~Buddha's Alms-bowl--Death of Hwuy-king~
Going southwards from Gândhâra, the travellers in four days arrived at
the kingdom of Purushapura. [1] Formerly, when Buddha was travelling in
this country with his disciples, he said to Ânanda, [2] "After my
pari-nirvâna, [3] there will be a king named Kanishka, who shall on this
spot build a tope."
This Kanishka was afterwards born into the world; and once, when he had
gone forth to look about him, Sakra, Ruler of Devas, wishing to excite
the idea in his mind, assumed the appearance of a little herd-boy, and
was making a tope right in the way of the king, who asked what sort of a
thing he was making. The boy said, "I am making a tope for Buddha." The
king said, "Very good;" and immediately, right over the boy's tope, he
proceeded to rear another, which was more than four hundred cubits high,
and adorned with layers of all the precious substances. Of all the topes
and temples which the travellers saw in their journeyings, there was not
one comparable to this in solemn beauty and majestic grandeur. There is
a current saying that this is the finest tope in Jambudvîpa [4]. When
the king's tope was completed, the little tope of the boy came out from
its side on the south, rather more than three cubits in height.
Buddha's alms-bowl is in this country. Formerly, a king of Yüeh-she
raised a large force and invaded this country, wishing to carry the bowl
away. Having subdued the kingdom, as he and his captains were sincere
believers in the Law of Buddha, and wished to carry off the bowl, they
proceeded to present their offerings on a great scale. When they had
done so to the Three Precious Ones, he made a large elephant be grandly
caparisoned, and placed the bowl upon it. But the elephant knelt down on
the ground, and was unable to go forward. Again he caused a four-wheeled
wagon to be prepared in which the bowl was put to be conveyed away.
Eight elephants were then yoked to it, and dragged it with their united
strength; but neither were they able to go forward. The king knew that
the time for an association between himself and the bowl had not yet
arrived, and was sad and deeply ashamed of himself. Forthwith he built a
tope at the place and a monastery, and left a guard to watch the bowl,
making all sorts of contributions.
There may be there more than seven hundred monks. When it is near
mid-day, they bring out the bowl, and, along with the common people,
make their various offerings to it, after which they take their mid-day
meal. In the evening, at the time of incense, they bring the bowl out
again. It may contain rather more than two pecks, and is of various
colors, black predominating, with the seams that show its fourfold
composition distinctly marked. Its thickness is about the fifth of an
inch, and it has a bright and glossy lustre. When poor people throw into
it a few flowers, it becomes immediately full, while some very rich
people, wishing to make offering of many flowers, might not stop till
they had thrown in hundreds, thousands, and myriads of bushels, and yet
would not be able to fill it.[5]
Pâo-yun and Sang-king here merely made their offerings to the alms-bowl,
and then resolved to go back. Hwuy-king, Hwuy-tah, and Tâo-ching had
gone on before the rest to Nagâra, to make their offerings at the places
of Buddha's shadow, tooth, and the flat-bone of his skull. There
Hwuy-king fell ill, and Tâo-ching remained to look after him, while
Hwuy-tah came alone to Purushapura, and saw the others, and then he with
Pâo-yun and Sang-king took their way back to the land of Ts'in.
Hwuy-king came to his end in the monastery of Buddha's alms-bowl, and on
this Fâ-hien went forward alone towards the place of the flat-bone of
Buddha's skull.[6]
[Footnote 1: The modern Peshâwur.]
[Footnote 2: A first cousin of Sâkyamuni, and born at the moment when he
attained to Buddhaship. Under Buddha's teaching, Ânanda became an Arhat,
and is famous for his strong and accurate memory; and he played an
important part at the first council for the formation of the Buddhist
canon. The friendship between Sâkyamuni and Ânanda was very close and
tender; and it is impossible to read much of what the dying Buddha said
to him and of him, as related in the Mahâpari-nirvâna Sûtra, without
being moved almost to tears. Ânanda is to reappear on earth as Buddha in
another Kalpa.]
[Footnote 3: On his attaining to nirvâna, Sâkyamuni became the Buddha,
and had no longer to mourn his being within the circle of
transmigration, and could rejoice in an absolute freedom from passion,
and a perfect purity. Still he continued to live on for forty-five
years, till he attained to pari-nirvâna, and had done with all the life
of sense and society, and had no more exercise of thought. He died; but
whether he absolutely and entirely ceased to be, in any sense of the
word being, it would be difficult to say. Probably he himself would not
and could not have spoken definitely on the point. So far as our use of
language is concerned, apart from any assured faith in and hope of
immortality, his pari-nirvâna was his death.]
[Footnote 4: Jambudvîpa is one of the four great continents of the
universe, representing the inhabited world as fancied by the Buddhists,
and so-called because it resembles in shape the leaves of the jambu
tree.]
[Footnote 5: Compare the narrative in Luke's Gospel, xxi. 1-4.]
[Footnote 6: This story of Hwuy-king's death differs from the account
given in chapter xiv.--EDITOR.]