A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden Volume III

A FOREST OF PEARLS FROM THE DHARMA GARDEN VOLUME III

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BDK English Tripiṭaka Series A FOREST OF PEARLS FROM THE

DHARMA GARDEN VOLUME III (Taishō Volume 53, Number 2122) Translated by

Koichi Shinohara BDK America, Inc. 2020

Copyright © 2020 by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai and BDK America, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means —electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the publisher. First Printing, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-886439-74-0

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2019935629 Published by

BDK America, Inc.

1675 School Street

Moraga, California 94556

Printed in the United States of America

A Message on the Publication of the

English Tripiṭaka

The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha's basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was addressed.

Ever since the Buddha's Great Demise over twenty-five hundred years ago, his message of wisdom and compassion has spread throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the translations available to the many English-speaking people who have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha's teachings. Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings in a few years. I have, therefore, had one hundred thirty-nine of the scriptural texts in the prodigious Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation project. It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved, revised edition will appear in the future.

It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West, this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and every person in the world.

NUMATA Yehan

Founder of the English

August 7, 1991 Tripiṭaka Project

v

Editorial Foreword

In the long history of Buddhist transmission throughout East Asia, translations of Buddhist texts were often carried out as national projects supported and funded by emperors and political leaders. The BDK English Tripiṭaka project, on the other hand, began as a result of the dream and commitment of one man. In January 1982 Dr. NUMATA Yehan, founder of Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), initiated the monumental task of translating the complete Taishō shinshū daizōkyō edition of the Chinese Tripiṭaka (Buddhist canon) into the English language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee was organized in April 1982. By July of the same year the Translation Committee of the English Tripiṭaka was officially convened. The initial Committee included the following members: (late) HANAYAMA Shōyū (Chairperson), (late) BANDŌ Shōjun, ISHIGAMI Zennō, (late) KAMATA Shigeo, (late) KANAOKA Shūyū, MAYEDA Sengaku, NARA Yasuaki, (late) SAYEKI Shinkō, (late) SHIOIRI Ryōtatsu, TAMARU Noriyoshi, (late) TAMURA Kwansei, (late) URYŪZU Ryūshin, and YUYAMA Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: KANAZAWA Atsushi, WATANABE Shōgo, Rolf Giebel of New Zealand, and Rudy Smet of Belgium.

After holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee selected one hundred and thirty-nine texts for the First Series of the project, estimated to be one hundred printed volumes in all. The texts selected were not limited to those originally written in India but also included works composed in China and Japan. While the publication of the First Series proceeds, the texts for the Second Series will be selected from among the remaining works; this process will continue until all the texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published. Given the huge scope of this project, accomplishing the English translations of all the Chinese and Japanese texts in the Taishō canon may take as long as one hundred years or more. Nevertheless, as Dr. NUMATA wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue until completion, even after all the present members have passed away.

vii

Publisher’s Foreword

Editorial Foreword

Dr. NUMATA passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of ninety-seven. He entrusted his son, Mr. NUMATA Toshihide with the continuation and completion of the English Tripiṭaka project. Mr. Numata served for twenty-three years, leading the project forward with enormous progress before his sudden passing on February 16, 2017, at the age of eighty-four. The Committee previously lost its able and devoted first Chairperson, Professor HANAYAMA Shōyū, on June 16, 1995, at the age of sixty-three. In October 1995 the Committee elected Professor MAYEDA Sengaku (then Vice President of Musashino Women's College) as Chairperson, and upon the retirement of Professor Mayeda in July 2016, the torch was passed to me to serve as the third Chairperson. Despite these losses and changes we, the Editorial Committee members, have renewed our determination to carry out the noble ideals set by Dr. NUMATA. Present members of the Committee are Kenneth K. Tanaka (Chairperson), MAYEDA Sengaku, ICHISHIMA Shōshin, ISHIGAMI Zennō, KATSURA Shōryū, MINOWA Kenryō, SAITŌ Akira, SHIMODA Masahiro, WATANABE Shōgo, and YONEZAWA Yoshiyasu.

The Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research was established in November 1984, in Berkeley, California, U.S.A., to assist in the publication of the translated texts. The Publication Committee was organized at the Numata Center in December 1991. In 2010, the Numata Center's operations were merged with Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America, Inc. (BDK America), and BDK America continues to oversee the publication side of the English Tripiṭaka project in close cooperation with the Editorial Committee in Tokyo.

At the time of this writing, in February 2017, the project has completed about sixty percent of the seven thousand one hundred and eighty-five Taishō pages of texts selected for the First Series. Much work still lies ahead of us but we are committed to the completion of the remaining texts in order to realize the grand vision of Dr. Numata, shared by Mr. Numata and Professor Hanayama, to make the Buddhist canon more readily accessible to the English-speaking world. Kenneth K. Tanaka

Chairperson

Editorial Committee of

the BDK English Tripiṭaka

viii

Publisher's Foreword

On behalf of the members of the Publication Committee, I am happy to present this volume as the latest contribution to the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. The Publication Committee members have worked to ensure that this volume, as all other volumes in the series, has gone through a rigorous process of editorial efforts. The initial translation and editing of the Buddhist scriptures found in this and other BDK English Tripiṭaka volumes are performed under the direction of the Editorial Committee in Tokyo, Japan. Both the Editorial Committee in Tokyo and the Publication Committee, headquartered in Moraga, California, are dedicated to the production of accurate and readable English translations of the Buddhist canon. In doing so, the members of both committees and associated staff work to honor the deep faith, spirit, and concern of the late Reverend Dr. Yehan Numata, who founded the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series in order to disseminate the Buddhist teachings throughout the world. The long-term goal of our project is the translation and publication of the texts in the one hundred-volume Taishō edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon, along with a number of influential extracanonical Japanese Buddhist texts. The list of texts selected for the First Series of this translation project may be found at the end of each volume in the series.

As Chair of the Publication Committee, I am deeply honored to serve as the fifth person in a post previously held by leading figures in the field of Buddhist studies, most recently by my predecessor, John R. McRae.

In conclusion, I wish to thank the members of the Publication Committee for their dedicated and expert work undertaken in the course of preparing this volume for publication: Managing Editor Marianne Dresser, Dr. Hudaya Kandahjaya, Dr. Carl Bielefeldt, Dr. Robert Sharf, and Rev. Brian Kensho Nagata, Director of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Project.

A. Charles Muller

Chairperson

Publication Committee

ix

ix

Contents

A Message on the Publication of the English Tripiṭaka NUMATA Yehan v Editorial Foreword Kenneth K. Tanaka vii Publisher's Foreword A. Charles Muller ix Translator's Introduction Koichi Shinohara xiii A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume III Fascicle 13

Chapter Six. Paying Respect to the Buddha 3 Fascicle 14

Chapter Six (continued). Paying Respect to the Buddha (continued) 37 Fascicle 15

Chapter Six (continued). Paying Respect to the Buddha (continued) 87 Fascicle 16

Chapter Six (continued). Paying Respect to the Buddha (continued) 111 Fascicle 17

Chapter Six (continued). Paying Respect to the Buddha (continued) Chapter Seven. Paying Respect to the Dharma 145 163

Fascicle 18

Miracle Stories 185 Fascicle 19

Chapter Eight. Paying Respect to the Sangha 215 Fascicle 20

Chapter Nine. Worship (Paying Respect) 251 Bibliography 287 Index 289

A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripiṭaka (First Series) 321 xi

Contents

Translator's Introduction

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden (Fayuan zhulin, T. 2122) is a large anthology of excerpts from Buddhist canonical sources and historical records, arranged by theme. The scriptural passages, with some exceptions, were taken from Indian Buddhist scriptures translated into Chinese; the settings of the narratives they offer are for the most part Indian. The historical records excerpted in the collection are of Chinese origin, and their settings are Chinese. The collection is attributed to Daoshi, a seventh-century monk based at Xi ming Monastery in the capital city, Chang'an. Ximingsi was completed in 658 (Xianqing 3) and the famous Vinaya specialist and historian Daoxuan (598-667) was invited to serve as monastic supervisor (shangzuo). Daoshi had studied under the same teacher as Daoxuan (Fayuan zhulin, T.2122:354b16) and was among the monks who were called to Ximingsi (Song gaoseng zhuan, T.2061:726c15-17). The monastery possessed a collection of canonical works and historical documents. Among the many works attributed to Daoxuan are a catalogue of the Buddhist canon, A Catalogue of Buddhist Scriptures Known in the Great Tang (Datang neidian lu, T. 2149), a collection of historical documents, Extended Collection of Writings for Spreading and Illuminating the Way (Guang hongming ji, T. 2103), and a collection of Buddhist miracle stories, Collected Records of Three Jewels Miracles (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu, T. 2106), all of which are dated to 664. These works must have been drawn from the manuscript canon and other material preserved at Ximingsi. In compiling A Forest of Pearls Daoshi and his collaborators must also have relied on the same collection of canonical and historical sources at the monastery that Daoxuan had used. Daoxuan's collection of miracle stories includes a set of stories that also appear as a group in a section of A Forest of Pearls, and Daoxuan explicitly refers to this collection for further details.

The thematically grouped collection of scriptural excerpts attributed to Daoshi exists today under two titles, a more extensive Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden that covers one hundred topics, and a shorter Collected Summaries of All xiii

Translator's Introduction

Scriptures (Zhujing yaoji, T. 2123), which covers thirty topics. Virtually identical sets of excerpted scriptural passages appear in corresponding sections. In the preface to the Collected Summaries Daoshi speaks of reading through the entire canon during the Xianqing period (656-660) and preparing summaries (T.2123:1a19-20). This must refer to his compilation of the anthology of canonical sources that appear in both these collections.

In A Forest of Pearls a set of miracle stories is appended at the end of each chapter, devoted to one of the one hundred topics around which the collection is organized. These stories are missing in the Collected Summaries. In A Forest of Pearls these stories of miraculous occurrences (ganying yuan, "stories of cosmic responses") about events reported in China correlate to specific scriptural accounts set in India, and they appear to carry the distinct message that the occurrence of such miraculous events illustrate the efficacy in China of the practices described in scriptures. The principal sources for these miracle stories were collections of monastic biographies and a variety of miracle story collections. Most of the latter are no longer extant and their contents are known only through A Forest of Pearls. This collection offers a comprehensive and distinctive reading of the Buddhist canon. The focus of this reading is practice. An extraordinarily rich account of Buddhist practices is offered, though the rationale for the choice of the one hundred topics around which the discussion is organized is not always clear. The sections on overlapping topics appear in a different order in A Forest of Pearls and the Collected Summaries, suggesting that neither collection followed a rigid rationale in arranging these topics.

Still, the principal practice of "paying respect to," or worshiping, the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) occupies an important place in both. A Forest of Pearls begins with an extended explanation of Buddhist cosmology and a large section on the life of the Buddha. This is followed by chapters on paying respect to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and a separate chapter on the ritual of paying respect. At this point a focused discussion of Buddhist practice begins. The Collected Summaries begins with a section on the Three Jewels that closely matches A Forest of Pearls' sections on paying respect to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Daoxuan's collection of Buddhist miracle stories in China is also organized around the scheme of the Three Jewels. The Three Jewels stood for Buddhism and Buddhist practices are summarized as "paying respect" to them, and their efficacy is demonstrated by Three Jewels-related miracles. xiv

Translator's Introduction

Daoshi's voice is heard throughout the anthology. He introduces each section with a short essay, identifies scriptural passages, frequently explaining their significance in comparative summaries, and concludes the section with a set of verses. It is generally also Daoshi's comments in the interlinear notes within quoted passages, commenting on specific details in light of other scriptural accounts. Note on the Translation

The translation of the complete text of the Fayuan zhulin will be published in multiple volumes. Volumes I-III have been translated by Koichi Shinohara. Volume I, which includes Fascicles 1-7, Chapters 1-4, and Volume II, which includes Fascicles 8-12, Chapter 5, have been published previously. The present Volume III includes Fascicles 13-20, Chapters 6-9.

Acknowledgement

Many people kindly assisted in the preparation of this translation of A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volumes I-III. The translator particularly thanks Jinhua Chan, Marianne Dresser, Jeffry Kotyk, Phyllis Granoff, A. Charles Muller, Jane Ulrich, and the Yale University Council on East Asian Studies. xv

A FOREST OF PEARLS FROM THE DHARMA GARDEN VOLUME III

Fascicle 13

381b

Chapter Six

Paying Respect to the Buddha

(This chapter consists of seven sections:) (1) Introduction, (2) Reciting the Name of the Buddha, (3) Contemplating the Buddha, (4) Amitābha, (5) Maitreya, (6) Samantabhadra, and (7) Avalokiteśvara.

1. Introduction

The Perfect Being responds miraculously and comes to beings of appropriate capacity. His appearance is accompanied by rays of light and he confers his teaching, which is like sweet dew in a meadow. As he leaves his shadow behind in paintings and statues, his teaching is preserved in the ages when the sun has disappeared. Thus, when he had gone to Tuṣita Heaven for awhile his holy appearance was carved in sandalwood. In the longer period of darkness, how much more appropriate would it be to make certain that the experience of long-past days is not forgotten? Thus, in the Western Region, where the images appeared, Udayana first produced an image; Emperor Ming of the [Later] Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-7 C.E.) stands first in the transmission of the teaching to the eastern region (China). Following these first ones, artisans succeeded one after another in reproducing the Dharma body decorated with rare jewels. Decorated with gold, stones, pearls, or jade, all these images made of wood or plaster, embroidered, or painted most skillfully represented mental images. Therefore, they are most beautiful. In the old days, under the Jin dynasty (265-420 C.E.) the monastic community began to produce images of unparalleled beauty. Emperors of the Song (420-479 C.E.) and the Qi (479-449 C.E.) dynasties made images with constant innovations. Many of these images lack records and inscriptions. Fearing that knowledge of their origins may be lost, I now present records of the most superior examples. Through these models the benefits of these images are manifested.

3

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume III

2. Reciting the Name

of the Buddha

The Great Sage has the mark of equanimity; the disciples have the virtue of praising the Buddha. Thus the buddhas of the ten directions all emerged from the impurities of mud and, enlightened in three bodies, they sit upon lotus flower pedestals. Whatever aspects of theirs that we might think of, they all bring benefits.

Thus in the period that began with renouncing the householder's life and ended with enlightenment, when events such as conquering Māra under the tree of enlightenment and preaching the sermon at the Deer Park occurred, [Śākyamuni] Buddha displayed perfect marks and was illumined by bright light. The color of his body was pure like molten gold, and his face was handsome, like a full moon. His teeth were as white as jade and snow, and his hair was like shining conch shells. His eyes were comparable to blue lotuses, his eyebrows were just like green willows that have grown densely. His voice, with its eight marvelous qualities, sounded clearly, and all the features of his appearance were gentle and calm. His five eyes saw penetratingly and his six supernatural powers reached far. His speech flowed like a rapid stream, and converts followed one after another. [The Dharma body, wisdom, and liberation, symbolized by] the three round dots [of the Siddham letter i,] constituted the Buddha's body, and the five items of the precepts, meditation, wisdom, liberation, and liberating knowledge formed the substratum of his body. Equipped with the two truths, one provisional and the other ultimate, to bring salvation to beings, he guided people appropriately, sometimes sending a massive wind of compassion and sometimes pouring down a heavy rain of teaching. He allowed his body to be used as a field of merit that sentient beings could cultivate, and left his teeth as supreme relics. When the tree of the mind bloomed, its leaves never withered. He approached without making any effort; he saw without making any effort to see. For the benefit of sentient beings, he appeared in response to their specific circumstances. Billions of beings in the ten directions all wished to attend him, and in the world-system consisting of threefold-thousand worlds, all succeeded in receiving instruction. These beings have long been accumulating merit by planting seeds in the merit field of the Buddha's body, offering services everywhere to attend to its needs. 4

Fascicle 13

They pull out the roots of wrong views and cut down the trunk of greed and anger. Practicing recitation of the Buddha's name becomes the cause that produces the saving vision of the Buddha. A verse in the Lotus Sutra (T.262:9a24-25) says:

If people, with their minds scattered, enter the stupa, And concentrate on reciting the name of the Buddha,

They all will attain the Way of the Buddha.

Again, the Piyu jing says:

Once there was a king who had killed his father in order to ascend the throne. There was an arhat who knew that this king's life would soon end. He calculated the length of the king's remaining life span to be only seven days and learned that after his life had ended the king was certain to fall into the lowest hell and suffer for a period of one world age (kalpa). The arhat then went to see the king to teach him and urged him sincerely to utter the name of the Buddha for seven days without interruption. When he was about to leave, the arhat again told the king not to forget his instruction. The king then folded his arms in front of his chest and concentrated on uttering the name, throughout the day and night without stopping, and at the beginning of the seventh day his life came to an end. His spirit went to the lowest hell but before he mounted the vehicle he uttered the name of the Buddha, and when the vehicle reached the gate of hell and he realized that he had come to hell, he shouted loudly the name of the Buddha. The sinners in the jails of hell heard a voice uttering the name of the Buddha, and they all immediately uttered the name. The ferocious fires of hell then disappeared immediately, and all the sinners were liberated and reborn as human beings. Later the arhat taught the king again, and the king became a stream-winner. Thus, the merits of uttering the name of the Buddha are infinite and incomparable.

The Guanfo sanmei jing (T.643:660a29-661a13; ref. Pusa bensheng manlun, T.160:342c21-343a25) says: Once when the Buddha was in the world, for the benefit of his father, King [Śuddhodana], and members of the congregation, he preached the 5

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume III 382a

Scripture on the Buddha Contemplation Samādhi. The Buddha has thirtytwo primary marks and eighty secondary marks; his body is of the color of pure gold and emits infinite light. At that time five hundred sons of the Śākya clan were sitting before the Buddha's seat. Because of their sins the Buddha appeared to them like a wasted brahman [whose body was] the color of coal. When they saw this, they wailed aloud and pulled their own hair. They threw themselves on the ground, causing their noses to bleed. The Buddha comforted them, "Do not wail aloud. I will speak for your sake. In the past there was a buddha whose name was Vipaśyin. After he entered nirvana, during the period of the counterfeit teaching (Dharma), there lived an elder called Riyuede ("Virtue of the Sun and Moon"). He had five hundred sons, all of whom were intelligent and well-educated. Their father had faith in the Three Treasures and frequently taught his sons the meaning of the Buddha's teaching. [Yet] the sons held wrong views and none of them had faith.

"Some time later all the sons became gravely ill at the same time, and their father came where they were. Weeping, he joined his palms and said to them, 'You hold wrong views and do not have faith in the Buddha's teaching. Now the sword of impermanence is about to sever your bodies. On whom are you going to rely? There is a buddha, a world-honored one, whose name is Vipaśyin. You should utter his name.' When the sons heard this, out of respect for their father's words, they uttered the name of the Buddha. The father, the king, also taught them to utter the words 'Dharma' and 'Sangha.' When they had finished uttering these words their lives ended. Because they had uttered the Buddha's name they were reborn in the heavens of the four heavenly kings, but due to the wrong views they had held before their lives ended, they then fell down into hell. The demons who served as jailors pierced their eyes with heated irons. As they were experiencing pain, the sons remembered their father's lesson to utter the name of the Buddha, and they were reborn from hell into the human world, where they lived in poverty among lower-class people. "Later Śikhin Buddha appeared in the world and these sons happened to meet him. They could hear the Buddha's name but they could not see his form. Later Viśvabhū Buddha, Krakucchanda Buddha, Kanakamuni Buddha, and Kāśyapa Buddha appeared; all the sons heard their names 6

Fascicle 13

but they could not see their forms. Because they heard the names of these six buddhas, they were reborn together as fellow Śākya clanspeople. "My body is beautiful, like Jāmbūnada gold. You see only a wasted brahman whose skin is the color of coal because of the wrong views you held in your previous lives. You may now utter the names of the past buddhas, and the name of your father along with my name and the name of Maitreya Buddha. Having uttered these names, honor them, and turning to the congregation of virtuous monks, greet them by prostrating yourself and publicly repent your sins of holding wrong views. "Having been taught thus, the sons repented and then saw the Buddha, who was like a golden Mount Sumeru. Having seen this, they said to the Buddha, 'We now see the Buddha's thirty-two primary marks and eighty secondary marks, illumined by infinite light." As they said this they became stream-winners. They renounced the householder's life to seek the Buddha and attained arhatship, and were endowed with the three kinds of supernatural knowledge, the six kinds of supernatural powers, and attained the eight meditative states that lead to salvation."

The Buddha told the monks, "After I enter nirvana, if you utter my name and the names of other buddhas, you will obtain infinite merits." The Guanfo sanmei jing (T.643:689a22-b10) says:

In a very distant past a buddha, whose name was Śākyamuni, appeared in the world. After he had entered nirvana, there was a prince called Jinchuang ("Golden Flag"), who was arrogant, followed wrong views, and did not believe in the Buddha's teaching. There was also a monk called Dingzizai ("Free in Meditation"). He told the prince, "Images of the Buddha exist in the world. They are decorated beautifully with many jewels and are very attractive. Go inside a stupa and observe the buddha images." The prince then went into a stupa and saw an image. He said to the monk, "If the image of the Buddha is as beautiful as this, how much more beautiful would the true body of the Buddha be?" The monk said to him, "You see the image now and yet you do not know how to pay respect to it. Join your palms and utter the name of the Buddha." At that time the prince held his palms together and uttered the name of the Buddha. After he returned to the palace he kept thinking of the stupa, and for this 7

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume III

reason at night he saw the buddha image in his dream. When the dream ended he was filled with joy and, abandoning wrong views, he took refuge in the Three Treasures.

Due to the merit gained from entering the stupa and uttering the name of the Buddha, when the prince's life ended he saw ninety billion nayutas of buddhas, and before each buddha he attained the deep samādhi of recitation of the name of the Buddha. Because of this samādhi buddhas appeared before him and predicted his future destiny. Ever since then, over the course of ten billion asaṃkhyeya kalpas, he was never reborn into lower realms of existence and today he has achieved the śūraṅgama samādhi. This past prince is the present Caishou Bodhisattva. In the light of this story those who are endowed with wisdom should practice recitation of the Buddha's name. 3. Contemplating

the Buddha

I have heard of the power of the Dharma King; the saving power of his Way is unlimited. From his great compassion the voice of his preaching resounds to the summit of the universe. Like a thick and dense cloud he rains down his teaching, benefiting each being according to their capacity. Bright as a clear mirror, he views sentient beings according to their categories. Therefore, when the Buddha, in his golden body, was born, the stars lost their brightness and the moon lovingly dimmed its light, thus allowing the brightness of the morning light to dominate. When the Buddha's voice, in eight different modes, sounded, the mistaken path of the Jains was disrupted. After the Buddha had taught for a short while in seven types of marvelous speech, Pūrṇa became a follower. Thus we know that the Buddha's power is divine and his benefits reach widely and deeply. Yet it is rare for someone to take part in the joy of attending the Buddha, seeing and hearing him in person. Therefore, it is recommended that practitioners constantly engage in Buddha contemplation, in which the mind maintains the marvelous appearance of the Buddha as if he were standing right in front of the practitioner. As the mind entertains the thought of the luminous appearance, it appears very close by. Although the Dharma body is one, the Buddha teaches the three vehicles according to circumstances. When the capacities of teacher and disciples match, there are many ways leading to the truth.

8

Fascicle 13

I now first record passages from the scripture. Later, I will relate stories of miraculous events. Detailed records not included here are found elsewhere. The Guanfo sanmei jing (Guanfo sanmeihai jing, T.643:688b18-c4) says: In a very distant past, going back for uncountable reigns, a buddha called Baoweide shangwang ([Bhaiṣajyaguru]vaiḍūryaprabharāja?) appeared in the world. At that time a monk, accompanied by nine disciples, went to the stupa of a buddha and paid respect to the buddha images. He noticed one jeweled image, strikingly attractive, and having paid his respects, he uttered verses in praise of the image.

Later, when their lives ended, the monk and his disciples were all reborn in the eastern buddha land of Baoweide shangwang. They were spontaneously born there, sitting cross-legged upon large lotus flowers. Ever since that time they have encountered buddhas all the time, and before each buddha they have engaged in pure practice and attained the ocean of the recitation of the name of the buddha samādhi. When they attained this samādhi, the Buddha predicted their future destiny: each monk will become the buddha of one of the ten directions. Shande Buddha of the eastern direction was that teacher. His nine disciples became the buddhas of the nine directions, namely: Wuyoude Buddha in the southeastern direction, Zhandande Buddha in the southern direction, Baoshi Buddha in the southwestern direction, Wuliangming Buddha in the western direction, Huade Buddha in the northwestern direction, Xiangde Buddha in the northern direction, Sanshengxing Buddha in the northeastern direction, Guangzhongde Buddha in the direction above, and Mingde Buddha in the direction below. Because in the past they paid respect at a stupa, and on viewing a buddha image had praised it in verse, these ten monks have now attained buddhahood in the ten directions.

The Guanfo sanmei jing (Guanfo sanmeihai jing,T.643:688c24-689a12) says:

In the very distant past a buddha, whose name was Kongwang, appeared in the world. After he had entered nirvana, four monks were studying together, cultivating the Buddha's correct teaching. Their minds were obscured by passions and they could not uphold firmly the treasure house 9

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume III of the Buddha's teaching. Having committed numerous evil deeds, they were about to be reborn in lower realms of existence. A voice was heard in the sky speaking to these monks, "The Tathāgata is in nirvana but your crimes are such that it is impossible to save you. You should now go into the stupa and observe the image. In form and illumination the image will be no different from the Tathāgata as he was in the world." When the voice in the sky ceased, they went inside the stupa and observed the image. When they saw the white hair between the eyebrows (ūrṇabhrū), one of the thirty-two primary marks of the Buddha, they spoke aloud their thoughts, "Is there any difference between the illumined body of the Tathāgata when he was in this world, and this image? We request this mark of the Buddha as a great being to remove our sins." Having said this, they threw themselves on the ground, like a collapsing great mountain, and while prostrating they repented.

Due to going inside the stupa, observing the hair mark, and repenting, when these monks were reborn in lower realms of existence for eight billion asaṃkhyeya kalpas, in each of their rebirths they always saw the buddhas of the ten directions. Before each of the buddhas they practiced the deep samādhi of the recitation of the name of the Buddha. When they obtained this samādhi, the buddhas of the ten directions appeared before them and predicted their future destiny. They have now all become buddhas. In the eastern direction the name of the [buddha] land is Miaoxi ("Marvelous Joy"), and the buddha there is called Achu (Akṣobhya). He was the first monk. In the southern direction the name of the land is Huanxi ("Delight"), and the buddha there is called Shixiang ("True Reality"). He was the second monk. In the western direction the name of the land is Jile ("Extreme Joy"), and the buddha there is called Wuliangshou (Amitāyus). He was the third monk. In the northern direction the name of the land is Lian hua zhuangyan ("Lotus Flower Decoration"), and the name of the buddha there is Weimiaosheng ("Subtle and Marvelous Voice"). He was the fourth monk. In the light of this story, those who practice should contemplate the Buddha frequently. The Jiaye jing (Dabaoji jing, mohejiaye hui, T.310:512c22-514a16) says:

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In the very distant past, asaṃkhyeya kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world. His name was Guangming ("Light"). There was a bodhisattva called Dajingjin ("Great Effort"). He was sixteen years old, of brahman birth and very handsome. A monk had painted a buddha image on a white cloth and brought it to [Da]jingjin. When he saw the image his heart was filled with joy, and he uttered the following words, "The image of the Tathāgata is so beautiful. How much more beautiful must his body itself be! I vow that in a future life I too will obtain such a beautiful body." Having said this, he thought, "If I remain a householder it will not be possible to obtain such a body." He then spoke to his parents, begging their permission to renounce the householder's life. His parents replied, "We are now old. You are our only child. If you renounce the householder's life [and leave us] we will die." The son said to the parents, "If you do not give your permission, from this day on I will not eat or drink. I will not go to bed, nor will I speak." Having made this vow, he did not eat all that day, and continued like this for six days. Friends of his parents and eighty-four thousand women all wept and paid respect to Dajingjin. Shortly thereafter his parents gave him permission.

Having renounced the householder's life, he took the buddha image and went to a mountain. Gathering grass for a seat, he sat cross-legged in front of the image and contemplated singlemindedly thus: "This painted image is no different from the Tathāgata; the image of the Tathāgata cannot be perceived; all dharmas are like this: without characteristics and transcending characteristics, their substance is empty and quiet." Having contemplated thus, after one day and night he obtained the five supernatural powers, complete with infinite attainments. He obtained unobstructed speech and the samādhi of all-pervasive light.

Having obtained the great ray of light, with his divine eye he saw innumerable buddhas in the eastern direction. With his divine ear he was able to hear all the sermons preached by those buddhas. He continued in this manner for seven entire months. He took wisdom as food. All the gods scattered flowers and attended to his needs. He came down from the mountain and entering villages he preached the Dharma for the benefit of others. The first thought of seeking enlightenment (bodhicitta) arose in twenty thousand sentient beings. Infinite and innumerable numbers of people 11

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performed meritorious deeds along the paths of the hearers (śrāvakas) and the pratyekabuddhas. His parents and other associates attained the stage of nonregression and supreme enlightenment.

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa, "I myself was this Dajingjin of the past. Due to the practice of contemplating the image, I have now attained buddhahood. If a person practices this contemplation, it is certain that they will realize the supreme Way in the future."

Miracle Stories

(Fifty-three stories are summarized here. [This fascicle contains fifteen stories; the remaining stories appear in Fascicle 14].)

The teaching of the Buddha was first brought to the Eastern Han and then slowly spread to the kingdom of Wu in the south. During this period miraculous images of the Buddha appeared everywhere in the empire; they were listed in numerous records. The stories included in these records differ but there are no discrepancies in the miraculous signs reported for each specific image. The presentation here is by specific images and is not chronological. This is because the stories about some images begin in the Jin period and continue into the Sui (581-618 C.E.) and Tang (618-907 C.E.) periods. In instructing people, the consequences are sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Therefore, it is impossible to establish a ranking of these images. The collection is organized in terms of the stories around specific images. Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 C.E.): The story of the Śākyamuni painting in Luoyang. Southern Wu dynasty (222-280 C.E.): the story of the golden image discovered in the ground in Jianye. Western Jin dynasty (265-316 C.E.): the story of the stone images arrived floating in the Jiang River and the story of the auspicious golden image at Mount Tai sent by seven kingdoms. Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420 C.E.): the story of the golden image discovered on a beach in Yangdu, the story of the golden image in Xiangyang that walked in the mountains, the story of the golden image in Jingzhou that came down from afar, the story of the golden image that was discovered in the water in Wuxing; the story of the auspicious incense and the wooden image at Kuaiji, the story of the golden image in Wu Commandery, the story of the golden image dug out of the ground at Dongye Gate, and the story of the golden 12

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image of Mañjuśrī at Mount Lu. [Northern] Wei dynasty (386-534 C.E.): the story of the monastic robe that appeared at Mount Shixiang in Liangzhou. Northern Liang dynasty (412-439): the story of the clay images at the southern cliff produced by the Prince of Hexi and the story of Juqu [Mengsun]'s rock image, six zhang in height.

Eastern Han Dynasty

The Mingxiang ji (Record of Miraculous Signs), compiled by Wang Yan of the Southern Qi (479-502 C.E.), contains the following passage: Emperor Ming of the Later Han dynasty (25-220 C.E.) saw a divine being in a dream that was nearly two zhang tall. Its body was golden in color and it carried a shining sun behind its head. [The emperor] asked his ministers about his dream. Someone answered, "There is a deity in the West who looks just like the being you dreamed about. Perhaps this is what you saw." Thereupon, the emperor sent a messenger to India, who returned to the Central Kingdom (China) with copies of scriptures and images. The Son of Heaven, the princes, and the nobles all paid respect to them. They heard that when a person dies his spirit does not disappear. Everyone was frightened and dumbfounded.

First the messenger Cai Yin, with the Western monks Kāśyapa and Mātaṅga, brought a painting of Śākyamuni in a reclining position produced by King Udayana. The emperor treasured it. The figure was just like the one he had seen in his dream. He then ordered artisans to produce several copies. He placed these images on the Qingliang Terrace of the Southern Palace and at the Xianjieshouling Tomb near the Gaoyangmen Gate and worshiped them. Again, on the wall at Boma Temple there is a picture of a thousand chariots and ten thousand men on horses surrounding the stupa [in which a copy of this image was placed(?)]. The image is described in a number of records. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:413c2-11.) Southern Wu Dynasty

A golden image was discovered in a flat area in the back garden of Jianye. An inquiry into its origin revealed that it was an image produced by King Aśoka that had been placed in this city near the Jiang River in the early years of the Zhou dynasty (c. 1100-256 B.C.E.). How was this known to be the case? 13

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From the time of the Qin dynasty (221-207 B.C.E.) through the subsequent Han (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.) and Wei (220-265 C.E.) dynasties, Buddhism had not yet reached Southern China. How then could an image like this have been buried in this place?

Sun Hao obtained this image but he lacked faith and did not particularly honor it. He placed it near a lavatory and left it covered up. On the eighth day of the fourth month Hao said in jest, "Today is the eighth day, when the Buddha is bathed," and he urinated on the head of the Buddha in the image. Some time later his body erupted in tumors, and the condition was the most severe around his penis. He screamed uncontrollably from the extreme pain. The court astronomer conducted divination and said, "This is the result of an offense against a great divinity." Immediately offerings were made to all the deities but they had no effect. A court lady who was a Buddhist said, "The Buddha is a great deity. You committed a polluting act in front of his image. Quickly ask for pardon now." Hao believed her, prostrated himself while laying in his sickbed, and ardently apologized. After a while his condition began to improve. He then send a horse-drawn carriage to invite the monk Senghui to the palace and asked him to bathe the buddha image in fragrant water. The emperor repented deeply and performed a variety of meritorious deeds at temples in Jianye. The pain in his penis gradually disappeared. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T. 2106: 413c12-22; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:326a1-10.)

Western Jin Dynasty

In the first year of the Jianxing period (313 C.E.), during the reign of Emperor Min, at the Hudu estuary of the Songjiang River in the Wu district of Wu Commandery, some people were seen to be floating on the water. The local fishermen suspected them to be ocean gods and they invited a medium and presented sacrifices to welcome them. The wind and waves became more powerful, however, and in terror they retreated. Then some followers of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice and the School of the Yellow Emperor and Laozi said, "These are our teachers" and went into the ocean to welcome them. The wind and waves were still just as powerful. Layman Zhuying of the Wu district, who worshiped the Buddha, heard of this and said, "They must be the buddhas who have come down to us." He purified himself, and 14

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together with Boni of Dongling Temple and several other believers, he went to the Hu[du] estuary and bowed his head to the ground to welcome them. The wind and waves quieted, and the two people floating on the river were carried by the tide into the bay.

The closer they came the clearer they could be seen, and the people realized that they were stone statues. When the stone figures came to them, without exerting effort the people tried to lift them. The figures rose up lightly and the people carried them back to Tongxuan Temple. They saw inscriptions on the back of the figures: one said Vipaśyin and the other Kāśyapa. It was not known under which emperor's reign they had been produced but the writing was clear. The statues were seven feet tall. People prepared Dharma seats and placed the figures safely on them. Several dozens of people then could not move them. Yet when people spoke to them, requesting them to move, they quickly rose [of their own accord]. The discovery was reported to the court, and nine out of ten families, both from within the aristocracy and from among the commoners, paid respect to the figures.

The monk Fakai who came from the Western Region said, "According to a scripture two stone figures and Aśoka stupas exist in the eastern region; those who make offerings and worship them will have the sins they have accumulated through many world ages removed."

According to a different tradition, twelve Indian monks sent the images to the commandery. The stone figures stood upon the water without sinking but did not advance further. The matter was reported to the court and by imperial edict the figures were permitted to remain at Wu Commandery. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T. 2106: 413c23-414a12; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:409c18-29.) (Note: Stories about these images appear in the Gaoseng zhuan [Biographies of Eminent Monks], the Jingyi ji [Records of Extraordinary Events], and elsewhere.)

Some time in the past, in the Yongjia period (307-312 C.E.), political chaos erupted in Central China. At this time on the mountain where the monk Seng lang resided, Langgong Temple (Master [Seng]lang's temple) in Jinyu Valley on Mount Tai, had always been obscured by clouds. People marveled at this sign, which predicted the failure of the government, and his reputation as a monk who predicted political fortunes spread throughout the realm under 15

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heaven. This was the time when the ruler was killed and powerful figures assisted the young successor. The ruling families of seven states honored this monk. Many states rushed to donate bronze images and other gifts. Senglang received these gifts with proper decorum, and each time auspicious signs appeared. At the present time these gifts are kept in one hall and the door and windows are always open, yet birds stay away and unclean substances do not mar them. Both those who live near the place and those from afar equally marvel at this. The temple now has a history of three hundred and fifty years. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:414a15-24; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:354b16-25; Xu gaoseng zhuan, T.2060:506c29-507a17.) Eastern Jin Dynasty

During the Xianhe period (326-334 C.E.) the Governor of Danyang, Gao Li, while on his way to and from the palace, saw a strange light on the beach at Marquis Zhang's bridge. He sent officials there and obtained a golden image in the ancient Indian style, which lacked both the decorative halo and the base. Gao Li dismounted from his carriage and placed the image on it. When he came to the street leading to Changgan Temple, the ox pulling the carriage stopped. Gao Li told the driver to let the ox go wherever it wanted, and they ended up at Changgan Temple, so he placed the image there. A large crowed gathered in the capital city of Yangdu to have a look at and pay respect to the image. Many people were converted to Buddhism. In the middle of the night the image always emitted light.

Over a year later, a fisherman called Zhang Xishi who lived in the Linhai district saw in the ocean a copper image base decorated with lotus flowers. The image base floated around, emitting red light. The fisherman quickly moved his boat to the spot and picked it up. The image base was sent to the court, and when the emperor placed the image's feet on it, they fit perfectly. Later, five monks from the Western Region visited Gao Li, and told him, "In the past we traveled to India and obtained a buddha image made by King Aśoka. When we came to the city of Ye in Northern China, we ran into political and military disturbances. We hid the image on the bank of a river. When the king's roads became passable we looked for the image again but were not able to locate it. Recently, we had a dream in which the image said, 'I went to the region east of the Jiang River and was obtained by Gao Li. I am 16

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at the King Aśoka temple.' This is why we have made this long trip to come here. We wish to pay respect to the image." Gao Li led the five monks to the temple. When the monks saw the image they cried aloud and wept. The image emitted light for them and the light illumined the hall and all around the monks. The monks said, "Originally there was a decorative halo. It is somewhere far away now but it will also arrive here soon." In the first year of the Xian'an period (371 C.E.) Dong Zongzhi, who was diving for pearls at Hepu in the Jiaozhou region in Nanhai, saw on each dive a light at the bottom of the sea. The light radiated up to the surface. He looked for the decorative halo of a buddha image and found it. He reported this discovery to the court. Emperor Jianwen ordered the halo to be restored to [Gao Li's] image. The holes fit; the image and the halo also had an identical luster. In the course of over forty years, auspicious miracles had occurred in places separated by great distances to restore the decorative halo and the base for the image. The base of the image, decorated with flowers, had an inscription in an Indian script. While there were many visitors none was familiar with the script. Only Guṇavarman (367-431 C.E.), master of all three categories of scriptures, said, "This is written in an old Sanskrit script. This image was produced by the fourth daughter of King Aśoka."

At one time a monk at Waguan Temple called Huisui wanted to produce a copy of the image. The monk who was the administrative head of [Changgan] Temple feared that he might damage the golden color of the image, and said to Huisui, "If you can cause the image to emit light and turn to the West, the matter is beyond my control." Huisui prayed ardently. In the middle of the night he heard a strange sound and when he opened the doors of the buddha hall, he saw the image emitting bright light and it had turned to face west. Thereupon he was given permission to copy the image. He produced dozens of copies of the image, which circulated widely and still exist. Emperor Wu (r. 502-549 C.E.) of the Liang dynasty (502-557 C.E.) added images of seven deities and two bodhisattvas to the halo. In the second year of the Yongding period (558 C.E.) of the Chen dynasty (557-589 C.E.) Wang Lin encamped his soldiers on the shore of the Chang jiang River, facing the capital city of Jinling. Emperor Wu ordered his soldiers to attack the encamped army. Just as the soldiers were about to leave the image moved and could not be stabilized. This strange development was 17

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reported to the court and the emperor examined the image himself and found the report to be true. Suddenly, before the soldiers crossed swords, Wang Lin's army scattered, and Wang Lin fled north by himself. Emperor Wu's army followed him upstream and pacified the whole region. During the Tianjia period (560-566 C.E.) there was a rebellion in the southeastern region. When the emperor prayed in front of the image, requesting that the rebels be repulsed, the image shone and illumined the hall. Shortly after that the difficulties in the region ceased.

Monk Huixiao headed Changgan Temple. His spiritual influences reached everywhere, like the wind. He constructed a multistoried hall [for the image]; it was painted with extraordinary patterns and from it the view reached as far as the eye can see.

In the course of the five dynasties, from the Jin to the Chen, [all based in the south,] all rulers and ministers paid respect to the image. In times of drought they poured oil over the image and had it brought to the palace on the emperor's carriage. While the image was en route to the palace rain would fall. Rumors spread regarding the future of the Chen dynasty, and soon they came to be sung in vernacular songs. In the second year of Zhenming (588 C.E.) the image turned westward and even after people turned it to face the correct direction, it again turned westward by itself. This was reported to the emperor, who withdrew to the hall where he lived. He offered a vegetarian feast and engaged in other meritorious activities. The image originally had a crown of seven jewels, decorated with pearls and jade, and which weighed seven jin. A silken hat was placed above the crown. On the morning [of the next day] the jeweled crown was hanging from the hand of the image, although the silk hat was still on the head. The emperor burned incense and prayed, saying, "If inauspicious things are to happen to the state (i.e., if the dynasty is to come to an end), let the image take the jeweled crown off again as a sign of heavenly punishment." He then placed the jeweled crown back on the head of the image. In the morning the jeweled crown was again hanging from the image's hand, as before. Both the emperor and the ministers were frightened. When Chen state was conquered by the [northwestern] state of Sui, all the members of the ruling class were transported to the west, their headgear was removed and their hands were bound behind their back. It was just as the image had symbolically predicted.

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Emperor Wen (r. 581-604 C.E.) of the Sui dynasty (581-618 C.E.) heard about this and brought the image to the palace. Since it was a standing figure, the emperor also stood and paid respect to it. He said, "I am old and unable to stand for a long time. The Office of the Right should be ordered to produce a sitting image with the same features." The original standing image was sent to DaxingshanTemple. When the image reached the buddha hall [in the temple] it was first placed facing north to avoid exposure to the sun, but in the morning it was found to be facing south. People were amazed and moved it to face the north again, but the next morning it was again found turned toward the south, [the direction that the ruler faces]. Amazed, the people realized that they had failed to pay proper respect to the image. The image still exists today; there are many painted copies. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:414a26-c18; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:409c1-18.) On the eighth day of the fourth month of the third year of the Ningkang period under Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Chin dynasty (375 C.E.), Monk Dao'an of Tanqi Monastery in Xiangyang, whose virtues were manifest and whose reputation was unrivaled anywhere, forged a bronze figure of Amitābha Buddha, eight zhang tall, at the temple in the western suburb. In the last month of the following year the decoration was completed. When Hui[zhi], Defense Command General of Jin and Regional Inspector of Yongzhou, assumed his position in the Xiang region and supported the Buddhist teaching, this image moved at night of its own accord and traveled around numerous mountains. Its footsteps became patterns on rocks. Monks and laypeople in villages rushed to see this. Marveling at the feat, they brought the image back to the original temple and made offerings to it. Later, in the evening, the figure would again move from temple where it was housed. All the people were amazed. Hui[zhi] then changed the name of the temple to Golden Image Temple. On the eighth day of the fourth month of the third year of Putong (522 C.E.) an edict was issued ordering that a bronze base [for the figure], five chi and nine cun tall and nine chi and eight cun wide, decorated with flowers, be forged at Jingxing Garden. When it was properly decorated, the base was shipped upstream to be placed under the figure. An inscription was made describing its remarkable power; Liu Xiaoyi composed the text and Xiao Ziyun did the calligraphy.

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In the third year of the Jiande period, [at the time of the persecution of Buddhism under the Northern Zhou (574 C.E.),] Wang Bing, Duke of Taiyuan, served as Regional Inspector of Xiangzhou. Assistant Commander Changsun Zhe was an unbeliever. He heard that the bronze statue had miraculous powers and he wished to destroy it. The laypeople in the villages and defrocked monks and nuns heard about his wish to destroy the image and their wailing filled the streets. When Zhe saw the monks, nuns, and laypeople mourning the decision, he became even angrier and pressed his underlings to move quickly to carry out the demolition. He first sent a hundred people who tied a rope around the figure's neck and pulled, but the image would not move. He then added three hundred more people. The figure still did not move. In increased fury he sent five hundred more to pull and the figure then tumbled. The sound shook the earth and all the people were terrified. Only Zhe was delighted and immediately ordered his men to melt down the bronze statue. Shouting triumphantly, he rode his horse at a gallop to report to the Regional Inspector. Before they had gone a hundred steps, however, he suddenly fell off. Unable to speak, staring blankly, he could not raise any of his limbs and when evening came he died. The monks, nuns, and laypeople shouted in great delight.

When Zhe's people had pulled down the statue an inscription was discovered inside the robe under the arm of the figure, which read: In the nineteenth year of the Taiyuan period of Jin (394 C.E.), year jiawu, first month. second day, monk Dao'an produced in the western suburb of Xiangyang a golden statue eight zhang tall. After one hundred and eighty years, when the sixty-year cycle calendar has revolved three times, this figure will be destroyed.

Later, people calculated the number of years and learned that the dates of the construction and destruction of the image matched this prediction perfectly. It is true that Master Dao'an was a sage and never made untrue predictions. The temple where the figure used to be housed is now called Qifasi. The rocks on which the figure stepped have been cut out and placed in the temple. Toward the end of the Sui the empire had fallen apart, but there were some who defended the old empire in certain locations. Royal Guardian of Xiangyang Du Lubao was in control of one area and followed Wang Shichong. 20

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At Qifa Temple there was a monk called Dharma Master Xian, who was respected by a lay nobleman. This monk repeatedly advised Lord Du to submit to the Tang, but Du did not follow this advice. Monk Xian and local noblemen sent a messenger, and eventually armies were sent from the capital city to Xiangyang. Du [Lubao] defended his city firmly. Armies attacked three times but the city did not fall. Later, Xian's activity was exposed and he was killed in secret. When he was about to be killed, Xian said to his disciple Su Fulou, "Your father and I saw Dao'an's figure destroyed. From then on the tradition has not been resumed. After I die, you should remake the image." In the fourth year of the Wude period (621 C.E.), the government army's attack on the city intensified and Du surrendered. He then regretted not having followed Xian's advice. How deplorable it is for someone to be killed for no crime! This prevents those who may wish to make a contribution to the state from speaking up.

After the city had been conquered Fulou put on layman's clothes. He gathered the robes and other belongings of Xian, and then wished to produce a copy of [Dao'an's] figure, but he had no idea what to use as the model. Yet, as soon as he melted the metal, a perfect image formed. Fulou had a talent for business and became wealthy. He also produced a bronze figure of Maitreya, over one zhang tall, in his house. Later, he had a dream in which the monk Xian appeared and ordered him to produce more buddha images. Thereupon Fulou produced the large statue at Fanyun Temple, fifty-nine chi tall. The story of this figure is told elsewhere.

Some time earlier, at the beginning of Sui rule, Xiao, who is known as the Prince of Qin, was put in charge of the Xiang[yang] region. He heard that Master Dao'an's ancient figure had an extraordinary appearance. So he sent someone to make a drawing of it, and produced a copy at Yanxing Temple in Chang'an. On the evening the casting began great miraculous signs appeared; music was heard from heaven and flowers fell down like rain. This figure still exists at Yanxing Temple. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:414c19-415b7.)

On the eighth day of the second month of the sixth year of the Yonghe period, under Emperor Mu of the Eastern Jin, an image appeared in the northern suburb of Jingzhou (the year is calculated as the third year of the same period 21

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in the Universal Calendar System, 347 C.E.). The statue was seven chi and five cun in height, and together with the halo and the base it reached one zhang and one chi. Nobody had any idea where the figure had come from. Earlier, in the fifth year of the Yonghe period (346 C.E.), a merchant ship was unloading its cargo in Guangzhou. The work was almost finished when the boat became too light. In the middle of the night people had sensed that someone had come running on board. Surprised, they looked for the person but could not find him. The load on the boat increased and no more cargo could be added. People were amazed but could not figure out what had caused this. The boat traveled under favorable conditions on its long journey and reached ports ahead of other ships. It soon reached Zhugong and docked at the harbor. At night people felt that a man had walked off the boat to the shore. The load on the boat again became very light. Then the figure appeared in the suburb of Jingzhou and people realized the meaning of these unusual signs. At that time Huan Wen was Commander-In-Chief in charge of the western Shan region and he came in person to pay respect to the figure. The discovery of the statue caused a great stir in the cities and villages, and monks came rushing from all the temples, attempting to bring the figure to their own temple, but the figure stood firmly and could not be moved. In the second year of the Yonghe period (343 C.E.), the governor of Changsha, called Teng Jun (or Teng Han in a variant version) donated his residence to be turned into a temple, which was called by the name of the commandery (Changsha). Having heard that Dharma Master Dao'an had taken charge of the monastic community in Xiangzhou, Teng Jun asked him to send a monk to look after his temple in Changsha. Dao'an said to his disciple Tanyi, "People in Jing and Chu have begun to be interested in the teaching. You are the very person who will make their faith bloom. You must go there." Tanyi traveled southward and organized the temple. Though monks had arrived and the temple buildings were ready, there were no images. He frequently deplored this, saying, "King Aśoka's temples and images are spread about widely according to karmic conditions. Yet the intensity of our devotion has not reached the peak. Why should we worry that an image will never descend to here?" When he heard that an image had arrived at Jingcheng, he was delighted and, sharing his joy with his colleagues, he said, "This statue appeared in response to my earlier vow. It is destined to come to Changsha 22

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Temple. We must seek for it in the mind. It is difficult to bring it through physical force." The people at the temple all said, "We will do as you say. You will soon be proven correct." Tanyi burned incense and respectfully invited the image to his temple. He let three of his disciples raise the image, which rose as lightly as the wind and was transported to the temple. Monks and laypeople joined in celebrating this event.

In the second year of the Xian'an period under Emperor Jianwen (372 C.E.) a base, decorated with flowers, was cast for the figure. During the Taiyuan period (376-396 C.E.) under the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin dynasty, when Yin Zhongkan occupied the office of Regional Inspector, the figure walked out of the western gate of the temple. The night watchman thought it was a man and asked who it was, but the figure did not answer. When the night watchman struck it with a sword, it made a metallic sound. He looked closely and found that it was the statue and on the chest where he had hit it a pattern had appeared. A Kashmiri monk, Sengquenanduo (Saṃghananda?), who was very learned, came from Shu to Jing and entered the temple to worship this figure. He sighed and remained silent for a long time. Tanyi asked why he was so moved. Sengquenanduo answered, "This image disappeared from India recently. Why did it come to this distant land?" When they checked the year and month, the two dates matched perfectly. The monk saw a Sanskrit inscription on the back of the image, stating that the statue was made by King Aśoka. When they learned about this inscription, people honored the figure with even greater respect.

The statue proved the miraculous effect of Tanyi's ardent request. When he became seriously ill, the figure's halo suddenly disappeared. Tanyi said, "Since the buddha [figure] is showing this sign, my illness is incurable. The halo has gone elsewhere." He performed further rites for the figure and after ten days Tanyi passed away. Monks later produced the existing halo, modeled after the original one.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu (r. 453-464 C.E.) of the Song dynasty the figure emitted light and Buddhism prospered greatly in the region south and downstream of the Jiang River.

Toward the end of the Taishi period (465-474 C.E.), under the reign of Emperor Ming (r. 465-472 C.E.) of the Song dynasty (420-479 C.E.), the 23

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statue suddenly wept tears. Shortly after this Emperor Ming died. His successor was immoral and crazy, thus causing the transfer of the mandate from the Song to the Qi dynasty (479-502 C.E.).

Regional Inspector of Jingzhou Shen Youzhi originally did not follow the Buddha's teaching and persecuted monks and nuns. There were over one thousand monks in Changsha Temple alone, and Shen Youzhi was about to [forcibly] disrobe several hundreds of them. The entire community was panicstricken and everyone, both old and young, cried in distress. The figure sweated for five days without stop. News of this incident reached Shen Youzhi's ear, and Shen invited the great master of the temple, Xuanyang, and inquired about the cause of this event. Xuanyang said, "The Holy One is not far and everything reaches him. The buddhas of the past, present, and future are connected in the continuing thought of the Buddha. Can we think of all the buddhas without thinking of this present buddha? In order to reprimand you for your lack of faith, the buddhas are giving this sign." Shen asked for the scriptural source for this idea and was given the answer that it is found in the Wuliangshou jing (T.360:266c6). Taking up the scripture and finding the passage, Shen was delighted and immediately stopped the persecution.

In the second year of the Yongyuan period of the Qi dynasty (500 C.E.), Defense Commander Xiao Yingzhou and the founding emperor of the Liang dynasty (502-557 C.E.) collaborated with Baorong, Prince of Nankang, who was the Regional Inspector of Jingzhou, to stage a successful coup d'état. The figure moved outside of the hall in which it was housed and looked as if it wished to go down the stairs. The two monks who saw this were taken aback and called the others. The statue then turned around and went inside the hall. In the third year of the same period (501 C.E.) Xiao Yingzhou died suddenly. Baorong, who had been installed as the emperor, was removed from the throne, and instead the founding emperor of the Liang dynasty enjoyed good fortune.

Toward the end of the Tianjian period (502-519 C.E.), Abbot Daoyue cleared the weeds around a stupa with the help of a layman. When he opened the door of the stupa he saw the figure walking around the crypt. Daoyue worshiped the image quietly and did not mention this to anyone. Then he went to the hall where the figure was placed and opened wide the door. The statue was again sitting on its base.

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When the Prince of Poyang was in charge of Jingzhou he frequently requested the figure to come into the city so that he could perform meritorious ceremonies. When he became ill he sent people to bring the statue with great care and respect. More and more workers were employed to lift it but the statue could not be raised. After a few days the prince passed away. When the Founding Emperor, Emperor Wu, was once in the Jing and Shan region he sincerely and repeatedly invited the figure, but in the end failed to cause it to come to him.

In the third month of the fourth year of the Zhongdatong period (532 C.E.), the emperor sent Sengjin of Boma Temple and the scribe He Si to offer from a distance incense and flowers to the statue and express his sincere sentiments. At night the figure emitted light and looked as if it would go and accompany the messengers. When the messengers were brought to the image in the morning, however, the figure seemed to wish to stay. After repeated requests the statue consented to accompany the messengers. The congregation of the temple was greatly attached to the figure and they all went to give it a sendoff at the port situated on the Jiang River. On the twenty-third day the image reached the capital city, Jinling. The emperor traveled to a place eighteen miles away from the capital and greeted the statue's arrival. The figure emitted light continuously without interruption when it came to the end of the route of its travels. Monks and laymen expressed pleasure over the auspicious event. The figure stayed at the palace for three days and received sincere worship and offerings. (One source says that it stopped at Zhongxing Temple.) The emperor hosted a major vegetarian feast, open to everyone in the land.

On the twenty-seventh day the statue left the city through the Datong Gate and entered Tongtai Temple. During the night the figure emitted strong light. By imperial order a hall, three jian long with two wings, was built northeast of the great hall of Tongtai Temple, and a curtained throne, decorated with seven jewels, was set up there for the miraculous image. Two bronze bodhisattva figures were also produced. An artificial hill was constructed and a pond dug; there were unusual trees and strange rocks, and gracefully tall bridges; balustrades connected the two staircases at the end of the hall. A pair of copper pots, each large enough to contain thirty gallons, was donated. Variously layered roofs formed beautiful patterns on three sides of the building. 25

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In the third month of the second year of the Zhongdatong period (547 C.E.), the emperor visited Tongtai Temple, setting up a banquet and arranging lectures. The emperor visited the many temple buildings, one by one, and dusk had set in when he arrived at the hall where the miraculous figure was housed. When the emperor went up the stairs of the hall, the figure emitted a great deal of light, and the bamboo, trees, and scenery around the hall all turned a golden color. This miraculous phenomenon lasted through half the night. There was a fire at Tongtai Temple and all its buildings were burned down; only the hall where the figure was housed was spared.

In the second year of the Taiqing period (548 C.E.) the statue again sweated greatly. In the eleventh month of the same year Hou Jing's rebellion occurred. In the third year of the Dabao period (552 C.E.) the rebels were pacified. The monk Fajing and others of Changsha Temple came and took the figure back to Jiang ling, returning it to its original temple.

In the seventh year of the Dading period of the Later Liang dynasty (561 C.E.), the statue sweated again. In the second month of the following year Emperor Zhongzong (posthumous name Xuan, r. 555-562 C.E.), died. In the third year of the Tianbao period ([of the Later Liang dynasty] 576 C.E.), a fire in the neighborhood reached Changsha Temple. The entire temple became like a tunnel and smoke and flames poured in from the four directions. The people wanted to rescue the miraculous figure but they feared that they did not have the means to move it. In order to move this statue previously it had always taken one hundred men. On that day, however, six people were able to move it.

On the fifteenth year of the Tianbao period ([of the Later Liang dynasty], 576 C.E.), Emperor Ming (r. 562-585 C.E.) invited the statue to the palace in order to worship it and repent his sins before it; miracles occurred. In the twenty-third year (584 C.E.) Emperor Ming died. His successor, Xiao Zong, moved the figure to Renshou Palace. The statue again sweated heavily. In the second year of the Guangyun period ([of the Later Liang dynasty], 587 C.E.) Liang state was terminated.

In the seventh year of the Kaihuang period (587 C.E.) the monk Faqian and others of Changsha Temple brought the statue back to the temple. In the fifteenth year of the Kaihuang period (595 C.E.) Tian Zongxian, Regional Inspector of Qianzhou, came to the temple to worship and the figure 26

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immediately emitted light. Ispired to follow the Buddhist path, he constructed the Great Northern Hall, which was thirteen jian long. The wood used for constructing the hall was cut in a place over five thousand miles upstream along the Jiang River. People transported the lumber to the river and threw the logs into the water at random. The logs flowed downstream and when they reached Jingzhou they spontaneously stopped at the riverbank and would not go any further, even when buffeted by strong winds and waves. In the end the people took the logs out of the river and constructed the building. The pillars were three feet in diameter and the foundation stones were eight feet wide. This basic structure would never require any repair work any time in the future. The great hall was planked with fragrant wood. Thirteen treasure curtains, decorated with gold and jewels, hung securely inside the hall. Garlands of decorative flowers were hung on every beam, crossbeam, and from the painted ceiling. The two wings to the east and west served as the residence for the miraculous statue. These wings were planked with rosewood and there were decorative curtains and lamps with flower decorations, all made of pure gold. This hall was foremost in the entire world in its spaciousness and beauty. In the twelfth year of the Daye period (616 C.E.) several drops of sweat appeared on the miraculous figure. In that year Zhu Can raided several regions. He arrived at the city of Jingzhou and camped inside the temple grounds. The Great [Northern] Hall stood high in the northern suburb of the city. Bandits climbed to the top of the hall and shot arrows at the defending army in the city. The defending army was troubled by this, so at night they shot back with flaming arrows and burned the temple down. The monks and laypeople in the city were greatly distressed by this, mourning the destruction of the miraculous figure. During the night, without alerting anyone outside, the figure crossed over the city wall and stood outside the gate of Baoguan Temple. When morning came, everyone in the city was delighted to see the statue standing there. After the bandits had left, the townspeople inspected the place where the figure used to stand and discovered that nothing had burned there; the ashes and cinders did not reach that place. A hall now stands there but it is not as impressive as the one that existed before this fire. In the fifth year of the Fengming period of the illegitimate Liang dynasty established by Xiao Xian (621 C.E.), Yang Daosheng, the illegitimate Prince of Song, and others came to the temple to worship. The statue sweated heavily; 27

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the moisture came down like rain and flowed all over its head and torso, and did not cease all day. In the ninth month of the same year Tang soldiers and horses advanced down along the river from the Shu area.

On the twentieth day of the same month the monk Fatong of [Changsha] Temple believed that the empire was about to be unified by the Tang. He circumambulated the figure, requesting a miracle. That night the statue emitted light that filled the hall, and the light remained until the twenty-fifth day, when it began to dim slowly. On that day the [Tang] soldiers and horses of the Prince of Zhao's commandery entered the city. Because the figure wished to congratulate the arrival of the world of great harmony [under the Tang] the light flowed from it as an auspicious sign.

During the months of drought there was always a response if the prime minister and the regional governor sincerely prayed to the figure. In the sixth month of the sixth year of the Zhenguan period (632 C.E.) there was a great drought. Wu Wa, Duke Yingguo, and the area commander-in-chief sent for the statue to be brought to their quarters, sponsored a vegetarian banquet, and circumambulated the figure for seven days. Higher- and lower-ranking officials stood before the statue and concentrated their minds, and rain poured down. That year's harvest was excellent. The commander-in-chief donated gold to repair the giltwork of the miraculous figure. Carriages, banners, flowers, and other decorations were also provided for the statue. At the present time the figure is in Changsha Temple in Jiangling.

In that temple there is also a foreign-made copper image, over seven feet in height. It is ancient and unusual but it has been neglected. This is the figure that was sent from Chang'an to Dharma Master Dao'an, who was at Mount Shicheng. He ordered a disciple to look for a piece of relic in its topknot. Light emanated from this figure. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106: 415b8-416b26; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:355c29-356a12.) Zhou Ji of the Eastern Jin, styled Xuanpei, was from Yangxian in Yixing. He was the second son of the General for the Pacification of the West, [Zhou] Chu. He attained the rank of Governor of Wuxing. For generations his family had worshiped the Buddha, and his daughter was particularly pious. Servants went fishing and suddenly saw the river filled with golden light. Following the light upstream and dropping a net, they obtained a golden figure, over 28

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three feet tall. Austere in appearance, it floated upright on the water. The people pulled and pushed but could not move it. They returned quickly to report the event to Zhou Ji. He spoke to his daughter and then ordered that his daughter be taken on a boat to welcome the image. Seeing the figure from a distance, her heart was filled with joy. She paid respect and then made a gesture of pulling the figure with her hand; in this way she was able to bring the statue onto the boat. She brought it home and made offerings to it. At night she dreamed that the Buddha had an ache in his left knee. When she woke up, she examined the statue's knee and found a hole. She repaired the spot with gold metal from her hairpin.

Later, Zhou Ji arranged for his daughter to marry Zhang Cheng in Wu Commandery. The statue followed her by itself; people said that it followed Lady Zhang. She later died and at that time she was seen on top of the city wall, looking even more beautiful than usual. Many people, both within and outside the city, saw her. Suddenly a purple cloud came down to her and she went upward in the sky beyond the reach of the eye.

The great grandson of Zhang Cheng took part in the military expedition to pacify Sun En's rebellion. Religious matters had long been neglected at home, and no one noticed that the figure had disappeared and only the halo was left behind. When they discovered this, the entire family repented, praying for the statue's return. An old woman came and sold them an image, offering it for a very low price. Realizing that it was the figure that used to be in the family's home, they wished to employ the woman but she had disappeared. The statue eventually got lost and only the halo remains with the Zhang family. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:416b27-c13.) The wooden image at Lingbao Temple in Shanyin in Kuaiji was made by Dai Kui, a critic of the state who refused to serve in government. Dai Kui thought that the images made in the recent past were almost all clumsy and failed to move the hearts of those who wished to honor them. He had always maintained spiritual purity and was also very clever. To produce a new design, he compared a wide range of examples and thought it through very carefully, and after many years he succeeded in producing this statue. None of the images that were produced in China matched the beauty of this figure. When they looked up and saw it, the monks, nuns, and laypeople suddenly felt as 29

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if they had encountered the living Buddha. Chi Xibin of Gaoping picked up some incense and uttered a spell "If life is permanent, let me see the holy face of the living Buddha; if impermanent, I wish to meet him in Maitreya's presence." The incense he had picked up spontaneously began to burn in his hand, and the fragrant smoke rose straight up, as far as the eye can see, reaching the very edge of the clouds. The fragrance remained everywhere in the temple. The monks, nuns, and laypeople at that time were all inspired by this. At the present time the image is at Jiaxiang Temple in Yuezhou. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:416c14-23.) In the second year of the Taiyuan period (377 C.E.) the monk Zhi Huihu made a golden Śākya[muni] image, six zhang tall, at Shaoling Temple in Wu Commandery. He carved out a hole high up on the south side of the temple to serve as the mold for casting the figure. He finished casting and was about to remove the statue from the hole. In the middle of the night the hole had become illuminated and six flowers appeared. They were bright white in color and their petals fluttered everywhere as they fell, but before they reached the ground they gathered together and rose up. At dawn a white cloud, like smoke, came out of the hole. Inside the cloud a white dragon appeared. It was ten zhang long, brilliantly colored, and moved slowly around the hole. Every time it came before the figure it looked up at it and moved deliberately, as if paying respect to the image. At that time there was a lull in the wind and the sun was shining, yet a fine rain came down, adding to the fragrance of the air. When the figure was placed on its seat the dragon rose up into the sky. In the first year of the Yuanjia period (424 C.E.) Dai Yong, a critic of the state who refused to serve in government, disliked the old and clumsy style of the figure, so he altered the hands and face to make it look like the living Buddha. He is said to have shortened the part above the shoulder by six inches and the part below the feet by one inch. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106: 416c24-417a5.).

In the first year of Yixi period of the Eastern Jin (406 C.E.), Minister of Education Wang Mi was staying at the Dongye Gate. Someone at the office saw a five-colored light appearing on the ground to the east of the gate. Surprised, he dug and found an old-fashioned copper plate, and under the plate there was a golden figure, four feet tall, and both the halo and base were there. The 30

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statue was also like Sun Hao's Aśoka image. Consequently, the figure was brought inside the palace and worshiped. The founding ruler of the Song dynasty originally was quite unsympathetic to the Buddhist faith, but when he obtained this statue he paid respect to it with great joy, and himself performed rites for it. The figure was originally at Waguan Temple and was said to have been later moved to Longguang Temple. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:417a6-11; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:410b5-10.) The story of the image of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva at Mount Lu is as follows. Once there was a famous minister called Tao Kan, styled Shixing. In Nanhai in Jianyü a fisherman saw light near the seacoast and reported it to Tao Kan. Tao Kan sent someone to look for the light who saw a golden image suddenly come riding on the waves and it arrived at the side of the boat. When the inscription was examined, it said that the image was of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva and had been produced by King Aśoka. According to an ancient tradition, when King Aśoka governed the Indian subcontinent, he ordered a ghost king to set up a very cruel prison. Mañjuśrī appeared in the [boiling] cauldron and even though the fire was blazing, the boiling water became clear and a blue lotus flower appeared. King Aśoka, moved by this sight, destroyed the hellish prison on that very day. He built eighty-four thousand stupas and produced the same number of images.

The image discovered by the fisherman was one of those produced at that time. Although Tao Kan did not believe in the Buddhist teaching of karmic retribution, he was greatly pleased with the discovery and sent the image to Hanqi Temple in Wuchang.

Later, Tao Kan was transferred to Jingzhou and sent for the image. Dozens of strong men could not move the image, even though earlier it had taken only several people to lift it. More people were added and the image was dragged by a special carriage, but as soon as the image was moved aboard the boat, it capsized and sank. Tao Kan's messenger related these events to him and he permitted the image to be returned to the temple. Two or three people could then move the image.

The monk Huiyuan honored the image and with proper ceremony invited it to Mount Lu; the image was moved there without any difficulty. This was because of the miraculous spirit that had descended on Huiyuan. A popular 31

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saying resulted from this: "Tao Kan is a hero of the sword. The image is marked by spirit. The one soars like a cloud, while the other dwells in mud. How great is the distance between them."

At the end of the Sui period rebels appeared and the monks of the community on Mount Lu were dispersed. An old monk, whose name has now been lost, went to the miraculous image to take his leave, and the image spoke to him, saying that the monk was old and that he should stay. The monk followed the order and stayed. When the rebel soldiers led by Dong Daochong attacked Jiangzhou, some of the soldiers entered the temple to look for valuable objects. They caught the old monk and demanded objects made of gold. The monk refused to give anything to them, so they were about to punish him by roasting him alive. The monk said, "I have lived seventy years and never disobeyed the Buddha's teaching. Wait until I enter the meditative state and stretch my neck, and then you can let fall your sword." The soldier agreed, and when he saw the old monk stretch out his neck to receive the sword, he lowered the sword but instead of cutting the monk's neck, the sword pierced the soldier's heart and its point penetrated through his back. The other soldiers fled in fright and went to Huiyuan's grave. At that time the sky was clear and the sun was bright, but suddenly clouds covered the sky and it darkened; thunder roared, lightning struck all around, and six soldiers were killed. Many people in the Jiangzhou area had hidden their valuable household objects on the mountain but because of this incident the rebel soldiers did not dare to go into the mountains any more, though they plundered mercilessly in the suburbs of Jiangzhou.

At the present time the image is housed in a multistoried pavilion in Donglin Temple. During the Wude period (618-626 C.E.) a strong wind caused the building to lean toward the north. The usual methods for restoring the balance of the building were of no avail. The monks at the temple then requested the mountain deity to blow a strong wind that would correct the building's balance. Shortly afterward, a strong wind blew from the north and restored the original and correct form of the pavilion. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:417b4-c5; ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:358c3-15.) [Northern] Wei Dynasty

The story of the image that appeared on a mountain that opened in Liangzhou is as follows. In the first year of the Taiyen period, under Emperor 32

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Taiwu of the Northern Wei dynasty (435 C.E.), a monk of Lishi, Master Liu Sahe, whose biography is found in the biographical collection, traveled in the region south of the Jiang River and paid respect to the stupa in the Mao district. When he reached the capital city, Jinling, he discovered the relics distributed by King Aśoka. (Ref. Gaoseng zhuan, T.2059:409b11-410a7.) Having completed his work, Liu Sahe traveled westward to a place one hundred and seventy miles west of Liangzhou, east of the border of Fanhe Commandery. He looked toward the valley and mountain, and bowed toward it from a distance. People did not understand the meaning of this act. Liu Sahe said, "An image of the Buddha will appear at this cliff. If the image is complete, there will be peace in the world; if some part is missing, people will suffer from disorder in the world."

Eighty-seven years later, in the first year of the Chengguang period (520 C.E.), strong winds, rainstorms, and thunder shook the mountain and a stone image appeared, one zhang and eight chi tall. Its appearance was appropriately awe-inspiring but the head was missing. People selected an appropriate piece of rock and had a stonemason carve a separate head which they placed on top of the body of the stone figure, but the head would always fall off. Buddhism declined steadily under the Northern Wei, as predicted by Liu Sahe. In the first year of Northern Zhou rule (557 C.E.), in a creek seven li east of the city of Liangzhou, a piece of rock emitted light and illumined both the dark and light areas around it. Those who saw this found it extraordinary. The rock was the head of Liu Sahe's figure. When they placed it on the stone statue, the head and the body matched perfectly. The figure stood without a head for over forty years, and its head and the body were found over two hundred li apart. When the part of its form that had been missing was restored, flowing light appeared and the sound of bells was heard, but nobody knew where they came from. In the first year of the Baoding period (561 C.E.) a temple called Ruixiang ("Temple of Auspicious Image") was established at this site. During the Jiande period, as the persecution of Buddhism was about to begin, the head of the stone figure fell off again. Emperor Wu sent the Prince of Qi to confirm the sign. He placed the head back on the neck of the figure and stationed soldiers to guard it. When morning came the head had fallen off again. The sign predicting the persecution of the Dharma and the fall of the dynasty was thus received in this way. Details are found in Shi Dao'an's 33

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(Yao Dao'an, ca. 580 C.E.?) inscription. Even though the Northern Zhou persecuted the followers of the Buddhist teaching, no harm came to this figure. During the Kaihuang period (581-600 C.E.) the teaching was promoted again, and the temple was reestablished as it was before the persecution. In the fifth year of the Daye period (609-610 C.E.) Emperor Yang led a military expedition to the west, and he came to worship the figure and changed the name of the temple to Gantong Daochang.

The stone figure still exists at the present time. Many people have attempted to draw it but its size changes constantly and its image cannot be captured in a copy. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:417c6-26; ref. Xu Gaoseng zhuan, T.2060:644c24-645a25.)

Northern Liang Dynasty

The story of the auspicious plaster image on a rock cliff in Liangzhou is as follows. At one time in the past, in the first year of the Long'an period (397 C.E.) during the reign of Emperor An of the Jin dynasty, Juqu Mengsun (r. 401-433 C.E.) occupied the region around Liangzhou for more than thirty years. Among the five kingdoms called Liang in the Longxi region, his was the most powerful, and the ruler devoted himself to merit-making construction projects. City buildings, temples and stupas do not last forever. Ancient palaces burn down in the end. This is bound to be the [eventual] outcome of building temples and palaces. Furthermore, treasures of gold and jewels are stolen in the end. Thinking thus, the king looked around him at the mountains that reached to the sky. One hundred li south of the city was a long line of cliffs, running in an east-west direction to points unknown. So Juqu Mengsun excavated caves and placed images, some of rock and some of plaster, of numerous different figures.

Worshipers were astounded by these images. There were holy monks made of clay that looked human. They constantly practiced walking meditation, never stopping to rest. If you saw them from a distance, they looked as if they were walking, but when observed up close they were stationary, yet their faces looked as if they were walking. There were also stretches of ground where people looked for footsteps. When observers were at a distance from them, the images walked on the grounds; footsteps were clearly visible, coming and going ceaselessly. These phenomena have now lasted for over 34

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a hundred years. This is what the local people reported. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:417c27-418a9.)

[Juqu] Mengsun, Prince of Hexi, built a stone figure, six zhang tall, at a mountain temple and worshiped it. In the sixth year of the Yuanxi period of the Song (429 C.E.) he sent his heir, Xingguo, to attack Fuhan, but they suffered a massive defeat. When Xingguo was killed Mengsun directed his anger at Buddhism, accusing it of having no spiritual efficacy. He ordered the destruction of temples and expelled monks. Mengsun later went to Mount Yangshu, and many monks stood at the roadside [to greet him]. Seeing the monks from a distance, Mengsun became enraged and immediately slaughtered several of them. At that time a soldier happened to enter the temple to worship the stone figure and saw it weeping, shedding copious tears. Taken aback, the soldier reported this. Hearing this, Mengsun hurried over to see, and when he reached the temple gate his body trembled in fear as if he was a criminal. He called his attendants to support him on both sides and proceeded. When he saw the figure weeping tears, like a spring, he bowed his head to the ground and asked for pardon, admitting his great crimes. He immediately held a great banquet, even more elaborate than those he had held before, and invited the monks to resume their practice.

If we observe Mengsun's faith, we see that it did not reach very deep. He engaged in warfare and murder in order to annex territory. The Buddha prohibited such activities. Mengsun had to transform his nature, but if left to his own devices he would not have stopped committing crimes. He initially honored the Buddhist teaching and when Dharmakṣema translated the Great Nirvana Sutra, he vowed to follow him in life and death, but then he became angry over a minor matter and sent an assassin to murder Dharmakṣema. Now he blamed the Buddha and the sangha for the failure of his military expedition, destroying temples and persecuting monks. Once excessive misconduct is committed, even if one later abandons it and returns to moderate behavior, he or she cannot entirely compensate for the sins of their former misconduct. At Mount Sangui, thirty li southeast of present-day Shazhou (Note: This is the place to which the Four Evil Ones were exiled.), there is a cliff, two li high, which contains two hundred and eighty buddha images. The interior of the caves often light up. (Ji shenzhou sanbao gantong lu II, T.2106:418a10-26.) 35