法苑珠林 28

English (machine translation) 28

Language: English

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Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

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Chapter 20: Divine Anomalies (This contains five sections)

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Section on Expressing the Intent
Section on Contending in Supernormal Powers
Section on Subduing Heresy
Section on Gestation and Womb
Section on Miscellaneous Anomalies

Now, as for the transformation wrought by divine ways: it is to suppress the boastful and strong, to break down the insolent and arrogant, to blunt fierce sharpness, and to unravel the dust and turmoil [of worldly entanglement]. As when the flying wheel harnesses the treasures, the faithful submit; when the towering stone reaches into the clouds, the strongmen retreat in hiding. One should know that supreme governance is free of intention, and firmness or gentleness depends upon transformation. Therefore, some conceal their light and obscure their shadows, stooping to match the deluded world; some manifest marvelous wonders, foretelling omens from afar; some die and are reborn; some enter meditative absorption and then vanish into emptiness. Their miraculous traces and uncanny mysteries cannot be fathomed. Now, that which is valued in principle is conformity with the Way; that which is valued in practice is rescuing beings. Therefore, the expedient contravenes the constant yet conforms to the Way, being utilized to achieve great undertakings. Yet what is recorded in the biographies cannot be investigated in every detail. Some arise from the response of the Dharmakāya; some are the loftiness and transcendence of Daoist immortals. Provided that even one fraction surpasses others, it is already sufficient to be lofty. But if they boastfully display occult arts and heterodox ways to throw the times into chaos, soaring high by relying on herbs and minerals, or achieving longevity by depending on fragrant mushrooms—rivaling the cock crowing in heaven, the dog barking in the clouds, the immortal snake and crane, or the thousand-year turtle and tortoise—and call this anomalous, they cannot be compared with sacred transformations. In the present compilation, we temporarily record a few divine anomalies of the śrāvakas. If one speaks of the sovereign holy virtues of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, they cannot be known through speech, nor measured by the mind; being fully arranged across the various chapters, they are not confined to this section alone.

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Section 2: Contending in Supernormal Powers

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As stated in the Dafangdeng daji nianfo sanmei jing, Mahāmaudgalyāyana answered Ānanda, saying: "I recall that once in the past, I took this trichiliocosm and put it entirely into my mouth. At that time, the sentient beings did not have even a single thought of alarm or any notion of coming and going. I also recall that once in the past, before the World-Honoured One, I roared the lion's roar [saying that] I could place Mount Sumeru inside my mouth and remain like this for an entire kalpa or less than a kalpa as normal. I also recall that in the past I went to the east and stayed in the third chiliocosm, where there was a great city named Jewel Gate. There were sixty billion thousand households therein, and in every single one of them I manifested my body, expounded the Dharma for them, and established them in the true Dharma." At that time, Śāriputra answered Ānanda, saying: "I recall that in the past I took a kāṣāya and cast it upon the ground. At that time, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, whose majestic spiritual power as the foremost senior monk was such, could not pick it up, nor could he even lift it off the ground, not to mention hold it in his hand. Ānanda, I also recall that once in the past, before the World-Honoured One, I roared the lion's roar. At that time, various non-Buddhists wished to contest with me. I concealed my body and expounded the Dharma. Except for the World-Honoured One, the omniscient and all-seeing, and the greatly powerful bodhisattvas, when all other śrāvaka disciples and even the non-Buddhists asked where I dwelt when my body was concealed, none could ever know my body's location." At that time, Mahākāśyapa answered Ānanda, saying: "I recall that once, before the World-Honoured One, I roared the lion's roar [saying that] with a single blow from my mouth I could shatter and scatter Mount Sumeru and all the mountains belonging to this trichiliocosm, until not even the size of a fine dust mote remained; and as for any sentient beings dwelling on those mountains, I would cause them to suffer no harm, nor would they be aware of it, and all such mountains would be completely destroyed. Also, at another time, with a single blow of my mouth, I caused all the waters of the great oceans, rivers, and ponds in this chiliocosm, even an immeasurable billion thousand nayuta hundred thousand reservoirs of water, to dry up completely, while those sentient beings were neither conscious nor aware of it. At another time, before the great assembly, I roared the lion's roar [saying that] with a single blow of my mouth I could cause a great fire to blaze fiercely throughout the trichiliocosm, just like the conflagration at the end of a kalpa, yet ultimately I would not cause harm to a single sentient being, and in the end they would not even be aware of it." At that time, Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, and other great bodhisattvas, hearing Mahākāśyapa roar the lion's roar, magically created heaps of flowers like Mount Sumeru and scattered them over Kāśyapa twice and thrice; they also magically created a great canopy of the seven jewels that remained in empty space, covering the crown of Mahākāśyapa's head and covering the entire great assembly of śrāvakas. At that time, Pūrṇa answered Ānanda, saying: "I recall that in the past, when there were sentient beings who ought to be converted through supernormal powers, I took the trichiliocosm for them and rubbed it with my hand to reveal it to them. At that time, not a single sentient being had any thought of fear, nor was any aware of it; only those sentient beings who were to be converted saw my hand rubbing this world. Furthermore, I can take the trichiliocosm and turn it around with my hand without considering it difficult. Furthermore, before the World-Honoured One, with a single finger joint, I can take all the reservoirs of water in this trichiliocosm and cause them all to enter between my finger joints, without a single sentient being having any thought of diminution. Moreover, at another time during the first watch of the night, with the pure divine eye I observed the doubts and perplexities of all the immeasurable sentient beings in this great chiliocosm, and without emerging from this samādhi, I dispelled all their doubts, causing each of those sentient beings to think: 'I have received the venerable one who stands alone before me expounding it for me.' In accordance with their capacities they obtained benefit without any obstruction." At that time, Rāhula answered Ānanda, saying: "I recall that in the past, I placed all the mountains of this trichiliocosm into a single hair-pore; my body remained as before, and the sentient beings were no different. Moreover, at another time, I took all the reservoirs of water of the oceans, rivers, and ponds in this great chiliocosm and made them all enter my hair-pore; my body suffered no harm, the sentient beings were not harmed, and all the reservoirs of water were each as before. Moreover, at another time, entering dhyāna here, I immediately reached a Buddha-realm in the northeast; the Buddha's name was Insuperable. Having manifested my body and paid homage, I immediately returned to this realm, sought out sandalwood incense, and brought it back to make offerings to the Buddha; the fragrance permeated everywhere, creating immeasurable various transformations." At that time, Subhūti answered Ānanda, saying: "I recall that once, entering samādhi, I placed this great chiliocosm, vast as it is, on the tip of a single hair, spinning it back and forth like a potter's wheel. At that time, not a single sentient being had a fearful mind, nor were they aware of where they were. Moreover, in the past before the Tathāgata, I roared the lion's roar and addressed the World-Honoured One, saying: 'With a slight breath from my mouth, I can blow away and destroy such a great chiliocosm as this, without the sentient beings therein feeling alarm or fear, or having any thought of coming and going.' Furthermore, before the Buddha, I can place all the sentient beings of the great chiliocosm upon the tip of a single finger joint, carry them up to the Highest Heaven of Form, and bring them back to their original place, causing those sentient beings to have no thought of going or returning. Moreover, I recall that once, sitting peacefully in samādhi, I saw the immeasurable and boundless hundreds of thousands of worlds of the Buddhas of the ten directions, each with sixty thousand Buddhas. Those whom I had never seen before, I now saw and knew all of them. From this concentrated mind, I further manifested supernormal powers: going to the summit of Mount Sumeru beside Śakra, Lord of the Gods, I gathered a handful of powdered sandalwood incense and went to those immeasurable worlds to make offerings to those many Tathāgatas. The sentient beings of those realms all clearly saw me dwelling in this Jambudvīpa making offerings and serving them."

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Section 3: Subduing Heresy

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As the *Aśokarāja-sūtra* states: Formerly, King Aśoka had deep faith in the Three Jewels and constantly made offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha. The Brahmans and non-Buddhists were all filled with jealousy. Gathering together to select senior elders, they chose five hundred men, all of whom could recite the four Veda scriptures and were thoroughly versed in both astronomy and geography. They assembled and deliberated, saying, 'King Aśoka offers everything exclusively to those shaven-headed, bald people, while we elders have never once been consulted. What expedient should we devise to change his mind?' A Brahman skilled in spells said, 'Noble ones, just follow behind me. Seven days from now, by the power of my spells, I will take on the body of Maheśvara and fly through the air to the king's palace gate. You should all follow on foot behind me. I can make him prepare a great offering, which you will all receive.' The Brahmans all agreed. When the seventh day arrived, the spell-skilled Brahman cast a spell upon his own body and transformed into Maheśvara. Flying through the air, he arrived before the king's palace gate, with the other Brahmans attending him. Having reached the palace gate, they sent someone to announce to the king, saying, 'Maheśvara is in the air, bringing four hundred and ninety-nine Brahmans descending from the sky; he is now outside the gate. The other Brahmans are standing on the ground, wishing to see the king.' King Aśoka called the messenger forward, and then summoned them to enter, seating them on couches along the two wings [of the hall]. The king said, 'Pray be seated.' After exchanging greetings, he spoke to him, saying, 'Why has Maheśvara condescended to pay a visit? What do you require?' He replied, 'I require food and drink.' [The king] immediately ordered the kitchen to bring five hundred trays of food and drink and set them before them. Maheśvara and the others pushed them away with their hands, saying, 'Since birth, we have never eaten food like this.' King Aśoka replied, 'Having had no prior instruction, I do not know what food you should eat.' Maheśvara and the others said with one voice, 'Our food is shaven-headed, bald people.' King Aśoka immediately instructed an official, 'Go to Kukkuṭārāma monastery and tell the Venerable Yaśas: "Inside the royal palace are five hundred Brahmans, one calling himself Maheśvara. We do not know whether he is a human or an evil rākṣasa. Inquire into the reason, and may the ācārya come to drive them away for me."' The messenger sent was a disciple of a non-Buddhist with wrong views. Arriving among the assembly, his sentiments were not faithful to the king's words: 'King Aśoka has five hundred Brahmans whose appearance is like humans but whose speech is like rākṣasas; they say only, "We wish precisely to take you śramaṇas for food!"' The elder Yaśas immediately told the karmadāna to strike the mallet and assemble the monks. Rising, he took leave of the assembly of monks, saying, 'My years are old and decrepit; I should undertake this matter for the sake of the assembly of monks. May the assembly of monks remain in tranquility and protect the Buddha-Dharma; permit me to go.' The second elder said, 'The elder should not go; my body lacks any ability, so only I should go.' The third said, 'The second elder should not go; it is precisely I who should go.' In this way it passed down in turn, even to the novices among the one hundred and sixty-eight thousand monks. The lowest among them, a seven-year-old novice, rose and approached the assembly of monks, knelt on both knees, joined his palms, and said: 'None of the fully ordained monks need be disturbed. Since I am young and small, unable to bear the responsibility of protecting the Buddha-Dharma, I only wish the great assembly will definitely permit me to go.' The elder Yaśas was overjoyed; stroking the novice's head with his hand, he said, 'Child, you are indeed the right one to go.' The messenger did not wait, but went back ahead. Aśoka asked, 'Is anyone coming?' The messenger replied, 'Yielding to one another in turn, now the very lowest novice is coming next.' The king said, 'Because the great ones are ashamed, they have sent a little one to make a response.' Hearing that the novice had arrived, King Aśoka went out the gate to welcome him and seated this novice upon the royal throne. The Brahmans were all greatly enraged: 'King Aśoka shows great lack of discernment! He did not even rise to welcome us elders of virtue, yet he goes out in person to welcome this child!' The novice asked the king, 'Why have you summoned me?' The king replied, 'This Maheśvara wishes to take an ācārya for food. Does the venerable ācārya wish to serve as food or not?' The novice said, 'I am young and small, and have not eaten since morning. First let the king grant me food, and afterward I will grant them food.' The king immediately ordered the cooks to bring food to give him. He ate a tray of food completely. In this manner, five hundred trays of food were brought and given, yet he was still not satisfied. The king again ordered the cooks, saying, 'Bring all remaining food and give it to him.' The novice received the food and consumed it completely in an instant. They asked, 'Are you satisfied?' He replied, 'Not yet satisfied; my hunger and thirst are as before.' The head cook reported to the king, 'The food and drink are completely exhausted.' The king said, 'Bring all the parched flour, cakes, and dry provisions from the storehouse.' All was consumed in an instant. The king asked, 'Are you satisfied?' He replied, 'Still not satisfied.' The king replied, 'All the food and drink are completely gone; there is no more food.' The novice said, 'Seize the Brahman at the very bottom and bring him here; I wish to eat him.' He instantly devoured him completely. In this way, he ate four hundred and ninety-nine Brahmans, consuming them all completely. Only Maheśvara remained, who was terrified and flew into the air, wishing to flee. From his seat, the novice immediately raised his hand, seized him by the head from mid-air, and devoured him completely as well. The king was immediately terrified at seeing all the Brahmans devoured completely: 'Will he eat me too, or not?' The novice, knowing the thought in the king's mind, said to the king, 'The king is a dānapati of the Buddha-Dharma; you will never suffer any harm. Take care not to be frightened.' He then asked the king, 'Can the king go together with me to Kukkuṭārāma monastery?' The king said, 'Whether the ācārya takes me to heaven or enters the earth, I will follow you everywhere.' The novice immediately went together with the king to Kukkuṭārāma monastery. The king saw that the food the novice had eaten that morning was shared and eaten among all the monks; and the five hundred Brahmans who had been eaten had all had their hair and beards shaved off, were clad in Dharma robes, and sat at the end of the lowest row of the monks. The one eaten first sat at the head of the elder seats, while Maheśvara was at the very end of the row. Seeing the king and the novice, the five hundred people felt immense shame: 'We were not even able to contend with this novice, how much less could we match our strength against the great assembly! We were like a crane's tail awaiting the furnace coals, like a mosquito vying in speed of flight with a garuḍa, like a small hare contesting its might against the lion king. We were just like these, not knowing our own measure.' With shame arising in their hearts, the five hundred Brahmans attained the fruit of srotāpanna.

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Section 4: Gestation and Womb

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As the *Zabaozang jing* states: The Buddha addressed the monks: "Long ago in the past, countless ages ago, in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī there was a mountain named Mountain of the Ṛṣis. There was a Brahmacārin living on that mountain who regularly urinated and defecated on a rock. Later, some semen fell onto the place where he had urinated, and a doe came and licked it, whereupon she became pregnant. When the months and days were fulfilled, she came to the ṛṣi's place and gave birth to a girl. She was wonderfully handsome and exquisite, except that her feet resembled those of a deer. The Brahmacārin took her in and raised her to adulthood. The Brahmacārin worshipped fire and kept the fire burning constantly. This girl was tending the fire overnight, and through a brief moment of carelessness she let the fire go out. The girl was terrified, fearing the Brahmacārin's anger. There was another Brahmacārin living away from this dwelling. The girl went there to beg for fire. That Brahmacārin saw her footprints, and in every footprint there was a lotus flower. He made a pact with the girl, saying, 'Circle my house seven times, and then I will give you fire. When you leave, also circle it seven times; do not tread on your original tracks, but return by a different path.' She complied with his words, took the fire, and departed. At that time, King Brahmadatta went out on a hunting trip. He saw that around that Brahmacārin's house were fourteen concentric rows of lotus flowers, and he also saw two paths with two lines of flowers. Marveling at the cause of this, he asked the Brahmacārin, 'There are no pools of water at all; how are there these exquisite flowers?' The Brahmacārin answered him in full. The king followed the tracks of the flowers to the Brahmacārin's place and asked to see the girl. Seeing her beauty, he was exceedingly delighted. He thereupon asked the Brahmacārin for this girl. The Brahmacārin gave her to the king, and the king immediately installed her as his secondary queen. Later, she became pregnant. A physiognomist foretold, 'She shall give birth to a thousand sons.' The chief queen heard this and grew jealous. She gradually devised a scheme: through kindness and favor she won over and instructed the deer-girl's attendants, giving them many treasures. When the months and days were fulfilled, she gave birth to a thousand-petaled lotus flower. When she was about to give birth, the chief queen blindfolded her eyes with cloth, not permitting her to look for herself. She took a foul, rotten horse lung to receive [the birth] underneath, while she took the thousand-petaled lotus flower, placed it into a basket, and threw it into the river. She then untied her blindfold and said to her, 'Look at what you have born: you see only a piece of foul, rotten horse lung.' The king sent someone to ask what had been born, and she answered the king, 'Only a foul lung was born.' The chief queen said to the king, 'Your Majesty has gladly been deluded: what was born of this beast and raised by a ṛṣi has brought forth this inauspicious, foul and filthy thing.' The king immediately demoted her from her rank as queen and would no longer see her. At that time, the King of Ujjayinī, leading his retinue, queens, and court ladies, was amusing himself downstream. He saw a canopy of yellow clouds coming from upstream following the flow of the water. The king thought, 'Beneath this cloud canopy there must be a divine object.' He sent someone to go and look. Under the yellow clouds they saw a basket. They immediately retrieved it, opened it, and looked inside: it was a thousand-petaled lotus flower, and on every petal was a little boy. He took them in and raised them; as they gradually grew up, each possessed great strength. The King of Ujjayinī was accustomed to paying annual tribute to King Brahmadatta. He assembled the tributary goods and sent an envoy, preparing to depart. The sons asked, 'What are you going to do?' The king answered, 'I wish to pay tribute to that King Brahmadatta.' The sons each said, 'If there were even one son, one would still expect him to be able to subjugate the world and make them come pay tribute; how much more so with a thousand sons—why should we offer tribute to another?' The thousand sons immediately led the military hosts to subjugate the various kingdoms, and next came to the kingdom of Brahmadatta. When the king heard that the army was arriving, he made a proclamation throughout his kingdom: 'Who can repel such an enemy?' There was no one who could repel them. The secondary queen came to accept the recruitment, saying, 'I can repel them.' She was asked, 'How can you repel them?' The queen answered, 'Only build me a platform a hundred fathoms high. When I sit upon it, I will surely be able to repel them.' When the platform was completed, the queen sat upon it. At that time, the thousand sons wished to raise their bows to shoot, but naturally their hands could not be raised. The queen said to them, 'Beware, do not raise your hands against your parents! I am your mother.' The thousand sons asked, 'What is the proof?' The mother answered the sons, 'If I press my breasts, one breast will issue five hundred streams, each entering your mouths; then I am your mother. If this should not happen, I am not your mother.' Thereupon, pressing her breasts with both hands, five hundred streams from each breast entered into the mouths of the thousand sons, while none of the rest of the host received any. The thousand sons submitted and repented before their parents. The sons thereupon brought harmony between the two kingdoms, so that there was no longer any enmity. They encouraged one another, giving five hundred sons to the birth parents and five hundred sons to the adoptive parents. At that time, the two kings divided Jambudvīpa, each keeping five hundred sons." The Buddha said, "If you wish to know who the thousand sons at that time were, they are the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa. The jealous queen who blindfolded the other's eyes at that time is the blind naga Mucilinda. The father at that time was King Śuddhodana. The mother at that time was Queen Māyā." The monks said to the Buddha, "What was the karmic cause for this woman being born from a deer's womb and flowers sprouting beneath her feet, and what was the cause for her becoming a royal queen?" The Buddha said: "In a past life, this woman was born into a poor and lowly family. Mother and daughter were weeding grain in the fields when they saw a pratyekabuddha holding an alms bowl and begging for food. The mother said to the daughter, 'I wish to fetch my portion of food from home and give it to this fine gentleman.' The daughter said, 'Take my portion as well and give them together.' The mother immediately returned home, fetched the portions of food for both mother and daughter, and brought them to give to the pratyekabuddha. The daughter gathered grass and plucked flowers to spread a grass seat for him and scattered the flowers upon it, waiting for the pratyekabuddha to sit down. The daughter wondered at her mother's delay, went up to a high place, and gazed in the distance for her mother. Having caught sight of her mother, she said to her, 'Why do you not hasten? Gallop like a deer!' When the mother arrived, out of resentment at the mother's delay, she at once uttered words of regret: 'Being born at my mother's side is not as good as being born at the side of a deer!' The mother then gave the two portions of food to the pratyekabuddha, and the remaining mother and daughter ate together. When the pratyekabuddha finished eating, he tossed his bowl into the air and manifested eighteen transformations. The mother was delighted and immediately made a vow: 'May I in the future constantly give birth to holy sons like this holy man today.' By virtue of this karmic cause, she later gave birth to five hundred sons, all of whom became pratyekabuddhas; one served as the adoptive mother and one as the birth mother. Because she told her mother to gallop like a deer, she was born from a deer's womb, with feet like deer hooves. Because she gathered flowers and scattered them for the pratyekabuddha, one hundred flowers sprouted in her footprints. Because she spread the grass, she constantly became a king's queen. Her mother in a later life became King Brahmadatta; the daughter in a later life became Lady Padmavatī. By virtue of this karmic cause, she later gave birth to the thousand sages of the Bhadrakalpa; by the power of her vow, she constantly gave birth to sages and worthies." Having heard this, the monks rejoiced and put it into practice. Furthermore, as the *Fenbie gongde jing* states: Formerly, there was an elder named Sudatta. In his household was an unmarried daughter. At home she faced the fire, and the warm air entered her body; thereupon she became pregnant. Her parents were startled and bewildered, and questioned her about the circumstances. The daughter answered truthfully that she did not know the cause. The parents questioned her again, subjecting her to beatings with rods. The daughter did not alter her words. Thereupon the matter was reported to the king. The king also interrogated and reproached her, but the girl did not change her account. He threatened her with death. The girl thereupon cried out in grievance, saying, 'Can it be that under heaven there is an unprincipled king who would wrongfully put an innocent person to death? If I am not chaste, you may surely hold me under bond and test me; why must I be wronged like this?' The king thereupon investigated and took surety as the girl had said, without any discrepancy. He said to her parents, 'I wish to take her.' The mother replied, 'Take her as you please; what use is this doomed girl?' The king immediately took her into the palace, caring for and nourishing her according to the season. The months and days were fulfilled, and she gave birth to a boy, who was handsome and exquisite. As he grew up, he left the household and attained the Way. Clever and broadly learned, through diligent practice he before long attained the way of an arhat, and returned to deliver his parents. Furthermore, as the *Avadāna-sūtra* states: Formerly, a husband and wife had no children. They sacrificed to a heavenly deity to seek an heir. The deity granted it to them, and she thereupon became pregnant, giving birth to four objects: first, a sandalwood peck filled with rice; second, an ambrosia vase; third, a treasure pouch; and fourth, a seven-jointed divine staff. The man sighed, saying, 'I sought a son, yet instead brought forth these other things!' He then went to the deity's place to renew his request for his wish. The deity said to him, 'You wish to have a son, but what object can compare in benefit? Eat from this rice peck and its use is inexhaustible; consume from the sweet ambrosia vase and it never diminishes, while it cures a hundred diseases; use the pouch of rare treasures and it suffers no loss; with the seven-jointed divine staff you can defend against the violent. How could a son accomplish this?' The man was greatly pleased, returned home, and tested them; just as spoken, it was not false. He thereupon became immeasurably wealthy. When the king of the country heard of this, he dispatched many soldiers, intending to attack and seize them. The man brandished the staff, flew through the air, and struck the enemy, smashing the powerful troops so that they all retreated and scattered. The man was joyful, free from any further grief or worry.

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Section 5: Miscellaneous Anomalies

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As the *Avadāna-sūtra* states: Formerly, there was a wealthy household that harvested a thousand bushels of grain and buried them in the ground. When the warmth of spring arrived, they opened the cellar to take out seed-grain, but saw no grain; instead, there was a grub as large as an ox-cart basket, lacking hands, feet, head, or eyes, like a lump of inert flesh. Young and old in the household all marveled at it. Bringing it out to level ground, they asked, 'What kind of thing are you?' It had nothing to say at all. Then, piercing one spot with an iron awl, it spoke, saying, 'If you wish to know who I am, carry me and place me beside the highway, and there will naturally be someone who names me.' Thereupon, they lifted it and placed it beside the road. For three days, no one could name it. Next, there came several hundred yellow-horse carriages, whose clothing and attendants were all yellow. Stopping their carriages, they called out, 'Grain Thief, why are you here?' It answered, 'I ate people's grain, so they carried me and placed me here.' After speaking for a very long time, they bid farewell and departed. The master asked the Grain Thief, 'Who were they just now?' It answered, 'They are the essence of gold and jewels. Residing three hundred-odd paces west of here beneath a large tree, there are jars of a hundred piculs full of gold.' The master immediately led several tens of men to dig, and they promptly obtained the jars of gold. The whole household rejoiced, loaded them on carts, and brought them home. Kowtowing to the Grain Thief, they said, 'Obtaining gold today is the great spirit's grace. Would the spirit be willing to stay and return with us, so that we may offer further offerings?' The Grain Thief said, 'Previously, when I ate your grain and did not state my name, it was because I wished to cause you to receive this reward of gold. Now I must travel onward to distribute blessings throughout the world; I may not remain any longer.' Having finished speaking, it suddenly vanished.

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Furthermore, as the *Avadāna-sūtra* states: In the southeastern corner of the city of Rājagṛha, there was a pool of standing water. The filthy waste, excrement, and urine from the gutters inside the city all flowed into it, foul beyond approach. There was a large insect born inside the pool of water, several fathoms in length, lacking hands and feet, wriggling, bobbing up and down, and disporting in the standing water. Several thousand onlookers gathered. When Ānanda was on his alms round, he saw it and went to look. The insect thereupon leapt and bounded, causing waves to surge and billow. He reported this in detail to the Buddha. The Buddha, together with the monks, went to the pool. When the multitude saw the Buddha, each thought to themselves, 'Today the Tathāgata will surely explain the origin and history of this insect for the assembly to resolve everyone's doubts; will that not be delightful?' The Buddha said: 'Formerly, after the nirvāṇa of Vipaśyin Buddha, there was a stupa-monastery. Five hundred monks passed through the monastery. The monastery prior saw them, was filled with great joy, and invited them to stay for three months of offerings. The assembly all accepted the invitation. The monastery prior provided provisions with his whole heart, leaving nothing lacking. Later, five hundred merchants entered the sea to gather treasures. On their return, they passed by the stupa-monastery, saw the five hundred monks diligently practicing the Way, and each brought forth the resolve to provide modest offerings. The five hundred merchants each gave up one pearl, obtaining five hundred maṇi pearls to entrust to the monastery prior. They enjoined the monastery prior, saying, "It is sufficient to provide for the monks with our pearls." The monk agreed and accepted them all. Later, he gave rise to an unwholesome thought, scheming to keep them solely for himself rather than providing for the assembly. The community of monks asked, "Should not the pearls donated by the previous merchants be used to arrange offerings and send us off?" The monastery prior said, "These were given to me alone! If you wish to rob me, excrement can be given to you! If you do not leave promptly, I will cut off your hands and feet and cast you into a cesspit!" The assembly pitied his foolishness and silently departed. Therefore, one must know that evil curses cannot but be guarded against.'

28.15

The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra also states: When the Buddha was in the world, a man was traveling far away and lodging alone in an empty house. During the night, a ghost carrying a corpse arrived and placed it before him. Another ghost followed behind, furiously scolding him, saying, "The corpse is my property. Why did you suddenly carry it here?" The first ghost said, "It is my property; I brought it here myself." The second ghost said, "It was truly I who carried this corpse here." The two ghosts each seized a foot and an arm, fighting over it. The first ghost said, "There is a person here; we can ask him." The second ghost then asked, "Who carried this corpse here?" The man thought: "These two ghosts have great strength. Whether I speak the truth or not, in either case I cannot escape death." He then said, "The first ghost is the one who carried it here." The second ghost was greatly enraged; seizing the man's arm, he ripped it out and threw it on the ground. The first ghost took pity on him, quickly took an arm of the corpse, and attached it to him, whereupon it immediately joined. In this manner, both arms, both legs, the head, and the torso—his entire body—were all replaced. Thereupon the two ghosts ate the replaced human body together, wiped their mouths, and left. The man thought: "With my own eyes I saw the body born of my parents devoured completely by the two ghosts. Now my present body is entirely another's flesh. Do I now definitely have a body, or do I have no body?" He went to a Buddhist stūpa, asked the monks, and related the above events in detail. The monks said, "From the beginning, there has always been no self; it is only because of the harmony of the four great elements that you calculate it to be 'my body.' It is just as your original body was: it is no different from the original." The monks ordained him into the path, and he attained the fruit of an arhat.

28.16

The Shanxin jing also states: There is a divine medicinal tree named moluotuoji, which is sovereign in suppressing all the ten thousand poisons under heaven, preventing them from acting wildly. There was a great divine serpent, one hundred and twenty spans long. The serpent traveled looking for food. There was a black-headed worm, five zhang long. The worm, traveling on the road, encountered the serpent. Just as the serpent was about to raise its head to bite the large worm, it smelled the medicinal fragrance and bent its head, wanting to flee. The serpent's body brushed against the medicinal tree, and its body snapped in the middle, breaking into two pieces. The head half fled alive, while the tail half rotted with a foul stench. When all poisons smelled the stench of this serpent, the evil poisonous vapors of all of them were entirely extinguished.

28.17

The Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra also states: Bright moon maṇi jewels are mostly found in dragons' brains. Sentient beings with merit naturally obtain them. They are also called wish-fulfilling jewels. They constantly produce all precious items, clothing, food, and drink, obtaining everything according to wish. For whoever obtains this jewel, poison cannot harm them, and fire cannot burn them. Or else, when the vajra wielded by Śakra fought with the asuras, pieces shattered and fell onto Jambudvīpa, transforming into this jewel. It is also said: Long ago in the past, after the relics and Dharma of Buddhas had completely vanished, they transformed into this jewel to bring benefit.

28.18

The Avataṃsaka-sūtra also states: In the great ocean there are four precious jewels from which all precious items are born. If not for these four jewels, all precious items would gradually diminish to extinction. Minor dragon spirits cannot see them. Only the Dragon King Sāgara secretly places them in a deep treasure storehouse. This deep treasure storehouse has four names: the first is called the Accumulation of All Jewels, the second is called the Inexhaustible Treasure Storehouse, the third is called Distant Blazing, and the fourth is called the Gathering of All Adornments. Furthermore, within the great ocean there are four greatly blazing, luminous treasures: the first is called the Light Great Treasure of the Sun Storehouse; the second is called the Light Great Treasure Freed from Moisture; the third is called the Light Great Treasure of the Fire Pearl; and the fourth is called the Light Great Treasure of Ultimate Remainderlessness. If these four treasures were not in the great ocean, the four continents, the Cakravāḍa iron mountain, and even up to the Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non-Perception would all be washed away and submerged. The light of the Sun Storehouse can transform the ocean water into curds. The light Freed from Moisture can transform the ocean curds into butter. The light of the Fire Pearl can burn the ocean butter. The light of Ultimate Remainderlessness can burn the ocean butter until it is completely and utterly gone.

28.19

The verse says:

28.20

The utmost sage operates in secret, / Without thought and without cognition.
His divine efficacy conceals its splendor; / The worthy and the foolish can hardly fathom it.
Good and evil dwell together; / Ascending and sinking share the same appearance.
Contemplating and awakening upon confronting matters, / He knows that the spirit is concealed.
Dwelling amidst defilement yet unstained, / Abandoning dust, he finds rest.
Were it not for his profound insight, / Who could kindle it to the utmost?
Reflecting upon one's own folly and sloth, / One looks up with admiration, seeking equal virtue;
For ten thousand generations spreading renown, / For a thousand ages manifesting the power of merit.

28.21

Circumstances of Sympathetic Resonance (briefly citing eighteen verifications):

28.22

Shi Tansuizhe, monk of the Jin
Shi Faxiang, monk of the Jin
Shi Shixing, monk of the Jin
Shi Jīvaka, monk of the Jin
Shi Fotiao, monk of the Jin
Shi Qian'tuo, monk of the Jin
Di Shichang, upāsaka of the Jin
Cheng Dedu, military adjutant of the Song
Shi Hongming, monk of the Qi
Shi Faxian, monk of the Qi
Shi Pu'an, monk of the Sui
Shi Fa'an, monk of the Sui
Shi Huikan, monk of the Sui
Shi Zhuanming, monk of the Tang
Shi Jiayi, monk of the Tang
Shi Fashun, monk of the Tang
Zhang Wangzi of Zou County, Yanzhou, of the Tang
Miscellaneous records of divine anomalies from various biographies

28.23

At the Baima Temple in Heyin during the Jin dynasty, there was the Śramaṇa Shi Tansui. It is not known where he was from. In his youth, he left household life and resided at the Baima Temple in Heyin. He ate a vegetarian diet, wore hemp clothing, and recited the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, usually once every day. Furthermore, he had a subtle mastery of the sūtra's purport and also explained it for others. Once during the night, he suddenly heard a knock at the door, and someone said that they wished to invite the Dharma master to preach the Dharma for ninety days. Tansui did not consent, but after persistent requests, he went, while still as if in sleep. By the time he awoke, he found his body inside the shrine of the spirit of Baima Entrenchment, accompanied by one disciple. From then on, he secretly went there every day, without anyone else knowing. Later, monks of the temple passing by the front of the shrine saw two high seats: Tansui was on the north, and his disciple was on the south, with sounds as if expounding the teachings. They also smelled an extraordinary fragrance. Thereupon, monastics and laypeople alike spread the word, all calling it a divine anomaly. When the summer ended, the spirit made an offering of one white horse, five white sheep, and ninety bolts of silk. After the prayers of dedication were completed, each vanished. Tansui's whereabouts were ultimately unknown.

28.24

At the Yuecheng Temple during the Jin dynasty, there was the Śramaṇa Shi Faxiang. His surname was Liang, and it is unknown what kind of man he was. He constantly dwelt in the mountains practicing austerities, reciting sūtras of more than one hundred thousand words. Birds and beasts gathered around him, all tame as domestic fowl. In the shrine of Mount Tai, there was a large stone casket storing wealth and treasures. While once traveling through the mountains, Faxiang lodged beside the temple. Suddenly, he saw a person in dark clothing and a military cap, who ordered Faxiang to open the casket. Having spoken, he disappeared. The lid of the stone casket weighed more than a thousand jun. Faxiang tried lifting it, and it rose effortlessly into the air. Thereupon, he took its wealth to bestow upon poor people. He died toward the end of the Yuanxing era of the Jin at the age of eighty. (The above two verifications are from the Liang Gaoseng zhuan).

28.25

The Śramaṇa Shi Shixing of the Jin dynasty was a native of Yingchuan, of the Zhu clan. His disposition and aspirations were broad and farsighted; his discernment was profound and upright. Following his true heart, he went straight forward; honor and disgrace could not move him. At that time, the scriptures were not yet complete; there was only the Small Chapter, and its sections and phrases were deficient and abbreviated, so that the underlying doctrinal principles were not manifest. In the fifth year of the Ganlu era of the Wei dynasty, he set out from Yongzhou and went west to Khotan, searching for the treasury of scriptures and traveling across many kingdoms. Monastic disciples in the Western Regions mostly studied the Hīnayāna. Hearing that Shixing sought various Vaipulya sūtras, they were all astonished and suspicious, refusing to give them to him, saying, "People of the border regions do not understand the Saddharma; it will lead to much confusion and disorder." Shixing said, "The sūtras say that after a thousand years, when the Semblance Dharma is about to decline, it shall flow eastward. If you suspect that these are not the Buddha's words, I ask to test them with utmost sincerity." Thereupon, firewood was burned and oil poured on; smoke and flames were just flaring up. Shixing held up the sūtra, his tears flowing, and knocked his head on the ground, making a vow: "If this indeed emerged from the Golden Mouth and ought to be proclaimed in the land of Han, may all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas bear witness to it!" Thereupon, he cast the sūtra into the fire. The flames leaped and raged for quite some time, and after that, the whole heap had turned to ashes, yet the text was undamaged, the leather leaves just as before. The whole kingdom rejoiced in veneration, and kept him to make offerings to him. He dispatched his disciple Farao to carry the Sanskrit texts back to Chenliu, where they were produced at Cangyuan and other temples in Junyi, in total ninety chapters and two hundred thousand words. The upāsaka Zhu Shulan of Henan, who was well versed in regional customs and deeply proficient in the flavor of the Dharma, personally joined in translating them. This is the present first chapter of the Fangguang [banruo jing]. Shixing died at the age of eighty. When cremated according to the jhapita rites, after the fire was extinguished for an entire day, his corpse remained completely intact. The people of the kingdom were amazed and all said, "If he truly attained the Way, according to the rule, the body should disintegrate." At these words, it shattered into pieces. They then gathered his bones and erected a stūpa. The master of the Daoist Huizhi transmitted this, and Master Daoan also recorded the matter in detail.

28.26

The Śramaṇa Jīvaka of the Jin was a native of India. He came floating across the sea from the Western Regions, intending to travel to the Guan and Luo regions. Arriving at Old Xiangyang, he wished to take passage on a boat to cross to the north. Seeing that the Indian śramaṇa's clothing was tattered and mean, the boatmen disdained him and would not carry him. By the time the boat reached the northern bank, Jīvaka had already arrived ashore. The entire boat was amazed. Jīvaka walked ahead, and two tigers met him, flattening their ears and wagging their tails. Jīvaka stroked their heads with his hand, and the tigers then entered the grass. Thereupon, people from both the north and south banks rushed forward to inquire of him. Jīvaka said, "I have nothing to answer." When he departed, several hundred people chased him; they saw Jīvaka walking slowly, yet the crowd ran and still could not catch up. At the end of the reign of Emperor Hui, Jīvaka arrived in Luoyang. All the Daoists of Luoyang went to pay homage to him. Jīvaka did not rise for them. Translating his words, he ridiculed their robes and attire, saying, "You people divide the currents of the Buddha's Dharma without true sincerity; you merely seek offerings for floating splendor." Seeing the palaces of Luoyang, he said, "The heavenly palace of Trāyastriṃśa faintly resembles this. That was accomplished by the power of the Way, but this was made by the power of birth and death—is it not arduous toil?" The śramaṇas Zhi Fayuan and Zhu Faxing, both being young, arrived later; Jīvaka stood up for them. After Fayuan paid homage, Jīvaka stroked his head with his hand and said, "A fine bodhisattva, come from among sheep!" Seeing Faxing enter the gate, Jīvaka smiled with great joy, went to welcome him and pay homage, took Faxing's hand, placed it upon his head, and said, "A fine bodhisattva, come from among gods and men!" In the Directorate of the Palace Buildings, there was a man who had been bedridden with illness for several years, near death. Jīvaka went to see him and said to him, "Why did you fall to be born in such distress?" He moved the sick man down to the ground onto a single mat, placed an almsbowl on his belly, and covered it with ramie cloth. After chanting three verses of Sanskrit pāṭha, he recited a Sanskrit mantra of several thousand words. Soon a foul odor filled the room. The sick man said, "I am revived!" Jīvaka ordered people to lift the cloth, and they saw something like foul mud in the bowl. The sick man subsequently recovered. Teng Yongwen, Grand Administrator of Changsha, had formerly been rather vigorous. At the time, he was in Luoyang, and both his legs had been paralyzed by wind for over a year. Jīvaka recited a mantra for him, and immediately he was able to extend them; in a few days he arose and walked. In the Yushui Temple, there was a tree of contemplation that had previously withered and died. Jīvaka faced it and recited a mantra; within ten days, the tree became green and luxuriant again. At that time, in the temple there was Zhu Faxing, who was good at philosophical debate and was compared to Prefect Yue. Seeing Jīvaka, he bowed his head and said, "Having already seen the proof of your attaining the Way, I wish to receive the Dharma from you." Jīvaka said, "Guard your mouth, rein in your mind, and let your body commit no offenses. One who practices thus will cross beyond the world." Faxing said, "One who has attained the Way should impart what has not yet been heard. These words an eight-year-old novice can also recite; this is not what was hoped for from one who has attained the Way." Jīvaka smiled and said, "As you say, at eight years old one can recite it, but at a hundred years old one cannot practice it. All people know to revere those who have attained the Way, but do not know that by practicing it they will attain it themselves. In my view, it is easy; the subtlety must lie with you, sir—why be angry at not hearing [something novel]?" Gifts of clothing and items from the noble and lowly of the capital, amounting to tens of billions, he accepted all. Upon departing, he sealed and left them behind, only making eight hundred banners, which he loaded onto camels and dispatched ahead to follow merchants westward back to India. He also kept one patched kāṣāya belonging to Faxing with him. He said to Faxing, "This land is about to commit the sin of great slaughter; how lamentable!" When Jīvaka set out, several thousand people saw him off. After finishing his midday meal in a temple in Luoyang, a traveler who set out on a fixed day from Chang'an arrived and said he had seen Jīvaka in a temple in Chang'an. Furthermore, the merchants and camel drivers whom Jīvaka had dispatched reached the river above Dunhuang, where they met the merchants' younger brother arriving from India, who said that he had recently seen Jīvaka in a temple in Dunhuang. His disciple Shideng said that north of the Shifting Sands he had met Jīvaka and conversed with him intimately. Calculating the days, that was precisely the time when Jīvaka was leaving Luoyang. Yet what he had traversed was already ten thousand li.

28.27

The Jin śramaṇa Fotiao was of unknown homeland. He came and went from Changshan for many years. In his conduct he was pure and simple, unaffected by rhetorical ornament, and the people of the time all esteemed him for this. In Changshan there were two brothers who were devotees of the Dharma. They lived a hundred li from the temple. The elder brother's wife fell gravely ill, and they brought her in a cart to stay beside the temple so she would be close to medicine and doctors. As the elder brother revered Fotiao as his master, he spent morning and afternoon in the temple, asking counsel and practicing the Way. One day, Fotiao suddenly went to their home. The younger brother asked in detail about his sister-in-law's suffering and also enquired after his elder brother's well-being. Fotiao said, 'The invalid is somewhat better, and your brother is as usual.' After Fotiao left, the younger brother also mounted a horse and followed on to the temple. When he mentioned that Fotiao had visited that morning, the elder brother was shocked and said, 'The Master has not left the temple at all this morning. How could you have seen each other?' The brothers both questioned Fotiao, but Fotiao smiled and did not answer, so they all marveled at it. Fotiao would sometimes go alone into the deep mountains for over half a year, carrying only several pecks of dried provisions, and when he returned there was always food left over. A man once accompanied Fotiao on a journey through the mountains. After several tens of li, night fell and it snowed heavily. Fotiao entered a stone grotto, which was a tiger's den, to spend the night. The tiger returned and lay across the front of the cave. Fotiao addressed it, saying, 'I have taken your dwelling, and feel ashamed—what shall we do?' The tiger drooped its ears and walked down the mountain. The man who had followed him was terrified. Fotiao foresaw the time of his own death, and people from near and far all arrived. He then pronounced his farewell: 'Heaven and earth, long as they endure, still face decay and ruin; how much more so people and things—how could they remain forever? If one can purge the three taints and focus one's mind upon true purity, though bodily appearances may differ, their spiritual meeting will surely be the same.' The assembly all shed tears. Fotiao returned to his cell, sat upright, covered his head with his robes, and passed away quietly. Several years after his death, eight of Fotiao's lay disciples went into the western mountains to gather timber. Suddenly they saw Fotiao upon a high cliff, his clothes bright and clean, his countenance joyous and relaxed. In joyful surprise they made prostrations and asked, 'Master, are you still here?' He answered, 'I am always at ease.' He questioned them in detail about news of old acquaintances, and after a good while he departed. The eight men abandoned their task, returned home, and told their fellow practitioners. As the assembly had no way to verify this, they dug up the grave together and opened the coffin, but did not find his corpse.

First 27 of 57 passages. Read on

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法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese