T2046 Lives of Great Monks and Nuns

Huisheng, originally surnamed Tang, was a native of Peng-cheng. Her father, Sengzhi, took up his abode at Jian-kang. Huisheng wished to renounce home when she was young, and she conducted herself with rectitude. She seldom spoke, and whatever she said she put into practice without being frivolous or impetuous. She often remained indoors for ten days at a stretch, and all those who observed her behavior could not but venerate her with unusual respect.

In the twenty-first year of Yuan-jia (444) of the Song dynasty, Huisheng renounced secular life at the age of eighteen as a disciple of Bhik≈u√∆ Jingxiu and went to live at Chan-lin Nunnery. After receiving full ordination, she lectured on the Saddharmapu√∂ar∆ka-s¥tra and studied the dhyåna of five practices under Bhik≈u√∆ Huixu of Ji-shan Nunnery. Later she learned various methods of contemplation from both Siyin of Cao-tang Monastery and Faying of Ling-gen Monastery.

Huisheng had unusual features and marvelous realization, and she possesses unique understanding. When people asked her about it, she said in reply,

"Confess all your sins immediately,

whether they are grave or trivial, and make repentance with earnestness day and night.

"

Both noblemen and commoners honored her with respect and o›ered alms to her incessantly. In the fourth year of Tian-jian (505) of the Liang dynasty, Huisheng died at the age of eightyone. Her remains were buried on Bai-ban Mountain. 57. Jingxian of Eastern Qing-yuan Nunnery

Jingxian, originally surnamed Hong, was a native of Yong-shi. Living at Eastern Qing-yuan Nunnery, she was a person of capability and talent and was fond of practicing meditation. She was 145

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well versed in the sutras and the Vinaya, and her words were always refined and honest. Although she did not give lectures, she made profound studies of all the essential teachings. Emperor Wen of the Song dynasty treated her cordially. As a child, the Prince of Xiang-dong used to su›er from nightmares, but after receiving the Three Refuges from Bhik≈u√∆ Jingxian by imperial order, he was cured. After this, the emperor treated her even more cordially, o›ering her rich donations with great respect, and people within and outside the palace presented personal gifts to her.

When Emperor Ming ascended the throne (465), he honored Jingxian with even more respect and provided her with abundant o›erings. Feasts were prepared and lectures arranged one after the other without cease. All the famous scholars of the time honored her as their teacher. Later, she took charge of the a›airs of the nunnery for more than ten years. She died at the age of seventyfive, in the fourth year of Tian-jian (505) of the Liang dynasty. There were also Huigao and Baoyong, both of whom were wellknown figures. Huigao sat in meditation and recited scriptures, and diligently managed the a›airs of the community. Baoyong lectured on the Saddharmapu√∂ar∆ka-s¥tra and had a clear understanding of the practice of contemplation. 58. Jingyuan of Zhu-yuan Nunnery

Jingyuan, originally surnamed Shi, was a native of Ju-lu. When she was a child she had the intelligence of an adult. At the age of five or six, she often collected sand to build stupas and carved wooden images. She venerated them by burning incense for a whole day, yet [even then] she did not feel that she had su‡ciently venerated them. Whenever she heard people saying anything, she would always make thorough inquiries to find out the truth. Jingyuan renounced secular life at the age of twenty. She thought fondly of her parents, and would neither eat nor sleep but drank only water to observe a fast. She refused to listen to 146

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remonstrances and fasted for seven days, after which she became a strict vegetarian. She strictly observed the Vinaya rules with endurance without being taughtto do so. Her teachers and friends respected her with admiration, and she was praised by people far and near.

Crown Prince Wenhui of the Qi dynasty greatly honored her and o›ered her the four daily requisites, and messengers were dispatched to send letters to her frequently. In the fifth year of Tianjian (506), Jingyuan died at the age of seventy-one. 947a

59. Jingxing of Zhu-yuan Nunnery

Jingxing was the fifth younger sister of Bhik≈u√∆ Jingyuan. When she was a child, her intellect was fine and brilliant and her farsightedness firm and comprehensive. She had a frank and upright character and was a person of aspirations. Her manners and deportment were always extraordinary. When Jingxing was young she was acquainted with Lady Zang, the wife of Guo Qia, the Chief Fodder Supplier. Guo Qia intended to murder his wife, and word of it leaked out in the streets. Jingxing asked her elder brother to admonish Guo Qia, but Guo Qia would not listen to him. Jingxing secretly told Lady Zang, but the lady did not believe it. Holding the lady's hands, Jingxing wept sorrowfully and then returned home. A few days later, Guo Qia did indeed murder his wife.

At the age of seventeen, Jingxing renounced secular life under the tutorship of Bhik≈u√∆ Fashi and went to live at Zhu-yuan Nunnery. She studied the Satyasiddhi-Ωåstra and the AbhidharmakoΩa, as well as the Nirvana Sutra and the Avataµsaka-s¥tra. Whenever she saw the beginning of anything, she could [immediately] comprehend its object and meaning. Her studies were deep and abstruse and she could debate extensively without limit. Xiao Ziliang, Prince Wenxuan of Jing-ling of the Qi dynasty, provided her with rich alms. The Dharma masters Sengzong and Baoliang held her in great esteem. Whenever she was invited to 147

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give a sermon, the audience always consisted of several hundred people. In the o‡cial residence and in the nunneries, religious functions were performed continuously, and none of the advanced teachers of the time could defeat her in argumentation. Later, the Prince of Jing-ling classified the learned monks and nuns into di›erent ranks with the intention of compiling a record of the sangha. But nobody was found to equal Jingxing. There was a nun who was intelligent and exceptionally well learned, and who could debate extensively in a miraculous way. Jingxing was particularly intimate with her, and the other nuns also regarded her as a budding young person who could match Jingxing. During her old age, Jingxing took delight in meditation and contemplation, and lived the austere life of a vegetarian. When the emperor heard about her, he praised her highly with admiration. In the eighth year of Tian-jian (509), she died at the age of sixty-six. Her remains were buried on Zhong Mountain. 60. Shi Lingyu of Southern Jin-ling Nunnery

Lingyu, originally surnamed Cai, was a native of Jian-kang. When she was young, she left home and lived in a meditation cell at Empress He's Nunnery as a disciple of Bhik≈u√∆ Jingyao, who observed the Vinaya rules in a pure and faultless manner and whose practice of meditation surpassed all others. When Lingyu was young, she served her teacher respectfully and diligently without negligence. When she began to observe the ten precepts, she behaved herself quite properly. When she received full ordination, she kept the prohibitive rules in a manner as pure as ice and frost. She widely studied the Five Texts, probing into their deep meaning in a marvelous way, and was able to write expositions for their elucidation.

The Prince of Shao-ling of the Song dynasty greatly respected Lingyu and invited her to be the abbess of Southern Jin-ling Nunnery, but she resolutely declined and would not take up the post. 148

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The prince could not force her but he reported the matter to the emperor reigning in the Yuan-hui period (473-477), who sanctioned the appointment by imperial decree. Thus Lingyu could no longer evade the duty and served in the post for a number of years. She was dignified without being proud and inspired awe without showing severity. In the eighth year of Tian-jian (509) of the Liang dynasty, Lingyu died at the age of seventy-six. In the same nunnery there were also Linghui, Jieren, and Huili, all persons of renown. Linghui recited the Saddharmapu√∂ar∆ka, the Vimalak∆rtinirdeΩa, the ¸r∆målådev∆siµhanåda, and other sutras. She was assiduous and lived as a vegetarian, serving as a prominent example to the entire community. Jieren was intelligent and fond of learning, and she never forgot whatever she had set her eyes on. Huili had a correct understanding of emptiness and never deceived others nor competed for anything. 61. Sengshu of Xian-ju Nunnery

Sengshu, originally surnamed Huai, was a native of Peng-cheng. Her father, Sengzhen, emigrated to live at Jian-kang. When Sengshu was young, she set her mind on the Way. She became a vegetarian at the age of eight. When she was nineteen, in the twenty-fourth year of Yuan-jia (477) of the Song dynasty, she left secular life under the tutorship of Bhik≈u√∆ Jingxiu of Chan-lin Nunnery.

Sengshu's moral practice was pure and austere, and she was without any defect in her religious discretion. She fixed her mind on the study of the sutras and the Vinaya texts, which she read thoroughly. Later she made a special e›ort to study the Sarvaßtivåda-vinaya and gained a complete understanding of the meaning of the text. She also received from the Dharma masters Yin and Shen the secret of contemplation and the method of perfect samådhi. She then went to live at Chan-lin Nunnery, where she was honored as a teacher of meditation.

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The people coming and going and gathering around her made the nunnery a clamorous place, so Sengshu had the intention to live in seclusion. On hearing this, Imperial Lady Zhang, mother of the Prince of Liu-chuan of the Song dynasty, gave up her residence for the purpose of making it a nunnery. But at that time establishing a nunnery at will was not allowed. Not until the first day of the ninth month in the second year of Yuan-hui (474), when Lady Wu Chonghua, mother of the Prince of Ru-nan, presented a petition to the emperor, was imperial permission granted for the construction of the nunnery. It consisted of more than fifty halls and shrines and other rooms and houses, in which Sengshu lived with twenty of her companions of the same aspiration, taking delight in silent meditation. It was named Xian-ju Nunnery. Whether active or remaining quiet, Sengshu always maintained morality and was never frivolous or ostentatious. During the Song and Qi dynasties, when the country was in turmoil, she continued to practiced meditation and lived in peace, unperturbed by worldly concerns. Both Crown Prince Wenhui and Prince Wenxuan of Jingling in the Qi dynasty treated her with great honor. They renovated the whole nunnery, making everything brilliant and splendid, and o›ered alms throughout the four seasons without cease. When the great [Emperor] Liang established sovereignty and restored order in the country, both the laity and the clergy respected and gathered around Sengshu like clouds from distant places of the four quarters. Sengshu never kept any private property. Whatever she received she distributed to help the four groups of Buddhist followers, or to release living creatures, or for almsgiving. She made five golden images, all of which were magnificent and beautiful, and had more than one thousand fascicles of sutras and Vinaya texts copied. Their labels, wrappers, ribbons, and rollers were exquisitely decorated with precious ornaments.

In the fourteenth year of Tian-jian (515) in the Liang dynasty, Sengshu died at the age of eighty-four. Her remains were buried on the southern side of Zhong Mountain.

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62. Miaoyi of Western Qing-yuan Nunnery

Miaoyi, originally surnamed Liu, was a native of Jian-kang. When she was a child, her marvelous ingenuity was fine and outstanding. She renounced home and went to live at Western Qing-yuan Nunnery while she was young, and she observed the Vinaya rules spotlessly, with superior and brilliant spirituality. Her sincere faithfulness and charitable deeds were remembered by the people. She was fond of talking and was particularly good at making humorous remarks.

Miaoyi lectured on the Mahåparinirvå√a-s¥tra, theSaddharmapu√∂ar∆ka-s¥tra, and theDaΩabh¥mika-s¥tra more than thirty times altogether, and also expounded theSarvåstivåda-vinaya on di›erent occasions to guide and benefit many people. In the twelfth year of Tian-jian (513), she died at the age of seventy. 63. Shi Huihui of Le-an Nunnery

Huihui, originally surnamed Luo, was a native of Qing-zhou. At the age of six, she took delight in the Way, but her parents did not allow [her to renounce home]. When she reached the age of eleven, she stopped eating meat, fish, and pungent roots. She was pure and simple with a noble and expansive mind, and her demeanor and features were serene and elegant. She recited the Mahåparinirvå√a-s¥tra and chanted the Saddharmapu√∂ar∆ka-s¥tra. When Huihui was seventeen, she went to the capital with her father. She was energetic and vigorous, and did what others could not do. Out of a›ectionate pity for her, her parents [at last] allowed her to fulfill her wish. At the age of eighteen, she left home and went to live at Le-an Nunnery. She attended lectures given by the four Dharma masters Bin, Ji, Rou, and Ci on the Satyasiddhi-Ωåstra and theNirvana Sutra, as well as other texts. Over a ten-year period, her learning thrived like a forest of knowledge, and all the nuns in the capital received instruction from her. From then on, preaching meetings were held frequently 151

947c

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and people assembled from distant places in the four quarters. Huihui lectured and discussed without rest, and practiced meditation and chanting without interruption. She fixed her mind on right remembrance day and night, even foregoing sleep. All the princes and dukes and both noble and humble people highly respected Huihui. Alms from the ten directions were o›ered to her in abundance throughout the four seasons. Whatever wealth she received she spent for copying scriptures and making images or for almsgiving whenever it was needed. If there was anything unspent, she would use it for the renovation of Le-an Nunnery, in which everything was new and well kept.

In the thirteenth year of Tian-jian (514), Huihui died at the age of seventy-three. Her remains were buried on Stone Hill. There was also Huiyin, whose daily task was to worship the Buddha and recite the scriptures.

64. Shi Daogui of Di-shan Nunnery

Daogui, originally surnamed Shou, was a native of Chang-an. As a child, she was peaceful and simple by nature and was good at studying the principles of nature. A person of aspirations and abilities, she was assiduous and rigorous and lived more ascetically than others. She vowed to spread the Great Edification (i.e., the Buddha-Dharma) and did not eat fish or meat. Her purpose was to aid others and she was content with ragged clothes for herself. Daogui recited the ¸r∆målådev∆siµhanåda-s¥tra and the Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-s¥tra both day and night. Out of a›ection for her, her parents permitted her to lead the religious life. She renounced home at the age of seventeen and widely read the scriptures and Vinaya texts, making a thorough study of their meaning. She did not covet name and fame, but regarded the practice of the Way as her daily task. She constantly practiced meditation whether walking or sitting. When she repented her faults or made religious vows, her words were so sincere and touching that those who heard them were filled with deep veneration.

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Xiao Ziliang, Prince Wenxuan of Jing-ling of the Qi dynasty, treated her with respect and built Di-shan Nunnery [Editor's note: The Taishø text has the characters "Ding-shan" here, but the context makes clear that this is the same nunnery as that named in the heading for this section.] for her in order to bring together a group of chan (dhyåna) practioners. He invited Daogui to take charge of the nunnery, but she adamantly declined his invitation. When she was asked to be a model for meditation, she consented. Then she took up her abode in the forest, where she livedfor the rest of her life. Even when dense clouds enshrouded the sun or deep snow buried the mountain, Daogui would still sit up straight in meditation without interruption. Whatever alms she received from devotees she would use for performing meritorious deeds in an extensive way. She never spent any of it for her own benefit. In the fifteenth year of Tian-jian (516), Daogui died at the age of eighty-six. Her remains were buried on the southern side of Zhong Mountain.

65. Shi Faxuan of Zhao-ming Nunnery

in Shan-yin

Faxuan, originally surnamed Wang, was a native of Shan County. Her father, Daoji, professed the right Dharma because of family tradition. As a child, Faxuan had the aspiration to leave the world (i.e., renounce secular life). When she was only seven years old, she became a vegetarian and led an austere life of self-restraint. When she was eighteen, she recited the Saddharmapu√∂ar∆kas¥tra and acquired a thorough understanding of its gist from beginning to end. Faxuan always saw a canopy suspended over her whether she was sitting or sleeping. When a matchmaker suddenly came to her, she refused the proposal with a vow. When she was twentyfour, her parents took her to the nun Dele of Qi-ming Nunnery in Shan County, where she took robes in order to observe the prohibitive rules. On that day the canopy disappeared by itself. 153

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Faxuan read the scriptures widely and delved deeply into the substance of the teachings. After she had received ordination, the people of the time, whether in the countryside or in the capital, both the laity or the renowned, and religious figures of theoretical studies, were convinced of her diligence and profundity. In the latter part of the Song dynasty, there was a Dharma master named Sengrou who traveled around east China giving lectures on sutras and Ωåstras. From the Tu and Sheng Mountains, he went to the Cave of Yu, or he ascended Ling-yin and journeyed to Gu-su. Sengrou enumerated the gist of the Ωåstras, while Huichu expounded the essence of the sutras. Faxuan thoroughly mastered the subtle points and completely understood the profound teachings of them all.

During the Yong-ming period of the Qi dynasty, Faxuan also received instruction in the Sarvåstivåda-vinaya from Dharma Master Huixi. What learning she absorbed was improved daily, and what she comprehended increased every month. Then she went to live at Zhao-ming Nunnery in Shan-yin. [There] she lectured on sutras and Vinaya texts one after the other, enjoying a high reputation in the region of Yu-yue.

Faxuan did not keep private property, but spent all gifts and donations on the renovation and decoration of the buildings of the nunnery, the structure of which was so fine and beautiful that it looked like the work of divine hands. It was completely furnished with copied sutras and images cast in metal.

Zhang Yuan of Wu Prefecture, Yu Yong of Ying-chuan, and Zhou Yong of Ru-nan, prominent personages of the time, all went in person to pay their respects to her. When Xiao Zhaozhou, the Prince of Ba-ling of the Qi dynasty, was governor of Kuai-ji, he provided her with rich o›erings. Prince Yuanjian of Heng-yang of the Liang dynasty came to the prefecture to invite her to be his mother's teacher. In the fifteenth year of Tian-jian (516) of the Liang dynasty, Faxuan died at the age of eighty-three. End of Fascicle Four of Biographies of Buddhist Nuns 154

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian Translated from the Chinese of Faxian (Taishø Volume 51, Number 2085) by

Li Rongxi

Translator’s Introduction

Translator's Introduction

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian, also known as A Record of Buddhist Countries, is an account of the travels of Faxian, who began his journey to India by land in 399 C.E.and returned to China by sea in 414. As he mentions at the beginning of this work, Faxian's purpose was to acquire and bring back texts on the Buddhist monastic rules and precepts (Vinaya) for Chinese monks.

When Buddhism was first introduced to China, in the first century C.E., missionaries from India and Central Asia brought texts consisting of the fundamental teachings of the Buddha, but not those concerning the monastic rules, the Vinaya. The monastic rules were considered important only for those who had renounced secular life to become monks and form an organized sangha (community of monks). But there were not yet many monastics or would-be monastics in the early stages of the propagation of Buddhism in China. Much later, during the third century C.E., the Central Indian monk Dharmakåla introduced the Vinaya to China. Dharmakåla came to Luo-yang in the Jia-ping period (249-254), during the reign of Prince Qi of the Wei dynasty (220-265). He was learned in both Mahayana and Hinayana canonical works and Vinaya texts.

Though there were at the time some who had decided to lead a religious life according to Buddhist teachings, they could hardly be called bhik≈us (monks) in the strict sense of the term. These unordained recluses shaved their hair to distinguish themselves from the laity. But as they had not studied the Vinaya, which provided rules for the monks' daily activities and ordination ceremonies, and spelled out how to form a legitimate sangha, they knew nothing of the proper lifestyle of a bhik≈u. These renunciants asked Dharmakåla to translate the Vinaya texts into Chinese.

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Dharmakåla thought that the Vinaya-pi†aka, the entire corpus of Vinaya texts, was too voluminous to be translated into Chinese, and that other doctrinal texts, rather than Vinaya texts, should be introduced first. So he translated only a short text, the Mahåsåµghika-vinaya-h®daya. He also initiated the ceremony of ordination for Chinese monks. This constituted the introduction of the Vinaya to China.

At about the same time in Loyang, from 254-256, Dharmak∆rti, a monk from Parthia, translated the Dharmagupta-karman into Chinese. The Bhik≈upråtimok≈a must have also been translated into Chinese around this time as well, for an extant record indicates that Sun Hao, the ruler of Wu (r. 264-280), wished to read the Bhik≈upråtimok≈a but was not allowed to do so, as the text was written exclusively for monks and was not for laypeople. This, then, is the historical situation that inspired Faxian to undertake a perilous journey to India in order to seek more Vinaya texts. He departed from Chang-an in 399.

A few years later, on the seventeenth day of the tenth month in 404, Pu√yatara, a monk from KaΩm∆ra (present-day Kashmir), began the work of translating into Chinese a more complete Vinaya text, the Sarvåstivåda-vinaya, in cooperation with the monk Kumåraj∆va. But Pu√yatara died before completing the work, having translated only about two-thirds of the text, and the work was suspended. Dharmaruci, a monk from Kucha, who arrived in the Chinese capital in 405, was asked to continue the translation with Kumåraj∆va, who died in 409 (or 412, according to some sources). The translation of this important text was begun while Faxian was traveling in India. Had such a comprehensive Vinaya text been available in Chinese a few years earlier, Faxian would probably not have risked his life to go to India. In 410, BuddhayaΩas translated into Chinese the Dharmagupta-vinaya, in sixty fascicles. This Vinaya text was later studied and followed by the majority of Chinese Buddhist monks. Faxian also obtained the original Sanskrit version of this text in India. 158

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

But, after returning to China, he did not translate the text, perhaps because it had already been translated by BuddhayaΩas. Faxian's major contribution was his translation of the Mahåsåµghika-vinaya, in forty fascicles. He completed this work around 418 with the help of Buddhabhadra, a native of Kapilavastu. Around the same time, Buddhabhadra translated the Avataµsakas¥tra atJiankang (present-day Nanjing). Faxian also brought back to China the Sanskrit text of the Mah∆Ωåsaka-vinaya, but did not translate it. In 424, four years after Faxian's death, Buddhaj∆va, a monk from KaΩm∆ra, translated this text into Chinese in an edition of thirty fascicles. Faxian appears to have been a man of iron will. At the age of sixty-five he faced the hardships of travel and returned home an old man of seventy-nine. He had only seven years remaining in which to fulfill his ambition of propagating the Vinaya in China. But he was able to bring back many Vinaya texts that were then unknown in China, so his journey was a success. Furthermore, he has given to posterity an account of his travels to India and to the countries of Central Asia that describes not only the state of Buddhism at the time, but also the cultures and customs of the people he met during his fourteen years abroad. Faxian had three elder brothers, all of whom died young. Fearing that Faxian might su›er the same fate as his brothers, his father sent him to a monastery to become a novice at the tender age of three. His father believed that monastic life would ward o› premature death. Faxian died a monk at the ripe old age of eightysix at Xin Monastery in Jinzhou, in the present-day province of Hupei.

Several editions of this work have appeared in di›erent collections of the Tripi†aka and separate editions have been published by individuals. It is therefore inevitable that variant readings may appear. Texts were hand-copied and it was very easy for scribes to make mistakes. Because most Chinese characters are similar in structure, they may be easily misread by a careless scribe. There 159

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are ambiguous sections in the text due to errors of transcription, and readers of later generations must correct them through comparative studies and textual research. Some mistakes are obvious. For instance, at the beginning of this work, Faxian is said to have started his journey "in the second year of Hong-shi, the cyclical year of Ji-hai.

" This is a self-contradictory statement—the second year of Hong-shi falls in the cyclical year of Geng-zi (400), not Ji-hai. If it were Ji-hai, then it would have to have been the first year of Hong-shi (399). The Chinese characters for "Ji-hai" are more complicated in structure and hence less liable to be miswritten than the character for "one, " which is

simply a short horizontal stroke. A careless transcriber may add another short horizontal stroke to it and create the character for "two" (or second). Thus the character indicating the cyclical year of Ji-hai is more likely to be correct than the simple character for the number "two.

" This is proved by collateral evidence provided by other works, such as the Biographies of Eminent Monks compiled by Huijiao of the Liang dynasty. The third fascicle of that work relates that Faxian left Chang-an in the third year of the Longan period (397-401) of the Jin dynasty, which corresponds to 399 C.E.

In this translation, I followed the text contained in the Taishø edition of the Tripi†aka, with a few exceptions where the context required me to follow the readings given in the footnotes rather than those in the text itself.

In the epilogue to his edition of the The Life of Faxian, Hu Zhenheng, a scholar who flourished during the Wan-li period (1573-1620) of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), pointed out some editorial inconsistencies in the text. Since they do not a›ect the contents of this work as a whole, I will refrain from going into detail about his remarks.

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THE JOURNEY OF THE

EMINENT MONK FAXIAN

A Record of the Journey to India of Shi Faxian, a ¸rama√a of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420)

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

While Faxian was living in Chang-an, he deplored the fact that the Vinaya-pi†aka was incomplete. Thus, in the second year of Hong-shi, the cyclical year of Ji-hai, he set out for India with his intimate friends Huijing, Daozheng, Huiying, and Huiwei to seek Vinayatexts.

Beginning the journey in Chang-an, they crossed the Long Mountains and reached the country governed by Qifu Quiangui. There they spent the summer in retreat. After the summer retreat, they proceeded to the country ruled by the Tufa Rutan and crossed the Yang-lou Mountains before reaching the garrison town of Zhang-ye, which was then in great turmoil. The roads were impassable. Out of hospitality, the Prince of Zhang-ye invited them to stay and acted as their supporter. Thus they met [the monks] Zhiyan, Huijian, Sengshao, Baoyun, and Sengjing. Pleased to learn that they were all traveling for the same purpose, the monks stayed together to observe the summer retreat.

When the summer retreat was over, they proceeded to Dunhuang, where there was a fortified region about eighty li from east to west and forty li from south to north. They stayed there for over a month, then Faxian and his group, five persons in all, parted from Baoyun and the others and resumed the journey with a messenger. Li Hao, the governor of Dun-huang, provided them with the necessities required to sustain life when crossing the desert. In the desert there were many evil spirits and frequent hot winds. Those who encountered them all died; none could hope to escape with a whole skin. Not a bird flew above, nor any beast roamed below. As far as the eye could see, there was no road anywhere on which to cross the desert. Only the skeletons of dead persons served as road markers.

After traveling for seventeen days, covering a distance of about fifteen hundred li, the group reached the country of Shanshan. It was a rugged and barren land. The laypeople dressed in roughly the same manner as the Han people, except that their garments were made of felt or coarse cloth. The ruling prince professed the Dharma, and there were about four thousand monks, 857a4

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all belonging to the Hinayana school. All the laypeople and monks of the various countries practiced the Dharma of India, some of them more strictly and some less so. From here westward, all the countries [of Central Asia] were similar in that while the indigenous languages di›ered from country to country, all the monks studied the old Indian texts and languages.

Having stayed there for one month, the group then continued their journey to the northwest. After fifteen days, they reached the country of Agni. In this country there were also about four thousand monks of the Hinayana school who observed the Dharma in a perfect manner. Monks from China were not accepted as members of the sangha. With the help of Fu Gongsun, a monk serving in the refectory, Faxian stayed there for more than two months and then rejoined Baoyun and the others.

The people of Agni lacked training in the rules of courtesy and treated their guests inhospitably. So Zhiyan, Huijian, and Huiwei returnedto Gao-chang with the intention of procuring necessities for the journey, while Faxian and his group proceeded directly southwest with the supplies provided by Fu Gongsun. There were no inhabitants along the way and the journey was very di›icult. The hardships they experienced were beyond human understanding.

After one month and five days' travel, they managed to reach Khotan. In this rich and happy country the people lived in prosperity and believed and took delight in the Dharma. The monks numbered in the tens of thousands and most of them studied Mahayana Buddhism. Adequate food was given to the community of monks. The people of this country were as numerous as the stars in the sky. Each house had a small stupa erected in front of the door, the smallest ones being about twenty feet in height. There were dwellings to provide lodgings and other requisites for guest monks from the four quarters.

The lord of the country lodged Faxian and his party in a monastery called Gomati. It was a Mahayana establishment. Three thousand monks partook of their meals together at the sound of 164

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

a drum. When they entered the refectory, they behaved with sedate propriety and took their seats in due order. All was quiet, and they used their almsbowls without making any noise. When they wished to refill their bowls, they were not allowed to call out, but would simply wave their hands at the attendants.

Huijing, Daozheng, and Huida went on ahead to the country of KhaΩa, while Faxian and the others, wishing to witness the image-welcoming procession, remained behind for three months. In this country, there were fourteen large monasteries, not counting the smaller ones. Starting on the first day of the fourth month, the streets of the city were swept clean and sprinkled with water, and the lanes and roads were decorated. A large canopy was stretched over the city gate, and everything was well adorned. The king and his queen, along with their maidservants, were seated under the canopy at the city gate. The king respected the monks of Gomati Monastery who belonged to the Mahayana school, so they were the first to parade their Buddha image in the procession. At a distance of three or four li from the city, a four-wheeled cart over thirty feet high had been constructed in the shape of a mobile shrine. It was beautifully adorned with the seven kinds of precious stones, silk pennants, and canopies. Attended by two bodhisattvas, the image stood in the middle of the cart, while a retinue of celestial beings carved in gold and silver were suspended in the air.

When the image arrived at a point about a hundred paces from the city gate, the king took o› his crown and changed into fresh clothing. Going barefooted and holding flowers and incense in his hands, he went out of the city to receive the image, with his attendants following behind him. He saluted the image's feet, scattered flowers, and burned incense. When the image was entering the city, the queen and her maidservants on the tower of the city gate scattered various kinds of flowers, which rained down in profusion. Such adornments and o›ered items were di›erent for each cart. Each monastery was assigned one day to parade its images. The procession started on the first day of the fourth month and ended 165

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on the fourteenth day. At the conclusion of the image procession, the king and queen returned to their palace.

Seven or eight li to the west of the city, there was a monastery called New Royal Monastery, which had been built eighty years before. Its construction went on through the reigns of three kings. A composite structure made of various kinds of precious substances, the monastery was about two hundred fifty feet in height, decorated with ornamental engravings and hollow carvings, and covered with gold and silver foil. At the back of a stupa, there was a beautiful and magnificent shrine hall for the Buddha's image. All the beams, pillars, doors, and windows of the shrine were adorned with golden foil. Apart from this, there were monks' living quarters, which were also decorated in a manner splendid beyond description. The costly jewels in the possession of the kings of the six countries east of the Pamirs were mostly presented as o›erings to the monasteries and seldom used for personal adornment. After the conclusion of the image procession in the fourth month, Sengshao set out for KaΩm∆ra with a foreign monk. Faxian and his group proceeded to the country of Kukyar and reached it after a journey of twenty-five days. The king of this country was energetically engaged in Buddhist learning. There were more than a thousand monks, most of whom belonged to the Mahayana. Having stayed here for fifteen days, the group traveled southward into the Pamirs for four days and reached the country of Ladakh, where they sojourned for the summer retreat. When the summer retreat was over, they traveled through the mountains for twenty-five days, reaching the country of KhaΩa, where they rejoined Huijing and the others.

At that time, the king of KhaΩa was holding the pañcavår≈ika (quinquennial assembly), to which large numbers of monks from the four quarters were invited. At the assembly, the monks' seats were adorned and canopies were suspended in the air. Gold and silver lotus flowers were placed at the back of their seats. Clean mats were placed on the ground for the monks to sit on. 166

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The king and his ministers made o›erings to the monks according to Buddhist tradition for one, two, or three months, usually in the spring. At the conclusion of the assembly, the king advised his ministers to make o›erings to the monks for one, two, three, five, or up to seven days. When all o›erings had been made, the king himself fitted his own horses with saddles and bridles, and gave them to high-ranking ministers of the country, bidding them to ride them to o›er the monks various things, such as white felt, gems, and other things the monks needed. The king and his ministers o›ered these things, having made their vows. These alms, however, were later exchanged for other items the monks needed. This country was mountainous and cold, and no grain but wheat could be cultivated there. At the time the monks ended their summer retreat, the mornings would often become frosty. Thus the king usually asked them not to hold their summer retreat until after the wheat had been harvested.

In this country there was a stone spittoon once used by the Buddha. Its color was the same as the Buddha's almsbowl. There was also a tooth of the Buddha, for which the people of the country erected a stupa. There were more than a thousand monks, all belonging to the Hinayana. To the east of these mountains, the garments of the laypeople were like those in China, except that they were of felt and coarse cloth. The monks' religious utensils were so superior that is impossible to describe them in detail. This country was in the middle of the Pamirs. From here onward the plants, trees, and fruits were all di›erent, except that the bamboo, pomegranate trees, and sugarcane were the same as in the land of the Han people (China).

From here [Faxian and his party] proceeded westward to India. After a month's travel they crossed the Pamirs, where there was snow in summer as well as in winter. There was a venomous dragon which, if angered, would snort out noxious gas or cause rain, snow, or sandstorms. Not one person out of ten thousand who encountered this disaster escaped safely. Local people called this place the Snow Mountains.

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858a

After crossing the Pamirs, they reached India. On its borders there was a small country called Darada, where there were also many monks, all learning Hinayana Buddhism. Formerly there was an arhat in this country who, by his supernatural power, led a skillful artisan to the Tu≈ita Heaven to observe the height and features of Maitreya Bodhisattva so that after returning to this world the artisan could carve a wooden statue of the bodhisattva. The artisan ascended to the [Tu≈ita Heaven] three times to observe before he completed the statue. The statue was eighty feet in height and eight feet wide at the pedestal, and it often emitted light on festival days. The kings of di›erent countries vied with each other in making o›erings to the statue. It is still standing there. From here they traveled southwest along the mountain range for fifteen days on a di›icult path that was full of obstacles. The crags rose to a formidable height and there was nothing but precipitous rocks towering high in the mountains. One would feel dizzy when looking down from above, and there was no foothold for proceeding along the way. Below flowed a river called the Indus. The ancients had hewn a stairway-like path out of the rocks that had seven hundred steps. After climbing the stairway, the party crossed the river by walking carefully over a rope suspension bridge. The banks of the river were nearly eighty paces apart. According to the archives about distant countries, even Zhang Qian and Gan Ying did not get as far as this place.

The monks asked Faxian,

"When was Buddhism introduced

to the East?"

He replied,

"I have inquired of the people in the East, and they all said that Buddhism was handed down by people of ancient times. Since the raising of the image of Maitreya Bodhisattva, Indian monks have crossed this river with sutras and Vinaya texts. That image was set up about three hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvå√a, corresponding to the reign of King Ping of the Zhou dynasty (1122-256 B.C.E.). With this in view, we may say that the dissemination of the Great Religion dates from the time of that image. If Maitreya Bodhisattva had not succeeded to 168

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

the Dharma of ¸akyamuni Buddha, who else could have spread the Triple Gem and enabled the people of the borderlands to understand the Dharma? We may be sure that the commencement of this mysterious event was not the work of men, and there must be a reason for the dream of Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty" (206 B.C.E.

-220 C.E.).

After crossing the Indus River, the group reached the country of Udyåna. This kingdom was located in Northern India, but all the people spoke the language of Central India, which was known as the Middle Kingdom. The laymen's dress and food were also the same as in the Middle Kingdom, and Buddhism flourished there. The monks' dwelling places were called saµghåråmas,and there were altogether five hundred saµghåråmas, all belonging to the Hinayana school.

When a guest monk arrived, the resident monks would host him for three days, after which he would be asked to find his own lodgings. Tradition says that the Buddha came to Northern India and it was this country that he visited. He left his footprints there, and they may be long or short according to who looks at them. It is still so today. The rock on which the Buddha aired his robe and the place where he converted an evil dragon were also there. The rock was fourteen feet high and about twenty feet wide, with one flat side.

Huijing, Huida, and Daozheng continued their journey to the country of Nagarahåra, where there was an image of the Buddha. Faxian and his group stayed behind in Udyåna for the summer retreat. After the summer retreat, they traveled south to the country of Suvastu, where Buddhism also flourished. This was the place where Indra once transformed himself into a hawk and a dove to test the Bodhisattva [¸åkyamuni], who cut o› a piece of his own flesh to give the hawk in order to save the dove. After he had attained enlightenment, the Buddha once came to this place with his disciples in the course of his travels. The Buddha told the [people of Suvastu],

"This is the place where I once cut o› my flesh to ransom a dove.

" Thus the people of that country came to know 858b

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about it. They built a stupa at the spot and adorned it with gold and silver ornaments.

Proceeding eastward down from there for five days, they reached the country of Gandhåra, which was once under the rule of Dharmavivardhana, the son of King AΩoka. When the Buddha was still a bodhisattva, he gave away his eyes as alms to others in this country. There was also a huge stupa adorned with gold and silver ornaments on this spot. Most of the people in this country studied Hinayana teachings.

Seven days' journey to the east, there was a country called Tak≈aΩilå, meaning "decapitation.

" When the Buddha was a bodhisattva in a former life, he gave away his head as alms at this place; hence the name. Going further east for two days, they came to the place where the Buddha once gave his body to feed a starving tigress. At both of these places large stupas had been raised and adorned with various precious ornaments. The kings, ministers, and people of di›erent countries vied with one another in making o›erings. The practices of scattering flowers and lighting lamps at the stupa never ceased. The people of that land called these two stupas and the two mentioned earlier the Four Great Stupas. Traveling south from Gandhåra for four days, the group came to the country of Puru≈apura. Once, when the Buddha traveled to this country with his disciples, he said to Ånanda, "After my nirvana, a king by the name of Kani≈ka will build a stupa at this place.

"

King Kani≈ka later appeared in the world. He once went on a pleasure trip. Indra, intending to enlighten him, transformed himself into a shepherd boy who was making a stupa by the roadside. The king asked him,

"What are you doing?"

The boy replied,

"I am making a Buddha stupa.

"

The king remarked,

"That is a very good deed.

"

Then the king built a stupa more than four hundred feet high right over the one made by the shepherd boy. He decorated it with various kinds of precious ornaments. None of the stupas and temples [Faxian and the group] had seen on the way could compare 170

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

with this one in magnificence and grandeur. It was generally said that this stupa was the most splendid in all of Jambudv∆pa. When the construction of King Kani≈ka's stupa had been completed, the smaller one, which was about three feet high, emerged on the south side of the larger one.

The Buddha's almsbowl was kept in this country. The king of Yuezhi dispatched a great force to attack the country in ancient times, with the intention of acquiring the almsbowl. Having subdued the country, the devout Buddhist king of Yuezhi made rich o›erings because he wanted to take away the almsbowl. He presented o›erings to the Triple Gem, then caparisoned a huge elephant and placed the bowl upon it. But the elephant crouched on the ground and would not move forward. Then the king made a four-wheeled cart that was hitched to eight elephants, and the bowl was placed on it. But the cart could not move. The king realized that it was not time for him to own the Buddha's almsbowl. With a sense of deep shame and remorse [at his deeds], he built a stupa and a monastery on the spot, and guardians were stationed there to make all kinds of o›erings.

There were about seven hundred monks there. They brought out the bowl every day when it was nearly noon to receive the alms o›ered by the laypeople. Then they partook of their midday meal. In the evening they brought it out at the time of burning incense. The vessel could contain about two pecks and was multicolored, with black predominating. Its four layers were distinctly visible. About a fifth of an inch thick, it has a brilliant luster. It could be filled to the brim with a few flowers o›ered by a poor man, but a rich man could never fill it even with a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand bushels of flowers.

Baoyun and Sengjing made o›erings to the Buddha's almsbowl, and then started on their return journey. Huijing, Huida, and Daozheng went ahead to the country of Nagarahåra to make o›erings to the Buddha's image, tooth, and skull. Huijing fell ill, so Daozheng stayed behind to attend to him, while Huida went back to Puru≈apura alone to rejoin the others and he then returned 171

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to China with Baoyun and Sengjing. Huijing passed away at the temple of the Buddha's almsbowl. Thus Faxian traveled alone to the temple of the Buddha's skull.

Going west for sixteen yojanas, he reached the city of Hi∂∂a on the border of Nagarahåra, where the temple of the Buddha's skull was. The whole temple was covered with golden foil and decorated with the seven precious gems. Out of respect for the skull, and hoping to safeguard it, the king had selected eight noblemen of the country and asked each of them to hold a seal of the temple. Early in the morning, the eight noblemen would gather, each to inspect his own seal. Then they opened the door. After the door was opened, they would wash their hands with scented water, bring out the skull, and place it on a high platform outside the temple.

The skull was set on a circular stand made of the seven precious gems, and covered with a lapis lazuli cup adorned with pearls and gems. Its color was yellowish white, and it was four inches across with a protuberant cranium. Every day when it was taken out, the residents of the temple ascended a lofty tower to beat a large drum, blow a conch, and strike cymbals. Upon hearing the sound, the king went to the temple to o›er flowers and incense. Then he and his attendants worshiped the skull in due order and left the temple. The king entered the temple by the eastern gate and left by the western gate.

The king worshiped the skull with o›erings in this manner every morning, and did not attend to state a›airs until he had done so. The laymen and elders, too, made their o›erings before attending to their household duties. The people did this every day, never tiring of it. After all o›erings had been made, they returned the skull to the temple and kept it in a stupa called Emancipation, which was made of the seven kinds of jewels. The stupa was about five feet high and it could be opened and closed. Every morning in front of the gate of the temple, vendors sold flowers and incense. Worshipers purchased them to make o›erings. The kings of various countries also constantly sent envoys to make 172

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

o›erings. The site of this temple, about thirty paces square, never trembled even during thunderstorms or earthquakes. Proceeding northward for one yojana, Faxian reached the capital of Nagarahåra, where the Bodhisattva in one of his former lives had purchased with silver coins five lotuses to o›er to the Buddha D∆paµkara. In this city there was a stupa in which was enshrined a tooth of the Buddha. The tooth was worshiped in the same manner as the skull.

One yojana to the northeast of the city, Faxian came to a valley. There a sta› once used by the Buddha was enshrined in a temple. The sta› was made of red sandalwood, about sixteen or seventeen feet long, and was kept in a wooden tube, which even a hundred or a thousand men could not move.

At a place four days' journey toward the west of the valley, there was a saµghå†∆ robe of the Buddha, which was enshrined in a temple. Whenever a drought occurred in this country, the people would bring out the robe to worship it and make o›erings to it, and then rain would come down in torrents.

Half a yojana south of the city of Nagarahåra, in a mountain facing southwest, there was a grotto in which the Buddha had left his image. Viewed from a distance of about ten paces, it looked just like the Buddha's true form with golden features issuing brilliant light. But the nearer one went to it, the less distinct it became. It looked like a dim shade. The kings of various countries had sent skillful artists to copy it, but none could succeed in doing so. It was said by the people of that country that all the thousand Buddhas had left their images [in this grotto].

About four hundred paces to the west of the image was a place where the Buddha, when he was in this world, once shaved his hair and pared his nails. With their own hands, the Buddha and his disciples built a stupa that was seventy to eighty feet high. The stupa was still standing there as a model for future stupas. Beside it there was a monastery with over seven hundred monks living in it. This monastery had as many as a thousand stupas that were built in memory of various arhats and pratyekabuddhas. 173

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Faxian and two others stayed [at that place] for three months during the winter, then headed south across the Lesser Snow Mountains, which were covered with snow in summer as well as in winter. While they were passing through the shaded northern side of the mountains, a sudden icy blast swept down and made them shiver in the bitter cold. Huijing could proceed no further. White foam oozed from his mouth. He said to Faxian,

"I am done for. You should

leave me now. Don't perish with me.

" Thereupon he passed away.

Faxian held him and cried out,

"You have died without attaining your goal. What can we do about it?" Faxian gathered his strength to forge ahead and succeeded in crossing the mountains to go south to the country of Lakki. [In that place] there were nearly three thousand monks who studied both the Mahayana and the Hinayana. Faxian stayed in this country for the summer retreat, then went south and reached the country of Vara√a after ten days' travel. There were also about three thousand monks there, all of whom belonged to the Hinayana school.

Proceeding from [Vara√a] eastward for three days, he again crossed the Indus River, where the land was flat on both banks. Beyond the river was a country called Bhi∂a, where Buddhism flourished and both the Mahayana and Hinayana teachings were studied.

On seeing a monk coming from China, the people were greatly moved and remarked,

"How is it that a man of the borderland could have become a monk to practice the Way and come so far to seek Buddhism?" They provided Faxian with all he needed and treated him with courtesy.

In the course of traveling southeast for nearly eighty yojanas, Faxian passed by a great number of monasteries inhabited by some ten thousand monks. Having passed through these places, he came to the country called Mathurå, where he again crossed the Yamunå River. On both sides of the river were twenty monasteries with about three thousand monks. Buddhism flourished there. 174

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

All the kings of the Indian countries west of the desert were devout believers in the Buddha-Dharma. When they o›ered alms to the monks, they would take o› their crowns. Together with their relatives and ministers, they would serve food to the monks with their own hands. When the meal was over, they would spread a carpet on the ground to sit on in front of an elder monk. In the monks' presence they dared not sit on couches. The manner in which a king made o›erings during the Buddha's lifetime has been handed down to the present time.

The region to the south of this country was known as the Middle Kingdom. There the climate was temperate, without frost or snow. The people were well o› and happy; they were not placed under household registration or o›icial restrictions. Those who tilled the king's land were asked only to pay land rent and were free to quit or stay as they pleased. The kings ruled without recourse to capital punishment. O›enders were only obliged to pay a penalty according to the nature of the o›ense. Even those who plotted high treason only had their right hands cut o› [as punishment]. The king's guards and attendants received regular provisions and compensation. All the people in this country refrained from slaughtering living creatures, drinking intoxicants, and eating onion and garlic, with the exception of the ca√∂ålas (outcastes), who were considered "evil men" and were segregated from the others. Whenever, they entered a town or a marketplace, they would strike a piece of wood to identify themselves, so that other people might know [they were coming] and avoid encountering them. In this country no pigs and fowl were raised and no living creatures were sold [at market]. There were no butchers or winesellers in the markets. For trading the people used cowrie [shells] as money. Meat was sold only by ca√∂åla fishermen and hunters. After the Buddha's parinirvå√a, the kings, elders, and lay Buddhists constructed monasteries for monks and provided them with fields, houses, gardens, husbandrymen, and farm cattle, all of which were specified in title deeds inscribed on iron sheets. Those iron sheets were handed down from king to king. As none had 175

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dared to nullify these deeds, they were still in force. The resident monks were furnished with living quarters, beds and bedding, food, drink, and garments; nothing was wanting or in short supply. Such was the case everywhere.

The monks always practiced virtuous deeds as their duty. They recited scriptures or sat in meditation. When a guest monk arrived, the resident monks would receive him cordially, carry his robes and almsbowl for him, bring water for washing his feet and oil for anointing them, and provide him with a non-mealtime beverage. After [the guest had] rested briefly, they would inquire as to how many years he had been a monk. Then, according to his seniority, they arranged a room furnished with bedding and other things for him. They did these things according to the Vinaya. At the places where the monks dwelled, there were stupas built in honor of ¸åriputra, Maudgalyåyana, or Ånanda, and stupas in honor of the Abhidharma, the Vinaya, and the Sutras (the three divisions of the Tripi†aka). One month after the summer retreat, those families who wished to accumulate merit would collect alms for the monks and distribute a collection for a special occasion. The monks would meet in a great assembly to preach the Dharma. When the preaching was over, various flowers and incense were o›ered to the stupa of ¸åriputra. Lamps were kept burning throughout the night.

Actors were employed to reenact the story of ¸åriputra who, when he was a brahman, had gone to seek permission from the Buddha to become his disciple. The stories of Mahåmaudgalyåyana and MahåkåΩyapa were also staged in the same way. Many nuns made o›erings to the stupa of Ånanda, as he had asked the Buddha to permit women to join the sangha. Many novices made o›erings to the stupa of Råhula; Abhidharma teachers, to the stupa of Abhidharma; and Vinaya teachers, to that of the Vinaya. Each group made o›erings once a year on its specific day. The Mahayana Buddhists made o›erings to Prajñåpåramitå, MañjuΩr∆, and AvalokiteΩvara. 176

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

At the conclusion of the summer retreat, when the monks added one more year to their monastic age, the elders, lay Buddhists, brahmans, and others brought all kinds of robes and other things needed by the monks and presented them as o›erings. The monks shared these gifts among themselves. Since the Buddha's nirvana, such rules of conduct as those observed by the holy monks had been handed down.

After [Faxian and his party] crossed the Indus River and entered Southern India, they traveled forty or fifty thousand li to the sea in the south. All the land was flat without large mountains and valleys. It had only rivers and streams.

At a distance of eighteen yojanas to the southeast, there was a country called SåçkåΩya. This was the place where the Buddha descended from the TråyastriµΩa Heaven after going up there to preach the Dharma to his mother for three months. The Buddha ascended to heaven by his spiritual power, without letting his disciples know about it. But after seven days he showed his miraculous power of flight, and Aniruddha, with his power of clairvoyance, saw the World-honored One from a great distance. He said to the Venerable Maudgalyåyana,

"Please go and salute the World-honored One.

"

Maudgalyåyana went to worship the Buddha. He fell at his feet and exchanged greetings with him. The Buddha said, "After

seven days, I shall descend to Jambudv∆pa.

" Then Maudgalyåyana

returned to earth.

Now the great kings, ministers, and people of the eight countries (i.e., countries of the eight directions, everywhere) had not seen the Buddha for a long time and were eager to see him. They assembled in this country to wait for the World-honored One. A nun named Utpalå thought,

"Today all the kings and people

will meet the Buddha. But I am a woman. How can I see him first?" Thereupon she transformed herself by supernatural power into a holy cakravartin (universal monarch) to worship the Buddha before all the others.

177

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When the Buddha descended from the TråyastrimΩa Heaven, there appeared in the air three jewel-ladders. The Buddha walked down the central one, which was made of the seven kinds of gems. The heavenly king Brahmå also caused a while silver stairway to appear at the right side, on which he attended the Buddha with a white whisk in his hand. Indra created a purple golden stair on the left side, on which he attended the Buddha with a canopy made of the seven kinds of gems. Innumerable heavenly beings followed the Buddha down to earth.

When the Buddha had come down, all three ladders, with the exception of seven steps, sank into the ground. King AΩoka later wished to learn the depth of those steps and commanded men to dig in the ground. But they could not reach the base even though they had dug down to the Yellow Spring, the deepest place in the earth. Thus the king's faith was strengthened and he had a temple built over the steps. On the middle ladder, a sixteen-foot statue of the standing Buddha was raised. Behind the temple a stone pillar was planted. It was twenty cubits tall and had a lion carved on its top. On the four sides of the pillar were engraved images of the Buddha, as lustrous and transparent as glaze.

Once a heretical teacher came to contend with the monks for the right to live there. When the monks were defeated in argument, they swore in unison that if that place was really a dwelling for monks, there should be a miracle to prove it. When these words were spoken, the lion on top of the pillar roared aloud to prove it. The heretic was frightened and withdrew in humiliation. As the Buddha had received heavenly food for three months, his body e›used a celestial fragrance unlike that of earthly men. He bathed himself and at that spot people of a later time constructed a bath that was still standing there. A stupa was also built at the place where the nun Utpalå first worshiped the Buddha. In addition, stupas were built to enshrine the Buddha's hair and nails, which he had cut while he was living in this world, and to mark the places where three former Buddhas and ¸åkyamu√i 178

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

Buddha had engaged in sitting or walking meditation and the places where there were images of various Buddhas. All these stupas remained intact. Stupas were also built at the places where Indra and Brahmå had descended with the Buddha.

At this place there were about a thousand monks and nuns who shared the food provided by the public and studied both Mahayana and Hinayana teachings. At their dwelling places a whiteeared dragon served as their supporter. It brought about rich harvests and caused rain in the proper seasons, preserving the country from all calamities and enabling the monks to live in peace. Being grateful for its favor, the monks built a house for the dragon with a seat in it, and also prepared sacrificial food for the dragon. Every day three monks were selected to separately take meals into the dragon's house. At the end of each summer retreat, the dragon assumed the form of a little serpent with white ears. Recognizing it, the monks would put it in a copper vessel full of curd and carry it in procession from the seat of the highest monk to that of the lowest, as if to pay respects to it. After that [the serpent] would disappear. It came out once every year.

This country was rich and fertile, and the people were prosperous and happy. People coming here from other countries were looked after and provided with all they needed.

Fifty yojanas north of this monastery, there was a temple called Agnigocara, which was the name of an evil spirit. At the spot where Buddha had converted the evil spirit, people of a later time built a temple and o›ered it to an arhat. Once the arhat washed his hands and spit some water on the ground, the traces of which were still there and could always be seen in spite of constant sweeping. There was another Buddha stupa at this place, which was always swept clean by a good spirit, without the help of men. An evil king said,

"Since you can clean everything, I will station a large number of soldiers here, who will pile up filth and excrement. Will you be able to clear all that away?" The spirit then caused a gale and cleaned the place.

179

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At this place there were about a hundred small stupas. Even if one tried to count the exact number of these stupas for a whole day, one could not do it. Those who insisted on knowing the number placed a man at each stupa and counted the men. But the number of men was sometimes more and sometimes less, and it was impossible to determine the exact number of stupas. There was another monastery with six or seven hundred resident monks. In this monastery there once was a place where a pratyekabuddha took his meal and entered nirvana. The place is the size of a cartwheel. There was grass growing all around but not on that spot. Nor did any grass grow on the place where the pratyekabuddha had aired his robes. The traces left by the stripes of his robes were still there on the ground.

Having spent a summer retreat at the Dragon Temple, Faxian traveled southeast for seven yojanas to Kanyåkubja, a city on the Ganges. It had two monasteries, both belonging to the Hinayana school. Six or seven li west of the city, on the northern bank of the Ganges, was a place where the Buddha once preached the Dharma to his disciples. Tradition says that he expounded the teachings of impermanence, su›ering, and emptiness, and compared the human body to a bubble or foam. A stupa was built at the spot, and it was still there.

Crossing the Ganges and proceeding south for three yojanas, Faxian came to a village called Hari. Here stupas were built at places where the Buddha once preached the Dharma and engaged in sitting and walking meditation.

Traveling tenyojanas toward the southeast, he arrived at the great country of VaiΩåkha. On the east side of a road, outside the southern gate of this city, there was a willow tree. After chewing a piece of willow twig to clean his teeth, the Buddha inserted it into the ground. There it grew into a tree exactly seven feet high, neither increasing nor decreasing in size. Out of jealousy, heretical brahmans often chopped down the tree, or pulled it out and threw it away. But each time another tree grew up at the same place as before. In this village stupas were also built at the spots where the 180

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

four Buddhas engaged in walking and sitting meditation. The ruins were still there.

Going southward from there for eight yojanas,Faxian reached the city of ¸råvast∆ in the country of Kosala. This city was sparsely populated, having only about two hundred houses. It was once ruled by King Prasenajit. In this city stupas were constructed by people of later times near the ruins of the vihåra of Mahåprajåpat∆, at the old residence of the elder Sudatta, and at the spot where Açgulimåla's remains were cremated after he had attained arhatship and entered parinirvå√a. Out of jealousy, the heretical brahmans of the city attempted to demolish these stupas, but the heavens sent thunder and lightning so that they could not destroy the stupas after all.

On the west side of the road, twelve hundred paces from the southern gate of the city, there was a monastery built by the elder Sudatta. Facing east, the door of the monastery was flanked by two stone pillars. The capital of the left pillar was carved in the shape of a wheel, and on the top of the right one stood a statuette of an ox. The water flowing in the stream was clear on both sides of the monastery and there were many trees. Flowers of di›erent colors made the place a lovely sight. This was known as the Jetavana Vihåra. When the Buddha ascended to the TråyastriµΩa Heaven to preach the Dharma to his mother for ninety days, King Prasenajit, eager to see his features, had an image of him carved out of oxhead sandalwood and put it on the place where the Buddha usually sat in meditation. When the Buddha returned to the vihåra, the image left its seat and went out to meet him. The Buddha said to it,

"Go back to your seat. After my parinirvå√a, you may serve as a model from which the four groups of my followers can make images.

" The image returned to the seat. This was the first image ever made of the Buddha, and it served as a model for Buddha images for people of later generations. Then the Buddha moved to a smaller vihåra twenty paces to the south of the one occupied by the image.

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Originally the Jetavana Vihåra had seven stories. The kings and people of di›erent countries vied with one another in making o›erings to this vihåra. Silk pennants and canopies were hung in the vihåra, flowers were scattered, and incense was burned. Lamps were lit every day, [and they burned] continually without interruption. Then it happened that a rat carried o› in its mouth the wick of a lamp, which ignited the flowers, pennants, and canopies, and reduced the seven-storied vihåra to ashes. The kings and the people of di›erent countries lamented and thought that the sandalwood image must also have been consumed by the fire. But four or five days later, when they opened the door of the smaller vihåra on the east, they discovered, to their great delight, that the image was intact. They rebuilt the vihåra as a two-story [building] and returned the image to its former place.

Upon arriving at the Jetavana Vihåra, Faxian and Daozheng reflected that this was the place where the World-honored One had lived for twenty-five years. They felt sad. They and their friends had been born in a far-o› country and had traveled together through many lands, and some had passed away [during the journey]. As they gazed at the place where the Buddha was no more to be seen, they were deeply moved and their hearts were filled with sorrow.

The monks of the vihåra came out to ask Faxian and his friend, "Where have you come from?"

They replied,

"We have come from China.

"

The monks remarked with amazement,

"How wonderful it is

that men from a far-o› country have come all this way to seek the Dharma!" Then they said among themselves,

"None of the teachers

in our line of succession has ever seen a Chinese monk come here. "

Four li to the northwest of the vihåra, there was a wood called Sight Recovery. There were once five hundred blind men near the vihåra. They had all recovered their sight when the Buddha preached the Dharma to them. Overwhelmed with delight, they thrust their sta›s into the ground and prostrated themselves to pay homage to the Buddha. The sta›s took root in the ground and 182

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grew up to be trees. Out of respect, nobody ventured to fell them. Thus the place became the wood with that name. After taking their midday meals, the monks of the Jetavana Vihåraoften went to the wood to sit in meditation.

Six or seven li to the northeast of the Jetavana Vihåra, there was a place where the matron ViΩåkhå had built a vihåra for the Buddha and his monks. The ruins were still there. The spacious compound of the Jetavana Vihåra had two gates, one facing east and the other north. This was the garden in which the elder Sudatta had covered the ground with gold coins to purchase the site to build a vihåra. The vihåra stood at the center. This was where the Buddha had stayed longer than at any other place. Stupas were built at the spots where he had preached the Dharma for the salvation of human beings, and where he had engaged in sitting and walking meditation. Each of these stupas had a specific name. This was also the place where sinister plotters had murdered Sundar∆ with the intention of putting the blame on the Buddha.

On the west side of the road, seventy paces outside the eastern gate of the Jetavana Vihåra, was a place where the Buddha had once debated with the followers of ninety-six non-Buddhist sects. The king, together with his ministers, lay Buddhists, and others, assembled to listen to their debate. Out of jealousy, a non-Buddhist woman named Ciñcåmå√avikå fastened a bundle of clothes to her belly to appear as if she were with child. She planned to come before the congregation and accuse the Buddha of evil conduct. Indra assumed the form of a white mouse and nibbled through her sash, so that the bundle fell to the ground. The earth gaped at once, and the woman sank into hell alive. There was also a spot where Devadatta attempted to murder the Buddha with his poisoned fingernails. At that very spot he fell alive into hell. Both these places had been marked by later generations. At the place where the debate took place, a vihåra about sixty feet tall was built with a sitting statue of the Buddha in it. 183

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On the east side of the road, there was a non-Buddhist deva temple called Overshadowed. It was also about sixty feet tall and stood opposite to the vihåra built at the place of the debate. It was so named because when the sun was in the west, the shadow of the Buddhist vihåra always overshadowed the deva temple; but when the sun was in the east, the shadow of the deva temple always fell northward and never overshadowed the Buddhist vihåra. The non-Buddhists always sent men to look after the deva temple. They swept the ground and sprinkled water on it, burned incense, and lighted lamps. But at dawn the lamps were always found in the Buddhist vihåra.

The brahmans said resentfully,

"The Buddhist monks are stealing our lamps to o›er them to the Buddha. " Since [the transfer of

the lamps] did not cease, the brahmans kept watch at night. They saw the deva they worshiped take the lamps, circumambulate the Buddhist vihåra thrice, and o›er the lamps to the Buddha. Then the deva suddenly disappeared. Realizing that the Buddha's spiritual power was great, the brahmans left their homes and became Buddhist monks. It was said that this event had only recently occurred.

[In the vicinity of] the Jetavana Vihåra there were eighteen monasteries, of which all but one were occupied by monks. In the Middle Kingdom there were ninety-six non-Buddhist teachers, who knew not only the present but the future. Each teacher had his own disciples, who also lived on alms but did not use begging bowls. In order to seek merit, they built welfare facilities along the roadsides. They provided shelter, bedding, food, and drink for wayfarers, monks, and travelers. But they did so with di›erent expectations. Followers of Devadatta made o›erings to three former Buddhas but not to ¸åkyamu√i Buddha.

Four li southeast of the city of ¸råvast∆ was the place where the Buddha stood by the roadside when King Vir¥∂haka set out to attack the kingdom of the ¸åkya clan. A stupa was erected to mark the spot.

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Fifty li to the west of this city, [Faxian's] party arrived at a town named Tadwa, which was the birthplace of KåΩyapa Buddha. Stupas had been built at the sites where he met his father and entered nirvana. A great stupa had also been raised to entomb the whole body of KåΩyapa Buddha.

Traveling twelve yojanas southeast from the city of ¸råvast∆, [the group] came to a town named Napika, which was the birthplace of Krakucchanda Buddha. Here, stupas had also been built at the places where he met his father and entered nirvana. From here, going north for less than a yojana, they came to a town which was the birthplace of Kanakamuni Buddha. Again, there were stupas at the places where he met his father and entered nirvana.

From here, after going east for less than a yojana, [Faxian's party] reached the city of Kapilavastu. It was completely deserted, without king or citizens. There were only some monks and few dozen lay families. At the ruins of King ¸uddhodana's palace, there was an image of Prince [Siddhårtha]'s mother, depicting the Prince entering his mother's womb on a white elephant. A stupa was built at the spot where the Prince had gone out of the city by the east gate, saw a sick man, and ordered his charioteer to drive him back to the palace.

There were also the places where Asita read the physiognomical marks of the Prince; where the Prince and Nanda hauled an elephant away from the road; and where [the Prince] competed in archery. His arrow flew thirty li and pierced the ground, causing a fountain to spring up. People of later times made a well at the spot so that wayfarers might drink water from it. Stupas had also been built at the places where the Buddha, after attaining enlightenment, returned home to see his father; where the earth quaked in six ways when five hundred youths of the ¸åkya clan became monks and saluted Upåli; where the Buddha preached the Dharma to celestial beings and the four heavenly kings guarded the four gates of the hall, so that the king, his father, 861b

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could not enter; where the Buddha sat in meditation facing east under a nyagrodha (banyan) tree—which is still growing—while Mahåprajåpat∆ o›ered him a piece of saµghåt∆ robe; and where King Vir¥∂haka slaughtered the descendants of the ¸åkya clan, all of whom, after death, attained the stage of srotaåpanna. Several li northeast of the city was the royal farm where Prince Siddhårtha once sat under a tree and watched farmers plowing. Fifty li east of the city was the royal garden named Lumbin∆, in which Queen Måyå entered a pond to bathe. After bathing she came out of the northern side of the pond and walked twenty paces. Holding the branch of a tree, she gave birth to the Prince while facing toward the east. As soon as the Prince was born, he took seven steps. Two dragon kings bathed him, and a well had been made at the place where they bathed him. The monks now drew drinking water from it as well as from the pond. All Buddhas always have four places, namely: the place where they attain enlightenment, the place where they first turn the Wheel of the Dharma, the place where they preach the Dharma and subjugate heretics through argumentation, and the place where they descend from the TråyastriµΩa Heaven after preaching the Dharma to their mothers. They have other places, too, according to the circumstances of di›erent times.

The country of Kapilavastu was extremely desolate, with only a few scattered people living there. The roads were frightening. There were white elephants and lions. Nobody should travel there without taking precautions.

Five yojanas east of the Buddha's birthplace, there was a country called Råmagråma. The king of this country obtained a share of the Buddha's relics, brought them home, built a stupa, and named it Råmagråma. Beside the stupa was a pond in which a dragon lived. The dragon kept constant watch over the stupa and made o›erings to it day and night. When King AΩoka was in this world, he intended to demolish eight stupas and construct eightyfour thousand new ones. He had already pulled down seven stupas and had come to destroy this one. The dragon appeared, took the 186

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

king to its palace, and showed him all its o›erings. The dragon then said to the king,

"If your o›erings are better than mine, then

destroy this stupa and take away the relics. I will not quarrel with you.

" Realizing that the dragon's o›erings were not of this world, King AΩoka returned to his home.

As it was a deserted place with no one to keep it clean, a herd of elephants often came with water in their trunks to sprinkle on the ground. They also o›ered various kinds of flowers to the stupa. Once a monk came from another country to worship the stupa and was frightened by the sight of the elephants. Hiding behind a tree, he saw that the elephants presented o›erings in a proper way. He deplored the fact that because there was no monastery with monks to look after the stupa, the elephants had to keep it clean. Thus he renounced the status of fully ordained monk and became a novice. He cut weeds and plants, leveled the ground, and made the place clean and tidy. He exhorted the king to build a monastery there and volunteered to be its abbot. Monks were now living in this monastery. This event occurred recently, and since then the abbots of this monastery have always been novices. Three yojanas to the east was the place where Prince Siddhårtha ordered [his servant] Chandaka to return home with his white horse. A stupa had also been built there. Going four yojanas further east, the party came to the Charcoal Stupa, where there was also a monastery.

Continuing east for twelve yojanas, they came to the city of KuΩinagara. Between two Ωåla trees by the side of the Hira√yavati River to the north of the city, the Buddha entered parinirvå√a with his head toward the north. There were the places where Subhadra, the Buddha's last disciple, attained arhatship; where the World-honored One, lying in a golden co›in, received homage for seven days; where the vajra guardians laid down their diamond maces; and where the eight kings divided the Buddha's relics. Stupas had been erected at all these places, and a monastery was also standing there. This city was also scarcely populated, having only a few monks and some lay devotees.

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Traveling twelve yojanas to the southeast, [Faxian's] party reached the place where the Licchavis wished to follow the Buddha to the spot where he was going to enter parinirvå√a, but the Buddha did not allow them to do so. Since they refused to go away, the Buddha caused a deep ditch to appear, which the Licchavis could not cross. After giving them his almsbowl as a testament to their faith, the Buddha sent them home. A stone pillar with inscriptions had been erected at this spot. After going eastward from here for ten yojanas, the party reached the country of VaiΩål∆. In the large wood to the north of the city of VaiΩål∆, there was a storied vihåra which had once been the dwelling place of the Buddha. There was also a stupa containing half of Ånanda's relics. This city was originally the hometown of Lady Åmrapål∆, who constructed a stupa for the Buddha, the ruins of which are still there. On the west side of the road, three li to the south of the city, was the garden that Lady Åmrapål∆ o›ered to the Buddha for his dwelling place.

When the Buddha was about to enter parinirvå√a, he left the city of VaiΩål∆ through the western gate with his disciples. Turning right to look back at the city, he said to his disciples, "This is the

last place I will stay in my life.

" A stupa was built at this spot by

the people of a later time.

Three li to the northwest of the city, there was a stupa by the name of Bows and Lances Laid Down. The name was derived from the following story. Once a king lived in the upper reaches of the Ganges [River], and one of his concubines gave birth to an immature fetus. Out of jealousy, the queen said [to her], "You have given

birth to an inauspicious omen.

" So the fetus was put in a wooden

box and thrown into the Ganges.

Now it happened that another king was taking a pleasure trip in the lower reaches of the Ganges and saw the wooden box floating in the river. He had the box opened and found one thousand unusually handsome infants in it. The king raised them, and they grew up to become brave warriors who subdued every country they attacked. Then they started to attack their [real] father's kingdom. 188

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian The king, their father, was so greatly worried that his concubine asked what was the cause of his anxiety. The king replied, "The

king of the neighboring kingdom has a thousand sons of incomparable valor, and they are coming to invade our kingdom. That is why I am worried.

"

The concubine said,

"Don't worry, my dear king. Just raise a tall pavilion at the east corner of the city and place me on top of it when the invaders come. I will be able to make them retreat. "

The king did as she suggested. When the invaders approached, the concubine stood on the pavilion and said to them, "You are all

my sons. Why are you rebelling?" The invaders retorted,

"Who are you? Why do you claim to be our mother?"

The royal lady said,

"If you don't believe me, just look up and open your mouths.

"

Then she squeezed her breasts with both hands. Five hundred jets of milk gushed out of each breast and spurted into the mouths of her thousand sons. Realizing that she really was their mother, the invaders laid down their bows and lances. Meditating on this event, the two kings became pratyekabuddhas. Two stupas were built for them, which are still there. Later, when the World-honored One attained enlightenment, he told his disciples,

"This is the place where in a former life I laid down my bow and lance.

" Thus the people came to know of the matter and built a stupa there, and it was so named. The one thousand sons were actually the one thousand Buddhas of the bhadra kalpa (the present age).

It was beside the Stupa of Bows and Lances Laid Down that the Buddha passed away. The Buddha told Ånanda, "After three

months, I will enter parinirvå√a. " As Ånanda had been bewitched by Måra the Evil One, he could not beseech the Buddha to remain longer in the world.

Three or fourli to the east there stood another stupa. One hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvå√a, a monk of VaiΩål∆ advocated the ten acts. He had misinterpreted the Vinaya to argue 189

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that the Buddha's teaching supported him. [Editor's note: This refers to the events now known as the Second Council, which was associated with the first schism of the Buddhist sangha.] Then the arhats and Vinaya-abiding monks, seven hundred in all, gathered at this place to check and review the Vinaya. People of a later time built the stupa, which is still standing on the spot. Going eastward from here for four yojanas, the party came to the confluence of five rivers. When Ånanda was traveling from Magadha to VaiΩål∆, where he intended to enter parinirvå√a, the devas informed King AjåtaΩatru of his intention. The king himself adorned a chariot and, leading his troops, pursued Ånanda to the bank of the river. Then the Licchav∆s of VaiΩål∆, hearing that Ånanda was coming to their country, also came out to welcome him on the other side of the river. Ånanda reflected that if he proceeded on his way, King AjåtaΩatru would grieve, while if he turned back, the Licchav∆s would feel unhappy. So he went to the middle of the river, where he burned himself with the flames of the fire samådhi and entered parinirvå√a. His relics were divided into two portions, one for each side of the river. Thus each king had half of Ånanda's relics and they built stupas for them after returning home.

After crossing the river, [Faxian's group] went south for one yojana and reached the city of På†aliputra, which was the capital of King AΩoka in the county of Magadha. The royal palaces in the city had all been built out of stone by celestial beings and deities. The walls and watchtowers, the ruins of which still remain, had all been decorated with carved designs and ornamental engravings that were not produced by human hands.

King AΩoka's younger brother, having attained arhatship, lived on Mount G®dhrak¥†a, where he enjoyed serenity and quietude. The king respectfully invited him to live at his home and o›ered to support him. But the arhat took delight in the quiet surroundings of the mountain and he declined the invitation. The king said to his younger brother,

"If you accept my invitation, I

will make a mountain for you in the city.

"

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Then the king prepared food and drink and summoned the spirits and deities. He said to them,

"May all of you please accept

my invitation for tomorrow. But as there are no seats, each of you must bring one for yourself.

" On the following day each of the great

spirits and deities came with a huge boulder, four or five paces square [in dimension]. After they had used the boulders as seats for the feast, they were asked to pile them up to form a large hill. At the bottom a chamber about thirty feet in length, twenty feet wide, and over ten feet high was built with five boulders. In this city there lived a follower of the Mahayana by the name of Råjasvåmin, the son of a brahman, who was wise and intelligent. He excelled in everything. He lived a life of purity. The king respected him as his teacher. Whenever the king paid him a visit, he never dared to sit indiscreetly in the presence of the brahman. If the king held his hands to show a›ection or respect, the brahman would always wash himself afterward. When he reached fifty years of age, he was revered by the whole country. It was due to his presence alone that Buddhism was disseminated and the heretics could gain no advantage over the Buddhist monks.

Besides the stupa built by King AΩoka, there was a magnificent Mahayana monastery. There was also a Hinayana monastery, where six or seven hundred monks lived in a most orderly manner with perfect decorum. Monks of high virtue and scholars from the four quarters came to this monastery to seek knowledge and truth. The brahman's teacher, who was named MañjuΩr∆, was honored by the virtuous monks and Mahayana monks. He also lived in this monastery.

In the whole of [the country of] MadhyadeΩa, the capital was the largest city. The people were rich and prosperous and vied with each other in performing benevolent and righteous deeds. On the eighth day of the second month every year, they held an image procession. A four-wheeled cart with a five-story bamboo structure resembling a stupa was constructed, complete with such architectural fittings as struts and beam-supporters, and about twenty feet in height. It was covered with white felt on which various 191

862b

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celestial beings were painted in color. It was decorated with gold, silver, and glaze, and silk pennants and canopies were hung on it. On the four sides of the structure were niches in which sitting images of the Buddha were enshrined. These images were attended by standing figures of bodhisattvas. Twenty such carts were each adorned in a di›erent way. On the day of the procession, the monks and laymen of the country assembled to play music and make o›erings of flowers and incense. The brahman came out to receive the Buddha images, which were brought into the city one after another. Those images were kept there for the night. Lamps burned throughout the night and music was performed in honor of the images. In all [the] countries this image procession was conducted in the same way.

The elders and householders of this country established facilities for welfare and medical care in the city. The poor, the homeless, the disabled, and all kinds of sick persons went to the facilities to receive di›erent kinds of care. Physicians gave them appropriate food and medicine to restore their health. When cured, they left those places.

After demolishing seven stupas, King AΩoka built eighty-four thousand new ones. He built the first great stupa at a spot about three li to the south of this city. In front of the stupa was a footprint of the Buddha. A vihåra had been constructed there with its door facing north. To the south of this stupa, there was a stone pillar, fourteen or fifteen feet in diameter and more than thirty feet tall. It was carved with the following inscription: "King AΩoka o›ered Jambudv∆pa as a gift to the monks of the four quarters and then redeemed it with money. He did so three times.

"

Three or four hundred paces north of the stupa was the site where King AΩoka built the city of Niraya. In the middle of this site stood a stone pillar, also more than thirty feet tall, with the figure of a lion on its top. An inscription on the pillar gave an account of the reason for the building of the city of Niraya and the dates of the construction.

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Traveling from here southeast for nine yojanas, [Faxian's] party came to a small, solitary, rocky hill. On the top of the hill was a stone cell facing south. Once when the Buddha sat in this cell, Indra sent PañcaΩikha, a celestial musician, to play the harp to amuse him. There Indra made inquiries of the Buddha on fortytwo points and marked a rock with his finger for each question. The marks were still there. There was also a monastery. One yojana to the southwest, [the group] reached the village of Kålapinåka, the birthplace of ¸åriputra, who had returned to this village to enter parinirvå√a. A stupa was built at the place where he died and it was still standing there.

One yojana to the west, they arrived at the new city of Råjag®ha, which was built by King AjåtaΩatru. There were two monasteries in the city. Three hundred paces from the western gate of the city, there stood a gigantic and magnificent stupa built by King AjåtaΩatru to enshrine his share of the Buddha's relics. Traveling southward out of the city for four li, [Faxian's party] entered a valley surrounded by five hills. They felt as if they were encircled by a city wall. This was the site of the old city of King Bimbisåra. It was five or six li from east to west and seven or eight li from south to north. This was where ¸ariputra and Maudgalyåyana first met AΩvajit, where Nirgranthaputra made a fiery pit and prepared poisoned rice for the Buddha, and where King AjåtaΩatru intoxicated a black elephant with the intention of murdering the Buddha. In the garden of Åmrapål∆ at the northeast corner of the city, some venerable people of repute had built a vihåra. They invited the Buddha and his twelve hundred fifty disciples there and made o›erings to them. The ruins were still there, but the city was in a state of desolation without habitants.

After entering the valley and climbing the hills for fifteen li toward the southeast, [the group] came to Mount G®dhrak¥†a. Three li from the summit, there was a cave facing south in which the Buddha used to sit in meditation. Thirty paces to the northwest 193

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was another cave. Once, when Ånanda sat in meditation in this cave, Måra Påpiyas turned himself into a vulture and stayed in front of the cave to frighten him. With his supernatural power, the Buddha stretched his hand through the rock and patted Ånanda on the shoulder to allay his fear. The traces left by the bird and the hole made by the hand of the Buddha were still there. Thus this place was called the Mountain of the Vulture Cave. In front of the cave was a place where the four Buddhas had sat. Each of the arhats had a cave for himself to sit in meditation. There were several hundred in all.

Once, when the Buddha walked in meditation from east to west in front of his cave, Devadatta viciously rolled down a rock from the precipice to the north and hurt the Buddha's toe. The rock was still there. The Buddha's preaching hall had fallen into ruin. Only the foundations of the brick walls remained. The peaks of this mountain were beautiful and majestic, and it was the highest of all the five mountains.

In the new city [of Råjag®ha], Faxian bought incense, flowers, and oil for lamps. He asked two local monks to guide him to Mount G®dhrak¥†a, where he o›ered the flowers and incense and refilled the lamps to keep the flames burning. He cried in deep sorrow at the place where the Buddha had taught the ¸¥raµgama[-samådhi]-s¥tra. Then he said, "Faxian, who was not yet born at the

time of the Buddha, was able to see nothing more than the ruins and monuments left by him.

" He recited the ¸¥raµgama[-samådhi]-s¥tra in front of the cave. After spending the night there, he returned to Råjag®ha.

On the west side of the road, about three hundred paces north of the old city, was the Veluvana Kalandaka Monastery. The monastery was still there and was kept clean by the monks living there. About two or three li to the north, there was a ΩmaΩåna (burial ground). Three hundred paces to the west along the southern hill was the Pippala Cave, where the Buddha used to sit in meditation after his meals.

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Five or six li further west was the Saptapar√a Cave on the shady northern side of the mountain. This is the place where five hundred arhats assembled to chant and compile the sutras after the Buddha's nirvana. At the time of the recital, three high seats were prepared with graceful adornments. ¸åriputra took the left seat and Maudgalyåyana the right. MahåkåΩyapa presided over the assembly. One of the five hundred arhats was absent from the congregation. Ånanda was not allowed to enter the cave and was outside the gate. A stupa built at this spot was still standing there. Along the mountainside, there were many caves used by the arhats for meditation.

Three li east of the northern part of the old city was the cave of Devadatta. Fifty paces from the cave there was a huge square rock of black color. Once a monk paced on it and meditated on the impermanence, su›ering, and emptiness of the human body. Thus he understood that the human body was impure. Despising his own body, he wanted to kill himself with a knife. Then he remembered that the World-honored One had made a rule forbidding suicide. However, since he hoped to put an end to the three poisons, he started to cut himself. When he first slashed his flesh, he attained the stage of srotaåpanna. When his body was half severed he realized the stage of anågåmin. When it was completely cut in two, he achieved arhatship and entered parinirvå√a. Traveling west from here for four yojanas, the party reached the city of Gayå, which was deserted and without inhabitants. Going toward the south again for twenty li, they came to the place where the Bodhisattva practiced asceticism for six years. There was a wood at that place. Going three li to the west, they visited a spot where the Buddha once bathed himself in a pool and a heavenly being lowered the branch of a tree to help him out of the pool. Traveling two li to the north, they reached the place where the maiden named Mekå o›ered milk porridge to the Buddha. Two li further to the north, under a big tree, was a rock on which the Buddha sat facing east and ate the porridge. Both the tree andthe 195

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rock were still there. The rock was about six feet square and two feet high. As the climate in the Middle Kingdom is temperate, there are some trees that are several thousand or even ten thousand years old.

From here they proceeded northeast for half a yojana till they came to a cave. Once the Bodhisattva entered this cave and sat cross-legged facing the west, reflecting that if he were going to attain Buddhahood, there should be some divine signs to prove it. Then the shadow of a Buddha about three feet high, which is still distinctly visible, appeared on the rock wall. At that moment heaven and earth quaked and celestial beings proclaimed in the air,

"This is not the place for a Buddha of the past and future to attain Buddhahood. Less than half a yojana to the southwest is a place under a pipal tree. That is the place for Buddhas of the past and future to attain Buddhahood.

"

Having said this, the celestial beings led the way, singing, and the Bodhisattva rose and followed them. Thirty paces from the tree, the heavenly beings o›ered him some kuΩa grass, which he accepted. When he had proceeded another fifteen steps, five hundred bluebirds came flying toward him, encircled him three times, and flew away. When the Bodhisattva reached the pipal tree, he spread the kuΩa grass on the ground underneath and sat down facing the east. At that moment, Måra the Evil One sent three charming women from the north to tempt the Bodhisattva, while Måra himself came from the south to attack him. But the Bodhisattva just pressed the ground with his toes, and the troops of Måra retreated in confusion, while the three girls turned into three old women.

At the above-mentioned place where the Buddha practiced asceticism for six years, and at the other places, stupas with Buddha images had been built by people of later times and still exist now. Stupas were also built at the following sites: the place where the Buddha enjoyed the bliss of emancipation and gazed at the pipal tree for seven days after his enlightenment; where he paced eastward and westward for seven days under the tree; where 196

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

celestial beings created a chamber of seven jewels for the Buddha to use for seven days; where the blind någa Mucilinda coiled around the Buddha for seven days; where Brahmå came to make a request of the Buddha, who was sitting on a square rock facing east under a nyagrodha tree; where the four heavenly kings o›ered him an almsbowl; where five hundred merchants presented him with baked flour and honey; and where he converted the KåΩyapa brothers together with their one thousand disciples.

At the place of the Buddha's enlightenment, there were three monasteries; monks resided in all of them. The local people provided the monks with daily necessities in abundance, and nothing was insu›icient for their needs. The monks strictly observed the Vinaya rules and their decorum in regard to personal behavior in sitting, standing, or joining an assembly was exactly like that of the holy monks during the Buddha's lifetime.

Since the time of the Budddha's parinirvå√a, Four Great Stupas have been well kept from generation to generation. These four stupas were at the places where the Buddha was born, where he achieved enlightenment, where he first turned the Wheel of the Dharma, and where he entered parinirvå√a.

Once King AΩoka, as a child in a former life, was playing on a road. He met KåΩyapa Buddha going round for alms. Delighted, the child o›ered KåΩyapa a handful of soil, which the Buddha took with him and scattered over the ground where he used to engage in walking meditation. As a result of this good deed, the child became a king of the iron wheel (cakravartin) and ruled over Jambudv∆pa. Once, while riding in a chariot of iron wheels and making an inspection tour of Jambudv∆pa, King AΩoka saw the hell between two iron-encircled hills where the wicked were punished. He asked his ministers,

"What is this place?"

They replied,

"This is where Yama, the King of the Dead, punishes the wicked. "

On hearing this, King AΩoka reflected,

"If the King of the Dead

can make a hell to punish the wicked, why should not I, a ruler of men, make a hellish place to punish criminals?" So he inquired of 863c

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Lives of Great Monks and Nuns

his ministers,

"Which of you will act as the warden of a prison to punish criminals for me?"

The ministers said in reply,

"None but the most wicked of men

will do that.

"

Thereupon King AΩoka sent his ministers out in all directions to search for a wicked man. They came upon a vicious man beside a pond. He was tall, strong, and swarthy, with yellow hair and blue eyes. He could catch fish with his feet. He called to birds and beasts and when they came, he shot them. Not a single one escaped. Having found this man, the ministers took him to the king. The king instructed him secretly, saying,

"Build a square enclosure with high walls. Plant all sorts of flowers and fruit trees, and make a nice bathing pool inside it. Decorate the place with beautiful ornaments to make it attractive to the people. Make the gate strong. Should anyone enter the gate, arrest him, put him to all kinds of torture, and never allow him to come out again. Even if I should enter the place myself, you must torture me as well and never let me go. Now I appoint you the lord of this hellish prison. "

Then a monk entered the gate while begging for food from door to door. At the sight of him, the warden prepared to torture him. The terrified monk pleaded with the warden to let him have a midday meal first. Meanwhile another man came into the gate, and the warden put him into a mortar and pounded him till red froth appeared. On seeing this, the monk contemplated the fact that this corporal body is impermanent, painful, and empty, just like a bubble or foam. Thus he attained arhatship. Then the warden seized [the monk] and cast him into a boiling cauldron, but he was tranquil in mind and serene in countenance. The fire went out and the water cooled. A lotus flower grew out of the water and the monk was sitting upon it.

The warden immediately went to tell the king, "Something

strange has happened in the prison. Please, Your Majesty, come and see.

"

The king said,

"We made an agreement before, and I dare not

"

go.

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The warden said,

"This is no small matter. It befits Your

Majesty to go promptly. We may alter our former agreement. "

So the king followed the warden to the prison, where the monk expounded the Dharma to King AΩoka. The king understood the Dharma. He demolished the prison and repented all the evils he had committed. From that time he respected the Triple Gem and often went to a pipal tree under which he repented his transgressions, reproached himself, and observed the eight precepts. When the queen inquired of the ministers where the king went away to so frequently, they told her that the king went to the pipal tree. The queen sent men to have the tree cut down when the king was away from the tree. When the king saw what had happened he fainted and fell to the ground. His ministers sprinkled water on his face and, after a long while, he regained consciousness. The king then piled up bricks around the stump of the tree and irrigated the roots with a hundred pitchers of milk. He prostrated himself on the ground and vowed,

"If the tree does not grow again, I will

never rise from the ground.

"

As he uttered this vow, the tree began to grow from its roots to its present height of nearly a hundred feet. From here the party traveled three li to the south and reached a mountain called Kukku†apada. MahåkåΩyapa still lives in this mountain. He split the mountain to enter it, and the opening was so small that it was hardly possible for a man to pass through. Extremely deep in the mountain, there was a hole on a crag in which MahåkåΩyapa's whole body was preserved. Outside the hole was the earth that he used to clean his hands. Whenever the local people su›ered from a headache, they would rub their heads with the earth to e›ect a cure.

Even in that day arhats lived in the mountain and monks of various countries went there every year to make o›erings to MahåkåΩyapa. If someone who had a mind full of devotion arrived, an arhat would come at night to have a discussion with him. When his doubts were cleared up, the arhat would vanish all of a sudden. The mountain was covered with trees and plants and is infested 199

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with lions, tigers, and wolves. No one should go there without taking precautions. Faxian headed toward På†aliputra. Going west along the Ganges for ten yojanas, he reached a vihåra named Wilderness, where the Buddha had once lived. There are monks residing in it now.

Again proceeding west along the Ganges for twelve yojanas, he arrived at the city of Vårå√as∆ in the country of KåΩi. About ten li to the northeast of the city was the Deer Park. Formerly a pratyekabuddha lived in this park and wild deer often came there for shelter. When the World-honored One was about to achieve enlightenment, heavenly beings announced in the air, "The son

of King ¸uddhodana, who renounced home to attain the Way, will become a Buddha in seven days.

" On hearing this announcement,

the pratyekabuddha entered nirvana. Thus this place was called the Deer Park Vihåra of the Ascetics. After the World-honored One had attained Buddhahood, people of later times built a vihåra there.

The Buddha wished to convert the five persons, Kauöinya and the others, who said among themselves,

"This Ωrama√a Gautama practiced asceticism for six years, living on one grain of sesame and one grain of rice each day, yet he did not realize the Way. Now he has entered worldly life without any restraints of body, speech, and mind. What truth can he have attained? If he comes here today, be sure not to speak to him. "

There was a place where the five had risen and saluted the Buddha when he approached them. Sixty paces further to the north was the spot where the Buddha sat facing east and delivered his first sermon to convert Kau√∂inya and his companions. Twenty paces to the north was the place where the Buddha predicted the future of Maitreya, and fifty paces to the south was a place where the någa Elåpattra asked the Buddha when he could get rid of his någa form. At all these places stupas had been built which are still standing. In the park there were two monasteries; monks resided in both.

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Thirteen yojanas northwest of the Deer Park vihåra was the country of KauΩåmb∆. The vihåra in that country was named the Garden of Gho≈ira and the Buddha once lived in it. Most of the monks residing at the vihåra belonged to the Hinayana school. Eight yojanas to the east from there was a place where the Buddha converted an evil demon. There was also a place where the Buddha used to engage in sitting and walking meditation while he lived there. Stupas had been built at those spots. There stood a monastery with over a hundred resident monks. Two hundred yojanas to the south of this place was the country named Dak≈ina, where the monastery of the past KåΩyapa Buddha was located. It was hewn out of a huge rocky mountain. It had five stories. The first floor was cut in the shape of an elephant and had five hundred cells; the second was in the shape of a lion and had four hundred cells; the third was in the shape of a horse and had three hundred cells; the fourth was in the shape of a cow and had two hundred cells; and the fifth was in the shape of a dove and had one hundred cells. On the top there was a spring. Water flowed down from it in a circuitous channel in front of the cells until it reached the lowest floor, and, meandering by the cells, issued at last through the door.

In all the cells windows were hewn through the rock to let in daylight, so that it was bright inside and no corner was dark. At the four corners of this monastery, steps were chiseled on the rock to serve as a ladder. Since people of the present time are short, they [have to] climb the ladder to get to the place that people of old times could reach in one step. This monastery was called Påråvata, meaning "dove" in the Indian language. Arhats always lived in this monastery. The land was deserted without inhabitants. There was a village located far away from the mountain, where all the people held heterodox views and knew nothing of the Buddha-Dharma. There were Ωrama√as as well as brahmans and other heretics [there].

The people of that country often saw men flying to the monastery. When monks from di›erent countries came to worship 201

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at this monastery, the villagers would ask them, fly?" They would answer, expediently,

"Why don't you

"Our wings are not yet fully

grown!"

In Dak≈i√a the roads wound among perilous mountains and travel was di›icult. Those who wished to go to a place that was hard to reach had to present money or gifts to the king of the country, who would then appoint guides to lead them from one post to the next. Faxian could not a›ord to go to that [remote] monastery. Thus he relates here what he heard from local people. Going eastward from the country of Vårå√as∆, Faxian returned to På†aliputra. He had come for the purpose of acquiring the Vinaya texts. But in the countries of Northern India there was no Vinaya text to copy, because it was transmitted orally from teacher to pupil. He had to travel as far as Central India, where he obtained a copy of the Mahåsåµghika-vinaya from a Mahayana monastery. This was the Vinaya observed by the first congregation of monks during the Buddha's lifetime, and it had been handed down from the Jetavana Vihåra.

The eighteen schools of Buddhism had their own respective Vinaya traditions. They were not variant in major points but di›ered in minor points, having more or less strict regulations. The Mahåsåµghika-vinaya was the most extensive and complete text of the Vinaya. Faxian also obtained another copy of the Vinaya in seven thousand stanzas, the Sarvåstivåda-vinaya, which was the one observed by the monks in China. It had also been transmitted orally from teacher to pupil without being committed to writing.

From that monastery he also obtained the Saµyuktåbhidharma-h®daya-Ωåstra in six thousand stanzas, a sutra in twenty five hundred stanzas, the Vaipulyaparinirvå√a-s¥tra in five thousand stanzas in one fascicle, and the Mahåsåµghikåbhidharma-Ωåstra. Faxian stayed [at that place] for three years, studying Sanskrit texts and the Sanskrit language and copying the Vinaya texts.

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The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

After he arrived in Central India and observed that the monks' rules of conduct and decorum of behavior were so admirable, Daozheng lamented the incompleteness of the Vinaya rules observed by the monks in the remote country of China. He swore not to be reborn in a far-o› country until he achieved Buddhahood. So Daozheng remained in India and never returned home. Faxian's intention in undertaking the journey was to propagate the Vinaya in China, so he returned home alone.

Eighteen yojanas eastward down the Ganges, on the southern bank, was the great country of Campå. There stupas were built at the sites where the Buddha's vihåra existed, where the Buddha used to engage in walking meditation, and where the four Buddhas meditated in a monastery. Monks live in the monastery now. Going further east from there for nearly fifty yojanas, Faxian reached the country of Tåmralipa, which had a seaport. In this country there were twenty-four monasteries, all of which were occupied by monks. Buddhism flourished there. He stayed in this country for two years, copying scriptures and images of the Buddha. Then he sailed on a large trade ship southwest across the sea. Helped by the favorable dry monsoon wind of early winter, the vessel reached the Land of the Lion after fourteen days and nights. The people of this country said that the distance of the voyage was about seven hundred yojanas. This country was on an island [spanning] fifty yojanasfrom east to west and thirty from north to south. To its right and left there were about one hundred small islands, ten or twenty or even two hundred li apart. All these small islands were under the domination of the main island.

Many gems and pearls were produced on this island. There was a district about ten li square where ma√i pearls were found. The king sent men to guard the pearls and took a levy of threetenths of the pearls collected there. There were originally no inhabitants of this country except for spirits, deities, and någas. Merchants of di›erent countries came here to trade. At the market the spirits and deities would not 864c

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appear in person but would simply display their valuable commodities with prices marked on them. The merchants would pay the marked prices and take the goods away directly. As the traders traveled to and fro or settled on the island, people of various countries heard about the pleasant conditions of this country and came there, too. In this way it gradually became a large kingdom. The climate was temperate without any di›erences between winter and summer. Plants and trees always grew luxuriantly. The people could sow seeds in their fields at any time of the year and there was no fixed season for farming.

Once the Buddha came to this country to convert a vicious någa. With his supernatural powers, the Buddha set one foot north of the royal city and the other on top of a mountain fifteen yojanas away. A great stupa four hundred feet tall had been built over the Buddha's footprint north of the royal city. It was of gold and silver and was decorated with ornaments consisting of various kinds of jewels. Next to this stupa was a monastery named Mount Fearless in which five thousand monks lived. A shrine for the Buddha's image had been built with gold and silver and carvings of di›erent precious stones. A green jade image about thirty feet tall was installed in the shrine. The whole statue sparkled with the brilliance of the seven precious substances. Its magnificent features were so awe-inspiring that they were beyond description. In its right palm was a priceless pearl.

Many years had passed since Faxian left China, and he had associated only with people of foreign lands. All the mountains, rivers, plants, and trees that met his eyes were strange to him. Moreover, his companions had parted from him; some had remained behind and others had passed away. Looking at his lonely shadow, Faxian often felt sad. When he was standing beside the jade image and saw a Chinese white silk fan that had been o›ered by some merchants, he could no longer refrain from shedding tears of homesickess. A former king of this country had dispatched a messenger to Central India to fetch a seed of the pipal tree. He had planted it 204

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

beside the shrine hall. The seed grew into a tree about twenty feet tall that inclined toward the southeast. Fearing that it might fall, the king had a huge pillar set up to support the trunk. The pillar was so large that eight or nine men could extend their arms around it. At the place where the pillar supported the pipal tree, a new branch grew out from the trunk and pierced through the pillar down to the ground, taking root in the earth. This side branch had grown to such a large size that four men could extend their arms around it. Although the pillar had been cleft in two, it had not been removed, as it still supported the tree by clasping the branch. Under this tree there was a vihåra in which a sitting image of the Buddha was enshrined. Monks and laypeople constantly worshiped the image. In the city there was also the Temple of the Buddha's Tooth, made of the seven precious substances. The king led a life of purity and observed the Buddhist precepts. The citizens also had a deep respect for Buddhism. No famine or turbulence had ever occurred in this kingdom from the time of its establishment. The monks had large amounts of jewels, gems, and ma√i pearls in their storehouses. Once the king went to inspect these storehouses. On seeing the ma√i pearls, he coveted them and wanted to seize them for himself. After three days, however, he repented and went to the monks to pay homage to them and confess his sins. He said to the monks,

"From now on let it be a monastic rule not

to allow kings to inspect the storehouses. Only those monks who have been fully ordained for no less than forty years may be admitted into them. "

In this city there were many rich people, elders, and merchants of all trades. The houses were beautifully adorned. The streets and roads were level and well laid out. At the crossroads there were preaching halls. When the high seats were prepared on the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of each month, the four groups of Buddhist followers, both clergy and laity, gathered to listen to the sermons. The people of this country said that the public provided food for sixty thousand monks. The king also supported five or six 205

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thousand monks in the royal city. The monks who lived on food provided by the public went with their almsbowls to collect it and returned with as much food as their vessels could contain. The Buddha's tooth was usually brought out in the middle of the third month. Ten days before it was shown, the king had a huge elephant decorated and an eloquent person dressed in royal robes. This person rode on the elephant and made the following announcement as he beat a drum:

The Bodhisattva practiced for the incalculably long time of three asaµkhyeya (immeasurable) kalpas, never sparing his own life. He gave up his kingdom, his wife, and his child. He even tore out his eyes to give them to others. He cut his own flesh to ransom a dove, gave his head as alms, o›ered his body to feed a famished tigress, and did not begrudge his marrow and brain. Having su›ered these pains, he achieved Buddhahood at last for the sake of all living beings. While he was in this world he preached the Dharma and edified the people for forty-five years, giving rest to the weary and saving the unsaved. When his karmic relationship with living beings had come to an end, he entered nirvana. Since his parinirvå√a, one thousand four hundred ninetyseven years have passed. Because the Eye of the World closed, all living beings were left in perpetual grief. Ten days from now, the Buddha's tooth will be brought out and carried to the Abhayagiri Vihåra. All monks and laymen who wish to accumulate merit, [you should] level the streets, decorate the roads, and prepare all kinds of flowers, incense, and other o›erings.

After this announcement was made, the king set up on both sides of the road [images of] the various transmigratory forms of the Bodhisattva in his past five hundred incarnations, such as Sudåna, ¸yåmaka, the elephant king, a deer, and a horse. All these forms, true to life, were painted in colors and richly adorned. Then the Buddha's tooth was brought out and carried in the middle of the 206

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

road. O›erings were made to it all along the way until it reached the shrine hall of the Abhayagiri Vihåra. There monks and laymen assembled to burn incense, light lamps, and perform all kinds of religious ceremonies day and night without stopping. After ninety days the tooth was carried back to the vihåra inside the city. This vihåra was open on fast days, when the tooth was worshiped according to tradition. On a hill forty li to the east of the Abhayagiri Vihåra stood a vihåra by the name of Caitya with some two thousand monks living in it. Among them was a monk of great virtue named Dharmak∆rti, who was venerated by all the people of the country. He had lived in a cave for more than forty years and always cherished such a mind of compassion that under his spiritual inspiration snakes and mice lived together in the cave without one harming the other.

Seven li to the south of the city there was a monastery named Mahåvihåra, in which three thousand monks lived. A Ωrama√a of high virtue observed the Vinaya rules so perfectly that the people of the country suspected him to be an arhat. When he was on his deathbed, the king came to see him. According to Buddhist custom, the king assembled some monks and asked them, "Has this monk achieved arhatship?"

They truthfully answered,

"He is an arhat.

"

After his death, the king had his remains cremated in a funeral ceremony befitting an arhat, in accordance with the rules laid down in the scriptures and Vinaya texts. At a spot four or five li east of the vihåra, five large logs were piled up to make a pyre about thirty feet square and nearly thirty feet in height. Sandalwood, aloeswood, and other aromatic woods were placed on the top. Steps were made at the four sides. The top part of the pyre was covered with pure and fine white felt all around. A large bier was made, resembling the hearses used in China but without dragon and fish adornments. At the time of the cremation, the king, the countrymen, and the four types of Buddhists assembled to make o›erings of flowers and incense. Then they followed the bier to the crematorium. There 207

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the king again made his personal o›ering of flowers and incense. When this had been done, the bier was placed on the pyre, butter was poured over it, and it was burned. As the bier was burning, those in attendance respectfully took o› their upper garments and, together with their feather ornaments and parasols, cast them into the flames from a distance as additional fuel for the cremation. When the cremation was over, the ashes were collected and a stupa was built for them. Faxian did not arrive in time to see the saintly monk in the flesh, but he witnessed his funeral ceremony. The king, a devout believer in Buddhism, desired to build a new vihåra for the monk. First he invited the monks to a grand assembly. After o›ering food to them, he selected a pair of his best oxen and adorned their horns with gold, silver, and other precious objects. He had a fine golden plow prepared, and personally furrowed the four sides of a piece of land to mark the boundaries. Then he endowed the monks with the inhabitants, fields, and houses on the land. The transfer was incised on an iron title deed, so that it could be handed down fromgeneration to generation and nobody would dare to alter or annul it.

While sojourning in this country, Faxian heard an Indian monk, seated on a high pulpit, reciting the following scripture: The Buddha's almsbowl, which was originally kept in VaiΩål∆, is now in Gandhåra. After several hundred years (Faxian's note: At the time of recitation, Faxian heard the monk mention the exact number of years, but he has since forgotten it.), it will go to the country of Western Yuezhi. After several more centuries, it will go to the country of Khotan. After several more centuries, it will go to the country of Kucha. After several more centuries, it will go the Land of the Lion. After several more centuries, it will go to China. After several more centuries, it will return to Central India and ascend to the Tu≈i†a Heaven, where Maitreya Bodhisattva will see it and exclaim,

"The almsbowl of ¸åkyamuni Buddha

has arrived!" Then he, together with heavenly beings, will 208

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

o›er flowers and incense to it for seven days. After the seven days, it will return to Jambudv∆pa, where the någa king of the sea will carry it to his någa palace. When Maitreya is about to achieve Buddhahood, the bowl will be redivided into four parts and returned to its original place on Mount Vinataka.

When Maitreya has realized Buddhahood, the four heavenly kings will venerate him in the same way as they did former Buddhas. The thousand Buddhas of the bhadra kalpa all use this same almsbowl. When the bowl has vanished, Buddhism will gradually disappear. After the disappearance of Buddhism, the lifespan of human beings will diminish to become as short as five years. By that time there will be no more rice and butter in the world, and men will become so wicked that even pieces of wood in their hands will turn into weapons for harming each other. Those who have done meritorious deeds will escape to the mountains to avoid the calamity and come out again when all the evil men have killed each other. They will say to each other, "Men's lives

were once very long, but as they were very wicked and committed all sorts of evil actions, our lives too have been shortened to five years. We should now do good together, have compassion in our minds, and cultivate sincerity and righteousness. " Then human life will be gradually lengthened to become as long as eighty thousand years. When Maitreya appears in the world and starts to turn the Wheel of the Dharma, he will first save the followers of the Dharma who have not yet been saved by ¸åkyamuni Buddha, including monks and the laypeople who take the Three Refuges, observe the five or eight precepts, and make o›erings to the Triple Gem. The second and third groups to be saved will be those who are karmically connected with him.

Faxian wished to copy this sutra, but the person said, "There

209

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is no written text of this sutra. I just recite it from memory. "

Faxian stayed in this country for two years and obtained the texts of the Mah∆Ωåsaka-vinaya, the D∆rghågama, and the Saµyuktågama, as well as some texts of the K≈udraka-pi†aka (Miscellaneous Collection), all of which were unknown in China. Having acquired these Sanskrit texts, he set sail on a large merchant ship which carried about two hundred passengers. A small boat was towed behind for use in case the large vessel should be wrecked, as sailing on the sea was hazardous. They had sailed eastward with a favorable tradewind for only three days when the ship was caught in a typhoon. It sprang a leak and water rushed in. The merchants wanted to take the small boat but those already in it hacked o›the cable for fear that too many people might overload the boat. The terrified merchants, fearing that they might meet their ends at any moment, began to throw their bulky merchandise overboard to prevent the ship from taking on water.

Faxian also cast his pitcher, washbasin, and some other personal articles into the sea. Fearing that the merchants might throw away his sacred texts and images, he invoked AvalokiteΩvara with his whole heart and prayed to the monks in China: "I have come so far to see the Dharma. May your spiritual power carry me back to my destination!"

The typhoon lasted thirteen days and nights. They reached the shore of an island. When the tide ebbed, they found the cause of the leak in the ship and repaired it then sailed on again. The sea was swarming with pirates from whom no one escaped alive after encountering them. The great sea stretched on without limit. One could not tell east from west. Only by observing the sun, moon, and stars could they navigate. On rainy days, the ship simply drifted aimlessly before the wind. On dark nights all they could see were giant billows of waves beating one against the other and shimmering like lambent flames, with huge turtles, sea monsters, and other strange creatures in them.

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The merchants were at a loss and could not tell directions. As the sea was fathomless, there was nowhere to cast anchor. It was not until the weather turned fine that they could determine the directions and get on the right course. If they had happened to strike a reef, they would have been dead. Having voyaged in this manner for about ninety days, they reached a country named Yavadv∆pa.

In this country the heretical teaching of Brahmanism flourished and there was almost no trace of Buddhism. After staying there for five months, Faxian embarked on another large merchant ship, which also carried some two hundred men. With provisions for fifty days, the ship set sail on the sixteenth day of the fourth month. He observed the summer retreat on board ship, which sailed northeast, bound for Guang-zhou. They had been sailing for about a month when one night, during the second watch, they encountered a black cyclone with torrential rain. All the merchants and traders were terror-stricken. At that moment Faxian again wholeheartedly invoked Avalo-kiteΩvara and the monks in China. Thanks to the protection of their spiritual power, the voyagers survived the night until daybreak. At dawn the brahmans discussed the matter and said among themselves, "It is because we have a Buddhist monk on board our ship that we have been so unlucky and su›ered such great trouble. We should drop the monk on an island. We should not risk our lives because of one man.

"

Faxian's patron said,

"If you want to put the monk ashore, you

will have to put me down, too, or kill me first. If you make him get o› the ship, I will certainly report the matter to the king on our arrival in China. The king of China also believes in Buddhism and honors Buddhist monks.

" The merchants faltered and dared not

put Faxian ashore.

Because the weather was continuously cloudy or rainy, the pilot charted a wrong course. Consequently the ship sailed for more than seventy days. Their provisions and fresh water were nearly exhausted. They used salty seawater to cook their food and 211

866b

Lives of Great Monks and Nuns

shared the fresh water among themselves, each person getting about two liters. The [supply of water] was almost exhausted, too. The merchants considered the matter together, saying, "Usually

it takes just fifty days to reach Guang-zhou. But we have been sailing now for many more days than that. Have we taken a wrong course?" So they steered northwest to look for land. After sailing for twelve days and nights, they reached the southern shore of Laoshan in Changguang Prefecture, where they obtained fresh water and vegetables. They had passed through dangerous and di›icult days with fear and anxiety. When they arrived at the shore they saw the familiar vegetable goosefoot and they realized that they had landed on Chinese soil. But they did not see any people. Not knowing where they were located, some said they had not yet reached Guang-zhou, and others said that they might have already passed it. Nobody could tell exactly where they were. Then some of them rowed a small boat into the harbor to look for people to ask what place it was. They met two hunters, whom they brought back to the ship so that Faxian could act as interpreter to make inquiries. Having reassured the hunters of his goodwill, Faxian asked them slowly,

"Who are you?"

They replied,

"We are Buddhist believers.

"

He then asked,

"What are you looking for in these mountains?" They replied,

"Tomorrow is the fifteenth day of the seventh month. We are trying to get peaches to o›er to the Buddha. "

Faxian further inquired,

"What country is this?"

The hunters said,

"This is Changguang Prefecture in Qingzhou, under the rule of the House of Jin. "

Having heard this, the merchants became delighted and begged some men to send their goods to Changguang Prefecture. On hearing that a monk had crossed the sea and arrived with Buddhist scriptures and images, Li Yi, the Buddhist prefect of Changguang, came with his men to the seaside to receive the scriptures and images with due honor and carry them to the prefectural city. The merchants returned to Yang-zhou, leaving Faxian behind in Qingzhou, where he was invited to stay for a winter and a summer. 212

The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian

When the summer retreat was over, Faxian, having been away from his fellow monks for such a long time, wanted to proceed immediately to Chang-an. But as the duty he had taken upon himself was so important, he instead went south to the capital. There, with the cooperation of a dhyåna master, he translated the sutras and Vinaya texts into Chinese.

Faxian started his journey from Chang-an and spent six years to reach Central India, where he stayed for six years. Then it took another three years for his return to Qing-zhou. He had traveled through nearly thirty countries, from west of the Sha River to the land of India, where the dignified deportment of the monks and the excellence of their teachings could not be described in detail. Because his fellow monks in China were not well informed in these matters, he risked his humble life to return home by sea through many di›iculties. Under the protection of the Triple Gem, he was saved from dangerous situations. He wrote down this sketch of his travels so that his learned fellow monks might share his experiences.

This was written in the twelfth year of Yi-xi (417) of the Jin dynasty, the cyclical year of Jia-yin, dominated by the star Canopus. ] ] ]

It was at the end of the summer retreat that we welcomed Faxian. When the eminent monk arrived, we invited him to stay with us to partake of the feast of the winter solstice. We repeatedly asked him about his travels in his spare time after lecturing. He was a polite and a›able person who always spoke the truth. We urged him to relate in detail what he had briefly told us before. Thus he once again gave us a complete account, from beginning to end. He said,

"When I look back on what I have been through, my heart begins to pound and I start sweating. I bravely undertook a perilous journey, not sparing my body, because I had a purpose and I foolishly and singlemindedly devoted my life to it. That was why I cast my life into the journey in which death seemed almost 213

Lives of Great Monks and Nuns

866c

certain, in the hope that I might have one chance out of ten thousand of surviving. "

We were quite movedby what he had said. Such men as this person are rare, whether in ancient times or in the present day. Since the Great Religion spread to the east there has been no one equal to Faxian in his selfless search for the Dharma. From this we know that no obstacle can impede the progress of a man who has a mind of sincerity, and no meritorious deed will end in failure if one is determined to achieve it. Is it not true that he succeeded in his praiseworthy pursuit because he disregarded what others valued and valued what others disregarded?

End of The Journey of the Eminent Monk Faxian 214