Manjushri Bodhisattva guided the Indian eminent monk to retrieve the precious Buddhist scripture
2024-06-16
Buddha-pāla is a very important perosn in the history of the development of Buddhism in Mount Wutai. Buddha-pāla, translated as awakening protect in Chinese, was an eminent monk in the Kingdom of Jibin in northern India.
As an eminent monk from the Jibin Kingdom, Buddha-pāla had long heard that Manjushri Bodhisattva's monastery, Qingliang Mountain, was in China. In addition, he liked to "see all the miracles", so he went all the way north, east, south, and then north again, crossing the vast desert, and along the Silk Road to visit Qingliang Mountain, which is today Mount Wutai in Shanxi. With devotion to Manjushri Bodhisattva, Buddha-pāla traveled a long distance and finally arrived in Wutai in the first year of Yifeng, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (676). Starting from Wutai County, he climbed over Gezi Ridge and crossed Ruhu Basin. Before he reached Taihuai Town, he was touched surrendered by the sacred environment of Mount Wutai, so he worshiped devoutly, weeping and raining tears, hoping to see Manjushri Bodhisattva. Unfortunately, Manjushri Bodhisattva did not appear in front of him. Although he was a little disappointed, he became more pious and paid homage. Looking into the distance, there are only towering trees, lush flowers and grass, and mountains. As he worshipped, he thought: "Since the Nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha, many gods and saints have not appeared. Only the great and wise Manjusri Bodhisattva is in Mount Wutai to save sentient beings. Today, after going through all kinds of hardships, I finally came to Manjusri Bodhisattva's monastery, but until now I still cannot see his holy face. It is such a pity." However, he was not discouraged and continued to recite Manjushri Mantra, hoping to see Manjushri Bodhisattva and receive enlightenment from Manjushri Bodhisattva.
According to the "Song Dynasty Eminent Monks' Biographies", suddenly, Buddha-pāla saw an old man walking towards him in front of the mountain. He thought he was a local mountain dweller, but he did not expect that the old man was walking towards him at a brisk pace. When he came closer, he actually asked him in Sanskrit: "I know that you are devoted to Buddhism and come to visit the holy sites to see Manjusri Bodhisattva. The journey is long and you have suffered a lot, but do you know? The sentient beings of China proper have committed many sins, even monks have violated many precepts. In India, there is a sutra called "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra" that can eliminate the sins of sentient beings. This sutra is very important. Did you bring it with you?"
Buddha-pāla was surprised to meet an old man who could speak Sanskrit in a foreign country. Unfortunately, he did not bring it with him. So, he replied, "I am willing to suffer all the hardships and come here just to see the Bodhisattva. I have no other thoughts, so I did not bring the "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra" with me."
The old man said, "You didn't bring such an important sutra with you. How can you see Manjusri Bodhisattva? Even if you saw him, you might not be able to recognize him." Buddha-pāla was speechless. The old man said, "You should go back to India first and bring the "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra" with you. The people of China proper need this sutra. After you bring it back, you should spread it vigorously. When you come back with the sutra, you will definitely be able to see Manjusri in person."
After hearing this, Buddha-pāla was deeply moved and knelt down to worship. When he raised his head, the old man had disappeared. He thought that this was Manjushri Bodhisattva guiding him. Buddha-pāla felt mixed feelings of sorrow and joy, and became even more pious. He immediately turned back to get the scriptures.
This round trip lasted another 7 years. According to the preface to the "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra", in the second year of Yongchun (683), he brought this Buddhist sutra to Chang'an, the capital, and met Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, hoping to translate this sutra with the help of imperial power. After hearing what he saw and heard, Gaozong admired it very much, but he paid more attention to this sutra, so he commanded Du Xingyi and Divākara to translate the sutra in the palace. After the translation, Emperor Gaozong gave Buddha-pāla 30 pieces of silk, intending to store the scriptures in the inner court for enshrinement.
After hearing the news, Buddha-pāla met the emperor and said affectionately: "Poor monk returned to Tianzhu to retrieve this sutra in the hope that people all over the world can see this sutra and save all sentient beings. Can Your Majesty promulgate the scriptures and spread them widely throughout the world? " Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was very moved after hearing this, but he kept the Chinese version and only returned the Sanskrit original to him.
Buddha-pāla was extremely happy. After leaving the palace, he re-translated the "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra" in Ximing Temple with Master Shunzhen, who was proficient in Sanskrit. Afterwards, he took the Sanskrit text of the sutra to the Vajra Cave in Mount Wutai and never came back.
Later generations built the Buddha-pāla Pagoda in the Vajra Cave, and also built the Zunsheng Temple where Buddha-pāla met the old man. Today, temple and tower still exist. Later, the "Uṣṇīṣa Vijaya Dhāraṇī Sūtra" was widely circulated.
