法苑珠林 36.7

36.7

As the Sūtra of Kāśyapa Questioning Ānanda states: Formerly, King Aśoka himself erected one thousand two hundred stūpas within his borders. Later, the king fell gravely ill. A śramaṇa came to inquire after his illness. The king said, “Previously, for the one thousand two hundred stūpas, I had banners woven with golden thread made for each, wishing to hang the banners and scatter flowers with my own hands to bring it to completion. Yet I have contracted a severe illness and fear my wish will not be fulfilled.” The man of the Way said to the king, “Your Majesty, please join your palms with a focused mind.” The man of the Way then displayed supernatural powers, and at that moment all one thousand two hundred monasteries appeared before the king. Seeing this, the king rejoiced, and immediately had the golden banners and golden flowers taken and hung upon the stūpa poles. The stūpas and monasteries bowed low and raised up, all coming into the king's hands. The king obtained his original vow, his body was cured of illness, and he thereupon aroused the great resolve, extending his lifespan by twenty-five years. Hence it is called the life-extending divine banner. Also, the Puguang jing states: If men or women of the four assemblies, when nearing the end of life or after life has passed, on the day of their death make yellow banners and hang them upon stūpa poles, it will cause them to obtain merit, leave behind the sufferings of the eight difficulties, and attain rebirth in the pure lands of the Buddhas of the ten directions. Offerings of banners and canopies will accord with the wishes of their hearts until they achieve bodhi. As the banners turn in the wind until worn away and completely reduced to fine dust, for each turn of a banner one attains the station of a cakravartin, down to the station of a minor king for each blown speck of dust; its retribution is immeasurable. Making offerings by lighting lamps illuminates all dark realms; suffering sentient beings, receiving this light, are enabled to see one another. By virtue of this merit, those sentient beings are all delivered and obtain rest. (The author remarks: Why does the sūtra state that one should make yellow banners for the deceased and hang them upon stūpas and poles? The answer is: Although we have not seen a sacred explanation, it may be sought through principle. Among the five primary colors, yellow occupies the center; it is used to express loyalty and sincerity, and to guide the rebirth of the intermediate existence (antarābhava) so that it does not go to peripheral realms, hoping instead that it will be born in a central land. Furthermore, yellow resembles gold; the ghosts, spirits, and the underworld regard it as gold. Therefore, when offering sacrifices to disperse spirits, if white paper money is cut, ghosts obtain white coins to use; if yellow paper money is cut, they obtain gold coins to use. Thus the Avadāna-sūtra says: Once there was a grain thief who stole all the grain of a householder. The householder caught him and rebuked him, saying, “Why did you steal all my grain? What spirit are you?” The grain thief said, “Take me to the road where someone knows my name.” On the road they met a yellow horse and carriage, whose driver and clothes were all yellow. The person in yellow clothing asked, “Grain thief, why are you here?” Only then did the householder know he was a grain thief. The householder further asked, “Who is the person riding the horse in yellow clothes?” The grain thief said, “He is the essence of yellow gold, paying the householder for the value of the grain consumed.” Because of this, the householder obtained inexhaustible gold to use. Truly, because the realms of humans and ghosts differ, their perceptual responses are distinct. Hence the Sage established the yellow banner for the deceased, to be hung upon stūpa poles so that by seeking it they may obtain treasure and deliver the spirits of the departed.) Also, the Avadānaśataka states: Formerly, when the Buddha was in the world, there was an elder in the city of Kapilavastu whose family was immensely wealthy, with boundless and unreckonable treasures. A baby boy was born to him, handsome and extraordinary, surpassing the multitude. When the child was first born, there was a great banner in the sky covering the entire city. Seeing this, the parents were boundlessly rejoiced, and accordingly gave him the name Patāka. Gradually growing up, he sought the Buddha to go forth and attained arhatship, endowed with the three knowledges, six supernatural faculties, and eight liberations. Seeing this, the bhikṣus said to the Buddha, “What merit did this Patāka cultivate in the past, that at birth he was handsome and surpassed the multitude, that a great banner and canopy covered the entire city in the sky, and that he encountered the World-Honoured One, went forth, and attained the Way?” The Buddha told the bhikṣus: “Ninety-one kalpas in the past, after the Buddha Vipaśyin entered nirvāṇa, there was a king named Bandhumat who collected his śarīra and built a four-jewelled stūpa one yojana in height to make offerings to it. At that time, a person held a great assembly beside the stūpa, made a long banner, hung it upon the stūpa, made a vow, and departed. By virtue of this merit, from that time onward for ninety-one kalpas he did not fall into evil paths. In heaven and among humans, a great banner always sheltered him above, and he received blessings and happiness, until now he has encountered me, gone forth, and attained the Way.”