Forest of Pearls From The Dharma Garden Volume IV

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Chapter Nineteen

Greatest Sincerity

(This chapter consists of eight parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) Seeking Treasures, (3) Seeking the Precepts, (4) Seeking Forbearance, (5) Seeking Diligence, (6) Seeking Concentration, (7) Seeking Fruition, and (8), Relief from Difficulties. 1. Introduction

On the occasion of being touched by greatest sincerity there is no deity who does not respond to it. Mahāsattvas (i.e., bodhisattvas) feel some inclination toward [greatest sincerity], but without [sentient beings'] potential to receive the teaching they do not proceed. [Mahāsattvas] encourage themselves and devote themselves to [greatest sincerity] eternally. Consequently, in all of the [mahāsattvas'] great vows there is none that does not comply with patience and knowledge (kṣānti-jñāna). Their minds are extensive and they all abide in the stage of nonretrogression for realizing highest, perfect enlightenment (avaivartya). Except for [when] cultivating their minds through meditation, they value immutable integrity, make vows that are more firm than metal and stone, protect and maintain the profound mind for relief until death, propagate the [Buddhist] Way in order to repay the four kinds of favors, and nourish their virtue in order to help beings of the three realms of existence. This is merit spreads over incalculable time. The fruition goes throughout the ten stages [of bodhisattva practice].

2. Seeking Treasures

The Dazhi jing (i.e., Dayi jing, T. 177) says:

In ancient times in a country called Happiness (Huanle),188 there was a layman called Mahājanaka and his wife's name was Sandaka. She gave birth to a boy who had fine features that were rarely seen in this world. [Soon after his birth] he stood on the ground and spoke. He made a vow, 253

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"I will surely donate and give alms to the poor and benefit them." His parents accordingly called him Daiyi ("Great Ambition").189 When he turned seventeen years old, he resolved for the sake of sentient beings to enter the sea and collect maṇi-ratnas (mingyue; gems that emit light at night) in order to aid them. After he entered the sea for the first time he came to Silver City. A dragon king gave him a maṇi-ratna, [saying,] "Twenty li farther on there is a treasure gem." [Daiyi] advanced and then came to Gold City. A dragon king gave him a maṇi-ratna [and said,] "There is a treasure gem in forty li." Again, [Daiyi] went on and arrived at Shuijing City.190 A dragon king gave him a maṇi-ratna [and said,] "[The light of] this gem [shines] for sixty li where there is a treasure gem." [Daiyi] again went on and came to Vaiḍūrya City. A dragon king gave him a maṇi-ratna [and said,] "[The light of] this gem [shines] for eighty li where there is a treasure gem. Later, when you attain the [Buddhist] Way, I wish to be your disciple. I will make more offerings to you than I have today with a pure mind. Please cause me to advance and attain wisdom." Daiyi received the gem and left. [Daiyi,] intending to return to his home country, traveled through the sea. All the kings of the sea gods accordingly discussed among themselves and said, "Even though there are numerous precious valuable treasures in our sea, there are no gems like these." So they ordered a sea god to wrest [the maṇi-ratnas from Daiyi] at a key place.

The god transformed into a man and met Daiyi. He said, "I have heard that you have obtained unusual things. Could I borrow and look at them?" Daiyi opened his hand and showed him the four gems. The sea god then shook [Daiyi's] hand and caused the gems to fall into water. Daiyi thought to himself, "When the [dragon kings gave [these gems] to me, they said that it is difficult to keep them, yet fortunately I obtained them. Now they have been snatched away by this boy. This is not a joke!" [Daiyi] immediately said to the sea god, "I worked by myself diligently, defying hardships, passed through dangerous places, in order to obtain these gems. You snatched them away from me. Now they will not return to me. So I must completely remove the seawater." The sea god understood and asked, "Your resolution is wonderful and lofty. The depth of the sea is three million three hundred sixty thousand yojanas. Its width is boundless. What 254

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can you do to exhaust [the seawater]? This would be like the sun not setting at all or like trying to grasp and restrain a strong wind. Even if the sun would [never] set or the wind could be grasped, it is impossible to remove all the water in the great sea and to cause it to be exhausted." Daiyi answered with a smile, "I remember the sequence of receiving a body, birth and death, the decay [of the body], the bones that accumulate higher than Mount Sumeru, and the blood that runs through the five rivers. I still intend to cut off the root of transmigration of birth and death. This small sea is merely not worthy for me to drain. Formerly I made offerings to all buddhas, took a vow, and said, '[I pray that you may] cause my resolution and conduct to be brave and that there will be no difficulties in judging what is upheld in the [Buddhist] Way.' I will surely be able to move Mount Sumeru and exhaust all the water in the great sea. I will not withdraw my intention until the end." Then he attentively began removing the seawater with a utensil. [Responding to] his pure and sincere intention, the four heavenly kings came and helped Daiyi. They removed two-thirds [of the seawater].

Thereupon, all gods in the sea became greatly alarmed. They discussed together and said, "If we do not return the gems to Daiyi now, this will not be a minor matter. If the seawater is exhausted and even the mud [of the seafloor] is taken out, our mansions will be destroyed." So the sea gods took out numerous treasures to give to Daiyi, but Daiyi would not accept them. [He said,] "I want only to get back the gems [I was previously given]." [None of the sea gods] held back in the end; they knew [Daiyi's] intention was firm. So they took out [Daiyi's] gems and returned them to him.

Daiyi took the gems and returned to his home country. He made a great donation as was his wish. From that time on, in his area no one ever suffered from starvation or cold. The Buddha said to all the bhikṣus, "I am the one who formerly was Daiyi." Ānanda addressed the Buddha, "Due to what merit was [Daiyi] presented these four gems and the numerous treasures that followed them?" The Buddha replied, "Formerly, at the time of Vipaśyin Buddha, Daiyi erected a stupa with four treasures for that buddha, made offerings to the Three Revered Ones, and fasted after noon for purification for seven days. 255

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume IV At that time five hundred people built a temple together at the same time; some installed silk canopies and lit lamps; some burned incense and scattered flowers; some made offerings to the sangha; and some recited sutras and explained and discussed them. Today everyone is able to meet the Buddha and they all attain liberation."

Therefore, the [Mohe] sengqi lü says:

At that time a sea god thought in this way, "Even if he (i.e., a brahman) draws out this seawater for a hundred years, he will ultimately not be able to decrease it even as little as a hair's breadth." [The sea god] was moved by [the brahman's] devotion and diligence and immediately returned the treasure to him. At that moment the sea god uttered these verses for the brahman: With the power of devotion, diligence, and expedient means, His resolution does not abate.

Because I was moved by his devotion and diligence,

Although he had lost [the treasure], he got it back. 3. Seeking the Precepts

Just as the Za piyu jing says.191

In earlier times there was a man called Sārthavāha. He heard that there were extraordinary treasures in a foreign country and wanted to go and make a living there. There were, however, troubles with rākṣasa demons between the two countries (i.e., Sārthavāha's and the foreign country). So it was impossible to travel there. As Sārthavāha roamed, he saw at the west gate of a marketplace a Buddhist seated on a couch without a mat. [The Buddhist] said, "I am selling the five precepts." Sārthavāha asked, "What are the five precepts?" [The Buddhist] replied, "They are formless. They are received by your mind directly from my voice. If you observe them, later you will be able to be reborn in heaven. In this existence you can drive away the troubles caused by rākṣasa demons." Sārthavāha wished to buy [the five precepts] and asked [the Buddhist] how much he was asking for them. [The Buddhist] answered, "A thousand gold coins." [Sārtha vāha paid and] soon completed receiving [the five precepts]. [The Buddhist] said, "When you head toward a foreign country and come to 256

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the national border, if a rākṣasa demon comes to you just say, 'I am a disciple of Śākyamuni's five precepts.'" Sārthavāha shortly arrived at the border between two countries. He saw rākṣasa demons who were one zhang and three chi tall. Their heads were as yellow as straw and their eyes as red as a scorpion's tail. Their entire bodies were covered by hard scales. They, one after another, opened and closed their mouths just like the gills on a fish-shaped woodblock. When they looked up, their height was close to that of a flying swallow. When they trod on the earth, they sank down [into the ground] up to their knees. Hot blood spilled from their mouths.

There was a crowd of several thousands there. [A rākṣasa] directly took hold of [Sārthavāha]. Sārthavāha said, "I am a disciple of Śākyamuni's five precepts." The rākṣasa heard this yet he was not willing to release him for a long time. Sārthavāha struck [the rākṣasa] lightly with the both fists. He was drawn into its hard scales and could not escape. He was able to step on it with his feet and butted it with his head, but he still could not escape. His entire body was subsumed in the hard scales. He could move only his back. The rākṣasa said in verse:

Your entire body, hands, and feet are

Completely restrained.

You should just die.

What are you jumping about for?

Sārthavāha's willpower remained firm. He said to the rākṣasa in verse: My body, hands, and feet are

Temporarily bound.

I, however, regulate my mind to be as firm as metal and stone. I will not in the end be killed by you.

The rākṣasa again said to Sārthavāha:

I am a king among demons

With stronger physical powers than human beings. Up to now I have eaten [other humans] like you. I cannot recall the number [of my victims].

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume IV You should just die.

What are your words of self-consolation for? Sārthavāha was about to curse in rage but thought to himself, "I, myself, have been transmigrating in the three realms of existence. I have not given [myself] to other people. By sacrificing [myself now] I will cause this rākṣasa immediately to eat to the full." Then he said in verse: I have intended for long

To be separated from this foul-smelling body. If a rākṣasa captures me,

Take all of me as my donation.

I aspire and seek the Great Vehicle (i.e., Mahayana). I will achieve the fruit of all-knowing wisdom. The rākṣasa was sharp and understood what Sārthavāha said. [The rākṣasa] then gave rise to a feeling of shame and let Sārthavāha go. He knelt upright with palms joined, faced [Sārthavāha], and made his apologies.

You are a master to liberate the people. You are very rare in the three realms of existence. You aspire and seek the Great Vehicle. You will attain buddhahood certainly within a short time. Therefore I will take refuge in you.

I will bow my head to your feet and worship you. The rākṣasa finished his repentance and sent off Sārthavāha. [Sārthavāha] arrived in the foreign country where he obtained many pieces of jewelry and valuables. He was again sent off and returned home. He greatly cultivated himself, earned merit, and consequently attained the truth of the [Buddhist] Way.

Therefore, it is known that the power of precepts is miraculous. Those who diligently conduct all practices should firmly observe the Buddhist precepts and also, just like this man [Sārthavāha,] they should set their resolution and be brave and fierce.

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4. Seeking Forbearance

Just as the [Da] zhidu lun (T. 1509) says:

There was a poisonous dragon of great strength. A weak person would immediately die simply from the glance of [the dragon], and a strong person will die simply from [the dragon's] exhalation. At one time the dragon received the precepts for a day. It renounced the world and entered a wood. It sat pondering for a long time. Then it became tired and negligent and fell asleep. In the manner of dragons, when they sleep their form is just like that of a snake. [The dragon's body] was made of seven treasures and multicolored. A hunter saw it, and said in pleasant surprise, "Wouldn't this very rare and scarce pelt be good to present to a king for the decoration of a ship?" Then [the hunter] held down [the dragon's] head with a stick and began flaying it with a knife. The dragon thought to itself, "With my physical strength I could cause the land of a nation to collapse. How can this petty man trouble me? Since I now observe the precepts, however, I do not look to myself. I must follow the Buddha's words." [The dragon] therefore bore [the pain]. It closed its eyes and did not look at [the hunter]. It stopped its breath without panting and felt compassion for the man. Because [the dragon] observed the precepts, while it was being flayed it never gave rise to the remorse [at its decision]. It soon lost all its skin and the bare flesh was on the ground. At that time the sun grew hotter. [The flayed dragon] meandered across the ground, intending to go to a large pond. It saw various small insects come and eat its body. Because of its observance of the precepts, it dared not move any further. Pondering to iself, it said, "I now give my body to various insects because it is for the Buddhist Way. I now give my flesh in order to nourish their bodies. Later, I will expound the Dharma in order to benefit their minds." The dragon's body was consumed and it died. It was then reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven.

Even animals can firmly observe the Buddhist precepts. [The dragon] did not violate them right up until its death. [If a dragon can be this faithful to the precepts,] how much more so should we human beings be? How could those who intentionally violate [the precepts] be forgiven? 259

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The [Mishasai bu hexi] wufen lü (T. 1421) says:

The Buddha said, "In ancient times there was a black snake that bit a calf and then returned to its burrow. A master of the black arts incanted using a black sheep; through the incantation he tried to get [the snake] to come out of the burrow, but he could not do so. The master of the black arts then built a fire in front of the calf and incanted to it. [The calf] transformed into a fire bee. [The fire bee] entered the snake's burrow and bit and burned the snake. The snake felt unbearable pain and later came out of its lair. The black sheep then seized [the snake] with its horns and placed it in front of the master of the black arts. The master of the black arts said, 'You, [snake]! Lick [the calf] and take the venom back into yourself or I will throw you into this fire!' The black snake then said in verse: Since I have already spit out the venom,

I cannot take it back after all.

Even if I come across a fatal event and die,

I cannot get [the venom] back.

"Thereupon, [the snake] did not take the venom back and threw itself into the fire."

The Buddha said, "The black snake of that time is now Śāriputra. Formerly he experienced the agony of death in this way, and yet he did not take the venom back, much less will he take the discarded medicine now." 5. Seeking Diligence

Just as the Zabao zang jing says:

The Buddha said, "In times past there was a great prairie between the two countries of Kāśi and Videha, where there lived a demon called Śleṣaloma. [Śleṣaloma] damaged a road so that no one could pass through there. A chief merchant called Siṃha intended to pass through this road, leading five hundred merchants. They all feared [the demon] and were afraid that they would not be able to pass through. The chief merchant said, 'Be careful, but do not be afraid of it! Just follow me!' "So they advanced and arrived at the demon's place. [The chief merchant] said to the demon, 'Have you not heard my name?' [The demon] 260

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replied, 'Yes, I have heard your name. That is why I am here and wish to fight against you.' [The chief merchant] asked, 'What can you do?' He then took up a bow and arrow and shot the demon. All five hundred arrows he shot pierced the demon's belly. His bow, swords, and weapons entered the demon's belly, too. [The chief merchant] then advanced and directly struck [the demon] with his fist, but his fist also entered [the demon's belly]. When he went to push [the demon] with his right hand, his right hand became stuck to [the demon]. When he trod on [the demon] with his right foot, his right foot also got stuck to [the demon]. When he stepped on [the demon] with his left foot, his left food was stuck to [the demon], too. Successively he butted [the demon] with his head, and his head became stuck to [the demon] as well. The demon said in verse: You tried with your hands, feet, and head, All these things were, however, just became stuck to me. What else is not stuck to me?

The chief merchant replied in verse:

I have tried with my hands, feet, head,

All money, swords, and weapons.

Although all these things were subsumed by you, Only my diligence remains and it is not stuck to you. If I persevere in being diligent,

The fight against you will continue to the end. Now I persevere in being diligent.

I do not rouse awe in you to the end.

"At that time the demon responded and said, 'Now, because of you, I will let all the five hundred merchants pass.'" 6. Seeking Concentration

Just as the Xin posha lun (i.e., Apidamo dapiposha lun) says: The king of devils, [Māra,] finally found the Bodhisattva sitting under the bodhi tree. Sitting to attention in an upright posture, immovable, [the Bodhisattva] made a vow to attain enlightenment. [Māra] quickly went out 261

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of his palace and came to the Bodhisattva's place. He said to the Bodhisattva, "You, son of the kṣatriya class! You should rise from your seat. Now is the time of corruption and evil, when sentient beings are tough and strong. You definitely cannot testify to highest enlightenment. For the time being you should at present receive the throne of a wheel-turning noble king (cakrvartin). I will offer the seven treasures to you." The Bodhisattva said, "What you have said is like what is promised to induce a child. You can cause the sun, the moon, and Mercury to fall [from the sky], and the mountains, groves, and the great earth to ascend into the sky. If you wish to cause me to not attain the great realization now and arise from this seat, you definitely have no power of distinguishing right [from wrong]."

Later [the king of] devils [Māra] led his military forces of thirty-six koṭi of devils (māras).192 All [the devils] appeared in various horrible forms. They had [numberless] arms of infinitely varied shapes and types, and they covered an area over thirty-six yojanas in size. Then they all rushed to the bodhi tree and tried to disturb the Bodhisattva, but they could not do so. In his body and mind the Bodhisattva was even more immovable than Mount Sumeru.193

7. Seeking Fruition

Just as the Zabao zang jing says:

The Buddhist Dharma is extensive; it saves and liberates [sentient beings] limitlessly. Those who seek the [Buddhist] Way with sincerity will invariably attain fruition. Consequently they will be allowed to laugh and enjoy themselves in fun. Happiness is not vainly given up.

It is just like a case in the past of an elderly bhikṣu. He was senile; his spirit was confused and clogged. He saw that all the young bhikṣus preached the Dharma in various ways. When he heard them explained the four fruits (i.e., the four stages of sainthood, catvāri-phalāni), he gave rise to praise and respect for them in his mind. He said to the young bhikṣus, "You are intelligent! I wish you will give me the four fruits." All the young bhikṣus said with a scornful laugh, "We have the four fruits. We need to obtain good food. Then we will give them to you." At that 262

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time the elderly bhikṣu heard this and was greatly delighted. He immediately arranged for various kinds of dishes and food, invited the young bhikṣus, and begged them to give him the four fruits.

The young bhikṣus finished eating the food. They all commanded the elderly bhikṣu, mocking him, saying "O great virtuous one! You, be seated at a corner of this building. We will surely give you the fruit." When the elderly bhikṣu heard this he felt great delight. He sat as they had said. All the young bhikṣus then hit him on the head with a leather ball and said to him, "This is the srota-āpatti-phala." The elderly bhikṣu, on hearing this, focused his attention without becoming distracted. He then attained the first fruit of the four types of sainthood.

All the young bhikṣus again said, mocking him, "Even though we gave you the srota-āpatti-phala, you still have seven more births and deaths. Move further to another corner! Next we will surely give you the sakṛdāgāmi-phala." At that time, because the elderly bhikṣu had already attained the first fruit, his mind was developed and improved. He immediately moved and sat down. All the young bhikṣus again hit him on the head with a leather ball, saying, "We give you the second fruit." At that time the elderly bhikṣu focused his attention more and more. He accordingly testified to his attainment of the second fruit. All the young bhikṣus again said, mocking him, "You have already attained the sakṛdāgāmi-phala but you still have the difficulty of the transmigration of birth and death. You, move again and sit down! We will surely give you the anāgāmi-phala." Then, the elderly bhikṣu, just as he had been told, moved and sat down again All the young bhikṣus again hit him with a leather ball, saying, "We now give you the third fruit." The elderly bhikṣu heard this and was greatly delighted. He doubled his sincerity and promptly testified to his attainment of the anāgāmi-phala. [All the young bhikṣus again said, mocking him,] "You will, however, still receive the impure body in the realm of form (rūpadhātu) and the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). Everything is impermanent, it changes and is gone. Every thought-moment is suffering. You, again move and sit down! Next we will give you the fruit of arhatship." The elderly bhikṣu then moved and sat down, just as he had been told. All the young bhikṣus again hit him on the head with a leather ball, [making fun of him,] saying, "We now give 263

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you the last one, the fourth fruit." At that moment the elderly bhikṣu pondered with his whole heart and testified to his attainment of the fruit of arhatship. After attaining the four fruits the elderly bhikṣu was extremely happy. He arranged various dishes and foods and much incense and flowers, invited the young bhikṣus, and rewarded them for their kindness. [The elderly bhikṣu] discussed with the young bhikṣus [the thirty-seven] practices for attaining nirvana (bodhipakṣika) and the highest pure merit. When all the young bhikṣus' comments grew stagnant and their speech was blocked, the elderly bhikṣu simply said to them, "I have already testified to my attainment of the fruit of arhatship." When all the young bhikṣus heard his words, they repented and apologized to him for their sin of having [repeatedly] made fun of him.

Therefore, those who are engaged in religious practice must think of wholesomeness. Even an [elderly bhikṣu] who has been [cruelly] teased still attained a real reward, not to speak of someone who has sincerity. Again, the Zabao zang jing says:

If a person seeks the [Buddhist] Way, a pivot lies in diligence and sincerity, which move with each other, and he will be able to attain fruition of the Buddhist Way (i.e., enlightenment).

It is just like [a case in] the past of a woman who was bright and intelligent and deeply believed in the Three Treasures. She always invited a bhikṣu according to the sangha's seating order,194 and [the bhikṣu] went to her house and received her offering. One time an elderly bhikṣu came to her house. He was old and dull-witted; he originally had no knowledge for realization. At that time, the meal in the Buddhist service had already ended and the woman asked the elderly bhikṣu to preach the Dharma for her. She spread out a mat for herself, closed her eyes, and was silent. The elderly bhikṣu, aware that he himself was an imbecile and did not know how to preach the Dharma, watched to see that she closed her eyes.195 Then he deserted her and ran back to the monastery.

The woman, however, [continued to] ponder with sincerity on the truth that things in the phenomenal world are impermanent, full of suffering, and empty, and therefore nothing exists by itself. She observed these things deeply in her mind and then attained the first fruit of the four stages 264

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of sainthood. After she had already attained the fruit, she sought out the elderly bhikṣu in order to repay his kindness.

This elderly bhikṣu knew that he himself was ignorant, had deserted her, and had run away. His feeling of shame doubled. He again abandoned her and hid from her. The woman, however, continued to seek for him earnestly. Just then [the elderly bhikṣu] appeared. The woman then told him in detail that she had received [his favor] and had attained fruition of the Buddhist Way. Consequently, she gave him a present and made an offering to him in order to repay his great kindness. At that time, feeling extremely ashamed of himself, the elderly bhikṣu deeply reproached himself. He then attained the first fruit of the four stages of sainthood. Therefore, those who are engaged in religious practice must have sincerity. If you have sincerity, you will certainly attain what you seek. 8. Relief from

Difficulties

Just as the Sengqie luocha [suoji] jing (T. 194) says:196 Formerly the Bodhisattva was in the form of a parrot that always perched on a tree. The wind blew the tree, which brushed against other trees and [eventually] caught fire. The fire gradually became stronger and consequently burned up the entire mountain. The parrot pondered, "Just as a flying bird that [temporarily] perches on a tree must repeatedly give rise to gratitude for the tree, so too must I myself, who perched on it for a long night [give rise to gratitude]. Can I extinguish the fire?" He then went to the great sea and drew up some seawater with both his wings. He flew above the fire and sprinkled the water over it, and let [water] spill from his beak. He rushed about, from east and west. At that time there was a good deity who was moved by [the parrot's] working so diligently despite hardship. [The deity] then immediately extinguished the fire for [the parrot]. In addition, the [Da] zhidu lun (T. 1509) says:

In the past a brush fire burned a grove. In the grove there was a pheasant that industriously exerted itself to jump into a pond and then sprinkle the grove with water. [The pheasant] went back and forth and became 265

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exhausted, yet did not consider it as suffering. At that time Śakra-devendra came and asked, "What are you doing?" [The pheasant] replied, "I am trying to rescue this grove because I feel pity for sentient beings. This grove is a place to shelter and to nourish them. They dwell here for a long time and it is a nice, cool, and joyful place. All the species of birds like me and all the members of the same ancestry as mine, everyone entirely relies upon [this grove]. I have physical strength. Why would I stand around and not try to rescue it?" Śakra-devendra asked, "For how long are you going to be so dedicated and industrious like this?" The pheasant replied, "I consider my death to be the limit." Śakra-devendra asked, "Who can testify to this for you?" [The pheasant] immediately took an oath by himself: "I have the greatest sincerity in my mind. If [what I say] is true and not false, I pray that the fire will promptly extinguish itself." At that moment the deity of Śuddhāvāsa Heaven knew of the pheasant's great oath and immediately extinguished the fire for [the pheasant]. From that time on the grove is always exuberant and never burns in a fire. (Therefore, a sutra says that when a person makes a good oath, the deities certainly listen to it. This saying is testified.) Verses say:

With determination and sincerity I embrace purity. My life closes in, just as the sun sets in the west. I sigh over the swiftness of a raging river.

How sad is the limitation of life!

Here all my years have been harvested.

I am afraid to become emaciated at the close of my life. With pure sincerity, I seek the practices of giving (dāna), observing the precepts (śīla),

Forbearance (kṣānti), diligence (vīrya), meditation (dhyāna), and the eyes of wisdom (prajñā).

Making a friend and gathering together are both far from me. At a wonderful spot, however, minds accord with each other. The merchant did not fear death.

The rākṣasa could not yet transgress.

Seeking treasure, a person drained the great sea. 266

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The gods, afraid, offered maṇi-ratna to him.

I will send a message to those who seek the [Buddhist] Way. Make a resolution!

Reward or retribution is not unreal.

Miracle Stories

(When we clarify things, in ancient and modern times, whether one is Buddhist clergy or a layperson, one should have nothing but the greatest sincerity. When people restrain themselves, they will certainly perceive a sign. Here I simply enumerate three cases from non-Buddhist sources and eleven cases from Buddhist sources; I briefly explain altogether fourteen stories of non-Buddhists and Buddhists.) [Emperor Ming of the Jin Dynasty Condemned the Strongman Han Xuan to Death]

Emperor Ming of the Jin dynasty condemned the strongman Han Xuan to death. Xuan told the person who held the sword (i.e., the executioner), "I have many thick muscles in my neck. If you try to cut through it, [your sword] will immediately break. I will repay you [for the damage]." The executioner did not exercise caution and consequently he brought his sword down on [Xuan's neck]; he had to make several blows before [the head] was severed. Shortly after, he saw Xuan, wearing a deep red-colored cap and vermilion garments. With a red bow and a scarlet arrow [Xuan] shot [the executioner]. The executioner cried, "Han Xuan paid me back belatedly!" Soon after he died. (The story above is found in the Records of Resentful Spirits of Those Who Died Unreasonably [Yuanhunzhi].)

[Xiong Qu of Chu State Traveled at Night and Shot at a Rock] Xiong Qu (d. 877 B.C.E.) of Chu state [during the Zhou dynasty] was traveling at night when he saw a rock, which he thought was a tiger lying on the ground. He drew his bow to the full and shot at it. The arrow pierced so deeply that the arrowhead disappeared and the feathers on the shaft flew off. Only when he dismounted from a horse and looked did he realize that [the shape] was a rock. Then he shot it again, but the arrow broke and there was no trace that the arrow had hit the rock.

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At the time of the Han dynasty, when Li Guang (d. 119 B.C.E.) was governor of Wubeiping (in present-day Hebei province), he shot what he thought was a tiger but it was a rock, just as in the case of [Xiong Qu]. Liu Xiang (77-76 B.C.E.) said, "With the utmost sincerity even metal and stone can be pierced, to say nothing of a human being. If when you express your opinion no one agrees with you, or when you take an action but no one follows you, then you must have something incomplete in yourself. If the one who sits on the high-ranking seat wishes to reform the world, he should first improve himself."

[Gan Jiang and Mo Ye of Chu State Hid a Sword]

Gan Jiang and Mo Ye [lived in Chu state]. [Gan Jiang expertly] tempered swords for the king of Chu. He took three years to complete the swords. The king became angry at him [because of the slow pace of his work] and intended to kill him. There were a pair of swords, male and female. His wife, [Mo Ye,] was in the last month of pregnancy. He said to her, "I took three years to make these swords for the king. He is angry with me. If I go to see him, he will certainly kill me. If you give a birth to a boy, when he grows up tell him, 'Go out of the house and look for the mountain to the south. There is a pine tree coming out of a rock. The sword is placed behind it.'" Thereafter, [Gan Jiang] took the female sword and went to be received in an audience with the king of Chu.

The king of Chu was greatly angered. He had [his retainers] investigate. It was found that the swords formed a male and female pair, and that [Gan Jiang had brought only] the female sword without the male one. Furious, the king killed [Gan Jiang].

After this incident, Mo Ye [gave birth to] a son and named him Chi. When he grew up he asked his mother, "Where is my father?" His mother replied, "Your father took three years to make swords for the king of Chu. The king became angry and killed him. Before he left home he asked me to tell you, 'Go out of the house and look for the mountain to the south. There is a pine tree coming out of a rock. The sword is placed behind it.'" So, the son [Chi] went out of the house and looked to the south, but he did not see a mountain. He only saw a pillar made out of a pine tree standing on a foundation stone in front of the main hall [of his house]. So he cut a 268

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hole in the back of [the pillar] with an ax and obtained the sword. He schemed night and day about how to retaliate against the king of Chu. The king of Chu had a dream in which a boy with a space one chi wide between his eyebrows intended to retaliate against him. The king immediately offered a thousand catties of gold for the boy's arrest. The boy [Chi] heard about this and fled into the mountains. As he walked, singing a [sad] song, he came across a traveler. [The traveler] asked him, "You are still young. Why are you crying so sadly?" [Chi] answered, "I am a son of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. The king of Chu killed my father and I wish to retaliate against the king." The traveler said, "I have heard that the king has offered a thousand catties of gold for your head. I will bring your head along with the sword to him and avenge your father's death for you." The boy said, "I would be very much blessed if you would do so." Then he immediately beheaded himself, and holding his head and the sword in both hands, he offered them [to the traveler], standing upright. The traveler said, "I will never let you down." [Chi's headless] corpse then finally fell to the ground. The traveler, carrying the [boy's] head, went to have an audience with the king of Chu. The king of Chu was very happy. The traveler said, "This is the head of a brave person. It must be boiled in a cauldron of hot water." The king, as instructed, boiled the head three days and three nights but it was not yet completely cooked [and dissolved]. The head jumped up from the boiling water and its face had a maniacal expression of rage. The traveler said, "This boy's head cannot be boiled to softness. Please, king, approach and see for yourself. Then it will certainly cook completely." The king promptly came to [the cauldron] and the traveler drew the sword and struck the king. The king's head fell into the boiling water. The traveler again raised the sword and severed his own head as well, which also fell into the water. The three heads cooked together until they were dissolved and could not be distinguished from one another. The flesh remaining in the hot water was divided into three portions and buried. Therefore, these were collectively called the Three Kings' Tombs, which exist even today in the vicinity of Xuanchun county, in the northern part of Runan prefecture (in present-day Henan province). [King Kang Stole a Wife from Han Ping in Song State]

During the time of the state of Song [in the Warring States period], Grand Master Han Ping married a woman. Because she was so beautiful, King Kang 269

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stole her away from him. Ping bore a grudge against the king. Because of this, the king captured [Ping] and imposed on him the penalty of city wall construction work. [Han] Ping's wife secretly sent a letter to him. She took precautions about the expressions, [using secret language,] writing, "There has been a long rain. The river is large and the water is deep. The sun rises and illuminates my heart." The king obtained the letter and showed it to his attendants, but no one understood its meaning. A retainer called [Su] He [interpreted and] gave an answer, "The expression 'there has been a long rain' means to sorrowfully think [of Ping]. The phrase 'the river is large and the water is deep' means to be unable to see him. The words 'the sun rises and shines upon me' means to have in mind the determination to die."

Soon after Ping committed suicide. His wife secretly damaged her clothes to make the fabric fragile. When she ascended a tower with the king, she threw herself from there. Attendants tried to grasp her but they could not catch her clothes in their hands [since the fabric was rotted away]. So she died. Her will was written on her sash. It said, "King, you took advantage of my body while I was alive. I will take advantage of my death [to free myself]. I wish you will give my corpse to Ping and bury it along with his." King [Kang], however, was angry and would not consent to this. He had the villagers bury both bodies so that that their graves faced each other. He said, "They, husband and wife, are endlessly in love with each other. If they can unite their graves, then I will not stand in their way." Soon, from the end of each of the two graves two catalpa trees began to grow. In ten days, each of the two trees grow larger than an arm's width across. The trunks of both trees bent and came close to each other. The roots mingled with each other below and the branches were entwined above. Furthermore, a pair of a male and a female mandarin ducks always roosted on the trees. They never left there from morning until night, crying sadly and entwining their heads against each other. Their cries moved people. The people of the state of Song pitied [Ping and his wife], and they called the catalpa trees the "trees that are in love with each other" (xiangsishu). The term "to be in love with each other (xiangsi)" began with this. Today, in Luoyang there is Han Ping's city wall. The ballad [of Ping and his wife] is still handed down to the present day.

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(The three stories above are found in the Records of Inquiries of the Spirits [Soushen ji].)

[Fu Wanshou of the Song Dynasty Prayed to Avalokiteśvara] Fu Wanshou of the Song dynasty was a man from Pingchang (in presentday Shangdong province). In the nineteenth year of the Yuanjia era (442), he was Acting Administrator of the Imperial Garrison in Guangling (in present-day Jiangsu province). As his vacation came to an end he was returning to his province [by boat]. Around the early part of the fourth period of the night (2:00 A.M.) he began to cross the Yangzi River. When he began to cross the river's flow was calm and peaceful. But as he reached midstream a wind as sharp as an arrow arose. Furthermore, at that time it was extremely dark. No one knew which direction [the boat] was going.

From his earlier days Wanshou believed in the Dharma very diligently. [On the boat] he took refuge solely in Avalokiteśvara wholeheartedly, and prayed without stopping. Suddenly, together with several other people on the boat, [Wanshou] saw a light on the north bank, which looked like the lights of a village. The people on the boat were glad and said to one another, "That must be the light of Ouyang (present-day Weizheng prefecture in Jiangsu province)." The boat veered and headed toward the light and it reached [the north bank] before daybreak. When [the passengers on the boat] asked the people of the village [about the light], they all said, "No one lit a fire last night." Only then they realized that it had been a supernatural power. They all returned [home] and arranged for a purification [rite]. [Gu Mai of the Song Dynasty Prayed to Avalokiteśvara]

Gu Mai of the Song dynasty was a man from Wu prefecture (present-day Suzhou in Jiangsu province). He believed in the Dharma very diligently. He became Acting Administrator of the Imperial Garrison. In the nineteenth year of the Yuanjia era (442), he was returning from the capital city to Guangling. He started from Shitou City (west of present-day Nanjing) and went upstream on the lake. A north wind howled turbulently. The wind's power did not diminish but the boatmen strove hard, pushing forward. When they reached the middle of the course of the Yangzi River, the waves were haphazard and fierce. Only Mai's boat was sailing. He was anxious and restless, and felt powerless. He chanted the Sutra on Avalokiteśvara. After he had recited it 271

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about ten times, the wind gradually weakened and the waves became slightly smaller, too. When [the boat] was in the middle reaches [Gu Mai] smelled a wonderful fragrance that did not abate, and he secretly praised it. Therefore he devoted himself to chanting the sutra without stopping. Consequently, he was able to safely cross over.

[Huihe, a Śramaṇa of the Song Dynasty, Prayed to Avalokiteśvara] Śramaṇa Huihe of the Song dynasty was a monk of Zhongzao Temple in the capital city. At the time of the coup during the Yijia era of the Song dynasty, he was still a secular layman. He followed Liu Hu, [who took part in the coup with Zixun197] as a subordinate. At one time Hu sent scores of officers and soldiers to the east as spies. Huihe also took part in the march. They arrived at Que[wei]zhu (in present-day Anhui province) where they met the imperial army which was headed toward the west. The spies scattered, and they all escaped into thickets. Huihe could only flee [south]. When he reached the area of Xinlin (southwest of present-day Nanjing), he came across a rural old man whose clothes were worn to tatters. Huihe then exchanged his neat trousers and jacket for the old man's clothes. He disguised himself as a farmer holding a basket and carrying a load on his back. At that time [the enemy's] mobile forces were out catching the scattered spies. They saw Huihe's appearance and, suspicious, they questioned him. Huihe's responses were incoherent. Because of this, he was whipped, and was soon to be beheaded. From the time Huihe had fled, he constantly recited the Sutra on Avalokiteśvara. As he was about to be beheaded, his prayer became the most sincere. When the soldier raised his sword [to behead Huihe], he made a wrong step again and again. He raised the sword three times and every time the sword broke. Astonished, the people freed Huihe. After this, Huihe renounced the world and consequently accomplished the attentive cultivation. [Han Hui of the Song Dynasty Prayed to Avalokiteśvara]

As for Han Hui of the Song dynasty, his original domicile was unknown. He resided in Zhijiang (in present-day Hubei province). His uncle (i.e., the younger brother of his father) Youzong became Adjutant of the Section for Inner Troops of the Xiangzhou office toward the end of the Song dynasty. In the first year of the Shengming era (477), Shen Youzhi (d. 478), Regional Inspector of Jingzhou, raised an army and came to the east. Yu 272

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Peiyu, Administrator of the Xiangzhou office, relied on the troops under his command and guarded the area by himself. It was unknown how matters were going. Youzong came under suspicion and was killed. The death sentence included his wife and children. Because he was the son of Youzong's elder brother, [Han] Hui was imprisoned in the prefecture. Iron and wooden implements of punishment covered his entire body, and he was firmly bound in chains and shackles. [The authorities] had to thoroughly investigate the situation and the implicated parties, with the intent to eradicate all the members. Hui was fearful and distressed but he was helpless. He could only await the day [of his execution].

Hui originally served the Buddha and often chanted the Sutra on Avalokiteśvara. So he recited the sutra day and night, several hundreds of times. Precisely at noon the chains [on his body] suddenly began to jangle spontaneously, sounding just like rocks or tiles that are burning and crackling. A little later he saw that the chains had fallen off by themselves. Hui was afraid that wardens might think he had removed them somehow or cut them off. So, he hurriedly called out and told them [what had occurred]. The wardens, surprised, refastened the chains and shackles on him. Hui chanted the sutra as usual. A day later the chains jangled and spontaneously came off again. The circumstance was just like that of the first time. The wardens then reported [these events] in detail to Peiyu, who took the chains and closely examined them. He was awestruck that Hui's prayers had been answered, and immediately released [Hui]. Hui is still in good health and is extremely diligent in religious service.

[Peng Ziqiao of the Song Dynasty Prayed to Avalokiteśvara] Peng Ziqiao of the Song dynasty was a man from Yiyang county (in present-day Hunan province). He was appointed as Assistant Magistrate of his home prefecture, and served Crown Prince Shen Wenlong. In the first year of the Jianyuan era (479) he was imprisoned because of an offense. Ziqiao had once renounced the world when he was a young boy. Even though he had returned to secular life, he still continually practiced recitation of the Sutra on Avalokiteśvara. At that time, [Crown Prince] Wenlong was greatly angered. Zigiao's imprisonment was very strict and Wenlong certainly intended to kill him. Anxious and fearful, Ziqiao had no other alternative 273

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than to recite the sutra with sincerity. He did so up to more than one hundred times, then he became tired and took a nap.

At that time there were about ten prisoners and they were all asleep. Du Daorong, an official of Xiangxi county, was imprisoned, too. He was off and on asleep and awake; he was not able to fall into a deep sleep. Suddenly a pair of white cranes appeared and perched on [Peng] Ziqiao's screen. Soon one of the cranes flew down to Ziqiao's side. At that time [Daorong] felt that [the crane] looked like a beauty. Daorong got up and watched Ziqiao. A pair of the fetters came off from [Ziqiao's] legs but the carbuncles caused by fetters were still there. Daorong was startled. After he had been looking at [the scene] for a while, Ziqiao also awakened. [Daorong and Ziqiao] inspected the fetters together and sighed [in wonderment]. [Daorong] asked Ziqiao if he had dreamed. Ziqiao replied, "No, I did not." Daorong told Ziqiao what he had seen a little while before. Even though Ziqiao knew he would certainly die, he still was concerned that the wardens would doubt if he tried to escape. So he put the fetters that had fallen off back on to his legs, over the carbuncles. Four or five days later [Ziqiao] was released. Lian, Yan's (i.e., my) cousin, who was closely acquainted with both Ziqiao and Daorong, heard what they had talked about. What each said individually was the same, just as related above.

[Shan, a Śramaṇa of the Zhao Dynasty, Ate Pine Resin and Swallowed a Pebble]

There was a śramaṇa called Shan, [the Chinese character of which] is either shan (i.e., the Chinese family name) or shan ("good"), in the Zhao dynasty. His pseudonym was Daokai. His original domicile is unknown. In another biography (i.e., the Gaoseng zhuan) it is said that he was a man from Dunhuang and his original family name was Meng. [Shan] had renounced the world when he was young. Since he wanted to live in seclusion in a rocky valley, he first abstained from eating grains. At the beginning he took noodles. Three years later he ate only a paste of pine resin. Thirty years later, he only swallowed a pebble every once in a while. When the pebbles [easily] went down [in his throat], he then abstained from wine, dried and seasoned meat, and miscellaneous fruits. When he was concerned about catching a cold he took only pepper and ginger. He was feeble but his complexion was sleek. 274

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He walked as if flying. The mountain deity tried [to shake him] several times but he was never moved. Immortals frequently visited him but he could not stand it. So every time they visited him, he chewed on garlic in order to drive them away. He sat upright, calmed his mind, and never slept, day and night. He resided in Baohan (in present-day Gansu province) for a long time. In the second year of the Jianwu era (336) Shi Hu sent a messenger from Xiping (present-day Xining in Qinghai province) to invite [Daokai]. So [Daokai] left for the city of Ye (in present-day Hebei province). He did not travel on a boat or vehicle, and yet covered more than seven hundred li a day. When he passed by Nan'an (in present-day Gansu province), he ordained a boy and made him his novice (śrāmaṇera). The boy, who was thirteen or fourteen [Chinese] years old, also traveled as fast as Daokai. After arriving [at Ye], they resided at Zhaode Buddhist Temple. [Daokai's] garments were worn to tatters, so his back and shoulders were always bare. A covered platform eight or nine chi high was constructed in a room, with a curtain woven of cogon grass suspended from the ceiling. [Daokai] meditated in this [structure].

He abstained from eating grains for seven years. He usually took miscellaneous medicines, in which there was a smack of pine resin or tuckahoe. He was an expert in curing eye diseases, and often traveled around the countryside treating the peasants. Presents sent to him by princes from far and near accumulated. He received them and gave them away to others, not even a single item remained [in his possession].

In the last year of Shi Hu's reign, he foresaw that turbulent times were coming. So he took refuge with his disciple in the south, in Xuchang (in present-day Henan province). In the third year of the Shengping era (359), they came to Jianye (in present-day Jiangsu province). Then they went to Panyu (in present-day Guangdong province) and resided on Mount Luofu. [Daokai] lay down in the shade of the woods, joyful and contented with living in isolation. He passed away in the seventh month of that year. His last wish was for his body to be left exposed in the woods. His disciple followed his will. Yuan Yanbo (328-376)198 of Chen prefecture became Governor of Nanhai in the first year of the Xingning era (363). Together with his brother, Ying[shu], he went up to and wandered about the mountain, and paid respect to Daokai's body, worshiping it by offering incense.

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(The six stories above are found in the Records of the Profound and Auspicious [Mingxiang ji].) [Dong Xiong of the Tang Dynasty Prayed to Avalokiteśvara] During the Zhenguan era (627-649) of the Tang dynasty there was Dong Xiong in Hedong (the present-day southwestern part of Shanxi province). He became Aide in the Court of Judicial Review. From the time he was young, he was faithful and respectful to [the Buddhist Way]. He kept a vegetarian diet for ten years.

In the fourteenth year (640) he was implicated in the incident of Li Xiantong.199 His Majesty, in high dudgeon, ordered Attendant Censor Wei Cong to conduct a rigorous judicial investigation. Accordingly, several dozen men were imprisoned. The Aide in the Court of Judicial Review, Li Jing xuan, and the Rectifier, Wang Xin, were also both implicated in the crime. Xiong was imprisoned and bound in fetters in a cell along with them. [Xiong] exclusively chanted the "Chapter of the Universal Gate" (Pumen pin) [of the Lotus Sutra]. He could chant it three thousand times a day. One night, as [Xiong] sat and recited the sutra, his fetters suddenly fell off spontaneously and dropped to the ground. Xiong was surprised and related this to [Wang] Xin and [Li Jing]xuan. Both Xin and [Jing]xuan saw that the fetters were intact on the ground, yet the lock and fetters were separated from each other by several chi. [Xiong] promptly reported this to a jailkeeper. That night the Investigating Censor, Zhang Shou,200 was on night duty. [Zhang Shou] ordered an official to unlock the fetters. [Zhang Shou] lit the area with a torch and saw that the fetters [had spontaneously] separated from [the lock] before it had been unlocked. Greatly surprised at this, [he ordered the official to] bind [Xiong] with the fetters again, sealed [them] with some paper on which he inscribed something, and left.

Xiong recited the sutra as usual. During the fifth period of the night,201 his fetters again fell off and dropped, causing a noise. Xiong again told Xin and [Jing]xuan [about this]. At dawn [Xiong] reported to [Li] Jingxuan, and [Li] saw for himself. The seal and the inscription were just as they had originally been and [the lock and] the fetters had again spontaneously separated from each other. [Li] Jingxuan usually did not believe in the Buddhist Dharma. [Whenever he saw] his wife reading a sutra, he always thought, "Why does 276

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she read this scripture and be misled by a non-Chinese deity?" When he came to see the incident with [Dong] Xiong, he deeply realized the fault of his impiety. Just then [Li Jingxuan] knew that the Buddha is the Great Sage. At that time [Wang] Xin also recited the names of the eight bodhisattvas. In the daytime when his recitation reached thirty thousand times, his fetters fell off and dropped to the ground. He saw it was just as what had happened in Xiong's case. These incidents were completely related within and outside the imperial court. Soon both [Dong Xiong and Wang Xin] were released together. (The story above is found in the Gleanings of Anecdotes of Rewards and Retributions from the Unseen World [Mingbao shiyi].)

[Daoji, a Śramaṇa of the Tang Dynasty, Had the Determination to Remonstrate Against Atrocities]

In the Tang dynasty there was Shi Daoji (568-636) at Pujiu Temple in Puzhou (present-day Shanxi province). He was from Anyi county in Hedong (in the present-day southwestern part of Shanxi province). His secular family name was Xiangli, and his [secular] first name was Zicai. After he entered the profound Dharma gate, he changed his name to Daoji. Regarding his ancestry, he was probably a descendant of Zichan, a high official of Zheng state [during the Spring and Autumn period]. In the past, when Zichan was born, he emerged making a fist. He opened his hand and [people] saw that the Chinese characters xiang ("prime minister" or "to assist") and li ("village" or "community") were [on the palm of his hand]. Because of this, [these two Chinese characters became] the family name. [Daoji's] father, Xuanhui, was broadminded and ambitious. [Daoji] was fond of studying and he was erudite and respectful toward his father.202 From his youth [Dao]ji studied the writings of Confucius as well as books by the Three Augusts (i.e., Fuxi, Shennong, and the Yellow Emperor).

He had an honest and virtuous air. Extensively versed in sutras and discourses, he penetrated clearly major things as well as minor matters. He became a teacher of clergy and laymen; enriching red and blue (i.e., the two distinct groups of monastics and laity) at the same time. He formed his brief in the teaching of benevolence, which diffused far and near without obstruction, and he profoundly protected [others] from defilement. He repeatedly investigated doubtful points with care.

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From the beginning, Daoji would not take into consideration allowing nuns to take refuge in him (i.e., ordaining women). He often said, "Women are disgraceful to the precepts. The sacred scriptures frequently state that the Buddha liberated [women] and allowed them to renounce the world but by doing so this damaged the true Dharma. Even by only hearing the word ["woman"] our minds will be stained. Moreover, how could there be no defilement if we meet them? Furthermore, in the [Buddhist] Way, cleanness and clarity are valued. If [women] do not take part in [Buddhism] it will not be abused. The common people value that I avoid suspicion, while gentlemen calmly serve [me]. Even though I am inadequate, if [women] ask me [for my help], then I will comply with [their request] and deliver them. For this reason, I give them the precepts and instruct them, and yet I have never ascended to [the imperial palace] to have an audience with [the emperor] and now I am very old. When [nuns] come to ask me questions, I do not let them enter my room." In this way [Daoji] was honest, kept himself free from immorality, was clean and pure, and was aloof from the world. The distinguished and talented men of Hedong did not have the same manner as [Daoji]. Before [Daoji's] time, at the beginning of the Sui dynasty (581),203 Śramaṇa Baocheng had begun construction on a large [buddha] image, as tall as a hundred zhang, at Pujiu Temple. All the workers could only reach as far as one part of it. Before he was able to fulfill his vow to complete this [project], [Bao]cheng died at a young age.

The elders of the community asked [Dao]ji to continue [the construction project]. [Daoji] thought that the large image had not yet been completed. Leading seven noble people (Duan Da, Wang Shichong, Yuan Wendu, Lu Chu, Huangfu Wuyi, Guo Wenyi, and Zhao Changwen), [Daoji] completed the lofty [image]. It took ten years to repair and construct; the elegant decorations were all complete. Both clergy and laymen happily relied on [Daoji]. They were drawn up with joy.

At the beginning, on the night [before] [Dao]ji was asked [to continue the construction project], he saw in a dream two lions on the side of a cliff. They spit out maṇi-ratna gems beside a large image successively and ceaselessly. He soon awoke and thought to himself, "The king of animals (i.e., lion) is unrestricted. This [dream] shows that the current of the Dharma has not stagnated. 278

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The maṇi gems spontaneously appeared in succession. This also explains that financial donation [for the project] will not be exhausted. Unseen fortune secretly improves and my accomplishment [of this project] is indicated." Immediately [Daoji] ordered artisans to make an illustration in front of a great image of Maitreya what he had seen in the dream. [The illustrations] still remain today. The temple is south of a hill in Puban (in present-day Shanxi province). [The location of the temple] is high and [the climate] is pleasant; it is a gorgeous and abundant place. [The temple] borders communities of numerous families to the east, and commands a view of rivers and mountains to the south. The image is set up three stories [high] with rock hallways surrounding it on all four sides. The upper building of monks' residence (shangfang) and the lower building (xiayuan) magnificently face each other. A garden, large piles [of harvested produce], rice fields, and vegetable gardens surround [the temple], in harmony with it. [The temple] is small but [the local area] it forms is large. This is all completely due to [Dao]ji's accomplishment. To brandish emptiness (kong) and establish existence (you) are entirely due to [Dao]ji's ability. Moreover, [Daoji] wore a worn-out robe, ate coarse food, despised wealth, valued life, extensively saved all beings, and kindly supported them. He withdrew to a calm life and returned to a peaceful life. He acted [spontaneously] and yet did not rely on [what he had done].204 He maintained a reclusive life. Heaven held the idea to oppose him, and stopped him from cutting off [all association with] the mundane world. [Daoji] did not intend [to be revered], but all the people spontaneously valued him highly. He did not go out but people came to him of their own accord.

Vice Director Pei Xuanzhen (i.e., Pei Ji) was favored [by the emperor] and occupied the position of prime minister. [Pei Xuanzhen] respected [Daoji's] good reputation, and frequently gave beautiful clothes to him. Regional Inspector Du Churong knew the significance of [Daoji's] personality. He visited [Daoji] and asked him for the Dharma. [Daoji] tenderly and wonderfully moved people entirely in this way. Living during the last year of the Sui dynasty (618), [Daoji] confined himself [in his quarters]. Yao Junsu, Vice Governor of Hedong, garrisoned troops in a desolate city, and some of his troops committed atrocities. At that time, people did not dare to even glance at [those soldiers]. [Yao Junsu and his 279

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followers] were planning to summon all the śramaṇas to the city in order to guard them there. Those who dared to admonish [Yao Junsu] were killed. All the monks and laypeople were anxious but no one could disobey him. [Dao]ji felt anger and lamentation within himself. Disregarding his body and life, he said to his subordinates, "There are ups and downs in [the power of] the times, but there is no rising and falling in the Dharma. Here we have a law that Heaven has not lost. Moreover, śramaṇas are guests from the world beyond this world. Their actions are virtuous and lofty in the world. How could they take up weapons, put on armor, and become soldiers to guard against insults [of the mundane world]?" Consequently, leading śramaṇas such as Dao sun and Shensu, he went up on the road to the mail hall, step by step. With a threatening look, he admonished [Yao Junsu], "I have heard this. If you were not afraid of death you could not frighten others by death. I now see death is just like living. I fear only that I will not attain death like that. Death has an advantage. This should be eagerly wished for. To strive for the fate of the city depends on your strategy, Lord, and the peace of the world depends on your destiny. "How could the Five Thearchs and the Three Augusts save [the people] if they were untrue and lacking in courage? Formerly, in the Han dynasty, the Four Brilliant Old Men (sihao) were respected,205 and the world was prosperous and peaceful. In the state of Wei [Duan] Gan Mu was honored and all the nations were well-governed. Today you wish to detain the people in order to have them attend military services. You go against the convention of Heaven in order to assemble the deities of heaven and earth. I simply fear to accept this inauspicious sign. I dare to announce my true thoughts and feelings. I pray that you deeply consider it; do not become a case similar to that of an empty shop that collapses spontaneously one day and later becomes the laughingstock of the world. We, monks, rely only on [the Buddha's] sacred and sincere words, practice the [Buddhist] Way, worship, and chant sutras. For the sake of the country we revere happiness, and benefit common people unobtrusively. Gods protect us and help us. If you would rather demand my head, I will give it to you. That is still my original vow. Surely, if I am forced to devote my remaining life to being a foot soldier, I have no idea of the meaning of birth, why I was born, or of the meaning of death, why I am dying." When [Dao]ji spoke these words, the bystanders felt their blood run cold [in alarm]. [Yao Jun]su first listened to the admonition, and he valued the 280

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persuasive manner of [Dao]ji's speech. He looked directly at [Daoji] with eyes wide open and said, "How extraordinary it is to meet this person! Why is his spirit so significant and strong?" Then [Yao Junsu] relented and let [Daoji] go. After [Daoji] was released he returned to his original temple. Later it was known that [Yao Junsu] submitted to [Daoji]; he visited [Daoji] and expressed repentance [of his folly]. Yao [Jun]su had killed [people] without restraint, had given free rein to his malicious mind, and furthermore had slighted and disparaged others. Therefore, even though he stopped [such evil acts] at that time, misfortune later revealed its omen and he was unexpectedly killed by Xue Zong, a man of the city. Generally speaking, Daoji's nature was strong and brave. Once he determined [a course of action], he never withdrew, even if he unexpectedly encountered someone's anger [toward him] and was about [to be chopped up like] fish meat. After he had already renounced the world, he blamed himself for his original condition, [born with such a strong nature in this world,] and he controlled his original nature. He turned [this shortcoming] to peacefulness and forbearance and enhanced those qualities. When he attained the Chinese age of sixty, his practice was even more vigorous. It became his nature [attained through] learning. These words are infallible. On the seventeenth day of the ninth month of the tenth year of the Zhenguan era (636), [Daoji] passed away at his original temple at the age of sixty-nine Chinese years old. At the onset of his illness [Dao]ji mentioned it but he did not complain of any [pain] clearly. He himself knew that he was weakening. He told his disciple, "I am now seventy-five years old. I will die this year." His disciple replied, "Teacher, you are sixty-nine years old. Why do you suddenly say this?" [Daoji] said to him, "Death and birth are spontaneous workings of the universal law. I am not afraid of them. Moreover, I am about to turn seventy years old. The Regional Inspector showed a respectful manner to me and added six years [to my age]. Therefore, [I say that I am seventy-five years old]. Our life is transitory. You should deeply overcome your [shortcomings] and exert yourself. Look at what I have practiced." Furthermore, he said, "Haven't you learned from the sutras that the world is truly insecure and there is nothing stable?"

For three days following his death the bell was not tolled. After [Daoji] passed away, things were just as they had been. All the people bemoaned 281

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[their loss]. They admired him and showed love for him. Few people worked their lands [as they mourned].

[Śramaṇa of the Tang Dynasty Facheng's Testimony to a Sutra] In the Tang dynasty there was Shi Facheng (563-640) at Wuzhen Temple on Mount Zhongnan (in present-day Shaanxi province). His secular family name was Fan, and he was a man from Wannian county in Yongzhou (in present-day Shaanxi province).

[Facheng] renounced the world when he was a child and lived at Wangxiao Temple in Landian (in present-day Landian county in Shaanxi province). He served Śramaṇa Senghe as his teacher. [Seng]he was also supported by a group of villagers who respectfully believed him; he was comparable to a sage. Once someone wanted to kill [Senghe] and went to his room at night. [The interloper] saw raging flames inside the door; the flames rose up along a curtain. Thereupon, he immediately repented [of his folly]. [Seng]he's nature was pure and clean [because he drank water from a clean fountain].206 A person had tried to deceive him by secretly immersing a sheep bone in the water [of a fountain] and then [Senghe] drank from it. [Seng]he originally did not know this; yet when he drank [the water] he vomited. His hidden perception and latent consciousness were like this.

[Fa]cheng received [Senghe] with respect and sustained his instruction. He considered that encouraging himself to chant the Lotus Sutra every day was his regular activity. He eagerly upheld and practiced the lotus samādhi. He cleansed himself both inside and outside, and was always gentle and modest. He perceived in a dream that Samantabhadra encouraged him to inscribe the great teaching. [Fa]cheng said, "The great teaching is Mahayana [Buddhism]. All the buddhas' wisdom is what is called the great wisdom, prajñā. Ah! I will immediately enter into purification and circumambulate a buddha image, chanting a sutra. I will call on artisans and pay them well." [Facheng] ordered [calligraphers] to copy the eight volumes of the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra and incense burner stands and scrolls of the sutra were solemnly completed. Furthermore, on a mountain ridge on the south side of the temple [Facheng] built the Garland Hall (Huayantang). After the mountain was leveled and the valley filled in,207 the eaves laid in a row and the roof fitted with tiles, [the hall was completed]. The front [of the hall] faces the high mountains above, 282

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and looks out on a sloping gorge to the right. Clouds and fog come and go, and a sudden peal of thunder can be heard from above. [I (i.e., Shi Daoxuan) once visited there]208 and it is really a spectacular sight. In addition, exhausting my attentive determination I copied the sutra and I hold fast to it. The Academician of the Institute for the Advancement of Literature Zhang Xiaojing is Zhang Zan's father. At that time he was called Yingou ("Fine Stoke"), and few could surpass him. [Zhang Xiaojing] came to the mountain as he had been requested. He was ordered to receive the precepts. He purified himself, washed his body and cleansed his mouth, rinsed his mouth with some fragrant juice, and put on new clothes.

[Zhang Xiao]jing had begun copying the sutra on his long journey, but [what he was able to copy] filled less than fifty sheets of paper. Nonethless [Fa]cheng paid double the price. With admiration he inspired [Zhang Xiaojing] to work intensively and diligently. Taking advantage of the money [paid by Facheng], [Zhang Xiao]jing did his best to copy [the sutra]. After each volume was complete, everyday [Fa]cheng burned incense and held a religious service before of a long table [on which the sutra was placed]. Between ink drops he recognized the external object with his mind (xinyuan) and saw it with his own eyes. There was almost no omission. Therefore, he imprinted it on his mind and deeply studied it with concentration.

Once he perceived an uncommon bird whose form and color were very rare. [The bird] flew into the hall, flew around, and stirred up [the people's minds]. It flew down to the sutra table and then went to perch on an incense burner. It looked peaceful and watched [the people]; it was naturally tame and was friendly [to the people]. After a good while it soared away. Next year, when the sutra project had been completed and [the people] were preparing the celebration [ceremony], the bird returned. Just as the previous year, it was tame and [calmly] disported itself, crying out mournfully. In the first year of the Zhenguan era (627) images of one thousand buddhas were made [in the temple].209 The bird returned again and perched on one of the artists' back. [Later] meals for the Buddhist monks were offered and all [the sutras and images] were celebrated.210 It was already noon. [The people] wondered why [the bird] had not yet arrived. [Fa]cheng, gazing at the mountain peak, said, "The bird will not come. I cannot perceive it. [The bird] will cause no auspicious sign since it detests all wicked acts and giving 283

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alms to frivolous beings." Soon after he said this, [the bird] returned. It circled over the people, singing, entered into the fragrant water, and swiftly took wing; after bathing it departed. Before and after these events, phenomena appearing as auspicious signs happened one after another. It is difficult to describe them all.

[Fa]cheng was originally good at literary pursuits and the people living in rural areas knew this. Verses and wonderful phrases from sutras engraved on rocks in the mountains and in remote places with rough roads were copied by [Facheng] himself, and he had [the people] recite them. These are all [Fa]cheng's writings.211

Moreover, [Facheng] copied the Lotus Sutra by his own hand, and it was placed exactly in the middle of an open field. He was engaged in a [Buddhist] service somewhere else and forgot to take it back. Suddenly a huge rainstorm occurred and the ditches and mountain streams [splashed with waves].212 [Facheng] ran out to look for [the sutra]. Only [the sutra and]213 the table it was on were dry; the other items had been completely washed away. He tried to block the streams by pulling a pine tree down sideways across them. Consequently [the pine tree] fell into the flowing water. [The items washed away by the water] had not gone down the mountain stream. [Facheng] did not realize it, but these things had landed up on a high bank, and no item, not even an insignificant one, had been damaged. We truly know that this was due to the power of the sutra.

Furthermore, there was an old Buddhist niche beside Qingni Temple. The Zhou family had filled in [the niche], and it has still not been revealed to the present day. One night [Fa]cheng saw in a dream a large respectable figure there. He soon woke up and went there to open up [the niche]. He found an image in the niche just as [he had seen in his dream]. With the lapse of many years all [the paint] had come off [the figure]; it was damaged. [The image] was repaired right away. Monks and laymen praised his good conduct. This is entirely the merit due to protection from the unseen world, which was developed by [Fa]cheng.

On the last day of the summer of the fourteenth year of the Zhenguan era (640) [Facheng] felt a complication set in and he spontaneously knew that he would soon leave the world. He prayed for rebirth in Tuṣita Heaven. He asked for water and finished washing [himself], and then again asked to repair 284

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to his sedan chair. At the side [of the chair] he examined it himself, as he did not wish for a luxurious [chair]. Precisely on the last day of the month, as a bright sign was about to be revealed, [Facheng] suddenly spoke with no warning, "I wished to come to [the Buddhist Way] and now I have just entered into it, but I have not yet availed myself to play my lute and sing." Looking at his attendants, he said, "I have heard that all things are impermanent and birth and death go around incessantly. Rebirth in [the Pure Land of] the nine grades will testify to these words. Now there is a boy who welcomes me. He has stayed outside the door for a long while. I am leaving this world now. All of you, live in good spirits! You have the Buddha's rightful precepts. You must have no deficiency [in observance of the precepts]. Do not cause grief and regret later." After he spoke these words, a bright light came from his mouth and illuminated [the interior of the room] surrounded by pillars. Moreover, a rare fragrance of superlative degree permeated. [The people] simply saw [Facheng] sitting upright and solemnly pondering. They did not realize that his spirit had already departed. He was seventy-eight Chinese years old at that time. Regarding [Fa]cheng's practice of reciting sutras, the number of his recitations of the Lotus Sutra was calculated at five hundred times in one summer.214 On leisure days he chanted [the sutra], and as well he practiced it concurrently So he reached a couple more of times [of recitation a day]. Even if a visitor came, requesting to speak with him, he would not speak with [the visitor] before finishing the recitation of the sutra. In brief, the number of times [he recited the sutra] is calculated at more than ten thousand times over ten years. (The two stories above are found in the Biographies of Eminent Monks compiled in the Tang dynasty [Tang gaoseng zhuan].)

[Bhikṣunī of the Tang Dynasty Faxin's Testimony to a Sutra] During the Wude period (618-626) of the Tang dynasty, there was a nun called Faxin, who practiced [the Buddhist Way] for many years in the Hedong area (presently the southwestern part of Shanxi province). She frequently recited the Lotus Sutra. She found a skillful calligrapher, to whom she offered several times more than a normal wage, [to copy it]. She specially set up a pure room for the calligrapher to copy the sutra. On awakening, [the calligrapher] first bathed and his garments were perfumed with incense burned [by the nun]. In addition, [Faxin] made a hole through one wall of the sutra-copying 285

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room and placed a bamboo tube into the hole. She bade the sutra-copier to take the other end of the bamboo tube in his mouth when he wanted to exhale so that his breath would go out of the room. It took eight years to complete copying the seven fascicles of the [Lotus] Sutra. With much enthusiasm [Faxin] held a special commemorative service to mark the completion of copying the sutra, and exerted all her respects for the sutra. Faduan, a monk of Longmen [Temple], frequently assembled large groups of people and expounded the Lotus Sutra. After the nun [Faxin] had made a copy of the sutra in an accurate recension, he sent someone to ask her for it. The nun refused firmly and would not give the sutra to him. Faduan upbraided her. So, the nun reluctantly brought the copy to Faduan herself. When Faduan and others opened [one scroll of the sutra], they could only see the yellow paper without even a single character. They then opened the remaining scrolls, which were all the same.

Faduan and others felt ashamed and fearful, and immediately returned the sutra to the nun. [Faxin] received it, in tears, and washed the sutra container with fragrant water. After bathing, she placed the sutra on her head and circumambulated a buddha image while chanting the sutra. For seven days and nights she did not rest even for a short time. Soon [after completing the sevenday worship] she opened the sutra and saw that the inscriptions had been restored, just as before.

It is known that since purification was particularly promoted for copying sutras, this incident happened. The reason there is no miraculous virtue [these days] is simply that [purification] is not as assiduously practiced. (The story above is found in the Records of Rewards and Retributions from the Unseen World [Mingbao ji].)

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