On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c20.11

v2.c20.11

The mountain here called by our pilgrim Cock's-Foot and Sage's-Foot is also called Wolf's-Traces (Lang-chih 狼跡) that is perhaps, Kokapāda.¹ It is placed by Fa-hsien three *li* south from the Bodhi Tree. In some treatises the country of the mountain is not given, or it is said to be in Magadha,² or at the Pi-ti (Videha) village in Magadha.³ I-ching places the Gurupāda mountain seven yojanas to the south from Nālandā, and so near the Bodhi⁴ Tree. The story of Mahā Kaśyapa going into and remaining within the Cock’s-Foot mountain is told in several Buddhist treatises, but with some differences of detail. When Kaśyapa has finished his work of compiling the canon he hands over charge of the Church to Ānanda, and goes away to worship at the four great chaityas, and the topes over relics of Buddha. Then after trying in vain to take farewell of king Ajātaśatru he proceeds to the Cock’s-Foot mountain, enters it at the triple peak, and sits down inside to await the coming of Maitreya. Soon afterwards Ajātaśatru comes to the place, the hill opens, and the king sees Kaśyapa, whereupon he builds a tope on the mountain.¹ When Maitreya comes he will find, according to the Divyāvadāna and other treatises, only the perfect compact skeleton of Kaśyapa, and he will lift this with his right hand, and placing it on the palm of his left, shew it to his unbelieving congregation.² Some accounts, however, represent Kaśyapa as only remaining in samādhi, or in a state of torpor, and he is to be roused on the advent of Maitreya by Indra rubbing him with sweet-scented oil.³ This was probably our pilgrim’s conception; but he does not express himself clearly and consistently. The pride of the unbelievers being increased on the sight of the mummy is due to the fact that the people of Maitreya’s time will all be giants compared with those of the time of Gautama Buddha.⁴ According to some versions of the legend it was not the gold-embroidered robe, but his ordinary one of dirt-heap rags that Buddha gave to his successor to keep for Maitreya.⁵ And in some accounts Kaśyapa puts on the robe and goes into the mountain to wait for Maitreya apparently of his own motion, and without any instructions from the Buddha.¹ We must also notice that in at least one treatise we find the Buddha delivering the gold-embroidered robe to the disciple of whom he predicts that in the distant future he will become Maitreya Buddha.²