PACIFIC WORLD - The Institute of Buddhist Studies

160Pacific Worlduprooted trees and falling boulders, tells as much about the desire of thelocals hoping to keep him in Hopei. But the “center” called and Hsuan-kaowould accept the invitation to return. Deference to the holy man had kingsalways leaving their capitals to welcome the saint. AΩoka so welcomed theGreat Tissa and Upagupta. T’ang T’ai-tsung so welcomed Hsuan-tsang.The century of the holy man passed with the passing of Hsuan-kao. Theconfrontation of the Lion and the Lamb—ruthless killer and selfless saint—looked increasingly out of place now that court intrigues instead of theexegencies on the battle field seemed to determine political outcomes. Theroving warriors were being turned into landed nobility. Conquerors by thesword were becoming rulers by the brush. Peace had, as the edict of T’aiwusaid, replaced war. Culture and not conflict should be the rule of thenew era. This is, however, not to say that there were no more holy men afterthis century of the holy man. There were—but they were holy men of adifferent style. We cannot go into the next page in the history of ChineseBuddhism here, but we may reflect on the post-mortem miracles reportedin the biography above. No such miracles were reported of previous holymen. And no one before Hsuan-kao is known for a reported bodhisattvicrebirth. His resurrection and final entrustment is also exceptional. They areindeed of “biblical” proportion.The resurrection of Hsuan-kao bespeaks of the survival of his communityand a renewal of its faith. As the saint himself prophesied, after thedark days of the persecution, there would be a revival to come. But it isHsuan-kao coming back to life to assure Fa-ta that truly proved that he wasenlightened. He could “(thus) come and go at will” (as a tathågata, the thuscomeor thus-gone would). And it is noteworthy that Fa-ta was not presentat the initial “pentecostal,” but yet like the outsider Saul that became Paul,Fa-ta had the stronger private vision. There is this hint dropped that adisciple of Hsuan-kao was “in the know” but the text does not identify whothis person—this Peter of the Rock—was. Judging from subsequentBuddhist history, it has to be T’an-yao. T’an-yao led the Buddhistrevival in the 460s after the persecution was lifted (452). And in one thecaves he sponsored at Yun-kang, the martyrdom of Hsuan-kao wasgraphically depicted.T’an-yao represented a different stage and type of leadership from theholy men of the 316–439 period. The holy men of old were miracle workers,powerful and singular hierocrats who were companions to and counsels ofwarrior kings. T’an-yao was not particularly known for any miracle. In anage of peace and prosperity, war prophecies had little or no place. AndT’an-yao was no prophet. He worked with committees instead of by somelone charisma or unique power. He ordered men, not gods or ghosts. Hewas the patient architect that rebuilt the Three Jewels and furnished themwith unprecendented glories in an age that the circle of T’an-yao recognizedwith moderate realism was the time of the Semblance Dharma. And