master instructed him in its meaning, and he comprehended it spontaneously, leaving nothing obscure unclarified. At that time, because his mother was a royal princess, the people of Kucha lavished immense material support upon them; so she took Jīva and departed to avoid it. At the age of nine, Jīva accompanied his mother across the Sindhu River, reached the kingdom of Kashmir (Jibin), and met the famous and virtuous Dharma master Bandhudatta, who was the younger cousin of the King of Kashmir. Pure, profound, and of broad capacity, his talent, brilliance, and vast learning were peerless in his day; among the three pitakas and the nine divisions [of the scriptures], there was none he had not mastered thoroughly. From dawn to noon he copied a thousand verses with his own hand; from noon to dusk he also recited a thousand verses. His fame spread through many kingdoms, and those far and near took him as their teacher. Upon arrival, Jīva honored him with the rites due to a master and received from him the Miscellaneous Piṭaka, the Madhyama-āgama, and the Dīrgha-āgama, totaling four million words. Bandhudatta constantly praised Jīva's supernatural talent, and his reputation reached the king. The king immediately invited him in and assembled non-Buddhist debaters to challenge him mutually. When the debate first began, the non-Buddhists belittled his youth, speaking rather insolently. Jīva exploited their openings and crushed them; humiliated and remorseful, the non-Buddhists were left speechless. The king grew all the more amazed and respectful. Daily he provided him with a pair of preserved geese, three sheng each of polished rice and flour, and six sheng of clarified butter—these were the highest offerings of foreign lands. The monks of the temple where he stayed assigned five fully ordained monks and ten novices to attend him and sweep the grounds as though they were his disciples: such was the reverence shown to him. When he was twelve years of age, his mother brought him back toward Kucha. Many states offered him noble ranks, but Jīva paid them no heed. At that time, Jīva's mother brought him to the northern mountains of the Yuezhi. An arhat saw him, marveled at him, and said to his mother: "You must always protect him. If this novice does not break the precepts before he reaches thirty-five, he will greatly propagate the Buddha's Dharma, deliver countless people, and be no different from Upagupta. If his precepts are not kept intact, he will accomplish nothing significant, remaining only a talented, brilliant, and superior Dharma master." Jīva advanced to the kingdom of Kaśgar. Holding the Buddha's bowl above his head, he thought to himself: "The bowl's shape is very large; why is it so light?" Immediately it became too heavy to bear, and he cried out and set it down. His mother asked the reason, and he replied: "My mind made distinctions, so the bowl had lightness and weight." He then remained in Kaśgar for a year. That winter, he chanted the Abhidharma; regarding the chapters on the ten gates and the cultivation of wisdom, he had no need to ask questions of anyone and completely comprehended their subtleties. Moreover, regarding the various gates of the Six Abhidharma Treatises [ṣaṭpādābhidharma], he met with no obstruction. In the kingdom of Kaśgar, there was a Tripiṭaka śramaṇa named Xijian, who said to the king: "This novice must not be underestimated. Your Majesty should invite him to begin opening the Dharma-gate, which will have two benefits: first, the śramaṇas within the country, ashamed that they cannot match him, will certainly be spurred to effort; second, the King of Kucha will surely think: 'He came from my kingdom, yet they honor him; thus they honor me,' and will certainly come to establish friendly relations." The king agreed, immediately arranged a great assembly, and invited Jīva to ascend the seat and preach the *Dharmacakrapravartana-sūtra*. The King of Kucha indeed dispatched an envoy to reciprocate friendship. In his leisure from expounding the Dharma, Jīva sought out non-Buddhist texts and scriptures. He mastered the *Veda-śata-śāstra*, which extensively explained rhetorical compositions, questions, answers, and the like. He read widely in the four Veda classics and the treatises of the five sciences (pañcavidyā); of yin-yang and astrology, there was nothing he did not master completely; he subtly comprehended auspicious and inauspicious omens, and his words matched reality like tallies. By nature, he was straightforward and unrestrained. Jīva initially studied the Hīnayāna, but later devoted himself exclusively to the Vaipulya [Mahāyāna] teachings, sighing: "Formerly I studied the Hīnayāna; like a person who does not recognize gold and takes brass to be fine!" He therefore sought out the essential meanings extensively, receiving and reciting the *Madhyamaka-śāstra*, the *Śata-śāstra*, the *Dvādaśamukha-śāstra*, and others. Soon afterward, he followed his mother and proceeded to the kingdom of Wensu [Uch-Turfan], which was the northern border of Kucha. At that time, in Wensu, there was a non-Buddhist master whose divine eloquence and outstanding brilliance were renowned across many kingdoms. Beating the royal drum with his own hands, he took a vow, saying: "If anyone defeats me in debate, I will cut off my head in apology!" When Jīva arrived, he cross-examined him using two propositions; [the debater] became bewildered and at a loss, bowed his head, and took refuge in him. Thereupon Jīva's fame filled the region west of the Congling and his renown spread beyond the River. The King of Kucha personally went to Wensu to welcome Jīva back to the kingdom. He expounded various sūtras widely, and among the masters of learning from the four directions, none could rival him. At that time, the king's daughter had become a nun, named Ajiemodi [Akṣayamati?], who had read widely in the scriptures and was exceptionally deep in the essentials of meditation; she was said to have already attained the second fruit [sakṛdāgāmin]. Hearing the Dharma, she danced with joy and then arranged another great gathering to inquire into the profound secrets of the Vaipulya sūtras. Jīva analyzed and demonstrated for her that all phenomena are empty and non-self, distinguishing that the aggregates and realms are conventional designations and not real. Among those listening in the assembly at that time, none were not moved to tears, grieving in retrospect and regretting that their awakening had come so late. When he reached the age of twenty, he received the full precepts in the royal palace, studying the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya* (Ten Recitations Vinaya) under Vimalākṣa. Shortly thereafter, Jīva's mother bid farewell to go to India, saying to the King of Kucha, Bo Chun: "Your kingdom will soon decline; I shall depart." She traveled to India and advanced to attain the third fruit [anāgāmin]. When Jīva's mother was about to leave, she said to Jīva: "The profound teachings of the Vaipulya should be widely propagated in China and transmitted to the eastern lands. This is solely within your power, yet it will bring no benefit to yourself. What will you do?" Jīva said: "The way of the Great Being (mahāsattva) is to benefit others and forget one's own body. If only the great transformation can be spread to enlighten and awaken the benighted world, even if my body should suffer the torments of the caldron and furnace, I shall have no regret." He then remained in Kucha, residing at the New Monastery. Later, in the old palace beside the monastery, he first obtained the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra* (Light-Emitting Sūtra). Just as he opened it to read, Māra came to obscure it, so that he saw only blank paper. Jīva knew it was Māra's doing, and his vow became even firmer. Māra left, the characters reappeared, and he continued reciting it. Again he heard a voice in space saying: "You are a wise man; what need is there to read this?" Jīva said: "You are a petty māra; you should leave at once! My mind is like the earth, immovable." He stayed for three years, chanting Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises extensively and penetrating their secret depths. The King of Kucha made a golden lion throne for him, spread it with Daqin brocade cushions, and had Jīva ascend it to expound the Dharma. Jīva said: "My master has not yet awakened to the Mahāyāna; I wish to go in person to greet and pay respect to him, so I cannot remain here." Soon, the Great Master Bandhudatta arrived from afar. The king said: "Why has the Great Master favored us with a visit?" Bandhudatta replied: "First, I heard that my disciple's awakening is extraordinary; second, I heard that the Great King promotes and praises the Buddha's path; therefore I braved danger and difficulty to come from afar to this divine realm." Having his master arrive, Jīva rejoiced that his original wish was fulfilled, and expounded the *Sūtra of the Inquiries of the Virtuous Woman* for him, which extensively elucidated cause and condition, emptiness, and conventionality—matters that neither he nor his master had believed in the past; hence he expounded it first. The master asked Jīva: "What extraordinary features have you seen in the Mahāyāna that you should esteem it so?" Jīva said: "The Mahāyāna is profound and pure, elucidating that existing phenomena are all empty; the Hīnayāna is partial and narrow, clinging mostly to names and characteristics." The master said: "You say everything is empty—that is terrifying indeed! How can one abandon existence and love emptiness? Like the madman of old who ordered a spinner to spin thread and make it extremely fine and fine: the spinner took great care to make it as fine as fine dust, yet the madman still lamented that it was coarse. The spinner became furious, pointed to the air, and showed him: 'This is the fine thread!' The madman said: 'Why do I not see it?' The spinner said: 'This thread is so extremely fine that even with my skilled craft I cannot see it; how much less could someone else?' The madman was overjoyed and handed it to a weaver; the weaver also followed suit. Both received high rewards, yet in reality there was no object. Your doctrine of emptiness is just like this." Jīva then presented analogical arguments in succession, with earnest, repeated back-and-forth debates; only after more than a month did [Bandhudatta] finally accept and submit. His master sighed: "The master could not attain it, but conversely the disciple awakened his resolve—this is proven today!" Thereupon he bowed to Jīva as his teacher, saying: "The Upādhyāya is my Mahāyāna master, and I am the Upādhyāya's Hīnayāna master." All the kingdoms of the Western Regions submitted to Jīva's supernatural talent. Whenever he preached, the kings would kneel at the side of his seat and have Jīva step upon them to mount it: such was the reverence shown to him. Once Jīva's Way had spread throughout the Western Regions, his fame reached the Eastern Plains. At that time, Fu Jian usurped the title in the Guanzhong region. The king of the Anterior State of the Foreign Regions and the younger brother of the King of Kucha both came to court Fu Jian. Fu Jian granted them an audience. The two kings told Fu Jian: "The Western Regions produce many rare treasures; we request troops to pacify them and submit to your authority." In the first month of the thirteenth year of Fu Jian's Jianyuan era (the dingchou year [377 CE]), the Grand Astrologer memorialized: "A star has appeared in the astrological sector of foreign lands; a person of great virtue and wisdom will surely enter to assist China." Fu Jian said: "I have heard that in the Western Regions there is Kumārajīva, and in Xiangyang there is the śramaṇa Dao'an; could it not be them?" He immediately sent envoys to seek them out. In the second month of the seventeenth year, the King of Shanshan, the King of the Anterior State, and others again urged Fu Jian to dispatch troops to march west. In the ninth month of the eighteenth year, Fu Jian dispatched General of Agile Cavalry Lü Guang and General of Lingjiang Jiang Fei, leading the King of the Anterior State and the King of Jushi, with seventy thousand troops to march west against Kucha, Yanqi, and other states. As they were about to set out, Fu Jian gave a farewell banquet for Lü Guang at the Jianzhang Palace, saying to Lü Guang: "Emperors rule in accordance with Heaven, taking the cherishing of the people as their root; how could they greedily covet their land and attack them? It is solely for the sake of people who possess the Way. I have heard that in the western lands there is Kumārajīva, who deeply understands the characteristics of dharmas and is well-versed in yin-yang, serving as a model for later learners. I think of him deeply. The virtuous and wise are the great treasures of a nation. If you conquer Kucha, immediately send Jīva by fast courier." Before Lü Guang's army arrived, Jīva said to Bo Chun, King of Kucha: "The nation's fortune is in decline; there will be a formidable foe. People from beneath the sun are coming from the east; you should provide for and receive them, and not resist their vanguard." Chun did not comply and gave battle. Lü Guang then defeated Kucha, killed Chun, and enthroned Chun's younger brother Zhen as ruler. Having captured Jīva, Lü Guang did not fathom his capacity of wisdom, and seeing that his age was still young, treated him like an ordinary person with mockery. On the return journey, Lü Guang stationed his army at the foot of a mountain while the officers and soldiers were resting. Jīva said: "You must not remain here; you will surely face distress. You should move the army onto the ridge." Lü Guang did not heed the advice. At night, heavy rain indeed fell and a torrent suddenly surged, with water several fathoms deep, drowning several thousand men. Only then did Lü Guang secretly marvel at him. Jīva said to Lü Guang: "This is an ominous place; you should not linger. Deducing the movements and calculating the numbers, you should quickly speak of returning; on the way there will surely be a blessed land to settle." Lü Guang complied. Arriving in Liangzhou, they heard that Fu Jian had already been killed by Yao Chang. Lü Guang's three armies donned white mourning garments and wailed loudly south of the city. Thereupon he usurped the title beyond the Pass, adopting the era name Tai'an. In the first month of the second year of Tai'an, a great wind blew in Guzang. Jīva said: "An ominous wind: there will be treacherous rebellion, but without labor it will settle of itself." Later Jīva's words were indeed verified. Jīva remained in Liangzhou for many years. Since Lü Guang and his son did not promote the Way, Jīva harbored his deep comprehension without propagating it. Fu Jian had died, so they never met after all. When Yao Chang usurped possession of the Guanzhong region, he also admired Jīva's lofty reputation and humbly invited him; but the Lü family, fearing that Jīva's wisdom and resourcefulness would serve as Yao's strategist, would not permit him to go east. When Yao Chang died and his son Xing succeeded to the throne, he again dispatched earnest invitations. In the third month of the third year of Xing's Hongshi era [401 CE], interlocking trees grew in the ancestral temple courtyard, and scallions in the Xiaoyao Garden turned into shallots; this was regarded as an auspicious omen, indicating that a wise man was about to arrive. In the fifth month, Yao Xing sent the Duke of Longxi, Shuode, to march west against Lü Long; Long's army was thoroughly routed. In the ninth month, Lü Long submitted a memorial offering surrender; only then could Jīva be welcomed into the Pass. On the twentieth day of the tenth month of that year, he arrived in Chang'an. Yao Xing treated him with the rites due to a Preceptor of the State, showing him immense favor. In conversation with each other, they would linger the whole day; researching subtleties until dawn, they would forget weariness year-round. Ever since the Great Dharma spread east beginning under Emperor Ming of the Han, through the Wei and Jin dynasties, sūtras and treatises gradually multiplied; but those produced by Zhi Qian and Dharmarakṣa mostly clung to the wording and matched meanings (geyi). Yao Xing had revered the Three Jewels from his youth and eagerly desired to assemble translations. Once Jīva arrived, he invited him to enter the Ximing Pavilion and the Xiaoyao Garden to translate various sūtras. Since Jīva recited most of them from memory, he probed everything thoroughly; furthermore, he was able to render them into Chinese with fluent and smooth translations. Reviewing the older scriptures, he found their meanings mostly distorted and erroneous, all because earlier translations had lost the original intent and therefore did not correspond with the Sanskrit originals. Yao Xing ordered the śramaṇas Senglüe, Sengqian, Faqin, Daoliu, Daochang, Daobiao, Sengrui, Sengzhao, and others—more than eight hundred men—to receive instructions from Jīva and ordered a new translation of the *Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra* (Large Perfection of Wisdom). Jīva held the Sanskrit text, while Yao Xing held the old translation to collate them. Where the mixed phrasings differed from the old, the meanings were thoroughly harmonized and complete. The minds of the assembly were fully convinced and satisfied, and none did not rejoice and praise it. Considering that the Buddha's path is profound and that its practice consists solely of goodness, truly being the fine ford for escaping suffering and the grand rule for governing the world, Yao Xing therefore committed his intent to the nine classics and let his mind roam through the twelve divisions of the canon; he then composed the *Treatise on Penetrating the Three Times* to encourage and demonstrate cause and effect. From the princes and dukes downward, all revered and praised his style. The Senior General, Duke of Changshan, Xian, and the General of the Left, Marquis of Ancheng, Song, both had firm faith in conditions and karma; they repeatedly invited Jīva to lecture on the new scriptures at the Great Monastery of Chang'an and successively translate Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna sūtras and treatises, totaling more than 390 fascicles, the titles of which are listed in separate biographies. They all revealed the divine source and brought to light the profound subtleties. At that time, men of discernment from the four quarters gathered from thousands of miles away; this glorious undertaking has endured for long, admired to this day. Outstanding and virtuous figures among the monks and laity of various regions, such as the monk Huiyuan, had learning encompassing the various scriptures and served as pillars of the transmitted teachings; but being long separated in time from the Sage, when doubtful points could not be resolved, they would seal their questions to consult Jīva. Whenever one visits a king, there must be praise of his virtues; in the etiquette of seeing the Buddha, hymns of praise are esteemed as precious; the verses (gāthā) in the sūtras are all of this form. However, changing Sanskrit into Qin Chinese loses its elegance and splendor: though the general idea is captured, it is completely separated from the literary style—like chewing food for someone else: not only does it lose its flavor, but it causes them to vomit. Jīva once composed a hymn and presented it to the śramaṇa Fahe, saying: "The mountain of the mind nurtures bright virtue, / Sending forth fragrance for ten thousand yojanas. / A sorrowing luan bird upon the solitary paulownia, / Its clear notes penetrate the nine heavens."

First 27 of 31 passages. Read on

Linked texts (1)

法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese