一祖摩訶迦葉尊者
The First Patriarch, Venerable Mahakashyapa
摩竭陀國人也。姓婆羅門。父飲澤。母香志。昔為鍛金師。善明金性。使其柔伏。付法傳云。甞於久遠劫中。毗婆尸佛入涅槃後。四眾起塔。塔中像面金色有缺壞。時有貧女。將金珠往金師所。請飾佛面。既而因共發願。願我二人為無姻夫妻。由是因緣。九十一劫身皆金色。後生梵天。天壽盡。生中天摩竭陀國婆羅門家。名曰迦葉波。此云飲光勝尊。葢以金色為號也。繇是志求出家。冀度諸有。佛言。善來。比丘。鬚髮自除。袈裟著體。常於眾中稱歎第一。復言。吾以清淨法眼。將付於汝。汝可流布。無令斷絕。涅槃經云。爾時世尊欲涅槃時。迦葉不在眾會。佛告諸大弟子。迦葉來時。可令宣揚正法眼藏。爾時迦葉在耆闍崛山畢鉢羅窟覩勝光明。即入三昧。以淨天眼。觀見世尊於熈連河側。入般涅槃。乃告其徒曰。如來涅槃也。何其駛哉。即至雙樹間。悲戀號泣。佛於金棺出示雙足。爾時迦葉告諸比丘。佛已茶毗。金剛舍利。非我等事。我等宜當結集法眼。無令斷絕。乃說偈曰。如來弟子。且莫涅槃。得神通者。當赴結集。於是得神通者悉集王舍耆闍崛山畢鉢羅窟。時阿難為漏未盡。不得入會。後證阿羅漢果。由是得入。迦葉乃白眾言。此阿難比丘多聞總持。有大智慧。常隨如來。梵行清淨。所聞佛法。如水傳器。無有遺餘。佛所讚歎。聰敏第一。宜可請彼集修多羅藏。大眾默然。迦葉告阿難曰。汝今宜宣法眼。阿難聞語信受。觀察眾心而宣偈言。比丘諸眷屬。離佛不莊嚴。猶如虗空中。眾星之無月。說是偈已。禮眾僧足。升法座而宣是言。如是我聞。一時佛住某處說某經教。乃至人天等作禮奉行。時迦葉問諸比丘。阿難所言。不錯謬乎。皆曰。不異世尊所說。迦葉乃告阿難言。我今年不久留。今將正法付囑於汝。汝善守護。聽吾偈言。法法本來法。無法無非法。何於一法中。有法有不法。說偈已。乃持僧伽梨衣入雞足山。俟慈氏下生。即周孝王五年丙辰歲也。尊者因外道問。如何是我我。者曰。覔我者是汝我。外道曰。這箇是我我。師我何在。者曰。汝問我覔。尊者一日踏泥次。有一沙彌見。乃問尊者。何得自為。者曰。我若不為。誰為我為。
He was a native of Magadha, of the Brahmin caste. His father was named Yīnzé, his mother Xiāngzhì. In a past life, he was a goldsmith, skilled in understanding the nature of gold, making it soft and pliable. The Transmission of the Dharma records that once, in a distant kalpa, after the Buddha Vipaśyin entered nirvana, the four assemblies built a stupa. The face of the statue inside the stupa was made of gold and had become damaged. At that time, there was a poor woman who took a golden pearl to the goldsmith, asking him to adorn the Buddha's face. Afterwards, they made a vow together: "May we two become a spiritual couple with no worldly ties." Because of this cause and condition, for ninety-one kalpas their bodies were golden in color. Later, they were reborn in the Brahma Heaven. When their heavenly life ended, they were born into a Brahmin family in Magadha, in central India. His name was Kāśyapa, which translates as "Drinker of Light, Victorious One," likely taking "golden light" as his epithet. Thus, he resolved to leave home, hoping to liberate all beings. The Buddha said, "Welcome, bhikkhu." His beard and hair fell away by themselves, and the monastic robe covered his body. He was often praised by the Buddha as foremost among the assembly. The Buddha also said, "I entrust to you the pure Dharma eye. You must spread it widely, and not let it be cut off." The Nirvana Sutra states: At that time, when the World-Honored One was about to enter nirvana, Kāśyapa was not present in the assembly. The Buddha told the great disciples, "When Kāśyapa comes, have him proclaim the treasury of the true Dharma eye." At that time, Kāśyapa was at Vulture Peak in the Pippala Cave. Seeing a magnificent light, he entered samadhi and, with his purified divine eye, saw the World-Honored One by the side of the Hiranyavati River, entering parinirvana. He then told his disciples, "The Tathagata has entered nirvana. How swiftly it has come!" He immediately went to the twin sala trees, weeping sorrowfully and with longing. The Buddha revealed his pair of feet from within the golden coffin. At that time, Kāśyapa addressed the bhikkhus: "The Buddha has been cremated. The vajra-like relics are not our affair. We should gather and compile the Dharma eye, and not let it be cut off." He then spoke a verse: "Disciples of the Tathagata, do not enter nirvana yet. Those who have attained spiritual powers should come to the gathering." Thereupon, all who had attained spiritual powers assembled at Vulture Peak in the Pippala Cave in Rajagriha. At that time, Ānanda had not yet exhausted his defilements and could not join the assembly. Later, after realizing the fruit of arhatship, he was thus able to enter. Kāśyapa then addressed the assembly, saying: "This bhikkhu Ānanda is learned and possesses total retention. He has great wisdom, constantly attended the Tathagata, his holy practice is pure, and the Dharma he heard from the Buddha is like water poured from one vessel to another—nothing is lost or left over. The Buddha praised him as foremost in intelligence and keenness. We should invite him to compile the Sutra Pitaka." The great assembly remained silent in agreement. Kāśyapa said to Ānanda, "You should now proclaim the Dharma eye." Hearing these words, Ānanda accepted them with faith. Observing the minds of the assembly, he proclaimed a verse: "The bhikkhus, all the retinue, without the Buddha lack majesty. Just as in the empty sky, the many stars have no moon." After speaking this verse, he paid respects at the feet of the sangha, ascended the Dharma seat, and proclaimed: "Thus have I heard: Once the Buddha dwelt at a certain place and taught a certain sutra..." and so on until "the humans, devas, and others paid homage and respectfully practiced." Then Kāśyapa asked the bhikkhus, "Are Ānanda's words free from error?" They all said, "They do not differ from what the World-Honored One said." Kāśyapa then told Ānanda, "My remaining years are not long. I now entrust the true Dharma to you. You must guard it well. Listen to my verse: All dharmas are originally Dharma. No dharma, no non-dharma. How, within the one Dharma, can there be dharma and non-dharma?" After speaking the verse, he took his sanghati robe and entered Kukkutapada Mountain to await the descent of Maitreya. This was in the fifth year of King Xiao of Zhou, the bingchen year. Once, a non-Buddhist asked the Venerable One, "What is my 'I'?" The Venerable said, "The one seeking 'I' is your 'I'." The non-Buddhist said, "This is my 'I'. Where is the master's 'I'?" The Venerable said, "You ask me to seek it." One day, the Venerable One was treading in mud. A novice saw him and asked, "Venerable, why are you doing this yourself?" The Venerable said, "If I do not do it, who will do it for me?"