Chinese and Arabian Literature - E. Wilson - The Search For Mecca

234
THE TRAVELS OF FA-HIEN
As Buddha descended from his position aloft in the Trayastrimsas
heaven, when he was coming down, there were made
to appear three flights of precious steps. Buddha was on the
middle flight, the steps of which were composed of the seven
precious substances. The king of Brahma-loka* also made
a flight of silver steps appear on the right side, where he was
seen attending with a white chowry in his hand. Sakra, Ruler
of Devas, made a flight of steps of purple gold on the left side,
where he was seen attending and holding an umbrella of the
seven precious substances. An innumerable multitude of the
devas followed Buddha in his descent. When he was come
down, the three flights all disappeared in the ground, excepting
seven steps, which continued to be visible. Afterwards
king Asoka, wishing to know where their ends rested, sent
men to dig and see. They went down to the yellow springs
without reaching the bottom of the steps, and from this the
king received an increase to his reverence and faith, and built
a vihara over the steps, with a standing image, sixteen cubits
in height, right over the middle flight. Behind the vihara he
erected a stone pillar, about fifty cwbits high, with a lion on the
top of it.^ Let into the pillar, on each of its four sides, there
is an image of Buddha, inside and out shining and transparent,
and pure as it were of lapis lazuli. Some teachers of another
doctrine once disputed with the Sramanas about the right to
this as a place of residence, and the latter were having the
worst of the argument, when they took an oath on both sides
on the condition that, if the place did indeed belong to the
Sramanas, there should be some marvellous attestation of it.
When these words had been spoken, the lion on the top gave a
great roar, thus giving the proof; on which their opponents
were frightened, bowed to the decision, and withdrew.
Through Buddha having for three months partaken of the
food of heaven, his body emitted a heavenly fragrance, unlike
that of an ordinary man. He went immediately and bathed
and afterwards, at the spot where he did so, a bathing-house
* This was Brahma, the first person elephant on the top, which, however,
of the Brahmanical Trimurti, adopted was minus trunk and tail. He supby
Buddhism, but placed in an inferior poses this to be the pillar seen by
position^ and surpassed by every Bud- Fa-hien, who mistook the top of it for
dhist saint who attains to bodhi. a lion. It is possible such a mistake
^A note of Mr. Beal says on this:
—
may have been made, as in the account
" General Cunningham, who visited the of one of the pillars at Sravasti, Fa-hien
spot (1862), found a pillar, evidently of says an ox formed the capital, whilst
the age oi Asoka, with a well-carved Hsiian-chwang calls it an elephant."
;