English
English version: The imperial decree stated: 'Yesterday, subtle doctrines were expounded, and profound teachings were promoted. On the day of the initial translation, a dream of sweet dew appeared as an auspicious sign. On the morning of the lecture's commencement, an earthquake was felt, marking a unique event. This signifies the descent of the Tathagata (Tathāgata, 'Thus Gone One', an epithet of the Buddha), corresponding to the texts of the Nine Assemblies. How could I, a mediocre person, dare to bear the six kinds of tremors?' Upon reading the memorial, I felt joy and elation. During the Shengli era, the Tripiṭaka (Tripiṭaka, the three baskets of Buddhist scriptures) master Śikṣānanda (Śikṣānanda, a Tang Dynasty translator of scriptures) from Khotan (Khotan, an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions) was translating the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the Flower Garland Sutra) at the Buddha Prediction Temple. He said to Xiang Zang Gong: 'In my country, there is a Śrāmaṇera (Śrāmaṇera, a novice monk) named Mīgabha (Mīgabha), who observes the ten precepts. Although he has not received full ordination, his body and mind are pure. He diligently recites the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. One day, two messengers arrived, bowed to him, and were of majestic and beautiful appearance, with light emanating from their bodies. Mīgabha was astonished and asked where they came from. The messengers replied: 'We have descended from Trāyastriṃśa Heaven (Trāyastriṃśa, one of the six heavens of desire in Buddhism), sent by Indra (Indra, a protector deity in Buddhism) to invite the master to recite the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. We hope you will come immediately.' Mīgabha said: 'I wonder, for what reason does the Heavenly Emperor command me to recite the sutra?' The messengers said: 'When the Heavenly Emperor battles with the Asuras (Asura, a race of demonic beings in Indian mythology), he is often oppressed and harassed. The Heavenly Emperor uses his divine eye to observe Jambudvīpa (Jambudvīpa, the world we inhabit according to Buddhism), seeking the blessings and protection of sutra recitation. Even if there were four Han Chinese, they could not accomplish this. Only you, Dharma Master, are seen to be wholeheartedly devoted to the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, your mind wandering in the realm of the Buddha, capable of being a field of merit for humans and gods. That is why we have come to welcome you.' The Dharma Master said: 'This humble monk will surely be able to offer some assistance; how could I refuse?' Thus, he accepted the invitation, closed his eyes for a moment, and arrived at the heavenly palace. Indra was pleased and said: 'I am often disturbed by the Asuras, so I have troubled you to come. With the Dharma Master upholding the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the gods will protect, and the benevolent spirits will secretly guard. Please recite the sutra for me to dispel the threat of the enemy.' Indra immediately removed his heavenly crown and placed it in the void, and suddenly a palace appeared, made of seven treasures, with doors on all four sides and windows on all eight sides, adorned with Maṇi jewels and various treasures, with hanging banners and canopies, and arranged with flowers and incense as offerings. He invited the Dharma Master to enter the palace and sit on a lotus throne to recite the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. The sound of the sutra was clear and high, resonating throughout the heavenly palace. Indra led the four divisions of the thirty-three heavens (Trāyastriṃśa, one of the six heavens of desire in Buddhism), along with countless attendants, surrounding him, sitting on a jeweled platform, and traveling through the air to the place of battle. The Asura armies, seeing this majestic and divine power, immediately retreated and collapsed, and their companions hid in the holes of lotus roots. Indra then invited the Dharma Master back to the heavenly palace. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。供养施以七珍异宝。帝释又白师言。若须长生之药。亦当奉上。请住天宫。无见辞也。师曰。割爱出家。求无上道。世间珍异。及长生事。非所志焉。帝于是五体投地。一心顶礼曰。愿成菩提时。誓相济脱。莫见弃遗。乃遣使送还阎浮。所有衣服。皆染天香。终身不灭。后终愿生净土。实叉三藏。具识此沙弥者矣。 圣历年中。于阗三藏实叉难陀云。龟兹国中。唯习小乘。不知释迦分化百亿。现种种身云。示新境界。不信华严大经。有梵僧。从天竺将华严梵本。至其国中。小乘师等。皆无信受。梵僧遂留经而归。小乘诸师。乃以经投弃于井经于井中。放光赫如火聚。夜诸师睹之。疑谓金宝。至明集议。使人漉之。乃是前所弃华严经也。诸师稍为惊异。遂却入归经藏中龛安置。他日忽见梵本。在其藏内最上隔。诸师念言。此非我释迦所说耶。吾见有少异。乃收入藏中。何人辄将向此上隔。又以梵本。置于下龛。僧众躬锁藏门。自掌钥钩。明日开藏。还见华严在其上隔。诸师方悟一乘大教威灵如此。惭悔过责。信慕渐生矣。 证圣年中。花阴邓元英(有本名元爽)有一亲友。忽染时患。死经七日却稣。谓元爽曰。见冥道宫吏将追君父。文案欲成。急修功德以禳之。元英惊惧曰。修何功德。而疾获免。彼人云 现代汉语译本：用七种珍奇的宝物来供养布施。帝释天又对法师说：‘如果需要长生不老药，我也应当奉献上，请您住在天宫，不要离去。’法师说：‘我已割舍了世俗的爱而出家，寻求无上的佛道。世间的珍宝和长生之事，不是我的志向。’于是帝释天五体投地，一心顶礼说：‘愿您成就菩提时，誓愿救济我脱离苦难，不要抛弃我。’然后派遣使者送法师返回阎浮提（Jambudvipa，指我们所居住的这个世界）。法师所有的衣服，都染上了天上的香气，终身不灭。后来法师发愿往生净土。实叉三藏（Śikṣānanda，唐代译经家）完全认识这位沙弥。 圣历年间，于阗（Khotan，古代西域国名）的三藏法师实叉难陀（Śikṣānanda）说，龟兹国（Kucha，古代西域国名）中，只学习小乘佛法，不知道释迦牟尼佛（Śākyamuni，佛教创始人）分化百亿化身，显现种种身相。他们说这是显示新的境界，不相信《华严经》这样的大乘经典。有一位梵僧，从天竺（India，古代对印度的称呼）将《华严经》的梵文版本带到龟兹国中，小乘的法师们都不相信接受。梵僧于是留下经书而返回。小乘的各位法师，竟然将经书投入井中。经书在井中，放出光芒，像火堆一样明亮。夜晚，各位法师看到了，怀疑是金银珠宝。到第二天早上，大家聚集商议，派人去打捞。捞上来的，却是先前所丢弃的《华严经》。各位法师稍微感到惊异，于是又将经书放回经藏中的龛位安置。过了几天，忽然看见梵文版本，在经藏内最上面的隔层。各位法师心想，这难道不是我释迦牟尼佛所说的吗？我们看到有些不同，就收入藏中，什么人擅自将它放到这上面的隔层？又将梵文版本，放置在下面的龛位。僧众亲自锁上藏经的门，自己掌管钥匙。第二天打开经藏，还是看见《华严经》在最上面的隔层。各位法师这才醒悟到一乘大教的威灵是如此的不可思议，惭愧后悔，逐渐产生了信慕之心。 证圣年间，花阴（地名）的邓元英（有的版本名为邓元爽）有一位亲友，忽然染上当时的疾病，死后经过七天却又苏醒过来。他对邓元爽说：‘我看见阴间的官吏将要追捕你的父亲，文案就要完成了，赶快修功德来禳解。’邓元英惊恐地说：‘修什么功德，才能快速免除灾祸？’那人说：
English
English version: He offered seven kinds of rare treasures as alms. Emperor Śakra (帝释, the ruler of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven) further said to the master, 'If you need the elixir of immortality, I shall also offer it. Please stay in the heavenly palace and do not leave.' The master said, 'I have renounced worldly love to seek the supreme path. Worldly treasures and the matter of immortality are not my aspirations.' Thereupon, Emperor Śakra prostrated himself with his five limbs touching the ground and wholeheartedly paid homage, saying, 'When you attain Bodhi (菩提, enlightenment), I vow to help and deliver you. Do not abandon me.' He then sent messengers to escort the master back to Jambudvipa (阎浮提, the world we live in). All the master's clothes were imbued with heavenly fragrance, which never faded throughout his life. Later, the master vowed to be reborn in the Pure Land. Śikṣānanda (实叉三藏, a translator of Buddhist scriptures in the Tang Dynasty) fully recognized this Śrāmaṇera (沙弥, novice monk). During the Shengli era, the Tripiṭaka master Śikṣānanda (实叉难陀) of Khotan (于阗, an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions) said that in the kingdom of Kucha (龟兹, an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions), they only studied the Hinayana (小乘, Lesser Vehicle) teachings and did not know that Śākyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛, the founder of Buddhism) manifested hundreds of billions of transformation bodies, displaying various forms. They said this was showing new realms and did not believe in the Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra (《华严经》, Flower Garland Sutra). A Brahmin monk from India (天竺, ancient name for India) brought a Sanskrit version of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra to the kingdom. The Hinayana masters did not believe or accept it. The Brahmin monk then left the scripture and returned. The Hinayana masters threw the scripture into a well. The scripture in the well emitted light, as bright as a pile of fire. At night, the masters saw it and suspected it was gold and jewels. The next morning, they gathered and discussed, sending someone to retrieve it. What they retrieved was the Avataṃsaka Sūtra they had discarded earlier. The masters were slightly astonished and placed the scripture back in the niche in the scripture repository. A few days later, they suddenly saw the Sanskrit version in the uppermost compartment of the repository. The masters thought, 'Is this not what our Śākyamuni Buddha said? We see some differences, so we put it in the repository. Who dared to put it in this upper compartment?' They then placed the Sanskrit version in the lower niche. The monks personally locked the door of the repository and kept the key themselves. The next day, when they opened the repository, they still saw the Avataṃsaka Sūtra in the uppermost compartment. The masters then realized the power of the One Vehicle (一乘, Ekayana) teachings was so incredible. They felt ashamed and remorseful, and gradually developed faith and admiration. During the Zheng Sheng era, Deng Yuanying (邓元英) of Huayin (花阴, place name) had a close friend who suddenly contracted the epidemic of the time. He died and revived after seven days. He said to Deng Yuanying, 'I saw the officials of the underworld were about to arrest your father. The documents were about to be completed. Quickly cultivate merit to avert the disaster.' Deng Yuanying asked in fear, 'What merit should I cultivate to quickly avoid the calamity?' The man said, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。急写大华严经一部。若迟大期不远。元英乃遽市买纸。向邻寺伏禅师院。请禅师与名召经生。如法护净。一时书写。未俞旬日。经已周毕。办斋庆之。于后遂免斯厄。元英仍依母服免切在怀。至其冬十一月中。于母坟所旧种寒枯之茎。忽生花叶。芳[廿/(麸-夫+玉)]荣艳。五彩含英。斯盖写经之感也。洲县以之闻奏。则天嗟异。赐立孝门。降敕旌表。 如意元年。降洲有二童女。皆性识静正。眇年依师姑。诵华严经。得三十余卷。师姑戒行。精苦常诵华严为业。欲教二女令得剃度。无几师姑忽然端坐而终。二女朝朝。诣坟所号泣。经于三年。坟上忽生红莲五茎。二女睹华感异。益以号慕。忽见一梵僧。神仪甚伟。来问女曰。汝何哀号如是。女对曰。于和尚所。诵习华严。志求出家。不图无感。师姑早丧。僧曰。汝既能恳求剃落。何忧不果。僧乃于怀中。出一砖像方圆六七寸。以授二女。而告之曰。汝将此像。于家供养。不久当获出家。女得像已礼谢梵僧。少倾忽然不见。女即将归家。如法供养。精勤信敬。一心无怠。其像方圆。日长一寸。十日间。无日不长。后至丈余。洲县知之。兼花检覆闻奏。则天异之。诏遣二女。兼花根茎同入发墓取花。乃见花茎透棺而出。破棺取根。根自师始舌上而生。光彩鲜 现代汉语译本：元英急忙购买纸张，前往邻寺伏禅师的院落，请禅师帮忙找来经生，如法如仪地做好防护和清洁工作，同时开始书写《大华严经》。不到十天，经书就全部抄写完毕。元英举办斋戒仪式庆祝此事，之后便免除了这场灾祸。元英仍然因为母亲的丧事而悲痛不已。到了那年冬天的十一月中旬，在母亲坟墓旁过去种植的已经枯萎的植物茎干上，忽然长出了花和叶子，芬芳美丽，色彩鲜艳，五彩缤纷。这大概是抄写经书所产生的感应吧。洲县将此事上报朝廷，则天皇帝感到惊异，赐予元英家‘孝门’的称号，并下旨表彰。 如意元年（武则天年号），降洲有两个童女，都性格沉静端正。年幼时跟随师姑诵读《华严经》，已经读了三十多卷。师姑戒律精严，常以诵读《华严经》为业。想要教导两个童女，让她们能够剃度出家。没过多久，师姑忽然端坐而逝。两个童女每天都到坟墓前哭泣，持续了三年。坟墓上忽然长出五株红莲。两个童女看到花朵，感到惊异，更加思念师姑。忽然出现一位梵僧（指来自印度的僧人），神态庄严。他问两个童女说：‘你们为何如此悲伤哭泣？’童女回答说：‘我们在师父这里诵读《华严经》，立志出家，没想到没有感应，师姑早早去世了。’僧人说：‘你们既然能够恳切地祈求剃度，何必担心不能如愿？’僧人于是从怀中取出一尊砖像，方圆六七寸，交给两个童女，并告诉她们说：‘你们将这尊佛像带回家供养，不久就能获得出家。’童女得到佛像后，向梵僧行礼感谢。一会儿，梵僧忽然不见了。童女随即带着佛像回家，如法供养，精勤信奉，一心不懈。佛像的方圆每天增长一寸。十天之内，每天都在增长。后来长到一丈多。洲县官员得知此事，连同花朵一起上报朝廷。则天皇帝感到惊异，下诏派遣两个童女，连同花朵的根茎一同入墓取花。只见花茎穿透棺材而出。破开棺材取出花根，花根从师姑的舌头上长出，光彩鲜艳。