法苑珠林 29

English (machine translation) 29

Language: English

29.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

29.2

Chapter 21: Sympathetic Resonance (containing two sections)

29.4

Respectfully examining the teachings of Śākya, they began with Emperor Ming of the Han and culminate with

the August Tang. The governance has flowed through successive dynasties for nearly six hundred years. Light carriages have followed one another continuously, thoroughly observing all regions. More than a thousand realms have all submitted to the transforming influence of the court; none has failed to scale mountains to pay tribute or gaze toward the sun to pay court. Yet earlier and later transmissions and records vary and conflict with one another; their traces are seldom fully grasped and their appellations cause much confusion. Although people have been moistened by the remaining moisture, the profound purports have not been complete. The barbarian and Chinese languages have different sounds, though the text and meaning are quite complete. To investigate the sacred traces exhaustively is difficult to achieve; therefore, the monks of this land each harboured feelings of melancholy. At that time, there was

29.6

Dharma Master Xuanzang, a śramaṇa of the Great Tang. Lamenting that the Great Path was blocked and commiserating over the suppression and prosperity of the teachings of Śākya, in the third month, the last month of spring, of the third year of Zhenguan, with only his own shadow for company, he went west alone in search of the sacred traces. Setting out initially from the capital, he gradually reached Shazhou, ascending perilous passes alone. In Yiwu and Gaochang, he fully experienced dangers and hardships. He then met King Qu of Gaochang, who supplied him with funds and goods and escorted him to the encampment of the yabghu of the Turks. He was further escorted through the various foreign barbarian states north of the Snow Mountains, thoroughly observing the transformation wrought by the Buddha. Proceeding southeast out of the Great Snow Mountains—what people of old called the persistent snows of the Pamir Mountains (Congling) is precisely these Snow Mountains, which Xuanzang witnessed with his own eyes—once past these Snow Mountains, he arrived in India. Ten years elapsed. Afterwards, returning south of the Pamirs and north of the Snow Mountains, he passed through all the kingdoms in full, returning east via Khotan, Loulan, and other lands. He passed through more than one hundred and fifty kingdoms in total, experiencing every hardship, beyond what ordinary human dwellings can compare to. In early winter of the nineteenth year of Zhenguan, he safely arrived at the capital.

29.7

He received an imperial edict to translate scriptures, and was additionally commanded to compile the Record of the Western Regions in twelve fascicles. Down to the third year of Longshuo, in the translation of scriptures and treatises, none has matched Master Xuanzang in travelling across kingdoms, broad learning, and translating the greatest number of scriptures. Based on Master Xuanzang's travel record, Wang Xuance's account, as well as the monastics and laity of the Western Regions, the products proper to the soils were not without divine anomalies. An imperial order commanded literati and scholars to compile and draft it comprehensively, putting it into sixty fascicles, entitled Gazetteer of the Western Countries, with forty fascicles of illustrations, making a total of one hundred fascicles. From the kingdom of Khotan to the kingdom of Persia, the Great Tang established a total of governor-generals' offices, prefectures, counties, and militia garrisons, amounting to three hundred and seventy-eight localities in all: nine localities are governor-generals' offices, eighty localities are prefectures, one hundred and thirty-three localities are counties, and one hundred and forty-seven localities are militia garrisons. As for the products and distinct customs and peoples appropriate to the four continents, they have all been selected and allotted to various chapters and are not what is clarified here. What is recorded at present directly takes up the sacred traces and maintenance of the Buddha's Dharma, forming a separate fascicle. What is not fully covered remains complete in the grand primary text, so that later people may draw clear reference and know what is comprehensive and what is abridged.

29.8

Section 2: Sacred Traces

29.9

The Record of the Western Regions says: Master Xuanzang set out from Chang'an, and upon gradually arriving in Gaochang, he received generous hospitality. Provided with mounts from Gaochang, he was relayed all the way to the eastern border of the kingdom of Kustana, which is what the Han histories call the kingdom of Yutian (Khotan); the people of that land call it the kingdom of Yudun. Over two hundred li to the east lies the city of Pīmā, in which stands an upright sandalwood image over twenty feet tall. It displays exceedingly many divine wonders and brilliant lights. When the sick apply gold leaf onto the image at the place corresponding to their ailment, the pain is immediately healed. This image was originally in the kingdom of Kauśāmbī, commissioned by King Udayana. Soaring through the air, it came to the city of Rāvaka north of this kingdom. There was an extraordinary arhat who would frequently go to pay homage to it. The king initially did not believe, and threw sand and dirt over the arhat. The arhat then told those who had respectful faith: 'Seven days from now, sand and dirt will fill the city.' Two days later, jewels rained down to fill the streets. When it came to the seventh night, dirt truly rained down and buried it, leaving almost no one alive. Those who had been forewarned had dug holes in the ground beforehand and escaped through the apertures. Now, one hundred and sixty li west of the king's capital city, amidst the great desert along the road, there are only rat mounds. The rats are as large as hedgehogs, with fur of gold and silver hues. In the past, when the Xiongnu came to invade, the king prayed to the spirit rats; during the night, they gnawed and ruined the men's and horses' harnesses and bowstrings, and the invaders naturally fled in retreat. About five li west of the capital city, a temple has a stupa over a hundred feet tall that frequently displays luminous signs. The king was moved to obtain several hundred grains of relics. An arhat lifted the stupa with his right hand and placed them inside a reliquary, then lowered the stupa back without any tilting or swaying. Over ten li southwest of the capital city lies Mount Gośṛṅga, which translates as 'Ox-Horn Mountain'. There is a temple whose image displays bright light; the Buddha once traveled here to preach the Dharma to gods and humans. In a stone chamber on the mountain cliff, an arhat has entered the absorption of cessation, awaiting Maitreya Buddha. The southern border of this kingdom adjoins the Eastern Women's Kingdom.

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Going further from the royal capital westward over mountains and valleys, traveling over eight hundred li, one arrives at the kingdom of Cakkuka, which is the site of parinirvāṇa. South of the kingdom is a mountain on which stands a Dhāra-stupa, with pine springs flowing luxuriantly and a stone chamber profound and clean. Three arhats are currently residing in the absorption of cessation; their beards and hair grow slightly long, and monks frequently shave them. Monks from the Five Indias who have realized the fruits [of the path] mostly stay in this chamber. Further traveling northwest from the kingdom, ascending a great sand ridge and crossing the Śītā River (formerly called the Xindu River), traveling five hundred li, one arrives at the kingdom of Khasa (formerly called the kingdom of Shule). By custom, when a child is born, they press the head flat. Traveling south five hundred li from here, one arrives at the kingdom of Oṣi. Over two hundred li west of the capital city, one reaches a great mountain ridge. Upon it stands a stupa; several hundred years ago, the mountain cliff collapsed on its own, revealing a monk sitting with eyes closed within. His stature was extremely vast, with beard and hair hanging down to cover his shoulders and face. The king poured ghee over him and struck the gaṇḍī. The monk looked up and said: 'Is my teacher, Kāśyapa Buddha, present?' They answered: 'No, we have now only heard that he has already entered nirvāṇa.' He asked again: 'Has Śākyamuni Buddha appeared in the world?' They told him: 'He has already passed into extinction.' He then ascended into the air, transformed into fire, and consumed his body.

29.11

Further traversing the Great Congling southwestward for over eight hundred li, one arrives at the kingdom of Khavandha. To the southeast of this kingdom are two great stone chambers, in each of which an arhat has entered the absorption of cessation, already seven hundred years having passed; their beards and hair grow long, and are shaved year after year. Further crossing three kingdoms and traveling over four thousand li, one arrives at the kingdom of Dharmasthiti. Inside a temple in the capital city of the kingdom is a stone image, above which hangs a round canopy of gilt bronze adorned with manifold gems. When someone circumambulates it, the canopy turns accordingly; when the person stops, it stops. Surrounded on all four sides by stone walls, no one could fathom how this happens; some say the power of the sage causes it to be so. From Gaochang to the Iron Gate, traversing a total of sixteen kingdoms, the superiority and inferiority of the people and the depth or shallowness of their devotion are recorded in detail in the illustrations and accounts. The Iron Gate is precisely the Iron Gate Pass that served as the western bulwark of the Han. One sees that of the Han door leaves, one stands upright and one lies down; wrapped externally with iron over wood, with various bells hung additionally. If this pass were shut, it would truly be as secure as heaven itself. Going south through this pass for over a thousand li, it abuts Congling to the east, borders Persia to the west, faces the Great Snowy Mountains to the south, and relies on the Iron Gate to the north. The great Vakṣu River flows westward through the middle of its territory—this is precisely what the sutras call the Vakṣu River. Its territory naturally divides into twenty kingdoms, whose names cannot be listed in full; each has a sovereign who reveres and honors the Buddha's teachings. The monks begin their rain retreat on the sixteenth day of the twelfth month and end it at the spring equinox, because of the warm heat and abundant rain. Moving further down northwards from the kingdom of Termez, crossing thirteen kingdoms, one arrives at the kingdom of Balkh. The land is flourishing and vast, and the contemporary custom calls it the Little Rājagṛha; the kingdom is near the southern court of the Yabghu. Outside the capital city to the southwest, a temple contains the Buddha's wash basin, which can hold about a sheng, glittering with mixed colors of unnameable gold and stone. There is also a tooth of the Buddha, over an inch long and eight or nine tenths of an inch wide, yellowish-white in color and purely radiant. There is also the Buddha's broom made of kāśa grass, over two feet long and about seven inches in circumference, with its handle decorated with manifold gems. On fast days, moved by the monastics and laity, these three objects emit great bright light. Over fifty li northwest of the capital city is the city of Tiwei (Trapusa), and over forty li directly north of the capital city is the city of Boli (Bhallika), each having a stupa about thirty feet tall, each manifesting divine traces. These are the hair and nail stupas of the original home towns of the elders who first offered honey and parched flour when Śākyamuni first attained enlightenment. There are also stupas erected in succession for the Buddha's saṃghāṭī, uttarāsaṅga, and saṃkakṣikā, as well as where he inverted his almsbowl and planted his monk's staff.

29.12

Further crossing two kingdoms southeastward and entering the Great Snowy Mountains, one arrives at the kingdom of Bāmiyān. Crossing east of the Great Snowy Mountains, a temple possesses a tooth of the Buddha as well as a tooth of a pratyekabuddha from the beginning of the kalpa, five inches long and four inches wide. There is also a tooth of a golden cakravartin, three inches long and two inches wide. There is also the iron almsbowl of the great arhat Śāṇakavāsa (formerly called Śāṇavāsa, the third master in the transmission of the Dharma), which can hold nine sheng, as well as his nine-strip saṃghāṭī of a dark crimson color, woven from the bark of the śāṇa plant. Because in a previous lifetime on the day of the lifting of the summer retreat he took this plant and gave it as dāna to the Saṃgha, by the power of this merit, for five hundred lifetimes he was always born wearing it during the intermediate existence (antarābhava); it came out with him from the womb and grew along with his body. When he was ordained by Ānanda, it transformed into a Dharma robe; after he received full ordination, it further transformed into a nine-strip robe. The teeth, almsbowl, and other items are all sealed with gold. Having realized the absorption of cessation, the arhat entered the knowledge of the ultimate limit (prāntakoṭika-jñāna); by the power of his vow, he left behind the kāṣāya, awaiting the complete exhaustion of the bequeathed Dharma before it would perish. Today it is already slightly damaged, which is proof indeed! Further entering the Snowy Mountains eastwards and crossing the Black Range, one arrives at the kingdom of Kapiśa, where devotion is even more prominent. The king annually commissions an eighteen-foot silver image and personally attends to its offerings. Three li east of the capital city, beneath the northern mountain, is a great temple. South of the eastern gate of the Buddha court is a great divine king statue, beneath whose right foot lies a great treasure hoard. Recently, a foreign king drove out the monks, wishing to dig it up; the parrot figure within the spirit's crown fluttered its wings and shrieked, and the earth shook, causing the king's troops all to fall flat on the ground. Rising up, they apologized and returned. On the ridge north of the temple are several stone chambers, which also conceal many treasures. If someone wishes to open them illicitly, a yakṣa (formerly called yecha) transforms into a lion, snake, or insect to roar in fury at them. Three li west of the chambers, atop a great ridge, is an image of Avalokiteśvara; to those with sincere vows, the image reveals its marvelous body and brings peace to the practitioner with words. Over forty li southeast of the city is the Rāhula Temple, built by a great minister and named after him. The stupa is over a hundred feet tall. In the past, the minister dreamed at night that he was commanded to build a stupa, so he requested relics from the king. When he arrived at the palace at dawn, someone was holding a reliquary vase; the minister kept the relics and had the person go in first. He then took the vase and mounted the stupa; the inverted bowl [of the stupa dome] opened by itself, and once the relics were deposited, the king's emissaries pursued him, but the stone had already closed. On fast days it emits light and oozes black oil, and music is heard at night. Over two hundred li northwest of the capital city, atop the Great Snowy Mountains, is a dragon pool. Below the mountain, a temple was built for the dragon. In the stupa are more than a sheng of the Buddha's bone and flesh relics. At times smoke arises, or fierce flames like fire appear; only when they gradually extinguish can the relics be seen, shaped like white pearls, circling the pillar into the clouds and returning down into the stupa. On the south bank of the great river northwest of the city, within the Old King's Temple, is a baby tooth from the Buddha's tender youth, over an inch long. Further southeast from this, going to the Old King's Temple, there is a piece of the Buddha's cranial bone, over two inches wide, yellowish-white in color, with the hair pores distinctly visible. In early spring of the first year of the Longshuo era of the Great Tang, the envoy Wang Xuance brought it from the Western Regions, and it is currently worshipped inside the palace. Also, this temple possesses the Buddha's hair, dark blue and coiled spiraling to the right, which when pulled out is over a foot long and when curled is about an inch. Furthermore, southwest at the Old Queen's Temple, there is a gilt-bronze stupa over a hundred feet tall containing more than a sheng of relics; on the night of every fifteenth day, rays of light circle the parasol rings, entering the stupa at dawn. Atop a flat boulder on the summit of Mount Luopo to the northwest of the city stands a stupa over a hundred feet tall, containing more than a sheng of relics. The cliff spring north of the mountain is where the Buddha, having received food from the mountain spirit, rinsed his mouth and chewed a willow branch, which took root and is now a lush grove; the temple is named Willow Branch. Further traveling east from the dragon pool for over six hundred li, crossing the Snowy Mountains and the Black Range, up to the border of Northern India, all prior lands were Hu kingdoms, whose dress and deportment did not match the Great Xia, called border kingdoms of mlecchas (meaning 'filthy and defiled stock' in the Tang). Only upon reaching this point does one accord with the Middle Country.

29.13

Further, going east, one reaches the country of Lampāka, which is the northern border of India. The word 'India' (Yindu) is the correct name for Tianzhu; other names such as Shendu and Xiandou are corrupt transliterations. It backs onto the Snow Mountains in the north and borders the great ocean on three sides. Its terrain narrows toward the south like the crescent moon of the first quarter. Its plains are vast and broad, with a perimeter of nineteen thousand li. Its seventy-odd countries obey the command of one king. Further, traveling east for more than one hundred li, crossing great ridges and a major river, one reaches the country of Nagarahāra, which belongs to North India and is named the City of Flowers (Kusumapura). Two li east of the city, there is a stone stupa, three hundred feet high, constructed of stacked stones that rise remarkably high, with extraordinary carvings. This is the place where in the past [the Bodhisattva] encountered Dīpaṃkara Buddha, received his prediction, and spread out his deer-skin robe and unbound his hair to cover the mud. Through kalpas it still survives; King Aśoka built this stone stupa. On every fast day, flowers invariably rain down from the sky. Within the city, on the old foundation of a great stupa, there was formerly a tooth of the Buddha. Another stupa, over thirty feet high, is said to have come from the sky; being not of human workmanship, it is indeed full of numinous wonders. Over ten li southwest of the city, there is a stupa at the place where the Buddha descended through the air from Central India leaving his traces. Next to its east is a stupa marking the place where in the past he bought flowers when encountering Dīpaṃkara Buddha. Furthermore, more than twenty li east of the city, on a small stone ridge, there is a stupa over two hundred feet high. On the stone cliff of the eastern bank is a great cave, which is the dwelling place of a Nāga King. Formerly, the Buddha converted the Nāga here and left behind his shadow, which is as radiant as his true form. Only those who entreat with the utmost sincerity can see it appear clearly for a short time. Outside the cave, on a square stone, are the Buddha's footprints, with wheel marks that emit light. The stupa at the northwest corner of the cave is the place where the Buddha paced back and forth (caṅkramaṇa). Beside it is a stupa for his hair and nails. On the stone west of the cave are the marks where his kāṣāya was washed. Further, more than thirty li east of the city is the town of Hiḍḍa. Within it is a multistoried pavilion, above which is housed the uṣṇīṣa bone of the Buddha. It is one foot two inches in circumference, yellowish-white in color, with its hair pores clearly visible. Those who wish to know good and bad fortune press it with fragrant paste, and upon observing the fragrant paste, the images appear according to one's heart. There is also the Buddha's skull, shaped like a lotus leaf and identical in color to the uṣṇīṣa bone. There are the Buddha's eyeballs, as large as crab-apples, pure white and lucidly transparent. All are contained within vessels of the seven precious substances. The former three relics are further enclosed and sealed within precious caskets. There is the Buddha's saṅghāṭī robe, made of fine yellowish cotton cloth, placed in a precious casket, showing slight signs of decay. There is the Buddha's monk's staff (khakkhara), with rings made of white iron and a shaft made of sandalwood, housed in precious bronze. As for these five sacred relics, the king ordered five pure-living persons (brahmacārins) to take charge of and guard them. Whoever wishes to view them pays a tax of one gold coin, and whoever requests an impression pays five coins. Because the treasures are valued, the pilgrims and worshipers are all the more numerous. Northwest of the pavilion, there is a small stupa with many numinous wonders; when someone touches the bell atop the base, it violently shakes. Further, traveling five hundred li through mountain valleys to the southeast, one reaches the country of Gandhāra, belonging to North India. It is the place where great treatises masters, such as the Venerable Pārśva, composed the Vibhāṣā. There is also the place where the Bodhisattva gave away his thousand eyes, the place where the Buddha converted Hārītī, the place where the Bodhisattva Śyāmaka was shot by the king, and Mount Daṇḍaloka, upon whose peak was the hermitage of Sudāna (Viśvantara). It was the place where the Brahman whipped his son and daughter, their blood flowing and smearing the ground; today the grass and trees there are all crimson in color. A stone cave among the crags was where the royal consort practiced meditation. There is also the place where the Great Ṛṣi Ekaśṛṅga was seduced by a woman.

29.14

Further, going north from this city across mountains for more than six hundred li, one reaches the country of Uḍḍiyāna, which is a principal kingdom of North India. Five li east of the royal capital, there is a great stupa with many auspicious omens. It is the place where the Buddha in the past, as the Ṛṣi of Patience (Kṣāntivādin), was dismembered limb by limb by King Kali. There is also a square stone upon which the Buddha's footprints emit light illuminating the monastery, the place where he preached Jātaka tales for devas. There is also the place where the Buddha in the past, upon hearing the Dharma, broke his bone to write out the sūtra; the place where King Śibi formerly cut his own flesh to ransom a dove; and the place where the Buddha in the past, as King Maitrībala, pierced his body to feed his blood to five yakṣas. In a great monastery, there is also a carved wooden statue of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, brightly shining with golden light and over one hundred feet tall. It was made by the Arhat Madhyāntika. The Arhat used his supernatural power to lead a craftsman up to Tuṣita Heaven; only after three journeys to observe the marks was its beauty completed. It has great numinous signs that cannot be described in full.

29.15

Further, passing one country and crossing a river, one reaches the country of Takṣaśilā, belonging to North India. Seventy li northwest of the royal capital, between two mountains, there is a stupa over one hundred feet high. When the Buddha formerly prophesied the four great treasures that would emerge when Maitreya appears in the world, this was where one of them would appear. Twelve li north of the city, there is the stupa of King Candraprabha. On fast days, it frequently emits divine light, celestial flowers, and heavenly music. Recently, a leper repented and paid homage at the stupa, cleaned away the defilements, and applied fragrant paste; before long, he was cured, and his body became fragrant and pure. This is the place where the Buddha in the past, as King Candraprabha, offered his head in dāna, repeating this a total of one thousand times. There is also the pool where the Nāga King Elāpatra passed, and the place where Candraprabha gouged out his eyes; King Aśoka marked it with a stupa ten zhang high. There is also the place where Prince Mahāsattva offered his body to feed the tigress, piercing himself with a bamboo stalk to feed his blood to the beasts; the earth, grass, and trees are even now crimson in color. There is also the place where the Buddha converted a yakṣa to refrain from eating meat.

29.16

Further, passing two countries, climbing mountains and crossing an iron bridge toward the southeast for more than one thousand li, one reaches the country of Kaśmīra, belonging to North India. Within the country are four stupas, each containing more than a sheng of śarīra relics. In the four hundredth year after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, there was the Venerable Pārśva, who went forth into the homeless life only at the age of eighty and realized the fruit of an aśaikṣa. He brought five hundred arhats to this place and composed the Upadeśa-śāstra commenting on the Sūtra-piṭaka, followed by the Vinaya-vibhāṣā-śāstra, and then the Abhidharma-śāstra. These three treatises each contain one hundred thousand verses, totaling 6.6 million words, comprehensively interpreting the Tripiṭaka. There is also a tooth of the Buddha, one and a half inches long, yellowish-white in color, which emits light on fast days. There is also a standing statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara; whoever wishes to see it will behold it upon fasting.

29.17

Further, passing three countries and traveling east, one reaches the country of Cīnabhukti, belonging to North India. More than five hundred li southeast of the capital, one reaches the Andhavana Monastery, which has a circumference of more than twenty li. The Buddha's śarīra stupas number in the hundreds of thousands, along with stone chambers and the like. Here the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa stood and expounded the Dharma. In the three hundredth year after Śākyamuni's nirvāṇa, Kātyāyana composed the Jñānaprasthāna-śāstra here. The monastery stupa is over two hundred feet high; there are places with the walking and sitting traces of the four Buddhas.

29.18

Further, passing four countries and traveling east, one reaches the country of Mathurā, belonging to Central India. Within the royal capital are three stupas, and traces of the four Buddhas are very numerous, as well as the stupas of Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra, and Upāli,

29.19

and the various stupas of Ānanda, Rāhula, Mañjuśrī, and others. On each of the three long months and the six fast days, the monks and nuns gather to make offerings to the various stupas. Those of the Abhidharma assembly make offerings to Śāriputra's relic stupa; those who practice dhyāna make offerings to Maudgalyāyana's stupa; those who recite sūtras make offerings to Pūrṇa's stupa; those of the Vinaya assembly make offerings to Upāli's stupa; the assembly of nuns makes offerings to Ānanda's stupa; those who have not yet received full ordination make offerings to Rāhula's stupa; and the Mahāyāna assembly makes offerings to the stupas of the various bodhisattvas. (Upon investigating these stupas, they do not necessarily contain physical remains, but are rather places where statues are set up and offerings presented to manifest devotion; for example, according to the sūtras, Rāhula and Mañjuśrī have not entered nirvāṇa, by which one may know this.) Six li east of the city, there is a mountain cliff monastery built by the Venerable Upagupta, in which there is a stupa for the Buddha's finger- and toenails. North of the monastery is a stone cave. More than twenty li southeast of the cave, there is a large dried-up pond with a stupa beside it. The Buddha once visited here, and a monkey held honey to offer to the Buddha, who instructed that it be mixed with water so that the whole assembly might drink it together. Overjoyed, the monkey fell into a pit and died, immediately taking rebirth among humans. In the forest north of the pond are the walking places of the four Buddhas, where abundant traces remain.

29.20

Further, passing one country and going northeast for more than four hundred li, one reaches the country of Śrughna, belonging to Central India. Its eastern territory borders the Gaṅgā River, and in the north it connects with high mountains. Southeast of the city, the Yamunā River emerges from the mountains in the northwest of the country and flows through its central territory. The capital overlooks the Yamunā River to the east. Outside the east gate of the great monastery west of the river, there is a stupa where the Buddha once expounded the Dharma and delivered beings. Beside it is a stupa for the Buddha's hair and nails. More than eight hundred li east of the Yamunā River, one reaches the source of the Gaṅgā, which is three to four li wide, and where it enters the sea in the southeast, it is over ten li wide. The water is deep blue in color and sweet in taste, with fine sand flowing along with the current. The common people call it 'blessed water'; bathing in it removes sins, and some make light of their lives to drown themselves in it, praying to be born in heaven to enjoy bliss, which unfailingly brings efficacious response.

29.21

Further, passing six countries and traveling southeast from here, one reaches the country of Kapiṭha, belonging to Central India. Within it are ten deva temples, all serving Maheśvara; they are all fashioned in the image of the deva, shaped as a human male organ of immense size and height. The common people do not consider this evil, believing that all sentient beings are born from the deva's organ. More than twenty li east of the royal capital, beside a great monastery within a large wall, there are three precious staircases built by Śakra, lord of the devas, for the Buddha. The central one is overlaid with gold, the left with crystal, and the right with silver, arranged north to south, descending to the ground on the eastern side. This is the place where the Buddha, having ascended from Jetavana to heaven to preach the Dharma to his mother for three months in the Sudharmā Hall, descended back down. More than a hundred years ago, the staircases were still present, but now they are completely submerged. Subsequent kings imitated them, still rising over seventy feet high, with a vihāra built atop them. Beside the stone is a pillar, smooth and lustrous, reflecting like a mirror; according to one's sins or merits, shadows appear in the pillar; it was built by King Aśoka. Beside the staircases is a stupa marking the walking and sitting traces of the four Buddhas. There is also the place where the Buddha bathed, where a stupa has been erected. There is a vihāra marking the room entered by the Buddha, and beside it is the stone platform where the Buddha engaged in walking meditation, fifty paces long and seven feet high; wherever his feet stepped, there are lotus patterns. Moreover, the small stupas to the left and right of the platform were built by Brahmā. Just in front of this is the place where the nun Utpalavarṇā transformed into a cakravartin to see the Buddha first. The Buddha said to the nun, 'You are not the first. Subhūti, sitting in contemplation in his stone cave, realized that all dharmas are empty; he was the first to see my Dharmakāya.'

29.22

Further, travelling two hundred li north from here, one reaches the kingdom of Kanyākubja. This is the city of Kanyākubja in Central India. The capital borders the Gaṅgā River on the west, being more than twenty li in length and four to five li in width. Its king is the sovereign monarch who rules over the five regions of India. The previous king was Śīlāditya (translated in the Tang as Jieri, ‘Sun of Virtue’), of the Vaiśya caste. When he first wished to ascend the throne, there was an image of Avalokiteśvara on the bank of the Gaṅgā. He prayed and consulted it, and the statue said: ‘You were originally an araṇya bhikṣu in this forest. Now that King Śaśāṅka of Karṇasuvarṇa has destroyed the Buddha’s Dharma, you, O King, ought to revive it. If you cherish compassion for living beings in your heart, you will eventually rule over the five realms. Be careful not to ascend the lion throne or assume the title of Mahārāja.’ The king then, together with King Kumāra, completely crushed the non-Buddhists and the followers of King Śaśāṅka, and strictly instituted laws: whoever ate meat would have their tongue cut out, and whoever took life would have their hand severed. He then governed state affairs jointly with his widowed sister. Along the banks of the Gaṅgā, he erected more than a thousand stūpas, each over a hundred feet high. For twenty years, he held an assembly once every five years, emptying his storehouses and treasuries to relieve all beings, retaining only military weapons to guard against the unexpected. On the initial day of holding the assembly, he gathered the monks of all kingdoms, and for three times seven days offered them the four requisites and had them engage in debate. If anyone’s precepts and conduct were steadfast and moral virtue deeply consummate, they ascended the lion throne, and the king received the precepts from them. Pure [monks] without training (aśaikṣa) were shown reverent respect, while those whose foul conduct was exposed were banished beyond the kingdom’s borders. Northwest of the city is a stūpa built by King Aśoka, where the Buddha formerly preached the Dharma for seven days. Beside it are a hair-and-nail stūpa and traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas. Further, in a monastery bordering the Gaṅgā to the south, there is a tooth relic of the Buddha, an inch and a half long, whose radiant colour continually changes. It is kept in a jeweled casket. Those coming from near and far to venerate it number hundreds of thousands daily. Because the keepers were troubled by the crowds, they levied heavy taxes in gold and gems, yet those who rejoiced in paying homage did not begrudge these heavy valuables. On fast days, it is brought out and placed on a high seat; though scattered flowers pile up, the tooth is never covered over.

29.23

Further, more than a hundred li southeast of the city, there is a stūpa where the Buddha formerly preached the Dharma for seven days. Inside are relics that emit light from time to time. Beside it are traces of the Buddha walking and sitting. Four li north of the monastery, bordering the Gaṅgā River, there is a stūpa where the Buddha formerly preached the Dharma for seven days, and five hundred hungry ghosts gained understanding and were reborn in heaven. Beside it is also a hair-and-nail stūpa, and next to that are traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas.

29.24

Further, one reaches the kingdom of Ayodhyā, belonging to Central India. Five li north of the capital, in a great monastery on the bank of the Gaṅgā River, is a stūpa where the Buddha preached the Dharma for three months for gods and humans. There are traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas. Five li to the west is a hair-and-nail stūpa of the Buddha. Five li southwest of the city, in a great mango grove, is an old monastery; here the Bodhisattva Asaṅga ascended by night to the heavenly palace and received from Maitreya the Yogācārabhūmi, Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, and Madhyāntavibhāga-śāstra, expounding them to the assembly below during the day. More than a hundred paces northwest of the grove is a hair-and-nail stūpa of the Buddha. Southeast of the city, bordering the Gaṅgā, is a stūpa where the Buddha formerly preached the Dharma for three months. There is a bluestone hair-and-nail stūpa, and traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas.

29.25

Further, passing two kingdoms and traveling southeast, one reaches the kingdom of Prayāga, belonging to Central India. Bordering the Yamunā River to the southwest of the royal city, in a bend of the river, is a stūpa where the Buddha formerly subdued non-Buddhists. There is a hair-and-nail stūpa and the site of his walking promenade. There is also the place where Bodhisattva Āryadeva composed the Śata-śāstra-vaipulya. In the city there is a heavenly temple; before its hall stands a great tree with dense foliage, where a man-eating demon dwells. Beside it, the left-over bones form mounds; all who enter the temple throw away their lives, lured by the demon to climb the tree and cast themselves down. East of the city, between the two rivers, the confluence is more than ten li wide; the land is level and fertile, covered with fine sand. From ancient times to the present, kings, grandees, and all nobles who gave away gifts invariably stopped here; hence it is called the Great Field of Giving. The Great King Śīlāditya also cultivated this practice. East of the field, at the confluence, several people drown themselves to death each day; the locals call it the place of rebirth in heaven. Those who wish to follow this practice fast for seven days and submerge themselves in the middle of the current. People flock here from near and far; even mountain apes, wild beasts, and herds of game roam to the water's edge, fast, and drown themselves. When King Śīlāditya was distributing gifts, there were two macaques; after the female was killed by dogs, the male carried her corpse and threw it into this river, and the male then starved himself for several days and died.

29.26

Further, travelling more than five hundred li southwest through a great forest wilderness from here, one reaches the kingdom of Kauśāmbī, belonging to Central India. Within the royal city, in an old palace, is a great vihāra sixty feet high, containing a carved sandalwood Buddha statue with a stone canopy suspended above it; this was made by King Udayana (formerly called Youdayan, translated into Tang as Chuan’ai). Miraculous light issues from it at times; various kings have tried with force to lift it, but ultimately could not budge it. Long ago, when the Buddha ascended to heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother, the king requested Maudgalyāyana to use his divine power to transport an artisan up to heaven to copy the Buddha's appearance; when the Buddha descended from heaven, the statue rose to welcome him. The Buddha consoled it, saying: ‘In time to come you will perform the Buddha's work.’ More than a hundred paces east of the vihāra are traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas. The well from the Buddha's bathhouse is still drawn from today. In the southeast corner inside the city is the residence of the elder Ghoṣila, where there are a vihāra of the Buddha, a hair-and-nail stūpa, and traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas. Nine li west of the city, in a stone cave, is the place where the Buddha subdued the venomous dragon; beside it is a great stūpa more than two hundred feet high, with traces of the Buddha's walking promenade and a hair-and-nail stūpa, where many who seek cures for illness are healed. Furthermore, the complete extinction of Śākyamuni's remaining Dharma will occur in this kingdom; whether noble or base, upon entering the border, people naturally feel grief and sorrow. Travelling seven hundred li northeast from the cave, crossing the northern bank of the Gaṅgā, one reaches the city of Kāśapura, the place where Bodhisattva Dharmapāla subdued non-Buddhists. The Buddha formerly preached the Dharma here for six months; there are traces of the Buddha's walking promenade and a hair-and-nail stūpa.

29.27

Further, travelling one hundred and eighty li north from here, one reaches the kingdom of Viśākha, belonging to Central India. South of the royal city is a monastery stūpa more than two hundred feet high, where the Buddha formerly preached the Dharma for six years. Beside it is a miraculous tree seventy feet high that does not change through spring or winter; this grew luxuriantly from the Buddha's discarded tooth-stick (dantakāṣṭha). Various heretical non-Buddhists vied to chop it down, but it immediately grew back as before, and those who harmed it suffered misfortune. Beside it are traces of the walking and sitting of the four Buddhas, along with a hair-and-nail stūpa, their basements and corners contiguous, while forests and ponds cast reflecting shadows.

29.28

Further, travelling five hundred li northeast from here, one reaches the kingdom of Śrāvastī, belonging to Central India (formerly called the kingdom of Shewei). The capital is desolate and ruined. On the eastern foundation of the old palace is a small stūpa, the place where King Prasenajit (formerly called Bosini, translated into Tang as Shengjun, ‘Conquering Army’) built a vihāra for bhikṣuṇīs. The stūpa next to it to the east is the former residence of Sudatta (translated in the Tang as Shanshi, ‘Virtuous Giver’). Beside it is a great stūpa, which is the spot where Aṅgulimāla (translated in the Tang as Zhiman, ‘Finger Garland’) renounced the world. About six li south of the city is the Jetavana, the monastery built by the Crown Prince [Jeta] and Anāthapiṇḍada. Now it is desolate and abandoned, but there is still a stone pillar more than seventy feet high, erected by King Aśoka. A single brick chamber remains, while the rest are all destroyed and buried. In the chamber is a golden image [depicting the Buddha] preaching the Dharma for his mother. To the northeast is the stūpa where the Buddha washed a sick monk; to the northwest is the stūpa where Maudgalyāyana tried to lift Śāriputra’s robe. Not far away is a well stūpa, where the Buddha drew water. There are also the places where Śāriputra walked together with the Buddha and where the Buddha preached the Dharma, each marked by memorial stūpas; miraculous music and wondrous fragrance constantly descend upon these spots. There is also a stūpa marking the place where non-Buddhists killed a woman to slander the Buddha with illicit relations. More than a hundred paces east of the monastery is a great, deep pit, where Devadatta, having placed poison to harm the Buddha, sank alive into the earth. Further south is a great pit, where the monk Kokālika, having defamed the Buddha, sank alive into the earth. Further south by eight hundred paces is a great, deep pit, where the Brahman woman Ciñcā, having slandered the Buddha, sank alive into the earth. These three great pits are all profoundly deep, bottomless abysses; even when deluge and heavy rain pour down, the water never remains. Seventy paces east of the monastery is a vihāra called ‘Covering Shadow’, sixty feet high, inside of which is an eastward-facing seated statue marking the place where [the Buddha] debated with non-Buddhists. Next to it on the east is a heavenly temple of the same size as the vihāra; when the morning sun casts shadows westward, it does not obscure the Buddha's shrine, but when the evening sun casts shadows eastward, it completely covers the heavenly temple. Further east by four li is a large dried pond, the place where King Viḍūḍabha (formerly called King Liuli) sank into the earth; later generations set up a marker here. There is also a stūpa marking the place where Śāriputra, when first constructing the monastery, contested with non-Buddhists. Four li northwest of the monastery is the Forest of Recovered Sight (Andhavana), where there is a stūpa of the Buddha's walking promenade; its origin is that King Prasenajit gouged out the eyes of five hundred bandits, who, upon hearing the power of the Buddha's compassion, were instantly restored; their cast-away walking sticks then sprouted and grew. Sixty li northwest of the city is an old city, the birthplace of Kāśyapa Buddha when the human lifespan was twenty thousand years. To its north is the place of the complete-body relics of this Buddha, where King Aśoka built a stūpa to mark the site.

29.29

Traveling five hundred li further southeast, one reaches the country of Kapilavastu, which belongs to Central India (formerly called the country of Jiabiwei). The old city is uninhabited. Inside the city, in a vihāra upon the foundation of the main palace hall, an image of the king has been made. Beside it is the sleeping palace of Lady Mahāmāyā (in Tang, "Great Artifice"); in the vihāra upon its foundation, an image of the lady has been made. In the vihāra beside that, an image of the Bodhisattva descending in spirit has been made. Their traditions differ [on the date]: the Sthaviravāda says it corresponds to the fifteenth day of the fifth month in the Tang calendar, while the other schools say it corresponds to the eighth day of the fifth month here; this is simply due to differences in what was seen and heard. South of the city is a stūpa, which is where the prince competed in strength, hurling an elephant over the city wall, which fell to the ground and made a great pit. Beside it is a vihāra with an image of the prince, and it is the place where he received instruction. Beside that is a vihāra, which was the consort's bedchamber, where images of Yaśodharā and Rāhula have been made. Another text says that in the first watch of the night, the prince opened the northern city gate and went forth. Furthermore, in a vihāra at the southeast corner of the city, [the scene of] the prince riding his white horse, leaping into the air, and vaulting the city wall has been made. At each of the four city gates there is a vihāra with images of the old, the sick, the dead, and the śramaṇa. Four li south of the city is the Nyagrodha Grove stūpa, the place where the Buddha, after attaining the Way, preached the Dharma to devas and humans. Fifty li south of the city, the stūpa in the old town is the natal city of Krakucchanda Buddha when human lifespan was sixty thousand years. The stūpa southeast of the town is where this Buddha's bodily relics [were deposited]; King Aśoka erected a stone pillar thirty feet high before it. More than thirty li northeast, the stūpa in the old town is the natal city of Kanakamuni Buddha when human lifespan was forty thousand years. The stūpa northeast of the town is where this Buddha's bodily relics [were deposited]; King Aśoka erected a stone pillar with an inscription to mark it, over twenty feet high. More than forty li northeast of the city is the stūpa under the tree where the prince was born. Several hundreds and thousands of stūpas northwest of the great city are the stūpas where the Śākyas were slaughtered: four Śākyas resisted the king's army, and King Virūḍhaka retreated; the city people would not accept them, so they were punished and expelled beyond the borders, and their lineages continue to this day. The Nyagrodha tree stūpa south of the city is where the Buddha first came to see his father the king. The stūpa outside the southern gate of the city is where the prince and his brothers competed in archery. More than thirty li southeast is where the prince's arrow sank into the earth, whereupon a spring gushed forth; the popular tradition calls it the Arrow Spring, and when the sick drink from it, most are cured, or if they take the mud and apply it to their foreheads, whatever suffering they have is healed. Ninety li northeast is the Lumbinī Grove, with the bathing pool of the Śākyas, where flowers and water reflect each other. Twenty-five paces north of it is the aśoka tree, now withered and dry, the place where the Buddha was born. Some say this corresponds to the eighth day of the third month here; the Sthaviravāda says it corresponds to the fifteenth day of the third month here. Next to the east is a stūpa where two nāgas bathed the prince. When the Buddha was first born, he walked without support for seven paces in each of the four directions; wherever he stepped, great lotuses sprang forth. Having been born from the right side, Śakra received him with a robe, and the Four Heavenly Kings held him and placed him upon a golden bench. Altogether four stūpas were established, and stone pillars were erected to mark them. Nearby is a small river flowing southeast, popularly called the River of Oil; after the prince was born, the devas magically transformed this pool, making it lustrous so that he could bathe to dispel wind-exhaustion; now it has turned into a river of water, but it is still as greasy as oil. Traveling more than two hundred li east from here through a wild forest, one reaches the country of Rāma, which belongs to Central India. The capital city is deserted. Southeast of the city is a Buddha stūpa, just under a hundred feet high, which originally held one-eighth of the relics; spiritual light arises from time to time. Beside it is a clear pond; a nāga transforms into a snake and comes out to encircle the stūpa, and wild elephants gather flowers to scatter upon it. King Aśoka wished to open it, but the nāga guarded it and would not permit it. More than a hundred li further east in a great forest is a great stūpa; this is where the prince arrived, took off his precious robes and the central maṇi jewel, and gave them to Chandaka to return to his father the king. Further east, a withered trunk of a jambu tree still remains, where there is a small stūpa; this is where the prince exchanged his remaining clothes for coarse cloth. The stūpa beside it is the place where he shaved his hair; his age is variously reported, some saying nineteen and others twenty-nine. Traveling one hundred and ninety li further southeast, the Nyagrodha Grove stūpa is thirty feet high; this is where people of old gathered the remaining ashes and charcoal from the Buddha's cremation ground and erected a stūpa here; the sick pray and are healed. There is also a stūpa marking the footsteps and sitting places of the four Buddhas, over a hundred feet high, with several hundred small stūpas to the left and right.

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法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese