T2125 Buddhist Monastic Traditions of Southern Asia

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31. Bathing the Buddha's Image

It has been explained in detail that none is more venerable than the three honored ones, and that nothing can surpass the four noble truths as subjects for meditation. But the intrinsic principle of the truths is so profound that it is beyond the understanding of an uncultivated mind, while the lavation of the holy image [of the Buddha] can be performed with benefit by all people. Although the Great Teacher has entered nirvana, his image still exists, and we should venerate it as if e were in the world. Incense and flowers should often be offered to the image; by doing so our mind may be purified. To bathe it regularly is good enough to clear away the evil influence of our deeds caused by idleness. With this point in mind, one will receive invisible benefits, and if one advises others to do so, one will gain visible advantages both for oneself and for others. I hope that those who wish to obtain bliss will bear this practice in mind.

In the monasteries of India, at the time for bathing the Buddha's image, usually in the forenoon, the director of duties strikes a ghanta. (Yijing's running note: The director of duties, or the giver of duties, is karmadana in Sanskrit. Dana means "giving," and karma, "action," i.e., one who gives various duties to the monks. This term was formerly rendered as wei-na, which is incorrect. In Chinese, the character wei means "a cord" or "to tie together," while na stands for the last syllable of the Sanskrit karmadana, and was used as an abbreviation of the word.) A precious canopy is stretched in the court of the monastery, and bottles containing perfumed water are put in a row by the side of the 226b

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226c shrine hall. An image of the Buddha, made of either gold, silver, bronze, or stone, is placed in a basin of opper, gold, wood, or stone, while dancing girls are asked to play music. The image is rubbed with scented paste, and then perfumed water is poured over it. (Yijing's running note: Take any scented wood, such as sandalwood or aloeswood, and grind it with water into paste on a flat stone which [looks like] a plinth. The image is rubbed with this paste before perfumed water is poured over it.) It is then wiped clean with a piece of ure white cloth and set up in the shrine hall, which is decorated with flowers and colored ribbons. This is the ceremony performed by the monks of monastery under the guidance of the director of duties. In their separate rooms the monks also perform this ceremony in an individual way, and they do so every day without negligence, regarding it as important. All kinds of lowers, either from herbs or trees, may be used as offerings. Whether in the winter or in the summer, there are always fragrant flowers, and there are also many flower sellers in the markets. In China, for instance, lotuses and pinks display various colors in summer and autumn, while golden vitex, peach, and apricot trees bloom profusely in the springtime. The althaea bushes and pomegranate trees blossom one after the other at different times, and the red cherry and white crab apple trees put forth new buds from season to season. Such flowers as those from hollyhocks in gardens or from vanilla trees in the villages must be brought in and properly arranged [before the image]; they should not be left in gardens for one to view from afar. In the winter when flowers may run short for some time, we may cut colored silk [into artificial flowers] and mix them with powdered perfume. It is really good to place them before the image of the Buddha. The bronze images, regardless of ize, must be polished brightly with fine brick dust, and then pure water is poured over them, until they become as clear and brilliant as a mirror. A large image must be washed as a joint effort by all of he monks in the middle and at the end of each month, while a small one may be washed every day by an individual monk according to his ability. Although 136

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the cost of this performance is small, the bliss and benefit gained therefrom are great.

The water in which an image has been bathed is known as the water of uspiciousness. One may wish for success by sprinkling it with two fingers over one's head. One should not smell the flowers that have been offered to an image, nor should one trample on them when they are taken off [the altar], but they should be put away in a clean place. How can a monk be allowed not to bathe the holy image during his lifetime till his hair has turned white? Although red flowers may be spread all over the fields, he has no mind to pick them as offerings to an image. Thus he becomes lazy in performing [religious functions], and when people point out [lotus] ponds and gardens, he remains indolent and shirks the bore [of picking flowers]. He is so idle as to be reluctant to open the Buddha hall, and is contented with collective worship. In this manner the line of uccession from teacher to pupil will be broken, and there will be nowhere to pay homage [to the Buddha]. It is the duty of monks and laymen in India to build caityas with clay and mold images out of clay, or to print [images] on silk or paper to be worshiped wherever one goes, or to pile up heaps of clay and surround them with bricks to form stupas in the wilderness, to be left there to fall apart and disappear naturally. (There is a Chinese note.)

When they make an image or build a caitya out of old, silver, copper, iron, clay, lacquer, bricks, or stone, or even by piling up sand or snow, they put two kinds of relics inside them. One is the Great Teacher's relic bones, and the other is the verse on dependent origination, which reads:

All things arise from conditions;

The Tathagata has expounded the causes.

All things end with the end of the conditions.

Thus was spoken by the Great Sramana.

If these two kinds of relics are placed inside the image or caitya, one will gain plenty of liss. Therefore, many parables are widely 137

227a A Record of he Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas used in the scriptures to praise the unthinkable advantages of doing so. If a man makes an image even as small as a grain of barley, or builds a caitya as tiny as a jujube with a wheel sign and a spire as little as a pin on it, he will obtain special good causes as limitless as the seven seas, and his good rewards will last as long as four rebirths. A full account of this matter is given in detail in separate scriptures.

I hope various teachers will perform this function from time to time. To bathe and venerate a holy image is an action that makes one meet a Buddha in all lives, and the offering of flowers and incense is a cause for one to enjoy wealth and happiness in all future rebirths. Whether one does the work oneself r advises others to do it, one will get unlimited bliss.

I have seen in some places that the monks or laymen brought out an image to the roadside, poured water over it and washed it properly, but they did not know how to dry it with a wiper. They simply exposed the image to the sun to be dried by the wind. This is incongruous with the rites.

32. The Ceremony of Chanting

It is a tradition handed down from ancient times in the Divine Land that the monks worship the Buddha by repeating his name; most of them do not extol him and praise his virtues. One may only listen to the repetition of his name and not know the height of his wisdom, but when his virtues are praised and fully enumerated, one will realize the greatness and depth of his virtues. In India the monks practice caitya-vandana (walking round a caitya) and pay regular homage late in the afternoon or in the evening. The monks gather in an assembly, go out of he gate [of the monastery], and walk three times round a stupa to which incense and flowers are offered. Then they crouch on the ground, and a competent monk is asked to praise the virtues of the Buddha in ten or twenty stanzas, with a lamenting and elegant voice and in a clear and solemn manner.

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After that they return in regular sequence to the usual meeting place in the monastery. Having taken their seats, they invite a scripture-reciter to mount the lion seat to read a short scripture. The lion seat, which is well proportioned, being neither too high nor too big, is placed at the head of the line of seats, with the chief onk's seat next to it. The recitation mostly consists of three statements selected and arranged by the Venerable Asvaghosa. The first statement, containing about ten stanzas, is a hymn praising the three honored ones according to the contents of the scriptures. The second statement is the full text of the scripture recited, which consists of the words of the Buddha. After the conclusion of the hymn and the reading of the scripture, a resolution is made in more than ten stanzas for the transference of erits. As the recitation is divided into three sections, it is known as the three statements.

When the recitation is over, all the monks in the assembly exclaim "Subhasita!" Su means "well," and bhasita, spoken, that is, "Well-spoken!" Their intention is to praise the scripture as a text of onderful sayings. Or they exclaim Sadhu, meaning "Excellent!"

When the scripture-reciter has descended, the chief onk rises first to salute the lion seat, and then salutes the seats of the holy monks. After doing so, he resumes his own seat. The monk second in order salutes the two places as the chief monk did and also worships the chief monk; then he returns to his own seat. The monk who is third in order performs the rites in the same manner. This is done by all the other monks till the last one has made his homage. If the assembly is too large, after three or five persons have performed the ceremony mentioned above, all the rest may salute the assembly collectively at one and the same time, and then they retire at will. This is the normal practice for performing the ceremony of the monks of Tamralipti in eastern India. In Nalanda Monastery where there are so many resident monks that they exceed three thousand in number, it is difficult to assemble all the monks in a hurry. There are eight courtyards with 139

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227b three hundred rooms, but the monks may perform the rites of aymg homage and recitation at any time in their separate places. It is the custom of his monastery to appoint a reacher capable of hantmg to go round from place to place every evening to conduct the ceremony of worshiping and praising [the virtues of the Buddha], with a servant and a boy holding incense and flowers leading the way. He goes through every courtyard and pays homage in all the shrine halls. Each time he pays homage, he chants the praises of he Buddha in three or five stanzas in a high voice that is heard all around. He completes the round in the twilight. This preacher always receives special offerings provided by the monastery. One may sit alone, facing the shrine, and praise the Buddha m his mind, or go to a temple and kneel on the ground together with others to chant in a high pitch. One may then put one's hands on the ground and touch it with one's head three times. This is the traditional ceremony of paying homage practiced in India. The aged and sick monks may be allowed to use small seats [while performing the ceremony]. We [in China] have had the stanzas in praise of he Buddha since ancient times, but our way of hanting them is somewhat different from that of the Brahmanic land of India. For instance, when the stanza in praise of the Buddha's excellent physical marks is chanted while worshiping the Buddha, it is intoned in an even tone with a long trailing voice, in ten or twenty verses. This is the proper way of chanting it. Moreover, the hymn m praise of the Tathagata, etc, is really sung to extol the Buddha, but as the intonation is somewhat prolonged, the meaning becomes difficult for one to understand. When the assembly of monks is feeling sad on a quiet night on the day of performing ceremonies in memory of he dead, it is really good to ask a competent monk to recite the Hymn of ne Hundred and Fifty Verses and the Hymn of Four Hundred Verses, as well as other panegyrics.

In India, numerous panegyrics have been handed down to be sung when paying homage, and there was no man of iterary talent who did not compose an encomium in praise of person whom 140

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he deemed worthy to be eulogized. The Venerable Matrceta was such a man of reat talent and high virtue, who excelled above all scholars of ood learning of is time. Tradition says that when the Buddha was living, he once led a group of disciples, wandering among the people. An oriole, on seeing the features of he Buddha as magnificent as a golden mountain, began to trill melodiously m the wood as if it were eulogizing him. The Buddha looked bac and said to his disciples, "This bird is so delighted with my appearance that it can't help warbling in a quavering manner. Owing to this good deed, it shall be reborn, after my departure from the world, in the form of a man with the name of Matrceta, who will extensively exalt me for my great virtues." (Yijing's running note: Matri means "mother," and ceta, child. )

At first this man became an ascetic of a heretical religion and worshiped Mahesvara. Since this deity was the object of his veneration, he composed hymns in praise of him. Afterwards, when he saw that is name had been mentioned in a rediction, he turned his mind to believe in the Buddha and dyed his garment to live as a monk away from secular life. He widely glorified the Buddha, repenting what wrongs he had done in the past and desiring to follow the superior Way in the future. He regretted that he had not met the Great Teacher in person but had only seen his image. Thus he wrote, in accordance with the prediction, encomiums m an ornate style to extol the virtues of the Buddha. He composed first the Hymn of our Hundred Verses and then the Hymn of ne Hundred and Fifty Verses, both for the elucidation of the six paramitas (the six perfect virtues) and for the exposition of the superior virtues of the Buddha, the World-honored One. These compositions are graceful and brilliant in phraseology, equal m beauty to heavenly blossoms, and the principles contained m them are so lofty as to rival earthly mountains in height. All eulogists in India imitated his style and regarded him as the father of eulogistic literature, and both Asahga and Vasubandhu greatly ad- mired him. In all the five parts of India those who become monks are first taught these two compositions as soon as they can recite 227c

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the five and ten precepts, this being the rule for all monks regardless of whether they belong to the Mahayana or the Hinayana schools.

There are six significances in the hymns. First, they enable us to know the profound and far-reaching virtues of he Buddha; second, they teach us how to write compositions; third, they ensure the purity of ur tongue; fourth, the chest is expanded [while singing them]; fifth, one is not nervous in a congregation [while reciting the hymns]; and sixth, they enable us to live long without illness. After having studied these hymns, one proceeds to learn other scriptural texts. But these fine literary works are not yet introduced to China in the east. There are, however, many expositors of these works; but none of them may really be counted as a sufficiently good poet to write after the same rhymes. Dihnaga Bodhisattva personally rote some hymns of he same caliber in the same style. At the beginning of ach verse, he added one of his own, making a total number of three hundred verses, known as the Composite Panegyric. A well-known monk, named Sakyadeva of Deer Park, again added one verse before each of Dinnaga's stanzas, producing a work of four hundred and fifty verses in all, known as the Mixed Composite Panegyric. All composers of eulogies take this work to be a criterion.

Once Nagarjuna Bodhisattva wrote a letter in verse, entitled the Suhrllekha, meaning "a letter to a bosom friend," to his old supporter Jetaka who had the title of Satavahana, the king of a great country in the south. The style of the letter is highly ornamental with earnest greetings and exhortations, aiming at the Middle Way as the target of achievement and showing more affection than that shown to a kinsman. The purport of he letter is really manifold. First it advocates respect for and faith in the three honored ones and supporting one's parents with filial piety. One should observe the precepts, relinquish what is evil, and be prudent in choosing friends. The contemplation of mpurity should be practiced in matters of wealth and women. One should look after one's household and keep in rightful remembrance that 142

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everything is impermanent. One should widely narrate the conditions of hungry ghosts and animals, and describe in detail the affairs of men, gods, and the hells. Even if a fire were burning on the head, one would have no leisure to wipe it out, as one's mind is so deeply absorbed in the truth of he chain of ausality in order to gain spiritual liberation. One should diligently practice the three modes of attaining wisdom, and clearly understand the eightfold noble path. It advises us to learn the four noble truths, so as to realize the two perfect virtues. One should be like Avalokitesvara and make no distinction between friend and foe; then we shall be able to live together with Amitabha Buddha in the Pure Land forever. This is the way to save living beings; no other way is better than this one.

In the five parts of India, all students first studied this letter in verse when they began to receive schooling. None of hose who turned their mind [to Buddhism] did not spend their whole lifetimes learning this epistle, just as the monks in China recite the Sutra on Avalokitesvara and the laity read the One Thousand Character Composition or the Book of Filial Piety. It is universally studied with keen interest. The Jatakamala is a work of the same sort. (Yijing's running note: Jdtaka means "previous incarnation," and mala, "a collection," i.e., a collection of stories about the hardships the Bodhisattva experienced in his previous incarnations.) If it is translated into Chinese, it would amount to over ten rolls. In order to edify living beings, the birth stories are written in poetry for the purpose of catering to the literary taste of those readers who take delight in perusing fine writings. At one time, King Slladitya, who was exceedingly fond of lit- erature, issued an order saying, "If any one of ou gentlemen has any fine panegyric poetry, show it to us at the audience tomorrow morning." When the metrical compositions were collected, they amounted to five hundred bundles. When the king opened them and read the verses, he found that most of them were adapted from the Jdtaka stories. From this fact he came to know that these stories were the most excellent writings among all eulogistic works. 228a

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On the islands of the South Seas, there are more than ten countries where both monks and laymen chant and recite the abovementioned eulogistic poems, which are not yet translated into Chinese.

King Slladitya also composed songs to glorify the deed of Jimutavahana Bodhisattva, who volunteered to sacrifice himself in place of a serpent. Musicians were employed to play wind and stringed instruments to accompany the singers and dancers, and the songs were thus rendered popular in his time. Candragomin Mahasattva of astern India wrote a song about Prince Visvantara, and it is sung with dancing in all of the five parts of ndia. This prince was formerly known as Prince Sudana. The Venerable Asvaghosa also wrote verses as well as the Sutralahkara-sastra and the Buddhacarita-kavya, of which the full version, if ranslated [into Chinese], would consist of ore than ten fascicles. In this work, the career of the Buddha, beginning from his life in the royal palace up to his death under the twin sala trees, is told in verse. It is widely read and sung in the five parts of India and in the islands of the South Seas. It is concise in style, but the meaning is clear and the significances, which are manifold, render readers delighted. They never feel bored while reading it. As it conveys the holy teachings, it enables us to gain blessedness and benefits. I am sending home separate copies of the Hymn of ne Hundred and Fifty Verses and the letter written by Nagarjuna Bodhisattva, with the hope that those who take delight in reading eulogistic poems will study and recite them. 33. Absurd Ways of Worshiping

the Buddha' Image

In our religion there are clear regulations concerning the rites of paying homage. A monk should always exert himself to practice mindfulness during all of the six periods of the day and night, lodging in a single room and living by alms-begging according to 144

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the dhutaguna (ascetic practices) while cultivating the Way of contentment. He wears only the three robes, without keeping any surplus garments. He should concentrate his thoughts on nonexistence and free himself ompletely from the encumbrances of existence. Can he now do things in a variant way different from the monastic rules, things such as wearing a monk s robe, and thus not looking like an ordinary man, but worshiping like a layman in the marketplace? When we examine the Vinaya texts, we shall see that such a thing is totally forbidden. The Buddha said, "There are two categories of things that one should worship, namely, the triple gem and senior bhiksus." There are some people who bring the Buddha's image to the highway, where the holy object will be defiled by dust and dirt, in order to get money [from worshipers]. There are some others who bend their bodies, tattoo their faces, break their oints, and pierce their skin, pretending to do so with a good mind, but actually they are trying to earn their livelihood. Such spectacles are never seen in India. I would advise people not to do such things any more.

34. The Ways of Learning in India

The unique voice of he Great Sage embraces all of he three thou- sand worlds as a whole. It is uttered in accordance with the capacity of the beings of the five ways of existence, by illustrating the seven cases and nine personal terminations [of the Sanskrit language], in order to effect extensive salvation. (Yijing s running note: The seven cases and nine personal terminations of Sabdavidya [the science of ords] will be briefly explained below.) There is a store of Dharma, consisting of mental words; and Indra, the Emperor of Heaven, comprehended the inexpressible scriptures. Or the explanation is given in accordance with the usages of rammar in order to enable the people of hina to understand the words of the original language, so that those who have cause to read them may develop their wisdom and be gratified, each according 228b

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to his own modest mentality, and thereby get rid of efilements in conformity with truth and realize the state of erfect quietude. As regards the supreme truth, it is far beyond the reach of words or speech, but the worldly principles of concealment are not apart from wording. (Yijing's running note: The term "worldly rinciples" was formerly known as worldly truth, which was not fully expressive of ts meaning. The meaning is that ordinary matters conceal truth. The material clay, for instance, is originally not a pitcher, but people erroneously think of t as a pitcher, and in the sound of human voice there is no song, yet people mistake it for the essence of a song. Moreover, when perception arises, its substance is nondistinctive, and it is due to the covering of gnorance that various forms take shape illusorily. Not understanding one's own mind, one thinks that objects exist outside the mind. Both the snake and the rope [that causes the illusion of snake] are fallacious conceptions. When right knowledge is hidden away, the truth is concealed, and it is thus known as worldly principles of concealment. The word "concealment" implies "worldly," and so we have the term "worldly concealment. " Or we may simply say veritable truth and concealed truth.)

But the translators of ld times rarely talked about the grammar of he Sanskrit language. Those who recently introduced scriptures into China enunciated only the first seven cases. It was not that they did not know the eighth one (i.e., the vocative case), but they saw no need to discuss it. Now I hope you will all study Sanskrit, so that we can spare the translators the trouble of repetition. Thus I am just writing these paragraphs, merely to give a brief account of the fundamentals of the language. (Yijing's running note: Even in Ku-lun and Suli, the people can read Sanskrit scriptures. Why should the people of the Divine Land, which is a land of abundance, not probe into the original language of the scriptures? In India it is said in praise [of he Chinese people] that as ManjusrI is now living in Bing-zhou [in China], the people there are blessed by his presence, and thus they should be admired and praised. The full account is too long to be copied here.) 146

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The Sabda-vidya—sabda means "words," and vidya, "knowledge," i.e., the Knowledge of ords—is one of he five treatises. In the five parts of India, secular books in general are known as vyakarana (grammar), of hich there are five principle works, similar [in popularity] to the Five Classics of he Divine Land of hina. (Yijing's running note: Formerly it was wrongly translated as the Pi-qie-luo Treatise.)

1. The Siddhavastu (a spelling book), also known as the Siddhirastu, is an initiatory book for beginners in primary school to achieve the aim of gaining good luck in learning. It deals with the forty-nine letters of the alphabet, which are multiplied and arranged in the eighteen sections of total of ore than ten thousand syllables, comprising over three hundred stanzas. There are four lines in each stanza, and each line consists of ight syllables, making thirty-two syllables in a stanza. There are short and long stanzas, and it is impossible for me to give a full account of hem here. Children begin to learn this book at the age of six and complete the course in six months. According to tradition it was composed by Mahesvara.

2. The Siitra is the groundwork of all grammatical writings. The name may be translated as "short aphorisms" or explanations of he rules [of rammar]. Consisting of thousand stanzas, it was composed by Panini, a great scholar of wide learning, in the old days. He was said to have been inspired and aided by Mahesvara in writing this work, and when he appeared with three eyes, the people of his time believed that it was truly so. At the age of ight, children can complete the study of his Sutra in eight months.

3. The Book on Dhatu (verbal roots). It contains a thousand stanzas especially for the explanation of grammatical roots, and it is as useful as the above work.

4. The Book of he Three Khilas (supplementary works). Khila means "wasteland";the metaphor is of the wasteland reclaimed by a farmer. It should be named the Book on Three Pieces of esert Land; namely, (1) the Astadhatu, in a thousand stanzas, (2) the 147

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Munda, in a thousand stanzas, and (3) the Unadi, also in a thousand stanzas.

(1) The Astadhâtu deals with the seven cases and the ten las (the ten tenses and moods of a finite verb), and also explains the eighteen personal terminations of erbs and nouns. The seven cases are possessed by all nouns, and in each case there are three numbers, namely, singular, dual, and plural. So there are altogether twenty-one forms for every noun. For instance, one man is indicated by purusas, two men by purusau, and three [or more] men by purusas. These forms of a noun are also distinguished by being pronounced in a heavy or a light breath. Besides the seven cases, there is the vocative case, which is the eighth one. As the first case has three numbers, so do the other cases, which are, I am afraid, too complicated to be mentioned here. The cases of a noun are called subanta, having twenty-four inflections. The ten las denote the ten grammatical terms [beginning with the letter "1"] by which the three different tenses of a verb are expressed. The eighteen personal terminations indicate the first, the second, and the third persons in the three numbers of a verb to differentiate the worthy and unworthy or this and that. These eighteen terminations are collectively called tinanta. (2) The Munda treats the formation of compound words. For instance, the Sanskrit word for "tree" is vrksa, with which more than twenty compounds are formed. It is combined with other words to produce the name of another thing. (3) The Unadi is roughly the same as the preceding work, except that what is fully explained in the one is only briefly mentioned in the other. Only by studying hard for three years can a ten-year-old child grasp the meanings of these books on the three Khilas.

5. The Vrtti-sütra. This is a commentary of the above-mentioned Sutra, on which quite a number of ommentaries have been composed since ancient times, but this is the best one, consisting of eighteen thousand stanzas for the elucidation of he text of the 148

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Sütra, with a detailed explanation of its manifold meanings, and giving a full exposition of the normality of the universe and the rules of ods and men. A fifteen-year-old child can understand the book after five years'study.

People of hina going to India to acquire knowledge must learn this work before studying other books, otherwise they will labor in vain. All these books should be memorized, but this applies, as a rule, only to men of higher talent, while those of medium or inferior capability may pass a test merely by understanding the meaning. They should study hard day and night without any leisure to sleep restfully, just like Confucius, who studied the Book of Changes with such effort that three times he wore away the leather binders that strung together the bamboo slips on which the Book was written, or like Tong Yu [a scholar of ncient times], who advised his pupils to utilize all their spare time to read books a hundred times [in order to understand them thoroughly]. The hairs of a bull are counted by the thousands, but a unicorn has only one horn. One who has mastered this work is equal in academic rank to the holder of a Master of Classics in China. This Vrtti-sUtra was composed by the scholar Jayâditya, who was a man of reat capability and literary talent. He could understand whatever he had heard once, without having to learn it a second time. He respected the three honored ones and performed various meritorious deeds. His death occurred nearly thirty years ago. After having mastered this commentary, one may proceed to learn the composition of letters and memorials submitted to emperors, write poems, devote one's mind to the study of he hetuvidyci (logic), and pay attention to the bhidharma-kosa-sastra. By poring over the Nyâya-dvâra-tarka-sâstra, one may know how to draw inferences in the right way, and by reading the Jatakamala, one s fine talent may be developed.

After that one receives instructions from a tutor for two or three years, mostly at Nâlandâ Monastery in Central India, or in the country of Valabhi in Western India. These two places are similar to Jin-ma (the Imperial Academy), Shi-qu-ge (the Imperial 149

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Library), Long-men (the Main Gate of the Imperial Examination Hall), and Que-li (the birthplace of Confucius) in China, where brilliant scholars of outstanding talent assemble in crowds to discuss questions of ight and wrong. Those who are praised by wise authorities as excellent scholars become famous for their ability far and near. They may then believe that their sword of isdom is sharp enough for them to go as competent persons to serve at the court of a king, making suggestions and displaying their knowledge, in hopes of being employed. When they take part in a debate, they always win the case and sit on double mats to show their unusual intelligence. When they carry on arguments to refute [heretics], they render their opponents tongue-tied in shame. Their fame resounds through the five mountains and their repute spreads within the four quarters. They receive feudal estates and are promoted to higher rank, with their names written in white high up on the gates of heir houses. After that they may continue to study other subjects of earning.

6. Next, there is a commentary on the Vrtti-sutra, entitled Curni, consisting of wenty-four thousand stanzas. This work, composed by the scholar Patanjali, makes an analytical explanation of the frame and structure of he above-mentioned Sutra [of anini], and gives a full elucidation of the latter commentary (the Vrttisutra). In order to understand [Panini's] Sutra, one has to spend three years completing the study of his work, which is similar in merit to the Spring and Autumn Annals or the Book of hanges. 7. There is also the Bhartrhari-sastra, a commentary on the foregoing Curni, composed by the great scholar Bhartrhari in twenty-five thousand stanzas, dealing extensively with the essentials of human affairs and grammatical knowledge, and relating in great detail the causes of the rise and fall of various families. He was profoundly learned in the theories of vijhapti-matra (consciousness only), and was well versed in syllogisms. The repute of this scholar resounded in the five parts of India, and his virtue was known to the remotest frontiers. He had thorough faith in the triple gem and concentrated his mind on the truth of the twofold 150

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voidness. In hopes of gaining the superior Dharma, he became a monk; but as he was much attached to worldly pleasure, he returned to secular life; this he did seven times. If it were not for a deep belief n the law of cause and effect, who could have stuck to the robe as he did so persistently? He wrote the following poem in self-reproach:

Because of impurities, to secular life I returned, Free from desires, the robe again I donned.

Why do these two mentalities

Tease me as if I were an infant?

He was a contemporary of the Venerable Dharmapala. Once a monk in the monastery had the mind to return to secular life because he was persistently pressed by worldly desires. He asked his pupils to carry him out of he monastery in a sedan chair. When people asked him his reason for doing so, he said in reply, "All places of blessedness are intended for the residence of those who observe the moral precepts. Since my mind is impure now, I am doing wrong to the right Dharma. As he could not find a footing in any monastery, monasteries being for the use of onks from the ten quarters, he became a lay devotee clad in white garments and then entered a monastery to disseminate the right Dharma. It has been forty years since he passed away. 8. There is also the Vakya-sastra (or Vakyapadiya), also composed by Bhartrhari, in seven hundred stanzas with a commentary in seven thousand stanzas, giving a description of argumentation based on the authority of the sacred teachings and of inference by comparison [as used in syllogisms]. 9. Next, there is the Vital(-vrtta) in three thousand stanzas with a commentary in fourteen thousand stanzas, the main body of the work being composed by Bhartrhari and the commentary by the commentator Dharmapala. This work makes an exhaustive inquiry into the abstruse secrets of heaven and earth and investigates to the utmost the essence of uman principles. Only a man whose learning has reached the stage of studying this book 151

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may be said to have mastered the science of rammar and be compared to one who is versed in the Nine Classics and the works of all schools of hought in China. All these books must be studied by both monks and laymen; otherwise they cannot win fame as wellinformed scholars. In the case of monks, they should learn all the Vinaya texts and do research into the scriptures and commentaries, so as to be able to defeat heretics in debate, like warriors winning in combat on the battlefield, and to solve queries as ice is melted in boiling water. In this way they become famous in Jambudvipa and receive more respect than men and heavenly beings, assisting the Buddha in spreading his edification and guiding all living beings [to emancipation]. There may be only one or two such outstanding persons appearing in each generation, and they may be compared to the sun and moon and regarded as naga elephants (the most excellent elephants). In the remote past there were such people as Nagarjuna, Deva, Asvaghosa, and the like. In the middle ages there were Vasubandhu, Asanga, Samghabhadra, Bhavaviveka, and others; while in recent times we have Dinnaga, Dharmapala, Dharmaklrti, Sllabhadra, as well as Simhacandra, Sthiramati, Gunamati, Prajnagupta, Gunaprabha, Jinaprabha, and so on. None of these great teachers was lacking in the various religious and secular virtues mentioned above, and all of hem were men of ittle desire, with self-contentment. Nobody could be a match for them. Men of uch caliber can scarcely be found among heretics and other secular people. (Yijing's running note: A full account of them is found in the Biographies of he Ten Virtuous Monks of ndia.) Dharmaklrti reglorified the study of the hetuvidya, while Gunaprabha popularized the Vinaya texts for a second time. Gunamati engaged in the practice of meditation according to the School of hyana (mental concentration), and Prajnagupta made complete distinctions between truth and heresy. They verified that valuable jewels might shine colorfully under the deep blue where the whales lived, and that superb medicines might work wonders on the lofty Fragrant Mountain. From this we may know that the 152

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Buddha-dharma is all-inclusive and nothing is excluded, and that these teachers could write a composition as swiftly as the echo of sound. They did not need to take the trouble to study the Fourteen Classics in full, nor did they need to repeat a book in two volumes a hundred times, being able to understand whatever they had heard once. (Yijing's running note: A heretic composed [a treatise in] six hundred stanzas, and came with them to debate with Dharmapala, who, having listened to the stanzas only once before the audience at an assembly, committed the verses to memory and grasped their meanings.)

In all the five parts of ndia, the Brahmans are regarded as the noblest caste. Wherever there is a meeting, they ever associate with people of the other three castes, and keep those of mixed caste at a distance. Their sacred texts are the four Vedas, consisting of bout a hundred thousand stanzas. The ord veda means "clear understanding," which in former times was wrongly transliterated as wei-tuo. The Vedas are handed down by word of outh, not by writing them on paper or leaves. From time to time there are intelligent Brahmans who can recite the hundred thousand stanzas.

In India there are knacks for acquiring intelligence. First, by repeated and careful reading, one may gain intellectual power, and second, the alphabet may stabilize the mind. In ten days or a month of practice, one's thoughts will come out gushing like a fountain, and one can understand whatever one has heard once without resorting to a second discussion. As I have seen such men with my own eyes, it is certainly not a falsehood. In Eastern India, there lived a great man named Candragomin, who was a bodhisattva (a being on the way to enlightenment) endowed with great talent and eloquence. When I arrived there, this man was still living. Somebody asked him, "Which is more harmful, passion or poison?" He replied at once, "Poison and passion are really quite different from each other. Poison can harm you only when you take it, but passion will burn you the moment you think of t. There were also Kasyapa-matanga and Dharmaraksa, who spread the good gospel to the eastern capital of Luo-yang, and 153

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Paramartha, who conveyed the excellent voice to the South Seas. Kumarajlva, the great virtuous one, worked as a master of irtue in an alien land, while Xuanzang, the Dharma teacher, performed the function of teacher in his homeland. All these teachers, both of the past and in the present, carried forward and spread the light of the Sun of the Buddha. They propagated the theories of both existence and nonexistence, taking the Tripitaka as their teacher, and practiced meditation as well as developed wisdom, depending on the sapta-bodhyahga (the seven requisites for attaining enlightenment) as their master.

There are now living in [Central] India the Dharma master Jnanacandra of Tiladhaka Monastery; Ratnasimha of Nalanda Monastery; Divakaramitra of astern India; Tathagatagarbha in the southern borderland of India; and Sakyakirti of Sribhoja in the South Seas. (Yijing's running note: He is now living in Sribhoja. He has traveled extensively in the five parts of India and is well learned.) All of hem may be compared with the former wise men in brilliant intellect, and they follow the track of past sages. In understanding hetuvidya, they try to emulate Dinnaga, and while ruminating upon the theories of he Yogacara School, they respectfully cherish the memory of sanga. In talking about the doctrine of oidness, they happily coincide with Nagarjuna, and in discussing the teaching of xistence, they have an intimate knowledge of Samghabhadra. I had the opportunity to come into contact with these teachers of the Dharma and receive profound instructions from them. I am happy to have acquired new knowledge of hat I did not hear before and that I could review my old lessons [through their guidance]. In hopes of transmitting the lamp of truth, I am really glad to have heard the Dharma in the morning, so much so that as my hundred points of doubt were solved like dust being washed away, I would not have regretted it if I were to die in the evening. I was still able to pick up some pearls that were left behind on Vulture Peak and often obtained genuine ones. While I collected scattered jewels in the Dragon River, I came upon the best pieces more than once.

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Under the far-reaching protection of the triple gem and with the favor of he Emperor who is a great distance away, I was able to start my homeward voyage to the east. Sailing over the South Seas from Tamralipti, I arrived in Sribhoja, where I have been sojourning for four years. I am lingering here without a date on which to come back home.

35. On Keeping Long Hair

To receive full ordination with one's hair kept long is something unheard of in the five parts of India, nor is it mentioned in the texts of the Vinaya-pitaka, because no such thing has happened ever since ancient times. If a monk had the appearance of a layman, it would be difficult for him to guard against committing faults. If one cannot observe the disciplinary rules, what is the use of accepting them? If a man has the pure mind [to become a monk], he should ask [a teacher] to shave his hair, put on the dyed robe, purify his thoughts, and cherish emancipation as his aim. He should observe the five and ten precepts perfectly. Having received full ordination with a perfect mind, he should practice the rules laid down in the Vinaya-pitaka. After having completed the study of he Yogacara-sastra, he should then learn the eight branch works designated by Asanga. (Yijing's running note: (1) The Vijnapti-matrata-siddhi-vimsatika-karika, (2) the VijUapti-matrata-siddhi-trirnsika-karika, (3) the Mahaydnasamgraha-sastra, (4) the Abhidharma-samuccaya-sastra, (5) the Madhyantavibhaga-sastra, (6) the Pratityasamutpada-vyakhydsastra, (7) the Mahayana-sutralankara-sastra, and (8) the Karmasiddhi-prakarana-sastra. Although some works on this list were composed by Vasubandhu, the merits [that they contributed to the Yogacara School] should be ascribed to Asanga.) When a monk has made achievements in the study of the hetuvidya, he should then thoroughly understand the eight sastras of Dinnaga. (Yijing's running note: (1) The Trikala-pariksa-sastra, 155

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(2) the Samanyalaksana-pciriksa-sastra, (3) the Alambana-parlkscisastra, (4) the Hetu-mukha-sastra, (5) the Sastra on the Gate of the Pseudo-cause, (6) the Nyaya-mukha-sastra, (7) the Updddyaprajhapti-prakarana-sastra, and (8) the Pramana-samuccayasastra.) In studying the Abhidharma (metaphysics), a monk should read through the Six Padas (the six ancillary orks to the Dharmasahgani), and in learning the Agamas, he should make a complete investigation of all four of them. He will then be able to subdue heterodox views and defeat heretics, so as to deliberate the right principles for the wide salvation of living beings and give guidance tirelessly to all people. Those who can contemplate the twofold voidness, keep the eightfold noble path in their pure minds, be intent on practicing the four meditations, and strictly observe the disciplinary rules of the seven sections [of the Pratimoksa] for life are monks of high rank.

There are some people who cannot behave in the way mentioned above, but who remain unstained in their private chambers, even though they are living with their families. They are actually living alone in hopes of etting out of he world. They beg for alms to pay taxes to the court, and wear coarse garments just to hide their shame. They observe the eight precepts (Yijing's running note: (1) not to kill living creatures, (2) not to steal, (3) not to engage in sexual conduct, (4) not to tell lies, (5) not to drink intoxicants, (6) not to play music, wear garlands, or use perfume, (7) not to sit on a high or big bed, and (8) not to take food at wrong times) till the end of their lives, with a mind to gain the essential way of getting out of transmigration. And they take refuge in and respect the three honored ones with their thoughts concentrated on the attainment of irvana. Such persons are next in rank. There are people who are obliged to live in the confinement of family life, but they support their wives and children, respect their seniors with a mind of veneration, treat their juniors with kind consideration, abide by the five precepts, and always observe the four fast days. (Yijing's running note: On the eighth and fourteenth or ifteenth days of he dark half f he moon, and the eighth 156

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and fifteenth days of the bright half of the moon, the eight precepts should be observed; this is known as the holy practice. If one observes only the eighth precept without keeping the other seven, the merit gained therefrom is very small. The observance of the eighth precept is meant to prevent violations of the other seven precepts and not merely to keep the stomach hungry for no purpose.) They treat others with honesty and sympathy and have the capacity to make themselves be industrious. They live by a faultless occupation in order to pay official impositions. Such people are also regarded as good men. (Yijing's running note. A faultless occupation" means the profession of trading, as it does not cause harm to living creatures. According to the customs of ndia, merchants are held in esteem, while farmers are not regarded as important, because the tilling of and involves the killing of iving things. Sericulture and butchering, which are causes of deep suffering, injure hundreds of millions of lives every year. When they are practiced for a long time no one thinks they are wrong, but in one's future lives, one will suffer unlimited pains. One who does not follow such occupations is deemed faultless.) As regards those vulgar people who are so ignorant as not to know about the three refuges and who lead aimless lives without observing a single precept in their lifetimes, unaware that nirvana is a state of ranquility and that birth and death rotate like a wheel, and who always commit sinful deeds, they are in the lowest rank.

36. Disposal of the Property of a

Deceased Monk

When it is deemed desirable to divide the property of a deceased bhiksu, a full description of he matter can be found in the Vinaya. I will give a brief ccount of t here to provide a ready reference in time of eed. First of ll one should make an inquiry as to whether he had any debts, or he has left a will, and if anyone nursed him 157

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230b while he was ill. These must be considered according to the law, and nothing contrary to reason should be done. One should know that the remaining things may be disposed of n specific ways. It is said in the Udana (a section of the Tripitaka): Land, houses, shops, and bedding,

Copper, iron, and leather goods,

Razors, jars, and robes,

Various rods and miscellaneous livestock,

Drinks, food, and medicine,

Beds, seats, and title deeds,

The three precious things such as gold and silver Either made or unmade into articles,

All those different things

May or may not be divided.

One should know how to differentiate them.

This was told by the World-honored One.

By differentiation, it means that lands, houses, shops, bedding, felt blankets, and copper and iron implements are not to be divided. Among the articles in the last-mentioned category, large and small iron bowls, small copper bowls, door keys, needles, awls, razors, knives, iron ladles, stoves, axes, chisels, etc., together with their bags, as well as earthen vessels, such as bowls, small bowls, kundikas for keeping clean water, oil pots, and pails should be distributed, while the rest are not to be divided. Wooden and bamboo furniture, leather bedding, and hair-cutting tools, male and female servants, beverages and edibles, corn and beans, as well as land and houses, etc., are to be transferred to the community of monks from the four quarters. All movable things are to be kept in the storehouse for the use of monks from the four quarters. Immovable property, such as land, buildings, villages, gardens, and houses, should be transferred to the community of onks from the four quarters. All other things, such as garments, quilts, religious robes, and bathing clothes, dyed or undyed, as well as leatherwork, oil bottles, shoes, footgear, and the like, should be 158

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distributed to the monks who are present on the spot. Formerly it was said that a garment with sleeves was not to be divided, but that a white double robe could be divided at one s discretion. Long poles may be used as flagstaffs for hanging streamers before the jambunada-prabha image (an image of the Buddha made of gold from the Jambu River). (Yijing's running note: Vn& ambunadaprabha image is mentioned in the Vinaya. Its origin is that when the Buddha was not among the assembly of onks, they behaved without strictness and solemnity, so much so that the Elder Anathapindada asked permission of he World-honored One, saying, "I wish to make a jambunada-prabha image of thee, to be installed at the head of he assembly of onks. The Great Teacher consented.) The slender rods may be used for making tin staffs to be carried by bhiksus while going round [collecting alms]. (Yijing's running note: In Sanskrit a tin staff s called a hikhala, representing the sound produced by it. Ancient people translated the word as "tin" because the sound is caused by tin [rings]. It may be called a ringing staff or a tin staff at will. The tin staffs I saw in India have an iron ring on top with a diameter of wo or three inches, in which is fixed a bronze tube four or five fingers in length [which produces a sound when percussed]. The staff s made of ood, and it may be thick or slender according to circumstances. It is so long that it reaches the shoulders [when held vertically]. Below the top there is fastened an iron chain about two inches long, the links of which are either round or elliptical. Each ink s as large as a thumb and is made by bending a wire so as to let the two ends meet through another link. There are six or eight links in the chain which is attached to the ring on the top. They may be made of copper or iron as one likes. The purpose of aking such a staff s to ward off cows or dogs while one is collecting alms. It is not necessary to hold it high in a tiresome manner that fatigues one's mind. Moreover, some people make the whole staff entirely of iron with four rings on top. This is heavy and difficult for one to carry about, and it is very cold for one to hold. This is not in keeping with the original purpose of the staff.)

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230c Among the quadrupeds, such beasts for riding as elephants, horses, camels, asses, and mules are given to the royal household, while cattle and sheep should be transferred to the community of monks from the four quarters and must not be divided. Such artides as armor and coats of ail should also be given to the royal household, while miscellaneous weapons may be made into needles, awls, knives, and crowns for the tin staffs and then given to the monks who are present on the occasion. (Yijing's running note: If there are not [enough] for general distribution, they may be given only to the senior monks.) Such things as nets are to be made into screens for windows. The best paints and yellow, vermilion, azure, blue, or green dyestuffs are sent to the shrine halls to be used for coloring the images, while red clay and inferior blue substances should be distributed to the monks who are present on the occasion. If ine is nearly turning sour, it may be buried underground, and when it has become vinegar, monks may eat it; but if t is still wine, it should be discarded and must not be sold. The Buddha said, "Bhiksus, since you have become monks under my guidance, you should not give wine to others nor drink it yourselves. You should not even drip a single drop of wine into your mouths with the tip of a reed." If one leavens dough with wine or distillers' grain, or takes broth prepared with wine lees, one incurs the guilt of ransgressing the rules laid down in the Vinaya; one must have no doubts about it. (Yijing's running note: In Ling-yan Monastery, dissolved yeast is often used for leavening dough to avoid the fault of taking wine.) All miscellaneous medicines should be kept in a clean storeroom to be supplied to sick persons when needed. All precious gems, pearls, and jade are divided into two portions, one being used for the Dharma, and the other given to the community of monks from the four quarters. Those for the Dharma are spent for copying scriptures and maintaining the lion seat [used for preaching the Dharma], while the objects for the monks are distributed to those who are present on the occasion. Beds and couches, if nlaid with jewels, should be sold and the proceeds distributed to the monks who are present on the occasion, but wooden 160

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beds should be transferred to the community of monks from the four quarters. All scriptures and their commentaries and annotations are not to be divided, but should be preserved in the scripture library for the common use of onks from the four quarters. Other books should be sold and the proceeds distributed to the monks who are present on the occasion. Those receipts for loans that are claimable at once may be divided right away. If ot claimable at once, they should be kept in the monastic treasury, and when the money is reclaimed at a later time, it should be used to replenish the fund of he community of onks from the four quarters. All gold and silver, either wrought articles or unwrought ingots, should be divided into three portions for the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The portion for the Buddha should be spent on repairing the Buddha halls and the stupas containing [the Buddha's] hair and nails, and for mending other dilapidation. The portion for the Dharma is used for copying scriptures and maintaining the lion seat. The portion for the community of onks should be shared by them right away. The six requisites of monk should be given to the person who took care of the deceased when he was on his sickbed. Other miscellaneous things should be disposed of n a suitable way as mentioned above. This subject is fully deliberated in the Mahasamghika-vinaya.

37. Use of the Property of the Sangha

At present the clothing of the bhiksus in all the monasteries in India is provided out of [the storehouse of] the resident monks. The surplus produce of he farms and gardens, or the profits gained from trees and fruits, are distributed to them annually to cover the cost of clothing. One might ask the question: even corn and other foodstuffs left by a deceased monk are transferred to the community of monks, so how can an individual monk share the beans and millet, which are the property of the community? The answer might be that the alms-givers gave up their villages and 23ia

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manors in order to support the monks. Did that mean that only food was to be provided while they were to be allowed to go naked? In consideration of he practice of roviding clothing even to meritorious servants, why should it be unsuitable for householders to do the same [for monks]? If we reason in this way, it is harmless for them to supply clothing as well as food. Such is the general view of the monks of India. However, the Vinaya texts are sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit about the matter. The monasteries in India possess special farms for their supply of clothing, and the temples in China have their own places from which clothing is obtained. Food is also provided to both monks and laymen. As this is done according to the original intention of the alms-givers, it is logically not wrong for them to partake of the food. All donations of ields and houses and even miscellaneous things are given to the monasteries as a means of providing the monks with food and clothing. There is certainly no doubt on this point. If the original intention of the alms-givers is to give donations for general distribution without restriction, then the alms, though given to the monastery, may be considered gifts for all. Anyone who partakes of he food is faultless because it is what the alms-givers expected beforehand. But in China, monks living independently cannot get clothing from a monastery. Thus they have to work hard to meet their needs, which is really an obstacle in their career [of spiritual cultivation]. Even though they can survive by alms-begging, they are not spared mental or physical exertion. But those who permanently reside in a monastery with food and clothing provided for them may lead a quiet and unperturbed life without going out of the gate of the monastery; then things are much easier for them. Moreover, there are monks who possess only the three robes made of rags, beg food from house to house, live under a tree in a forest, sustain themselves by right livelihood, practice meditation to develop wisdom inwardly so as to fix their thought on the path of moksa (emancipation), and show kindness and compassion outwardly. One who can lead such a life to his last days is a man of the highest rank.

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The property of the community of monks, such as garments, quilts, mattresses, and the like, as well as other miscellaneous articles, should be equally distributed to the monks, but not given to those who live independently. This property should be handled with more care than one would use with one's own belongings. When bigger donations arrive, smaller ones should be picked out and given away. This is the holy teaching expressly taught by the Buddha.

When this property is used in the right way, one will not be guilty or at fault. These things are good enough to nourish one's body, and can spare one the trouble of acquiring sustenance. How can we allow a monastery to be enormously rich, with corn and wheat going rotten in the granaries, male and female servants crowding in the houses, and money and wealth accumulating in the treasury, while the monks do not know how to make use of them but hang together in poverty? What should or should not be done depends upon the discernment of ise people. There are some monasteries where no common food is supplied, but the monks [in charge of the establishment] divide the monastic property among themselves to prepare private meals to the exclusion of other resident monks. They are the persons responsible for the wrong livelihood of the monks coming from the ten quarters. As they practiced such unlawful deeds of their own accord, who can substitute for them to suffer the painful results in the future?

38. The Impropriety of Self-Immolation

Among Buddhist monks there are quite a number of beginners who are endowed with a fiercely enthusiastic temperament, but who do not know how to win the confidence of their predecessors by mastering the sacred scriptures. They think that finger burning is an act of religious valor and that the cauterization of their own flesh is a deed of great bliss. They do such things as they 163

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wish, with the decision made in their own minds. But what is stated in the scriptures concerns the laity, who are exhorted to sacrifice even their own bodies, not to mention their wealth, which is apart from the bodies. Therefore, the scriptures only mention those people who have the mind to do so. No allusion is made to homeless monks, because the monks have to abide by the disciplinary rules of the Vinaya-pitaka. Only conduct which is not in violation of the rules may be considered to be in agreement with the scriptures; if it is against the rules, it cannot be done. Even if he shrine hall is overgrown with weeds, not a single stalk of rass should be damaged; and if a monk is hungry even when he is alone in the wilderness, he should not eat as little as half a grain of rice [at an improper time]. As Priyadarsana was a layman, it befitted him to burn his arms as offering to a Buddha. The Bodhisattva might forsake his male and female offspring, but should a bhiksu try to look for children in order to forsake them as alms? As the Mahasattva gave his eyes and body, so mendicants were asked to give up their eyes and bodies in alms-giving. Although King Rsisvara once slaughtered [five hundred Brahmans], is that what observers of the Vinaya should do? King Maitribala sacrificed himself [to feed five yaksa demons], but this is not what monks should do. Recently I heard that some young people devoted their minds so zealously to the pursuit of the Way that they thought that by burning their own bodies they might attain enlightenment. Thus they made light of their lives and discarded their bodies one after another, not knowing that it is difficult for one to be reborn in the form of man in tens and hundreds of kalpas, and that even if one is born as a human being a thousand or ten thousand times, one may yet be short of intelligence, seldom hearing of the seven bodhyangas (the seven requisites for attaining enlightenment) and having no chance to meet the three honored ones. Now they were born in excellent places and engaged their minds in studying the wonderful Dharma, but they forsook their exquisite bodies too readily after having acquired only one stanza, 164

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and turned their corporeal substance into sacrificial offerings, which were not weighty gifts at all, when they had just learned how to meditate on impermanence. They should have persistently observed the disciplinary rules in order to requite the four kinds of avors, and steadily pondered on the gate of editation so as to free themselves from the three realms of existence. They should have had great apprehension about small faults, just as one protects one's floating bag while swimming across the deep sea, and should have practiced wisdom guarding themselves steadily [against errors], as one takes precautions while galloping on thin ice. Then, with the assistance of riends of irtue, they would have been able to remain composed without fear on their deathbeds with right thought cherished in their minds, wishing to be reborn in the future to meet Maitreya Buddha.

If hey had wished to gain the lesser fruition [of he Hinayana], they might have followed the eightfold noble path. Had they intended to learn the greater cause [of the Mahayana], that would have been the commencement of tudying it in three periods, each consisting of an asamkhyeya (an exceedingly large number of) kalpas. But they rashly cut off their lives. I really do not know the reason for it.

The guilt of ommitting suicide is next only to a breach of he first section [of the four grievous faults] of the disciplinary rules. When I examined the Vinaya-pitaka, I never saw any passage allowing one to commit,suicide. For the destruction of passion, the Buddha has personally taught the important method. How can one cut off delusion by burning oneself? The Buddha disallowed castration, and on the other hand he praised those who preserved the lives of fishes in a pond. His golden words forbade us to break the grave precepts at will. It is certainly not the holy teaching of the Buddha to fix our minds on such a practice. But those who practice the Way of the bodhisattva, without restricting themselves by the Vinaya rules, in order to perform selfsacrifice for the salvation of others, are beyond our discussion. 165

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23ic 39. The Bystanders Become Guilty

Such actions as body burning are manifestations of inner emotions. Two or three intimate friends may work together to instigate neophytes to commit suicide. Those who die first in this way are involved in a sthulatyaya offense (a gross transgression), and those who follow suit will certainly incur the guilt of a parajika (expulsion from the Order) offense, for they refused to live in keeping with the prohibitive rules and wished to die by breaking the precepts. They persisted in [such an evil practice] and never studied the Buddha's teachings. If monk persuades others to put the idea of suicide into action, he commits a sin that renders him, as the saying goes, as useless as a needle without an eye. If e says to another man, "Why do you not jump into the flames?", he incurs unpardonable guilt, like a broken stone that cannot become intact again. One should be very cautious in this matter. A proverb says, "It is better to repay the kindness of others than to destroy one's own life, and it is better to foster one's moral character than to defile one's name." It was for the sake of saving living beings from suffering that the Bodhisattva once threw himself down to feed a starving tigress, but to cut one's own flesh in substitution for a dove should not be done by a sramana. We are really not of uch status as to be put on a par with the Bodhisattva. I have merely made a rough statement about the right and wrong of this according to the Tripitaka. The wise should carefully discern between good and evil. But many a man drowns in the Ganges River every day, and beside the mountain near Gaya, more than one man commits suicide each day. Some people starve themselves and refuse to eat food, or climb up trees to throw themselves down. Such misled people were criticized by the World- honored One as heretics. Some others inflict upon themselves the torment of castration. These actions are deeply at variance with the texts of the Vinaya. When a man was attempting to commit such faults, others, fearing to incur guilt upon themselves, did not dare to dissuade him from doing so. If he lost his life in this way, 166

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he lost the great object of his existence as well. For this reason, the Buddha laid down rules disallowing such actions. Men of superior wisdom will never do such things. I shall now relate in the next chapter the traditions handed down by the virtuous ones of ancient times.

40. Things Not Done by Virtuous

Monks of Old

As regards my teachers, my personal tutor was the Dharma master Shanyu, and my ritual instructor, the Dhyana master Huizhi. When I was over seven years old, I had the luck to serve them as their pupil. Both of them were monks of great virtue, living at Shen-tong Monastery, which as built by the Dhyana master ang, a sage of he Jin-yu Valley of ount Tai. Their family ties were at De-zhou and Bei-zhou respectively. The two virtuous monks thought that dwelling in the mountains was good only for themselves; it was not the way to benefit others. Thus they went together to Ping-lin, where, close to a clean brook, they took up their pure abode at Tu-ku Monastery, located some forty li to the west of the capital city of Qi-zhou. They used to prepare unlimited amounts of food to make offerings without restriction, and whatever alms they had received they gave away to others with pleasure. It may be said that their fulfillment of the four great vows was as limitless as heaven and earth, and that they practiced the four all-embracing virtues for the salvation of living beings as uncountable as dust and sand. They respectfully constructed temples and performed plenty of meritorious deeds. Now I shall give a brief account of the seven virtues of the Dharma master, [my teacher Shanyu,] as follows:

1. The erudition of the Dharma master. He studied the Tripitaka as his major course of earning, but also took an interest in the various schools of hought. He was well versed in both Confucianism and Buddhism, and was perfect at mastering the six 167

232a A Record of the Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas arts. As regards the sciences of astronomy and geography, and the crafts of ivination and calendrical calculation, he could probe into their mysteries whenever he had the mind to do so. Great was the sea of wisdom in him, with inexhaustible tides flowing out of it. Brilliant was his garden of iterary achievements, in which luxuriant flowers always bloomed without fading! His writings, his pronouncing dictionary of he Tripitaka, as ell as some word books of his, are quite popular in the world. He often said about himself that if he did not know a word, it was not a word at all. 2. The versatility of the Dharma master. He was an expert calligrapher, writing Chinese characters in the smaller zhuan style invented by Li Si and also in the greater zhuan style originated by Shi Zhou. He was also good at writing the official style used by Zhong You as well as the cursive script shaped by Zhang Zhi. He had as keen an ear for music as Zhong Ziqi, who was able to discern whether Yu Boy was depicting lofty peaks or flowing streams with his seven-stringed zither. He could manipulate the adze as well as the artisan Shi, who wiped away a speck of chalk, as tiny as a fly's wing, dotted on the tip of man's nose by cutting it with his hatchet without injuring the man's nose. This is what is said, that a wise man is not a utensil [of one purpose], 3. The intelligence of the Dharma master. He could read through the Nirvana Sutra in one day, but when he first recited the text, it took him four months to complete the recitation. He did research into the abstruse theories and cleverly probed the mysterious teachings. In educating a little boy, he used to guide him with the doctrines of the Hinayana and was never impatient with him. When he instructed a man of greater intelligence, he would impart all he knew to him as if ouring water into a perfect vessel, with the benefit of offering treasure to his pupil. At the end of the Sui dynasty, as the Way was on the decline [in the region where he was living], he removed to the Prefecture of ang. When the local monks saw him, they all said that he was a stupid person because he was simple and unadorned in appearance. They asked the Dharma master to read the irvana Sutra, and appointed 168

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two minor monks to oversee the recitation sentence by sentence. His voice in reading the scripture was grave and cadenced. Between sunrise and sunset, he completed his reading of this text, which was kept in three slipcases. All the people praised and congratulated him at the time, bidding him rest and remarking that it was a rare occasion. All people know about this event; it is not merely my biased eulogy.

4. The liberality of the Dharma master. Whenever he purchased anything in the market, he always paid the price asked by the vendor, no matter whether it was high or low; he never bargained to beat the price down. If a man came to pay off a debt to him, he would refuse to accept the reimbursement. People of his time considered him a man of unsurpassed generosity. 5. The loving kindness of the Dharma master. He attached more importance to righteousness than to wealth and followed the practice of he bodhisattva. He never refused to give anything to one who begged for it. He would give three coins regularly every day as alms to the poor.

Once in a cold month of winter, a guest monk named Dao'an came from a distance in a snowstorm, and both his calves and feet were frostbitten. While he was staying in a village for a few days, his chilblains festered with pus. The villagers sent him to the monastery in a cart. The Dharma master had made a new cape, and when he had just put it on for the first time to go out of the monastery, he came upon the guest monk at the gate and instinctively wrapped the monk's wound with his new cape. A bystander tried to stop him, saying, "You should use some old clothes instead of oiling this new garment. But the Dharma master said, "When trying to aid one who is suffering from bitter pain, the matter is so urgent that no time is left for us to look for anything else." The people of the time who saw or heard about the event praised him highly. Although this was not a very important matter, few people would care to do likewise.

6. The assiduity of he Dharma master. He read through each of he eight versions of he Prajna-paramita-sutra a hundred times 169

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232b and also recited the whole Tripitaka from beginning to end. He exerted himself day and night to practice the essential deeds for being reborn in the Pure Land. He kept the Buddha hall and the monks'abode clean in hopes of attaining the stage of imperturbability. He mostly walked barefoot, lest he should accidentally injure insects. He was never idle in directing his thoughts towards the development of his mind. He swept the shrine hall clean to make it as beautiful as the lotus flowers that unfold to give birth to the beings of nine grades in the Land of Peace and Happiness, and he adorned the scripture chamber as splendidly as Vulture Peak, where four kinds of looms rained down from heaven [when the Buddha was preaching the Dharma], All who saw his religious acts could not but praise his merits, which he performed without feeling tired till the end of his life. Besides reciting scriptures, he also chanted the name of Amitabha Buddha. He was always perfect in demeanor whether he was walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, and never idled away a single moment as short as the shadow of the sun moving one inch. The beans used as chips to count the number of his good deeds would make two brimful cartloads, and there was more than one way that he gave extensive succor to others.

7. The Dharma master's precognition of his death. One year prior to his death, the Dharma master collected his own writings and other miscellaneous books on history and piled them up in a big heap, ready to be torn into pieces to be used as mortar for making two statues of the guardian gods in the monastery. His disciples came up and remonstrated with him, saying, "If Your Reverence must use paper, we venture to substitute blank paper [for your writings]." The master said, "My indulgence in literature has led me astray for a long time. Shall I now allow it to mislead others? If I do, it would be like asking someone to drink poisoned wine, or leading someone onto a dangerous path. That is not permissible. If one gives up one's proper duties and devotes oneself o the study of ide lessons, one commits a blunder against the Buddha's superior instructions. One must not do to others what 170

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one would not wish others to do to oneself." Then his disciples retired with satisfaction, but he presented them with the nalytic Dictionary of Characters and some other word books with the instruction, "When you have just acquired an outline of he classics and history and have mastered a certain number of characters, you should then devote yourselves to the study of the superior scriptures, and must not attach yourselves to such worldly lore and make it a hindrance [to your progress]."

Before his death, the master told his disciples, "I shall certainly be going in about three days, and I shall die with a broom in my hand. My remains should be left in the wide marshland. Early in the morning a few days later, he came to a clean stream. Under a desolate white poplar he walked to and fro beside a cluster of small green bamboos. Then he sat down in solitude and passed away holding a broom in his hand.

When the day gradually dawned, his disciple, the Dhyana master Huili, came to him in the morning, and was surprised to find that the teacher was silent. He touched the teacher's body and felt that his head was warm while his feet and hands were already cold. Then he wailed aloud and summoned everybody from distant places in the four quarters. The monks wept sadly, in a scene resembling that at Gold River with blood shed on the ground [when the Buddha passed away near the river]. The lay disciples wailed sorrowfully ust as when the lustrous pearls broke to pieces on Jade Mountain. They lamented over the early withering of the tree of bodhi and sighed with regret that the boat of harma should have sunk so suddenly. He died at the age of sixty-three, and his remains were buried in the west garden of he monastery. After his death, he left behind only his three robes, a pair of hoes, and bedding for his daily use.

When the Dharma master died, I was twelve years old. Since the Great Elephant had departed, I had nowhere to go to seek refuge. So I gave up my study of orldly books and devoted myself to the learning of sacred texts. At the age of fourteen, I was admitted to the Order. When I was eighteen I intended to travel to 171

232c A Record of he Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas India, but my desire was not fulfilled till I was thirty-seven years old. On the day of my departure, I visited the tomb of my late teacher to pay my respects and bid farewell to him. It was in the season when frosted trees formed a dome over the grave and perennial grasses filled the cemetery. Although the spiritual way separated me from my teacher, I paid honor to him as if he were present before me. Looking around at the place, I made a statement of my wishes to go abroad in the hopes of acquiring merits for the deceased and to repay the deep kindness I had received from my benign master.

The Dhyana master (Huizhi) paid special attention to the study of he Vinaya and concentrated his mind in meditation. He was diligent in spiritual practice dining the six periods of he day and night without eeling tired, and he guided the four roups of evotees from morning till evening, never being fatigued. It may be said that he was even more quiet and peaceful when he was in a boisterous and tumultuous environment, and that he associated with monks and laymen without showing prejudice to anyone. He recited the Saddharma-pundarika-sutra once a day for more than sixty years, having thus read the sutra over twenty thousand times in all. Although he lived in the turbulent times at the end of he Sui dynasty, when he had to shift from one place to another as directed by fate, he never gave up his mind of reading the sutra. He preserved his six sense organs in purity and maintained the four physical elements in peace and harmony, never suffering from any disease in sixty years. Each time he recited the sutra beside a brook, a parrot would come to stay with him, and whenever he chanted stanzas in the hall, a pheasant inspired by his voice always came to listen to his intonation. He was good at understanding the sentiment of music, and was particularly adept at writing the cursive and official styles of alligraphy. He was nexhaustible in preaching the Dharma to guide others. Although he did not fix his mind on the study of secular books, he was intrinsically talented in understanding them. He composed both the Stanza on the Six Paramitds and the Liturgy of aking Vows by lamplight at Tu-ku Monasteiy.

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When he had washed himself clean to copy the Saddharmapundarika-sutra with a pious mind, he selected from among the handwriting of famous calligraphers and adopted the best style for copying the scripture. While he was doing so, he kept an aromatic substance in his mouth so as to exhale fragrant breath after having bathed himself clean. Suddenly a sarira appeared on the scripture through his inspiration. When the copy was completed, the title was written in gold on a label pasted on the manuscript, which shone brilliantly together with the silvery characters of he scripture. It was preserved in a precious casket, which was as resplendent as the ade rollers of he scrolls of he handwritten scripture. When the Emperor visited Mount Tai, he came to know about the event and had the manuscript brought to the imperial palace as a holy object for veneration. Both teachers were successors to the late sage, the Dhyana master Lang.

The Dhyana master Lang lived during the two Qin dynasties and was well known as a paragon for the five groups of Buddhist followers. Appearing at the gate of each alms-giver, he received offerings from all quarters. Doing things to the satisfaction of he people, he taught them all according to circumstances. For the sake of converting those who are beyond the human world, his temple was named Shen-tong Temple (the Temple of Miraculous Powers). His spiritual virtues are hard for us to understand. His deeds are recorded in detail in a separate biography. At that time the reigning monarch paid homage [to the Buddha], and his subjects were filled with devotion. When [Lang] had the intention of building a temple, he went into the mountains and encountered a tiger roaring at the Northern River. When he came out of the place, he heard a horse neighing in the Southern Valley. The heavenly well from which water was drawn was never drained away, while the celestial granary which provided rice was always full. Although his divine traces have long been buried in oblivion, his influence remains with us and has not faded away. He, my two teachers, and the virtuous abbot, the Dhyana master Mingde, were well versed in the Vinaya and grasped the 173

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233a gists of the scriptures, in which no such practices as finger burning and flesh-cauterization were taught. As instructors of their disciples, they prohibited them from doing such things. I received their instruction in person; it is certainly not hearsay. We should also carefully observe the deeds of ancient sages and listen to the admonitions of former teachers. Since the time when the white horse [that carried Buddhist texts to China for the first time] was unbridled, and after the blue elephant was unsaddled, Kasyapa-matanga and Dharmaraksa illumined the Divine Land as the sun and moon, and Kang Senghui and Faxian served, by their example, as the ford or bridge to the Land of Abundance. Dao'an and Huiyuan crouched like tigers south of the Yangzi and Han rivers, and Huixiu and Fali were like eagles hovering high north of the Yellow and Ji rivers. The disciples of the Dharma followed one after another in succession, with the ripples of wisdom rolling continuously in purity, while laypeople praised and glorified the fragrance of the Dharma without cease. We have never heard that any of them advised others to burn their fingers, nor did we see anyone permitting the practice of cauterizing one's own body. The object lesson is put before our eyes, and it is up to the wise to take it with care. During spare time in the evening, the Dhyana master [Huizhi] often sympathized with me in my boyhood and gave me instructions in gentle words. Sometimes he told me stories to divert me from sad thoughts of my mother, as people use yellow leaf of the poplar, saying it is gold, to soothe a crying baby. At other times he spoke to me about the parable of young crows that fed their parents back, advising me to repay the kindness with which I had been brought up. He said, "You must work hard for the continuance and prosperity of the triple gem so that it may be everlasting. You should not indulge yourself n the study of arious worldly books and spend your lifetime in vain." As I was then only ten years old, I could only listen to his advice, but could not understand its deep meaning. Whenever I went to pay respect to him in his chamber at the fifth watch early in the morning, he would 174

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always stroke me on my weak shoulders with kindness, just like a loving mother fondling her child. Whenever he had any delicious food, he would often not taste it but present it to me. When I asked him for anything, he never denied my request. The Dharma master [Shanyu] was very kind in looking after me, though he acted as a strict father to me, while the Dhyana master [Huizhi] showed me all the tenderness of a mother. Thus my relationship with my teachers was so perfect that nothing more had to be added to it.

When I reached the qualified age to receive full ordination, the Dhyana master [Huizhi] was my upadhyaya (officiant at the ceremony). After my ordination, one quiet night when he was walking round an image of the Buddha, he suddenly lit incense, shedding tears of emotion, and exhorted me, "It is a long time since the Great Sage entered nirvana, and his teaching is now misinterpreted. Many people take delight in accepting the precepts, but few of hem actually observe them. You must be resolute in keeping the major prohibitive rules and never violate the commandments of the first section of the precepts. If you commit the other offenses, I will go and suffer in hell in your stead. You must not bum your fingers, nor should you incinerate your own body. On the day when the imperial sanction was received, I was happily admitted into the holy Order y the kindness of y teacher. Since then I have devoted myself with utmost effort to the fulfillment of my ambition, not daring to infringe on any of the disciplinary rules. Even a small offense would arouse a great fear in me. In this manner I carefully studied the Vinaya for five years. The Vinaya master Fali's commentaries discussed the deep and abstruse points, while the Vinaya master Daoxuan's writings dealt with the principal gists. When I was acquainted with the judgment of observance and violations of the disciplinary rules, I was asked by my teacher to give a lecture on the Vinaya. While attending his sermons on the Larger Sukhavativyuha-sutra, I begged for my food once a day and always remained sitting without lying down to sleep. Although the monastery in the forest was distant 175

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233b from the village, I never gave up the practice of alms-begging. Whenever I think of he kind instructions of y great teacher, my tears drop down from whence I do not know.

Hence we realize that when a bodhisattva tries out of compassion to save suffering beings, he is willing to throw himself into the flames of a great fire. When a householder has pity on a poor child [as narrated in the parable mentioned in the Lotus Sutra], he peeps in the narrow door of a small cottage. This behavior is certainly not erroneous. As I always attended the master at his feet and never went to any distant place to listen to a lecture, one day he deigned to say to me, "At present I have other disciples to wait upon me. You should not relinquish your studies to stay here for nothing." Thus I traveled with my pewter staff n hand to the region of the House of Eastern Wei, where I devoted myself o the study of the bhidharma-samuccaya-sastra and the Mahay na-samgraha-sastra. Then, carrying my satchel with me, I proceeded to the western capital, wherein I began to read and con over the Abhidharma-kosa-sastra and the Vijhapti-matratasiddhi-sastra. Just before I started my journey [to India], I returned from the western capital to my native place to seek the advice of my great teacher [Huizhi]. I said to him, "Venerable sir, as you are getting advanced in age [I should not take a long journey away from you], but I wish to travel far to see what I have never heard before in hopes of aining great benefits. I dare not make the decision by myself. " My teacher exhorted me, "This is a great chance for you, which will not come a second time. Being inspired by your good reasons, why should I cherish personal feelings any more? Even if my spirit is released from existence, I will still be able to witness you transmitting the lamp of Dharma. It befits you to go on your journey at once; you should not linger any more to look back upon things left behind. I shall certainly share with you the joy of isiting and paying homage to the holy places of ilgrimage. As this is an important matter concerning the prosperity of the Dharma, you should make your trip flawless."

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Having received my teacher's kind instruction, which I could not disobey, I embarked at Guang-zhou in the eleventh month of the second year of ian-heng and sailed for the South Seas. Thus I traveled through various countries and arrived in India with my pewter staff. On the eighth day of the second month in the fourth year of ian-heng, I reached the country of amralipti, which is a seaport of astern India, where I stayed till the fifth month, when I resumed my journey westwards with some companions and reached Nalanda and the Diamond Seat. After having worshiped at all the holy places, I came to Srlbhoja before long. It may be said that my teachers were good counselors who were perfect in continence and chastity as taught by the Buddha, the Tamer of Men. They were born as outstanding model men of their generation to meet the needs of he world. It was under their personal instruction that I was brought up to manhood. That I luckily met these two teachers at the ford to ferry across the river of ebirth was just like having a pilot with good eyesight on a raft for crossing the sea. Since even good deeds and kindnesses done in a small way are glorified with songs and music, why should I not write eulogistic compositions in praise of the great wisdom and benevolence of my teachers?

Here is my poem:

Virtuous are my father and mother,

Who supported me in many kalpas.

When I was in my childhood

They sent me to brilliant teachers.

They ceased loving me with the shedding of tears. I practiced what I had learned

And depended on virtue and the preceptive rules. Being illustrious as the two illuminators, The virtue of my tutors is comparable to heaven and earth.

They sharpened my sword of wisdom

And nourished my body of Dharma.

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A Eecord of the Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas They guided and supported me,

Tirelessly giving me instruction

Without sleep even at midnight,

Often appeasing their hunger with a belated supper. A man of superior virtue shows off o virtue; That is profound beyond our perception. They concealed their talents on Mount Tai, Held their virtues in store in the region of Qi. Vast was their sea of isdom,

And exuberant their grove of meditation. Resplendent was their literary genius, Radiant as the morning sun were their minds in concentration.

A real hard object may be ground but can never be attenuated,

A truly white thing dipped in dark dye is not blackened. Dying in sitting, my teacher showed a marvelous manifestation,

Inspired by him, wonderfully enough, a pheasant listened to his recitation.

When I was a youngster,

One of them passed away before the other. I turn the merits of all my good deeds As perfume to be offered to the deceased. I repay the kindness of the one who has gone forever, I requite the grace of the other who is alive but far off. I wish to meet them at all places so as to prolong our happiness and receive their instruction life after life in order to achieve spiritual liberation. I hope to amass a mountain of ell-earned wealth, and devote myself to the practice of pure meditation as calm as a tranquil lake, so that I may be present at the first assembly under the dragonflower tree to listen to the profound sermons delivered by Maitreya (the Buddha to come). While being reborn in all four forms of birth, I should always keep in mind [the achievement of Buddhahood] for fully three long eons. 178

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For fear that my readers should think my words groundless, I will quote here a specimen of the writings of the Dharma master (Shanyu). Once on the fifteenth day of the second month, when all the monks and laymen visited the holy sites of the Dhyana master Lang on South Hill, my great teacher also went to see the unusual celestial granary and heavenly well, and worshiped at the marvelous holy niche and sacred temple, to which were offered gifts brought from places a thousand li away. At that time all of the men of etters under the rule of he Prince of Qi assembled at that place. They were well learned and expert in writing compositions, vying with one another in showing off their literary capacity, and feeling proud of the talent they had. As they wished to have poems written in praise of the statue and the temple of the late Venerable Lang, they recommended that the Dharma master write a verse before the others. Being a competent poet, he did not decline the offer. With an inkslab full of black ink, he wielded his writing brush and composed a poem on the wall in a coherent whole without a break. He wrote the poem with quick movements of the brush in such a consummate manner that not a single word was deleted or changed by marking it out with a dot. The poem reads:

Glorious and radiant is the light of the virtuous sage Whose good counsel over the vast seas spread. He lived in an empty valley as his abode.

An imperial order is treated as a mere vanity. Mountains and rivers last through eternity,

Human affairs change with the changes of time. The true state of nonexistence he has attained, We can now only see his portrait left behind. After reading the poems composed by the Dharma master, the scholars were ashamed of themselves, either putting down their writing brushes on pine twigs or casting their inkslabs into a mountain nook. All of them remarked that it was just as when the belle Xishi showed her features and there was no room for the 179

234a A Record of he Inner Law Sent Home from the South Seas ugly woman Momu to unveil her face. Among a crowd of gifted scholars, none could write a verse to rhyme with the poem. The master's other writings are included in a separate collection. I, Yijing, respectfully address this letter to the venerable monks of the great Zhou dynasty [at home], from whom I have heard lectures on voidness, or with whom I have discussed the meanings of the Dharma. Some of them have been my acquaintances since the days of my youth, while others became my bosom friends in my middle age. The senior ones have become spiritual teachers, and the junior ones are counted by the tens of thousands.

In the above forty chapters I have only briefly discussed the important points. What I have recorded are the customs practiced by the teachers of India at the present time. What I have written is based on the holy teachings of he Buddha; nothing is out of y personal opinion. Our life elapses as swiftly as a rapid river, and nobody knows in the morning what will happen in the evening. Because I fear that I may not be able to meet and speak to you in person, I am sending you this record before my return. I hope you will make a study of it in your spare time, so that the wish of a man far away from you may be satisfied. All my narrations are made according to the tradition of the Sarvastivada School and not of any other sect.

I beg to repeat the following verse:

With respect I have discussed good decorum,

The great and comprehensive counsels.

All being made in agreement with the holy teachings, I cannot say they are my emotional acquisitions. For fear we may not meet face to face,

I send you this record in advance.

I hope you will not discard my humble opinions But will accept my superficial views.

For a hundred generations I followed the sacred traces, I will sow the seeds of goodness for a thousand years. 180

Fascicle Four My real wish is to make Shao-shi Mountain equal to Vulture Peak, And to put the Divine Land on a par with the City of the Royal House. End of Fascicle Four 181