record of buddhistic kingdoms-第26章

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the　north　of　the　mountain；　threw　a　rock　across；　and　hurt　Buddha's　toes；＇3＇　the　rock　is　still　there。＇4＇

The　hall　where　Buddha　preached　his　Law　has　been　destroyed；　and　only　the　foundations　of　the　brick　walls　remain。　On　this　hill　the　peak　is　beautifully　green；　and　rises　grandly　up；　it　is　the　highest　of　all　the　five　hills。　In　the　New　City　Fa…hien　bought　incense…（sticks）；　flowers；　oil　and　lamps；　and　hired　two　bhikshus；　long　resident　（at　the　place）；　to　carry　them　（to　the　peak）。　When　he　himself　got　to　it；　he　made　his　offerings　with　the　flowers　and　incense；　and　lighted　the　lamps　when　the　darkness　began　to　come　on。　He　felt　melancholy；　but　restrained　his　tears　and　said；　〃Here　Buddha　delivered　the　Surangama　（Sutra）。＇5＇　I；　Fa…hien；　was　born　when　I　could　not　meet　with　Buddha；　and　now　I　only　see　the　footprints　which　he　has　left；　and　the　place　where　he　lived；　and　nothing　more。〃　With　this；　in　front　of　the　rock　cavern；　he　chanted　the　Surangama　Sutra；　remained　there　over　the　night；　and　then　returned　towards　the　New　City。＇6＇

NOTES

＇1＇　See　chap。　xxviii；　note　1。

＇2＇　See　chap。　xxv；　note　9。　Pisuna　is　a　name　given　to　Mara；　and　signifies　〃sinful　lust。〃

＇3＇　See　M。　B。；　p。　320。　Hardy　says　that　Devadatta's　attempt　was　〃by　the　help　of　a　machine；〃　but　the　oldest　account　in　the　Sacred　Books　of　the　East；　vol。　xx；　Vinaya　Texts；　p。　245；　agrees　with　what　Fa…hien　implies　that　he　threw　the　rock　with　his　own　arm。

＇4＇　And；　as　described　by　Hsuan…chwang；　fourteen　or　fifteen　cubits　high；　and　thirty　paces　round。

＇5＇　See　Mr。　Bunyiu　Nanjio's　〃Catalogue　of　the　Chinese　Translation　of　the　Buddhist　Tripitaka；〃　Sutra　Pitaka；　Nos。　399；　446。　It　was　the　former　of　these　that　came　on　this　occasion　to　the　thoughts　and　memory　of　Fa…hien。

＇6＇　In　a　note　（p。　lx）　to　his　revised　version　of　our　author；　Mr。　Beal　says；　〃There　is　a　full　account　of　this　perilous　visit　of　Fa…hien；　and　how　he　was　attacked　by　tigers；　in　the　'History　of　the　High　Priests。'〃　But　〃the　high　priests〃　merely　means　distinguished　monks；　〃eminent　monks；〃　as　Mr。　Nanjio　exactly　renders　the　adjectival　character。　Nor　was　Fa…hien　〃attacked　by　tigers〃　on　the　peak。　No　〃tigers〃　appear　in　the　Memoir。　〃Two　black　lions〃　indeed　crouched　before　him　for　a　time　this　night；　〃licking　their　lips　and　waving　their　tails；〃　but　their　appearance　was　to　〃try；〃　and　not　to　attack　him；　and　when　they　saw　him　resolute；　they　〃drooped　their　heads；　put　down　their　tails；　and　prostrated　themselves　before　him。〃　This　of　course　is　not　an　historical　account；　but　a　legendary　tribute　to　his　bold　perseverance。



CHAPTER　XXX

THE　SRATAPARNA　CAVE；　OR　CAVE　OF　THE　FIRST　COUNCIL。　LEGENDS。　SUICIDE　OF　A　BHIKSHU。

Out　from　the　old　city；　after　walking　over　300　paces；　on　the　west　of　the　road；　（the　travellers）　found　the　Karanda　Bamboo　garden；＇1＇　where　the　（old）　vihara　is　still　in　existence；　with　a　company　of　monks；　who　keep　（the　ground　about　it）　swept　and　watered。

North　of　the　vihara　two　or　three　le　there　was　the　Smasanam；　which　name　means　in　Chinese　〃the　field　of　graves　into　which　the　dead　are　thrown。〃＇2＇

As　they　kept　along　the　mountain　on　the　south；　and　went　west　for　300　paces；　they　found　a　dwelling　among　the　rocks；　named　the　Pippala　cave；＇3＇　in　which　Buddha　regularly　sat　in　meditation　after　taking　his　（midday）　meal。

Going　on　still　to　the　west　for　five　or　six　le；　on　the　north　of　the　hill；　in　the　shade；　they　found　the　cavern　called　Srataparna；＇4＇　the　place　where；　after　the　nirvana＇5＇　of　Buddha；　500　Arhats　collected　the　Sutras。　When　they　brought　the　Sutras　forth；　three　lofty　seats＇6＇　had　been　prepared　and　grandly　ornamented。　Sariputtra　occupied　the　one　on　the　left；　and　Maudgalyayana　that　on　the　right。　Of　the　number　of　five　hundred　one　was　wanting。　Mahakasyapa　was　president　（on　the　middle　seat）。　Amanda　was　then　outside　the　door；　and　could　not　get　in。＇7＇　At　the　place　there　was　（subsequently）　raised　a　tope；　which　is　still　existing。

Along　（the　sides　of）　the　hill；　there　are　also　a　very　great　many　cells　among　the　rocks；　where　the　various　Arhans　sat　and　meditated。　As　you　leave　the　old　city　on　the　north；　and　go　down　east　for　three　le；　there　is　the　rock　dwelling　of　Devadatta；　and　at　a　distance　of　fifty　paces　from　it　there　is　a　large；　square；　black　rock。　Formerly　there　was　a　bhikshu；　who；　as　he　walked　backwards　and　forwards　upon　it；　thought　with　himself：〃This　body＇8＇　is　impermanent；　a　thing　of　bitterness　and　vanity；＇9＇　and　which　cannot　be　looked　on　as　pure。＇10＇　I　am　weary　of　this　body；　and　troubled　by　it　as　an　evil。〃　With　this　he　grasped　a　knife；　and　was　about　to　kill　himself。　But　he　thought　again：〃The　World…honoured　one　laid　down　a　prohibition　against　one's　killing　himself。〃＇11＇　Further　it　occurred　to　him：〃Yes；　he　did；　but　I　now　only　wish　to　kill　three　poisonous　thieves。〃＇12＇　Immediately　with　the　knife　he　cut　his　throat。　With　the　first　gash　into　the　flesh　he　attained　the　state　of　a　Srotapanna；＇13＇　when　he　had　gone　half　through；　he　attained　to　be　an　Anagamin；＇14＇　and　when　he　had　cut　right　through；　he　was　an　Arhat；　and　attained　to　pari…nirvana；＇15＇　（and　died）。

NOTES

＇1＇　Karanda　Venuvana；　a　park　presented　to　Buddha　by　king　Bimbisara；　who　also　built　a　vihara　in　it。　See　the　account　of　the　transaction　in　M。　B。；　p。　194。　The　place　was　called　Karanda；　from　a　creature　so　named；　which　awoke　the　king　just　as　a　snake　was　about　to　bite　him；　and　thus　saved　his　life。　In　Hardy　the　creature　appears　as　a　squirrel；　but　Eitel　says　that　the　Karanda　is　a　bird　of　sweet　voice；　resembling　a　magpie；　but　herding　in　flocks；　the　/cuculus　melanoleucus/。　See　〃Buddhist　Birth　Stories；〃　p。　118。

＇2＇　The　language　here　is　rather　contemptuous；　as　if　our　author　had　no　sympathy　with　any　other　mode　of　disposing　of　the　dead；　but　by　his　own　Buddhistic　method　of　cremation。

＇3＇　The　Chinese　characters　used　for　the　name　of　this　cavern　serve　also　to　name　the　pippala　（peepul）　tree；　the　/ficus　religiosa/。　They　make　us　think　that　there　was　such　a　tree　overshadowing　the　cave；　but　Fa…hien　would　hardly　have　neglected　to　mention　such　a　circumstance。

＇4＇　A　very　great　place　in　the　annals　of　Buddhism。　The　Council　in　the　Srataparna　cave　did　not　come　together　fortuitously；　but　appears　to　have　been　convoked　by　the　older　members　to　settle　the　rules　and　doctrines　of　the　order。　The　cave　was　prepared　for　the　occasion　by　king　Ajatasatru。　From　the　expression　about　the　〃bringing　forth　of　the　King；〃　it　would　seem　that　the　Sutras　or　some　of　them　had　been　already　committed　to　writing。　May　not　the　meaning　of　King　｛。｝　here　be　extended　to　the　Vinaya　rules；　as　well　as　the　Sutras；　and　mean　〃the　standards〃　of　the　system　generally？　See　Davids'　Manual；　chapter　ix；　and　Sacred　Books　of　the　East；　vol。　xx；　Vinaya　Texts；　pp。　370…385。

＇5＇　So　in　the　text；　evidently　for　pari…nirvana。

＇6＇　Instead　of　〃high〃　seats；　the　Chinese　texts　have　〃vacant。〃　The　character　for　〃prepared〃　denotes　〃spread；〃they　were　carpeted；　perhaps；　both　cushioned　and　carpeted；　being　rugs　spread　on　the　ground；　raised　higher　than　the　other　places　for　seats。

＇7＇　Did　they　not　contrive　to　let　him　in；　with　some　cachinnation；　even　in　so　august　an　assembly；　that　so　important　a　member　should　have　been　shut　out？

＇8＇　〃The　life　of　this　body〃　would；　I　think；　fairly　express　the　idea　of　the　bhikshu。

＇9＇　See　the　account　of　Buddha's　preaching　in　chapter　xviii。

＇10＇　The　sentiment　of　this　clause　is　not　easily　caught。

＇11＇　See　E。　M。；　p。　152：〃Buddha　made　a　law　forbidding　the　monks　to　commit　suicide。　He　prohibited　any　one　from　discoursing　on　the　miseries　of　life　in　such　a　manner　as　to　cause　desperation。〃　See　also　M。　B。；　pp。　464；　465。

＇12＇　Beal　says：〃Evil　desire；　hatred；　ignorance。〃

＇13＇　See　chap。　xx；　note　10。

＇14＇　The　Anagamin　belong　to　the　third　degree　of　Buddhistic　saintship；　the　third　class　of　Aryas；　who　are　no　more　liable　to　be　reborn　as　men；　but　are　to　be　born　once　more　as　devas；　when　they　will　forthwith　become　Arhats；　and　attain　to　nirvana。　E。　H。；　pp。　8；　9。

＇15＇　Our　author　expresses　no　opinion　of　his　own　on　the　act　of　this　bhikshu。　Must　it　not　have　been　a　good　act；　when　it　was　attended；　in　the　very　act　of　performance；　by　such　blessed　consequences？　But　if　Buddhism　had　not　something　better　to　show　than　what　appears　here；　it　would　not　attract　the　interest　which　it　now　does。　The　bhikshu　was　evidently　rather　out　of　his　mind；　and　the　ver