第一優填王波斯匿王釋迦金木像感應(出阿含觀佛造像遊歷記律。及西國傳誌誥等)
First: King Udayana and King Prasenajit's Response to the Golden Sandalwood Image of Shakyamuni<note>From
釋迦牟尼如來成道八年。思報母摩耶恩。從祇洹寺起。往忉利天。於善法堂中金石之上。結跏趺坐。爾時摩耶。出兩道乳。潤世尊唇。示親子緣。佛為說法。是時人間四眾。不見如來。渴仰憂愁。如喪父母。如箭入心。共往世尊所住處。園林庭宇。悉空無佛。倍加悲戀。不能自止。問阿難言。如來今日竟為所在。阿難報曰。我亦不知。二王思都如來。遂得苦患。爾時優填王。勅國界內諸奇巧師匠。而告之曰。我今欲作佛像。巧匠白王言。我等不能作佛妙相。假使毘首羯摩天。而有所作。亦不能得似於如來。我若受命者。但可摸擬螺髻玉毫少分之相。諸餘相好光明威德難及。誰能作耶。世尊來會之時所造形像。若有戲誤。我等名稱普並皆退失。竊共籌量。無能敢作。復白王言。今造像應用純紫栴檀之木。文理體質堅密之者。但其形相。為座為立。高下若何。王以此語問臣。智臣白王言。當作坐像。一切諸佛。得大菩提。轉正法輪。現大神變。作大佛事。皆悉坐故。應作坐師子座結跏趺坐之像。時毘首羯摩。變身為匠。持諸刻器。到於城門白言。我今欲為大王造像。王心大喜。與主藏臣。於內藏中。選擇香木。肩荷負持。與天匠而謂之言。仁為造像。令與如來形相似。時大目連。請佛神力。往令圖相。還返操斧破木。其聲上徹忉利天。至佛會所。以佛力聲所及處。眾生聞者。罪垢皆得消除。盲者得眼。聾者能聞。啞者能言。醜者端正。貧者得福。乃至三途離苦得樂。一切未曾有益。皆悉現起。是時天匠。不日而成。高七尺。或云五尺。機見不同。面及手足。皆紫金色。王見相好。心生淨信。得柔順忍。業障煩惱並消除。唯除曾於聖人起惡語業。是時波斯匿王。復召國中巧匠。欲造佛像。而生此念。如來形體。莫如真金。即純以紫摩金。而作高五尺。爾時閻浮之內。始此二如來像。爾時如來。過夏經九十日已。告四眾言。却後七日。當下至閻浮提僧伽尸國大池水測。時天帝告自在天。從須彌頂至池水。作三徑路。金銀水精。或時地作。或淨居天作也。是時如來踏金道。時五王往詣佛所。迦尸國波斯匿王。拔嗟國優填王。五都人民之主惡生王。南海主優陀延王。摩訶陀國瓶沙王。頭面禮足。爾時優填王。頂戴佛像。并諸上供珍異之至佛所。而一奉獻佛。時木像從座而起。如生佛足步虛空。足下雨華。放光明來迎世尊。合掌叉手。為佛作禮少似於佛。而說偈言。佛在忉利天。為母說法時。大工造像聲。遠聞善法堂。三十三天眾。同音皆隨喜。未來世造像。獲無量勝福。爾時世尊。亦復長跪合掌向像。於虛空中。百千化佛。亦皆合掌。其像躬低頭。世尊親為摩頂授記曰。吾滅後一千年外。當於此土為人天作大饒益。我諸弟子。以付屬汝。若有眾生。於佛滅後造像。幡華眾香持用供養。是人來世。必得見佛。出生死苦。爾時優填王。白世尊言。前佛滅度造像者。猶在世不。佛言。我以佛眼普見十方。前佛滅度後造像者。皆生十方佛前。無有一人猶在生死。但造菩薩像者。故留在世。瓶沙王是也。爾時木像。白生佛言。世尊前進。可入精舍。世尊亦語像言。止止不須說。我緣將盡。入滅不久。汝在世間。久利眾生。在前而入滅。若在後者。人生輕慢。再三往復。其像進却還本位。於是世尊自移於寺邊小精舍之內。與像異處。相去二十步。優填王。歡喜不能自勝。於時五王白世尊曰。當云何造立神寺。爾時世尊申右手。從地中出迦葉佛寺。以此為法。時五王即於彼處。起大神寺。安置其像而去云云。
After the Buddha Shakyamuni, the Thus-Come One, had attained enlightenment for eight years, he thought to repay the kindness of his mother, Queen Maya. He departed from the Jetavana Monastery and ascended to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. There, in the Hall of Good Dharma, on a surface of gold and stone, he sat in full lotus posture. At that time, Maya manifested two streams of milk, moistening the Tathagata's lips, demonstrating their bond as mother and child. The Buddha then taught the Dharma for her.
Meanwhile, the fourfold assembly back in the human world could not see the Tathagata. Full of longing and sorrow, they felt like children who had lost their parents, as if arrows had pierced their hearts. They went together to where the World-Honored One had been staying, only to find the gardens, courtyards, and halls completely empty of the Buddha. Their grief and attachment intensified, and they could not contain themselves. They asked Ananda, "Where is the Thus-Come One today?" Ananda replied, "I do not know either."
King Udayana, along with another king, were so consumed by thoughts of the Tathagata that they fell ill. Then King Udayana issued a decree to all the skilled artisans in his kingdom, saying, "I wish to make an image of the Buddha." The skilled artisans said to the king, "We cannot create the wonderful features of the Buddha. Even if the celestial artisan Vishvakarma were to try, he could not produce something like the Thus-Come One. If we receive this order, we can only roughly imitate a fraction of his snail-shell hair and white curl. As for his other fine marks, radiant light, majestic virtue, no one can match them. Who could do that? And if, when the World-Honored One returns, the image we made is flawed, our reputation will be ruined." They secretly discussed but no one dared to take on the task.
They then said to the king, "The image should be made from pure red sandalwood with a fine tight grain and solid texture. But as for its form, should it be seated or standing, and what height should it be?" The king put the question to his ministers. A wise minister said, "It should be a seated image. All Buddhas attain supreme enlightenment, turn the wheel of the true Dharma, perform great miracles, and accomplish great Buddha-work while seated. So you should make an image seated in lotus posture on a lion throne."
At that time, Vishvakarma transformed himself into an artisan. Carrying carving tools, he arrived at the city gate and said, "I wish to make an image for the great king now." The king was overjoyed. He went with his treasurer to the treasury, selected fragrant wood, and carrying it on his shoulder, gave it to the heavenly artisan, saying, "Sir, make an image that resembles the Thus-Come One in form."
Meanwhile, the venerable Mahamaudgalyayana, relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, went up to sketch the Tathagata's likeness. When he returned, the artisan took his axe to split the wood. The sound of the axe reached up to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and the Buddha's assembly. By the Buddha's power, all beings who heard that sound had their sins and defilements purified. The blind gained sight, the deaf could hear, the mute could speak, the ugly became beautiful, the poor gained blessings, and even beings in the three lower realms were freed from suffering to attain happiness. All manner of unprecedented benefits manifested.
The heavenly artisan completed the image in a matter of days. It was seven feet tall—some say five feet—depending on different accounts. Its face, hands, and feet were all of a purple-gold color. When the king saw its fine marks, his mind was filled with pure faith. He attained the patience of acceptance, and his karmic obstacles and afflictions were all purified, except for those from previous slander of holy beings.
At that time, King Prasenajit also summoned skilled artisans from his country to make a Buddha image. He thought, "The Thus-Come One's body is like pure gold," so he made an image five feet tall entirely of purple gold. And thus, in the Jambudvipa world, these were the first two images of the Thus-Come One.
When the ninety days of the summer retreat had passed, the Thus-Come One told the fourfold assembly, "Seven days from now, I will descend to the great lake in the country of Sankasya in Jambudvipa." Then the King of the Heavenly Realm told the God of Sovereignty to make three pathways from the peak of Mount Sumeru to the lake—one of gold, one of silver, and one of crystal. Some say they were made by Earth deities; others, by the Pure Abode gods. At that time, the Thus-Come One walked on the golden path.
The five kings came to the Buddha's presence: King Prasenajit of Kashi, King Udayana of Vatsa, King Evil-Liver of the five realms, King Udayana of the south, and King Bimbisara of Magadha. They prostrated themselves, touching their heads to his feet. Then King Udayana, carrying the Buddha image on his head along with various fine offerings, went before the Tathagata and presented them as an offering.
At that moment, the wooden image rose from its seat. Like a living Buddha, it walked through the air, raining flowers from its feet and emitting radiant light as it came to greet the World-Honored One. With palms joined, it bowed to the Buddha and, in some ways resembling him, spoke a verse:
"When the Buddha was in Trayastrimsa, teaching the Dharma for his mother, the sound of making this image was heard far off in the Hall of Good Dharma. The thirty-three heavenly beings all rejoiced with one voice. Those who make images in future ages will attain immeasurable excellent merit."
Then the World-Honored One also knelt with one knee on the ground and joined his palms facing the image. In the sky, hundreds of thousands of transformation Buddhas also joined their palms. The image humbly bowed its head. The World-Honored One personally touched its crown and gave a prophecy: "One thousand years after my passing, in this land, you shall bring great benefit to humans and gods. I entrust my disciples to you. If beings, after my nirvana, make images and offer flowers, banners, and incense, in future lives they will surely see the Buddha and escape the suffering of birth and death."
Then King Udayana asked the World-Honored One, "Do those who made images after previous Buddhas' nirvanas still exist in the world?" The Buddha said, "With my Buddha-eye, I see throughout the ten directions. Those who made images after previous Buddhas' nirvanas have all been reborn before the Buddhas of the ten directions. Not a single one remains in birth and death. Only those who made images of Bodhisattvas are still in the world—King Bimbisara is such a case."
Then the wooden image said to the living Buddha, "World-Honored One, please go ahead and enter the monastery." The World-Honored One also said to the image, "Stop, no need to speak. My conditions are almost exhausted. I will soon enter nirvana. You shall remain in the world to benefit beings for a long time. If you enter nirvana first, then those who come after me may feel slighted." So they exchanged words several times, and then the image returned to its original place. At that point, the World-Honored One moved himself to a small dwelling by the monastery, twenty paces away from the image.
King Udayana was beside himself with joy. Then the five kings said to the World-Honored One, "How should we build a sacred temple?" The World-Honored One stretched out his right hand and, from the earth, produced the temple of the Buddha Kashyapa as a model. So the five kings built a great temple there, enshrined the image, and then departed.