T2053 A Biography of the Tripiṭaka Master of the Great Ci’en Monastery…

Fascicle X

Beginning with His Return to the

Western Capital with the Emperor from

Luoyang in the First Month of the Third

Year of ianqing and Ending with His

Demise at Yuhua Palace in the Second

Month of the First Year of Linde

In the first month of he third year of ianqing (658), the Emperor returned from the Eastern Metropolis to the Western Capital; and the Master also returned with him.

In the seventh month, during the autumn, an edict was again issued, asking the Master to move his residence to Ximing Monastery. This monastery was constructed on the nineteenth day of the eighth month, in the autumn of he first year of ianqing (656). A decree had previously been announced that one Taoist temple and one Buddhist monastery should be built in the name of the Crown Prince at the site of the old house of the Prince of Pu on Yankang Street. The Master was asked to make a preliminary inspection of the place; and he reported after his inspection that the site was too narrow to contain two establishments. Thus the whole site was used for the construction of the Buddhist monastery, while the Taoist temple was separately uilt on Puning Street. The Buddhist monastery was built first; and the construction was completed in the sixth month, during the summer of the same [third] year.

The monastery was 350 bu on each side, with a circumference of several li. On both the left and the right sides there were thoroughfares, while in the front and at the back there were markets and hamlets. Green locust trees were planted in rows 325

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275c outside the buildings, and a brook of impid water flowed through the compound. With many imposing and spacious buildings constructed exquisitely, this was the most magnificent Buddhist monastery in the capital. The corridors, halls, storeyed houses, and terraces were so tall that they would frighten flying birds and touch the Galaxy. The gilded door knockers and the beams painted in colors were as dazzling as the glow of sunlight. There were ten courtyards with more than four thousand rooms. The whole establishment was so splendidly decorated that neither Tongtai Monastery of the Liang dynasty nor Yongning Monastery of the Wei dynasty could surpass it.

The Emperor had previously instructed the authorities to select fifty learned monks, each with an attendant. Later he also ordered that one hundred fifty youths who were practising moral deeds be chosen by examination to be ordained as monks. On the thirteenth day of that month a ceremony of ordination was performed in the monastery, and the Master was invited to supervise the ordination. On the fourteenth day of he seventh month, in the autumn, the monks were welcomed into the monastery, with a procession of people holding banners and umbrellas and playing music, just as when the Master and the imperial inscription were welcomed into Ci'en Monastery. The Emperor ordered Ximing Monastery to furnish one of ts best rooms for the use of he Master, with ten of the newly ordained sramaneras (novices), Haihui and the others, to be his disciples. As the Master had been respected by the preceding ruler, the reigning Emperor, after succeeding to the Throne, venerated him all the more. Palace messengers and courtiers were sent to inquire after him without cessation. A total of more than ten thousand rolls of floss silk, damask, and brocade, together with several hundred monks' garments, patchwork vestments, and cassocks, were offered to him as alms at different times. After receiving these gifts, the Master spent them all for the construction of pagodas, for copying scriptures or making images of he Buddha for the benefit of he country, or for alms to the poor as well as to foreign Brahamanic guests. Whatever he received he gave to others immediately, without hoarding anything. He made 326

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a vow to make ten kotis—one koti being one million—of mages of the Buddha, which all were made.

In the Eastern Country the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra was highly esteemed. Although it had been translated into Chinese during a previous dynasty, the translation was incomplete, so the people requested that the Master kindly translate it anew. But as this sutra was a voluminous work, the Master feared that if he stayed in the capital where there were many distractions, [then,] human life being ephemeral, he might not be able to fulfil the task. Thus he asked for permission to live at Yuhua Palace to translate the sutra, and the Emperor consented.

In the tenth month, during the winter of he fourth year (659), the Master left the capital for Yuhua Palace, together with other learned monk-translators and disciples. All their supplies were provided for them as in the capital. Upon his arrival there he was lodged at the Sucheng Court.

On the first day of he first month, in the spring of he fifth year (660), he started to translate the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, the original Sanskrit text of hich consisted of wo hundred thousand verses. Since it was a work of such vast magnitude, his disciples often requested that he produce an abridged version of it. In compliance with their wishes, the Master planned to translate the text in the way that Kumarajiva did his translations, by deleting the superfluities and cutting out the repetitions. Having thought so, he had a dream one night in which he saw some extremely fearful things as warnings to him, such as [himself] sailing in a dangerous boat or walking on a precipitous peak, or a fierce animal pouncing upon him. He managed to escape these predicaments with trembling and perspiration. After awakening he was frightened and told his disciples, while making up his mind to translate the text in full. In the night he saw various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas emitting light from the middle of their eyebrows, shining over his body, and making him feel happy and pleasant. The Master also saw that he [himself] held flowers and lamps to offer to the Buddhas, or that he ascended a high pulpit to preach the Dharma to an assembly of many people who surrounded and 327

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praised him with veneration. Or he dreamed that some people offered him famous fruits. When he awoke he felt pleased and happy, and dared not make any alteration or abridgement but translated the work exactly as the Sanskrit text was. The Buddha preached this sutra at four different places, namely: (1) Vulture Peak near the city of Rajagrha, (2) the garden of Anathapindika, (3) the Heavenly Palace of the Paranirmitavasavartins, and (4) the Venuvana Vihara in the city of Rajagrha. It consists of a total of sixteen parts combined into one book. The Master had obtained three different versions of this text in the Western Region, and at the time of translating it he compared the three versions to fix the correct wording whenever he came across dubious or mistaken points in the text. He made attentive researches before he put it into Chinese; his scrupulosity and carefulness had no parallel since ancient times. Whenever he hesitated at some peculiar phrase or obscure meaning, he would always feel an unusual mental state, as if someone were solving his doubts. His mind would suddenly become clear, as if he were seeing the sun when the clouds opened up. He said, "Such powers of understanding are not due to my shallow knowledge; they are due to the spiritual assistance of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas." In the first part of the sutra, there is the Chapter on the Adornment and Purification of Buddha Lands, in which it is related that various Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas, for the sake of the prajnaparamita (the acme of wisdom) and by their supernatural powers, carried the best gems and jewels, all kinds of wonderful incense and flowers, food and drink of hundred tastes, garments, music, and all excellent things produced at will that are pleasant to the five senses, as well as various other offerings of the great chiliocosm, to adorn the places where the Dharma was preached. During that night Huide, abbot of uhua Monastery, and Jiashang, a monk-translator, had a similar dream in which they saw that Yuhua Monastery was broadly and extensively decorated and purified, with beautiful adornments of pennants and curtains, precious carts, flowery banners, and musicians performing music everywhere in the monastery. They also saw that innumerable 328

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monks, holding flowery canopies and offerings like those described above, came together to offer them to the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra. All the alleyways and walls in the monastery were decorated with gorgeous brocade; and famous flowers, on which the monks stepped and walked, were scattered over the ground. As for the Court for Translating Scriptures, it was doubly fine and exquisite, just like the land with precious adornments depicted in the scripture. They also heard that sermons were being given in three halls of the court, with the Master preaching in the middle one. Upon seeing this sight, they felt delighted and awoke. They both sent to see the Master and told him about their dream. The Master said, "As we are ust now translating this chapter, the Bodhisattvas must have offerings for it. Since Your Reverences have seen it, do you not believe it?"

Beside the hall there were two apple trees that suddenly blossomed several times out of season in a very lovely manner, with six-petalled flowers of brilliant red and white colors. The monks discussed the matter in detail, saying that it was a sign of the revival of he theory of prajna, and that the six petals signified the Six Paramitas of reaching the other shore. But at the time of translating this scripture, the Master was constantly worried about the impermanence of human life. He said to the monks, "I am sixty-five this year, and I am sure I shall end my life here in this monastery. As this sutra is a voluminous work, I have often feared that I might not be able to complete the translation. So every one of us should work hard with more effort and spare no pains." On the twenty-third day of the tenth month, in the winter of the third year of ongshuo (663), the translation was completed in six hundred fascicles altogether, with the title Da-bo-re-jing (The Scripture of reat Wisdom) in Chinese. Closing his palms together with exhilaration, the Master told his disciples, "This sutra has a special relationship with the land of the Han people. It is on account of his sutra that I have come to this Yuhua Monastery. If I had stayed as before in the capital, where there were many miscellaneous affairs to distract my mind, how could I have finished the work in time? It is with the spiritual assistance of he Buddhas 329

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276c and under the protection of the dragons and deities that I have completed the task. As this is a text that will guard the nation and a great treasure of en and heavenly beings, you all should rejoice and be glad at its completion." fter the celebration ceremony was over, Jizhao, the duty distributor of uhua Monastery, prepared a feast as an offering [to the monks].

On that day the sutra was taken from Sucheng Hall to Jiazhou Hall, where the feast was arranged, for exposition and recitation. When the sutra was being taken, this work on prajfia emitted a light and flowers rained from Heaven, while music was heard in the air accompanied by an unusual fragrance. Having witnessed these spiritual auspices, the Master was greatly pleased and said to his disciples, "It is recorded in the sutra itself that in this country there will be people taking delight in Mahayana teachings. All kings, ministers, and followers of the four groups who copy, receive, and keep it, as well as recite and circulate it will be reborn in the heavens and obtain ultimate emancipation. Since there is such a passage, we must not keep silent about it." On the twentieth day of the eleventh month, he asked his disciple Kuiji to write a report to the Emperor entreating him to compose a preface for the sutra. On the seventh day of he twelfth month, Feng Mao, a court secretary, announced an imperial decree consenting to the request.

After translating the Prajfia Sutra, the Master felt physically exhausted. Knowing that death was approaching, he said to his disciples, "I came to Yuhua Monastery on account of the Prajfia Sutra. Since I have now completed the affair concerning the sutra, my career has also come to an end. After my death you should manage my funeral in a simple and frugal way. You may ust wrap my body in a coarse bamboo mat and dispose of it in some quiet corner of the mountains. Do not put it near the palace or any monastery. The impure body should be discarded far away." Upon hearing these words, his disciples wept piteously. While wiping their tears, they said, "Your health is still tolerably good and your countenance is as usual. Why do you suddenly say such things?" The Master said, "I know it myself. How can you understand it?" 330

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On the first day of he first month, in the spring of he first year of Linde (664), the monk-translators and other monks of Yuhua Monastery earnestly requested that the Master translate the Maharatnakuta Sutra into Chinese. Upon seeing the sincerity of the monks, he exerted himself to translate the sutra; but after doing just a few lines he closed the Sanskrit text and stopped the task. He told the monks, "This sutra is as voluminous as the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra. Estimating my own strength, I shall not be able to complete this work. I am approaching my time, and it is not far-off. Now I wish to go to the Lanzhi Valley and other places to pay my last homage to a koti of Buddha' images." Then he went out with his disciples, and the monks looked at one another with tearful eyes. After worshipping the images, he returned to the monastery and engaged exclusively in practising the Way, doing no more translation.

On the eighth day his disciple Xuanjue, a monk from Gaochang, dreamed that a tall and magnificent pagoda suddenly collapsed. He was surprised at the sight and got up to tell the Master, who said, "It has nothing to do with you. It is a sign of y dissolution." In the evening of he ninth day, when the Master was crossing a ditch behind his room, he tumbled and slightly injured his shin. Then he was confined to bed by an illness, and his breath gradually weakened.

On the sixteenth day he said in a dreaming condition, "There is a white lotus flower as large as a dish, pure and lovely, before my eyes." On the seventeenth day, he again dreamed that he saw hundreds and thousands of en, gigantic in stature and all clad in silk, bringing with them gorgeous embroideries, beautiful flowers, and valuable jewels to decorate the Master' bedroom up to the whole Court for Translating Scriptures inside and out. Even the hills and woods behind the court were decked with banners and pennants in a colorfiil way, and music was played. He also saw outside the gate numberless precious carriages, carrying hundreds and thousands of different varieties of ragrant food and delicious fruits, not products of he human world, to be offered to the Master. The Master declined the offerings and said, "Such delicious food 331

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can be enjoyed only by those who have attained supernatural powers. Not having attained to such a stage, how dare I accept it?" In spite of is declining, the food was offered to him without stop. When his attendant coughed, he awakened and opened his eyes. Thus he related the foregoing dream to Huide, the abbot of he monastery. The Master also said, "According to this phenomenon it seems that what blessedness and wisdom I have cultivated in my life have not been acquired in vain. I believe that the law of causality as taught by the Buddha is not false." Then he asked the Venerable Jiashang to make a list of the scriptures and commentaries he had translated into Chinese, which amounted to a total of 74 works in 1,338 fascicles. It was also recorded that he had painted pictures of BhrkutI and Maitreya, each 1,000 times, as well as ten kotis of clay statues. He had also transcribed the Vajracchedikdprajndpdramita Sutra, the Bhaisajyaguru Sutra, the Sadmukhadharani Sutra, and other scriptures, each 1,000 times. He had given alms to more than 10,000 poor people, made offerings to more than 10,000 monks, lighted hundreds and thousands of lamps, and redeemed the lives of tens of thousands of living creatures. When the list had been made, he asked Jiashang to read it out. Having heard it, he closed his hands palm to palm with happiness and jubilation. He also told his disciples, "The time of y passing away is approaching, and I wish to make a confession of he offences I have committed against the disciplinary rules in the presence of he community of monks. Let all the monks who are able to come be assembled here." Then he gave up his robes and other property to make more images and invited the monks to perform a ceremony.

On the twenty-third day a feast was prepared for the monks and alms were offered to them. On the same day [the Master] also asked the sculptor Song Fazhi to erect an image of he Buddha in the posture of attaining enlightenment in the Jiazhou Hall. When the skeleton had been finished, he happily bade farewell to the monks of the monastery and the monk-translators as well as his disciples, saying, "This pestilent body of mine is deeply abominable. Since my work has been done, it is unnecessary for me to 332

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277b live any longer. I wish to share the merits of the blessedness and wisdom I have cultivated with all living beings, so that we all may be reborn in the Tusita Heaven to serve Maitreya Bodhisattva together with his inner retinue. [Then] when the [future] Buddha descends to the human world we may also come down with him to perform Buddhist affairs extensively until we attain Supreme Enlightenment."

After having said farewell, he concentrated his right thought in silence, while he murmured, "The aggregate of matter is void; and the aggregates of perception, conception, volition, and consciousness are also void. The realm of sight is void; and [all sense realms] up to the realm of mind are also void. The realm of sight-perception is void; and [all sense-perception realms] up to the realm of he mental faculty are also void. Ignorance is void; and [all nidanas] up to old age and death are also void. Even enlightenment is void; and voidness itself is also void." He also uttered a stanza and taught the people to repeat, "Homage to Maitreya Tathagata, the Fully Enlightened One! May I and all living beings be speedily present before your compassionate countenance! Homage to the inner residents in the Abode of aitreya Tathagata! May I be reborn among them after I have forsaken my present life!" At that time the abbot Huide again dreamed that he saw a thousand golden figures coming from the east and alighting at the Court for Translating Scriptures, while the air was filled with fragrant flowers.

At midnight on the fourth day of he second month, Mingzang, a master of meditation who tended the Master during his illness, saw two men, both about ten feet in height, holding together a white lotus flower the size of a small wheel with three layers of petals and a leaf more than one foot long, very clean and lovely, which was brought into the presence of he Master. Those who held the flower said, "All the evil deeds you have done to harm others from time without beginning have been annulled on account of your indisposition. You should rejoice at it." The Master looked at them and put his hands palm to palm for a long while. Then he supported his head with his right hand, stretched his left hand 333

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over his left thigh, and lay down on his right side with his feet relaxed one on the other. He remained in this posture until his death; and he did not move nor drink or eat anything. At midnight of the fifth day, his disciples Puguang and others inquired of him, "Are you sure, Reverend Sir, that you will be reborn in the inner court of aitreya' abode?" he Master replied, "I am sure to be reborn there." fter he had said so, he panted and his breath gradually diminished. In another moment, his spirit passed away without being perceived by his attendants. When a piece of new floss was placed at his nostrils, they found [that he had already expired]. His body gradually became cool from the feet up to the top, which was the last spot that remained warm. His countenance was of a pinkish white color with an unusually relaxed and pleasant expression. [The body] did not change for seven weeks, nor did it have any offensive smell. If he had not adorned himself ith meditation and wisdom and guarded himself ith the fragrance of the disciplinary rules, how could he have attained to such a condition?

In Ci'en Monastery there was a monk Minghui, who practised good deeds diligently and ascetically and recited scriptures or walked in meditation during the first, the middle, and the last parts of the night without being idle or negligent. On the night of the Master' demise, he was walking around the Buddha hall to practice the Way after midnight when he saw four white rainbows stretching from the north toward the south, brightly and distinctly through Gemini, right over the pagoda in Ci' n Monastery. He wondered what they meant and remembered that when the Tathagata entered nirvana, twelve white rainbows stretched from the west right through the constellation Tai-wei, whereupon the Great Saint passed away. "Now might this phenomenon be a symbol signifying the death of he Master at Yuhua Monastery?" t dawn he told the monks what he had seen, and they all thought it strange. On the morning of he ninth day, tidings of he Master' death, which had coincided with the occurrence of he phenomenon, actually reached the capital. Those who heard about it were amazed at the unusual spiritual event.

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The Master was over seven feet in stature, and his body was of a pinkish white color with broad eyebrows and bright eyes. He was as dignified and solemn as a sculpture and as handsome as a figure in a painting. His voice was clear and far-reaching; and he spoke elegantly and sonorously, so that his listeners were never bored. Whether he was with his disciples or entertaining guests, he would sit for half a day without movement. He liked to wear Gandhara costume cut out of fine felt only, neither too tight nor too loose. When he walked he carried himself gracefully, looking straight ahead, never glancing sideways. His magnificent manners were like the Great River flowing over the earth, and his brilliant wisdom resembled a lotus flower growing in the water. Moreover, he always observed the disciplinary rules in the same strict manner from the beginning [of his monkhood] to the end [of his life]. He took better care of he disciplinary rules than he would take of a floating bag when crossing a river, and he held to the rules more tightly than he would bind a bundle of cogon grass. He loved contentment and natural simplicity and did not like social life. Once he entered a place for practising the Way, he would not come out unless there was a summons from the court.

After the death of the Master, during the period of Qianfeng (666-68), the Vinaya Master Daoxuan, the abbot of iming Monastery, who had the power of communicating with divine beings, once saw a deity appearing before him. The deity avowed himself to be a disciple, saying, "I am a son of General Weito among the heavenly beings, and I am in charge of ghosts and divine beings. When the Tathagata was about to enter nirvana, he instructed this disciple of ours to guard and maintain his bequeathed Dharma in Jambudvlpa. I have recently seen that you are pure and strict in observing the disciplinary rules, that you pay attention to the texts of he Vinaya Pitaka, and that people of he four quarters who have doubts come to consult you for a solution. But there are to be found from time to time abnormal and erroneous points in the commentaries you have written on the major and minor Precepts. As you are getting advanced in age, you have been incorrect in your writings, which might mislead people of later generations. Thus 335

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I have come to let you know the Buddha' intention." Then he pointed out the errors and mistakes in the commentaries and exegeses Daoxuan had written on the major and minor Precepts, and asked him to correct them. Upon hearing this, Daoxuan trembled with both grief and joy. Then he asked about various dubious and ambiguous points found in the scriptures, disciplinary rules, and commentaries to which he could not find a solution. The deity solved them all for him. Again, he asked about the morality of he monks who had transmitted the Dharma since ancient times; and he also inquired about the Master. The deity said in reply, "Since ancient times teachers have been either strong in understanding the Dharma but weak in practising it, or weak in understanding but strong in practice, without a unitary standard. The Venerable Xuanzang alone cultivated the deeds of both blessedness and wisdom in nine lives. In every incarnation he was always learned and erudite, intelligent and eloquent, always the first and foremost in the land of Cina in Jambudvipa. Such were his blessed virtues also. His translations are good both in literary style and in quality, and are not inconsistent with the Sanskrit texts. Owing to the power of is good deeds, he has now been reborn in the inner court of Maitreya in the Tusita Heaven, where he will hear the Dharma with comprehension and understanding, and he will never again be bom in the human world. After inquiring about the Dharma from Maitreya, he will gain comprehension and understanding and attain to sainthood." Having received these words of he deity, Daoxuan took his leave and returned; and he recorded this event in several fascicles that are now stored at Ximing Monastery. Based on this account we may say that if t were not for the deity, who would know the Master' high talents and excellent virtue? How could the mind of an ordinary man conjecture them? When the Master was ill, Xu Xuanbei, an official sent to inspect the translation of criptures, submitted a memorial to the Emperor on the third day of the second month in that year, saying that the Master had been ill because of n injury to his foot. On the seventh day of hat month, a decree was issued to the effect that the Palace Service Department should send physicians to attend him with 336

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medicine. The authorities immediately dispatched the imperial physicians Chang Dezhi and Cheng Tao to go posthaste with medicine to see the Master. But when they arrived, the Master has already passed away, and it was too late to give him any medical treatment. Then Du Shilun, Prefectural Magistrate of Fangzhou, reported the demise of the Master to the Emperor, who was so much grieved at the sad news that he suspended court affairs and said, "We have lost a national treasure." At that time all the civil and military officials wept piteously, and the Emperor, after uttering the remark, also could not refrain from sobbing mournfully. On the next day the Emperor said again to his ministers, "What a pity that our country has lost the Venerable Xuanzang. Although he was only one man, it may be said that a pillar of he community of monks has collapsed and that all living beings of the Four Modes of Birth have lost their guide. It is like a host that has suddenly sunk in the vast sea of suffering, or a lamp that has gone out in a dark room." After saying so, the Emperor sobbed without cease. On the twenty-sixth day of that month, an imperial edict was issued, saying:

It is reported by Du Shilun that the Venerable Monk Xuanzang of Yuhua Monastery has passed away. All requirements for the funeral service should be provided at public expense.

On the sixth day of the third month another decree was issued, saying:

Since the Venerable Xuanzang of Yuhua Monastery has died, his translation work should be suspended. The scriptures he had already translated into Chinese should be copied by the government as usual, while the other untranslated texts should be handed over to Ci'en Monastery for safekeeping and must not be lost. Those of the Master' disciples and co-translators who were not formerly resident monks at Yuhua Monastery should be allowed to return to their original monasteries.

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278b On the fifteenth day of the third month there was another decree, saying:

On the day of he funeral of he late Venerable Monk Xuanzang of uhua Monastery, the monks and nuns in the capital should be permitted to make banners and canopies to escort his remains to the cemetery.

Being a person learned in the Way and highly virtuous, the Master was deeply adored by the reigning monarch, who therefore issued decrees repeatedly in favor of him after his death. None of the ancients could be compared with him in this respect. Then his disciples, in compliance with his last instructions, made a hearse out of bamboo mats and carried the coffin back to the capital, where it was placed in the Hall for Translating Scriptures in Ci'en Monastery. Several hundred of is disciples cried so piteously that they shook the earth; and the monks and laymen in the capital who hurried to the place, weeping and sobbing, amounted to hundreds and thousands every day.

On the fourteenth day of the fourth month, when the burial was to take place east of the Chan River, the monks, nuns, and laypeople in the metropolis arranged a funeral procession, holding more than five hundred articles, such as unadorned canopies and white banners, curtained carriages used on the occasion of irvana, a golden coffin kept inside a silver one, the sala trees, and so forth, arrayed in the streets one after another like clouds touching the Galaxy, while funeral music sounded mournfully in the air up to the sky. Over a million people in the capital city and from various states within a radius of five hundred li attended the funeral procession. Although the funeral affairs were arranged gorgeously, the Master' coffin was carried in a bamboo-mat hearse. The silk traders of the Eastern Market used three thousand rolls of silk fabrics to make a nirvana bier decorated with resplendent jade ornaments in an extremely fine manner, and asked that the Master' coffin be placed on it. Fearing that it might be contrary to their teacher' wishes, the disciples did not consent. Thus they placed the Master' three regular robes, as well as a patch-robe worth a 338

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hundred pieces of gold and offered by the state, on the bier to proceed in front, while the bamboo-mat hearse followed behind it. All the onlookers shed tears and were choked with sobs. On that day over thirty thousand people, both monks and laymen, spent the night in the cemetery.

On the morning of the fifteenth day, when the coffin pit had been filled up, a feast was prepared at the cemetery for the people before they dispersed. At that time the sky darkened and the earth changed color, and the birds and beasts cried in lamentation. If even the animals felt so sorrowful, it is needless to say how sad the hearts of human beings felt. They all remarked that the boat of compassion had suddenly sunk in the deep river of passion and that the light of he Lamp of isdom had gone out when the long night, was still dark. They were as pained at the departure of the Master as if they had lost their own eyes. It was not merely comparable to the collapse of a mountain or the ruin of an arbor. How piteous it was!

On the eighth day of the fourth month in the second year of Zongzhang (669), an edict was issued that the tomb of he Master be shifted to the plain north of he Fan River, where a pagoda and a temple were constructed. This was because the original tomb was too near the capital and was visible from the imperial palace, so that the Emperor was often grieved at the sight of t. Thus another site was chosen for the tomb. The ceremony for the reburial was duly performed. The disciples were moved by sadness; and wayfarers felt deep sorrow and were just as mournful as before. Alas! Comment by Shi Huili: We observe that stars at dusk and the moon at night continue the brightness of the sun that has sunk in the west, and that the three rivers and nine streams help expand the sea in the east. Such is the way that things assist each other. There is no difference between them and men in the transmitting of tradition. Since the brilliance of he King of he Dharma faded away and Ananda presided over the Assembly of Elders, a thousand years have elapsed and ten generations have passed away. During 339

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this time saints and sages appeared now and then, and men of outstanding talent emerged one after another. Each of them cherished his own great ambition, and all of them were profuse in superior wisdom. They carried on their shoulders the teachings bequeathed by the Buddha and guided heavenly beings and men, while their Way could becalm a whirlwind and their spirit could overturn the seas and mountains. Some of them could stretch a finger to produce moistening rain, or issue a marvellous light to illumine another one' rooms. Others subjugated the heavenly Mara with a pair of orpses, or answered the questions of the reigning lord with a single reply. Others wished to spread the Dharma at a frontier monastery, risking winds and waves on the dangerous journey, and still others were open-minded in dealing with others and sought provisions to travel to deadly places. They finally enriched the Stream of the Way and benefited an unlimited number of people. This was good for the transmission of the Lamp of the Dharma, and it coincided with the instruction of he Buddha. According to former books, is this not true? As the source of purity is inexhaustible, we now have the Master who has succeeded to the tradition.

The Master was endowed with the spirit of he stars and imbued with the ascending vitality of he great mountains; his talents surpassed the bamboo arrows of the east [a synonym for men of enius], and his reputation was as good as that of the bronze vessels of the south. His refined character was unusually prominent, and his strong virtue was unparalleled. He assumed the salvation of all beings of the Four Modes of Birth as his own responsibility and regarded the establishment of the Right Dharma as his personal duty. So lofty was he! like the Song and Hua Mountains supporting the vault of eaven! And so immaculate was he! resembling camelian shining under the clear water of the sea! His intelligence and great talents originated spontaneously, while his appreciation of he Way and 340

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his disdain of worldly glory arose out of his natural tendencies. As regards the profundity of his versatility and wide learning, he capped and was even higher than Daoheng and Sengzhao, and his ability to scrutinize abstrusity and perceive what was subtle outstripped and went even farther than that of aosheng and Daorong. How great and magnificent he was! He was truly an extraordinary person to perpetuate and make prosperous the teachings of the Buddha. He will make the edification of the Image Period shine again during the Period of Decadence. That was why a man of such brilliance and virtue was born in this world. The Master believed that although the virtuous teachers of ancient times and in his day all based their expositions of the scriptures and commentaries on the holy teachings, they had cited different texts and caused theoretical disputations in a confused manner for a long time. More than a hundred topics were in dispute, such as whether the alaya-vijnana (receptacle consciousness) suffers retribution or not, whether a transformed person has mind or not, whether or not the sin of those who repeatedly threaten the harmony of the Sangha might be absolved by hearing or through the influence of he Dharma, and so forth. All these are complicated subjects in the Tripitaka and the Four Agamas and were key problems for both the Greater and the Lesser Schools, which were not solved by former sages and commonly caused doubt among present savants. The Master, too, was hesitant about these points, and this made him unhappy. He sighed with emotion and remarked, "The scriptures and commentaries we have in his land are but branches of the Gate of the Dharma; they are not the roots. The various teachers, moreover, hold different views; they cannot dispel the doubts in their minds. The full texts must be obtained, and we shall probably be able to get the decisions only at Jetavana Grove."

Thus he cherished a lofty aspiration and made up his mind to travel to a foreign land. In the eighth month, in the 341

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279a autumn of he third year of henguan (629), he made a vow and packed up to go his way at once. He reached Nalanda Monastery in Central India, where he met a great teacher named Sllabhadra, meaning Eminent in Virtue, who practised both of he two schools of uddhism and whose unusual discernment was profound and far-reaching, since he was well versed in the Tripitaka and adept at the Four Vedas. He was most proficient in and familiar with the Saptadasabhumi Sastra. As this treatise was the crown of all scriptures, it was specially favored and frequently taught and preached. It was originally composed by Maitreya Bodhisattva, and being the root system of ll Mahayana Teachings, it was what the Master had made up his mind to seek. All of the sixteen great states turned toward it with adoration, and the students who studied its theories always numbered over ten thousand people. When the Master went to visit the teacher to study with him, they were pleased to meet each other at first sight and regretted that they did not meet sooner. Thus the Master listened to the teacher' lectures and accepted his instructions with full conviction. He also consulted with the teacher to solve his doubts. Whatever he had heard once, he could repeat without omission, just as Mengsi takes in the water of all rivers, or as Mengzhu lake absorbs all the water of the swamps of Yun-meng. The teacher sighed with surprise and remarked that he had never seen such a prodigy before. He said, 'We rarely hear even the name of such a person, not to say discuss the mysterious teachings with him at this time!" Since then the Master' fame spread to west of the Pamir Ranges, and his name was known in the eight countries. Having heard about his renown, the elder teachers and eminent scholars of those countries, all being experienced writers of profound learning, came to debate with him. Their carriages, proceeding one after another like a line of lying geese or a school of ish swimming in file, congested the road and made pedestrians touch shoulders. Although 342

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challenges of controversy fell upon the Master like rain pouring down from a cumulonimbus, he defended himself and explained his views in a leisurely manner. He tinned is opponents' arguments against them, as if e were thrusting their own spears against their shields. All of them found their way of reasoning defeated and laughed merrily in submission, remarking that this revered gentleman was endowed with genius by Heaven and that it was difficult to rebut his propositions. Upon seeing him, King Siladitya and others applauded with delight, prostrated themselves before him with their elbows on the ground to kiss his feet, and offered him all the valuables they had in their possession. When the congregation was over, the Master continued to study Sanskrit texts and various scriptures and treatises, including all of he Vaipulya teachings spoken by the Tathagata during his lifetime on Grdhrakuta Mountain; the incomplete (Hinayana) texts taught at the Deer Park; the works written by the later saints Asvaghosa, Nagaijuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu; and even the heterogeneous views of the eighteen schools of the Gokulikas, etc., and the ultimate gists of the five groups of Mahayana texts of the superior Way, which he collected and did research into to understand their essence and grasp their literary meanings. He also visited those places where the Buddha had left his traces during his lifetime, such as the wood of vergreen sala trees where he entered nirvana, the Bodhi tree under which he subjugated Mara the Evil One, the lofty stupa (tope) built by Ajatasatru, and the hill where the Buddha left his shadow. The Master paid homage in person to all those spots and saw all of the spiritual wonders without omission. Having fulfilled his expectations and completed his studies, the Master was about to return to his homeland; he had copied over six hundred Mahayana and Hinayana texts and obtained seven statues of he Buddha and more than a hundred grains of sarira relics. On the twenty-fifth day of the first month, in the spring of the nineteenth year of the 343

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present reign (of Zhenguan, 645) of the Tang dynasty, he returned to Chang'an. The monks and laity rushed out to welcome him, and all the markets in the capital closed for the day. At that time the mist disappeared and the fog rolled away, unveiling beautiful scenery with a light breeze wafting gently. Precious curtains filled the streets, and ornamental banners covered up the sun. Auspicious clouds emitted colorful rays in the sky in a rich and luxuriant manner, and the common eople and scholars sang raises on the thoroughfares in booming and sonorous voices. Evil winds were then suppressed, and the Sun of isdom was conspicuously brilliant once again. Although it was not as joyful as when the World-honored One descended from the Trayastrimsa Heaven to Jambudvlpa, it may well be called a happy occasion that happens once in a thousand years.

On this journey the Master travelled tens of housands of li through various kinds of hardships and perils. As for the frozen and icy cold mountains; the rivers with surging billows and turbulent waves; the extremely toxic vapors of black winds; the herds of lions, wolves, and hyenas; the country where Faxian lost his travelling companions; and the place where Zhiyan parted company with his friends, these were places not visited by Ban Chao nor toured by Zhang Hai. But the Master travelled alone by himself ithout fear of obstacles, spreading the virtues of Tang beyond the eight rivers and propagating the national culture among the five regions of India. Thus he made the lords and kings of distant lands turn their minds toward the Emperor of China and the chieftains of faraway quarters admire the celestial capital. Although rare merit as was achieved by the Master is not to be seen in every generation, it is also due to the influence of the power and prosperity of the imperial dynasty.

The Emperor, holding the mystic diagrams in his hand, ascended the Throne in accordance with the preordained order of succession and coincided with the red prediction 344

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that he would rule over the people as supreme lord. He slaughtered vicious persons to save the populace and swept away the clouds and rainbows to let the sun and moon shine brightly. He put right the broken pillars at the four quarters and quelled the overflow of he great sea to set up the universe anew and cast it again in another mold. The nine functions of his government included all those of the Yu and Xia dynasties (2155-1767 B.C.), and his seven martial virtues crowned those of the Han and Wei dynasties (208 B.C.-A.D. 265). The country was in such a peaceful condition that the great sea was calm and the Yellow River became clear, while the weather was propitious and produced rich arvests. No faraway people were disloyal to him, and all those who were near him lived in safety. Everything was achieved spontaneously without effort, peace reigned in his domain, and both men and divine beings rejoiced happily. Moreover, as the sun and moon are attached to the sky, the significance of the three good [roots] may become prominent, and as his ministers are loyal and assiduous, it is fitting to sing their praises. The weight of his exploits is so heavy that it has reached the limit of he carrying capacity of he earth, and his virtue has moved Heaven above. The purple ganoderma bloomed at the jade steps, and the fruit trees blossomed beside the crimson pavilion. [His virtue] is also like the auspicious rock found at West Prefecture or the supernatural omen shown on a piece of jade in Song County, which recorded the one thousand years' reign of he sagacious monarch and manifested the deeds to be succeeded to by the Crown Prince. Sentences are being written by talented scholars that are as rarely seen as the feathers of a phoenix; and compositions concerning the Superior Fruit of he Sun of he Buddha, which have not been heard of or numerous generations in the past, are now appearing during the reign of the present Emperor. Is not this a sign of the divinities assisting the Virtuous One and of Heaven blessing the members of he imperial family? 345

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On the other hand, the Master fixed his attention on the ultimate truth and protected the Five Vehicles like a city wall and its moat. He remembered the features of Grdhrakuta Mountain and recalled the sermon delivered by the Ajitavati River. Thus the Buddha' image with purple hair arrived brilliantly, as auspiciously as when a phoenix appeared at the imperial court, and eminent monks learned in the superior texts arrived, adding radiance to each other. Clouds of compassion spread over the whole world, and the drum of the Dharma sounded throughout the three thousand great chiliocosms, with heavenly flowers flying in propitious winds, and emerald mist sharing the fragrance of the smoke of incense. So those who are submerged in the stream of mundanity may hope to get ashore in time, and those who are pursuing spirituality and practising mysticism can see the three voidnesses not far away. It is said that by means of the compass that points the road, those who have lost their way may find directions, and that when the autumnal wind blows through a forest, all hollows sound by themselves. The Master' great virtue was like that, and he was living at a time such as this! He was not like Faya or Buddhatunga, who cherished the Way but met with the two cruel and ferocious rulers Shi Le and Shi Hu [of the later Zhao period, 319-51]; nor was he like Dao'an or Kumarajiva, who transmitted the scriptures though theirs was the time of the two usurpers Fu Jian [founder of the former Qin dynasty, 351-94] and Yao Chang [founder of the later Qin dynasty, 384-417]. To compare the depth of their learning, they were but ditches beside a road, while the Master resembled a river or a lake. To contrast their brilliance, one was the morning sun while the others were glowworms. Formerly, when a penannular jade ring from Zhong Mountain arrived, Emperor Wen of he Wei dynasty (220-64) offered to write a rhapsodic poem in praise of it. When a phoenix presented itself, Jia Kui composed a verse to describe its marvellous appearance. If even such humble 346

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things as a bird and an inanimate object were exalted in poems in days of ore, how can we keep silent at the present time, when an enlightened ruler is on the Throne, without saying anything to eulogize the Master' immortal deeds and his great function as a pillar of he state? I am ashamed to compare my learning with that of the past sages, and as far as virtue is concerned, I am not like the prominent persons of ormer times. It is simply because we shared the same teachings of the Buddha of the Image Period, and because I had the good fortune to oin the Sangha as a unior member, that my mind of admiration for him is a hundred times more than that of rdinary persons. Therefore I made the effort, despite my mediocrity and stupidity, to write this biography. As regards the beauty of is pure character and good repute, and the traces of is unprecedented and unrepeatable journey, they will be recorded separately by other great men of the pen and cannot be fully described here. I hope gentlemen of clear discernment will refrain from sneering at me.

The eulogy says:

Perishable are the senses of living beings; The Great Saint has shifted his spirit. Nobody but a sage

Can continue his heritage.

Asvaghosa propagated it at first,

And Aryadeva expounded it afterward;

Just as when the sun has sunk,

The bright moon will appear.

Serene and majestic was the Master' deportment; Surely he was a man of ntegrity

More elegant than celestial beings

And unhampered by worldly defilements. Having thoroughly mastered the profound teachings, And being also learned in Confucian principles, He was as pure as brilliant pearl,

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With virtues as fragrant as orchids and angelica. He regretted that the scriptures were deficient And feared that there might be wrong meanings. He risked his life to seek more texts, Climbing over peaks and walking across valleys. Magnanimous was his personality, Gallant, sincere, and scrupulous. His name resounded in the Western Region, And to the guesthouse he returned with merits. His time was one when good government prevailed in the empire,

Which was ruled by none other than our Emperor. The Jade Mirror of ise judgement hung high again; The Pearl Bags were awarded once more to ministers of ank.

Having explained the Three Vehicles, He also elucidated the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvahood,

So that the Sim of isdom

Might become brighter [and emerge] out of obscurity. A common and insignificant man am I, But lucky [enough] to follow in the dust he raised. I was brought up in a humble hut, Neither painted in colors nor spacious. I respect him for his virtue high as a mountain. I eagerly admire his noble character pure as a stream.

I wish to climb and depend upon him, As a creeping vine on a tree.

A Note by Shi Yancong: I have observed that since the introduction of Buddhism to the Eastern Land, tens of thousands of talented and intelligent people have renounced their homes to enter the Way, but few of them have been versatile in an all-round way, though some of them may have had one or two good points. The Tripitaka Master 348

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possessed such good qualities as regular features, perfect faculties of sight, hearing, and speech, erudition, and a retentive memory. He disregarded his life for the sake of he Way and travelled far to extremely distant regions. His moral integrity was as upright as pine trees and bamboo. He cherished lofty ambitions stronger than metal and stone. At a time when groups of independent warlords attempted to create trouble in the country, he turned his mind toward the Emperor as sunflowers always face the sun. I have also heard that the Tripitaka Master never perspired at the height of ummer, nor would he shiver in times of severe cold. He never curled up or stretched himself and never yawned or sneezed. This was because he could not adapt to circumstances; it should not be taken as a measure to judge saints or sages. Moreover, when he was ill at the Northern Palace, all amusements and elaborate formalities were suspended. On the day when he was about to pass away, his color and features looked amiable and pleasant. There was also something difficult to interpret. About month after his demise, a man came with some sandalwood powder and asked permission to rub it over the Tripitaka Master' body in the manner of the western countries. But all the monks would not allow him to do so. That man changed countenance and said, "This disciple has come by special order. If ou teachers do not permit me to do this, you may write a report to the Emperor!"

Then the monks gave consent. When they opened the coffin and unbuttoned the shroud, they smelled a strange fragrance like the odor of lotus flowers. They asked one another about it in amazement, and all of them said that they had also sensed it. The man who had just come took off the shroud, leaving only the underclothes on the body. All the monks saw that the features of the Tripitaka Master remained as if he were alive, and they cried most piteously while they looked at the corpse. When the man had rubbed the body with sandalwood powder, redressed it in 349

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the cerement, and closed the coffin again, he instantly disappeared to nowhere. The monks suspected that he was a heavenly being.

Considering the Tripitaka Master' long-cherished mind, and in view of his recent activities, if he was not a Mahasattva, what else could he have been? I hope my fellow monks will hold him in deep respect. Let us try our best to do so!

350

Glossary

Abhidharma [Pitaka]: the section of he Buddhist canon containing philosophical commentaries.

acarya: a preceptor.

dmra: a mango.

amrta: Sweet Dew, ambrosia. arhat: a perfect saint who has freed himself rom the bonds of amsara by eliminating all passions and desires. asamkhyeya kalpa: an immeasurable length of time. Asura: a kind of demon, an evil spirit. Avarasaila: Western Hill.

Avici: the hell of uninterrupted suffering. Bhadrakalpa: the Good Aeon, in which a thousand Buddhas are to appear. bhiksu: a Buddhist monk.

bhiksuni: a Buddhist nun.

birth-and-death (samsara): the cycle of repeated births and deaths in which deluded sentient beings exist. Bodhi: enlightenment.

Bodhisattva: the seeker in Mahayana (q.v.) who perfects the virtues of wisdom and compassion for the sake of iberating all sentient beings from suffering.

bu: six feet.

Buddha nature: the seed of Buddhahood or enlightenment. caitya: a shrine.

Cakravartin (Wheel-turning King): a universal monarch; the emperor of the earth.

deva: a god.

Deva Bodhisattva: Aryadeva, a disciple of agaijuna. dharanl: an incantation.

Dharma-body. See Dharmakaya. Dharmakaya (Dharma-body): the body of ruth, one of he three bodies of a Buddha. The other two bodies are Nirmanakaya (Transformationbody) and Sambhogakaya (Enjoyment-body). Dharma nature: the quintessence, or true nature, of all things. Dharma Pitaka: a collection of Buddhist texts. Dharmaraja: a Buddhist king. 351

Glossary

dhyana: meditation, trance.

dou: approximately eighteen liters.

Eight Emancipations: emancipation from attachment to forms and desires through eight types of editation.

Eight Erroneous Practices: the practices that are against the Eightfold Noble Path (q.v.).

Eightfold Noble Path: (1) right view, (2) right thought, (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness, and (8) right concentration.

Ekayana (One Vehicle): also called the Buddhayana (Buddha Vehicle); the Mahayana (q.v.) doctrine which contains the final and complete Dharma of he Buddha and not merely a part, or a preliminary stage, as in the Hinayana. It is often identified with the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. fen: one tenth of an inch.

Field of Blessedness: a figurative term for those such as Buddhas and monks who deserve offerings. Just as a field can yield crops, so donors can obtain good karmic results through their offerings to them. Five Endurances: the five stages through which a Bodhisattva deepens his insight into the Dharma: (1) before the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvahood (q.v.), (2) the first, second, and third stages of the Ten Stages, (3) the fourth, fifth, and sixth stages of he Ten Stages, (4) the seventh, eighth, and ninth stages of he Ten Stages, and (5) the tenth stage and the stage of Buddhahood.

Five Precepts: (1) not to kill, (2) not to steal, (3) not to commit adultery, (4) not to speak falsely, and (5) not to drink intoxicants. Five Sciences: grammar, mathematics, medicine, logic, and philosophy. Five Vehicles: the vehicles of 1) humans, (2) gods, (3) Sravakas, (4) Pratyekabuddhas, and (5) Bodhisattvas. Five Virtuous Elements: almsgiving, keeping the precepts, patience under insult, zeal or progress, and meditation.

Four Dhyanas: the four stages of editation that correspond with the four dhyana heavens, which are still in the realms of samsara. Four Endurances: the understanding of the following four: (1) all things do not arise, (2) all things do not perish, (3) all things do not have self-nature, for they exist because of auses and conditions, and (4) all things are such that one should not let his mind dwell on them. Four Inverted Views: the four wrong views entertained by deluded beings: (1) to regard the impermanent as permanent, (2) to regard suffering as happiness, (3) to regard impurity as purity, and (4) to regard non-self as self.

352

Glossary

Four Kalpas: the four periods of time, each consisting of twenty small kalpas (q.v.), during which the worlds go through formation, destruction, and annihilation: (1) the Kalpa of Existence (vivarta-siddha kalpa), during which the sun and moon rise, sexes are differentiated, heroes arise, the four castes are formed, and social life evolves; (2) the Kalpa of Destruction (samvarta kalpa), during which fire, water, and wind destroy everything except the Fourth Dhyana Heaven; (3) the Kalpa of Annihilation (samvarta-siddha kalpa), during which nothing exists; and (4) the Kalpa of Formation (vivarta kalpa), during which worlds and the beings on them are formed.

Four Modes of Birth: (1) viviparous, as with mammals; (2) oviparous, as with birds; (3) moisture- or water-born, as with worms and fishes; and (4) metamorphic, as with moths from the chrysalis, or with spirits into heavens or hells.

Four Noble Truths: (1) life is suffering; (2) defilements are the cause of suffering; (3) all suffering can be ended; and (4) the way to end suffering is the Eightfold Noble Path (q.v.). Four Unlimited Mental States: (1) boundless kindness, (2) boundless pity, (3) boundless oy, and (4) limitless indifference to distinctions of riend and enemy, love and hate, etc.

gatha: a stanza.

Great Vehicle. See Mahayana.

Hetuvidya: logic, one of he Five Sciences (q.v.). Hinayana ("Lesser Vehicle"): a derogatory term applied by Mahayanists to various schools of uddhism that teach the attainment of n arhat (q.v.).

hu: approximately 180 liters.

Jambudvipa: the world.

Jeta Wood: Jetavana.

kalpa: an immense period of ime, an aeon.

Kalpa of Destruction. See Four Kalpas.

Kalpa of Existence. See Four Kalpas.

Kalpa of Formation. See Four Kalpas.

karma: a person' actions and the consequences of those actions. kasaya: a Buddhist monastic robe.

Kasyapa-Matanga: a monk who introduced Buddhism to China. koti: an extremely large number, usually ten million, sometimes one million.

ksatriya: the governmental caste, the warrior caste; one of his caste. 353

Glossary

Kunala: Asoka' son.

Land of Endurance: Saha world; the world of suffering. Lesser Vehicle. See Hinayana. li: approximately 1/3 mile. Mahaclna: China.

Mahasattva ("great being"): a Bodhisattva (q.v.) with great wisdom and compassion.

mahat: intellect.

Mahayana ("Great Vehicle"): the teaching on the attainment of ment or Buddhahood; the seeker of nlightennlightenment is the Bodhisattva (q.v.).

Maitreya Bodhisattva: the future Buddha, presently in the Tusita heaven (q.v.).

mani: pearl.

Mara: demon; the Devil. Middle Way: the truth of nonduality that Sakyamuni taught; the truth of neither existence nor nonexistence. mou: approximately a hundred square meters. naga: a dragon.

One Vehicle. See Ekayana. paramita: spiritual perfection. pippala: a long pepper. Pitaka: a collection of Buddhist texts. prajna: wisdom; one of he Six Paramitas (q.v.). prajnaparamita: the acme of isdom. Pratyekabuddha: a self-enlightened Buddha. Pure Land: the name of he Buddha Amitabha' land. Purvasaila: Eastern Hill. raksasl: an ogress.

Sabdavidya: grammar and composition; one of the Five Sciences (q.v.). Sadapralapa: Sadaprarudita, a Bodhisattva mentioned in the Prajnaparamita Sutras. Sakya Bodhisattva: (later) Sakyamuni Buddha. samadhi: contemplation, deep trance. samghati: outer robe of a monk. Sammitlya ("correct measures") school: one of he early schools of uddhism, which was formed approximately three hundred years after the passing of Sakyamuni.

354

Glossary

Sangha: the Buddhist Order.

sarira: a relic.

Sastrin: a teacher, a learned person.

Seven Links of Enlightenment: (1) mindfulness, (2) discrimination between the true and the false, (3) vigor, (4) joy, (5) ease of body and mind, (6) concentration, and (7) equanimity. sheng: one pint (approximately).

sheng: a musical instrument.

Six Arts (of Confucianism): rites, music, shooting, horse-riding, writing, and mathematics.

Six Defilements: six qualities that are the cause of all impurity, i.e., sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and idea.

Six Paramitas: six spiritual perfections: giving, precept-keeping, patience, effort, meditation, and wisdom.

six supernatural powers: (1) supernatural vision, (2) supernatural hearing, (3) the power to know others' thoughts, (4) the power to know the past lives of oneself and others, (5) the power to perform miracles, such as appearing anywhere at will, and (6) the power totally to eradicate defilements.

sramana: a Buddhist monk.

Sravaka: a disciple,

stupa: a tope, a reliquary.

Suchness. See tathata.

Sumeru: the highest mountain in the world.

sunyata. See voidness.

Sutra ("thread"): a discourse of the Buddha. Tathagata ("Thus-come or Thus-gone"): a title of he Buddha. tathata (Suchness): absolute truth, or ultimate reality; the content of wisdom-insight into things, just as they are, i.e., empty and dependents co-arisen.

Ten Capabilities: ten masteries possessed by a Buddha or Bodhisattva concerning (1) lengthening or shortening life span, (2) samadhi, (3) material things, (4) actions, (5) births, (6) aspiration (or vow), (7) understanding, (8) supernatural abilities, (9) wisdom, and (10) teachings. Ten Good Deeds: (1) not to kill, (2) not to steal, (3) not to engage in illicit sexual practices, (4) not to lie, (5) not to utter arsh words, (6) not o utter words that cause enmity among people, (7) not to engage in idle talk, (8) not to be greedy, (9) not to be angry and (10) not to have wrong iews. Ten Powers: the ten powers of the Buddha, giving complete knowledge of (1) what is right or wrong; (2) the past, present, and future karmas of 355

Glossary

all sentient beings; (3) all forms of meditation; (4) the powers and faculties of all sentient beings; (5) the desires, or moral direction, of eveiy being; (6) the different levels of existence; (7) the results of various methods of practice; (8) the transmigratory states of all sentient beings and the courses of arma they follow; (9) the past lives of all sentient beings and nirvana; and (10) the destruction of all evil passions.

Ten Stages of Bodhisattvahood: the stages of Bodhisattva practice: (1) the stage of oy, in which one experiences the joy of entering on the path to Buddhahood; (2) the stage of stainlessness, in which one is liberated from all possible defilement; (3) the stage of right radiance, the stage of further enlightenment; (4) the stage of blazing fire; (5) the stage that is difficult-to-conquer, in which one masters final difficulties; (6) the stage of presence, the open way of wisdom above definitions of impurity and purity; (7) the stage of reaching afar, in which one gets above ideas of elf n order to save others; (8) the stage of imperturbability; (9) the stage of subtle wisdom, in which one possesses the finest discriminatory wisdom, knowing where and how to save beings, and the ten powers; and (10) the stage of he Dharmacloud, in which one attains to the fertilizing power of the Dharmacloud. Three Clear Insights: (1) insight into the previous births of elf nd others; (2) insight into future births; and (3) insight into present sufferings so as to overcome all passions and realize nirvana. three kinds of pure meat: meat from an animal not seen to be killed for oneself, not heard to have been so killed, of hich one has no suspicion of such killing.

Three Refuges: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Three Studies: discipline, meditation, and wisdom.

Three Vehicles: the three paths to enlightenment: (1) the Sraua&a-vehicle, (2) the Pratyekabuddha-vehicle, and (3) the Bodhisattva-vehicle. Three Worlds: (1) the desire world, which is the sphere of ensuous desire, of sex and food; (2) the form world, which is above the desire world and comprises part of eaven; and (3) the formless world, which is the sphere of pure spirit.

Trayastrimsa: the thirty-three gods who live on the top of Mt. Sumeru in the second heaven of he desire world.

Tripitaka (three baskets): the Buddhist canon.

Triple Gem: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Tusita heaven: the fourth of he six heavens in the desire world. Two Adornments: (1) adornment of wisdom and (2) adornment of good deeds such as alms-giving and keeping the precepts. 356

Glossary

upadesa: a form of uddhist literature for instruction. upadhyaya: a teacher. upasaka: a Buddhist layman. Vaipulya ("broad"): Mahayana (q.v.). Varanasi (city): Benares. Vedas: Hindu scriptures. vihara: a hall, a monastery. Vinaya: Buddhist monastic rules. voidness (sunyata): the absence of ermanent essence in things. Wheel-turning King. See Cakravartin. yaksa: a kind of pirit or demon. yana: a vehicle.

yin and yang: two primal forces, negativity and positivity. yojana: one day' journey in an ox cart. Yonghui period: A.D. 650-55. 357