法苑珠林 40.22

40.22

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).