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Chapter Five

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One Thousand Buddhas

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5. Birth

(Note: This has eight parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) The Queen's Return to Her Father's Home, (3) Auspicious Signs Before the Birth, (4) The Birth, (5) Auspicious Signs, (6) Worship by the Gods, (7) Simultaneous Births, and (8) Calculation of Numbers.

1. Introduction

I respectfully entertain the following thought. Dīpaṅkara Buddha predicted [Śākyamuni's] attainment of buddhahood and conferred on him the name Nengren ("Capable of Benevolence," a translation of Śākyamuni) beforehand. When conditions were mysteriously met he was embodied in the Śākya clan. Auspicious signs appeared before he was born, and traces of truth appeared after his birth. These signs and traces illumined the worlds of humans and gods and spread everywhere in a chainlike formation. Their source is deep and superior. Therefore the earth shook in six ways and the infant [Buddha] took seven steps as soon as he was born. Five kinds of pure rain fell and nine dragons poured water over him. Supernatural signs of good fortune appeared and all kinds of auspicious signs were also present. These signs were unprecedented in the past one hundred generations. Thus, [the Buddha] was conceived in a different way from how the ancient rulers Yao and Xuan (Yellow Emperor) [were conceived] and he was born in a different way from the later rulers Yu and Xie, who founded the Yin people.

Signs such as the Black Emperor appearing in a dream or white light filling the room are not really auspicious signs. How could these be compared to the 53

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II auspicious signs that appeared at the time of the birth of the Buddha? Around his body there was light that extended one zhang and a five-foot-long white hair was curled between his eyebrows. The auspicious sign wan (svastika) was written on his chest. He walked with one thousand wheels under his feet. There were thirty-two major marks such as these. The auspicious signs that accompanied the Chinese rulers—for example, in the case of Emperor Yao his dragon face, tiger nose, and eight-colored eyebrows, and for Emperor Shun two pupils in each eye—are nothing compared to the superior signs of the Buddha. 2. The Queen's Return to Her Father's Home

The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:685b24-c10) says: When Queen Māyā, the holy mother of the Bodhisattva, having conceived him and almost completed the ten months of her pregnancy, was about to give birth the queen's father, Suprabuddha (Shanjue) sent a messenger to King Śuddhodana in Kapilavastu. (Note: The queen's father's name is given as Shanzhi in another tradition.) His message to the great king said, "I am informed that my daughter, the great queen Māyā, is carrying the Holy One in her womb. His powerful virtue is great. Once he is born my daughter's life will be shortened; she will die soon after giving birth. I want to bring my daughter Māyā back to my palace and let her stay in peace at Lumbinī, where we may share pleasurable moments with each other and indulge the natural sentiments of affection between father and daughter. I beseech the great king not to obstruct this wish. Please have pity on us and release my daughter. Once she gives birth in my house I will send her back immediately." When King Śuddhodana heard Suprabuddha's messenger utter these words, he issued an edict ordering officials to repair and grade the road between Kapilavastu and Devadaha (Tipotuohe), decorate it with flags and flowers, and have music played there. An innumerable number of servants and other people accompanied the queen when the king sent her back to her home.

3. Auspicious Signs Before the Birth

The Puyao jing (T.186:492c26-493b9) says:

When the Prince completed his ten months in the womb and was about to be born, thirty-six auspicious signs appeared: (1) trees in the back 54

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garden spontaneously bore fruit; (2) blue lotus flowers as large as carriage wheels appeared on dry ground; (3) all the dead trees on the ground sprouted flowers and leaves; (4) gods appeared, pulling a carriage covered with seven jewels and dew; (5) a treasure house containing twenty thousand jewels appeared from the ground; (6) famous scents and pleasant fragrances spread all over; (7) five hundred white lions appeared in the Himalayas and lined up in front of the city gate but they did not bother or harm anyone; (8) five hundred white elephants lined up in front of the palace; (9) heaven sent down a light and nourishing rain which was fragrant wherever it fell; (10) a spring opened inside the king's palace and provided water of one hundred flavors to the thirsty; (11) dragons and jade women appeared in sky, showing the top half of their bodies; (12) thousands of jade women from heaven appeared on the palace wall, holding peacock dusters; (13) gods and jade women stood in the empty sky, holding ten thousand gold jars filled with sweet dew; (14) ten thousand jade women from heaven held ten thousand jars filled with fragrant water; (15) ten thousand jade women from heaven held a canopy in their hands and stood in attendance; (16) gods and jade women lined up and stood, making hundreds and thousands of different kinds of music with their drums, and staying in the empty sky in great harmony; (17) the water in the rivers and channels became clear but did not flow; (18) the sun and moon stopped their movement; (19) under the Puṣya lunar station stars appeared guarding it; (20) a jeweled net, sprinkled with dew, covered the palace; (21) a supernatural jewel as clear as the bright moon hung from the palace building, shining very brightly; (22) lamps in the palace could no longer shine brightly; (23) clothing that had been stored in boxes appeared on clothes hangers; (24) precious necklaces and all other such treasures appeared; (25) poisonous insects went into hiding and auspicious birds uttered sounds of fortune; (26) in hell all punishment stopped and no one suffered pain; (27) there was a great earthquake that flattened the hills; (28) streets and four-way crossings were evenly leveled and flowers were scattered over them; (29) deep holes and gullies were all filled in; (30) fishermen and hunters became disgusted by their evil professions and for a while harbored compassion for all creatures; (31) pregnant women inside the territory all gave birth to boys, and the dead, blind, mute, and those who suffered from 55

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any of the one hundred diseases were all cured; and (32) tree deities showed the top half of their bodies from all the trees and paid respect by lowering their heads. These were the thirty-two auspicious signs. At that time everyone without exception expressed wonder at these unprecedented events. 4. The Birth

The Yinguo jing (T.189:624c27-625a24) says:

The Bodhisattva was in the womb for almost ten months, and the limbs of his body as well as all the marks of his superior destiny were completed. The queen wished to go into the garden for sight-seeing. The king ordered eighty-four thousand beautiful palace women to accompany Queen Māyā. He also chose eighty-four thousand beautiful young girls to go to the Lumbinī Garden holding incense and flowers. The king also ordered all of his ministers, officials, and their wives to follow her. Thereupon, the queen stepped into the decorated carriage, and accompanied by the attending officials and women, both in front and back of the queen's carriage, they went to the Lumbinī Garden. At that time the eight kinds of heavenly beings, such as gods and dragons (nāgas), filled the sky and followed the queen's carriage.

When the period of ten months was completed and the Bodhisattva was about to appear on the eighth day of the fourth month, the queen saw a big tree, called aśoka, in the back garden. Its flowers were colorful and fragrant and its branches and leaves spread widely, growing thickly and profusely. As the queen raised her right hand to grasp a branch of the tree, the Bodhisattva emerged slowly from her right side.

The Pusa chutai jing (T.384:1025c15-19) says:

The Buddha said to Maitreya, "You should know that you also received the prediction to attain highest enlightenment under this large tree, the king among all trees, five million six hundred and seventy years from now. I was born from the right side of the queen's body. You, Maitreya, will be born from the top of your mother's head. I had a life span of one hundred years. You, Maitreya, will have a life span of eight thousand four hundred years. My land was made of earth. Your land will be made of gold. My land was full of suffering. Your land will be full of pleasure." 56

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The Pusa benxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:686b18-c4) says: When the Bodhisattva saw his mother standing on the ground taking hold of a branch of the tree with her hand, there in the womb he concentrated on the thought of birth and rose from his position. When the mothers of all other sentient beings are about to give birth their bodies ache all over and they suffer greatly. Sitting down and standing up over and over again, they cannot get comfortable. The Bodhisattva's mother was happy and peaceful and she felt a great pleasurable sensation in her body. At that time Queen Māyā stood on the ground, took hold of a branch of the palāśa tree with her hand, and gave birth to the Bodhisattva. This was a remarkable event, entirely unprecedented, that could only happen to the Bodhisattva. It gave expression to the fact that after the Tathāgata has attained buddhahood he would tirelessly remove the root of all desire and cut off the bondage of desire just as when the tops of tāla trees are cut off they do not grow again. His will be the teaching of characterlessness, formlessness, and the absence of subsequent births. Such is the auspicious sign that accompanies the birth of a tathāgata.

Again, because of oppressive pain, inside the womb all sentient beings move around from place to place. The Bodhisattva was different. He entered his mother's body from her right side and stayed on the right side. He did not move around inside the womb at all. When the time came for him to be born, he emerged from the right side of his mother's body. His birth was not characterized by painful pressure such as other sentient beings experience. Such was the unprecedented birth that happened only in the Bodhisattva's case, and which gave expression to the fact that after he achieves buddhahood future religious practices will forever be free from fear, always filled with pleasure, and devoid of pain. Again, when the Bodhisattva in the right side of his mother's womb first concentrated on the thought of birth, great light issued forth and illuminated everywhere. This was an unprecedented event that happened only in the Bodhisattva's case. It gave expression to the fact that after achieving buddhahood he would destroy the dark net of ignorance and would cause the clear and pure light of wisdom to issue forth.

Again, when the Bodhisattva had just emerged from the right side of his mother's body and remembered the past through concentration, his 57

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mother's body was not in any discomfort, as usual, and was not injured, damaged, wounded, or pained. The Bodhisattva's mother's body had undergone no change. This was an unprecedented event that happened only in the case of the birth of the Bodhisattva. It gave expression to the fact that after he has achieved buddhahood those who engage in religious cultivation would lack nothing and be well provided for. Again, when the Bodhisattva had just emerged from his mother's womb, he stood up feeling no pain, distress, or illness. None of the many defilements of the mother's body could pollute him. He was different from other sentient beings. To describe the matter with a metaphor, he was like a vaiḍūrya jewel wrapped in Kāśi cloth. Neither the jewel nor the cloth is defiled. This was an unprecedented occurrence that happened only in the case of the Bodhisattva's birth. It gave expression to the fact that after achieving buddhahood he would remain in the world and while the precious teaching remained in the world no worldly defilements could pollute or stain it. Again, when the Bodhisattva had just emerged from his mother's womb, the heavenly deity Śakra wrapped him in the heavenly fine fabric called Kauśika cloth. Receiving the Bodhisattva's body before anyone else, Śakra held it up reverently. This was an unprecedented event that happened only in the Bodhisattva's case. It gave expression to the fact that after the Bodhisattva achieved buddhahood and became master of the sahā world, the great god Brahmā would first request the Tathāgata to preach the truth. Again, when the Bodhisattva had just been born from the right side of his mother's body, the four great deva kings held him and, turning toward the mother to show him to her, they said, "Great queen, you should now rejoice! The child you have given birth to has now attained a human birth. Gods are rejoicing in praise of him. How could it be otherwise with human beings?" This was an unprecedented event that happened only the Bodhisattva's case. It gave expression to the fact that after he achieved buddhahood the fourfold Buddhist community (i.e., monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen), with an incalculable number of members, would turn toward the Tathāgata and listen to his teaching. They will follow the Tathāgata's teaching and will not deviate from it in any way.

Again, as soon as the Bodhisattva stood upon the ground and standing there looked at his mother's right side, he said, "I will not receive a human 58

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form again after today. I will not enter the womb from the side of my mother's body. This is my last human body. In this body I will become a buddha." This was an unprecedented event that happened only in the case of the Bodhisattva's birth. It gave expression to the fact that after attaining buddhahood he will utter the following words: "My births have been completely exhausted, my spiritual practice has been established, and what has to be done has already been done. I will not receive future rebirths." These are the auspicious signs that first accompany the birth of a tathāgata. The Niepan jing (Nirvana Sutra, T.374:528a28-b10, T.375:773a3-14) says: When the Bodhisattva had just been born he took seven steps in each of the ten directions. The dragon generals Maṇibhadra and Pūrṇabhadra held flags and a canopy over him and shook the innumerable worlds of infinite extension. Golden light shone and filled the sky. The dragon kings Nanda and Upananda bathed the Bodhisattva's body using their supernatural powers. Gods manifested themselves and worshiped the Bodhisattva. The sage Asita reverently joined his palms and paid his respects. When he grew up to be a young man, the Bodhisattva renounced the objects of human desire just as if he was spitting out saliva. Not deluded by worldly pleasures, he left the householder's life and found happiness in the spiritual life of quietude. He refuted heterodox teachings and practiced austerities for six years. He adopted the attitude of complete equanimity toward all sentient beings. Constantly meditating in his mind, he was from the beginning never disturbed. Special marks, awesome and beautiful, ornamented his body. Wherever he went the hills and hollows were leveled. His clothes floated four inches off his body but they never fell down. When he walked, he looked straight ahead and did not glance left or right. When he sat down or stood up, the grass under him did not become crushed. In order to guide sentient beings, he went forth and taught. His mind was free from arrogance. 5. Auspicious Signs

The Yinguo jing (T.189:625a24-b5) says:

When the Prince was born a lotus flower decorated with seven jewels and supported by seven stalks appeared under the tree. This flower was as large as a carriage wheel. The Bodhisattva then fell into this lotus flower 344c

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and without any assistance took seven steps. (Note: The Dashanquan jing [T.345:160c25-6] says that the seven steps taken by the Bodhisattva correspond to the sevenfold practices of awakening.) He raised his right hand and uttered the lion's roar, "I am the most honorable and superior being among all gods and humans. Innumerable births and deaths are now over." When he had uttered these words, the four deva kings wrapped the Prince's body in a heavenly silk cloth and placed him on a table filled with treasures. The god Śakra (Indra) held a jeweled canopy; great Brahmā held a white duster. They stood to the Prince's right and left sides. The dragon kings Nanda and Upananda sprayed pure water from their mouths into the sky, bathing the Prince's body with warm and cool water. (Note: The Puyao jing [T.186:494a29-b2] says, "The gods Śakra and Brahmā rained many kinds of famous perfumes; nine dragons went up and poured down the perfumed water to bathe the Bodhisattva's body." The Ruiying benqi jing [T.185:473c4-5] says, "Śakra and Brahmā waited upon him from below; the four deva kings took the Bodhisattva's body and placed it on the table." The Xiuxing benqi jing [T.184:463c17-19] says, "The dragon king brothers rained down warm water on his left side and cool water on his right side; Śakra and Brahmā covered the Bodhisattva's body with a piece of cloth.") The Bodhisattva's body was golden in color and adorned with thirty-two marks. It emitted a great light that illuminated the three thousand great chiliocosms.

The state of Kapilavastu stood at the center of three thousand suns and moons and twelve thousand heavens and earths.

(Note: There are ten billion suns and moons and forty billion realms under heaven. The number three thousand is given as a shorthand expression. Therefore, the relative location of China and the barbarian countries may also be explained in more detail. The Hainei [yi]jing [Shanhai jing] says that Shendu is the country where the Yellow Emperor lives. Guo [Pu]'s commentary says that it refers to India. These passages indicate that it is not entirely wrong to speak of India as the center of heaven and earth. The Houhan shu says that people designated as nine kinds of barbarians live beyond the Pamir Mountains. Their civilization is said to be more impressive and beautiful than that of China.)

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The Zhidu lun (T.1509:90b26-c8) says:

Question: Why is the Buddha of golden color?

Answer: If one were to place iron next to gold it would not be noticeable. Now if we were to place gold of today next to the gold of the Buddha's time, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold of the Buddha's time next to the gold of the Jambu River, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the Jambu River gold next to the gold sands of the ocean in the kingly realm of the universal monarch, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the golden sands next to a gold mountain, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold mountain next to the gold of Mount Sumeru, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold of Mount Sumeru next to gold from the necklace of the thirty-three deities, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold from the necklace of the thirty-three deities next to the god Yama's gold, then the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the god Yama's gold next to the gold of Tuṣita Heaven, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold of Tuṣita Heaven next to the gold of Nirmāṇarati ("Delight in Creation") Heaven, the second highest heaven of the realm of desire, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold of Nirmāṇarati Heaven next to the gold of Paranirmitavaśavartin ("Masters of the Creation of Others") Heaven, the highest heaven of the realm of desire, the former would not be noticeable. If we were to place the gold of Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven next to the golden color of the Bodhisattva's body, the former would not be noticeable. Such a beautiful color is called the mark of golden color.

The Ruiying jing (ref. Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing, T.189:625b5-18) says: When the Bodhisattva was first born the eight kinds of supernatural beings, such as gods and dragons, manifested themselves in the sky, playing heavenly music, dancing, and singing praises. They burned incense and scattered flowers. They let an innumerable number of heavenly cloth and necklaces fall onto earth like rain. Under the tree near which the Bodhisattva was born there suddenly emerged four wells producing water of marvelous quality. 61

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II There were thirty-four auspicious signs. These signs cannot be described in detail here. (Note: These signs are roughly the same as those described above in the section on the thirty-six auspicious signs.) 6. Worship by the Gods

The Ruiying jing (ref. Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing, T.189:626a4-22) says: When the Prince was just born the great king immediately gathered the four divisions of his army and entered the garden with his ministers. Seeing that the Prince's birth had occasioned such miraculous signs, the king was both pleased and afraid. With joined palms the king worshiped the deities and, embracing the prince, he placed him on an elephant-mounted carriage decorated with seven jewels. Accompanied by his ministers and palace ladies and followed by dancing gods, the king entered the royal city. Because he was unfamiliar with the Three Jewels the king first took the prince to a temple of the gods. When the prince entered, the images of the god Brahmā all stood up and bowed at the Prince's feet. They said to the king, "Great king, you should know about this. This Prince is honored among gods and humans. The gods in the sky are all paying respect to him. How could the great king have failed to see these signs and brought the Prince here to pay respect to us?" King Śuddhodana and his ministers marveled at this unprecedented turn of events. Then the Prince left the temple of the gods and returned to the rear quarters of the palace. The Puyao jing (T.186:497b10-15, 21-c2) says:

When the Prince came to the temple he spoke in verse: When I was just born I shook the three thousand chiliocosms. Deities such as Śakra, Brahmā, and Sudarśana, and

All the heavenly beings, such as the sun and moon, came and paid me respect.

What heavenly deity is treated with greater respect? When I arrived at the palace,

I was treated as a being higher than the gods, a god among gods; Among the gods none was superior to me.

Adapting myself to the world, I manifested myself here. 62

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I cause these auspicious signs to appear and the people are overjoyed. I am nurtured respectfully by members of a small clan, yet I am holier than a god among all the gods.

Thereupon the heavenly kings Śakra and Brahmā and the four deva kings came down from their thrones and throwing themselves down to the ground they worshiped at the feet of the Bodhisattva. Hundreds of thousands of gods and people were amazed and loudly uttered praises, exclaiming at such an unprecedented event, and danced in joy. Heaven and earth shook; flowers rained down from the sky, and hundreds of thousands of musical tunes were heard as musical instruments played by themselves. The statues of the gods transformed into the deities they represented and the gods paid respect by bowing down at the feet of the Bodhisattva. The deities then stood before the Bodhisattva and uttered the following verses of praise:

Just as Mount Sumeru is contrasted with a mustard seed, So do the Bodhisattva's supernatural powers exceed those of the dragon king.

Would the sun and moon worship a dragon king? How could the wise and virtuous pay respect to the dragon king? Three thousands worlds offer homage to the Bodhisattva on their own initiative.

Just as a mustard seed is contrasted with Mount Sumeru, or The footprint of an ox is compared to the great ocean, So does the Most High and Honored One transcend the sun and moon. If one pays respect to this Honored One their merit will be incalculable.

Everyone will obtain spiritual peace.

The Bodhisattva's virtue is infinitely rich. 7. Simultaneous Births

The Ruiying jing (ref. Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing, T.189:626a22-23) says, "At that time, on the same day, five hundred male children were born into various branches of the Śākya clan."

The Xiuxing benqi jing (T.184:465a18-20) says: 63

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A child was born to each of the eighty-four thousand elders in the state, and they were all male children. Foals were born in eighty-four thousand stables. One among them was unique. Its coat was pure white and its mane was threaded with jewels. The foal was named Kaṇṭhaka; the stable lad who cared for it was called Chanda.

The Ruiying benqi jing (ref. T.185:474b5-7) says:

The stable lad was called Chanda and the horse was called Kaṇṭhaka. At that time in the king's stable an elephant gave birth to a baby elephant and a horse to a foal. Cows and sheep also gave birth to five-colored offspring. The same thing happened to five hundred different species. The Prince's servants also gave birth to five hundred children who would later serve as the Bodhisattva's servants. (Note: The Puyao jing [T.186:494b7] says that five hundred servants gave birth to strong soldiers.) At that time five hundred hidden treasure houses spontaneously opened up in the palace. Many merchants came back from traveling the seas where they had gathered treasures, and they presented rare objects to the king. In the light of all these auspicious signs, they wished to name the Prince Xida ("Allattained"; Siddhārtha). At that time, just as the Prince was born to King Śuddhodana, a child was born to eight princes in the realm. They were all overjoyed and chose good names for these newborns. The Fobenxing jing (Shieryou jing, T.195:146c13-29) says: The kingdom of Kapilavastu had eight cities and altogether nine million households. Devadatta was born on the seventh day of the fourth month. The Buddha was born on the eighth day of the fourth month. The Buddha's younger brother, Nanda, was born on the ninth day of the fourth month. Ānanda was born on the tenth day of the fourth month. Devadatta's height was one zhang, five chi, and four cun. The Buddha's height was one zhang and six chi. Nanda's height was one zhang, five chi, and four cun. Ānanda's height was one zhang, five chi, and three cun. The height of those belonging to the aristocratic clan Sheyi was one zhang and four chi. The height of those belonging to other ruling clans was one zhang and three chi. The Bodhisattva's mother's house was eight hundred miles outside of the 64

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capital city. Her father's surname was Gautama. Being a lesser king, he ruled over one million households and was called a one-myriad king. The family of the Bodhisattva's consort was surnamed Gautama and Elder Sheyi had the personal name Shuiguang ("Water Light"). The name of the Bodhisattva's wife's mother was Yuenü ("Moon Woman"). She lived in a neighborhood of the city. When she was about to give birth to her daughter the sun was about to set, but the remaining light illuminated the house and the room was very bright. Therefore, her daughter was given the name Gopī, which means "Bright Woman." Juyi (Gopī) was the first wife of the prince. His father was called Elder Shuiguang. The second wife, who gave birth to Rāhula, was called Naweitan. Her father was called Elder Yishi. The third wife of the prince was called Luye ("Deer Field"). Her father's name was Elder Shi. Because his son had three wives, the prince's father built three palace buildings. Twenty thousand palace ladies were present in each building, and altogether there were sixty thousand palace ladies in the three buildings. Since the Prince was to become a universal monarch, the king placed sixty thousand palace ladies [in his court]. 8. Calculation of Numbers

The Yuqie lun (ref. T.1602:553a14-18) says:

There are four ways of entering the womb: (1) with correct knowledge in entering, but without correct knowledge when staying there and coming out; (2) with correct knowledge when entering and staying there, but without correct knowledge when coming out; (3) with correct knowledge in all three [modes: entering, staying, and coming out]; and (4) without correct knowledge in any of the three [modes of entering, staying, and coming out]. The first refers to universal monarchs, the second to selfenlightened buddhas (pratyekabuddhas), the third to bodhisattvas, and the fourth to all other sentient beings.

A verse in the Baoxing lun (T.1611:819a27-b3) says: Withdrawing from heaven and entering the womb,

He was born here to a mother and father.

While living in the household he took the form of a child. 65

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II He studied various arts and skills,

Played happily, and went on excursions.

After he renounced the householder's life, he practiced austerities. Having mastered the non-Buddhist teachings, He conquered the heavenly Māra.

He attained buddhahood and turned the wheel of Dharma. He showed the path to nirvana.

Sentient beings with little merit

Cannot see the Tathāgata.

The Ruiying jing (T.185:473c1-2) says, "The prince was born during the night of the eighth day of the fourth month, when the morning star appeared." The Xingzan (ref. Buddhacarita, T.192:1a23-24) says, "On the eighth day of the third month the Bodhisattva appeared from the right side of his mother's body."

The Guoqu xianzai yiguo jing (T.189:625a21-24) says: On the eighth day of the second month the queen went to the Lumbinī Garden. She saw an aśoka flower and picked it, raising her right hand. At that moment the prince was born from the right side of the queen's body. Now this matter belongs to a time many generations ago. The disagreement about the date among the translators cannot be easily sorted out in terms of the texts themselves, but we may be able to settle the matter by looking into non-Buddhist scriptures. The Chunjiu (Spring and Autumn Annals) says: The seventh year of the reign of Duke Chuang of Lu, i.e., the eleventh year of Prince Chuang: On one day in the fourth month, one star disappeared and meteors fell like rain. Comparing Buddhist and non-Buddhist texts, we may determine that the fourth month was the correct date of the Buddha's birth. 6. Attending to and

Raising the Child

(Note: This has three parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) Raising the Child, and (3) Auspicious Signs.

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1. Introduction

Mysterious processes work through everything in silence; perfect wisdom illumines in quietude. The Way transcends the realms of form and consciousness; the principle is beyond the spheres of changes. Having transcended form and consciousness long ago, how could he in reality have been reborn in a king's palace? Having gone beyond changes, would he be guarded by illusory attendants? Yet the Great One was born responding to cosmic conditions in order to benefit all beings, as he promised at the beginning. He appeared thus due to cosmic conditions, yet he sees all the profound truths. There are many ways of teaching, and those who receive the teaching are many. Some are enlightened through means of quiet meditation. Some open their minds with the help of wisdom and understanding. Some hold the baby and some feed the baby milk to nourish his body. The conditions for enlightenment are many and cannot be limited to one example. In these many ways, all living beings can be motivated to seek salvation, and salvation may be brought skillfully to the world.

2. Raising the Child

The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:701a27-b10, b29-702a3) says:

When seven days had passed after the birth of the Prince, his mother, Queen Māyā, came to the end of her life. Some teachers say that the queen's lifetime just happened to be only seven more days, and that is why she died at that time. However, there is an ancient rule that the Bodhisattva's mother dies after he has lived seven days. The reason why the mothers die so early is as follows: the Bodhisattvas (i.e., buddhas-to-be) renounce the householder's life at a very early age, and when their mothers see this event their hearts are broken and their lives end. The Sarvāstivāda teachers say that when the mother saw that the child born to her had an unprecedentedly beautiful body, she could not bear the joy and her life immediately ended. After her life ended she was reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods.

When King Śuddhodana saw that the queen's life had ended, he called the Śākya clan together and they all gathered like a cloud. He told them, 67

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II "You are all relatives and parents of the state. Now this boy has lost his mother while still a baby. To whom should I entrust him to provide him with milk? Whom shall I order to raise the baby? Who will be able to love him as if he were her own child? At that time there were five hundred new wives in the Śākya clan and they all said, "I can raise him. I can look after him." The elders of the Śākya clan told them, "All of you are young and vigorous. You indulge in sense desires. You cannot nourish him at the appropriate times and love him in a manner that accords with the correct teaching. Only Mahāprajāpatī happens to be the true aunt of the Prince. Therefore, she is capable of raising the baby."

Thereupon, King Śuddhodana entrusted the Prince to his aunt and said to her, "Welcome. You should raise the child. Guard him well and help him to grow up. Bathe him at the appropriate times." He also chose thirtytwo other women to assist in raising the Prince: eight women to hold him, eight women to bathe him, eight women to give milk, and eight women to play with him. Then Mahāprajāpatī said to King Śuddhodana, "I will respectfully follow the king's orders and not deviate from them." 3. Auspicious Signs

The Fobenxing jing (T.190:702a7-b10) says:

After the Prince was born King Śuddhodana's household became more prosperous day by day. As they were more than sufficiently provided with all kinds of wealth, such as gold, silver, and rare treasures, those in the household uttered the following verse:

Five kinds of grain and other wealth and treasures, Such as gold, silver, and all kinds of clothing, Some produced by human beings and some not produced by humans— These have been provided spontaneously without any effort on our part.

For both the child and his loving mother,

Milk and its products are always richly provided. Nursing mothers who did not have sufficient milk before Now all produce milk plentifully.

At that time King Śuddhodana's enemies all felt the universal and equal 68

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love toward everyone and gradually came to feel as if the Pprince was a family member or someone very close. Wind and rain came at the appropriate times and no natural disasters such as hailstorms occurred. There was no disruptive weather. People sowed few seeds yet the harvest was large. Everyone in the realm obeyed the laws. Many kinds of spiritual gifts brought numerous benefits. There were no evil people and everyone was happy. It was just like heaven. It was due to the Prince's awesome power of virtue that all these things happened. Verses say: The world of humans followed the Honored One's teaching. People were neither stingy nor ungenerous.

They did everything according to the teaching. Being compassionate, they did not kill.

When hungry or thirsty, they were immediately relieved of these needs.

Both food and drink were provided in sufficient quantity. Everyone was joyous and partook of heavenly pleasures. The Puyao jing (T.186:494c23-495a12) says:

Seven days after the Bodhisattva was born, his mother's life ended and she was happily reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods. When she arrived at that heaven, fifty thousand Brahmā deities held precious jars and twenty thousand Brahmā deities and māras held precious clothing and attended the Bodhisattva's mother.

The Ruiying benqi jing (T.185:474b9-10) says: The Bodhisattva knew of his mother's virtue from the beginning and could not bear to become the object of her worship. Therefore, he chose to be born when her life was about to end.

The Dashanquan jing (T.345:161a27-28) says, "Seven days later his mother passed away and because of her merits ascended to heaven. The Bodhisattva was not to blame for this."

The Yinguo jing (T.189:627c21-22) says, "The Prince's aunt Mahāprajāpatī nursed and raise the prince just as if she were his own mother." 69

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7. Prognostication

(Note: This is divided into eight parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) Ordering the Prognostication, (3) Presenting the Prince to a Holy Person, (4) Marks, (5) Karmic Causes, (6) Comparisons, (7) Calculation, and (8) Merit. 1. Introduction

The Holy One follows the karmic conditions in ways that may be either manifest or mysterious. His mind is clear and illuminates without obstruction. He responds to stimuli as if it were an echo. In his quietude (nirvana) he does not move, yet he responds to stimuli and reaches everywhere. Thus he descended from Tuṣita Heaven and was incarnated in the kingdom of Kapilavastu. The ruling family of that kingdom had produced universal monarchs for many generations. The reputation of the family was appropriate for the One Who Treads the Holy Path. Of the three thousand realms on earth, the kingdom was even superior to the Chinese city of Luoyang. There were numerous branch families, too many to be described in detail here. In ancient China, when Lü Wen read the extraordinary features of the founding ruler Gaozu of the Han dynasty and predicted the latter's future success, people treated him as someone who had superior knowledge of human beings. However, compared to Asita's prognostication about the future of Our Teacher, [the Buddha], Lü Wen's accomplishments were like nothing. 2. Ordering the Prognostication

The Ruiying jing (ref. Guoqu xianzai yinguo jing, T.189:626c6-627c3) says: King Śuddhodana ordered five hundred oracle readers to read the Prince's features. The readers said, "This child of the king is the Eye of the World. He is like pure gold. His extraordinary marks are very clear: if he renounces the householder's life he will achieve perfect knowledge of all things; if he remains in the world he will become a universal monarch and govern the four realms under heaven. He will be the highest among rulers." They also said to the king, "There is a brahman holy man called Asita who is equipped with five supernatural powers; he lives [on Mount] Gandhamādana. He can remove all doubts the king might have about the future of the prince." At that time the king thought to himself, "The road to Gandhamādana is extremely dangerous. Ordinary people cannot reach that place. How 70

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will I be able to send an invitation for him to come here?" When the king was entertaining this thought, the holy man Asita learned of the king's thoughts from a distance and came flying to read the Prince's marks for the king. When the king saw that the holy man had arrived, he was inexpressibly happy and relieved. The king and queen brought the Prince out and wanted to make him pay respect to the holy man, but the holy man stopped the king, saying, "This child is the Most Honored One in the three realms of gods and humans. Why would you make him pay respect to me?" Then the holy man got up and with palms joined he worshiped the prince's by bowing to his feet.

The king and queen said to the holy man, "Please read the marks of the Prince carefully." After reading the marks, the holy man suddenly started weeping and could not control himself. Seeing the holy man's sorrow, the king and the queen were frightened and trembled all over. They were overcome by distress, like a small boat tossed around by great waves. They asked the holy man, " Are the marks of our child so inauspicious that they cause you to weep?" The holy man answered, "The Prince has all the auspicious marks; there is nothing inauspicious about him. I am only distressed that I am one hundred and twenty years old this year; my life will soon end and I will be reborn in the Heaven of No-thought. So I will not see the Buddha arise and will not be able to hear his scriptural teaching. Therefore I am sad for myself. If a sentient being has the thirtytwo marks but some of the marks are in the wrong places or do not appear clearly for a long time, such a person will become a universal monarch without fail. If the thirty-two marks are all in the right places and also clear, such a person will achieve perfect knowledge of all things. I now see that the marks of the great king's Prince are all in the appropriate places and they are also clear. For this reason I know for certain that he will accomplish full awakening." When the holy man finished saying this to the king, he took his leave and withdrew.

The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:697b22-c2) says: [The brahman said:] "Great king, I deplore that my years are advanced and my faculties have weakened. I have declined and am now old. When the time comes for the great event I will not be here to see it. I shall not 71

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II be able to benefit from this great opportunity. For this reason I now grieve and am saddened. It is not that [the child] is inauspicious." Then for the king's sake he said in verse:

I deplore that something is greatly out of order for me. And I shall miss this time for attaining the Way. I have vainly spent my life without hearing the truth. Isn't it the case that I will not be able to benefit from this great opportunity?

I am old and my faculties have weakened.

The time for death is about to arrive and cannot be postponed. Thinking that the present generation will experience this great event, I am happy and yet distressed at the same time.

The Śākya clan of the great king is about to flourish, Having given birth to this boy, a person of happiness and merits. The world is full of oppressive suffering.

This Prince will bring peace and happiness to those who are now suffering in the world.

3. Presenting the Prince to a Holy Person

The Fobenxing jing (T.190:694b22-c10) says:

Then Māyā came to the boy, and taking his hand and holding his head, she turned him toward the holy person, as if he were paying respect [by bowing] to his feet. Thereupon, the power of the boy's awesome virtue caused his body to turn around by itself with only his feet pointing toward the holy person. King Śuddhodana came to help the queen, and again they turned the boy's head toward the holy person to venerate him, But the boy's power again caused only his feet to turn toward the holy person, all by themselves. King Śuddhodana once again turned the boy's head toward the holy man but again the child's body turned so that only his feet pointed toward him. This happened three times in succession. When Asita saw the boy from far away, the child sent forth light and illuminated the ground. Due to his awesome virtue the boy was pleasingly handsome; his color was that of pure gold; his head looked like a jeweled canopy; his nose was straight and well-rounded; his long arms stretched 72

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downward; his limbs and joints were correctly formed. Lacking nothing, he was endowed with all glorious ornamentation. Then Asita stood up from his seat and said to the king, "Great king, do not try to turn the boy's holy head toward me. It is not appropriate for him to pay respect [by bowing his head] to my feet. I should pay respect to him [by bowing my head to] his feet." He repeated the following words, "How wonderful! How wonderful! A great being has appeared in the world. It is the most wonderful thing. A great being has appeared in the world. This boy is certainly and truly the person that I heard about from the gods. He does not differ in any respect."

Then Asita straightened his clothes, exposed his right shoulder, and knelt on the the ground with his right knee. He stretched out both of his hands and held the boy firmly, cradling his head, and carried him like that back to his seat. Once he sat down he lowered the child and placed him on his knees.

4. Marks

The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:695c16-696a3) says: Then King Śuddhodana said to the holy person, "Great master, I wish to always keep my child with me. What means can I employ to make sure that he does not forsake me?" Asita answered the king, "Great king, I cannot say for sure what means you can employ to prevent the Prince from abandoning the householder's life." Then King Śuddhodana spoke again to the holy man, "Great master, please listen to me. I will now employ various means. Once I have employed these means I will be able to keep my child, from now through his childhood until he reaches adulthood, from abandoning me even for a short while and leaving the householder's life." The holy person Asita then asked the king, "Great king, why do you say such things?" King Śuddhodana answered the holy man Asita, "The honored teacher should know that all the oracle readers within my kingdom told me, 'If the child stays in the world he will become a universal monarch.' That is why I say such things." Asita then said to the king, "Great king, you should know that those oracle readers were all terribly wrong; these superior marks are not the marks of a universal monarch. 73

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II Now this child has one hundred good marks and eighty secondary marks. These marks are outstanding and he is endowed with them most clearly and brilliantly." King Śuddhodana then asked the holy person, "Great master, what are the eighty secondary marks?" Asita [described the marks to] the king in detail.

(Note: Here the text gives the eighty marks. The passage is similar to those in scriptures. I will give the list here following the Shengtianwang jing.)

The Shengtianwang jing (T.231:723a29-c9) says: The Buddha himself said, "The eighty marks consist of the following: (1) No one can see the top of his head; (2) The bone on top of his head is firm and solid; (3) His brow is wide and flat;

(4) His eyebrows are high and long, shaped like the crescent moon, emerald blue in color;

(5) His eyes are long;

(6) His nose is high, rounded, and straight; the nostrils are not visible; (7) His earlobes are thick, wide, and long, and form a circular disc; (8) His body is solid like that of the deity Nārāyaṇa; (9) His body is indestructible;

(10) The joints of his body are taut; (11) When he turns his body he looks like an elephant king; (12) His body is radiant;

(13) His body is properly conditioned; (14) He is always young and never grows old; (15) His body has a rich texture;

(16) His body defends itself against danger and he does not depend on others;

(17) His body has all the necessary attributes; (18) His mind has all the necessary attributes; (19) He is endowed with proper appearance; (20) His awesome virtue is widely known and honored; (21) Everyone faces toward him;

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(22) His dwelling place is safe and secure; there are no dangerous disturbances there; (23) His face is of the right size, neither too large nor too long; (24) His face is broad and flat;

(25) His face is round like the full moon; (26) He does not look thin or haggard; (27) His movements are like that of an elephant king; (28) His appearance is like that of a lion king; (29) He walks like a goose;

(30) His head is shaped like a madana fruit; (31) The color of his body is pleasantly bright; (32) The soles of his feet are thick; (33) His nails are like red copper leaves; (34) When he walks a pattern imprints on the ground; (35) His fingers are gloriously decorated with various patterns; (36) The patterns on his fingers are clear; (37) The patterns on his palms are clear and straight; (38) The lines on his palms are long; (39) The lines on his palms are not broken; (40) He can move his arms and legs freely; (41) His arms and legs are red and white in color, like lotus flowers; (42) His body is equipped with the proper orifices; (43) The length of his steps when walking is never too short; (44) The length of his steps when walking is never too long; (45) His steps when walking are stable and well-balanced; (46) His naval is deep and thick; it looks like a snake coiled up in a clockwise position;

(47) His hands are blue and red in color and look like the head of a peacock;

(48) His hair is rich and clean in color; (49) The hair on his body curls clockwise; (50) An unsurpassably pleasant fragrance comes out of his mouth; both his body and hair also have the same fragrance; (51) His lips are red and look like a bimba fruit; 75

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II (52) His lips are moist and well in proportion to each other; (53) His tongue is thin;

(54) He observes everything with pleasure; (55) He follows the wishes of sentient beings and talks to them in a relaxed and happy manner;

(56) Everywhere he speaks nothing but good words; (57) When he sees someone, he always speaks first; (58) His voice is neither too high nor too low and accords with the criteria for pleasant speech among sentient beings; (59) When he preaches he uses the speech of the sentient beings [to whom he is talking];

(60) His preaching is not conspicuous; (61) He views sentient beings impartially; (62) He first observes and then acts; (63) He answers many questions by uttering one sound; (64) The sequence of his preaching is well ordered; (65) No sentient being can read all his marks; (66) Whatever he observes, he is not repulsed by it; (67) He is able to produce all sounds and languages; (68) He manifests good colors;

(69) Strong people submit when they see him; those who are fearful attain peace when they see him;

(70) His voice is clear and pure;

(71) His body does not bend sideways; (72) His body is large;

(73) His body is tall;

(74) His body is not polluted;

(75) Rays of light, one zhang long, illuminate his body throughout; (76) The light that illuminates his body moves as he moves; (77) His body is pure;

(78) The rich color of the light is like that of a blue jewel; (79) His hands and feet are endowed with all good attributes; (80) His hands and feet have the character "virtue" inscribed on them. The Foshuo baonü jing (T.399:468c24-469b26) says: 76

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At this point Jewel Woman asked the World-honored One, "The Tathāgata has thirty-two marks of a great being. What meritorious deeds did you perform in your previous lives to obtain these marks all over your body?" The Buddha said to the Jewel Woman, "Since ancient times I have performed an infinite number of virtuous deeds, and by gathering together these deeds I obtained these marks all over my body. Briefly, these consist of the following.

The mark of the Tathāgata is that his feet are secure and he stands well-balanced. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: in ancient days I stood firm, guided others, and never regressed; I have never covered up other people's merits.

The Tathāgata's hands and feet have the mark of the Dharma wheel. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: in ancient days I have established many ways of teaching.

The fingers of the Tathāgata and Arhat are long and flexible. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I have explained the meaning of the scriptures; I have protected sentient beings so that they will be free from suffering.

The hands and feet of the Tathāgata are covered with a net. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I have never destroyed relatives and other people's attendants. The hands and feet of the Tathāgata are soft and subtle. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I made a gift of several kinds of fine and soft clothing.

The seven parts (two hands, two feet, two shoulders, and the top of the head) of the Tathāgata are fully developed. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I practiced giving widely and made offerings to many needy beings.

The knees of the Tathāgata are correctly formed and without joints. He can kick like a deer. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I respectfully received and learned the scriptures and did not make mistakes.

The male organ of the Tathāgata is hidden. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I disciplined my body and rejected sexual desire.

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The jaw of the Tathāgata is fully developed, like that of a lion. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I practiced pure deeds and completed spiritual cultivation. The sign of a svastika spontaneously appears on the chest of the Tathāgata and Arhat. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I removed defilements and evil deeds. The body and limbs of the Tathāgata are intact and well developed. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I offered the gift of fearlessness and comforted people. The arms of the Tathāgata are long and reach below his knees. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I helped and encouraged others in their work.

The body of the Tathāgata is pure and flawless. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I tirelessly practiced the teaching of the ten good deeds.

The brain of the Tathāgata is well developed and well equipped. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I gave medicine to those who were ill and watched over their treatment. The Tathāgata has the cheeks of a lion. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I established the roots of many virtues.

The Tathāgata has forty white teeth. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: I decided to practice benevolence toward sentient beings. There are no gaps between the Tathāgata's teeth. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I reprimanded people about fighting with each other and established harmony among them. The Tathāgata's cheeks and teeth are those of a great being. This mark is due to the following cause: from ancient times I offered the spiritual gift of subtle and pleasant things.

The Tathāgata has pure and beautiful hair and eyebrows. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I guarded my body, speech, and mind carefully.

The Tathāgata has a wide and long tongue. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I spoke sincerely and guarded against transgressions of speech.

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The Tathāgata's eyebrows are those of a great being. This mark is due to the following cause: until the very end I offered infinite merit. My mind was loving and harmonious. I granted sentient beings' wishes and offered them protection.

The Tathāgata's has a compassionate voice. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times my speech was soft and gentle. I was careful about my speech for the sake of sentient beings. Infinite numbers of people heard me speak and were all happy. The color of the Tathāgata's pupils is dark blue. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I observed sentient beings with a compassionate gaze.

The Tathāgata's eyes look like the new moon. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I never entertained cruel or violent thoughts. My mind had a gentle and obedient nature. A strand of white hair grows between the eyebrows of the Tathāgata. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I performed such virtuous practices as praising, singing and chanting, and dwelling in quiet places.

The flesh at the top of the Tathāgata's head is naturally raised, like a topknot of hair. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I honored and respected holy and wise beings and treated honorable elders with the proper decorum.

The Tathāgata's skin is soft and beautiful. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I gathered in my mental contemplation the treasure house of the Dharma.

The Tathāgata's body is purplish-gold in color. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I offered clothes and bedding as gifts.

The hairs on the Tathāgata's body grow separately, one by one. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I avoided noisy places where crowds gathered.

The Tathāgata's hair grows upward and curls in a clockwise direction. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I honored teachers, received teachings from good friends, and followed the teachings respectfully. 79

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The color of the Tathāgata's hair is dark blue. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I had compassion for people and did not harm them with sticks and swords. The Tathāgata's body is correctly formed and stands straight. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I myself encouraged and taught sentient beings, causing their good intentions to become firmly established.

The Tathāgata's back is like a large hooked chain. It represents great virtuous power that shines forth, and he is awesomely tall and upright. This mark of a great being is due to the following cause: from ancient times I made images and repaired temples for the benefit of the Enlightened One, brought together followers who had been scattered into one harmonious community, gave the gift of fearlessness, and brought those who were in conflict into harmony.

You wished to know about all this. In the past I practiced the roots of numerous virtues on infinite and incalculable numbers of occasions. Because of these past practices of the Tathāgata, I was able to obtain the thirty-two marks.

With regard to the twenty-second mark, i.e., the Tathāgata's extremely beautiful voice, the new Posha lun (T.1545:889a4-9) says: The Tathāgata's mark of a beautiful voice: by means of the marvelous great seed in the Buddha's throat he can utter happy and graceful sound like that of the kalaviṅka bird; he can also utter the sound of deep and distant thunder, like Śakra's drum. These sounds have eight meritorious characteristics: they are (1) deep and distant, (2) harmonious and graceful, (3) clear, (4) pleasant to the ear, (5) endearing to the mind, (6) they give rise to joy, they are (7) easy to understand, and they (8) never cause fatigue. The Dazhidu lun (T.1509:91a8-13) says:

The Tathāgata has a beautiful voice. Like heavenly king Brahmā, five kinds of sounds come out of his mouth: they are (1) very deep like thunder; (2) very clear, penetrating very far, and they bring happiness to those who hear them; (3) perceived as lovely in people's minds; (4) easily understood; and (5) such that listeners wish to hear more and never tire of hearing 80

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them. Bodhisattvas utter these five kinds of sounds from their mouths. These sounds are lovely like the sound of the kalaviṅka bird, and deep and distant like the sound of the heavenly deity Śakra's drum. The new Posha lun (T.1545: 27.889a10-18) says:

Question: What is the meaning of "mark"?

Answer: It means a sign of excellence and auspiciousness. Question: Why does the Courageous One have only thirty-two marks, neither more nor less?

The Buddha's attendant said, "If there were either more or less, that would cause doubt. If there are thirty-two marks in accordance with the teaching of marks, then everyone in the world will agree that this is an auspicious sign. If the number is neither more nor less and if the thirtytwo marks decorate the Buddha's body, he is the Most Superior One Beyond Comparison in the world. If there were fewer signs, then his power would be insufficient. If more, then the signs would become disorderly. Neither of these is good. Therefore the Courageous One has [exactly] thirty-two marks."

The Zhidu lun (T.1509:87a19-c23) says:

Question: In the classification of the three types of actions, action of which category plants the seed for these thirty-two marks? Answer: It is mental action, not physical acts or speech. This is because mental action is sharper. Also in the list of six kinds of consciousness, it is mind consciousness that plants seeds, not any of the other five kinds of sense consciousness. This is because the other five kinds of consciousness are incapable of making distinctions. Question: How much time is necessary to mature the seeds for these thirty-two marks?

Answer: One hundred world ages at the longest and ninety-one world ages at the shortest. Śākyamuni Bodhisattva attained the thirty-two marks after ninety-one world ages. A scripture tells the following story. A very long time ago, during the time of a buddha called Tiṣya, there were two bodhisattvas: one was called Śākyamuni and the other Maitreya. Tiṣya Buddha wished to see whether or not Śākyamuni Bodhisattva's mind had 349b

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A Forest of Pearls from the Dharma Garden, Volume II been purified and matured. Upon observation he learned that the Bodhisattva's mind was not yet purified and matured, but the minds of all of his disciples had all been purified and matured. He also learned that Maitreya Bodhisattva's mind had already been purified and matured, but that the minds of his disciples had not yet been purified and matured. Tiṣya Buddha then thought that it is easy to transform the mind of one person but difficult to mature the minds of many people. After thinking this, Tiṣya Buddha wished to cause Śākyamuni Bodhisattva to attain buddhahood quickly, so he climbed the Himalayas and, entering a jeweled cave, he began the fire meditation. At that time Śākyamuni Bodhisattva was a holy person in a non-Buddhist religion. He climbed into the mountains looking for medicine and saw Tiṣya Buddha sitting in a jeweled cave; having entered the fire meditation he was emitting great light from his person. When Śākyamuni saw this, a feeling of joy and respect arose in the Bodhisattva's mind. For seven days and nights he stood still with one leg raised, his hands crossed in front, facing the Buddha, observing him with great concentration, never even blinking his eyes. He praised the Buddha in verse:

Neither in heaven nor in this world is there anyone like the Buddha.

And in all the worlds in ten directions there is none comparable to him. I have seen everything in the worlds.

There is no other one who is like the Buddha.

Observing the World-honored One for seven days and nights without even blinking his eyes, Śākyamuni Bodhisattva skipped over nine world ages and achieved highest enlightenment in the ninety-first world age. The Bodhisattva values the thoughts in the mind and not wordy speech. If he had praised the Buddha with more verses, he would have disturbed Tiṣya's mind. Therefore, during the long period of seven nights, he praised the Buddha with only this one verse.

Question: Why was Śākyamuni Bodhisattva's mind not yet purified and matured while the minds of his disciples were purified and matured, and why was Maitreya Bodhisattva's mind purified and matured while the minds of his disciples were still impure?

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Answer: Śākyamuni Bodhisattva paid more attention to benefiting sentient beings and was less concerned about himself. Maitreya Bodhisattva was concerned more about himself than about sentient beings. 5. Karmic Causes

The Dewugounü jing (T.339:105a2-23) says: The Buddha said, "A bodhisattva obtains the thirty-two marks of the Coura geous One through completing four deeds. These four deeds are: (1) scattering gold on the Buddha; (2) frequently making offerings of oil to a tathāgata's stupa; (3) presenting the gift of worship by giving various kinds of flowers and incense or dancing and playing music; and (4) attending and looking after masters (upādhyāyas) and teachers (ācāryas)." Then the Buddha spoke in verse:

Scattering gold over the Buddha, Rubbing fragrant oil on the Buddha's stupa, Making offerings of flowers, incense, and music, And respectfully attending to the teachers— If you perform these four deeds

You will obtain the thirty-two marks. You will be handsome and extraordinarily beautiful, Endowed with all virtuous characteristics. "The Bodhisattva obtains the eighty secondary marks by completing four deeds. These four deeds are: (1) decorating the Buddha's seat with various kinds of beautiful cloth; (2) attending to others tirelessly; (3) not fighting and causing disorder at the teacher's place; and (4) teaching sentient beings to cultivate the practice that leads to enlightenment." Then the World-honored One spoke in verse: With beautiful clothes decorating the Buddha's seat, Attending to others tirelessly,

Teaching the highest wisdom to sentient beings, One easily obtains the eighty secondary marks. If a bodhisattva cultivates these things, Because of these four virtuous deeds, He is always ornamented with superior features. 83

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The new Posha lun (T.1545:889a19-23, b24-28) says:

Question: Where are the eighty secondary marks located? Answer: They are located among the primary marks. They follow the primary marks and ornament the body of the Buddha most beautifully. Question: Do the primary and secondary marks interfere with and obstruct each other?

Answer: They do not. The primary and secondary marks accentuate each other more clearly, in the same way that flowers in a forest accentuate the trees in the forest more clearly. The primary and secondary marks ornament the Buddha's body in the same manner as many jewels decorate the gold mountain.

Question: What are the differences between the thirty-two marks obtained by the Bodhisattva and the marks of a universal monarch? Answer: The marks obtained by the Bodhisattva are superior in four respects: they are (1) more brilliant, (2) clearer, (3) fuller, and (4) located in the right places. Another list gives these five points of superiority of the marks as (1) they are located in the right places, (2) they are correct and awesome, (3) they are more deeply patterned, (4) they are accompanied by superior wisdom, and (5) they are free from defilement. 7. Calculation

The Fo apitan jing (T.1482:958a6-14) says:

All the merits of the sentient beings in the worlds, as many as one thousand units of the incalculable number (asaṃkhya), constitute a single hair follicle of the Buddha. If this amount of merit, the merit of a single hair follicle, were multiplied by the number of all the hair follicles on the Buddha's body, the resulting amount of merit would be sufficient to constitute one secondary mark of the Buddha. In this way, one can calculate the merit of the eighty secondary marks. If that amount of merit is then multiplied one hundred times, the resulting amount is sufficient to constitute the merit of one primary mark on the Buddha's body. If one multiplies by one thousand times the merit of thirty-two primary marks thus obtained, the resulting amount of merit is sufficient to constitute the merit of the 84

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primary mark of one white hair on the Buddha's brow. If one multiplies by one hundred times the amount of merits for one thousand white hairs, the resulting amount is sufficient to constitute the merit of the primary mark of the bony protuberance on top of the Tathāgata's head. Even flying deities cannot see the top of his head. Such pure merits beyond our comprehension together constitute the Buddha's body. Therefore the Tathāgata is the most superior among gods and humans.

8. Merit

The Youposaijie jing (T.1488:1039a4-13) says:

The Buddha said, "The Bodhisattva cultivates merit for each of the marks and surrounds each one with one hundred units of merit. There are fifty kinds of cultivating minds and fifty kinds of reflection minds. Thus, one hundred kinds of merit are mentioned here. Good friends, all the merit of all the worlds together are less than the merit of one hair of the Tathāgata. The merit of all of the Tathāgata's hair is less than the merit of one of his secondary marks. All the merit of the eighty secondary marks together is less than the merit of one of his primary marks. All the merits of all the primary marks together is less than the merit of the mark of one of his white hairs. The merit of the mark of his white hairs is less than the merit of the mark of the invisible protuberance on the top of his head. An infinite amount of merit has been achieved by the Tathāgata and is present in him. These thirty-two marks are the result of his great compassion." The new Posha lun (T.1545:889c8-890b4) says:

Question: A sutra says that the Buddha cultivates merits for each of his marks and decorates each mark with a hundred units of merits. What are these hundred units of merits?

Answer: Here one hundred thoughts are called one hundred units of merit. What are the one hundred kinds of thoughts? When the Bodhisattva performs deeds for constituting the mark of secure feet, he first gives rise to fifty thoughts in order to condition his body to make it pure and adaptable. Then he gives rise to one thought to secure the mark. He then gives rise to the fifty thoughts again to make the mark full and perfect. This 85

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process may be compared to the work of a farmer: first he conditions the soil, then he plants the seeds, and then he nourishes the seeds by providing water and fertilizer. The cases of the other marks of the Buddha are also similar to this: the work for the mark of secure feet consists of the ornamentation through one hundred thoughts; going from this mark at the bottom upward to the mark at the top, the accomplishment of the mark of the uṣṇīṣa (the fleshy protuberance in the shape of a topknot of hair on top of the Bodhisattva's head) is also the same. For this reason, the Buddha said, "[I] cultivate merits for each of the marks and ornaments each one with one hundred units of merits."

Question: What are the "fifty thoughts"?

Answer: Each of the ten good deeds is accompanied by five thoughts. The practice of avoiding killing is accompanied by (1) the thought of avoiding killing, (2) the thought of encouraging others to follow the right way, (3) the thought of praise, (4) the thought of joy, and (5) the thought of transferring merits, which means transferring the merit of this cultivation toward achieving enlightenment. Similarly, each practice constituting the list of the ten good deeds up till the last item, the practice of correct view, is accompanied by five thoughts. The sum total of these thoughts is what is called the "fifty thoughts."

According to another view, each of the ten good deeds gives rise to five kinds of thoughts: low, middle, high, higher, and ultimate. This is similar to the situation of miscellaneous practices of meditation. According to still another view, each of the ten good deeds gives rise to the following five thoughts: (1) purity of practice, (2) fundamental purity, (3) the purity that arises afterward, (4) not harming, and (5) the compassionate thought of saving sentient beings.

According to another view, the conditions for each of the Buddha's marks arise and last for fifty moments. Those who have not cultivated these thoughts miss these conditions and continue transmigrating [in samsara]. Question: What is the quantity of each of these one hundred units of merits?

[Answer:] According to one view, the karmic condition sufficient to acquire the throne of a universal monarch who is born freely anywhere in the four continents is equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. 86

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According to another view, the karmic condition sufficient to acquire the throne of the deity Śakra who is born freely anywhere among the gods of Brahmā's and Śakra's heavens is equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. According to yet another view, the karmic condition sufficient to acquire the throne of the ruler of the uppermost heaven belonging to the realm of desire (i.e., Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven), who is reborn anywhere among the deities of the realm of desire, is equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. According to another view, the karmic condition sufficient to acquire the throne of the god Brahmā, who is born freely either in the realm of desire, or as one of those in the first stage of meditation in the realm of form, is equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. According to another view, the merit that the deva king Brahmā, the ruler of the sahā world, accumulated by requesting the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma, is equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. Question: When he made the request to the Buddha, King Brahmā's mind was free from defilement and transcended the distinction between good and evil, which belong to the realm of desire. How can you call that "merit"? Explanation: When the king who lived in the Brahmā world wanted to come and make this request, he first gave rise to the following good thought: "I will benefit sentient beings by requesting the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma." If one calls this Brahmā's merit, that would be wrong. Why? The merit was achieved not before but after the action had taken place. This being the case, the matter can be explained as follows: after making his request to the Buddha, King Brahmā returned to his palace. Later, when the World-honored One turned the wheel of the Dharma, earthly deities sang and the sound spread and reached Brahmā's palace. When Brahmā heard the sound he was overjoyed and congratulated himself, his mind became pure and he felt great joy, and only at this point was the merit achieved.

According to yet another view, when the world came into being the karmic powers of all sentient beings became stronger and were capable of producing three thousand chiliocosms. This power is equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit.

According to another view, excluding the case of those bodhisattvas near the rank of the Buddha, the karmic conditions of all sentient beings 350b

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capable of producing prosperity and happiness are equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit.

Another view explains the quantity of merit by means of an illustration. If all sentient beings were born blind, and if one sentient being restored their sight with great skill, the merit of that sentient being would be equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. Or if all sentient beings drank poison and, suffering uncontrollably, were about to die, but one sentient being removed the poison from them all and caused them to recover consciousness, the merit of that sentient being would be equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. Or if all sentient beings were arrested, examined, and were about to be executed, but one sentient being released them and saved their lives, the merit of that sentient being would be equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. Or if all sentient beings violated the precepts and held mistaken views, but one sentient being corrected them both in regard to the precepts and the views they held, then the merit of that sentient being would be equivalent in quantity to one unit of merit. Evaluation: These views are all skillful means that give rise to pure mental pleasure. These views praise the quantity of the Bodhisattva's merit but none of them describes the facts. The fact is that the quantity of the merit produced by the Bodhisattva is infinite, because he has accumulated all perfections (pāramitās) over a period three times the infinite number of world ages and has made an extremely broadly encompassing vow. Only the Buddha can comprehend the extent of his merit; others cannot comprehend it. This amount of merit, multiplied by one hundred, decorates one mark. Each of the thirty-two marks contains one hundred units of merits. The Buddha thus has thirty-two sets of one hundred units of merit ornamenting his body, along with the eighty secondary marks. Therefore, he is the Most Honorable and Most Superior One among gods and humans. 8. Studies

(Note: This has four parts:) (1) Introduction, (2) The Teacher, (3) Sports, and (4) Calculation [of the Powers].

1. Introduction

I have heard that the one who has attained perfect knowledge of all things in all respects is called Siddhārtha. He began his career at the beginning of 88

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three infinite numbers of world ages ago; he stood at the lonely apex of accomplishment at the end of one hundred world ages. The whole realm of Dharma is his knowledge and empty space is his body. Thus, his body is beyond measurement, beyond the limits of all measurement. His wisdom uses everything and transcends the limits of all mental representations. He cannot be fathomed by inference from human affairs. How could he be discussed here? In order to open up the sight and hearing of ignorant people and point to the shadows and traces, he once again appeared among heretics, taking the form of a child. This was in order to guide ordinary beings by joining the same category of beings as they were and teaching others by taking a form that was alien to him. After this he was praised as the Supreme One and a god among gods. Because he passes through the stages of the ignorant and wise mysteriously and his ordinary and holy forms are difficult to distinguish, his virtue is beyond human understanding and is a greater accomplishment than any other.

2. The Teacher

The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:703b2-704a15) says: At that time King Śuddhodana, realizing that the Prince was now eight years old (Note: The Yinguo jing, T.189:627c28, says he was seven years old.) gathered his officials, ministers, and the prime minister, and told them, "You must know who is the wisest man in the realm under my control, whose knowledge is the most extensive, and who is thus best qualified to be the Prince's teacher." The ministers replied, "Great king, at the present time Viśvamitra knows the treatises most excellently and marvelously. This great teacher is qualified to teach the Prince." (Note: This passage has been abbreviated here.) The king sent his men out to bring this teacher to him, and then asked him, "Honorable great teacher, can you teach all the arts, books, and treatises to my Prince?" Viśvamitra answered, "Great king, I submit to my sovereign's orders. I am capable of teaching him and I am delighted to do so." Thus, with five hundred boys of the Śākya clan in front and behind him, to his left and right, and with countless other children following them, the Prince went up to the study hall. When the great teacher saw the prince from afar, the power of the Prince's irresistible virtue caused the teacher to suddenly rise from 89

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his seat and lower his head to bow at the Prince's feet. After he finished paying his respects, all those who were nearby and had witnessed the scene felt embarrassed. Viśvamitra felt ashamed for having claimed to be able to teach such a great being. A god called Jingmiao appeared in the sky. He had come from the heavenly palace in Tuṣita Heaven, where he had once guarded the prince constantly along with an infinite number of the greatest heavenly kings. This god was in the sky but he did not show his body. He spoke in verse:

All worldly arts

And all scriptures and treatises—

All these this man knows exhaustively and is capable of teaching. Because this one who is superior to all sentient beings Is following and conforming to the ways of this world, Even though he has been studying for a long time, He now adopts the form of [a student] following a teacher to study. All knowledge that leads one to renounce this world, All truths and all powers—

These are all the things that are produced by karmic conditions; They arise and disappear into nothing.

In one thought-instant he realizes knowledge of all these things: That they are nothing other than appearing and disappearing names and forms.

If even of this profound truth he can achieve definitive knowledge, How much more so of mere words and letters!

When the god finished uttering this verse many kinds of flowers fell over the Prince, and he immediately returned to the palace. When the Prince began his study he took his writing board made of the best and most beautiful oxhead sandalwood, its four rims decorated with seven jewels, and the back surface rubbed with many kinds of specially fragrant heavenly incense, and went to the teacher Viśvamitra. He said, "Honorable teacher, which books will you teach me?"

(Note: Below are listed the scripts of which the prince spoke:) The script of Brahmā's teaching (the Brahmī script has fourteen syllables); 90

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the Karoṣṭhī ("Donkey-lipped") script; the script of the sage Puṣpa's ("Lotus Flower") teaching, the puṣkarasāri ("lotus flower") script; the aṅga ("section") script; the maṅgalya ("auspicious") script; the xiemeini ("script of Great Qin state") script; the aṅgulīya ("finger") script; the xie nanika ("horse carriage") script; the śakāri ("cow") script; the brahmavali (brahmavallī, "tree leaf") script; the pāruṣya ("evil speech") script; the fuyu (meaning unknown) script; the vetāla ("raising a corpse") script; the drāviḍa ("South Indian") script; the kirāta ("human-shaped") script; the dākṣiṇya ("right turn") script; the ugra ("austere and powerful") script; the sāṃkhyā ("counting") script; the avamūrdha ("upside down") script; the anuloma ("proper order") script; the piyemeishala ("miscellaneous") script; the darada ("mountain near Udyāna") script; the aparagoḍānī (aparagodāni; meaning unknown) script; the khāṣya ("Shule [kingdom in Central Asia]") script; the cīna (meaning unknown) script; the mana ("tadpole") script; the madhyākṣara ("middle syllable") script; the vitasi ("[measure of a] foot") script; the puṣpa ("flower") script; the deva ("god") script; the nāga ("dragon") script; the yakṣa (meaning unknown) script; the gandharva ("heavenly voice") script; the asura ("not drinking wine") script; the garuḍa ("golded-winged bird") script; the kiṃnara ("nonhuman") script; the mahoraga ("large snake") script; the mṛgacakra ("sound of many animals") script; the vāyasaruta ("bird call") script; the bhauma deva ("earth-dwelling god") script; the antarīkṣadeva ("empty sky") script; the uttarakurudvīpa ("north of Mount Sumeru") script; the pūrvavideha ("east of Mount Sumeru") script, the utkṣepa ("raise") script, the nikṣepa ("throw") script; the sāgara (meaning unknown) script; the vajra ("thunder bolt [hammer]") script; the lekhapratilekha ("back and forth") script; the piqituo (śeṣa?) ("leftover food") script; the adbhuta (?) ("unprecedented") script; the śāstrāvartā ("turned [as in] defeating") script; the gaṇanāvarta ("equal and turning") script; the utkṣepāvarta ("raising and turning") script; the nikṣepāvarta ("throwing and turning") script; the pādalikhita ("foot") script; the dviruttarapadasaṃdhi ("[with euphonic combination in compounds] of two final members") script; the yāvaddaśottarapadasaṃdhi ("[with euphonic combination in compounds of] up to ten final members") script; the madhyā hāriṇī ("midstream") script; the ṛṣitapas taptā rocamānā ("austerity in the mountains") script; the 91

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dharaṇīprekṣiṇī ("viewing the ground") script; the gaganaprekṣiṇī ("viewing the empty sky") script; the sarvauṣa dhi niṣyandā ("all medicinal herbs") script; the sarvasārasaṃgrahaṇī ("comprehensive observation") script; and the sarvabhūtarutagrahaṇī ("all kinds of sound") script. Having mentioned these scripts, the prince again asked the teacher Viśvamitra, "There are altogether sixty-four kinds of scripts. I do not know which scripts the Honorable One intends to teach me." When Viśvamitra heard the Prince recite the scripts he was delighted and happy but he was also secretly embarrassed. Overcoming his pride and arrogance, he spoke to the Prince in verse:

A man of rare purity and wisdom,

Yet well informed about the many teachings of the world, You are yourself widely educated in all the treatises. Yet you have come to my study hall.

The names of these scripts even I do not know.

To have learned all these scripts so that one can recite them, This is the great honorable way among gods and humans. Yet still you wish to seek a teacher.

Spiritual truth has no sound; we describe its meaning by means of speech. Spoken words leave no visible trace; we diagram their sound by means of letters. Thus, letters are the fish trap for speech; speech is the fish trap for snaring the truth. If sound and meaning match then we should not deviate from the point. Thus, when letters resonate and function correctly, they reach everywhere in the universe. Their traces are bound to brush and ink, yet the principle expressed in them matches spiritual reality. Three ancient masters invented writing. The oldest one was called Brahmī; his writing went from left to right. The second one was called Kharoṣṭhī; his writing went from right to left. The youngest one was called Cang Jie; his writing went from top to bottom. Brahmī and Kharoṣṭhī resided in India. Cang Jie, who was the court historian of the Yellow Emperor, lived in China. Brahma and Kharoṣṭhī followed the practice in heaven; Cang Jie patterned his writing after the traces of [marks left by] birds' feet. Their writings indeed differed but the truth they transmitted is the same.

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There are sixty-four kinds of scripts. The Buddha's teaching at the turning of the Dharma wheel in the Deer Park was recorded in written records in an orderly fashion. The writing styles of the eight categories of beings, such as dragons and supernatural beings, are all different. People followed Brahmī and Kharoṣṭhī and considered theirs to be the superior writing system in this world. Therefore, many kingdoms in India call these the writings of the gods. The manuscripts of the scriptures in the West (India) are all based on Sanskrit sources. Yet there are frequently differences among the thirty-six kingdoms. These differences may be compared to the different styles of writing in China, such as the Zhuan and Zhou styles. Thus, the old writing of Cang Jie changed over generations and became the Zhou style; the Zhou style changed to the Zhuan style; the Zhuan style was transformed into the Li style. The changes were numerous and produced the eight styles of writing, which were then used to describe the immortals, dragons, and miraculous grasses; they produced the twenty-four writing styles used in sacrifices and acupuncture. These writing styles are numerous and their uses are limited. To return to the fundamentals, however, all writing styles are exhausted in the six principles for the formation of characters. If our interest is in convenient and speedy writing, then nothing is more appropriate than the Li style of writing. The origin of the Eastern and Western methods of writing can be clarified in this fashion. The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:704c14-705c20) says: Then King Śuddhodana gathered his ministers together again and said, "Where is a teacher skilled in martial arts who can teach my Prince?" The ministers replied to the king, "There is in our realm a man of the Śākya clan whose name is Shanque. His son, who is called Kṣāntideva (Note: In Chinese, Rentian.) is qualified to teach military skills to the Prince. He is versed in the twenty-nine kinds of martial arts and is clever and skillful. (Note: This passage is abbreviated here.)

Kṣāntideva said to the king, "I am indeed qualified to teach the Prince." The king built a garden for the Prince and called it Qinqu ("Diligent Exertion"). The Prince then went into the garden to play or to receive a massage from his attendants. Now the five hundred ministers of the Śākya clan had all had sons at the same time that the Prince was born. Earlier, when all the books and scriptures were taught to the Prince, the ministers' own 93

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children were also taught along with him. Ordinary people of this world study for many years and months, yet they do not always master what they have learned. The Prince mastered everything within four years. The other children of the Śākya clan also were able to complete their schooling successfully, having mastered everything, and they could use their knowledge freely without obstruction. At that time Kṣāntideva spoke to the Prince in verse:

Though you are young,

You studied in a correct and unhurried manner.

Without much effort

You quickly understood everything.

Having studied for only a short period of time,

You are superior to others who have studied for many years. The skills you have learned

You have mastered to a higher degree of accomplishment than others. The Prince was growing up in the king's palace. As a small child he played and did not study. At the age of eight he went to his teachers and entered the study hall. From the two greatly honored teachers Viśvamitra and Kṣāntideva he learned to read scriptures and treatises as well as to master miscellaneous military skills.

After four years, when he was twelve years old, the Prince had explored and mastered numerous skills and could follow the ways of the world comfortably and happily. Once he was playing in the Qinqu Garden, shooting arrows. The other five hundred children were also playing in their own gardens. Then a flock of geese flew over in the sky. At that time the child Devadatta drew his bow powerfully and shot down a goose. The goose that had been shot fell into Siddhārtha's garden with the arrow still piercing its body. When the Prince saw the goose fall to the ground, injured by an arrow piercing its body, he took it gently in his hands, and sitting with legs crossed,, he placed it securely on his lap. While holding the goose gently in his left hand he pulled the arrow out with his right hand and sealed the wound with pure fermented milk and honey. At that point Devadatta sent a messenger to the Prince, saying, "I shot a goose and it fell into your garden. Send it to me at once. You may not 94

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keep it." The Prince replied to Devadatta's messenger , "If the goose dies, I shall return it to you. If it does not die, you cannot have it." Devadatta sent the messenger back to the Prince with this message: "Whether dead or alive, you must definitely return the bird. I first shot that goose with my own hands. Why do you intend to keep it for yourself?" The Prince answered, "I first adopted this goose while on my path of salvation. The reason is as follows. When I first cherished the intention of seeking enlightenment I adopted all sentient beings on my path of salvation. How could this goose be an exception and not belong to me?"

Due to this incident a conflict arose between the Prince and Devadatta, and the elders and wise men of the Śākya clan gathered in order to decide the matter between them. At that time a god of the Śuddhāvāsa heavens transformed himself into an elder and, on entering the meeting place of the Śākya clan, made the following statement: "Whoever feeds and raises the goose takes the animal into his possession; the one who shot the goose has thrown it away." The elders of the Śākya clan all agreed with this statement and all together they shouted loudly, "It is so! It is so! This is how the Humane One speaks." These were the circumstances under which Devadatta first formed vengeful thoughts against the Prince. 3. Sports

The Yinguo jing (T.189:628b5-629a2) says:

When the Prince was ten years old he competed with his brothers in athletics. Once, when he was about to leave the walled city with his ten thousand attendants, there was a large elephant standing at the city gate and people did not dare to pass in front of it. Devadatta hit it on the head with his hand and the elephant dropped to the ground. Nanda kicked the elephant with his toe and hurled it to the roadside. The Prince lifted the elephant in his hands and tossed it outside of the city wall, and then caught it again in his hands so that it would not be injured. The elephant revived. At the time people marveled at the unprecedented feat, deeply impressed by it. A great multitude of people had arrived from afar, from all four directions, to observe this event. Inside the garden there were seven kinds of drums: golden drums, silver drums, copper drums, iron drums, and so on; there were seven of each kind of drum. Devadatta shot first and his arrows penetrated three 95

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The Fobenxing jing (Fobenxing ji jing, T.190:711a13-712c3) says: The arrow that the Prince shot at this time was picked up in the sky by the heavenly ruler Śakra (Indra), who then directed it to the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods. When it reached that heaven, an arrow festival was established there to honor the special arrow. Regularly on an auspicious day the deities gather to make offerings of incense and flowers to the arrow. This arrow festival is still celebrated by gods today. The prince shot another arrow that went through seven iron wild boars, and it then hit the ground and reached the realm of the dead. The place where the arrow entered the ground became a well. Today people constantly praise this arrow-well. The Prince also wrestled with other members of the Śākya clan. They all ended up flat on the ground yet their bodies were uninjured. Then all of the youths of the Śākya clan together wrestled with the Prince at the same time. As the Prince touched them, one by one, they fell to the ground. At this time all the members of the Śākya clan and the other spectators were impressed by this extraordinary feat. Up in the sky innumerable deities simultaneously uttered the verse:

Of all the worlds in ten directions

Even all the courageous warriors,

And all powerful opponents like Devadatta,

Are not as powerful as one sacred hair on the Prince's head. The awesome power of the Great Being is unbounded.

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The awesome spiritual power of the Holy One is immense. How could you presume to compete with him?

Even the immovable Mount Sumeru,

Securely surrounded by iron walls,

Along with with other mountains in the ten directions— The Prince's mere touch would crush them all into fine dust. Strong whips made of steel and other metals, as well as Diamond jewels and all other treasures—

The power of great wisdom can grind them all into powder. Indeed, it is a trifling thing for the Prince to wrestle with powerless beings.

When the deities finished uttering these verses they scattered many kinds of heavenly flowers over the Prince. They were in the sky but they had hidden their bodies and they were invisible. By this time King Śuddho dana knew that the Prince surpassed everyone else in all skills, but when he saw this with his own eyes he danced in joy. He ordered his men to bring a white elephant decorated with necklaces and lead the Prince into the city riding on it.

When the elephant was going out of the city gate, Devadatta was at that moment returning to the city from outside. Seeing the white elephant, he asked the man [handling the elephant], "Who gave you permission to take this white elephant out of the city? Where are you taking him to?" The man replied, "I am to take the elephant out of the city and lead Siddhārtha back to the city, riding on this elephant." Jealous, Devadatta grasped the elephant's trunk with his left hand and hit it on the temple with his right hand, causing the animal to drop to the ground. The elephant rolled over three times and died. As the white elephant lay on the ground, blocking the gate, no traffic could go through the gate. The road was blocked and no one could pass.

Another boy, called Nanda, arrived at that place shortly afterward and asked what had happened. Grasping the tail of the elephant in his right hand, he pulled it away from the gate for a distance of about seven steps. The Prince then asked, "Who pulled the elephant away from the gate?" People replied, "Nanda." The Prince said, "Good, Nanda! What you did 97

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was good!" The Prince thought, "These two have demonstrated their power. The elephant's body is very large, however, and later as it rots a bad smell will pervade the area around the gate." He then lifted the elephant with his left hand, switched it into his right hand, and then threw it high into the sky so that it would land outside the city. The elephant's body sailed across the seven walls and seven moats and fell to the ground a long distance (krośa) outside of the city, where it made a large hole. At the present time there is a legend among the people in which that place is called "the hole where the elephant fell." This legend refers to this incident. At that time an incalculable number of hundreds of thousands of sentient beings chanted in one voice, "How rare! How extraordinary! It is unheard of!" and then said in verse:

Devadatta struck and killed the white elephant.

Nanda pulled it seven steps away from the gate.

The Prince lifted it in his hands up to the sky,

And threw it far beyond the city wall as if it were a lump of earth. The Jiyiqiefude sanmei jing (T.382:989b28-c23) says: At that time in the great city of Vaiśālī there was a powerful athlete called Jingweide. He became so strong that none among the sentient beings in the world could match him. When he heard that the ascetic Gautama had achieved the ten powers and the Nārāyaṇa body, he thought, "I should go and see the ascetic Gautama. How could he be [as strong as] me?" Jingweide went to the Buddha and as soon as he saw the Tathāgata he believed in him and understood [his power]. He bowed to the Tathāgata's feet and [took up the practice of] singleminded contemplation of the Buddha. The Buddha knew Jingweide's original intention and wished to subdue him. He said to Mahāmaudgalyāyana, "Fetch the arrow that I used when I was a bodhisattva and competed in athletics with members of the Śākya clan in front of the beautiful Gopī." Mahāmaudgalyāyana said to the Buddha, "I do not know where it is." So the World-honored One emitted light from his right foot, which illuminated widely the vajra wheel at the bottom of the three thousand worlds. The arrow was firmly attached to the wheel. The Buddha asked Mahāmaudgalyāyana, "Do you see the 98

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arrow?" Mahāmaudgalyāyana replied, "I have seen it." The Buddha said to Mahāmaudgalyāyana, "Go get the arrow and bring it here." Mahāmaudgalyāyana then went down to the place in an instant. Everyone in the large gathering saw him leave, and then immediately return with the arrow and present it to the Tathāgata. The Buddha said, "The power that my parents gave me enabled me to send the arrow to the vajra wheel. With this supernatural power I would have been able to send the arrow through incalculable and limitless buddha worlds."

4. Calculation [of the Powers]

The Jiyiqiefude sanmei jing (T.382:989c24, 990a16-c19) says: The Buddha said to Mahāmaudgalyāyana, "The sum total of all the power of all the inferior gods in the four heavenly realms equals the power of one heavenly ruler in these heavens. The sum of the powers of ten heavenly rulers equals the power of one god in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods. The sum of the powers of all the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods equals the power of the deity Śakra (Indra). The sum of the power of ten Śakra deities equals the power of one inferior deity in Yama Heaven. The sum of the power of all the inferior deities in Yama Heaven equals the power of the heavenly ruler in Yama Heaven. The sum of the power of the ten heavenly rulers in Yama Heaven equals the power of one inferior deity in Tuṣita Heaven. The sum of the power of all the inferior deities in Tuṣita Heaven equals the power of one heavenly ruler in Tuṣita Heaven. The sum of the power of ten heavenly rulers in Tuṣita Heaven equals the power of one inferior deity in the Heaven of Enjoying Self-produced Objects (Nirmāṇarati). The sum of the power of all the inferior deities in the Heaven of Enjoying Self-produced Objects is equal to the power of one heavenly ruler in the Heaven of Enjoying Self-produced Objects. The sum of the power of the ten heavenly rulers in the Heaven of Enjoying Self-produced Objects is equal to the power of one inferior deity in the Heaven of Enjoying Objects Produced by Other Deities (Paranirmita vaśavartin). The sum of the power of all the inferior deities in the Heaven of Enjoying Objects Produced by Other Deities is equal to the power of one heavenly ruler in the Heaven of Enjoying Objects Produced by Other Deities. The sum of the power of the ten heavenly rulers of the Heaven 99

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of Enjoying Objects Produced by Other Deities is equal to the power of one inferior deity in Māra's heaven. The sum of the power of all the inferior deities in Māra's heaven is equal to the power of one heavenly ruler in Māra's heaven. The sum of the power of the ten heavenly rulers in Māra's heaven equals the power of a half-Nārāyaṇa. The sum of the power of ten of these half-Nārāyaṇa equals the power of one Nārāyaṇa. The sum of the power of ten Nārāyaṇas equals the power of one great Nārāyaṇa. The sum of the power of ten great Nārāyaṇas equals the power of a bodhisattva who has been cultivating merit for a period of one hundred world ages. The sum of the powers of ten bodhisattvas who have been cultivating merit for a period of one hundred world ages equals the power of a bodhisattva who has been cultivating for a period of one thousand world ages. Keep on multiplying by ten times in this way until you reach the power of a bodhisattva who has been cultivating for a period of ten to the fourteenth power of world ages. His power is equal to the power of the bodhisattva who has achieved the acceptance that the reality of existence is nonbirth (wusheng faren). The sum of the power of ten bodhisattvas who achieved the acceptance that the reality of existence is nonbirth is equal to the power of one bodhisattva of the tenth stage. The sum of the power of ten bodhisattvas of the tenth stage is equal to the power of the bodhisattva of the final body. "For this reason, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, because the Bodhisattva had achieved such powers he could walk seven steps immediately after he was born. If a buddha had not held up this world it would have fallen apart. Why? When the Bodhisattva walked seven steps after he was born, this world was sixty thousand yojanas wide and long. When the Bodhisattva was born and lowered his foot onto the ground, it sank to a depth of one hundred thousand yojanas. When he raised his foot, the world rose back up again one hundred thousand yojanas. Because the Buddha held up the world and made it firm and free from destruction, sentient beings were spared suffering. A bodhisattva of the final body, as soon as he is born, is equipped with such mighty power. Even if the sentient beings in all worlds were endowed with imminent enlightenment, the sum of the powers of these bodhisattvas would not amount to one-trillionth of the power of the Tathāgata's wisdom of truth and untruth, which is one of the 100

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ten powers of the Buddha. The difference cannot be expressed through numbers. Having attained these ten kinds of powers, a being is called Tathāgata, One Worthy of Offerings by Gods and Humans (Arhat), and Perfectly Enlightened One.

"The above passage still does not sufficiently clarify the Bodhisattva's power. With the Bodhisattva's supernatural power, he can take as many worlds as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River and place them all on the tip of a single hair of his toe, or throw them beyond infinitely large worlds as numerous as grains of sand in the Ganges River. Wherever he goes the Bodhisattva relieves the suffering of sentient beings. Such supernatural power is beyond measurement and beyond calculation. Even if the Tathāgata were to manifest all his supernatural powers, you hearers (śrāvakas) of the Way would still not believe that they are real. How then could other sentient beings be expected to believe in them?" When the athlete Jingweide heard the Buddha say that it was the power the Bodhisattva had received from his parents (i.e., had been born with) that enabled him to send the arrow to the vajra wheel, he was amazed and all the hair on his body stood on end. Marveling at this, he was freed from all arrogant thoughts, took refuge in the Three Jewels, and gave rise to the aspiration to pursue the highest goal.

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