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

256
THE TRAVELS OF FA-HIEN
CHAPTER XXXI
Sakyamuni's Attaining to the Buddhaship
From this place, after travelling to the west for four yojanas,
the pilgrims came to the city of Gaya ; but inside the city all
was emptiness and desolation. Going on again to the south
for twenty li, they arrived at the place where the Bodhisattva
for six years practised with himself painful austerities. All
around was forest.
Three li west from here they cam.e to the place where, when
Buddha had gone into the water to bathe, a deva bent down
the branch of a tree, by means of which he succeeded in getting
out of the pool.
Two li north from this was the place where the Gramika
girls presented to Buddha the rice-gruel made with milk ; and
two li north from this was the place where, seated on a rock
under a great tree, and facing the east, he ate the gruel. The
tree and the rock are there at the present day. The rock may
be six cubits in breadth and length, and rather more than two
cubits in height. In Central India the cold and heat are so
equally tempered that trees live for several thousand and even
for ten thousand years.
Half a yojana from this place to the northeast there was a
cavern in the rocks, into which the Bodhisattva entered, and
sat cross-legged with his face to the west. As he did so, he
said to himself, " If I am to attain to perfect wisdom and become
Buddha, let there be a supernatural attestation of it."
On the wall of the rock there appeared immediately the shadow
of a Buddha, rather more than three feet in length, which is
still bright at the present day. At this moment heaven and
earth were greatly moved, and devas in the air spoke plainly,
" This is not the place where any Buddha of the past, or he that
is to come, has attained, or will attain, to perfect Wisdom.
Less than half a yojana from this to the southwest will bring
you to the patra tree, where all past Buddhas have attained, and
all to come must attain, to perfect Wisdom." When they had
spoken these words, they immediately led the way forward
to the place, singing as they did so. As they thus went away,