~Legend of the Trayastrimsas Heaven~
From this they proceeded southeast for eighteen yojanas, and found
themselves in a kingdom called Sankâs'ya, at the place where Buddha
came down, after ascending to the Trayastrims'as heaven [1], and there
preaching for three months his Law for the benefit of his mother [2].
Buddha had gone up to this heaven by his supernatural power, without
letting his disciples know; but seven days before the completion of the
three months he laid aside his invisibility, and Anuruddha [3], with his
heavenly eyes, saw the World-honored one, and immediately said to the
honored one, the great Mugalan, "Do you go and salute the World-honored
one," Mugalan forthwith went, and with head and face did homage at
Buddha's feet. They then saluted and questioned each other, and when
this was over, Buddha said to Mugalan, "Seven days after this I will go
down to Jambudvîpa"; and thereupon Mugalan returned. At this time the
great kings of eight countries with their ministers and people, not
having seen Buddha for a long time, were all thirstily looking up for
him, and had collected in clouds in this kingdom to wait for the
World-honored one.
Then the bhikshunî Utpala thought in her heart, "To-day the kings, with
their ministers and people, will all be meeting and welcoming Buddha. I
am but a woman; how shall I succeed in being the first to see him?"
Buddha immediately, by his spirit-like power, changed her into the
appearance of a holy Chakravartti king, and she was the foremost of all
in doing reverence to him.
As Buddha descended from his position aloft in the Trayastrims'as
heaven, when he was coming down, there were made to appear three flights
of precious steps. Buddha was on the middle flight, the steps of which
were composed of the seven precious substances. The king of Brahma-loka
[4] also made a flight of silver steps appear on the right side, where
he was seen attending with a white chowry in his hand. Sakra, Ruler of
Devas, made a flight of steps of purple gold on the left side, where he
was seen attending and holding an umbrella of the seven precious
substances. An innumerable multitude of the devas followed Buddha in his
descent. When he was come down, the three flights all disappeared in the
ground, excepting seven steps, which continued to be visible. Afterwards
king As'oka, wishing to know where their ends rested, sent men to dig
and see. They went down to the yellow springs without reaching the
bottom of the steps, and from this the king received an increase to his
reverence and faith, and built a vihâra over the steps, with a standing
image, sixteen cubits in height, right over the middle flight. Behind
the vihâra he erected a stone pillar, about fifty cubits high, with a
lion on the top of it. [5] Let into the pillar, on each of its four
sides, there is an image of Buddha, inside and out shining and
transparent, and pure as it were of lapis lazuli. Some teachers of
another doctrine once disputed with the S'ramanas about the right to
this as a place of residence, and the latter were having the worst of
the argument, when they took an oath on both sides on the condition
that, if the place did indeed belong to the S'ramanas, there should be
some marvellous attestation of it. When these words had been spoken, the
lion on the top gave a great roar, thus giving the proof; on which their
opponents were frightened, bowed to the decision, and withdrew.
Through Buddha having for three months partaken of the food of heaven,
his body emitted a heavenly fragrance, unlike that of an ordinary man.
He went immediately and bathed; and afterwards, at the spot where he did
so, a bathing-house was built, which is still existing. At the place
where the bhikshuni Utpala was the first to do reverence to Buddha, a
tope has now been built.
At the places where Buddha, when he was in the world, cut his hair and
nails, topes are erected; and where the three Buddhas [6] that preceded
S'âkyamuni Buddha and he himself sat; where they walked, and where
images of their persons were made. At all these places topes were made,
and are still existing. At the place where S'akra, Ruler of the Devas,
and the king of the Brahma-loka followed Buddha down from the
Trayastrimsas heaven they have also raised a tope.
At this place the monks and nuns may be a thousand, who all receive
their food from the common store, and pursue their studies, some of the
mahayana and some of the hînayâna. Where they live, there is a
white-eared dragon, which acts the part of danapati to the community of
these monks, causing abundant harvests in the country, and the enriching
rains to come in season, without the occurrence of any calamities, so
that the monks enjoy their repose and ease. In gratitude for its
kindness, they have made for it a dragon-house, with a carpet for it to
sit on, and appointed for it a diet of blessing, which they present for
its nourishment. Every day they set apart three of their number to go to
its house, and eat there. Whenever the summer retreat is ended, the
dragon straightway changes its form, and appears as a small snake, with
white spots at the side of its ears. As soon as the monks recognize it,
they fill a copper vessel with cream, into which they put the creature,
and then carry it round from the one who has the highest seat at their
tables to him who has the lowest, when it appears as if saluting them.
When it has been taken round, immediately it disappears; and every year
it thus comes forth once. The country is very productive, and the people
are prosperous, and happy beyond comparison. When people of other
countries come to it, they are exceedingly attentive to them all, and
supply them with what they need.
Fifty yojanas northwest from the monastery there is another, called "The
Great Heap." Great Heap was the name of a wicked demon, who was
converted by Buddha, and men subsequently at this place reared a vihâra.
When it was being made over to an Arhat by pouring water on his hands,
some drops fell on the ground. They are still on the spot, and however
they may be brushed away and removed, they continue to be visible, and
cannot be made to disappear.
At this place there is also a tope to Buddha, where a good spirit
constantly keeps all about it swept and watered, without any labor of
man being required. A king of corrupt views once said, "Since you are
able to do this, I will lead a multitude of troops and reside there till
the dirt and filth has increased and accumulated, and see whether you
can cleanse it away or not." The spirit thereupon raised a great wind,
which blew the filth away, and made the place pure.
At this place there are many small topes, at which a man may keep
counting a whole day without being able to know their exact number. If
he be firmly bent on knowing it, he will place a man by the side of each
tope. When this is done, proceeding to count the number of the men,
whether they be many or few, he will not get to know the number. [7]
There is a monastery, containing perhaps six hundred or seven hundred
monks, in which there is a place where a Pratyeka Buddha used to take
his food. The nirvâna ground where he was burned after death is as large
as a carriage wheel; and while grass grows all around, on this spot
there is none. The ground also where he dried his clothes produces no
grass, but the impression of them, where they lay on it, continues to
the present day.
[Footnote 1: The heaven of Indra or Sâkya, meaning "the heaven of
thirty-three classes," a name which has been explained both historically
and mythologically. "The description of it," says Eitel, "tallies in all
respects with the Svarga of Brahmanic mythology. It is situated between
the four peaks of the Meru, and consists of thirty-two cities of devas,
eight on each of the four corners of the mountain. Indra's capital of
Bellevue is in the centre. There he is enthroned, with a thousand heads
and a thousand eyes, and four arms grasping the vajra, with his wife and
119,000 concubines. There he receives the monthly reports of the four
Mahârâjas, concerning the progress of good and evil in the world," etc.,
etc.]
[Footnote 2: Buddha's mother, Mâyâ and Mahâ-mâyâ, died seven days after
his birth.]
[Footnote 3: Anuruddha was a first cousin of Sâkyamuni, being the son of
his uncle Amritodana. He is often mentioned in the account we have of
Buddha's last moments. His special gift was the "heavenly eye," the
first of the six "supernatural talents," the faculty of comprehending in
one instantaneous view, or by intuition, all beings in all worlds.]
[Footnote 4: This was Brahma, the first person of the Brahmanical
Trimurti, adopted by Buddhism, but placed in an inferior position, and
surpassed by every Buddhist saint who attains to bodhi.]
[Footnote 5: A note of Mr. Beal says on this:--"General Cunningham, who
visited the spot (1862), found a pillar, evidently of the age of Asoka,
with a well-carved elephant on the top, which, however, was minus trunk
and tail. He supposes this to be the pillar seen by Fâ-hien, who mistook
the top of it for a lion. It is possible such a mistake may have been
made, as in the account of one of the pillars at Srâvasti, Fâ-hien says
an ox formed the capital, whilst Hsüan-chwang calls it an elephant."]
[Footnote 6: These three predecessors of Sakya-muni were the three
Buddhas of the present or Mahâ-bhadra Kalpa, of which he was the fourth,
and Maitreya is to be the fifth and last. They were: (i) Kra-kuchanda,
"he who readily solves all doubts"; a scion of the Kasyapa family. Human
life reached in his time forty thousand years, and so many persons were
converted by him. (2) Kanakamuni, "body radiant with the color of pure
gold"; of the same family. Human life reached in his time thirty
thousand years, and so many persons were converted by him. (3) Kasyapa,
"swallower of light." Human life reached in his time twenty thousand
years, and so many persons were converted by him.]
[Footnote 7: This would seem to be absurd; but the writer evidently
intended to convey the idea that there was something mysterious about
the number of the topes.]