A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden Volume VI

Chapter Thirty-four: Chanting Hymns

A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI

("tree to call back a spirit of the dead"). If one tapped the tree, one would hear a sound like a cow's braying. Those who heard it were frightened and cut down [the tree]. The root centers were boiled in a jade cauldron to make juice. [The juice] was further decocted and made into small balls. The name [of the small balls] is jingjingxiang, zhenling ("to excite the spirit"), fanshengxiang ("incense to return to life"), renniaojing ("essence of human beings and birds"), or quesixiang ("incense to refuse death"). This scent can be smelled for several hundred li. If it passes over a corpse lying on the ground, its energy will revive the deceased person. 98

Chapter Thirty-four

Chanting Hymns

This chapter consists of four sections: (1) Explanation of the Intention, (2) Quoted Testimonies, (3) Praises, and (4) Music.

1. Explanation of the Intention

The purpose [of a hymn] is to praise and express in the form of a poem. The composition of a poem depends on sound and when its composition is skillful, the purpose to praise and express is fulfilled. When the sound [of the language] is ingenious, the composition of a poem is clear and smooth. It is the law of mutual aid that expression requires sound. When we think of Western hymns, they are like the eulogies in the Eastern Country (i.e., China). Regarding [the style of a] eulogy, it is to follow sentences in order to conclude a piece of writing. Regarding [the style of] hymns, they have short verses that flow. The two types of expression are different yet the effect is the same. For this reason, a sutra says, "Sing with wonderful voices to praise the Buddha's virtue!" This is what that means.

In the past, Śākyamuni, the [World-]honored One, entered meditation. The sound of a qin and songs vibrated in the stone chamber. Bhadrika chanted hymns at the top of his voice, and the clean sound reached Śuddhāvāṣa Heaven. It was the best sound to awaken the people of the world. Certainly there was no one who compared with Bhadrika. In later generations, when the study of singing reached an extreme, there was brilliant testimony. For example, Si, the king of Chen (i.e., Cao Zhi) [of the Wei kingdom] had exquisite thoughts and perceived the hymn called "Mount Yu."88 Bo [Fa]qiao made a vow [and perceived another hymn]. The mahāsattva Tong's ingenious voice was a medicine. Through training himself in diligent practices he received verses of the Dharma from the spirits. Wenxuan (i.e., Xiao Ziliang) [of the Southern Qi dynasty] made sincere efforts. He dreamed of chanting in the purification hall and at the same time, he could transport his spirit to the heavenly palace. He imitated the [spiritual] voice in a temple, intoned verses, 99

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removed some words and took in other words, and ordered and adorned a composition. This is also clear evidence of a supernatural response. He is a brilliant model of people of learning.

When we trace [the chanting of hymns] back to its origin, the sound of chanting a sutra is virtuous and subtlety is produced spontaneously. You can study how to produce and use [the sound of chanting a sutra] but refining the sound is not something you can learn. This is because the sound is based on the brilliant aspiration for the [Buddhist] Way. The sound moves and the secular people hear it. You must make [the sound] clean and not weak, strong yet not aggressive, flowing yet not exaggerated, and concentrated yet not stagnant. The quality [of the sound] gives rise to the wind of Vulture Peak in Rājagṛha. The harmony of the sound forms the energy (qi) of the firmament. When you hear [such a sound] in the distance, it is vast and expansive. Therefore, it is exalted and graceful. When you hear it closely, it sounds calm. Therefore, it is harmonious and solemn. These are its great achievements. [The sound of] chanting a sutra is as profound as a thunderclap. This is its [meaning]. When the people gather for purification in which chanting and explaning a sutra goes on for some time, they feel that the night goes by slowly. The incense goes out and the light dims. Drowsiness overtakes the six sense organs. Inactivity causes their bodies to feel heavy. Thus, choose ingenious sounds when you ascend the Dharma seat! Select excellent sound and open the sutra scroll! The chanting of hymns is performed from beginning to end in various tones. Echoes of [the sound] fly to the four directions, imparting compassion and delight to the seven kinds of Buddhists. This is the same as the [beautiful] chirping of the kalaviṅka bird and equal to the sound of a phoenix. It can refresh your drowsy spirit and cause your indolent feeling to return to respectfulness. It awakens the ears of the whole assemblage and wins the attendants' hearts. At that time, you will know that the sound of chanting a sutra is esteemed.

2. Quoted Testimonies

Just as the Chang ahan jing (T. 1; Skt. Dīrghāgama) says: Those voices of the five kinds of qualities are pure and are called the voice of King Mahābrahman (Skt. Brahmasusvara). What are the five kinds? 100

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First, the voice is upright and honest. Second, the voice is harmonious and elegant. Third, the voice is clear and resonant. Fourth, the voice is profound and abundant. Fifth, the voice can be heard all over in the distance. A voice that possesses these five kinds of qualities is called the voice of King Mahābrahman.

Furthermore, the Fanmoyu jing (T. 76; Pāli Brahmāyu-sutta) says: There are eight kinds of voices in which the Tathāgata expounds the Dharma. The first is the best voice. The second is the lenient and comprehensive voice. The third is the soft voice. The fourth is the harmonious and well-regulated voice. The fifth is the noble and intelligent voice. The sixth is the voice free from mistakes. The seventh is the abstruse and uncanny voice. The eighth is the manly voice. His words are not missing and deficient; nothing can be a shortcoming.

Also, the Shisong lü (T. 1435) says,89 "Because all heavenly beings were delighted to hear the chanting of hymns, they set up the sound of the chanting of hymns."

The Pinimu jing (T. 1463; Skt. Vinayamātṛkā-śāstra) further says: The Buddha said to all the bhikṣus, "I give you permission to chant hymns." A hymn is an expression of a statement. Even though [the Buddha] gave them permission to express a statement, they did not know what Dharma they would chant. The Buddha said, "Recite whatever you like from the twelve kinds of scriptures, from sutras to upadeśas (discussions of doctrine)." [The bhikṣus] again had doubt. "If we were to recite compositions of the scriptures one by one, the number [of scriptures] and the compositions is vast. We may experience exhaustion and aversion. If we abridge and select good expressions, we can straightforwardly indicate and reveal the significances, but we do not know what [the Buddha] thinks about this." So [the bhikṣus] asked the World-honored One. The Buddha immediately gave permission to all the bhikṣus to quote important words and wonderful expressions found in the scriptures and make their significances clearly known. At that time there was a bhikṣu not far from the Buddha [in the assembly]. He stood up and sang aloud, reciting a sutra. When the Buddha heard this he did not permit the bhikṣu [to recite in that way, saying,] "When 101

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you recite a sutra using this voice, there are five kinds of demerits and troubles. It is the same as the non-Buddhist's exposition of their teaching by singing. First, [one who does this] is not called one who is well regulated. Second, he is not praised by his audience. Third, all the heavenly beings are unhappy [with the way he recites]. Fourth, his speech is not virtuous and difficult to understand. Fifth, since this kind of speech is not ingenious, the meaning is also difficult to comprehend. These are the five kinds of demerits and troubles."

Furthermore, the Xianyu jing says:

In the past, when the Buddha resided in the world, King Prasenajit passed by Jeta Grove Monastery together with his soldiers. He heard the voice of a bhikṣu, chanting hymns; the voice was graceful and pleasant. The soldiers stood still and listened to [the chanting]. No one tired of it. Even the elephants and horses pricked up their ears and stayed there [to listen], unwilling to proceed. The king and his army entered the monastery to take a look and saw the bhikṣu who was chanting hymns. His appearance was dwarflike and extremely ugly. The king could not bear to look at him. The king then asked the Buddha, "What karma did this bhikṣu have from his previous life to attain this reward and retribution?" The Buddha told the king, "In the past, a buddha appeared in the world known as Kāśyapa. After he entered nirvana, King Kṛkin collected his relics in order to erect a stupa [to enshrine them]. There were four dragon kings who transformed themselves into human figures. They came to King [Kṛkin's] place and asked about building the stupa: 'Will [the stupa] be made with treasures or with earth?' The king replied, 'I would like to make a large stupa but I do not have many treasures. So I intend to make it out of earth with sides five li in length and a height of twenty-five li.' The dragons said to the king, 'We are dragon kings. Since [we have heard you are erecting a stupa], we came to see and ask you about it. If you build the stupa with treasures, we can help you.' The king rejoiced at their offer. The dragons again told the king, 'Outside each of the four city gates there are four springs.90 Use water from the spring outside the east gate to make tiles. [The tiles] will metamorphize into lapis lazuli. Use water from the spring outside the south gate to make tiles [and they] will metamorphize 102

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into gold. Tiles made from the water of the spring outside the west gate will metamorphize into silver, and tiles made from the spring outside the north gate will metamorphize into white jade.' When the king heard these words his joy redoubled.

"[The king] immediately appointed four superintendents to take charge of one side [of the stupa]. The construction managed by three of the superintendents was almost complete, but the other superintendent was lazy and neglected his duty, and made little progress. When the king inspected his work, he chastized [the superintendent] with good reason. Resentful, the man said to the king, 'This stupa is too big. When do we have to complete it?' The king ordered the workers to work diligently on [the stupa] day and night and it was soon completed.

"The stupa was extremely tall and adorned with numerous treasures. It was a tremendously extraordinary spectacle. On seeing it, the [lazy] superintendent leaped with joy and repented his previous fault. He attached a golden bell to the top of a doorpost of the stupa and made a vow, 'Please let my voice be extremely good wherever I am reborn and let all sentient beings enjoy hearing it! In the future there will be a buddha called Śākyamuni. Please enable me to see him and liberate me from the transmigration of birth and death.'

"Because in the past this man had complained that the stupa was too big, he was continually reborn with an ugly appearance. However, because he placed a bell on the doorpost of the stupa and made a vow to see the Buddha, he will have an enormously good voice for five hundred existences. He has now again met the Buddha, renounced the world, cultivated the [Buddhist] Way, and attained the fruit of arhatship." For this cause and condition, all sentient beings who see others make merit should not revile them. Otherwise, they will suffer evil retribution. If they do so, they will attain nothing.

3. Praise

The Pusa benxing jing91 says:

The Buddha said to Ānanda, "I recall that in the distant past a tathāgata appeared in the world, known as Puṣya Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha. 103

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Once that buddha stayed in a cave containing various treasures. When I saw that buddha I felt joyful. Joining the palms of my hands together in worship and standing on one of leg, I offered this verse for seven days and seven nights. In praise of that buddha I said in verse:92 Throughout heaven and earth there is no one like this buddha. In the worlds of the ten directions there is no one comparable to him, either.

In the entire world, which I have completely seen, There is absolutely no one like this buddha.

"Ānanda, after singing the praises for that buddha with this verse, I made this vow.Then that buddha said to his attendants, 'After ninety-four kalpas this person will attain buddhahood. He will be called Śākyamuni.' At that time I received the prediction of my future attainment of buddhahood. After that I increased and advanced in merit with unceasing diligence. During immeasurable existences I became the King of Brahma Heaven, Śakra-devendra, and a wheel-turning noble king. Due of the power of the cause and condition of these good deeds, I mastered the four kinds of oratorical talents. There is not a single person who can defeat me in debate. I have achieved highest, perfect enlightenment. As a result, I turn the supreme Dharma wheel."

The Nirvana Sutra (T. 374 and 375) also says:

On one occasion Kāśyapa Bodhisattva praised the Buddha by reciting a verse before him:

The great King of Physicians who pities beings of the world is Tranquil in both body and mind.

True self lies in nonself.

Therefore, I salute the Most August One.

Awakening the aspiration for enlightenment and attaining it are two and yet the same.

In this way, it is difficult to see which of the two minds comes first. Before attaining liberation I will first liberate others. For this reason, I bow to awakening the initial aspiration for enlightenment.

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Furthermore, verses in the [Jiujing yisheng] baoxing lun (T. 1611) say: I now completely take refuge in all the Most August Ones Because they open the Dharma King's storehouse And extensively benefit all sentient beings. Being a buddha (Skt. buddhatva) is neither of the past, The present time,

Nor the future time.

It is tranquil and he perceives it by himself. After perceiving it himself He wishes to cause others to perceive it.93 Therefore, for others he expounds The fearless and permanent Way. With the power of wisdom and compassion The Buddha can hold a vajra And destroy all the mountains of [wrong] views. Therefore, I now bow to [the Buddha]. The wonderful Dharma is

Not the objective world of wisdom attained through hearing. It leaves the way of language. It is recognized in one's mind and is nice and cool. On the day of the true, subtle Dharma, There is the clean, undefiled light Of the great wisdom,

Which extensively illuminates all mundane worlds. It can destroy obscure hindrances Such as the coarse and refined mental functions (Skt. vitarka and vicāra), Greed, anger, stupidity, and all defilements. Therefore, I now bow to [the Dharma]. Because of being able to recognize That own-nature is the pure mind, [The sangha] sees that defilements have no truth. Therefore, they leave behind all defilements. With nonobstruction and pure wisdom, They accurately see that sentient beings' Own-nature is the pure mind 105

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI And that the Buddha's Dharma body is a perceptual object. With nonhindrance and the eyes of pure wisdom, They see that all sentient beings' nature

Spreads throughout immeasurable objective worlds. Therefore, I now bow to [the sangha].

Also, in the Fa putixin [jing]lun (T. 1659), the author praises the Buddha and says in verse:

I pay reverence to the infinite buddhas

Of the past, present, and future,

Those equal to the sky, who have immovable wisdom, And the world-saving August Ones of great compassion. A two-line verse starting with the praise, "My teacher, the Supreme Heavenly Being among heavenly beings," appears in the Puyao jing (Skt. Lalita vistra);94 a two-line verse starting with the praise, "How do you obtain a long life?" appears in the Nirvana Sutra;95 a two-line verse starting with the praise, "The Tathāgata's wonderful physical body" appears in the Shengman [shizi hou yisheng dafangbian fangguang] jing (Skt. Śrīmālādevī-siṁhanāda-nāma mahāyānasūtra);96 and a two-line verse including the phrase, "He lives in the world like empty air," appears in the Chao riming [sanmei] jing.97 [The last verse] says:

With the great compassion [the Buddha] pities sentient beings, Those who are covered [by defilements] and who are in darkness. He eliminates their lack of the wisdom eye and causes them to see. He edifies those who have not learned from the brightness of the [Buddhist] Way.

He lives in the world like empty air

Just as a lotus flower is not submerged in the water. His mind is pure and transcends others' minds. I bow my head to the ground and worship the Most August One. I will explain this. In the land of China people prefer to speak succinctly, without embellishment. As a result, many hymns composed in Chinese are in the form of a half-verse. Therefore, the Pinimu lun says, "You cannot compose hymns in the form of a half-verse. Otherwise, you will commit a duṣkṛta 106

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(the lightest offense)."98 The phrases of theses hymns, however, have not been made clear yet. Accordingly, they are like those from the West. In what classics do [hymns] appear? Sages began composing hymns relying on eulogies found in sutras, and they took and used them without opposition. There are also hymns of the regions within and outside Hangu Pass, the Wu region (present-day Jiangsu province), and the Shu region (present-day Sichuan province). Each region has its own expressions and favorite hymns. Nevertheless, since Chinese and Indian phonemes differ from each other, it is impossible to use them interchangeably.

During the Song dynasty (420-479), Dharma Master Hui, a monk from the Kangju kingdom, was very learned and eloquent and translated sutras [into Chinese]. He had a good, clean voice. He propagated the nirvana hymns and his voice gave rise to compassion and gracefulness. He achieved a high reputation in the world. The people took their standard of phonetics from him. Also, in the past, during the Jin dynasty, Dharma Master Daoan collected and created rules for three categories, such as offering a sutra, giving a talk, and holding regular semimonthly meetings of the sangha (Skt. upavasatha). The systems established by ancient saints and sages never fail. Familiar rules considered as standards for the world are practiced by everyone. Furthermore, during the time of the Wei kingdom there was Si, the king of Chen, Cao Zhi, whose pseudonym was Zijian. He was the fourth child of Ruler Wu of the Wei kingdom. When he was still young he already had an exalted personality. At the age of ten he started making compositions and once he started writing, they were soon completed. From the beginning he did not revise [his writings]. He was proficient in all the worldly arts. When Chunyu of Handan prefecture (the northern part of present-day Henan province and the southwestern part of present-day Hebei province) encountered [Zhi], he was surprised and admired him, saying that [Zhi] was a heavenly being. Every time [Zhi] read Buddhist scriptures, he was reluctant to stop reading. He recited sutras and took delight in it, considering [the practice of reciting sutras] to be the great foundation of the utmost Way. When he chanted hymns, he used seven vocal tones and complicated sounds that ascended and descended in tone. Worldly people all recited following his rules. Once on an excursion to Mount Yu, [Cao Zhi] suddenly heard the voice of the King of Brahma Heaven in the air. It was graceful, tender, and pleasing 107

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI and the voice moved his heart. He alone heard it for a while and then all of his attendants heard it. [Cao] Zhi, deeply impressed with supernatural law, became more awake to the responses of the Buddha's Dharma body. He then repeated the sound and melody and wrote them down, and the composition became a hymn. He compiled texts and composed sounds. They were transmitted and became the favored style. This is the time that [singing with] a pure voice first appeared in the world. The hymns transmitted comprise six verses. 4. Music

Just as the [Zhuanji] baiyuan jing says:

When the Buddha resided in the world, men of great wealth in Rājagṛha gathered and organized a seasonal festival. They entertained themselves by playing various kinds of music. On that occasion there was a dancer. Two people, husband and wife, had come from the south bringing their beautiful daughter with them. Her name was Blue Lotus Flower (Qinglianhua) and she had regular features, was extremely wonderful, rare in the world, sharp, and intelligent. No one could compare to her. She had completely mastered all sixty-four arts that women were required to learn and understood very well how to dance. She spun around, looking down and up. When she performed a piece of music, she made its rhythm clear. She sang a song and said, "Is there anyone in this city who is able to dance as beautifully as I do, or who clearly understands sutras and discourses and can exchange questions and answers with me?" Someone responded, "There is the Buddha, the World-honored One. He resides in a bamboo forest called Kalandakanivāsa. He can handle questions and answers very well and resolve doubt." When the dancer heard this she led all the people, singing and dancing, into the bamboo forest. She saw the Buddha, the World-honored One, but she was still haughty and unrestrained and she playfully laughed and did not show respect for the Tathāgata. The World-honored One saw the young woman behaving in this way and through supernatural power he promptly changed her into an old woman who appeared to be a hundred years old: her hair was gray, her skin was wrinkled, her teeth were loose with some missing, and she walked with a stoop. As she was walking, the young dancer saw that her body 108

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appeared extremely old. She said, "By what cause and condition do the characteristics of old age now suddenly appear on my female body? It must certainly be due to the Buddha's awesome power, by which he intentionally caused me to appear to be this old." Then she was deeply ashamed of her disrespectful behavior before the Buddha [and said to him,] "I beg you, World-honored One, to forgive me."

At that time the World-honored One knew that the young dancer's mind had already been tamed and subdued. Through supernatural power he restored her body [to its youthful appearance]. All the people saw that the young woman had suddenly appeared to be elderly and then as quickly was restored to the prime of her life, and realized that nothing is permanently stable. Everyone gave rise to the revulsion [for existence] and realized the impermanence [of all phenomena]. Their minds were attracted [to the teaching] and liberated. There were those who attained the śramaṇa's four fruits of sainthood and some awakened the aspiration for highest enlightenment.

At that moment, the young dancer and her parents asked the Buddha to allow her to renounce the world. The Buddha said to her, "Welcome, bhikṣuṇī!" and her hair spontaneously fell off and a Dharma robe appeared on her body. Blue Lotus Flower became a bhikṣuṇī who diligently cultivated and learned [the Buddhist Way] and attained the fruit of arhatship. She was esteemed by all the heavenly beings and the people of the world. At that time, after seeing this event, all the people asked [the Buddha] to explain the cause and a condition for it. The Buddha said, "In the past, immeasurable generations ago, there was a crown prince (i.e., a former existence of the Buddha) in Vārāṇasī. His pseudonym was Kāśisundara. He went into the mountains, studied the [divine] way, and attained the five supernatural powers.

"I (the Buddha in his past life) encountered an attractive and extremely wonderful kiṃnara's daughter, whose appearance was like that of a heavenly being. She made various poses and sang a song while dancing. She made my heart pound. She wished to cause me to become attached to her and retrogress on the divine way. I then resolved in my heart to not allow any thoughts of craving. I said to her, 'Of all phenomena, nothing is permanent. Now I see your body, which is full of smelly filth covered by a 109

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thin skin. But it is impossible to keep a youthful body for a long time. Eventually you will have gray hair, a wrinkled face, and walk with a stoop. Why are you now haughty and licentious? How have you come to such a pass? A little while ago you had a lovely singing voice, but its tone has already changed. Why do you stand before me making various poses?' Then the kiṃnara's daughter, hearing these words, faced [me], the hermit, and repented her faults. Accordingly, she vowed, 'Please enable me to cut off the transmigration of birth and death in my next life. I will attain the fruition of the [Buddhist] Way at your side.'"

The Buddha said to the people, "The crown prince who studied the divine way was myself. That kiṃnara's daughter was the present Blue Lotus Flower Bhikṣuṇī. Because of the power of the vow she made at that time, she has now met me, renounced the world, and attained the [Buddhist] Way." On hearing this, the bhikṣus rejoiced. They upheld and practiced the teaching.

The [Zhuanji] baiyuan jing also says:

When the Buddha resided in the world, there was a wealthy man in Kapilavastu whose riches were immeasurable and incalculable. His wife gave birth to a boy who had regular features, extremely wonderful and rare in the world. When the boy grew up he had a good voice many people were happy to hear. He met the Buddha, renounced the world, and attained the fruit of arhatship.

All the bhikṣus asked the Buddha to explain the cause and condition for his attainment of the [Buddhist] Way. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, "In the past, ninety-one kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world, called Vipaśyin. After he entered nirvana, there was a king called Bandhumatā. [The king] collected relics [of Vipaśyin Buddha], made a stupa of four treasures that was a yojana in height, and made an offering to it. "On that occasion, a man felt happy when he saw this stupa and made an offering by circumambulating it, playing music. He then made a vow and departed. With the condition of this merit, he did not fall into the three evil realms for ninety-one kalpas. In heaven and in the realm of human beings he always had a good voice that people enjoyed listening to. He has now met me, renounced the world, and attained the [Buddhist] Way." 110

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On hearing this, the bhikṣus rejoiced. They upheld and practiced the teaching.

The [Zhuanji] baiyuan jing also says:

In the past, when the Buddha resided in the world, various people in Śrāvastī adorned themselves and had fun with singing and dancing girls. They left the city to go amuse themselves, and returned to the city through the city gate. Then they saw that the Buddha and the sangha had entered the city and were making almsrounds. All the people were happy to see the Buddha and worshiped him. The pleasure-seekers promptly played music as an offering to the Buddha and sangha. They made a vow and departed. The Buddha smiled and said to Ānanda, "Because all these people played music and offered it to the Buddha and sangha, with the condition of this merit they will not fall into the evil realms for a hundred kalpas. In heaven and in the realm of human beings they will receive superlative bliss. After a hundred kalpas they will become pratyekabuddhas. They all will have the same name: Valgusvarā ("Excellent Voice")." Because of this cause and condition, if someone plays music and offers it to the Three Treasures, the merit they attain is immeasurable, limitless, and marvelous.

Therefore, verses in the Lotus Sutra say:

If you bid others to play music

By beating a drum and blowing a horn,

And if you make an offering of

All wonderful sounds like those of

A vertical flute, flute, qin, lute with twenty-three strings, Four-stringed mandolin, bells, and copper cymbals, Then you all have already attained the Buddhist Way. Also, the Pusa chutai jing (i.e., Pusa cong doushutian jiangshen mutai shuo guangpu jing, T. 384) says:99

A kiṃnara [king] lived north of Mount Sumeru. Beyond a [mountain called] Surrounded by Iron (Xiao Tiewei) there was Mount Great Black (Dahei shan), which was also located between ten treasure mountains. At 111

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that place there were no Buddhist Dharma, sun, moon, or stars. By the power of donations made in ancient times [the kiṃnara king] dwelled in a palace made of the seven treasures and had a very long life span. This king was originally in the realm of human beings.

A wealthy man built a Buddhist stupa and the kiṃnara donated a pole [to be erected in front of a Buddha Hall] (Skt. yaṣṭi) to complete the temple. He also gave pure meals to the construction workers. After he died, he became the deity of thoughts (xiongyi shen). Between two mountains [the palace made of the seven treasures spontaneously appeared].100 Formerly [the kiṃnara king] had been a wealthy man in the realm of human beings and lived in immeasurable wealth. There was a śramaṇa seeking alms and the [wealthy man's] wife gave him a meal. [The wealthy man] was enraged by this, saying, "Why does a beggar look at my wife? I will order someone to cut off this man's hands and feet." [Because of this,] when the wealthy man died, he received an ugly appearance, with no hands or feet, for eighty-four kalpas.

All the heavenly beings held a feast and along with a gandharva (heavenly musician) they distinguished the best players from the less-skilled ones. One heavenly being wished to play music, but he broke out in a cold sweat and then ascended to heaven by himself. A kiṃnara called Touloumo101 sang playing a sitar, "All phenomenal things are themselves the ultimate reality," and praised the World-honored One. At that time Mount Sumeru and the trees in all forests quaked. Kāśyapa was sitting down but did not feel at ease. Five hundred hermits developed very wild feelings and lost their supernatural power of traveling. The Dashu jinnaluo wang suowen jing (T. 625) further says: At that time, the kiṃnara king Druma adorned a sitar made of lapis lazuli with purplish-gold flowers and leaves obtained in Jambudvīpa (Skt. jambūnada-suvarṇa), and played it. Due to his good and pure karma, he skillfully played the sitar before of the Tathāgata together with eighty-four thousand musicians. When Druma performed music on this sitar, its sound was heard throughout the trichiliocosm. The sound of this sitar and his wonderful singing voice was louder than the music played by all the heavenly beings in the realm of desire. All the medicinal herbs in the mountains 112

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and forests quaked, just like when an extremely drunk person totters back and forth and falls down, or when Mount Sumeru leaps about like a horse, going up and down in an unstable state. All common sages, except for bodhisattvas in the stage of nonretrogression while proceeding to highest, perfect enlightenment, as well as all others, heard the sounds of the sitar and various kinds of music. They all felt restless, stood up from their seats, and danced. All the śrāvakas abandoned proper deportment and self-indulgently pursued pleasure. It was just like when a little child enjoys dancing and cannot restrain themself.

At that time Tianguan ("Heavenly Cap") Bodhisattva said to the śrāvakas and Mahākāśyapa, "You, great virtuous ones, have already left behind defilements and attained the eight stages of meditation for liberation. Why do you now abandon all proper deportment and dance wildly like children?" On that occasion the great virtuous one [Mahākāśyapa] and all the śrāvakas replied to him, "Good man! We cannot master ourselves in this environment. Just as when a strong wind or gale blows all the trees and shrubs and they are not able to remain stable and unmoving even though they do not wish [to be blown about]."

At that time Tianguan Bodhisattva said to Mahākāśyapa, "You should now observe the awesome, virtuous power of these bodhisattvas in the stage of nonretrogression on the path to highest, perfect enlightenment! Who can see people like these and dare not awaken aspiration for highest, right, and true enlightenment? The awesome power of the sound of the sitar is entirely the sound of expounding the Dharma." Eight thousand bodhisattvas then attained the clear cognition of the unproduced nature of all existences.

Verses say:

Profoundly and clearly, I exhale clean breath.

The divine sound reaches the deaf in the unseen world. I ascend a tower and utter joyful chanting (chunyong). I am delighted with adoring the way of the ancient sage. Taking advantage of emptiness, I receive the mysterious wisdom. Mount Yu arouses the boy Si, the [king of Chen].

He copied the hymns sung by the [King of Brahma] Heaven. 113

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI He hoped to spread them in the same way as the sound of the Dharma. Since I forget about the height, I will not go down. Being blown several ren in the wind,

A bhikṣu's voice singing a hymn

Shakes the bells of the minds of people and animals. For this reason, I set forth a profound sentence. I then feel that wild geese travel in the sky.

The spiritual being sets out a means for realization. I awaken and spontaneously communicate with the spiritual being. Historical Accounts of Sacred Responses

to Human Faith and Meritorious Acts

Six testimonies are briefly cited.

[Bo Faqiao, a Śramaṇa of the Jin Dynasty]

During the Jin dynasty, Bo Faqiao, a native of Zhongshan, enjoyed chanting sutras from the time he was young, but he had a poor voice. He always regretted that his voice was not sonorous. Then he abstained from grain and repented for seven days and seven nights. He bowed his head to the ground, worshiping Avalokiteśvara, and prayed for the maturation of his karma in his present existence. His fellow monks admonished him earnestly, but he made a vow and did not stop.

On the seventh day he realized that his throat had become open and clear. He immediately asked for water and rinsed his mouth and throat, and then said, "I have been rewarded." Then he recited three sutras and his voice could be heard for about three li. [People from] far and near were amazed and sighed in wonderment. People and animals came to see and listen to him. After that, he recited a half million words of sutras, chanting day and night. His compassion and friendliness were understood by spiritual beings. When he reached the age of ninety his voice still was unchanged. Faqiao passed away in Hebei during the Yonghe era (345-356) of Emperor Mu of the Jin dynasty, in the final years of Shi Hu.

[Zhi Tanyue, a Śramaṇa of the Jin Dynasty]

During the Jin dynasty Zhi Tanyue, originally from [the Turkish tribe] the Yueshi, resided in Jianye (present-day Jiangsu province). He renounced the 114

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world when he was young and led a pure and ascetic life with a vegetarian diet on Mount Huqiu in the Wu region. At the beginning of Emperor Xiaowu's reign (372-396) he received an imperial decree to come to the city and stay at Jianchu Temple. Emperor Xiaowu received the five precepts from him and treated him with the respect due to a teacher.

[Tan]yue was endowed with a particularly wonderful voice and he was good at chanting sutras. He once dreamed that a heavenly god had granted him powers of vocalization. When he woke up, he accordingly was able to produce a new sound. His pure and clean sound was clear and beautiful, went rapidly throughout the four directions, then turned around and around, echoing, and returned [to his throat], where [vibrations] played.102 Even though Fu Dong'a had previously altered his vocalization and Kang Hui later invented [a new method], overall there was nothing as wonderful as [Tan]yue's style. The younger generation did not copy anything to study except for [Tanyue's] style. The Buddhist style of chanting prayers with six-character lines that he created is still used today. Later he died at the age of eighty-one in [the temple] where he had resided.

[Shi Sengbian, a Śramaṇa of the Qi Dynasty]

During the Qi dynasty Shi Sengbian from Jiankang, whose secular family name was Wu, renounced the world and resided at Anle Temple. From his youth he was fond of reciting sutras. [His way of reciting sutras] was a blend of compassion and friendliness. It was unique at the beginning of the Qi dynasty; no one could recite as he did.

[Sengbian] once performed purification at Liu Shao's house in Xinting.103 [Seng]bian recited sutras on the first night. When he first obtained a sutra, a flock of cranes would suddenly descend and gather in front of the stairs. When [Seng]bian finished one roll [of the sutra], they immediately flew away. Because of this, his reputation flourished throughout the world; his name was known near and far. None among those who later came to study did not respect him. On the nineteenth day of the second month of the seventh year of the Yongming era (489), Minister of Education Wenxuan, the king of Jingling, dreamed that he had chanted the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa (Weimo jing) before the Buddha. He cried out in his sleep and woke up. He immediately got up and went into the Buddha Hall. Just as he had done in his dream, he chanted the sutra, the old translation of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa. Then he realized that the 115

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rhyme was smooth and he could recite even better than before. The next morning he summoned śramaṇas from the city who had good voices, such as Sengbian, and had them do vocalizations in an orderly manner. [Seng]bian transmitted a sutra, the old translation of the Vimalakīrti nirdeśa-sutra, as well as a verse with seven-character lines, the Ruiying ("Auspicious Response"), which is indeed the work by a master of a Buddhist school (mingjia). Among people of later generations there were those who transmitted [Sengbian's style], but they all made errors and most of the sutra portion was lost.

[Seng]bian passed away in the eleventh year of the Yongming era (493) of the Qi dynasty.

[Shi Tanping, a Śramaṇa of the Qi Dynasty]

During the Qi dynasty, at Baimasi ("White Horse Temple") there was Shi Tanping from Nan'an (present-day Sichuan province), whose secular family name was Yangjian. When he was young he studied in the city and learned how to chant sutras while residing at the temple. His tone [while chanting a sutra] was very skillful, but although he excessively regarded himself [to be skillful], the people of that time did not praise him. Then [Tanping] concentrated his efforts to learn the rules and further studied [the tone]. As a result, he became outstanding. He looked peaceful and stable; he appeared different. He recited three different sutras whose titles include benqi ("original beginning")104 while maintaining his good voice. He later returned to the Shu region (present-day Sichuan province) and stayed at Longyuan Temple. Those who recollected the sound of Ba (presentday Sichuan province) and Han[zhong] (present-day Shaanxi province) all adored his vocal style. Every time he chanted a sutra, elephants and horses cried mournfully and passersby stopped. He had a bronze bell manufactured, [hoping that] in the future105 there would always be the eight superior qualities of the Buddha's voice and the four kinds of unhindered speech of the Buddha and bodhisattvas. This was the first time a bronze bell was installed in the Shu region. Later, [Tanping] died at the temple [where he had resided]. [Xiangyan ("Sound Heard from a Distance")]

During the reign period of Ruler Jing (258-264) of the Wu kingdom, a person in Wucheng prefecture (present-day Zhejiang province) who had fallen ill with a chronic disease was restored to health and was then able to 116

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produce xiangyan. Regarding xiangyan, [a sound uttered] in one place is heard in another place, but when you are hearing it [at the place where the sound is produced] you do not realize how loud it is. When you hear it from a distance, it is just as if someone next to you is speaking [normally] to you; you do not realize that the sound has traveled from a distance. The voice goes in the direction in which the speaker faces. The distance [that the sound travels] is not more than ten and several li.

These four testimonies are found in the Biographies of Eminent Monks compiled in the Liang dynasty (Liang Gaoseng zhuan).

[An Official of the Qi Dynasty, Whose Family Name was Liang] During the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) an official whose family name was Liang, was a very wealthy man. When he was about to die, he said to his wife and children, "I have loved my servant and my horse all my life. I have employed them for a long time and they suit me well. If I die, they should follow me to the other world. Otherwise, no one will employ them." When he died, his family members held a sandbag on his servant until he died. The horse had not yet been killed.

Four days after his death the servant revived and said, "I fell unconscious and suddenly arrived at the gate of a government office, where a guard stopped me. I spent a night at the gate. The next morning I saw my deceased master. He was in chains, guarded by soldiers, and was taken into the government office. [My master] saw me and said, 'I thought that the dead could employ their servants. Therefore, I expressed my dying wish and summoned you. Everyone now suffers hardships, and they all have nothing to do with the situation. I must tell the officials to allow you to go back now.' After saying this, he went back into [the office]. I stole a glance from outside the barrier and saw that an official asked a guard, 'How much fat [from human bodies] did you get by pressing him yesterday?' [The guard] answered, 'We got eight dou.' The official said, 'You should further press him and take one hu and six dou more.' My master was then dragged out and could not speak.106 "The next morning my master came out again, looking happy, and said to me, 'Now I must speak for your sake.' He went back into [the office] again. The official asked [a guard] if he had obtained more fat [from my master]. [The guard] replied [to the official] that he had not. The official asked why 578a

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not. The chief guard answered, 'Three days have passed since this person died. His family members invited monks and set up a purification assembly for him. Every time we hear the voices chanting a sutra and hymns, the iron beams [of our building] break. Therefore, we were not able to obtain it.' The official said, 'Just let him go!' My master accordingly addressed the official and begged him to release me.107 [The official] immediately called and released me. Together my master and I went out of the gate. My master asked me to give his wife and children a message: 'Due to your meritorious acts to increase my merit, I could escape from great suffering. However, I have not yet been liberated. You can copy a sutra and make [Buddhist] images in order to relieve each other and I hope that in the future we will be able to avoid [suffering]. From now on, do not conduct the service of offering sacrifices at all. You cannot eat [living beings]. These acts increase my sins.' After saying this, [my master] parted from me."

The servant then revived and related all this. Accordingly, the family set up a purification assembly that day and performed meritorious acts to increase the merit of the deceased master, and all the clan members trained themselves [in the Buddhist Way].

This testimony is found in the Mingbao shiyiji (Gleanings of Anecdotes of Rewards and Retributions from the Unseen World).

[Ren Yifang, a Prefect of the Tang Dynasty]

Ren Yifang from Lean (present-day Shandong province), the Prefect of Guazhou (present-day Zhejiang province) of the Tang dynasty, died during the Wude era (618-626). Several days later he revived and said, "I was granted an audience by King Yama. The king ordered his men to show me the hell place. It was no different from what is described in Buddhist scriptures." He further said, "It was under the ground where both day and night were dim, just like traveling in fog."

At that time, since there was slightly warm vapor on Yifang's heart, his family asked monks to chant a sutra while circimambulating around him. Yifang then heard a voice chanting hymns from under the ground. King [Yama] inspected his case and said to an officer, "He died before his time. Why did you wrongly follow him?" So they released [Yifang] and ordered him to go home. Yifang went out and passed three checkpoints. All the officers 118

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at the checkpoints were asleep. An escort said to him, "Just follow the chanting of hymns! You must immediately go to your house." He saw a large hole on a road and tried to jump over it but fell into it. He immediately got up. Ren Yifang composed a discourse on hell and drew an illustration of the configuration of the hells. With all the emoluments he earned, he created sutras and [Buddhist] images. He once wrote out more than a thousand copies of the Diamond Sutra (Jingang boruo boluomi jing; Skt. Vajracchedikā-prajñāpāramitā). He personally related this story. This testimony is found in the Mingbao shiyiji (Gleanings of Anecdotes of Rewards and Retributions from the Unseen World).

[End of] Fascicle Thirty-six of A Forest of Pearls

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Chapter Thirty-five

Respecting Stupas

(Part One)

This chapter consists of six sections: (1) Explanation of the Intention, (2) Quoted Testimonies, (3) Construction, (4) Gratitude for Merit, (5) Circumambulation, and (6) Old Stupas. 1. Explanation of the Intention

I humbly think as follows: When the Tathāgata manifests himself corresponding [to the needs of sentient beings], his wonderful form is seen in the trichiliocosm. The Buddha of right, perfect enlightenment usually conceals his bright form. His remains were transmitted in eighty thousand [parts] and stupas arose in those places [where his relics were placed]. His trace remains on Vulture Peak. In a stone cave there is a piece of sandalwood engraved [with his image]; he is wearing a robe and his form is cast in metal and encased with jade. There are sites where his body and [the relics of] his cremated body [are placed]. The wonderful experience of gathering at a stupa and the experience of brightness amid heavy darkness are meritorious aids to sentient beings. He causes evil people to enter into faith through his outstanding voice, which is everlastingly beautiful. [The act of erecting a stupa for the Buddha] began in the early days of King Aśoka and was widely disseminated by the beginning of the Great Tang dynasty. It spontaneously flourishes throughout the ages. The ways of the Buddha's edification are numerous; therefore, sutras say, "The true Dharma abides. The true Dharma is extinguished."108 This is the meaning. 2. Quoted Testimonies

Just as the Guanfo sanmei[hai] jing (T. 643) says:109

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI The stone chamber where the Buddha left his shadow is located beside Poisonous Dragon Pond (Dulong chi) in Nagarahāra. The Buddha sat in the stone chamber with a dragon. In the cave [the Buddha] performed eighteen transformations for the dragon and he jumped into a stone, which became like a bright mirror. He stayed inside the stone and externally reflected and revealed himself. When people view it from a distance, they see [the Buddha's shadow], but when they come close the shadow cannot be seen. A hundred and one thousand heavenly beings make offerings to [the Buddha's shadow]. The Buddha's shadow also expounds the Dharma. Even now [the shadow in this cave] remains; it waits for Maitreya to descend.

The Daji jing says:110

In Zhaoming ("Lighting") Garden east of the city in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven there is a stupa containing the Buddha's hair. In Luse ("Deer's Roughness") Garden south of the city there is a stupa containing the Buddha's robe. In Huanxi ("Happy") Garden west of the city there is a stupa containing the Buddha's bowl. In Jiayu ("To Exercise Control") Garden north of the city there is a stupa containing the Buddha's teeth.

The [Da] zhidu lun also says:111

Śakra-devendra took the Bodhisattva's hair and robe. Outside of the east gate of the city of heaven he erected stupas, one for the Buddha's hair and another for the Buddha's robe.

Furthermore, the [A]yuwang zhuan (T. 2042; Biography of King Aśoka) says:112

King [Aśoka] attained faith. He asked a Buddhist, "I formerly destroyed lives. I did not necessarily do so for logical reasons. What good acts should I do to avoid misfortune due to these past acts?" [The Buddhist] answered, "You need only erect a stupa, make an offering to the sangha, pardon all convicts, and aid the distressed."

Therefore, the Piyu jing says:113

In the royal palace [the king] always offered the four requisites [for monks] 122

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to twenty thousand śramaṇas. He devoted all his energies to fully worshiping [śramaṇas]. It is impossible to explain it in detail. The king asked, "Where should I erect a stupa?" Using supernatural power, a Buddhist [monk] covered up [the sun] with his left hand. The sunlight scattered and shined Jambudvīpa, making eighty-four thousand paths. [The monk said:] "In all places where the sunlight shines you should erect a stupa." These are the stupas that remain today. At that time, the king wished to erect stupas for relics. Leading four troops of soldiers, he came to Rājagṛha. He took relics from the Buddhist stupa built by King Ajātaśatru and restored the stupa there to its former condition. He then took relics from the stupas of the [past] seven buddhas and went to Rāma village.114

All the dragon kings led the king into the dragon palace. The king asked the dragons for relics in order to make an offering; the dragons divided the relics they possessed and gave them [to the king]. The king then made eighty-four thousand boxes of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal, and put the relics of the Buddha in them. He further made eightyfour thousand precious vases to contain these boxes. He also made an incalculable number of streamers and canopies and caused all spiritual beings to take up an instrument used for making offerings to the relics. He issued an imperial edict to all spiritual beings: "All the people of one hundred million households in any town or village, even as far as the coastal areas, shall erect a stupa in Jambudvīpa for the sake of the Worldhonored One!" At that time there was a kingdom called Takṣaśīla, which had thirtysix hundred million households. The people of that kingdom said to the spiritual beings, "You can give us thirty-six boxes of the relics. We will build Buddhist stupas."

King [Aśoka] made an exception: A country with a small population could share the relics with him, and he would command [the countries that] had many households to build stupas.

In the town of Pāṭaliputra there was a senior monk (Skt. bhadanta) called Yaśa. King [Aśoka] went to the senior monk's place and said to him, "I would like to erect eighty-four thousand Buddhist stupas in one day all over this Jambudvīpa. This is the vow I have in mind." The senior 123

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monk said to [the king], "Good, great king! Set the time! Fifteen days from now when the moon is totally eclipsed,115 [the people] will simultaneously build the Buddhist stupas in this Jambudvīpa!" The king relied on the plan and, as a result, eighty-four thousand stupas were erected in one day. The people of the world rejoiced without limit. They called [these stupas] King Aśoka's stupas.

Moreover, the Da Ayuwang jing (Sutra on Great King Aśoka) says:116 Eight kingdoms shared the relics among them. King Ajātaśatru counted his share and found he had eighty-four thousand pieces. Also, he separately obtained the Buddha's moustache. On his way back to his kingdom he met the dragon king Nandopananda, who asked him for a share of the relics. When King Ajātaśatru refused, [Nandopananda] said, "I am a dragon king. I have the power to destroy your land." King Ajātaśatru was frightened and immediately gave the Buddha's moustache to [Nandopananda]. The dragon returned to the foot of Mount Sumeru, raised the water to a height of eighty-four thousand li, and erected a crystal stupa underneath it. King Ajātaśatru could then return to his kingdom. He put the relics in a purplish-gold box and made a lamp whose light would last one thousand years. He placed a stupa in the great Ganges River and placed [the relics and the lamp in the stupa]. Later, King Aśoka obtained that land. King [Aśoka] took a wife, who was eight chi tall and whose hair was as long as [her height]. She possessed all the marks of physical excellence. The king had a physiognomist inspect her. The physiognomist said, "She will give birth to a golden-colored child for the king." The king immediately appointed her as his second wife and later she became pregnant. When the full ten months of her pregnancy had passed, the king had to depart for some reason. The king's first wife was jealous of [the second wife's pregnancy] and plotted to take both [the second wife and the child] away. [The king's first wife] called for a mother pig that was about to give birth. She said to the second wife, "You are young and this is your first childbirth. You should not expose yourself to it, look at the sky instead." [The first wife then] covered [the second wife's] face with a coverlet. [The second wife] gave birth to a golden-colored boy, whose light shone on the imperial court. [The first wife] made off with the newborn 124

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and killed him. She then put the newborn baby pig by the side of [the second wife] and reviled her, "You said you will give birth to a golden-colored child for the king. Why did you give birth to a pig?" She then struck [the second wife] on the head with a wheel, imprisoned her in the back garden, and ordered her to work in the vegetable garden. When the king returned, he was not happy to hear [about these events].

After a long time, the king went out and walked in the garden. He saw [his second wife] and remembered her. He took her back to the palace and finally she could be close to [the king] again. When she explained the situation in detail, the king was surprised to hear her story and he immediately had all his numerous other wives put to death. King Aśoka later built a prison outside the city to punish various criminals. The Buddha was aware that the king had killed all his wives and would therefore fall into hell, [so he] sent Xiaosan117 Bhikṣu to edify the king. The king subsequently awakened aspiration for faith and enlightenment and asked the bhikṣu, "I killed my numerous wives. Can I expiate the sin of this?" The Buddhist monk replied, "If you build a stupa for each of them and put a piece of the relics under each stupa, you will be exonerated from the charge." The king promptly sought for King Ajātaśatru's relics. The prime minister's father was one hundred and twenty years old. Leading five hundred people, he took the original relics. The king was very happy to obtain them and distributed them to spiritual beings. Each of [the spiritual beings] returned to their place of duty. They were ordered to install eighty-four thousand poles [for stupas] at the same time on the same day. They said, "Since we are separated by many mountain barriers, we cannot communicate with each other." The king said, "Return to your places, prepare wooden trays [for offerings], guard the poles, and put bells on [the poles]. I will cause asuras to touch the sun lightly with their hands. The continents around Mount Sumeru will quake at the same time. [In that way, you will know when to install the poles.]"

Moreover, the Ayu jing (Sutra of Aśoka) says:118

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Before the streamers were hung, the king collapsed; six days had passed since the completion of the stupas. The king invited monks to a garden in order to make an offering.

Upagupta Arhat lived at that time. Leading eighteen thousand arhats, he complied with the king's invitation. Venerable Upagupta had regular features and a lithe body, while the king had an ugly body and rough skin. The Venerable spoke in verse:

When I practice almsgiving,

I give good belongings with the pure mind.

It is not like the king's practice of almsgiving.

[The king] gave sand to the Buddha.

The king told the ranking officials, "I gave sand to the Buddha and received this retribution. Why did I not cultivate respect for the Worldhonored One?" The king later visited the places of the Buddha's disciples such as Kāśyapa and Ānanda. There were stupas of the Buddha's disciples when he resided in the world. [The king] personally visited the stupa sites and fully expressed his sadness.

Reproaching himself, he cultivated respect, made various offerings to each [of the stupas], and also built larger stupas. Donating one hundred thousand tael of jewelry and valuables, he made an offering to each of these stupas.

Then he came to Dvākura's stupa, to which he naturally wished to make an offering. The king asked, "What merit did he have?" Venerable Upagupta replied, "He was the greatest in health. For this reason, he did not expound even a single sentence of the Dharma for the people. He was quiet and silent." The king said, "I will offer a qian (one tenth of a tael) to it." All his vassals said to the king, "[Dvākura's] merit is equal [to that of other disciples of the Buddha]. Why do you offer only a qian to this [stupa]?" The king told them, "Listen to these verses!" Even though he removed stupidities due to spiritual ignorance And could examine and study with wisdom,

Even though Dvākura is famous,119

How beneficial was he in the world?

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On that occasion, a qian [donated by the king] was returned to the king's palace. A group of ranking officials saw this unusual incident and praised him (i.e., Dvākura) with one voice, saying "Alas! The venerable one is content with being free from avarice. As a result, he does not accept even a qian."

The king continually made offerings to the bodhi tree. His wife Tiṣyārakṣitā thought, "The king is exceedingly attached to me and I also think fondly of him. The king has now deserted me and gone to the place of the bodhi tree with jewelry and valuables. I will kill the tree; if I cause the tree to die, the king will not be able to go there and instead he will come to have pleasure with me." The wife promptly sent a man to pour hot milk on [the tree] and the tree withered and dropped its leaves. When the king heard this news, he was puzzled and agonized, and collapsed to the ground. When his wife saw that the king was sad and unhappy, she said, "I must cheer you, the king."120 [The king replied,] "If I do not have that tree, my life does not exist, either. The Tathāgata attained the [Buddhist] Way under that tree. That tree is already gone. Why should I live?" [The wife] then poured cold milk on [the tree] and it regenerated. The king rejoiced to hear this, went under the tree, and did not take his eyes off it for a while. He poured one thousand jars of fragrant warm water on the tree. [The tree] doubled in strength and beauty, and grew luxuriantly. Afterward, the king purified his body and mind. Holding an incense burner, he ascended to a sanctuary, bowed toward the west, and prayed silently. He said, "The Tathāgata, sages, and their disciples who exist in all directions have shown compassion for me. Therefore, please accept my offerings!" When the king said this, three hundred thousand bhikṣus gathered. Among their attendants, one hundred thousand were arhats and two hundred thousand were students and ordinary people along with court ladies, the crown prince, and the entire body of ministers. The merit made by the king was immeasurable; it is impossible to adequately explain it. Furthermore, the Za ahan jing (T. 99) says:121

King Aśoka asked the bhikṣus, "Who can perform great almsgiving in the Buddhist Dharma?" All the bhikṣus replied, "The wealthy man who gives alms to solitaries (Skt. Anāthapiṇḍada; i.e., Sudatta in Śrāvasti) performed 579c

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the greatest almsgiving." The king asked, "How much did he give?" The bhikṣus answered, "He donated one hundred billion catties of gold." The king thought, "That wealthy man could afford to donate one hundred billion catties of gold. I am now a king. Why could I not give [more than] one hundred billion catties of gold? I must donate ten trillion catties of gold." He used all of his private wealth. In Jambudvīpa his wives, court ladies, the crown prince, and ranking officials all donated to the sangha. Later, items valued at four billion catties of gold [donated by his wives and others] were bought back [by the king]. In this way it was calculated that [the king] donated a total of nine trillion six hundred billion catties of gold. Later, when the king became seriously ill, he immediately knew that his life was about to end. "I have always prayed to make merit by [donating] ten trillion catties of gold. At present my prayer cannot be fulfilled. So, I will do it in the future life." [The total he had donated] was only four hundred billion catties of gold short of the full amount.122 The king immediately prepared all the jewelry and valuables he possessed and gave them to Kurkuṭārāma Monastery. He additionally presented half of an āmalaka fruit (Indian gooseberry) to the sangha. He worshiped the monks, bowing his head to their feet, and asked the great sages. "I am the leader of Jambudvīpa. It is my possession, but my life is now abruptly coming to an end, and I cannot act freely. Have pity for me, accept this half of a fruit, and cause me to attain merit." The senior monk Yaśa had [the sangha] grind up the fruit, add it to the thick juice of pomegranates, and pass it out to everyone in [the sangha].

The king again asked a vassal near him, "Who is the ruler of Jambudvīpa?" All the vassals replied, "O great king, you are!" Then the king got out of his bed and sat down. He looked in all four directions and bowed, with palms joined. Recollecting all the buddhas' merits, he prayed, "I now further donate this Jambudvīpa to the Three Treasures." At that moment, the king wrote his vow on paper, put it in an envelope, and sealed it with his tooth mark. After doing these things, he died. The crown prince and all the people made various offerings to him and attended his funeral. In accordance with the king's law, he was cremated.

The Fayi jing (Sutra of Kuṇāla) further says:123

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"Currently this great earth belongs to the Three Treasures. How can we make the crown prince our king?" On hearing this, all the vassals conferred, gathered four hundred million catties of gold, and gave it to the monastery. In this way, they bought back the [great] earth.

Moreover, the Shanjian lun (T. 1462) says, "King Aśoka erected eightyfour thousand treasure stupas with nine billion six thousand million gold coins. Further, he made various great donations."

3. Construction

I will explain this. The sutras and discourses cited above were set up for a certain reason. We already know why, but we have not yet fully discerned the significance of stupas and how many types there are. Do those who make stupas understand them thoroughly?

Answer: "Since Sanskrit and the Chinese language differ from each other, the original composition often becomes better or worse after translation. What is called [in Chinese] ta ("stupa"), or in some cases tapo, is called fangfen ("rectangular tomb") here. Some people call it zhiti (Skt. caitya),124 which is translated as the place where one destroys evils and gives rise to wholesomeness. In some cases, it is called dousoubo, which is huzan ("protection and praise") in this [country]. If it is something that people praise, admire, and protect, its correct pronunciation in the western Indian language is "stupa" (sudubo), called miao ("mausoleum") in this land. The term maio means mao ("tomb"). It is a shrine for the spirit of the dead. "There are three purposes for building a stupa. The first is to indicate that the enshrined one is distinctive. The second is to cause others to have faith. The third is to repay the kindness [of the enshrined one]. In this way ordinary people and bhikṣus who are renowned for their virtues can have a stupa built for them, but the other purposes are unsuitable. "If you erect a caitya, there are four kinds of places for it. The first is the [Buddha's] birthplace; the second is the place where he attained the [Buddhist] Way; the third is the place where he turned the Dharma wheel; and the last is the place where he entered nirvana. In all the buddhas' birthplaces and the where they attained the [Buddhist] Way, these two kinds of places, there are definitely caityas. The birthplace is certainly under 129

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an ashuke (Skt. aśoka) tree. This tree is also called wuyou shu ("tree free from anxiety"). This is the place where Lady [Māyā] gave birth to Crown Prince [Siddhārtha]; accordingly, this tree is designated as the caitya of the birthplace. The Tathāgata attained the [Buddhist] Way when he sat under the bodhi tree; accordingly, the place under this tree is called the caitya for the attainment of the [Buddhist] Way. In the places where the Tathāgata turned the Dharma wheel and where he entered nirvana, there is no specific [tree narking the place]. He turned the Dharma wheel for the first time for the sake of five bhikṣus in Deer Park. [The caitya there] is twenty-five xun tall and wide, respectively. One xun is eight chi. The ancient people had tall bodies—one xun or eight chi. Therefore, [twenty-five xun] is equivalent to twenty zhang.

"Today the people of India erect many [caityas] for turning the Dharma wheel in various places. They identify a good place, refer to this measurement, erect three pillars, and place three wheels. It shows that in former times the Buddha expounded [the four noble truths in twelve applications] in the three turnings of the Dharma wheel. Namely, such places are called caityas for turning the Dharma wheel.

"In the place where the Tathāgata entered nirvana, relics are placed. This is accordingly called the caitya for nirvana. At present a monastery called Nirvana Temple stands there. These are fixed [caityas]. If, on the basis of relics, stupas are erected in various places, they are not fixed [caityas]. These four types [of caityas at the Buddha's birthplace and the places where he attained the Buddhist Way, turned the Dharma wheel, and entered nirvana] are also called stupas."

Furthermore, the [Apitan] piposha lun (T. 1546; Skt. Abhidharmamahā vi bhāsā) says: Suppose a person erects a large stupa in the Tathāgata's birthplace or at the place where he turned the Dharma wheel, and someone else takes a pebble and makes a stupa with it—the [second person] has the same merit as the one who built the large stupa. This is because what both do is [equally] honorable. If, for the sake of the Tathāgata, the King of Mahābrahman Heaven builds either a large or a small stupa—since the act is the same, his merit is immeasurable.

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The [Chang] ahan jing also says:

There are four types of people for whom a stupa should be erected. The first is the Tathāgata; the second is the pratyekabuddha; the third is the śrāvaka; and the last is the wheel-turning noble king. Also, the Shier yinyuan jing (Sutra On Twelve Causes and Conditions) says:125

There are eight kinds of people for whom a stupa can be erected. The first is the Tathāgata; the second is bodhisattva; the third is pratyekabuddha; the fourth is arhat; the fifth is those who attained the anāgāmi-phala; the sixth is those who attained the sakṛdāgāmi-phala; the seventh is those who attained the srota-āpatti-phala; and the last is the wheel-turning noble king. If a stupa is built for a wheel-turning noble king and people below him, place a single dew basin (i.e., the base of the top section of a stupa). Those who see it cannot worship it because it is not a stupa for a sage. Place two dew basins for a stupa for those who attained the srotaāpatti-phala. Place eight dew basins for a stupa for the Tathāgata. Place eight or more dew basins for all buddhas' stupas.

Also, the [Mohe] Sengqilü says:

When a Buddhist monastery is built, measure out a good site for a stupa. [The stupa] cannot be in the south or the west; it must be in the east or the north. The ground for the Buddha and that for monks should not overlap. The resident monks' quarters should be built in the west or the south. A Buddhist stupa should be built in a prominent and high place. In the courtyard of the stupa, you must not wash dirty things, dry wet clothes, or spit on the ground. You can create niches on the four sides of the Buddhist stupa. Make [images of] lions, birds, and beasts and various multicolored paintings. Inside [of the niches] hang streamers and a canopy. You can create gardens and groves and plant flowers and fruits around the four sides of a Buddhist stupa. Flowers produced in these places should be offered to the stupa.

If a donor (Skt. dānapati) plants a tree and says, "Flowers produced in this tree will be offered to the Buddha and fruits will be given to the 131

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI monks to eat," it is [just as] the Buddha said, "You should follow the donor's words." If there are many flowers, you can give them to a garland-maker (Skt. mālākāra) and say, "Make a garland with some flowers and give it to me. If there are still some flowers left over, tell me their value." When you learn the price, you will be able to use that to make lamps and buy incense to offer to the Buddha. At the same time, you will be able to manage the stupa. If the value is great, you will be able to donate it to the Buddha's inexhaustible treasury (wujin wu). If someone says, "The Buddha does not have avarice, anger, and stupidity, yet he adorns himself with these flowers and fruits and enjoys pleasures," that person will be punished; the retribution is serious.

The Buddha said, "You are also able to make a caitya." That which contains relics is called a stupa, while that which does not contain relics is called a caitya. Just like the Buddha's birthplace, the place where he attained the [Buddhist] Way, the place where he turned the Dharma wheel, the place where he entered nirvana, [the cave of] the Bodhisattva image, [the cave of] the pratyekabuddha, and the site of the Buddha's footprints— these various caityas can be adorned with a Buddhist canopy made of flowers (Skt. puṣpacchatra) and [implements used for] making offerings. At the time of offering, the upper and middle classes of people make offerings to Buddhist stupas and the lowest class of people make offerings to caityas.

If wind and rain suddenly come and the implements for offerings need to be stored away, whoever is closest should do so. You cannot refuse, saying, "I am a senior monk," or "I am a wandering ascetic (Skt. araṇya)," "an almsbegging monk," or "the Great Virtue." [Those who make such an excuse] will be punished for violation of the Vinaya. Should a thief suddenly come to take the belongings of the stupa and sangha and you cannot hide [the items], you should adorn all the Buddha's belongings with his image. Then spread a monk's bedding with various food and drink so that the thief will see and understand the situation. If [the thief] gives rise to a merciful mind, he will ask, "Is there a bhikṣu here? Do not be afraid of me! You can come out." A young bhikṣu should go out to meet him.

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If a thief comes suddenly and if you cannot hide the belongings, you should say, "All actions are impermanent!" After saying these words, just give up [any thought of confronting the thief]! This is called the rule for difficulties.

4. Gratitude for Merit

Just as the Xiao Weicengyou jing (i.e., Weicengyou jing, T. 688; Skt. Ad bhutadharma-paryāya) says: The Buddha said to Ānanda, "If the grasses and trees that fill the four continents around Mount Sumeru become human beings and attain the four fruits of sainthood and the stage of pratyekabuddha, and if there is someone who offers the four requisites to them, supplying everything they need throughout their entire lives; who builds a stupa for each of them after they pass away; and who offers incense, flowers, streamers, and canopies [to each stupa, that person's merits are enormous.]

"Also, Śakra-devendra's great magnificent palace is built with eightyfour thousand treasure pillars, eighty-four thousand treasure windows, eighty-four thousand treasure skylights, and eighty-four thousand towers, mansions, and pavilions. When people go out to the four directions, they see that the palace is surrounded by ornaments of numerous treasures. "If there are good men and women who make ten trillion great magnificent palaces like the one described above and who offer them to monks who come from all directions, then their merit is great. [This merit is], however, not as great as that made by a person who builds a stupa with a relic as small as a mustard seed after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa. [The stupa] may be only as large as an āmalaka fruit. The pole [of the stupa] is exactly like a needle. The streamers and canopy above are [as small as] the leaves of the jujube tree. If they further make an image of the Buddha even as small as a grain of barley, the merit of this exceeds that [of the good men and women who make ten trillion great magnificent palaces] as described previously. Even if their merit is a hundred times more, it is still not as great as [this person's merit]. Even if [their merit] increases by one thousand, ten thousand, or one billion times, it is still not equal to [the merit of the person who builds a stupa], which is incalculable. 133

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"Ānanda, you must know that this is due to the Tathāgata's immeasurable merit and intention in precepts, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the wisdom of liberation (Skt. vimukti-jñāna). [In the Tathāgata's] immeasurable merit there are great supernatural powers, transformations, and the six pāramitās. He has immeasurable merit like this." Moreover, the Wushangyi jing ((Sutra on the Highest One to Rely On, T. 669) says:

Facing the Buddha, Ānanda joined the palms of his hands in worship and said, "Today I went into Rājagṛha and begged for alms. I saw that a great multistory pavilion has been newly completed. The interior and exterior [walls of the pavilion] are curved and full [of ornaments of engravings and decorated with paintings].

"Suppose some laypeople donate [pavilions like this] to the monks from all directions and prepare the four requisites for them, or a person, after the Tathāgata has passed away, takes a quantity of the relics of the Buddha as small as a mustard seed, places them in a small stupa the size of an āmalaka fruit, places a pole as tiny as a needle and a dew basin as small as a date leaf, and makes a buddha image as small as a grain of barley—which of these two, the laypeople or the person [who builds a stupa], has greater merit?" The Buddha said to Ānanda, "Suppose the four continents around Mount Sumeru are filled with sages in the stages of the four fruits of sainthood and pratyekabuddhas, and also with sugarcane, bamboo groves, reeds, sesame fields, and other things, and someone offers throughout their life the four requisites [to the sages], builds a large stupa for each of the sages after they enter nirvana, and also offers items such as lamps, incense, robes, and streamers [to the stupa]—Ānanda, what do you think? Is that person's merit great?" Ānanda replied, "Yes, it is very great, O World-honored One!"

[The Buddha continued,] "Ānanda! Furthermore, there is a stately mansion like Śakra-devendra's palace called Ever Triumph Hall (Changsheng dian), which is decorated with various treasures, eighty-four thousand of each kind [of treasure]. Suppose there are laypeople who build [stately mansions] like this Ever Triumph Hall and who give one hundred or one thousand koṭi [of mansions] to all the monks who come from all directions. 134

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Then there is a person who, after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, takes a piece of the relics [of the Buddha] as small as a mustard seed and erects a small stupa the size of an āmalaka fruit, places a pole as tiny as a needle and a dew basin as small as a date leaf, and makes a buddha image as small as a grain of barley. This person's merit surpasses those [of the people who make and give stately mansions like Ever Triumph Hall] described above. Their merits are not so much as one-hundredth, one thousand-trillionth, or even one portion of an asaṃkhya of the merit of the person [who builds a stupa]. Why? It is because of the Tathāgata's immeasurable merit. Even if this sahā world is destroyed and turns into fine dust in the end, under this circumstance, the merit of laypeople who make offerings throughout their lives to all the sages of the four fruits of sainthood and pratyekabuddhas, who erect stupas after the sages pass away, and who make offerings [to the stupas], is not as great as that of a person who takes a piece of the relics [of the Buddha] as small as a mustard seed and who does everything stated above up to making a buddha image as small as a grain of barley. [The merit of] those described above is not as much as one-hundredth or one thousand-trillionth of this person's merit. Even if only figuratively estimated, their merit will not be equal to [the latter person's merit].

"It is in this way, Ānanda, that all tathāgatas were in the stage of cultivation in ancient times. They know that the self-nature of the realm of sentient beings is clean and pure, yet [this realm] is polluted by external defilements. However, [all tathāgatas think that] external defilements should not enter the clean and pure realm of sentient beings, so they expound the profound and wondrous Dharma for all sentient beings and remove defilements and hindrances. [Sentient beings] should not give rise to a base mind. Because [tathāgatas] are broadminded, they cause all sentient beings to give rise to a respectful mind, to revere their great teachers, to awaken to prajñā, to arouse intelligence (Skt. jñāna), and to bring about great compassion. Relying on these five acts, bodhisattvas can enter the stage of nonretrogression in realizing highest, perfect enlightenment (Skt. avaivartika). This is called butui ("not falling back"). Relying on the wisdom to understand the truth as it is, they testify to a great expedient and attain highest, perfect enlightenment."

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI Furthermore, the Nirvana Sutra says:

If you offer a clean lamp to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, or even if you present a flower to them, you will be reborn in the immovable land. If you ably protect the belongings of the Buddha and the sangha, pave or clean the area occupied by the Buddha and the sangha, make a buddha image or a stupa even if only as large as your thumb, and always give rise to a joyful mind, you too will be reborn in the immovable land. This means that the Pure Land is always solemn and is never disturbed by the three calamities [caused by fire, flood, and strong wind]. Also, the [Mohe] Sengqilü says:

When the Buddha was wandering in Kośala, a brahman who cultivated land saw the World-honored One passing by. He held a stick used to drive cattle and pointed it at the ground, then bowed to the Buddha. Seeing this, the World-honored One smiled at him. All the bhikṣus said to the Buddha, "Why did you smile at him? We beg you [to tell us], we wish to hear the reason." The Buddha replied to all bhikṣus, "It is because this brahman bowed to two buddhas." The bhikṣus asked him, "Who are the two buddhas?" The Buddha replied, "He bowed to me and to Kāśyapa Buddha's stupa, which is underneath his stick." All the bhikṣus said to the Buddha, "We wish to see Kāśyapa Buddha's stupa." The Buddha told them, "You, bhikṣus! Ask this brahman for a lump of earth as well as this land!" Immediately they asked him for [a lump of earth and the land]. The brahman gave them [to the bhikṣus].

At that time, the World-honored One promptly revealed Kāśyapa Buddha's stupa of the seven treasures, which was a yojana high and half a yojana wide. After seeing it, the brahman said to the Buddha, "My family name is Kāśyapa. This is the earthen mound of my family Kāśyapa." The World-honored One immediately raised Kāśyapa Buddha's stupa there. All the bhikṣus asked the Buddha, "Can we offer soil to it?" The Buddha replied, "Yes, you can," and then said in verse:

Holding one hundred thousand dan126 of pure gold

And practicing a donation with it is

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Not as good as offering a lump of soil To respectfully repair a Buddhist stupa. At that time, the World-honored One paid his respects to the past buddha [Kāśyapa], bowing to him. All the bhikṣus also bowed to [the past buddha]. The Buddha said in verse:

If someone holds one hundred thousand [dan] of gold And makes a donation with it, this is Not as good as with a wholesome mind Bowing to a Buddhist stupa with respect. At that time, the bhikṣus offered incense and flowers to the World-honored One. Since [the World-honored One] respected the past buddha, he offered [the incense and flowers] to the stupa, and then said in verse: Possessing pure gold [enough to fill] one hundred thousand vehicles And making a donation of it is Not as good as with a wholesome mind Offering incense and flowers to a stupa. At that time people gathered in crowds. The Buddha said to Śāriputra, "You should expound the Dharma for all the people!" The Buddha said in verse:

A donation of pure gold that fills One hundred thousand Jambudvīpas is Not as good as expounding the Dharma And causing [people] to practice, following it devotedly. At that time some people attained the [Buddhist] Way in the assembly. The Buddha said in verse:

A donation of pure gold that fills One hundred thousand worlds is Not as good as expounding the Dharma And [causing people] to see the ultimate truth, following it devotedly. What is more, the Faju piyu jing (T. 211) says: 137

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI In the past, when the Buddha resided in the world, he sent an arhat called Sumana, carrying the Buddha's hair and nails, to the southern part of Kaśmīra and there he built a Buddhist stupa on a mountain. In a monastery there were five hundred arhats. Every morning and evening they burned incense, circumabulated the stupa, and worshiped it. At that time five hundred rhesus monkeys lived on the mountain. They saw the monks circumambulating the stupa, worshiping it, and making offerings to it. Seeing this, [the monkeys] carried rocks on their backs and, imitating the monks, they made a stupa, circled it, and worshiped it. Then it rained and the mountain's rivers and waterfalls flooded and raged. The five hundred rhesus monkeys died and were reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, where the seven-treasure palace is boundlessly lofty and food and clothing are spontaneously provided. All of them were happy without limit and were able to be reborn in heaven. Each of them thought, "By what condition were we able to be reborn here?" They accordingly saw through heavenly eyes that in their former lives they were rhesus monkeys and had playfully made a stupa by copying the sangha members; they had been tossed about in a mountain river and died, and then were reborn here. At that point, they made a procession, holding incense and flowers, came down from heaven, and made an offering to the corpses [of the rhesus monkeys who had died]. On their way back they visited the Buddha's place. They worshiped him and asked questions. When the Buddha expounded the Dharma for them, the five hundred heavenly beings instantly attained the srota-āpatti-phala. After their attainment of fruition, they returned to heaven.

Although the rhesus monkeys only playfully made a stupa by copying from the monks, they still attained a meritorious reward, which was lofty in this way. How much more lofty would it be if someone makes a stupa with faith? How could there be no reward?

Also, the Piyu jing says:127

In the past, after the Buddha entered nirvana, there was a wealthy lay believer (Skt. kulapati) in King Aśoka's kingdom. That man's merit was rare in the world. If he wished for something he needed, it promptly appeared in response to his thought.

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His house was made of the seven treasures. In the chambers were women who were matchlessly well-featured, who entertained him day and night and his pleasure was without limit. This man was faithful and continually made offerings to more than twenty thousand monks. King Aśoka heard about this man and summoned him. [The king] said to him, "I have heard that you are a man of great wealth. What do you possess?" [The wealthy lay believer] replied to the king, "In my house there is nothing at all." The king did not believe this and dispatched someone to examine it. When the messenger came to [the wealthy lay believer's house], he saw only a gate, a small side door, and a seven-story house. [The house of] the seven treasures was elegant and limitlessly majestic. The messenger went into the rooms but he did not see anything except for the women who were matchlessly well-featured. The messenger promptly returned and fully reported this to the king, who eventually understood. At that time, after knowing that the king understood, the wealthy lay believer pointed to the east with his finger before the king. Immediately the seven treasures fell from the air without limit. When he pointed to the other three directions, it was also like this. On seeing this, the king recognized that this due to his great merit. The king promptly went to a monastery and asked about this matter. In the monastery there was a senior monk who had attained arhatship, the three transcendental knowledges, and the six supernatural powers. The king asked the senior monk, "What merit did this wealthy lay believer plant in his former existences? What he needs promptly appears spontaneously in response to his thought." The senior monk replied, "In the past, ninety-one kalpas ago, after Vipaśyin Buddha entered nirvana, this lay believer made a stupa along with four other people. He was careful and eager from beginning to end. After completing the stupa, he took the seven treasures and good flowers to the top of the stupa and scattered them down on all sides in order to make an offering to [the stupa]. He vowed: 'If I spontaneously have food and good fortune generation after generation without cessation, it is due to this merit.' "For ninety-one kalpas he will not fall into the evil realms, and in heaven and in the realm of human beings he immediately has provisions 139

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and good fortune. He is boundlessly happy. However, at the time of his vow, he prayed that provisions and good fortune would be boundless, but he did not pray for liberation. Therefore, until now he has been receiving only distinctive good fortune but he has not yet attained the srota-āpatti-phala." The Dabei jing further says:

The Buddha said Ānanda, "If a person enjoys a reward and wishes for it to exist in the three realms of existence, practices almsgiving and all other good acts for the Buddha's field of merit, and prays, 'I will not enter nirvana generation after generation,' then supposedly they will not enter nirvana for these good acts. However, this situation never happens. Even though this person does not wish to enter nirvana, they still practice all good acts in the Buddha's place. I say that they will definitely enter nirvana." Furthermore, the [Zhuanji] baiyuan jing says:

Formerly, when the Buddha resided in the world, there was a wealthy man in Śrāvastī. His family possessed immeasurable and incalculable wealth. [His wife] gave birth to a boy who had regular features and was extremely wonderful and rare in the world. The boy held a gold coin in each of his hands. After [the gold coins] were taken away, more gold coins appeared; this never ended. His parents were happy about this and accordingly, they established a pseudonym for him; he was called Hiraṇyapāṇi.128 The boy eventually grew up, had benevolence and filial piety, and was fond of giving alms to others. If anyone begged alms from him, he extended both hands, produced a large sum of gold coins, and gave them to [that person].

Later, together with various people he departed the city for sightseeing and came to Jeta Grove Monastery. He saw the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks of physical excellence of the Buddha and felt happy. He worshiped the Buddha by bowing his head to the Buddha's feet, and then said to the Buddha and the bhikṣu sangha, "May I beseech you to accept my offering?" Ānanda told him, "If you provide an offering, you must do so by means of money." So Hiraṇyapāṇi immediately stretched out both arms and gold coins fell down like rain. The coins instantly covered the ground, and piled up to a height greater than that of a person. The Buddha 140

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ordered Ānanda, "You should manage his offering [and prepare meals for the Buddha and the sangha]."

After the meal, the Buddha expounded the Dharma for [Hiraṇyapāṇi], who attained the srota-āpatti-phala. He returned home, said goodbye to his parents, and asked [the Buddha] to allow him to renounce the world. He did so and attained the fruit of arhatship.

On seeing this, Ānanda addressed the Buddha, "What merit did Hiraṇyapāṇi plant in his former existence to be reborn in a powerful family, to produce gold coins from his hands endlessly even if they are taken away, and furthermore to meet the World-honored One, renounce the world, and attain the [Buddhist] Way?" The Buddha said to Ānanda, "In the past, after Kāśyapa Buddha entered nirvana, King Kṛkin collected the relics [of Kāśyapa Buddha] and made a stupa of four treasures. There was a wealthy man who saw the central pillar of the stupa and experienced the joy that follows the act of seeing something good. He had a gold coin and placed it under the stupa, made a vow, and left. Due to this merit, he did not fall into evil realms. In heaven and in the realm of human beings he always had gold coins and received bliss. He has now met me, renounced the world, and attained the [Buddhist] Way." The [Zhuanji] baiyuan jing further says:

When the Buddha resided in the world, there was a wealthy man in Kapilavastu who had an immeasurable mass of treasure. His wife became pregnant and gave birth to a boy who had regular features and was rare in the world. Further, when he was reborn, he spontaneously had a canopy of maṇi treasure gems over the top of his head. [The canopy] covered the entire city and his parents were happy about this. Accordingly, they established a pseudonym for him; he was called Padmākṣa.129 He eventually grew up, met the Buddha, renounced the world, and attained the fruit of arhatship.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, "In the past, ninety-one kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world called Vipaśyin. After he left [the transmigration of birth and death] and entered nirvana, there was a king called Bandhumatā. [The king] collected the relics [of Vipaśyin Buddha], built a stupa of four treasures a yojana in height, and made an offering to it. At that time, there 582b

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was a merchant who traveled by sea to collect treasures, and then peacefully returned. He covered the top of the stupa with maṇi gems, made a vow, and left. For this merit, he did not fall into evil realms for ninety-one kalpas. In heaven and in the realm of human beings he always had a treasure canopy. He was reborn together with it. He was then able to meet me, renounce the world, and attain the [Buddhist] Way."

[All the bhikṣus] heard what the Buddha said and rejoiced. They upheld and practiced the teaching.

Again, the [Zhuanji] baiyuan jing says:

When the Buddha resided in the world, there was a wealthy man in Kapilavastu who had an immeasurable and incalculable trove of treasure. His wife gave birth to a boy who had regular features and was extremely wonderful and rare in the world. He spontaneously had a maṇi gem on his head. Accordingly, his parents established a pseudonym for him; he was called Sūrya.130 He eventually grew up, met the Buddha, renounced the world, and attained the fruit of arhatship.

[Sūrya] entered a city and begged for alms. At that time, the [maṇi] treasure gem was on his head. The people in the city wondered about the reason for this and rushed to see it. [Sūrya] felt deeply ashamed of it and returned to the place where he stayed. He said to [the Buddha], "O Worldhonored One! I have this treasure gem on my head and I cannot make it go away. Now when I beg for alms, people laugh at me. I beg you, O Buddha, World-honored One, to take this gem away from me." The Buddha said to [Sūrya] Bhikṣu, "You, simply say to the gem, 'My fate has already come to an end. I do not need you anymore.' Speak in this way three times and the gem will spontaneously go away." The bhikṣu received the teaching. [He spoke to the gem three times] and it disappeared. Then all the bhikṣus asked the Buddha to explain to them [Sūrya Bhikṣu's] karma from his former existence and the cause and condition for [his situation]. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, "In the past, ninetyone kalpas ago, a buddha appeared in the world, called Vipaśyin. After he entered nirvana, the king of that time, called Bandhumatā, collected the relics [of Vipaśyin Buddha], built a stupa of four treasures a yojana in height, and made an offering to it. The crown prince of that country 142

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entered the stupa and worshiped.131 He held a maṇi gem and placed it on top of a pillar, made a vow, and left. For this merit, he did not fall into the three evil realms for ninety-one kalpas. In heaven and in the realm of human beings he always had a treasure gem on top of his head and received heavenly bliss. He then met the Buddha, renounced the world, and attained the fruit of arhatship."

On hearing this, the bhikṣus rejoiced. They upheld and practiced the teaching.

5. Circumambulation

Just as the Pusa benxing jing says:

Formerly, when the Buddha resided in the world, the Buddha and Ānanda went into Śrāvastī on almsrounds. In that city there was a brahman who came from outside the city. He saw that the Buddha was departing the city, and his glorious appearance was majestic. The brahman greatly rejoiced, circumambulated the Buddha once, bowed to him, and left. The Buddha then smiled and said to Ānanda, "This brahman was delighted to see the Buddha. He circumambulated the Buddha once with a pure mind. Because of this merit, for twenty-five kalpas he will not fall into the evil realms, and in heaven and in the realm of human beings he will be boundlessly happy. After twenty-five kalpas, he will become a pratyekabuddha called Dakṣiṇāgiri.132 For this reason, if a person circumambulates the Buddha or a Buddhist stupa, he will attain immeasurable merits in his place of rebirth."

Furthermore, the Tiwei jing (Sutra on Trapuṣa [and Bhallika]) says:133 The wealthy man Trapuṣa said to the Buddha, "Scattering flowers, burning incense, lighting lamps, and worshiping are ways of making offerings. What merit can we attain by circumambulating a stupa?" The Buddha replied, "Regarding circumambulating a stupa, there are five merits. First, you will obtain well-featured good looks in your future existence. Second, you will obtain a good voice. Third, you will be able to be reborn in heaven. Fourth, you will be able to be reborn in a noble family. Fifth, you will attain the path to nirvana."

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume VI [Trapuṣa asked,] "By what cause and condition do we obtain well-featured good looks?" [The Buddha said,] "It is caused by rejoicing to see a buddha image." "By what condition do we obtain a good voice?" "It is due to going around a stupa and explaining a sutra." "By what condition are we able to be reborn in heaven?" "It is caused by not violating the precepts in your intentions while circumambulating a stupa." "By what condition are we able to be reborn in a noble family?" "It is due to worshiping the Buddha, bowing your head to his feet." "By what condition do we attain the path to nirvana?" "It is caused by having extra merit." The Buddha said, "As for circumambulating a stupa, there are three rules. First, you must be mindful of raising your foot when you raise your foot. Second, you must be mindful of lowering your foot when you lower your foot. Third, you must not idly look around or spit on the ground in a monastery."

As for circumambulating clockwise, there are formulas in sutras and vinayas. If you circumambulate counterclockwise, this action is berated by the deities. Even if you amass wheat stocks [as wealth], if you circumambulate counterclockwise even ordinary people will scold you. There are many people [who circumambulate counterclockwise].

Today, when you conduct circumambulation, follow the opportunities of time vouchsafed by heaven, look to the northwest and turn. The right shoulder should be bared to the waist. Face the Buddha respectfully! You may circumambulate one hundred times, ten times, seven times, or three times. In each case there are marks that show the number of times. Let us now talk about the case where a person continuously circumambulates [a stupa] three times: this represents the intention to make an offering to the Three Revered Ones, to put an end to the three poisons, to purify the three kinds of acts (i.e., bodily, verbal, and mental acts), to destroy the three evil realms, and to be able to meet the Three Treasures. Therefore, verses in the Garland Sutra say:134

At the beginning when you wish to circumambulate a stupa, You must pray for sentient beings

To give alms, to be fortunate,

And to attain extreme proficiency in the aspiration for enlightenment. 144

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While you circumambulate a stupa three times, You must pray for sentient beings

To attain mental concentration

And to eternally cut off the three poisons. Moreover, the Xianzhe wujie jing (Sutra of the Five Precepts for the Wise) says:135

To circumambulate a stupa three times represents the intention to pay respect to the Three Revered Ones: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It also represents thinking intently of destroying the three poisons: greed, anger, and stupidity.

Furthermore the [Da biqiu] sanqian weiyi says: Regarding circumambulating a stupa, there are five rules. First, lower your head and look at the ground. Second, you must not step on insects. Third, you must not idly look around. Fourth, you must not spit on the grounds of a stupa. Fifth, you must not stop midway and chat with others. [End of] Fascicle Thirty-seven of A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden

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