華嚴經傳記

7. RECITATION (Those Who Uphold and Recite the Avatamsaka Sutra) ^[146]:

7.1—Śākya Puyuan:

The Master’s family name is unknown. According to tradition, he seems to have lived as a wandering monk, without any fixed abode.

At the beginning of the Zhou dynasty under Empress Wu (690–705), the Master came to the Three Metropolitan Regions^[147]. He had a stately and dignified appearance, and his speech was measured and clear, bearing the demeanor of a great man. He traveled through many renowned mountains and rivers, constantly practicing the dhutanga austerities.

He delighted in performing good deeds and rescuing all beings, placing particular emphasis on benefiting sentient beings. Whenever someone came to seek refuge, he would receive that person, teach methods of cultivation, and exhort them to observe ascetic practices. He regularly recited the Avatamsaka Sutra and, relying upon the sutra, cultivated meditative concentration.

His practice grew ever more diligent, until he no longer distinguished night from day.

Once, while going on almsround, he came to a certain village. He stayed in a wooded burial ground, collected his mind, and contemplated. That night, a demon of an exceedingly terrifying appearance suddenly came before him. It had four eyes and six fangs, its body was covered with hair, and it held a staff in its hand. The Master opened his eyes wide and stared fixedly at it, showing no fear. Before long, the demon disappeared. Such occurrences were by no means rare.

One day, someone came and asked for the Master’s head. Just as the Master was about to cut off his head and give it away, the person told him to stop, saying that he no longer wanted it. The person then asked for his eyes. As the Master was about to gouge them out, the person again told him to stop. Next, the person asked for his arm. The Master immediately tied his wrist to a tree and severed his arm at the elbow for him. He then fainted and fell to the ground, and thereupon passed into stillness by the Fan River in Jiaonan. When the news was heard, both monastics and laypeople were overwhelmed with grief, mourning him as though they had lost their own parents. After his cremation, his sacred relics were divided, and stupas were erected in many places for their veneration.

7.2—Śākya Puji:

The Master was a native of Beishan in Yongzhou^[148]. When he first entered monastic life, he relied upon Chan Master Yuan and practiced austerities. He lived alone in a deserted forest, never lodging in other people’s homes, and sat in the full lotus posture cultivating concentration.

Even in old age, the Master continued to dwell in remote and perilous places, living among tigers and wolves. Although he aspired to transcend the mundane world, he continually studied the scriptures. He also regularly recited the Avatamsaka Sutra, completing one recitation every two days and making this his life’s vocation.

His reciting voice was gentle, yet its intonation was powerful and resonant, carrying far and wide. On one occasion, he exerted himself so intensely that he vomited several dou^[149] of blood. He had to suspend his recitation and abstained from food and drink for three full days.

Seeing this, his fellow disciples took pity on him and brought various medicines, but the Master said, “The sutra teaches: Illnesses treated by physicians of the world may abate, yet they recur; but illnesses treated by the Tathagata, once cured, never return. What use, then, is medicine?” Having said this, he bathed and purified himself, solemnly arranged incense and flowers, bowed to all Buddhas throughout the ten directions, and recited the sutra aloud.

His illness was immediately cured.

When the Buddha-Dharma declined, the Master entered Mount Taibai^[150] and other mountains, bringing no food with him. At the proper mealtimes, he ate wild herbs and drank spring water, yet never fell ill. He vowed that once the Semblance Teaching^[151] flourished again, he would offer up his body. From then onward, he cultivated according to the practices of Samantabhadra^[152] and vowed to be born in the realm of Xianshou^[153].

At the beginning of the Kaihuang era (581–600), the Buddha-Dharma flourished once more. Since his aspiration had been fulfilled, the Master carried out his offering of the body. He therefore assembled the Sangha on the mountainside west of Hui Grotto, made a great solemn vow, and then cast himself into the ravine and died. Monastics and laypeople from near and far came in such numbers that they filled the entire mountain valley. Afterward, his disciples built a White Stupa on the summit as an offering.

7.3—Śākya Biancai:

The Master entered monastic life in childhood and took Dharma Master Yu as his teacher. After studying the teachings for a time, he regarded the Avatamsaka Sutra as the ultimate and consummate teaching among all sutras. He therefore devoted himself wholeheartedly to its study, yet still failed to grasp its essential purport. Lamenting the depth of his karmic obstructions, he sincerely confessed and repented of them. At the same time, to keep the sutra pure, he made a box of agarwood, placed the sutra inside it, carried it upon his head, and practiced walking meditation for three years.

One day, the Master dreamed that Bodhisattva Samantabhadra came and imparted the wondrous essential purport to him. Thereafter, he became thoroughly versed in the sutra’s text, and everything from beginning to end became clear. Having received the unseen blessing of a noble sage, the Master applied himself even more diligently to cultivation and study, thereby penetrating its principles and meaning. He then began propagating the teaching and benefiting sentient beings. It is not known where he later entered perfect stillness.

There was also a monk whose name and family were unknown. Upon witnessing the Master’s auspicious sign, he gave rise to profound faith. He therefore emulated the practice of carrying the sutra upon his head and went to Mount Qingliang, the abode of Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, where he sincerely sought his blessing. The monk constantly carried the sutra upon his head while practicing walking meditation and making prostrations. At night, he placed the sutra upon a three-legged stand, burned incense and bowed before it, then sat beneath it in the full lotus posture, contemplating and reflecting upon its profound and wondrous meanings. After seventeen years, auspicious signs like those described above also appeared to him. The agarwood box that held the sutra still exists to this day.

At the same time, on the slope of Mount Baofu in Fenzhou, the śrāmaṇera Huiqiu likewise carried the sutra upon his head and circumambulated a stupa. After three years, he received the blessing of a noble sage and became thoroughly versed in both the text and its meaning. For this reason, people of the time called this stupa the Avatamsaka Stupa.

7.4—An Anonymous Monk, a Fellow Practitioner of Venerable Śākya Huiwu:

A monk of the Meditation Monastery who lived during the Sui dynasty (581–618) traveled together with Venerable Śākya Huiwu. This monk upheld the Avatamsaka Sutra, while Venerable Śākya Huiwu upheld the Nirvana Sutra. The two lived in seclusion on Mount Zhongnan, taking flowers and fruits as food and the mountain forests as their dwelling place. For many years, each concentrated upon receiving and upholding his own sutra, without ceasing day or night.

One day, a man suddenly arrived from an unknown place. After bowing in greeting, he said:

“May I invite one of you Masters to my home so that I may make offerings?”

Seeing the two defer to each other, the man said:

“May I invite the Dharma Master who upholds the Avatamsaka Sutra?”

The monk therefore took his robe and alms bowl and followed the man. After they had gone a short distance, the monk asked:

“Where is the donor’s^[154] home?”

The man replied:

“It is south of here.”

The monk said:

“To the south there are only mountains and ravines. There are no villages.”

The man replied:

“This disciple is the spirit of this mountain. My home is inside a mountain cave. Venerable Sir, please do not be afraid.”

Though greatly frightened and inwardly astonished, the monk nevertheless forced himself to follow along the rugged, rocky path. The spirit then asked:

“You uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra, yet have you still not attained supernormal powers?”

The monk replied:

“I have not.”

The spirit immediately lifted the monk into the air, and in a moment they arrived at their destination. The monk saw magnificent dwellings of extraordinary splendor. In the courtyard, delicious and rare foods had been arranged as offerings for about one thousand people. As the time for the meal approached, the spirit invited the monk to sit upon a high seat. The monk asked:

“Are there any other Masters?”

The spirit replied:

“There are many. They will arrive shortly.”

The monk said:

“This humble monk has only a few years of seniority in the Sangha and is unworthy of sitting upon this seat.”

The spirit replied:

“You uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra; according to principle, you ought to be honored.”

A moment later, more than five hundred unfamiliar monks suddenly appeared from an unknown place. Holding khakkhara staffs and carrying alms bowls, they descended through the air. Astonished, the monk rose and wished to bow to them, but the monks immediately stopped him and said:

“Please do not bow. You receive and uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra and are therefore worthy of our reverence.”

Thereafter, they silently finished their meal, rose into the air, and departed, though no one knew where they went. The monk alone did not know the way back, so he said to the spirit:

– I pray that the donor will show me the way back.

At that time, in the deity’s courtyard were more than ten children, appearing to be about three years old, playing bare-chested. The deity said to them:

– Let one of you go and attend upon the Dharma Master.

The children pushed the task upon one another and still hesitated to go, whereupon the deity sternly rebuked them. Then one child obeyed, approached, and said to the monk:

– Please open your mouth.

The child looked into the monk’s mouth and then said:

– Your illness is grave.

Having said this, the child took a little grime from beneath his fingernail and placed it in the monk’s mouth. A short while later, he said again:

– Please open your mouth once more.

After looking into the monk’s mouth, the child said:

– Your illness has now been cured.

As soon as he finished speaking, the child flew into the monk’s mouth. He was in fact the medicinal essence^[155], and the monk immediately became an immortal. The deity said:

– I have troubled you to come here, yet I have nothing substantial to offer you. I have only this small token of sincerity; I pray that you will not reproach me.

The monk replied:

– I am truly ashamed before you, donor; words cannot fully express it. May the merit of upholding and reciting this sutra adorn the Dharma-body.

The two then bade each other farewell. The monk flew into the sky and returned to his former dwelling. Sitting cross-legged in midair, he spoke from afar to his fellow practitioner:

– Through the spiritual power gained by upholding and reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra, I have obtained the elixir of immortality. Now humans and immortals occupy different realms and cannot dwell together. If there was anything improper during the time we lived together, please forgive me with joy. In a future life, we shall meet again before the Blessed One.

Having said this, the monk flew higher into the sky, gradually receded from view, and finally disappeared altogether. The scripture scroll that he regularly recited also went with him, and no one knew where it had gone.

At that time there was a meditation master of the Five Assemblies named Daoshu, a man of lofty virtue within the Chan community who was revered by scholars of doctrine. He related this story in detail.

7.5- Shi Tanyi:

The Master was a native of Bingzhou and lived during the Sui dynasty (581–618). He left the household life while still young and dwelt at Shili Monastery, where he strictly observed the precepts and performed arduous tasks on behalf of the community. Practicing the dhutanga austerities, he often stayed on Mount Wutai and vowed to rely upon bodhisattva Manjusri for encouragement in studying and practicing the Buddha-Dharma. Each day, the Master recited two copies of the Lotus Sutra and one scroll of the Avatamsaka Sutra. He cultivated these causes for many years.

Later, the Master and his disciple Tanxun traveled among the terraces, making prostrations and offerings. When they reached the Southern Terrace, the Master saw a bhiksuni whose family name and personal name were unknown. She wore coarse cloth, ate wild vegetables, and had a refined and serene countenance. Upon reaching her dwelling, he found the place completely open, with no house or other structure. There was only a seat, with wooden stakes driven into the ground on all four sides, grass woven into a mat, and bamboo bound together to form the platform upon which she sat cross-legged. The Master approached and asked:

– What Dharma method do you practice?

She replied:

– I only recite the Avatamsaka Sutra.

The Master immediately asked to listen. The bhiksuni said:

– The Venerable and I are a monk and a nun and must observe the distinction between us. Moreover, night is drawing near, so the Venerable should not remain here. Please go south of this cave and stay overnight in a stone chamber.

The Master hesitated and had not yet departed, so the bhiksuni rose to leave and avoid him. The Master said:

– Because I wish to hear the Avatamsaka Sutra, I have lingered here and am reluctant to depart.

The bhiksuni replied:

– Go and rest at that place; you will still be able to hear the sutra!

The Master then went to that stone chamber, some five or six li from the nun’s dwelling, and burned incense to make offerings from afar. He immediately heard the nun reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra, her voice perfectly clear, as though she were right beside him. When the nun began reciting the first scroll, the Master saw from afar a beam of light issuing from her mouth.

As she approached the second scroll, the light spread more widely. From the third scroll onward, the light illuminated the entire mountain cave as though it were daytime. From afar, the Master could see the nun’s form as though she were directly before him.

By the fifth watch, she had finished reciting the fourth and fifth scrolls. When she continued with the sixth scroll, the light gradually contracted. As soon as the sutra ended, the light also disappeared completely.

At daybreak, the Master and his disciples brought incense and flowers to make offerings, made vast vows, bowed in farewell, and returned. Some time later, the Master and his disciples returned to seek that nun, but no one knew where she was. Later, the Master and his disciple Tanxun went to Taiyuan Monastery in the capital and related this event to Dharma Master Xianshou.

7.6- Vinaya Master Wan of Yanxing Monastery in the capital:

The Master’s virtue in observing the precepts was pure and rigorous, and he practiced austerities.

During the Zhenguan era (627–649), while traveling to Ba Bridge one day, the Master stopped for the night at an inn because darkness was approaching. A short while later, a monk of unusual bearing arrived, dressed in coarse and shabby robes. The innkeeper lodged him in another room.

The monk told the innkeeper to bring him wine and meat, which he ate and drank to his satisfaction. As the Master had always observed the precepts with purity and rigor, he suddenly gave rise to a contemptuous thought upon seeing this. After eating, the monk rinsed his mouth with bean-ash water, entered his room, closed the door, and began reciting the Vaipulya Buddhavatamsaka Sutra.

In only a short while, he completed one scroll. The Master then felt ashamed, hastily gathered in body and mind, and listened attentively to the sound of the sutra being recited. Before the fifth watch, the monk had completed the sixth scroll.

The Master was filled with remorse. Reproaching himself, he sorrowfully shed tears, entered the room, bowed, and repented before the monk. The monk then bade him farewell without revealing his name, and no one knew where he went.

7.7- Layman Fan Xuanzhi:

The layman was a native of Jingzhou. From childhood, his aspirations and conduct differed from those of ordinary people, and he vowed to study the Way. At the age of sixteen, he left home and traveled south of the capital, where he bowed before the divine monk, Chan Master Dushun, and cultivated the supreme practices. The Chan Master instructed him to read and recite the Avatamsaka Sutra and also exhorted him to cultivate the practices of Samantabhadra in accordance with this sutra.

The layman had great faith in and reverence for Dharma Master Zheng, and so he entered Zhixiang Monastery on Mount Zhongnan, where he studied and rehearsed the Avatamsaka Sutra until he had mastered the entire text. Thereafter, whenever he recited the sutra, sariras would always appear in his mouth. Altogether, there were several hundred of them, which he regularly carried with him to offer to others. There was no renowned mountain or sacred site that he did not visit.

Later, he came to stay in Chisha Village in Fangzhou. Three li north of that village was a mountain containing a stone grotto that served as a dwelling for those who studied the Way. The layman remained there for more than twenty years, reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra by day and practicing Chan contemplation by night. Thus he passed the years in serene freedom and transcendence. Whenever he recited the sutra, birds and beasts would often gather and silently listen. From then on, fierce animals such as tigers and wolves were also tamed.

On one occasion, an evil person secretly pushed the layman into an abyss one hundred ren deep^[156], yet he suffered no injury whatsoever.

In the first year of the Yongchun era ⁽⁶⁸²⁾, people saw a beam of light within his shrine alcove. Finding this extraordinary, they went to investigate and discovered that the layman had passed away long before. Together they carried his preserved body outside, whereupon the light immediately disappeared. They cremated his body and erected a stupa in his honor. At that time, the layman was more than seventy years old.

7.8- Sramanera Prajnamigava of the Kingdom of Khotan:

The sramanera was a man of disciplined conduct who made the recitation of the Avatamsaka Sutra his regular practice. Over the years, many wondrous signs of spiritual response occurred.

One day, two men suddenly came to the sramanera’s dwelling, bowed in reverence, made inquiries, and then stood to one side with palms joined. Astonished by their extraordinary appearance, the sramanera asked:

– From where have you two come?

They pointed toward the sky and replied:

– Your disciples are from above.

Having said this, they led the sramanera to a secluded place and quietly told him:

– The devas have sent your disciples to invite the Dharma Master.

On hearing this, the sramanera was greatly alarmed and afraid. The two devas said:

– May you arouse compassion and have no fear. Please close your eyes.

The novice reluctantly complied, and the two men took him up to the heavenly realm. Upon arriving, the novice saw lofty palaces of incomparable magnificence and splendor. The heavenly lord then knelt and said:

– The devas are now at war with the asuras^[157] and have suffered repeated defeats. We now entreat the Dharma Master to recite the Avatamsaka Sutra and lead the hosts of heaven, in the hope that through the power of the Dharma, our heavenly hosts may defeat the asuras.

In accordance with their request, the novice sat upon a jeweled chariot, held a heavenly banner, upheld the wondrous Avatamsaka Sutra, and led the heavenly hosts in their attack. As soon as the asura army saw him, it spontaneously scattered and retreated. The devas rejoiced and said to one another:

– Whatever the Dharma Master desires, we shall grant it to him.

The novice replied:

– I desire only to attain unsurpassed bodhi^[158]; I seek nothing else.

The devas declined, saying:

– The Dharma Master’s great aspiration is truly beyond our power. We do not know whether the Dharma Master has any other wish.

The novice replied:

– Apart from that, I seek nothing whatsoever.

After a short while, the devas returned the novice to his former place. All his garments had been suffused with heavenly fragrance, which remained richly aromatic and never faded throughout his life. Several years later, one day the novice said:

– I shall be reborn in a pure Buddha-land.

Having spoken, the novice lay down on his right side and, though free of illness, entered quiescence. This occurred on the fourth day of the second month in the first year of Yongchang ⁽⁶⁸⁹⁾.

Thirty-five years later, Indraprajna, a Tripitaka Master from the kingdom of Khotan residing at the Eastern Monastery of the Wei State in the capital, related this event to the monk Xianshou.

7.9—A Man Surnamed Wang in the Capital:

In the first year of Wenming ⁽⁶⁸⁴⁾, there was a man surnamed Wang living in the capital who neither observed moral discipline nor had ever cultivated wholesome deeds. One day, he fell ill and lost consciousness as though dead. His spirit was led by two men to the gate of hell. There they encountered a monk, and the two men said:

– This is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

The bodhisattva then taught him to memorize this verse:

If anyone wishes to know

All Buddhas of the three periods of time,

He should contemplate thus:

The mind creates all Tathagatas.

After imparting the verse, the bodhisattva told him:

– By memorizing this verse, you will escape from hell.

Upon hearing this, the man memorized the verse and then went before King Yama. King Yama asked:

– What merit and virtue do you possess?

He replied:

– I have only received and upheld a single four-line verse.

As soon as he finished speaking, he recited the verse above. King Yama released him. Wherever the sound of his recitation reached, all those undergoing suffering were liberated.

Three days later, he returned to life, remembered the verse, and related the event to the monks. After searching the scriptures, they learned that the verse came from the chapter “The Immeasurable Bodhisattvas Assemble Like Clouds in the Palace of the Yama Heaven to Preach the Dharma,” in fascicle twelve of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Later, the man surnamed Wang related this event to Dharma Master Sengding of Kongguan Monastery.

7.10—Bhiksuni Wuliang:

Bhiksuni Wuliang, surnamed Min, was a native of Chang'an. For many generations, her ancestors had observed a vegetarian diet and cultivated wholesome deeds, reciting sutras morning and evening without interruption. Once, her mother, née Zhao, dreamed that an Indian monk handed her two golden fruits and said, “I give you excellent seeds; you should safeguard them carefully.” Thereafter, she conceived and gave birth to Wuliang.

From childhood, Wuliang possessed an innate wholesome disposition and delighted in the thought of entering monastic life. When she was eleven, her elder sister instructed her to memorize such scriptures as the Prajnaparamita Sutra and the Avalokitesvara Sutra, but Wuliang could scarcely understand them. Deeply ashamed, she subsequently turned to receiving and upholding the Avatamsaka Sutra.

As soon as she looked at its text, she felt as though she had studied it before, and so she memorized five sheets each day as a means of encouraging herself. In less than three months, Wuliang had memorized two fascicles. Later, because she exerted herself beyond her strength, her mental powers weakened and she fell ill, forcing her to cease reciting sutras for many years.

Wuliang regretted this deeply, so she went before the Buddha, burned incense, and made a vow: “May I uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra throughout my life and cultivate the bodhisattva path.” Thereupon, Wuliang recovered from her illness. Her aspiration having been fulfilled, she thereafter recited the sutra tirelessly. At the age of eighteen, Wuliang had thoroughly memorized the entire Avatamsaka Sutra, and through years of review became ever more diligent.

In the second year of Yongchun ⁽⁶⁸³⁾, the emperor issued an edict permitting ordination. All five members of Wuliang’s family entered monastic life. Wuliang resided at Daode Monastery, while her younger brother Huitong resided at Cibei Monastery and, though only fourteen years old, could recite the entire Nirvana Sutra from memory. Considering the earlier dream of the two golden fruits, were they not these two? Each of the remaining three recited different scriptures comprising more than several hundred sheets. Monastics and laypeople alike marveled at this and regarded it as exceedingly rare.

After Wuliang entered monastic life, her resolve became even firmer. Every three days she recited the entire Avatamsaka Sutra, making this her regular practice. After receiving full ordination, Wuliang observed ascetic practices with still greater rigor.

She wore no garments made of silk, but only coarse, inferior cloth; she accepted no offerings from the Sangha and ate no food prepared by the Sangha. During the six periods^[159], she performed prostrations and repentance; her three karmic activities^[160] were pure. By nature, she was also gentle and compassionate.

Whenever she saw those who were poor, suffering, or ill, the bhiksuni would always give rise to pity. Her fellow practitioners all praised her, saying, “Although she is a woman, even a great man would find it difficult to equal her.”

7.11—The Account of the Wild Goose Reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra:

Tripitaka Master Rizhao of Central India related: Once, I traveled to a kingdom in southern India and stayed at Quyujia Monastery, whose name is translated into Chinese as “Wild Goose.” Seeing that all the monks in that monastery upheld the Avatamsaka Sutra, I asked:

– Why is this monastery named after a bird?

The monks replied:

– Long ago, there was a bhiksu who regularly recited the Avatamsaka Sutra as a meritorious practice, but he violated the vegetarian observance by eating meat. After his life ended, he was reborn as a wild goose in the Southern Sea. Its body stood three zhang tall; it could speak human language and recited the sutra without interruption.

At that time, a layman crossed the sea in search of treasure. Suddenly, a violent wind arose and sank his ship. The layman managed to cling to a plank and drifted to a deserted island. His clothing and provisions were exhausted, and he became deeply distressed. Suddenly, he heard the sound of sutra recitation coming from a tree. Going there, he saw a wild goose reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra. After a moment of astonishment, the layman praised it, saying:

– Well recited! Well recited!

Hearing this praise, the wild goose flew down and said to the layman:

– Can you build a monastery for me?

The layman replied:

– I cannot even save my own life. How could I build a monastery for you?

The wild goose said:

– If you can do so, I shall help you obtain treasure and return you to your former place.

The layman replied:

– That would be excellent.

The wild goose then carried the layman on its back and flew to a mountain of treasures. The layman was skilled in appraising treasures, so he selected a great many precious jewels and placed them upon the goose’s back with himself. The wild goose rose into the sky, crossed the sea, and carried the layman to India. Upon reaching the shore, the wild goose descended and said:

– I hope that you will build a monastery for me and name it after me.

The layman, deeply moved and grateful for its profound kindness, sorrowfully bade it farewell. He then reported the matter and presented all the treasures to the king. The king accordingly granted the tax revenues of five hundred households for the construction of the monastery and named it “Wild Goose.”

RECORDS OF THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA

8—READING (Those Who Read the Avatamsaka Sutra):

8.1—Śākya F念:

The Master’s surname was Wang, and his family belonged to the Mậu tribe of Taiyuan. At the age of thirty, he left the household life. However, being proud by nature, he delighted in wandering from place to place and lived wantonly according to his habits, causing everyone to look down upon him.

Once, the Master dreamed that he had fallen into hell and was undergoing myriad sufferings. Upon awakening, he repented and reformed, but still did not know where to take refuge. At that time, śramaṇas such as Zhiju and others were upholding and reciting the Avataṃsaka Sutra and repeatedly experienced unseen responses. The Master therefore devoted himself wholeheartedly to reading this sutra, day and night without respite. Whenever he took up a volume of the sutra, tears streamed down his face. He continued in this way for three years.

Afterward, his eyebrows suddenly fell out and sores erupted all over his body. Nevertheless, his heart remained filled with joy, and he calmly accepted this retribution manifesting in his present life. He also held a great assembly for universal giving to repay the kindness of the divine beings, and became even more diligent in reading and reciting the sutra. Three years later, the sores gradually healed completely. From then on, the Master encouraged and guided people to rely upon this sutra in repenting of their transgressions; nine out of every ten households followed this practice.

Later, the Master passed away at his residence at the age of sixty-eight.

8.2—Śākya Pu’an:

The Master’s surname was Guo, and he was a native of Jingyang in the Jingzhao region. When young, he bowed before Chan Master Yuan and requested permission to leave the household life. After entering the Path, he firmly maintained his integrity, relinquished worldly affairs, and was gentle, patient, and free from resentment. He often undertook arduous tasks on behalf of the assembly, joyfully accepting hardship and difficulty, and even feared that there might be no work for him to do.

When he grew older, the Master studied under Dharma Master Ai. In time, he became thoroughly versed in the Tripiṭaka^[161], yet he chiefly practiced according to the Avataṃsaka Sutra, reading, reciting, and contemplating it, and taking this sutra as the aim of his cultivation.

When the Zhou dynasty suppressed the Buddhadharma, the Master secluded himself deep in the forests of Western Qi, in Bianzi Cave on Mount Zhongnan. Dwelling in the deep forest beyond the mundane world, his virtue was pure as a spring, his integrity steadfast as stone, and his traces were like those of birds in flight or fish in the depths.

Later, the Master invited Dharma Master Jingyuan to dwell with him in the secluded forest. Together they selected and investigated the profound and hidden essentials and realized the subtle principle. The Master also practiced austerities and offered his body to the myriad creatures.

At times, he exposed his body amid dense grass so that flies and mosquitoes might bite him. Blood flowed all over his body, yet he felt no fear whatsoever. At other times, he lay as though dead, offering his body to tigers and wolves in the hope that they might sustain their lives and that, by relinquishing his body, he might fulfill his original vow.

Yet they merely approached and sniffed him without eating. Because of this, he was always uneasy at heart, regretting that he had been unable to fulfill his aspiration.

At a time when the country was in turmoil and the Dharma was obscured, the laws of the state were also stringent and did not permit monks or nuns to escape. More than thirty eminent and virtuous monks from the capital took refuge on Mount Zhongnan, but had not yet found a secure dwelling place. The Master therefore invited them all to settle in a hidden location, chiefly in areas along the riverbanks and sandbars. He alone appeared openly and went out to beg for alms, unafraid of being arrested and killed. Consequently, food and clothing for the monastic assembly were fully provided, and their cultivation was not interrupted. Does not the saying, “Only in troubled times are true men of integrity known,” apply precisely to this Master?

There was also an edict that anyone who captured a monk would be rewarded with ten bolts of silk. One man agreed to search for the Master and intended to arrest him. The Master consoled him, saying, “Seeing that you are poor and suffering, I will entrust my life to you so that you may receive the reward.” Thus, the two went together to the capital. At that time, the emperor said to the man, “The laws of our state strictly forbid men of the Path from dwelling among the people, yet you would not allow them to remain in the mountains either. If so, where are they to live? We see that this man of the Path possesses extraordinary bearing and resolve and does not seek to preserve his life. Therefore, release him into the mountains, and there is no need to investigate him further.”

Later, although the Master was arrested many times, he was released as before.

At that time, Dharma Master Ai was taking refuge in the home of a wealthy man named Du Ying in Yigu. The man had dug a cave in which to conceal the Dharma Master. After being released and returning, the Master heard of this and went to visit the Dharma Master. The Dharma Master said:

—Venerable Pu’an’s bearing and resolve surpass those of ordinary people. You do not fear the stringent prohibitions; perhaps few can equal you.

The Master replied:

—My escape from this calamity was due to the power of upholding the Avataṃsaka Sutra. The fulfillment of all my aspirations has likewise been due to this power.

Thereupon, the Master invited Dharma Master Ai to the mountain and personally attended to everything. At that time, people from all directions flocked there in great numbers. Together with Dharma Master Ai, the Master expanded the residence. This matter is recorded in full in the Separate Biography.

At the beginning of Emperor Wen’s reign in the Sui dynasty (Yang Jian, 581–604), Buddhism flourished once more. The emperor ordered a search throughout the realm for all surviving monks and arranged their status in accordance with the former regulations. At that time, more than thirty monks in Bianzi Cave obeyed the imperial decree, resumed the monastic life, and resided at Guan Monastery^[162]. Although the Master greatly rejoiced in the revival of the Buddhadharma, he did not pursue fame or profit and continued to dwell in the mountains and forests.

At that time, beside the stream between Ziwu and Baolin Caves, a lay devotee excavated a cave and made a hermitage, inviting the Master to dwell there. There had originally been a large boulder directly above the place, and it was feared that it might fall and crush the hermitage. The Master therefore wished to move the boulder elsewhere. He thought, “May this boulder be moved elsewhere and not damage this dwelling.” Suddenly, the boulder rolled away to another place, and everyone marveled at the wonder. The Master said, “This was due to the power of the Avataṃsaka Sutra.”

To the left of the Shibi Ravine, east of the hermitage, lived the dhūta practitioner Su, the most violent man in the village, who caused disturbances everywhere. Harboring secret hatred toward the Master, he plotted to kill him. Together with three companions, he took up a bow and carried a sword to commit the murder.

Just as he drew his bow to shoot, the arrow would not leave the string, the bow adhered tightly to his hand, his eyes rolled upward, and his tongue became rigid. He stood frozen there throughout the night, able only to cry out. Hearing of this, travelers spread the news, and people from near and far gathered.

The villagers then came, bowed with utmost sincerity, and repented. The Master said, “I know absolutely nothing of this. It must surely be due to the spiritual power of the Avataṃsaka Sutra.

If you wish him to escape this calamity, simply tell him to repent!” The dhūta practitioner Su immediately followed the instruction and was then released.

Again, in Wei Village west of the hermitage, there lived a man named Zhang Hui who made his living through theft and robbery. One night, he entered the Master’s dwelling and secretly took an oil vessel offered to the Buddha, containing about five liters, placed it on his back, and left. As soon as he reached the doorway, his mind suddenly became clouded, and he felt as though tightly bound, unable to move. Seeing this, his relatives and fellow villagers all came to apologize. The Master said, “I know nothing about it. Perhaps this is due to the spiritual power of the Avataṃsaka Sutra. Tell him to repent and return the oil vessel.” Hui followed the instruction exactly and was then released.

On another occasion, Zhang Qing, who lived south of the hermitage, came and stole the Master’s money, concealing it in his sleeve. Upon returning home, he was unable to take it out and also lost the power of speech. Seeing this, his relatives and neighbors brought him before the Master. Only after he repented in accordance with the Avataṃsaka Sutra was he freed from the calamity.

In Chengguo Village, there lived a man named Cheng Huihe who had profound reverence and faith in the Three Jewels and often came to the Master to hear the essentials of the Dharma. On one occasion, he became gravely ill and had been dead for two nights. His body had already been bound and was about to be placed in a coffin. At that time, while returning from Hu County, the Master arrived at Dexing Monastery to the southwest, five li east of that village. From afar, the Master called out:

—Cheng Huihe, why do you not come out to welcome me?

The Master called out repeatedly in this manner. The farmers replied:

—Huihe died long ago! How could he come out to welcome you?

The Master said:

—Nonsense! I do not believe it!

A short while later, the Master arrived at that village and called out loudly. At once, Mr. Hòa began to move. Seeing this, his relatives standing nearby cut the cords. The Master entered the house and called out loudly once more. Mr. Hòa immediately sat up and slowly crawled toward the Master. The Master told the family to remove the coffin and the burial garments. He then placed a Buddha image upon an overturned bamboo basket and instructed Mr. Hòa to circumambulate it. Thereupon, Mr. Hòa recovered completely and lived for approximately another twenty years. Later, when he again fell ill, he came to bow before the Master and seek his aid. The Master said:

– Wherever he goes, let him go; I have no need to know!

As soon as the Master finished speaking, the man passed away.

From that time onward, the Master became widely known, and great numbers of people asked to follow him and study the Way. He convened assemblies of merit^[163], at which many auspicious responses frequently occurred.

Furthermore, in Bạch Village, north of Cô Minh Pond, there was an elderly woman who had been bedridden by illness and mute for a hundred days. She therefore gestured to her son that she wished to see the Master. Understanding his mother's meaning, the son invited the Master to their home. As soon as she saw the Master, the mother spontaneously stepped down from her bed, bowed before him, asked questions, and moved about just as she ordinarily had. At that very moment, she was cured of her illness.

The Master's renown then spread even farther. The villagers assembled, played music, and announced throughout the neighboring villages that they wished to hold a great almsgiving assembly.

In one village, the family of Mr. Bạch Di Sanh was exceedingly poor, and he had four daughters. His wife possessed only a single piece of coarse cloth to wrap around her body, while the daughters had not even a scrap of cloth with which to cover themselves. The eldest daughter alone, named Hoa Nghiêm, was already twenty years old and possessed two thước of coarse cloth, which she intended to offer. At that time, the Master led the villagers from house to house in succession. Yet, feeling pity for her family's poverty, everyone passed by without entering their home. She thought: “Because I am poor, I cannot participate in the assembly. If I also fail to perform good deeds now, in my next life my poverty will be many times worse.”

Having thought thus, she went everywhere begging for something to offer, but no one gave her anything. She raised her face to the heavens and wept bitterly. She then noticed a handful of straw that had been used to plug a hole in the house.

Pulling it out and shaking it, she obtained more than ten grains of unhusked rice, which she then husked. Joyfully taking these grains of rice together with the piece of cloth she already had, she set out for the assembly of merit. Because she had no clothing on her body, however, she had to wait until nightfall before quietly approaching the place of offering.

Upon arriving, she threw the cloth from a distance into the pile of donated goods, while presenting the ten grains of rice separately to be cooked. She then made this vow: “My karma of destitution was planted over many previous lives. Though impoverished, I practice giving in the hope of attaining its reward in a future life.

I now place these ten grains of rice into the pot with utmost sincerity, praying that I may escape poverty. If the cooked rice turns golden, then my vow shall be fulfilled. If there is no response, what shall become of this body?” After making this vow, she wiped away her tears and returned home.

Thereupon, the entire five-thạch^[164] pot of rice turned golden. The assembly was utterly astonished at the sight, but no one knew the reason. They made inquiries everywhere, and the Master said: “This occurred through the power of the vow made by the daughter of Bạch Di Sanh.”

At that time, the assembly of merit had collected ten hộc^[165] of grain, which was immediately given to support her. Later, the Master reported this matter to the emperor, who granted permission for Hoa Nghiêm to be ordained. She entered a monastery and upheld the Avatamsaka Sutra for the remainder of her life.

Although the Master lived in seclusion, he constantly rescued people and living creatures. Each year, in spring and autumn, the villages held sacrificial rites in which too many animals were slaughtered. The Master traveled everywhere to redeem these creatures, while exhorting the people to practice faithfulness, righteousness, and virtue. As a result, nine out of ten sacrificial assemblies in the villages ceased killing and harming living beings.

On one occasion, in a village beside the Master's hermitage, the people caught three pigs and intended to slaughter them. Hearing of this, the Master went to redeem them. Fearing that they would be prevented from killing the pigs, the people demanded a price of ten thousand taels. The Master said: “This poor monk presently has three thousand taels. Will you agree to sell them?”

The people refused and even became angry. Suddenly, a child wrapped in a goatskin came to the sacrificial altar and helped the Master purchase the pigs. Seeing the dispute, the child asked for wine and began to eat, drink, and dance. Brilliant light radiated and revolved around his body, dazzling everyone at the altar. In a moment, the child vanished, and no one knew where he had gone. The Master then took a knife and cut his own flesh, saying: “Both human beings and animals are made of flesh. Yet pigs eat filthy things, and still you eat their flesh. Human beings eat rice; is their flesh not more excellent?”

Upon hearing the Master speak thus, they all released the pigs. After being rescued, the pigs circumambulated the Master three times and touched him with their snouts and mouths to express their joyful gratitude. For this reason, even to the present day, within fifty li southwest of the capital, pigs and chickens are not slaughtered for sacrificial rites. Such were the auspicious responses that generally accompanied the Master's compassionate deeds and exhortations to goodness.

The Master was sincere and trustworthy by nature and delighted in reading the Avatamsaka Sutra. Throughout his life, he possessed only one bowl and three robes, and as the years passed, he became ever more diligent.

In the eighth year of the Kaihuang era ⁽⁵⁸⁸⁾, Emperor Wen of the Sui repeatedly issued edicts inviting the Master to the capital to instruct the Crown Prince^[166]. At that time, the eldest imperial princess built Tĩnh Pháp Monastery and invited the Master to serve as its abbot. Although nominally residing in the capital, the Master still frequently lived amid forests and mountains.

On the fifth day of the eleventh month in the fifth year of the Daye era ⁽⁶⁰⁹⁾, the Master entered nirvana at Tĩnh Pháp Monastery at the age of eighty. His remains were interred on Mount Chung Nam, and a stupa was later erected in his honor beside Chí Tướng Monastery.

8.3- Śramaṇa Pháp An:

The Master's family name was Bành, and he was a native of Thuần Cô in An Định. In his youth, he was ordained at Cửu Lũng Vihara on Mount Thái Bạch. He chose the practice of Chan as his life's work and, throughout his life, wore only coarse, inferior cloth and consumed simple food and drink.

During the Kaihuang era (581–600), the Master went to Giang Đô to pay his respects to the Prince of Jin^[168]. As soon as the prince saw him, he felt as though they had long been acquainted. He therefore invited the Master to reside at Huệ Nhật Bodhimanda and frequently asked him to accompany him on his tours.

One day, the emperor went to Mount Tai. When no water was available, the Master pierced a boulder with a knife, and water suddenly gushed forth. The emperor praised him and asked:

– What divine power was that?

The Master replied:

– It was Your Majesty's divine power!

The Master later entered a cave with the emperor, where they encountered a monk dressed in coarse, inferior robes riding toward them on a white donkey. The emperor asked:

– Who is that?

The Master replied:

– Master Lãng^[169].

Afterward, the two went to Thần Thông Monastery. Upon entering the Dharma hall, they saw a deity of exceedingly majestic appearance leaning against the beak of a crane and looking down upon everyone. The emperor again asked who it was. The Master replied:

– The deity of Mount Thái Bạch has followed Your Majesty here.

People of the time believed that this deity had remained there for three hundred years. When sleeping, he required no pillow; his head extended straight beyond the bed, and at times nearly a đấu of saliva flowed from his mouth, though no one knew why.

Later, Emperor Yang of the Sui (Yang Guang, 604–617) esteemed the Master even more highly. The Master's awe-inspiring virtue surpassed that of princes and nobles. All who met him paid him reverence, and monastics and laypeople alike honored him as a divine being whenever they encountered him on the road.

On one occasion, the emperor went to venerate sacred sites at renowned places such as Mount Wutai, while also inviting recluses to emerge and assist him in governing the realm. At that time, more than two thousand monks were studying and practicing at Huệ Nhật Bodhimanda, and the four requisites were always abundant, all owing to the Master's virtue.

The emperor later went to the Eastern Capital^[170], where he established Bảo Dương Bodhimanda and specially invited the Master to propagate the Dharma there. For many years, the Master continually read and recited the Avatamsaka Sutra. At times, he would say: “The realm of Samantabhadra constantly appears before my eyes.”

On one occasion, the Master entered a stone cave more than one hundred li deep in Mount Jiulong to engrave the Avatamsaka Sutra. For this reason, the cave came to be called the Avatamsaka Hall.

In the eleventh year of the Daye era ⁽⁶¹⁵⁾, the Master passed away without illness at the age of ninety-eight. The emperor ordered that the Master’s golden coffin be conveyed to Mount Taibai, where his stupa-tomb remains to this day. Monastics and laypeople revered and remembered him, and thus erected an image of him to seek blessings. As for the place where the Master engraved the sutra, the cliffs there are precipitous and perilous. In recent times, those who know the way obstinately refuse to go, while those who wish to go do not know the way.

8.4—Śramaṇa Jietuo:

The Master’s family name was Xing. He was a native of Wutai County in Dai Commandery. He left the household life at the age of seven and possessed lofty aspirations. At first, he studied meditative concentration and relinquishment under Chan Master Huichao^[171] at Mount Baofu, west of Mount Jieshan. Chan Master Huichao was especially gifted at discerning people. Recognizing that the Master would become a worthy vessel of the Dharma, he told the assembly: “Jietuo’s realization of Chan is exceedingly profound; none of you can equal him. You should not assign him the ordinary communal labors of the Sangha as you do to others.”

Before long, the Master awakened to the profound mysteries and penetrated them completely. At the age of eighteen, he studied extensively among all the schools, consulting many eminent masters. He heard new teachings and thoroughly understood the meanings transmitted from ancient times.

After ascending the ordination platform and receiving the full precepts, he devoted himself to upholding the Vinaya Pitaka. Not long afterward, he returned to his former dwelling and established the Foguang Monastery on Mount Foguang, southwest of Mount Wutai, where he practiced. He regularly recited the Lotus Sutra, and whenever he read the Avatamsaka Sutra, he continued throughout the day and night without interruption.

Later, based on the Avatamsaka Sutra, he practiced contemplation of the Buddha’s radiant light.

The Master also frequently went to the ancient Dafu Monastery, north of the flower garden southeast of the Central Terrace, praying to behold Bodhisattva Manjusri, and he was granted an audience on many occasions. The first time, the Bodhisattva vanished just as the Master bowed in homage. On a later occasion, he heard the Bodhisattva instruct him: “Why need you bow to me now? Reflect upon yourself, and you will surely awaken.”

The Master then reverently followed the Bodhisattva’s instruction, sought within himself, awakened to the Dharma of non-arising, and attained the joy of Dharma. Nevertheless, he lamented that this benefited only himself, while his heart longed to deliver all sentient beings universally. He therefore prayed with utmost sincerity for the Buddha’s confirmation and thereby moved the Buddhas to manifest and speak this verse:

The Buddha’s Dharma is profound, quiescent, and still;

Only after many kalpas of cultivation is it now attained.

If one can open this Dharma eye,

All the Buddhas will offer praise.

Upon hearing this verse, the Master asked the sky: “Can this profound, quiescent Dharma truly be used to teach and transform others?” At that moment, the Buddhas disappeared, leaving only a voice that echoed:

Wisdom in skillful means is a lamp

Illuminating the realm of mind.

The true and ultimate Dharma

Can never be perceived.

On one occasion, the governor of that prefecture invited the Master to transmit the precepts. When the Dharma assembly had concluded, the Master set out eastward on his return. The governor and the Sangha escorted him as far as the eastern city gate, by which time the sun was about to set. Saddened that he had been unable to burn incense as an offering to the Buddhas, the Master felt remorseful and ashamed. Suddenly, he heard a voice from atop the city wall proclaim:

Palms joined together form a flower;

The body itself becomes an offering.

A wholesome mind is true incense;

With praises, the fragrant smoke rises.

When the Buddhas sense this incense,

They come at once to bring deliverance.

You should all practice diligently;

Harbor not the slightest doubt.

At that time, only the Master heard this voice, and so he became even more courageous and vigorous. From then onward, his realization deepened day by day, and virtuous practitioners joyfully joined him as Dharma companions. Thus, people from near and far came in great numbers to seek instruction, as many as three hundred each day, and even eminent virtuous masters gathered there.

Hoping that the Dharma work might be perfectly accomplished, the Master admonished the fourfold assembly: “Each person should eat only one meal a day.” The living quarters were cramped, and many had to sit outdoors, so the Master instructed the assembly to arrange bowls and stools throughout the mountains and forests. He earnestly encouraged and guided them, giving instruction according to each circumstance in the hope of removing every person’s impediments; he employed no single fixed method whatsoever.

Therefore, none of the wandering practitioners treated the Master’s Dharma center lightly. For nearly fifty years, however, the Master never left the monastery, and more than eight hundred students of Chan attained accomplishment. Moreover, the number of those who admired the Master’s way and came and went was more than twice as great.

I have often read biographical records and encountered many virtuous masters of old, such as Huisi of Nanyue^[172], who attained the Ten Faiths and manifested a lofty stage, and Zhizhe of Tiantai^[173], who realized the Stage of the Five Grades of Disciples^[174] and displayed brilliant achievements. Yet in teaching and training disciples to attainment, none ever had an assembly as numerous as this. If the Master was not a being of lofty practice and realization who skillfully manifested a body like that of an ordinary person, then surely it was through the sustaining power of Bodhisattva Manjusri that he helped propagate the Buddha-Dharma!

Furthermore, at Mount Dahei, southeast of Qingliang and west of Mount Hengyue, there lived a blind laywoman of faith^[175] who regularly practiced meditation alone in the mountains. On the six fasting days^[176] of each month, monastics and laypeople of Hengzhou would offer incense, flowers, and delicacies to Bodhisattva Manjusri. One day, precisely at noon, a voice was suddenly heard in the sky proclaiming: “Bodhisattva Manjusri is teaching and transforming beings on Mount Foguang at Wutai.

You should go there, and you will surely awaken to the Way.” Everyone heard it and rejoiced greatly. Obeying the instruction, the young woman went to Mount Foguang. The journey of more than two hundred li was treacherous, yet the blind woman felt her way forward without anyone to guide her.

Upon seeing this, the Master sprang up in astonishment and immediately awakened to the profound principle. Therefore, it may be said: “The Master was a Great Sage who skillfully descended into the realm of mortals.”

When the Master was about to pass away, the monks became aware of it and came throughout the night to bid him farewell. Late that night, a tiger came to the stream from which the Master usually drank and roared mournfully for a long time. At noon the following day, the Master shaved his beard and hair as usual, then bowed in homage to the Sangha.

Afterward, he returned to his meditation room, sat upright, and passed away. He had lived to the age of eighty-one; this occurred in the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan era ⁽⁶⁴²⁾. At that time, monastics and laypeople grieved as though they had lost their own parents.

They therefore carved a shrine within the monastery to enshrine the Master’s physical body, facing west, with two narrow doors. To this day, those who come to behold and pay homage to him see him as though he were still alive.

During his lifetime, the Master once told members of his clan: “After I enter complete nirvana, a Great Person will make my name illustrious, and the renown of Qingliang will be revived from that time onward.”

In the ninth month of the first year of the Linde era ⁽⁶⁶⁴⁾, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang issued an edict instructing the śramaṇa Huiyi of Huichang Monastery, together with Guoyi and Zhen Wanfu, to present a kasaya to the Master’s physical body and, at the same time, to make offerings at sacred sites on the renowned peaks. From then onward, devoted people from near and far forever cherished the memory of this place. Upon examination, this accorded exactly with the Master’s words.

8.5—Śramaṇa Mingmiao:

The Master left the household life in childhood. He formed a close association with Chan Master Jietuo, and they treated each other with the affection shared between teacher and friend^[177]. The Master was gentle, compliant, and humble by nature, and never displayed either sorrow or joy. He regularly recited the Lotus Sutra and diligently read the Avatamsaka Sutra; in his later years, he became even more vigorous in practice. He was seven chi tall and possessed a resonant, melodious voice. Relying upon Chan Master Jietuo, he studied contemplation of the Buddha’s radiant light.

On one occasion, while fasting, the Master followed Chan Master Jietuo to pay homage to Bodhisattva Manjusri at Dafu Monastery. Upon reaching the northern side of the flower garden, he suddenly encountered a venerable monk whose bearing and robes were extraordinary, emerging from the cave where the prince had immolated himself. The venerable monk slowly proceeded directly toward the southern side of the Buddha hall, east of Dafu Monastery, and then appeared about to continue eastward. Both joyful and apprehensive, the Master intended to step forward and pay homage with utmost sincerity; but before he had gone more than a few feet, the venerable monk vanished. The Master remained sorrowful for a long while, and his resolve became even more diligent.

When the sramana Huiyi of Huichang Monastery in the Western Capital received an imperial command to go to Mount Wutai, the Master personally paid homage to him. At that time, although the Master had reached the age of 106, his bearing remained majestic. It is not known where he later entered nirvana.

8.6—Sramana Sakyamitra:

Sakyamitra, whose name is rendered in Chinese as Nengyou, was a native of Trường Quý in the Kingdom of Simhala and had attained the fruit of an anagamin.

In the first year of the Linde era ⁽⁶⁶⁴⁾, the Master came to China. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty (Li Zhi, 650–683) held him in great esteem and invited him to reside together with the perfected adept^[178] Changnian and the Great General of Huaihua in Penglai Palace within the imperial precincts. After more than a year, the Master requested permission from the emperor to make a pilgrimage to sacred sites throughout the renowned mountains. He then went to Mount Qingliang in Daizhou to pay homage to Bodhisattva Manjusri.

On one occasion, he arrived at Taiyuan Monastery in the capital just as the monks were preparing to recite the Avatamsaka Sutra. The Master asked the interpreter:

“What sutra is this?”

He replied:

“It is the Avatamsaka Sutra.”

The Master showed reverence and said:

“I did not expect that this sutra would also be found here!”

Having said this, he joined his palms in joyful praise for a long while and said:

“The merit of this Mahavaipulya Buddhavatamsaka Sutra is truly inconceivable. Tradition relates that in the Western Regions, a person washed his hands before reading this sutra. Ants that were moistened by the water in which he had washed his hands were reborn in the heavens after death. How much more inconceivable, then, must be the blessed recompense of those who receive, uphold, read, and recite this sutra!”

8.7—Layman Gao Yicheng:

The layman was a native of Linfen County in Jinzhou. He came from a family with a tradition of reverence and faith in the Three Jewels and was respected by the people of his village.

In the second month of the fourth year of the Xianheng era ⁽⁶⁷³⁾, the layman brought a copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra from Xianjie Monastery in Hongdong County and enshrined it in a small stupa in his home. At precisely midday on the day the sutra was recited, a wondrous light suddenly appeared, like sunlight reflected in a mirror, brilliantly illuminating the wall before fading only after a long while. During the second recitation, the light again illuminated all four walls of the Buddha hall. People from near and far therefore came to see it, and all praised and revered it.

8.8—Shi Hongbao:

The Master was a native of Taiqiu in Zouping County, Zizhou. At the age of eighteen, he entered monastic life at Hongzhen Monastery.

One day, a small swelling suddenly appeared on his neck. It gradually grew until it was the size of a large bowl. No treatment could cure it. It forced his head upward and prevented him from lowering it, so wind-driven rain flowed directly into his nose and mouth, and eating, drinking, and washing became exceedingly difficult. Not only did those around him despise him, but he himself also grieved over his plight.

At the age of thirty-five, he happened to meet a monk who instructed him to recite the Avatamsaka Sutra to eliminate karmic obstructions from previous lives. The Master then devoted himself to it wholeheartedly and with utmost sincerity, practicing earnestly day and night and performing repentance during the six periods of the day. He vowed to recite it one hundred times, but after completing just over forty recitations, he dreamed that someone took a sharp knife and cut away the swelling.

Several days later, a sore the size of a jujube appeared on the swelling. When he pressed it gently with his hand, several cups of pus flowed out. This occurred every day for three consecutive months.

Thereafter, the swelling and sore gradually healed until he fully recovered. This took place at the beginning of the second year of the Xianheng era ⁽⁶⁷¹⁾.

The Master and his disciples devoted themselves to propagating the sutras and Vinaya. Rejoicing that he had been given new life in this transient world and mindful of the miraculous efficacy of the sacred power, his joy and sorrow mingled together. He exchanged all his possessions for funds and reverently commissioned a handwritten copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra. He read, recited, received, and upheld it day and night, and only after several years did he fulfill his vow. From then onward, people from near and far all resolved to propagate this sutra.

8.9—Account of the Avatamsaka Sutra Emitting Light:

In the first year of the Wenming era ⁽⁶⁸⁴⁾, Tripitaka Master Divakara of Central India translated the Avatamsaka Sutra at Taiyuan Monastery (the Western Monastery of the State of Wei) in the capital of China.

One day, the Master related the following account: Near the city of Champa in southern India stood a monastery named Visnu. The monks residing there specialized in the dhutanga practices and studied the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. At that time, a Mahayana Dharma master suddenly arrived carrying a copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra.

The monks of the Lesser Vehicle showed him no respect, so the Mahayana Dharma master left the scripture there and departed for an unknown destination. Lacking reverence and faith, the Lesser Vehicle monks threw the scripture into a well. Afterward, they often saw a beam of brilliant red light streaming out from the well, at times resembling a raging flame.

When they retrieved the object, it proved to be the Avatamsaka Sutra. Although it had remained submerged in the water for a long time, the scripture was not wet at all. The Lesser Vehicle monks consequently came to believe that this scripture was spoken by the Buddha, yet they still considered it inferior to the Lesser Vehicle sutras and therefore placed it beneath them.

The following morning, they found the scripture lying on top, and they scolded the novice monks:

“Which one of you moved this scripture to the top without permission?”

They replied:

“No one touched it!”

The monks again placed it underneath, but the next day the scripture was once more lying on top as before. After this happened several times, the Lesser Vehicle monks were utterly astonished and finally realized that this scripture far surpassed those they had studied. They then cast themselves upon the ground, weeping and lamenting, turned their minds around and repented, and together received and upheld this scripture. From that time onward, the Avatamsaka Sutra flourished greatly in that country. At the same time, all the Lesser Vehicle masters esteemed it, took refuge in it with reverence, and established firm faith in it.

Notes:

^[146] In the Chinese text, this is fascicle 4.

^[147] Sanfu: The name of a region. During the Han dynasty, Jingzhao, Left Pingyi, and Right Fufeng were collectively called the Sanfu, corresponding to the central region of present-day Shaanxi Province.

^[148] Yongzhou: One of the nine ancient provinces of China, now corresponding to areas within Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai.

^[149] Dou: A large bowl used for drinking wine.

^[150] Mount Taibai: Also called Mount Taiyi, located southeast of present-day Mei County in Shaanxi Province.

^[151] Image Teaching: Synonymous with “transformation by semblance,” meaning the instruction and transformation carried out during the Age of the Semblance Dharma. (According to the Hue Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, volume V, page 4986).

^[152] Samantabhadra’s Practices: The ten great vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra: 1- To pay homage to all Buddhas: Always reverently pay homage to all Buddhas; 2- To praise the Tathagatas: Always extol the virtues of the Tathagatas; 3- To extensively cultivate offerings: Always honor and make offerings to all Buddhas; 4- To repent of karmic hindrances: Always repent of all karma committed since beginningless time and observe the pure precepts; 5- To rejoice in merit and virtue: Always rejoice in the merit and virtue of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, as well as those of the six classes of beings, the four modes of birth, and so forth; 6- To request the turning of the Dharma wheel: Always reverently request all Buddhas to expound the Dharma;

7- To request the Buddhas to remain in the world: Entreat the Buddhas and bodhisattvas not to enter nirvana, but to remain in the world and teach the Dharma; 8- To always follow the Buddhas in study: Always follow Buddha Vairocana in studying the Dharma; 9- To constantly accord with sentient beings: In accordance with the differences among the various classes of sentient beings, perform acts of offering; 10- To universally dedicate all merit: Dedicate merit to all sentient beings, aspiring that they attain Buddhahood.

These ten great vows represent all the vows and practices of bodhisattvas and are therefore also called Samantabhadra’s ocean of vows. Because he possesses such vast vows and practices, he is honored as Samantabhadra, the Bodhisattva of Great Practice.

(According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. IV, pp. 3716-3717, entry “Samantabhadra and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra”).

^[153] The Realm of Xianshou: That is, the Avatamsaka realm. Great Master Xianshou Fazang was the Third Patriarch of the Huayan school. Because he made great contributions to the flourishing of the Huayan school, it subsequently came to be called the Xianshou school. (According to the Dictionary of Buddhism, p. 172).

^[154] Dānapati: A transliteration from Sanskrit, meaning a donor.

^[155] Medicinal spirit: The spirit of a medicinal herb.

^[156] Ren: An ancient Chinese unit of length, equal to eight or seven chi during the Zhou dynasty, approximately 6.48 meters today.

^[157] Asura: A class of warlike spirits in India, regarded as malevolent deities and frequently engaged in battle with Śakra, Lord of the Gods. The sutras commonly identify three causes—anger, pride, and doubt—that lead sentient beings to be born as asuras. Other sutras enumerate ten causes of birth among the asuras: 1- Committing minor evil deeds with the body, 2- Speaking minor evil words with the mouth, 3- Entertaining minor evil thoughts in the mind, 4- Giving rise to arrogance, 5- Giving rise to self-conceit, 6- Giving rise to the conceit of superiority, 7- Giving rise to great conceit, 8- Giving rise to perverse conceit, 9- Giving rise to the conceit of conceit, 10- Allowing one’s wholesome roots to decline. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. I, p. 56).

^[158] Unsurpassed Bodhi: The fruition of Buddhahood. Because the Buddha’s attainment of bodhi is ultimate and unsurpassed, it is called Unsurpassed Bodhi. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. VII, p. 6119).

^[159] Six periods: The six periods within a day and night: early morning, midday, and late afternoon (the three daytime periods); early night, midnight, and late night (the three nighttime periods). (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. III, p. 2581).

^[160] Three kinds of karma: The three kinds of karma of body, speech, and mind. Bodily karma is of two distinct kinds, wholesome and unwholesome. Killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct belong to unwholesome bodily karma; refraining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct belongs to wholesome bodily karma.

Verbal karma is of two distinct kinds, wholesome and unwholesome. False speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech belong to unwholesome verbal karma; refraining from false speech, double-tongued speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech belongs to wholesome verbal karma. Mental karma is likewise of two distinct kinds, wholesome and unwholesome.

Covetousness, anger, and wrong views belong to unwholesome mental karma; the absence of greed, anger, and wrong views belongs to wholesome mental karma. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. V, p. 4140).

^[161] Tripitaka: The three collections of Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma. The Sutra-pitaka: The scriptures spoken by the Buddha, which accord above with the principles realized by all Buddhas and accord below with the capacities of sentient beings; all essential teachings within the Buddha’s doctrine belong to the category of sutras. The Vinaya-pitaka: The disciplinary rules established by the Buddha, which have the power to correct the evils of sentient beings and discipline their dispositions; all regulations concerning the life of the Sangha established by the Buddha belong to the category of Vinaya.

The Abhidharma-pitaka: Treatises discussing the meaning of the Buddhist sutras, rendering concise and profound passages clear in order to discern and determine the nature and characteristics of all dharmas. To develop the Buddha’s teachings further, later generations used their supreme wisdom to explain and discuss those teachings in an organized and systematic form. The Abhidharma-pitaka is also called the Collection of Treatises. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol.

V, pp. 4168-4169).

^[162] State monastery: A monastery granted an official stipend and placed under the administration of the imperial court. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. IV, p. 3793).

^[163] Merit assembly: A Dharma assembly at which people plant merit and virtue. This means offering robes, food, and other necessities to Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and venerable masters, or distributing them to the poor.

^[164] Shi: An ancient unit of weight equal to 120 jin, corresponding to 120 pounds today.

^[165] Hu: An ancient measure of capacity equal to ten dou, that is, ten sheng (customarily pronounced thưng in Vietnamese).

^[166] Crown prince: The king’s eldest son, or a son of the king who is appointed crown prince to succeed to the throne. (According to the New Sino-Vietnamese Dictionary, p. 273).

^[167] Jiangdu: Jiangsu, Yangzhou, China.

^[168] Prince of Jin: Sui Yang Jian, whose imperial title was Emperor Wen, the founding emperor of China’s Sui dynasty. He reigned from 581 to 604. (According to the Chinese-Vietnamese Dictionary, 1993, p. 1636).

^[169] Master Lang: A monk of the Qin dynasty who once formed a friendship with the recluse Zhang Rong. The Master erected a hermitage and built a stone chamber in the Kunlun Mountains, at Jinyu Cave northwest of Mount Tai. More than two hundred people, having heard of his reputation, came to reside there.

Fu Jian, Murong De, and Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin dynasty all revered the Master’s virtue. Fu Jian wished to invite him to court, but the Master steadfastly declined. Later, Murong De, in his capacity as king of Eastern Qi, granted the Master the tax revenues of two counties, and the Master’s reputation spread even farther.

People of that time called Jinyu Cave “Master Lang’s Valley” and called the monastery “Langgong Gushan Monastery.” (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol. VI, p. 5168, entry “Shentong Monastery”).

^[170] Eastern Capital: That is, Luoyang, in present-day Henan Province, China.

^[171] Huichao (546-622): An eminent Chinese monk who lived during the late Sui and early Tang dynasties. His secular surname was Shen, and he was a native of Jianjiang, Danyang (Jiangning, Ningsu). At first, the Master devoted himself to reciting the Lotus Sutra.

Later, under Chan Master Huisi of the Tiantai school, he studied the teaching of the three contemplations of the One Vehicle. Together with Masters Zhizhe and Minggong, he cultivated the contemplation of the One Vehicle for a long time, after which he entered seclusion on Mount Song. Later, Crown Prince Yang Yong reverently honored and supported him, inviting him to reside first at Dingshui Monastery, then at Wuzhen Monastery and Chanding Monastery.

Subsequently, the Master requested permission to return to the mountains and live in seclusion, but people from various regions continued to come and study under him. When the Tang dynasty came to power, his renown became even more widespread. The Master passed away in 622 at the age of seventy-seven. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhism, vol.

II, p. 1994).

^[172] Huisi (515–577): Also known as the Venerable Nanyue, Great Master Si, and Chan Master Si. He was an eminent Chinese monk who lived during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a native of Wujin in Shangcai, Henan, surnamed Li, and the second patriarch of the Chinese Tiantai school (although some accounts regard him as the third patriarch)… One day, the Master dreamed that the bodhisattva Samantabhadra stroked his head with his hand; from then on, an ushnisha arose on the crown of his head.

At the age of fifteen, the Master entered monastic life and went to pay his respects to Chan Master Huiwen in Henan, from whom he received the Dharma of contemplation of the mind. He was the first to advocate the doctrine concerning the period of decline of the Buddha-Dharma, namely the Age of the Final Dharma, and therefore established devotion to Amitabha Buddha and Maitreya Buddha. The Master emphasized both the practice of Chan meditation and the study of doctrine.

His renown spread far and wide, and he was revered by Emperor Xuan. He transmitted the Dharma to Zhiyi, an outstanding disciple among his followers. The Master entered nirvana in 577 at the age of sixty-three. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhist Studies, Vol.

II, pp. 1999–2000).

^[173] Zhizhe (538–597): Also known as Zhiyi and Great Master Tiantai. He was the fourth patriarch of the Chinese Tiantai school but is regarded as its true founder. The Great Master lived during the Sui dynasty and was a native of Huarong in Jingzhou, Hunan Province.

At the age of eighteen, the Master paid homage to Venerable Fazhu at Guoyuan Monastery and requested ordination. Before long, he studied the Vinaya Pitaka under Venerable Huikuang and also thoroughly mastered the Vaipulya teachings. In 560, during the Chen dynasty, the Master went to Mount Dasu in Jiangzhou to pay his respects to Venerable Huisi.

Venerable Huisi instructed him in the Samantabhadra practice sanctuary and expounded the four peaceful practices, so the Master remained there. One day, while reciting the chapter on Medicine King in the Lotus Sutra, the Master suddenly attained awakening. He subsequently lectured in place of Venerable Huisi and, accepting the latter’s charge, went to Jinling to propagate the Chan teachings.

At Waguan Monastery, the Master expounded the title of the Lotus Sutra, established new doctrinal principles, classified and interpreted the scriptural teachings, and laid the foundation for the doctrinal and contemplative system of the Tiantai school. In 591, during the Sui dynasty, Prince Yang Guang of Jin repeatedly invited the Master to return east. Moved by the Prince’s sincerity, the Master went to Yangzhou and conferred the bodhisattva precepts upon him, whereupon the Prince bestowed on him the title Zhizhe.

In 576, the Master withdrew to Mount Tiantai, from which the name Tiantai school subsequently arose. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhist Studies, Vol. VII, p. 5783; Dictionary of Buddhist Studies, p. 451).

^[174] Stage of the Disciples of the Five Grades: Abbreviated as the Five Grades. This is the stage of ordinary beings outside the path, preceding the Ten Faiths, and is the first of the eight stages of practice in the Perfect Teaching of the Tiantai school, corresponding to the identity in contemplation and practice among the Six Identities. Because those at this stage cultivate through five grades of practice, concentrating upon themselves and putting the teachings into actual practice, it is called the Stage of the Disciples of the Five Grades.

The five grades are: 1- The Grade of Rejoicing in Accord: Upon hearing the wondrous Dharma of true reality, one inwardly believes, understands, and rejoices; 2- The Grade of Reading and Recitation: After gaining faith and understanding, one reads, recites, explains, and expounds the wondrous Dharma; 3- The Grade of Expounding the Dharma: One expounds the Dharma to guide others and, through the merit of doing so, also contemplates one’s own mind in order to cultivate; 4- The Grade of Concurrently Practicing the Six Paramitas: In addition to contemplating the mind, one also cultivates the Six Paramitas, namely giving, observance of the precepts, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom;

5- The Grade of the Principal Practice of the Six Paramitas: When one’s practice of contemplating the mind has matured, one undertakes the practice of transforming others; both principle and phenomena are complete, and at this point the practice of the Six Paramitas becomes primary. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhist Studies, Vol.

III, pp. 2990–2991).

^[175] Female lay devotee: A female Buddhist householder.

^[176] Six fasting days: The six days each month for pure observance of the fasting precepts: the 8th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, 29th, and 30th days (according to the Chinese calendar; in a short month, these may be changed to the 28th and 29th days).

^[177] Teacher and friend: One who is both a teacher and a friend, a person from whom one may seek instruction.

^[178] True person: 1- A virtuous person in the world or a genuine Buddhist practitioner. (According to the Huệ Quang Dictionary of Buddhist Studies, Vol. I, p. 868). 2- A term of reverence used by Daoists for genuine practitioners who have attained the Way, or for those who preserve and nurture their original nature. (According to the Comprehensive Dictionary of the Chinese Language).