三祖商那和修尊者
Third Patriarch, Venerable Sanavasa
摩突羅國人也。亦名舍那婆斯。姓毗舍多。父林勝。母憍奢耶。在胎六年而生。梵語商諾迦。此云自然服。即西域九枝秀草名也。若聖人降生。則此草生於淨潔之地。和修生時。瑞草斯應。昔如來行化至摩突羅國。見一青林。枝葉茂盛。語阿難曰。此林地名優留茶。吾滅度後一百年。有比丘商那和修。於此轉妙法輪。後百歲。果誕和修。出家證道。受慶喜尊者法眼。化導有情。及止此林。降二火龍。歸順佛教。龍因施其地。以建梵宮。尊者化緣既久。思付正法。尋於吒利國。得優波毱多以為給侍。因問毱多曰。汝年幾邪。答曰。我年十七。者曰。汝身十七。性十七邪。答曰。師髮已白。為髮白邪。心白邪。者曰。我但髮白。非心白耳。毱多曰。我身十七。非性十七也。尊者知是法器。後三載。遂為落髮授具。乃告曰。昔如來以無上法眼付囑迦葉。展轉相授。而至於我。我今付汝。勿令斷絕。汝受吾教。聽吾偈言。非法亦非心。無心亦無法。說是心法時。是法非心法。說偈已。即隱於罽賓國南象白山中。後於三昧中。見弟子毱多有五百徒眾。常多懈慢。尊者乃往彼。現龍奮迅三昧以調伏之。而說偈曰。通達非彼此。至聖無長短。汝除輕慢意。疾得阿羅漢。五百比丘聞偈已。依教奉行。皆獲無漏。尊者乃現十八變火光三昧。用焚其身。毱多收舍利。葬於梵迦羅山。五百比丘各持一幡。迎導至彼。建塔供養。乃宣王二十三年乙未歲也。
The Elder was from the country of Mathurā. He was also known as Śāṇakavāsa. His family name was Vaiśālī. His father was named Lin Sheng, and his mother was named Kauśikyā. He remained in the womb for six years before birth. "Śāṇakavāsa" is a Sanskrit term, meaning "naturally clothed" — the name of a miraculous grass from the Western Regions. When a sage is born, this grass appears in a pure and clean place. When this Elder was born, this auspicious grass appeared in response.
Long ago, the Tathāgata was on his way to spread the Dharma in the country of Mathurā. Seeing a forest of lush green trees, he said to Ānanda, "This forest is called Ulūka-palvata. One hundred years after my Parinirvāṇa, there will be a monk named Śāṇakavāsa who will turn the wonderful Wheel of Dharma here." Exactly one hundred years later, Śāṇakavāsa was born, left home, and attained the Way. He received the Dharma eye from the Honored Rādha. He then taught and transformed sentient beings and stayed in this forest, where he subdued two fire-breathing dragons and brought them into the Buddhist fold. In gratitude, the dragons offered him their land, on which a pure monastery was built.
After a long period of teaching, the Elder desired to pass on the true Dharma. He subsequently found a youth named Upagupta in the country of Cīna and took him as an attendant. The Elder asked Upagupta, "How old are you?" Upagupta replied, "I am seventeen." The Elder asked, "Is your body seventeen, or is your nature seventeen?" Upagupta countered, "Your hair has turned white. Is your hair white, or is your mind white?" The Elder said, "Only my hair is white. My mind is not white." Upagupta said, "Then my body is seventeen, but my nature is not seventeen."
The Elder knew this youth was a vessel for the Dharma. Three years later, he shaved Upagupta's head and bestowed upon him the full precepts. He then said, "In the past, the Tathāgata entrusted the unsurpassed Dharma-eye to Mahākāśyapa. It has been passed down from one to another, eventually to me. I now entrust it to you — do not let it be cut off. Receive my teaching and listen to my verse:
*Neither Dharma nor mind, No mind and no Dharma. When one speaks of mind-Dharma, That Dharma is not mind-Dharma.*
After reciting this verse, the Elder then hid himself in the White Elephant Mountains south of Kashmir.
Later, in a meditative state, he saw his disciple Upagupta with five hundred followers who were often lazy and arrogant. The Elder went to them and displayed the "Dragon's Rampant Samādhi" to tame and chastise them. He then recited a verse:
*Reaching the Realms of Realization, there is no 'this' or 'that'; The ultimate sage knows neither long nor short. Remove your thoughts of contempt and arrogance, And you will quickly attain Arhatship.*
When the five hundred monks heard this verse, they followed it with reverence and all attained the state of no-outflow (arhatship). The Elder then displayed the eighteen transformations and the "Fire Samādhi" to cremate his own body. Upagupta gathered his relics and buried them on Mount Vaṅkāra. The five hundred monks each held a banner, led the procession to the mountain, and built a stūpa to offer reverence. This occurred in the twenty-third year of King Xuan's reign, the year of the Wood Sheep.