二祖阿難尊者
Second Patriarch, Venerable Ananda
王舍城人也。姓剎利帝。父斛飯王。實佛之從弟也。梵語阿難陀。此云慶喜。亦云歡喜。如來成道夜生。因為之名。多聞博達。智慧無礙。世尊以為總持第一。甞所讚歎。加以宿世有大功德。受持法藏。如水傳器。佛乃命為侍者。尊者一日白佛言。今日入城。見一奇特事。佛曰。見何奇特事。者曰。入城時見一攢樂人作舞。出城總見無常。佛曰。我昨日入城。亦見一奇特事。者曰。未審見何奇特事。佛曰。我入城時見一攢樂人作舞。出城時亦見樂人作舞。一日問迦葉曰。師兄。世尊傳金襴袈裟外。別傳箇甚麼。迦葉召阿難。阿難應諾。迦葉曰。倒却門前剎竿著。後阿闍世王白言。仁者。如來．迦葉尊勝二師。皆已涅槃。而我多故。悉不能覩。尊者般涅槃時。願垂告別。尊者許之。後自念言。我身危脆。猶如聚沫。況復衰老。豈堪久長。阿闍世王與吾有約。乃詣王宮。告之曰。吾欲入涅槃。來辭耳。門者曰。王寢。不可以聞。者曰。俟王覺時。當為我說。時阿闍世王夢中見一寶葢。七寶嚴飾。千萬億眾圍繞瞻仰。俄而風雨暴至。吹折其柄。珍寶瓔珞。悉墜於地。心甚驚異。既寤。門者具白上事。王聞。失聲號慟。哀感天地。即至毗舍離城。見尊者在恒河中流。跏趺而坐。王乃作禮。而說偈曰。稽首三界尊。棄我而至此。暫憑悲願力。且莫般涅槃。時毗舍離王亦在河側。說偈言。尊者一何速。而歸寂滅場。願住須臾間。而受於供養。尊者見二國王咸來勸請。乃說偈言。二王善嚴住。勿為苦悲戀。涅槃當我淨。而無諸有故。尊者復念。我若偏向一國。諸國爭競。無有是處。應以平等度諸有情。遂以恒河中流。將入寂滅。是時山河大地。六種震動。雪山有五百仙人。覩茲瑞應。飛空而至。禮尊者足。胡跪白言。我於長老。當證佛法。願垂大慈。度脫我等。尊者默然受請。即變殑伽河悉為金地。為其仙眾說諸大法。尊者復念。先所度脫弟子應當來集。須臾。五百羅漢從空而下。為諸仙人出家授具。其仙眾中有二羅漢。一名商那和修。二名末田底迦。尊者知是法器。乃告之曰。昔如來以大法眼付大迦葉。迦葉入定而付於我。我今將滅。用傳於汝。汝受吾教。當聽偈言。本來付有法。付了言無法。各各須自悟。悟了無無法。尊者付法眼藏竟。踊身虗空。現十八變入風奮迅三昧。分身四分。一分奉忉利天。一分奉娑竭羅龍宮。一分奉毗舍離王。一分奉阿闍世王。各造寶塔而供養之。乃厲王十二年癸巳歲也。
He was from the city of Rajagriha, born into the Kshatriya caste. His father was King Shuddhodana's brother, making him Shakyamuni Buddha's cousin. In Sanskrit, he is called "Ananda," meaning "Joy" or "Rejoicing" — named such because he was born on the night of the Buddha's enlightenment. He was greatly learned, widely read, deeply wise, and unhindered in understanding. The World-Honored One praised him as the foremost in mindfulness and retention. Endowed with great merit from past lives, he could hold the entire treasury of the Dharma, like a vessel that transmits water. The Buddha appointed him as his personal attendant.
One day, the venerable Ananda said to the Buddha, "Today I entered the city and saw a wondrous thing." The Buddha asked, "What wondrous thing did you see?" Ananda replied, "When I entered the city, I saw a group of musicians dancing. But when I left the city, all I saw was impermanence." The Buddha said, "Yesterday, when I entered the city, I also saw a wondrous thing." Ananda asked, "May I ask what wondrous thing you saw?" The Buddha said, "When I entered the city, I saw a group of musicians dancing. And when I left the city, I also saw the same musicians dancing."
Another day, Ananda asked Mahakashyapa, "Senior brother, aside from the golden robe the World-Honored One transmitted, what else did he pass down?" Mahakashyapa called out, "Ananda!" Ananda responded. Mahakashyapa said, "Knock down the flagpole in front of the gate."
Later, King Ajatashatru said to Ananda, "Venerable one, both the Tathagata (the Thus-Come One) and the venerable Mahakashyapa, my two honored teachers, have already entered nirvana. And because of the turmoil of my affairs, I could not witness their final moments. When you enter nirvana, I beg you to inform me beforehand." The venerable one agreed.
Afterward, Ananda thought to himself, "My body is fragile and impermanent, like a heap of foam. How much more so now that I am old — how can it last much longer? King Ajatashatru has an agreement with me." So he went to the king's palace and told the guard, "I am about to enter nirvana. I have come to say goodbye." The guard said, "The king is sleeping. I cannot disturb him." Ananda said, "When the king wakes, please tell him what I have said."
At that time, in a dream, King Ajatashatru saw a precious canopy, adorned with the seven jewels, surrounded and gazed upon by countless millions of beings. Suddenly, a violent wind and rainstorm arose, snapping the canopy's pole, and all the jeweled ornaments fell to the ground. The king was greatly startled and frightened.
When he awoke, the guard told him everything that had happened. Hearing this, the king let out a cry of anguish that shook heaven and earth. Immediately, he went to the city of Vaishali and saw the venerable Ananda sitting in lotus posture in the middle of the Ganges River. The king prostrated himself and spoke this verse:
"I bow to the venerable one, honored in the three realms, Who leaves me behind to go to this place. I beg you, for a moment, through the power of compassion, Do not yet enter nirvana."
At that time, the king of Vaishali was also standing by the riverbank. He also spoke a verse:
"Venerable one, why are you so swift To return to the realm of stillness? I pray you, stay only for a little while, That we might make an offering to you."
Seeing that both kings had come to earnestly request him to stay, Ananda spoke this verse:
"Two kings, please rest peacefully, Do not grieve or cling in your sorrow. Nirvana is my true purity, For there is no longer any conditioned existence."
The venerable one then reflected: "If I were to lean toward one country, all the other countries would vie for my remains. That would not be right. Instead, I should equally liberate all beings." So, remaining in the middle of the Ganges River, he prepared to enter final nirvana.
At that moment, the mountains, rivers, and earth trembled in six distinct ways. Five hundred sages from the Snowy Mountains saw this auspicious sign and flew through the air to arrive. They bowed at the venerable one's feet and, kneeling with one knee on the ground, said, "We have come, O elder, to realize the Buddha Dharma. Please, through your great compassion, liberate and bring us across."
The venerable one silently accepted their request. He instantly transformed the entire Ganges River into a golden ground and taught the great Dharma to that assembly of sages. Then he reflected, "The disciples I have previously liberated should also gather here." In a moment, five hundred Arhats descended from the sky. He then gave monastic ordination to the sages.
Among those sages were two Arhats: one named Shanavasika and the other named Madhyantika. The venerable one knew they were worthy vessels for the Dharma and said to them, "Long ago, the Tathagata transmitted the great Dharma-eye (the treasury of the true Dharma) to Mahakashyapa. Kashyapa, having entered samadhi, passed it on to me. I am now about to pass away and so transmit it to you. You receive my teaching. Listen to this verse:
'Originally, there was a Dharma to transmit. Now that it is transmitted, we say there is no Dharma. Each one must realize it for themselves. Once realized, there is no 'no Dharma.' '
After transmitting the treasury of the true Dharma-eye, the venerable one soared into the sky, displayed eighteen transformational feats, and entered the Fire Element Samadhi. His body then split into four parts: one part was offered to the Trayastrimsa Heaven, one part to the Naga king Sagara's dragon palace, one part to the king of Vaishali, and one part to King Ajatashatru. Each of them built jeweled stupas to enshrine and make offerings to his relics.
This occurred in the twelfth year of King Li's reign.