法苑珠林 40

English (machine translation) 40

Language: English

40.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

40.2

Chapter 37: Relics (containing five sections)

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1. Section Explaining the Intent; 2. Section Citing Evidence; 3. Section on the Buddha's Shadow; 4. Section on Distributing the Dharma; 5. Section on Inducing Blessings.

Now, the holy virtue [of the Buddha] is vastly distant, towering above humans and devas. Its principle is more subtle than the Six Classics, and its spirit surpasses the hundred philosophical schools; it transcends the remaining traces of all conditioned realms and surpasses the supreme vestiges of worthies and good men. Once his teaching affinity was completed, he conformed to worldly ways and concealed his light; therefore, the eight branches of the twin [śāla] trees corresponded to the meaning they symbolized, and the eightfold division of the relics likewise answered to the karmic affinities of beings. Entering the adamantine samādhi (vajrasamādhi), he predetermined the fragmentation of his entire body, intending that blessings should cover humans and devas and merit should flow across oceans and continents. As for relics such as teeth, hair, and nails; the cranial dome and eyeballs; the robes, bowl, water flask, and staff; the places where he sat and the prints of his feet—encompassing past and present, the holy transformations are inexhaustible. Auspicious responses arrive repeatedly, and miraculous radiance shines forth time and again. Seen by both worthies and fools alike, how could it elicit doubt or confusion? Furthermore, consider the Three Sovereigns, the Five Emperors, the Xia, the Shang, King Wen, King Wu, Kong Qiu (Confucius), Zhuangzi, and Laozi: revered and respected as worthies and sages by all, every one of them had their bones buried in the five springs and their dust left in the nine territories. Their fame and brilliance fell into silence; who can know their traces? Rarely are they known to generate blessings, so how could they evoke future retributions? How could they compare to the Great Sage Śākyamuni, whose form and shadow bestow lingering fragrance? The way of sympathetic response is inexhaustible, and the custom of reverent admiration extends ever farther. He continues the traces of transformation across the great chiliocosm and salvages those sunken in darkness throughout worlds numerous as sand grains, causing the path of opening and revealing to differ according to the meaning, while the principle of converging into emptiness equals the one ultimate reality.

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Section 2: Citing Evidence

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“Śarīra” is the Sanskrit language of the Western Regions; here it means “bodily relics”. Fearing that they might be confused with the ordinary bones of dead commoners, the Sanskrit original's name is retained. There are three kinds of śarīra: the first is bone śarīra, its colour being white; the second is hair śarīra, its colour being black; the third is flesh śarīra, its colour being red. Bodhisattvas, arhats, and others also have these three kinds. If they are the Buddha's śarīra, they cannot be crushed when struck with a mallet; if they are a disciple's śarīra, they immediately shatter when struck with a mallet. Furthermore, the Pusa chutai jing says: The World-Honoured One told the great assembly: “Remember the merits I practiced in ancient times: I abandoned bodies and took on bodies not once or twice. Now I shall speak to you of the Dharma of a single bodily form. The unbroken whole-body śarīra of all the buddhas are all in the diamond kṣetra below. The diamond kṣetra is eight hundred and forty thousand koṭis of li thick. Below it are the shattered-body relics of all the buddhas, all in that kṣetra. In that place is a buddha-kṣetra named Wondrous Fragrance (Gandhasugandha). The buddha's name is Tathāgata Abiding Nowhere, endowed with the ten titles, who is now in the present expounding the Dharma.” The Buddha told the great assembly: “Eight hundred and forty thousand koṭis of li below the shattered-body relics, the land is pure, the buddha's name is Pervasive Light, endowed with the ten titles, and that buddha is now in the present expounding the Dharma. Further below there is a land named Giving of the Inexhaustible Treasury, and the buddha is named Exhorting and Aiding. Further below there is a land named Drum of the Dharma, and the buddha is named Good Vision. In that land there are whole-body śarīra. Hundreds of thousands of koṭis of past buddhas have all left their śarīra there. In the śarīra of that land, I too have a share.” Furthermore, the Sāgara-nāgarāja-paripṛcchā-sūtra says: At that time, the dragons said to the Buddha: “Now that the World-Honoured One is returning to the land of Jambudvīpa, the dragons in the sea will have nothing to rely upon and look up to. We pray only that with great compassion, when the Buddha enters extinction, you will leave your whole-body śarīra in this great sea, so that all kinds of beings can make offerings to it, increasingly cultivate merit, quickly shed their dragon bodies, and swiftly attain the unexcelled, truly authentic path. We only pray the Buddha bestow his kindness, add his majestic virtue, and let our wish bear fruit.” The Buddha said: “Excellent! It shall be according to your wish.” Subhūti said to the dragons: “The śarīra for all humans and devas must be pervasive, so that all universally receive salvation. If you gentlemen pray that the Buddha's śarīra remain exclusively whole to be served by you alone, by what means will all sentient beings be saved?” The dragons replied: “O Subhūti, do not utter these words! Do not use the limited, obstructed wisdom of your own person to limit the Tathāgata's boundless wisdom. There is nothing into which the Tathāgata's sacred virtue cannot transform and manifest: he manifests individually in each of the trichiliocosms. The Buddha's whole-body śarīra neither increases nor decreases, universally appearing to all, just as the reflection of the sun appears in water. The Buddha is neither born nor does he enter extinction. How could one wish to limit the Tathāgata's wisdom?” When Subhūti heard this, he was silent and had no words. The Buddha praised the dragons: “You virtuous and wise ones, it is truly as you have said, without any difference. The Buddha's path is lofty and wondrous, without boundary or limit, neither square nor round, neither broad nor narrow, neither far nor near, just like empty space—it cannot be compared.”

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Section 3: The Buddha's Shadow

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As the Guanfo sanmei jing says: When the Buddha first left his shadow in the stone chamber, it was in the country of Nagarahāra, south of the cliff of Mount Anas, beside the pool of the venomous dragon. There were five rākṣasīs who engaged in intercourse with the venomous dragon and constantly made hail and rain fall; the common people had suffered famine and pestilence for four years already. At that time, the king offered sacrifices and incantations against the dragon, but the rākṣasīs' power was flourishing, and the incantations were ineffective. The king knelt long with palms joined, praising the Buddha's penetrative wisdom: “You should know my heart's wish; we pray you will bend your loving-kindness and compassion to illuminate and visit this country.” At that time, the Tathāgata went to that country. The dragon raised thunder and lightning, its scales smoke and flame; the five rākṣasīs' eyes were like flashes of lightning. At that time, a vajradhara held a great pestle in his hand; the tip of the pestle was ablaze like a whirling wheel of fire, burning the wicked dragon's body. The dragon king was terrified and ran into the Buddha's shadow, as if sprinkled with sweet dew. Seeing the vajradharas, he was exceedingly alarmed and frightened, and bowed in homage to the Buddha; the five rākṣasīs also bowed in homage to the Tathāgata. The dragon king emerged from his pool with a jewelled dais to offer to the Buddha. The Buddha said: “I have no need of your dais; only give me the stone cave of the rākṣasas.” The devas each took off their jewelled robes to dust the cave. The Buddha withdrew his supernormal foot and entered the stone chamber alone, causing the top of this stone to become seven treasures under his tread. At that time, the dragon built stone caves for the four great disciples and Ānanda. Then the World-Honoured One emerged from the stone cave. When the dragon heard that the Buddha was returning to his country, he wept with tears falling like rain: “Why do you abandon me? If I do not see the Buddha, I shall commit wicked deeds and plunge into the evil destinies.” The Buddha comforted the dragon: “I accept your invitation; I shall sit in your cave for one thousand five hundred years.” Sitting in the cave, the Buddha performed eighteen transformations, leaped his body into the stone as if into a bright mirror, and within the stone he shone through to the outside. Looked at from afar, he was visible; looked at from close by, he did not appear. Hundreds and thousands of devas made offerings to the Buddha's shadow, and the shadow also preached the Dharma, remaining there even down to the present.

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Section 4: Distribution of the Relics

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As the Pusa chutai jing says: At that time, the kings of the eight countries disputed over the śarīra. There was a minister named Upakāra (Youboji) who admonished the kings of the eight countries: “Why raise troops to conquer one another?” At that time, Śakra, king of the devas, manifested as a human and said to the kings: “We devas should also have a share. If we compete in strength, there will be victory and defeat. Fortunately, you can give [a share] to us, so there is no need to make difficulties.” At that time, the dragon king Anavatapta, the dragon king Mucilinda, and the dragon king Elāpattra said to the eight kings: “We too should have a share. If you do not give [a share] to us, our power is sufficient to subdue you.” Then the minister Upakāra said: “All of you, cease! The śarīra ought to be divided together; what need is there to dispute over them?” He immediately divided them into three shares: one share was given to the devas, one share to the dragon kings, and one share to the eight kings. The dividing urn held more than one dan. This minister smeared the inside of the urn with honey and used the urn to measure the shares. Having obtained their śarīra, the devas returned to heaven and immediately erected seven-jewelled stupas. Having obtained their śarīra, the dragons returned to their palaces and erected seven-jewelled stupas. For the śarīra sticking to the urn, together with the urn itself, the minister Upakāra also erected a jewelled stupa. The ashes and soil measured forty-nine hu, and forty-nine jewelled stupas were also erected. At the site of the cremation (jhāpita), a jewelled stupa was also erected, thirty-nine ren in height (one ren being seven chi).

40.12

Furthermore, the Aśokāvadāna says: The kings of the eight countries disputed over the śarīra and each raised troops. Śakra, lord of the devas, descended in person to persuade them, dividing them with a golden jar. Counting them together with King Ajātaśatru, each obtained eighty-four thousand śarīra. There remained one whisker from the Buddha's mouth that no one dared take. Because King Ajātaśatru was the first to arrive, he obtained the śarīra and the whisker. Each returned rejoicing, making music that shook the heavens. The dragon king Nanda-Upananda transformed into a human body and came to the place of the parinirvāṇa. On the road, he met King Ajātaśatru and, turning back, said to the king: “You can take one share and give it to me.” The king said: “That cannot be done.” The dragon king said: “I am the dragon Nanda-Upananda; I can lift your kingdom and place it eighty thousand li away, grinding it into dust.” King Ajātaśatru was terrified and immediately offered the Buddha's whisker to him. The dragon king then returned to the foot of Mount Sumeru and erected a crystal stupa, eighty-four thousand li high; he erected a crystal and lapis lazuli stupa. After King Ajātaśatru passed away, King Aśoka gained his kingdom. At that time, a minister said to King Aśoka: “The dragon Nanda-Upananda formerly despised King Ajātaśatru and took away the Buddha's whisker.” Hearing this, King Aśoka was greatly enraged and immediately commanded all the spirit kings to make iron nets and iron snares, casting the snares into the water beneath Mount Sumeru wishing to bind and capture the dragon king. The dragon was greatly alarmed and frightened, and devised a plan together [with others], saying: “Aśoka serves the Buddha. We should wait until he is asleep, take his palace, and move it into the water beneath Mount Sumeru; his anger will surely cease.” They then dispatched dragons to carry King Aśoka's palace. When the king awoke from sleep, he did not know where he was. Seeing the crystal stupa, eighty-four thousand li high, joy and terror mingled in his heart. The dragon came out himself to apologise, saying: “King Ajātaśatru gave me the Buddha's whisker of his own accord; I did not snatch it. When the Buddha was in the world, he made an agreement with me: ‘After the parinirvāṇa, when the kalpa comes to an end, all the scriptures, precepts, kāṣāya robes, and bowls shall all be taken by me to be hidden and placed in this stupa. When Maitreya descends, they shall be brought out and presented again.’ ” Hearing these words, King Aśoka apologised deeply: “I truly did not know this.” The dragon king then caused the dragons to return the king's palace to its original place. Furthermore, the Samantapāsādikā says: Inside Śakra's palace there are two śarīra: the first is the Buddha's right tooth, and the second is the Buddha's right collarbone.

40.13

Furthermore, the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya says: When the Buddha entered parinirvāṇa, eight countries all came seeking śarīra, each raising the four divisions of the army and surrounding [the site] with eight armies. There was a brahmin of the Dhūmra (Yan) clan who called out in a loud voice: “Mallas, the śarīra are present here; they should be divided into eight shares.” The Mallas said: “We respect the Tathāgata's counsel.” He called out again: “Please bestow on me the vessel that held the śarīra, so that I may return to the village of Droṇagrāma and erect a stupa.” Then the brahmin Pippalāyana also requested the ashes from the place where the Buddha was cremated to return to his country and erect a stupa. At that time, the Mallas of Kuśinagara obtained the first share and erected a stupa. Pāvā obtained the second share and returned to their country to erect a stupa. The village of Rāmagrāma obtained the third share and returned to erect a stupa. The kṣatriyas of the country of Calakalpa obtained the fourth share and returned to their country to erect a stupa. The brahmins of Viṣṇudvīpa obtained the fifth share and returned to their country to erect a stupa. The Licchavis of Vaiśālī obtained the sixth share and returned to their country to erect a stupa. The Śākyas of the country of Kapilavastu obtained the seventh share and returned to their country to erect a stupa. King Ajātaśatru, lord of the country of Magadha, obtained the eighth share and returned to Rājagṛha to erect a stupa. The brahmin of the Dhūmra clan obtained the vessel that held the śarīra and returned to the village of Droṇagrāma to erect a stupa. The brahmin Pippalāyana obtained the ashes and returned to his country to erect a stupa. At that time, in Jambudvīpa, there were eight śarīra stupas, the ninth was the vessel stupa, and the tenth was the ashes stupa. From this time onward, immeasurable stupas were erected.

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Furthermore, the Aśokāvadāna says: Formerly, King Aśoka wished to take the śarīra that King Ajātaśatru had deposited. King Ajātaśatru had set up a great iron sword-wheel in the Gaṅgā River, making the water turn the wheel where the śarīra were placed; by various expedients he could not obtain them. He asked the monk Utpalavarṇa (Lianhua): “How can they be obtained?” The monk answered: “Tossing several thousand hu of crab apples into the water can stop the wheel.” Following these words, he tossed crab apples into the water. Trying one crab apple by chance, the crab apple fell into the aperture of the mechanism, and the sword-wheel immediately halted and no longer turned. However, a great dragon king was guarding them, so they could not be obtained at all. The king then asked: “By what means can they be obtained?” [The monk said:] “The dragon king's merit is superior, so by no means can they be obtained.” He asked: “How is it known that his merit is superior?” [The monk replied:] “Cast statues of the dragon and of the king in gold, and weigh them on a scale; the one that is heavier has superior merit.” Immediately weighing them, the dragon's statue was twice as heavy. Seeing this, the king diligently cultivated merit. Having cultivated merit, he cast the statues again and weighed them again; the king's statue and the dragon's statue weighed exactly the same. The king cultivated further merit and cast the statues again; looking at the weight, the king's statue had become heavier. Knowing the statue was heavier, the king led his armies to the water's edge. The dragon king came out of his own accord and offered various kinds of jewels. The king said to the dragon: “King Ajātaśatru bequeathed me the śarīra; I now wish to take them.” The dragon king knew of himself that his power was not equal, so he led the king to the place of the śarīra, opened the door, and took the śarīra to give him. The oil lamp that King Ajātaśatru had made was just on the point of running out; once the śarīra were brought out, the lamp was completely extinguished. The king marvelled and asked the monk Utpalavarṇa: “How did King Ajātaśatru measure the oil lamp so that it was only extinguished just as the śarīra were taken?” The venerable one answered: “At that time, there was an expert reckoner who calculated the amount of oil used in a hundred years; using such a calculation, he caused it to last until now.”

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Section 5: Evoking Blessings

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As the Mahākāruṇika-sūtra says: At that time the World-Honoured One told Ānanda, "After my parinirvāṇa, if someone were even to make an offering to my śarīra as small as a mustard seed, revering, honouring, humbling oneself, and making offerings to it, I say that through these roots of good this person will completely attain the realm of nirvāṇa and reach the ultimate limit of nirvāṇa. If someone were to construct images, stūpas, and temples, or faithfully contemplate the merits of the Buddha, or even scatter a single flower into the air, I say that through these roots of good this person will certainly attain the realm of nirvāṇa and reach the ultimate limit of nirvāṇa." The Buddha told Ānanda, "If any sentient being, out of mindfulness of the Buddha, scatters even a single flower into the air, the fruition and retribution obtained from such merit are inexhaustible. If any sentient being with utmost sincerity contemplates the merits of the Buddha and scatters even a single flower into the air, he will in future ages become the king of the Śakra gods, the king of the Brahmā gods, or a holy wheel-turning king (cakravartin), and even then the retribution of his merit will not be exhausted. The field of merit (puṇyakṣetra) of making offerings to the Buddha cannot have its limits exhausted by conditioned fruitions and retributions. I say that such a person will definitely attain nirvāṇa and reach the ultimate limit of nirvāṇa. Even if there is an animal that can give rise to mindfulness of the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, I also say that through the retribution of its roots of good it will attain nirvāṇa and reach the ultimate limit of nirvāṇa. If there were a great trichiliocosm completely filled with the four fruits of a śramaṇa and with pratyekabuddhas as numerous as sugarcanes, bamboos, and reeds; and if someone, whether in their present life or after their parinirvāṇa, were to erect stūpas and make offerings to them for an entire kalpa or for less than a kalpa, revering, honouring, humbling oneself, and making offerings with all desirable pleasing things and instruments of pleasure; and if another person, before the Buddhas, merely joins their palms once or recites the Buddha's name once: this [latter] merit, compared to the former merit, does not equal a hundredth part, a thousandth part, a hundred-thousand-millionth part, or even a kalā part. Why is this? Because the Buddha, the Tathāgata, is the most supreme among all fields of merit. Therefore, offering to the Buddha accomplishes great merit, supernormal power, and majestic potency."

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The verse says:

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The golden body left dispersed bones; / Precious stūpas pervaded gods and dragons. / Initiated by opening ten stūpas, / They eventually became eighty thousand tiers. / From the pearl canopy, miraculous light transforms; / The mast pillar shoots forth lotuses. / Often parted the morning mists and dews; / Repeatedly displayed divine traces at dawn. / Red rainbows mutually shine and flare; / Wind shakes, chiming with bells in harmony. / Immortal phoenixes are observed from time to time; / Miraculous monks follow repeatedly. / Solitarily surpassing all the multitude of sages; / All sentient beings universally give rise to reverence. / Unbroken though struck by anvil and mallet, / Only then is known the majestic reverence of sage-like virtue.

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Conditions of Sympathetic Resonance (briefly listing sixteen dynasties, and fifty-three prefectures under the Sui)

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The Han faneizhuan says: After Emperor Ming promoted the Buddha's Dharma, erected temples, and ordained monks, the various Daoist masters of the lodges on the Five Sacred Peaks requested a contest to test the superiority of Śākya and Laozi. The Daoist scriptures were tested by burning them with fire, and they were reduced to ashes along with the flames. Fei Cai, the leader of the Daoist masters, was ashamed and chagrined, and died before the assembly. Zhang Yan was awakened to understanding, and they competed to leave the household life together. At that time, the five śarīra of five colours brought from the Western Regions ascended straight into the sky, revolving in a circle like a canopy and eclipsing the sunlight. The arhat [Kāśyapa] Mātaṅga leapt high into flight, dwelling in the air as if on the ground and walking on the ground as if through empty space, exercising supernormal transformations at will and preaching the Dharma to the assembly. The heavens rained down precious flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and the Saṃgha. Heavenly music of extraordinary tones was heard together by the great assembly, and innumerable people were liberated.

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The full account is as expounded below in the chapter 'Refuting Heterodoxy'. In the city of Luoyang during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Wei, there were originally three temples, one of which was to the west of the palace. Whenever śarīra were suspended on the banner-mast, they could be plainly seen within the palace. The emperor was troubled by this and was about to demolish and destroy it. At that time, a foreign śramaṇa was residing in the temple; he presented a golden platter filled with water, which held the śarīra. Five-coloured radiant light soared in flames without ceasing. The emperor saw this and sighed, saying, "Were it not for a divine effect, how could it be like this?" Thereupon, to the east of the road, he built a hundred-bay surrounding gallery, naming it the Official Pagoda Vihāra.

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In the fourth year of the Chiwu reign era of Sun Quan of Wu, there was a foreign śramaṇa, Kang Senghui, who first arrived in the region east of the Yangtze River, set up images, and practised the Path. The people of Wu regarded it as uncanny and reported the circumstances [to the throne]. Sun Quan summoned Senghui and asked, "What miraculous omens does the Buddha have?" Senghui replied, "Although the Buddha has concealed his spiritual traces, his surviving bone śarīra manifest in response without fixed bound." Quan said, "Where are they?" Senghui said, "Spiritual traces resonate sympathetically; they may be obtained through prayer and seeking." Quan said, "If you obtain a śarīra, I shall build a temple for you." After three periods of seven days of utmost sincere prayer, it was finally obtained inside a vase. In the morning he presented it to Quan, and its light illuminated the palace halls. Quan held the vase and poured it onto a bronze platter; as the śarīra struck downward, the platter shattered at once. Quan was greatly astonished, [calling it] a rare auspicious omen. Senghui came forward and said, "The spiritual bone of the Buddha is adamantine and imperishable: the fires of the kalpa cannot scorch it, and mallet and anvil cannot shatter it." Quan ordered strong men to strike it with all their might; the mallet and anvil were both dented, yet the śarīra was undamaged, with radiant light shooting in all four directions, dazzling men's eyes. Furthermore, when burned with fire, it soared with light leaping upward and formed a great lotus flower. Quan gave rise to great faith and thereupon built a temple for him named Jianchu, and changed the name of the place where he lived to Fotuoli (Buddha Village).

40.23

During the tyrannical rule of Sun Hao, he was about to eliminate the Buddha's Dharma, burn the scriptures, and raze the stūpas. A believer admonished him, saying, "Please grant a short respite. If we know there is no spiritual verification, it will not be too late to execute and eradicate [them]." Hao followed this. He summoned Senghui and said, "If you can manifest verification before my eyes, I will assist you in promoting it; if you cannot, I will abolish it and execute you." Senghui said, "The Buddha responds according to conditions; where there is sympathetic resonance, there is certainly penetration. If you would kindly grant a respite, to pray for an effect will not be difficult." Hao gave him a limit of three days. At that time, more than a hundred monks gathered together at Senghui's temple. Hao lined up soldiers and surrounded the temple, with knives and saws brought out all at once, to carry out the execution at the appointed time. Some monks, fearing there would be no miraculous sign, hanged themselves beforehand. Senghui said to the assembly, "The Buddha's leaving behind of śarīra is solely for this very time. Since there was verification previously, how could it be deceptive now?" Precisely at the appointed time, they obtained it. He then presented it to Hao, [saying], "This is the adamantine bone of the Tathāgata, obtained through sincere determination. Even struck with a pestle of a hundred jun, it will ultimately suffer no slight damage." Hao said, "Metal and stone can be ground down; how could dry bone be hard? The śramaṇa deceives me to my face, merely hastening his own death." He then placed it on an iron anvil and struck it with a golden mallet. Both the gold and the iron were dented, while the śarīra remained as before. He further carried it through clear water, and the śarīra shot forth light and dispersed brilliance, illuminating an entire hall. Hao thereupon happily submitted in faith, reformed his sincerity, and received transformation.

40.24

In the early Jin, Zhu Changshu previously had a śarīra and valued it deeply. His son became a śramaṇa named Fayan. Often wishing to return to secular life, he laughed and said, "Śarīra are merely sand and stones; how are they worthy of value?" The father cast it into water; [surrounded by] five colours, it circled three times, its light several feet high. Seeing this manifestation, [Fayan] gave rise to faith and in the end did not return to secular life. When Changshu was about to die, he again gave rise to worldly thoughts, immediately fell sick and exhausted, and in the end died as a śramaṇa. The śarīra was enshrined in the stūpa of Jiangxia.

40.25

During the Taixing era of the Jin, Dong Wang of Yuqian had faith in and venerated a wooden image. At night it had radiant light. Later, beside the image, there was a sound falling to the ground; looking at it, it was a śarīra. Floating and sinking in water, it shone brightly in five colours and circumambulated clockwise three times. Later, the śramaṇa Fachang came to look at it; it then leapt up four or five feet high and fell into Chang's embrace. Chang said, "If Chang is made to build a temple, may I further see your majestic spirit." It again leapt up before him. Chang immediately built a temple and stūpa for it. In Yuqian, those who entered the Dharma numbered in the dozens daily.

40.26

During the Daxing era of the Jin, northerners drifted and scattered to Guangling, numbering in the thousands daily. There was one who carried a śarīra, built a small temple, and erected a mast. The śarīra radiated light reaching the top of the mast, moving those near and far.

40.27

During the Xianhe era of the Jin, the northern monk An Fakai arrived in Yuhang. Wishing to build a temple but lacking funds, he manually coiled strings of coins to sell them. Over the years, he gathered thirty thousand coins, purchased land, and built rooms, constantly taking the coiled strings as his means of livelihood. Wishing to erect a mast, he lacked a śarīra. There was a man named Luo You who already possessed one. Kai asked for it, but he would not grant it. When Kai reached the temple and bowed to the Buddha, he saw that You's bag of śarīra was already in front of the seat. He immediately informed You. You came along and saw it; he was delighted and gave it to Kai, and together they built a temple and lodgings in Yuhang.

40.28

During the Xiankang era of the Jin, Meng Jing, the governor of Jian'an, wished to erect a mast and build a temple. In the evening he heard a clinking sound beside his bed; looking, he obtained three śarīra, and consequently erected the temple and mast. In the sixth month of the sixteenth year of Yuanjia, the śarīra radiated light completely illuminating above and below, stopping only after seven nights. Everyone saw it.

40.29

In the first year of the Yixi era of the Jin, a man of Linyi once had a śarīra. On every fasting day it produced light. The śramaṇa Huisui, accompanying Diao Kui, the regional inspector of Guangzhou, was in the south; revering its luminous appearance, he wished to request it. Before he could utter a word, the śarīra divided itself into two. Hearing of this, Kui was delighted in his heart and also requested to retain it for worship, whereupon it divided again into three. Kui wished to make a replica of the Changgan image, but the temple abbot held stubbornly and would not allow it. At night, [the abbot] dreamed of a man several zhang tall who told him, "Images are valued for spreading and guiding; why be so begrudging?" The next morning he sent word granting permission to replicate it. Once it was completed, Kui placed the śarīra inside the topknot of the image. The fact that many of the images coming from the West radiate light is on account of their śarīra.

40.30

In the sixth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, Jia Daozi was walking in Jing[zhou] and clearly saw a lotus flower just blossoming. He took it idly to return home and heard a sound within the flower. Wondering at it, he searched and found a śarīra, white as a genuine pearl, its flames illuminating the beams and rafters. Revering it, he lifted it in a box upon a small table and suspended it on the wall of his room. His family members repeatedly saw a Buddhist monk coming from outside, untying the robes he wore and sitting on the table. Someone lodged there who did not know of this and treated it disrespectfully. He then dreamed of a man who told him, "Here is the true body of Śākya, and the multitude of sages come to venerate it; why do you commit such misdeeds? In death you will fall into hell, and when you emerge you will be a slave. How can you not be terrified?" The man was greatly afraid, and before long he died of a virulent disease. From the ground of the śarīra room grew eight stems of lotus, which withered after sixty days. After a year or more, it was lost, and none knew where it went.

40.31

In the eighth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, in Kuaiji, there was a man named An Qianzai whose family venerated the Buddha. At night someone knocked on the door; he went out and saw more than ten men dressed in red garments carrying lumber and piling it inside the gate, saying, "The authorities have ordered the construction of a stūpa." Suddenly they were nowhere to be seen. The next day, when he went to another house, atop the vegetarian meal he obtained a śarīra of purple-gold colour. It could not be shattered by hammering, and when carried across water, radiant light shone and burst forth. He then raised and revered it himself, and there was always an extraordinary fragrance. Later, when he went out intending to worship it, it was suddenly lost. He searched for it thoroughly, and after half a day it returned. At that time, the Prince of Linchuan was garrisoning Jiangling; he welcomed it and processed it. Variegated lights appeared alternately, seen differently by the clerks and śramaṇas. The prince held a water vessel and uttered a prayer to that effect, and immediately, in response to his voice, light came forth. At night, more than a hundred people were seen circumambulating the śarīra chamber, burning incense and holding flowers, like the appearance of the Buddha's emergence. When dawn came, both the people and the śarīra were lost.

40.32

In the ninth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, the household of Zhang Xuyuan in Xunyang held an eight-precept fast. Several dozen clerics and laypeople saw what appeared to be ice and snow atop the flowers before the image. Looking closer, they obtained several dozen śarīra. They then carried them across water, and their flames of light connected continuously. Later, they were eventually lost. Several days later, opening the cabinet to look again, they found a tooth. Inside a cosmetic box, wrapped in white fine cotton (karpāsa), were ten śarīra, whose flames of light reached to the heavens. People from various places all came to request them.

40.33

In the fifteenth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, Liu Ningzhi of Nanjun lived in seclusion on Mount Heng, not coming forth when summoned. He venerated the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice and did not believe in the Buddha's Dharma. He dreamed of a man several zhang above the ground who said, "Your doubts are just about to be resolved." Upon waking, he suddenly came to realization. Morning and evening, he worshipped the Buddha diligently for half a year. Suddenly, he saw a purple light beneath his forehead; feeling the place of the light, he obtained two śarīra. Cleaving and striking them did not damage them, and when placed in water, light came forth. Furthermore, during mealtime, something was concealed against a tooth in his mouth; spitting it out, it had light. His wife and child also obtained one, making five in all. Later he lost them again, but shortly thereafter obtained them once more.

40.34

In the nineteenth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, Xu Chun of Gaoping was reading a sutra, and during a meal he obtained two śarīra. He placed them in a jar. Looking at them later, they gradually increased to twenty. Later he entrusted them to Liu Fu, the magistrate of Guangling. Fu secretly opened it, and it was an empty jar. While Chun was in the capital, he suddenly obtained them by himself again. Later, when he regressed in faith, he lost them all. The manifestations of śarīra in response are very numerous among those who encounter them: all obtain them through reverence and lose them through disrespect.

40.35

The eastward flow of the relics has extended continuously across imperial eras. What records and annals touch upon presents but one ten-thousandth part. Because such phenomena repeated layer upon layer and manifested frequently, they were not considered uncommon; the subtle, hidden influence of the Buddha's transformation was indeed responsible. Yet in establishing realms and erecting pagodas, none surpasses the Sui dynasty: within a single conversion period there were over a hundred places. Divine portents unfolded and blossomed, as detailed in various separate accounts. Now I briefly set them forth to make manifest their sympathetic virtue, and so forth.

40.36

Emperor Wen of the Sui Establishes Pagodas for the Buddha's Śarīra (Pagodas erected in twenty-eight prefectures; divine portents experienced in fifty-three prefectures)

40.37

Xianyou Temple in Yong Prefecture
Fengquan Temple in Qi Prefecture
Sijue Temple in Hua Prefecture
Daxingguo Temple in Tong Prefecture
Daxingguo Temple in Jing Prefecture
Xiyan Temple in Pu Prefecture
Daiyue Temple in Tai Prefecture
Wuliangshou Temple in Bing Prefecture
Changyue Temple in Ding Prefecture
Songyue Temple in Song Prefecture
Daci Temple in Xiang Prefecture
Lianyunyue Temple in Kuo Prefecture
Hengyue Temple in Heng Prefecture
Daxingguo Temple in Xiang Prefecture
Jushenshan Temple in Mou Prefecture
Kuaijishan Temple in Wu Prefecture
Huqioushan Temple in Su Prefecture

40.38

For the temples in these seventeen prefectures listed above, in erecting the pagodas, the materials for striking the finial pole and materials from the regular treasuries were disbursed for their construction.

40.39

Qin Prefecture
Gua Prefecture
Yang Prefecture
Yi Prefecture
Bo Prefecture
Gui Prefecture
Jiao Prefecture
Ru Prefecture
Pan Prefecture
Jiang Prefecture
Zheng Prefecture

40.40

For these eleven prefectures listed above, pagodas were erected in pure places matching the mountains and waters, prefectural and county temples, and so forth, with materials disbursed as before.

40.41

"The Chancellery: We reverently consider that the Perfectly Enlightened One, with great loving-kindness and great compassion, rescues and protects all living beings and serves as a bridge and ferry for the multitude of kinds. We have taken refuge in the Three Jewels and revitalized the sacred teachings, desiring that all the people within the four seas may together generate bodhi and jointly cultivate meritorious deeds, so that in the present existence down to future lifetimes they may forever create wholesome causes and together ascend to the wondrous fruit. Let thirty śramaṇas who thoroughly comprehend the characteristics of dharmas and are capable of preaching and guidance be invited, each accompanied by two attendants, together with one supernumerary official assigned to each. Let one hundred and twenty catties of frankincense and five horses be provided to each. Along divided routes they shall convey the śarīra to proceed to the aforementioned prefectures to erect pagodas. If it is a temple amidst rivers or plains, let the pagoda be erected at an existing mountain-and-water temple as before. Where there has traditionally been no temple in the mountains, establish the pagoda at a pure temple site within that prefecture. Let the relevant office produce a model and send it to that prefecture. Where monks are numerous, let there be three hundred and sixty; next, two hundred and forty; next, one hundred and twenty. If monks are few, let all existing monks assemble. On behalf of Us, the Empress, the Crown Prince Guang, all the princes, grandsons, and down through officials inside and outside the court, all the common people, and living beings in the unseen and visible realms, let each practice the Way for seven days and perform deśanā. On the day the practice of the Way begins, strike the finial pole. Regardless of whether from the same prefecture or another prefecture, allow anyone to make dāna; the money is limited to ten cash or less and must not exceed ten cash. The donated money shall be used to finance the construction of the pagodas. If it is deficient and insufficient to pay the corvée laborers, then regular treasury goods may be used. Let all monks and nuns across the prefectures throughout the realm host a vegetarian feast for the śarīra. The deadline is the hour of noon on the fifteenth day of the tenth month, when the relics shall simultaneously be deposited into the stone reliquary. From Area Commanders and Prefects on down to County Defenders on up, except for urgent military affairs, they shall suspend routine duties for seven days to exclusively inspect and oversee the practice of the Way and the striking of the finial pole, making every effort to fulfill complete sincerity and reverence and accord with Our intentions. Let the responsible authorities carry this out."

40.42

Proclaimed on the thirteenth day of the sixth month of the first year of Renshou by Minister Jian, Prince of Yuzhang and Director of the Chancellery.

40.43

Record of the Sympathetic Resonances of the Śarīra in twenty fascicles (composed by Wang Shao, Sui Editorial Director)

40.44

When the Emperor was formerly living in obscurity before his accession, a brāhmaṇa śramaṇa came to his residence, produced a bundle of śarīra, and said: 'Because you, dānapati, possess a good heart, I leave these for you to make offerings to.' When the śramaṇa had departed, he was sought after, but his whereabouts were unknown. Subsequently, the Emperor and the śramaṇa Tanqian each placed the śarīra on their palms to count them; whether fewer or more, they could never be determined with certainty. Tanqian said: 'I have heard a brāhmaṇa say that the dharmakāya surpasses quantities and cannot be measured by worldly means.' Thereupon they first fashioned a seven-jeweled casket in which to place them. The divine nun Zhixian said: 'The Buddha-Dharma is about to perish; all the spiritual deities have already gone west. My child, you shall become the compassionate father of the entire realm and revitalize the Buddha-Dharma; all the spiritual deities will return.' Afterward, the House of Zhou indeed abolished the Buddha-Dharma, and when the Sui house received the mandate, it revived it. The Emperor would always speak of the divine nun, saying: 'My rise originated from the Buddha.' Therefore, inside every śarīra pagoda across the realm, an image of the divine nun was fashioned. The Emperor and Empress built a contiguous-base stūpa at the Fajjie Nunnery in the capital to fulfill their old vow, and beneath it they enshrined śarīra. On an autumn night in the fifteenth year of Kaihuang, a divine light ascended from the base and circled the dew-basin clockwise, blazing like the flame of a smelting furnace; within a ten-day period, it occurred four times in this manner. On the thirteenth day of the sixth month of the first year of Renshou, the Emperor attended the Renshou Hall of the Renshou Palace; this was originally the day of his birth. Year after year on this day, with deep mind and perpetual mindfulness, he cultivated and produced merits and wholesomeness to repay the kindness of his parents. Hence, he invited eminent śramaṇas of great virtue to discuss the supreme Way with them, intending to select thirty lofty, spacious, and pure sites across the prefectures within the seas, each to erect a śarīra pagoda.

40.45

The Emperor then personally took thirty śarīra in the seven-jeweled casket and brought them forth from the interior, placing them upon the table before the imperial throne. Together with the śramaṇas, he burned incense and bowed in reverence, vowing: 'May this disciple constantly protect and maintain the Three Jewels with the saddharma and deliver all sentient beings.' He then took thirty golden flasks and thirty lapis lazuli flasks, placed the golden flasks within the lapis lazuli ones, and deposited the śarīra inside them. He made paste with frankincense, sealed the lids, and impressed them with seals. The thirty prefectures were all appointed to deposit them into bronze reliquaries and stone reliquaries at precisely noon on the fifteenth day of the tenth month, simultaneously erecting the pagodas. The śramaṇas each respectfully conveyed the śarīra to the various prefectures. Clergy and laity alike throughout their borders solemnly held incense and flowers, precious banners, and music, swept and sprinkled the roads, and welcomed the śarīra with utmost sincerity and exertion, which cannot be recounted in full. Each prefecture experienced spiritual and miraculous portents, fully recorded in the extensive biographies. Now I briefly record ten or so to show to future generations. On that day, the Emperor, together with the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the palace consorts and concubines, applied their minds with refined devotion and performed deśanā with all their might, forging wholesome connections universally on behalf of all conscious beings. The Emperor saw an extraordinary monk wearing a brown shoulder-cloak and said to his attendants: 'Do not disturb him; just leave him be.' After he left, they counted the relics again; sure enough, there was no need for him to appear. When the śarīra were about to depart, the Emperor said: 'Now that the Buddha-Dharma is revived, there will certainly be sympathetic resonances.' Afterward, memorial reports from every location were all as he had spoken.

40.46

During this tenth month, the Emperor repeatedly found śarīra under his teeth while eating; so did the Empress. Placing water in a silver plate, he floated one to show to the civil and military officials. In an instant, two grains were suddenly seen, clinging together in clockwise rotation. Two imperial consorts, as well as King Zhao of Jin and King Jian of Yuzhang, were bestowed inkstones and ordered by imperial decree to examine them carefully; each found one śarīra inside their inkstone. Before two decades of days had passed, a total of nineteen were obtained in the palace, most of which emitted bright light. From then on, clergy and laity from near and far brought forward all the śarīra they possessed to present them. The Emperor said: 'Why must these all be genuine relics?' The śramaṇas tested them together: sure enough, thirteen turned out to be jade grains. When genuine śarīra were struck with an iron hammer, they remained unharmed. At Xianyou Temple, south of Zhouzhi County, west of the city of Yong Prefecture, on the day the pagoda was erected, rain and snow fell from the sky, shrouding the mountain ridges thickly. When the śarīra were about to be lowered, the dark clouds suddenly dispersed, and the sunlight shone brilliantly. Once the clergy and laity had completely dispersed, the clouds gathered again as before.

40.47

When the pagoda was erected at Fengquan Temple in Qi Prefecture, they obtained by sympathetic resonance patterned stone like jade to serve as a reliquary. Furthermore, twin trees and spiritual auspicious omens of birds and beasts manifested, and the foundation stones transformed to resemble crystal.

40.48

When the pagoda was erected at Daxingguo Temple in Jing Prefecture, three places each sent ancient stones unlike anything in the worldly realm; when joined together to serve as a reliquary, they fitted together precisely.

40.49

When the pagoda was erected at Jingnian Temple in Qin Prefecture, after the foundation was laid, auspicious clouds twice veiled it, snow fell, and plants and trees blossomed. When the relic entered the reliquary, light shone and voices praised.

40.50

When the pagoda was erected at Sijue Temple in Hua Prefecture, at first it was overcast and snowy; when the śarīra was about to be lowered, the sunlight turned brilliant, and a five-colored vaporous light several tens of fathoms high shone and covered the pagoda, while precious flowers fell from the sky.

40.51

When the pagoda was erected at Daxingguo Temple in Tong Prefecture, rain was encountered with no place to take shelter. As the śarīra entered the reliquary, clouds suddenly parted and dispersed, and the sunlight shone brightly. There was also a divine light encircling the sun repeatedly. During the twelfth month, nighttime light illuminated fifty li around.

40.52

When the pagoda was erected at Xiyan Temple in Pu Prefecture, the earth shook and mountains roared, bells and drums made loud sounds, and five beams of light were emitted, visible as far as two hundred li away.

40.53

When the pagoda was erected at Wuliangshou Temple in Bing Prefecture, at first daytime was dim with thick clouds. When the śarīra was about to be lowered into the reliquary, the sky cleared and the sun shone, and five-colored divine light was emitted again; heavenly spirits manifested their forms, beyond number.

40.54

On the day the pagoda was erected at Beiyue Temple in Ding Prefecture, an extraordinary old man came to donate cloth and carry earth, and as soon as he finished, he vanished. Formerly there was no water here, but suddenly water flowed forth, repeatedly.

40.55

On the day the pagoda was erected at Daci Temple in Xiang Prefecture, the sky was overcast and snow fell. When the śarīra was about to be lowered into the reliquary, the sun emerged; after it was lowered, the clouds closed again, and the sky rained down miraculous flowers in great abundance without pause.

Linked texts (1)

法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese