法苑珠林 40.23

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.