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That would never do. A priest may lose sight of his proper function if he attain too great success jn secular work. The permission to do both is given by the Buddha to men of superior talent only, but izazlgence in any but one’s proper avocation will lead to great error. What one does not wish to have oneself, must not be given to others*.” On hearing this, the pupils retired, saying : ‘It is well.’ But the important books, such as Shuo-wén ¢ and other lexicons, were given to the pupils. He then. taught’ them, saying: ‘When you have done a rough study of the Chinese classics 7 aan i: I-+tsing borrowed this term from Confucius’s saying (Analects, book ii, 4). That is to say, ‘he knew the time of his death beforehand.’ ‘ } fai) i 3B ‘he ‘Diamond’ may mean the ‘ Diamond-Hero,’ i.e. Vagrap4zi, a name of Indra as a guardian god of Buddhism. But the use of the character ¢ Diamond’ in Buddhistic Chinese is not strictly confined to its literal sense, and itmay mean here some images of the Buddha. -® Analects, book xii, 2, Confucius’s saying-: ‘not to do to others as you would not wish done to yourself.’ be ‘ # Xl. The famous dictionary compiled a. p. 100 by af ta. Hsii Shén, and containing about 10,000 characters. analysed with a view to nrove the 204. A RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. XL. and history, and acquired a vague knowledge of the characters, you should turn your attention to the Excellent Buddhist Canon. You must not let this snare prove too great an attraction.’ Previous to his death he told his pupils that he was certainly going to leave this world after three days; that he should die while holding a broom 4, and his remains were to be left in the marshy wilderness. Early in the morning on the third day he walked by the clear stream, and sitting down quietly under a white willow-tree which stood desolate, near to the green waving reeds, he passed away holding a broom in his hand. One of his pupils, the Dhydna-master, Hui-li by name, went to see his teacher there early that very morning. But what is it? The latter is silent. The pupil drew near and touched the master’s body with his hands. He felt warmth still proceeding from the master’s head, but the hands and feet were already cold. Then weeping, he called together all the distant friends. When all had assembled, the priests grieved and wept so much that the sad scene might be compared with the red river? pouring out its stream of blood on the earth; his lay-followers also sobbed and cried, so that the confused crowd might be compared to the gems on the precious mountain broken to pieces, Sad it is that the tree of Bodhi should wither so soon; it is also piteous that the vessel of the Law should sink so suddenly. He was buried in the west garden of his monastery. He was sixty-three years of age. What he left behind him after his death consisted of only three garments, a pair of slippers and shoes, and the bed-clothes which he was using. When my teacher died, I was twelve years old. The great elephant (i.e. ‘great teacher’) having departed, I was destitute of my refuge. Laying aside my study of secular literature, I devoted myself to the Sacred (Buddhist) Canon. In my fourteenth year I was admitted to the Order, and it was in my eighteenth year that I formed the intention of travelling to India, which was not, however, realised till my thirty- seventh year. On my departure, I went to my late mastet’s tomb to a * Perhaps as a sign of his not forgetting the sweeping of the sanctuary until death. SUCH ACEIONS ARE UNPRECEDENTED. 205 worship, and to take leave. At that time, seared foliage of the trees around had already grown so as to half embrace the tomb, and wild grasses filled the graveyard. Though the spirit world is hidden from us, nevertheless I paid him all honour just as if he had been present}. While turning round and glancing in every direction, I related my intention of travelling. I invoked his spiritual aid, and expressed my wish to requite the great benefits conferred on me by that benign personage (lit. ‘ face’). _ The Dhyana-master, Hui-hsi, my second teacher, exclusively devoted himself to the study of the Vinaya. His mind was clear and calm. He never neglected the devotional exercises which were to be performed, six times day and night. He was never tired of teaching from morning till night the four classes of the devotees? (Bhikshu, -7i, Upasaka, and Upasika). It may be said of him that even in time of confusion he is quite free from alarm, nay, that he is more peaceful and quiet ; and no one, be he priest or layman, has ever found him partial. The Saddharmapumdarika was his favourite book; he read it once a day for more than sixty years; thus the perusal amounted to twenty thousand times. Although he happened to live during the troublous times of the last period of the Sui dynasty (A.D. 589-617), and to wander here and there guided by fate alone, yet he never relinquished® his determined idea (of reading). He possessed the six organs of sense in perfection, and the four elements* of a healthy body. He never had any illness during the sixty years of his life. Whenever he began to recite the Sitras near the stream, there appeared an auspicious bird which came and alighted in a corner of the hall. While he was reciting, the bird also cried as if it were influenced by his voice, and as if listening to him. _ was ever good in disposition, and well acquainted with musical tn ZE - Af, see Analects, boak iii,"r2. > PY a. 5 J. reads J¥¥, ie. ‘incurable disease,’ while the other texts read BS. ‘to abandon,’ which I follow. * py Kk, four great constituents of the body: earth, water, fire. and air. 206 : 4 RECORD OF BUDDHIST PRACTICES. XL, notes!. He was especially skilled in writing the running hand, and also the ‘clerk’s style.” He was never weary of guiding and instructing. Although he did not care much for the study of secular books, yet he was naturally gifted and well versed in them. Both his. Gatha on the six Paramitas and the words of prayer composed by him were written on the lamp-stands of the Temple of the Earth-cave®: Afterwards when he was engaged in copying the Saddharmapundartka (the ‘ Lotus of the Good Law’) he compared the styles of the famous handwritings (of old), and chose the best of all $ (in copying). Breathing out the impure air, and keeping scents in his mouth, he was in the habit of purifying himself by washing and bathing. Suddenly there once appeared miraculously on this Satra a relic of the Buddha. When the copy-of the Sittra was finished, the title on each scroll was impressed in golden letters, which were beautiful by the side of the silver hooks of the scroll +. He deposited them in the jewelled cases, which, being in themselves bright, added to the brilliancy of the gemmed rollers. The then ruling emperor came to T‘ai Shan, and hearing the news, asked the owner to present the copy to the imperial household, to be used-in worship. These two teachers of mine, Shan-yii and Hui-hsi, were the suc- cessors of the former sage, (Séng-) Lang the DhyAna-master. Lang the Dhyana-master was born in the time of the two dynasties of Ch‘in®, and was celebrated beyond all the five classes of people. He received offerings from all quarters ; he in person visited the gate of every almsgiver. He taught men according to circumstance and ability. His deeds were suited to the needs of the devotees. The exercise, how- ever, of his personal influence was far above the worldly affairs. The * pi J FB RE gt BS #£ RE RG #t. This is a very strange sentence. My translation follows the explanatory marks of the separate Japanese edition. ® Tu-k'u, see p. 199 above. * + $2 w | ge at _E #@. My translation follows Kasyapa. A splendid specimen of the MS. of the Chinese Saddharmapuzdarika can be seen in the library of the Indian Institute, Oxford. *® The former Ch'in, a.p. 350-394, and the latter Ch'in, a.p. 384-417. SUCH ACTIONS ARE UNPRECEDENTED. 207 temple of Shén-t‘ung' (i.e. ‘Miraculous Power’) was named thus after him. His religious character was beyond our understanding. Full information is given in bis separate biography (Liang-kao-séng-ch‘uan). At that time the rulers respected Buddhism, and people were devotional (about A.D. 350-417). . When they were intending to build this temple, on entering the forest they heard a tiger roaring near the northern stream of T'ai Shan. On emerging from it they again heard a horse neighing? in the southern valley of the mountain. The water in the Heavenly Well, though constantly drawn, never decreased, and the grains in the Celestial Granary °, though perpetually taken out, did not diminish in quantity. The man himself has long disappeared, but the influence left behind him is not yet lost. These two teachers of mine, and another resident priest, the venerable Dhy4na-master, Ming-teh, were well versed in the Vinaya doctrine and fully acquainted with the purport of the Sftras. As instructors of the disciples they severely prohibited the practice of such things as burning one’s fingers or destroying one’s body by fire *, which were never taught by the Buddha. I myself received instruction from these teachers in person, and did not get my information from a hearsay statement. You should also carefully examine the above points of the sages of old, and give your attentiom to the teaching of the ancients. From the time that the white horse® was unbridled till the dark elephant was saddled *, Kasyapamatanga and Dharmaraksha §, illumining the world by their rays (of wisdom), became as it were the sun and moon of the Divine Land (China), and K‘ang-séng-hui and Fa-hien®, by ‘i wih i , built 4. D. 396, above, p. 199; Liang-kao-séng-ch‘uan, book v. ?