2 Pretious-Scroll Narratives of Guan-yin & Her Acolytes, I-II

2 Pretious-Scroll Narratives of Guan-yin & Her Acolytes, I-II

p. 205, n. 0:134 "Historically, the female Guanyin, especially the bodhisattva clad in white, most likely is a transformation of earlier and local Chinese goddesses".

Pretious Scroll of Incense Mountain = Sutra of the Original Life of Bodhi-sattva Guan-s^i-yin ["Composed by the meditation master Puming of the Tianzhu Monastery of the Song Dynasty. Edited by the later student Jinghong of the Clear Plum Court." (p. 159)]

p.	*narrative*
47	"in the times of the buddha Kas`yapa there was to the west of Mt. Sumeru a world, the capital of which was called Raised forest, and which used the reign-period Marvelous Splendor (Miaozhuang)."
48	by the empress Bao-de (‘Pretious Virtue’) : "in the eighteen year of Marvelous Splendor, at night while sleeping in the Palace of Great Harmony. she saw in the dream two heavenly maidens, each thirty feet tall. They wore pearly caps on their heads and were bedecked with jade necklaces : every pore of their bodies emitted a five-colored light. ... The empress ... left the palace. Heaven had sent down a phoenix carriage, which was waiting for her at the gate. In an instant she had arrived at the gate of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. The empress at first saw only a brilliant light that was so blinding that she could not open her eyes. ... three thousand persons of purple-gold and ten thousand
49	maidens of impeccable beauty, each seated on a golden lotus throne and majestically floating through the sky, came to the Good Dharma Hall."
50	"As soon as he had spit [spat] out a single mouthful of water and let out a single shout, his staff rose up from the ground and turned into a golden dragon."
51	*by the empress Bao-de (‘Pretious Virtue’) :*
	*her __*	*constantly __*
	eyen	*saw ulumbara* [ud.umbara] flowers swirling about her**
	ears	heard the playing of heavenly music
	nose	smelled an exquisite perfume wafting about
	body	produced a brilliant light
51	From "the Thousand-flower tower ... they saw heavenly flowers scatter their colors, while extraordinary treasure poured out of the earth. The overwhelming perfume of the flowers enveloped and permeated the tower."
	"Yellow orioles were calling, the hundred flowers were blooming."
48	Her 2 sistren had been named Miao-s^u (‘Marvelous Book’ [being read]) and Miao-yin (‘Marvelous Sound’ [of zither being played]);
52	she herself was named Miao-s^an (‘Marvelous Goodness’ ["like a pure full moon"]).
53	At the age of 19, Miao-s^an "went in a dream to the top of Marvelous High Peak, where she received the announcement of her future buddhahood from the buddha Limitless Longevity [Amita-ayus]."
74	Her 1^st sister said : "We dwell in a myriad-dragon palace, with golden beams and jade columns, silver brackets and golden blocks; we
75	walk on pathways paved with red agate and white jade, interspersed with the seven precious stones, and covered with brocade embroidery; we sit on cushions embroidered with crouching lions, sleeping elephants, and coiling dragons ...; we sleep on dragon beds of eaglewood and gold foil, inlaid with ivory and rhinoceros horn, inside brocade bed-curtains with paradisiacal flowers made of the eight treasures."
77	"Marvelous Goodness replied to her second sister : "The pock-marked toad has no light that shines back, the jade hare has no intention of accompanying the moon. ... One road leads to heaven, the other to hell ... . ...""
89	"The Jade Emperor up in high heaven observed from afar ... . Immediately a heavenly command and order was issued, A heavenly amulet and notification for the Six Nail gods. ...
90	The hundred animals brought firewood, filling the convent, The thousand birds brought vegetables – flocks like clouds! The Six Nails ["the gods of the days that have the element ding (nail; able-bodied male)" (p. 209, n. 1:74)] and the Six Scales ["the gods of the days that have the element jia (scale; armor)" (p. 209, n. 1:75)] prepared the rice".
91	"The gods of the five hundred precepts follow her body. The Eight Immortals provide her with tea and fruits, The Lads of Combustion light candles and lamps. Sweeping floors, spreading mats, and hanging banners, All this is done by the convent’s local protector god. ... The evening drum and morning bell sound of themselves. ... A dragon created a dragon pool at the convent’s gate! The running animals bring firewood, filling the convent, The flying birds bring vegetables, descending like a cloud! The husking and milling of rice is all done by ghosts, Our vegetarian food is all cooked by the Six Nails!"
96	"But they stripped her of shift and skirt, exposing her naked body. ... And her body was covered all over with paper-money silver."
100	"her jade-white face was reflected in the paper coins."
106	"her body was hung with paper coins".
115	"Let’s talk about the princess’s journey to the Underworld. The light of her spirit emerged and went to the realm of shade, ... Part shade, part darkness : she went as if in a dream, Without knowing where she was going, to which village. "I have no idea which prefecture this is or which country!" ...
116	Suddenly she saw a youth and maiden of spectacular beauty ... Who, with banners in their hands, came to guide her. ... "We are the green boy and girl of the Office of Goodness, We have been ordered by our king to welcome you here. ... Because you refused to take a husband, you were strangled to death by your father, that’s why you’ve come to the realm of shade! ..." Only then did the princess realize that she had arrived on the road to the Yellow Springs. ...
117	First she passed the mighty pass of the Gate of Ghosts, ... She then saw the iron-bed and bronze-pillar prisons, and ... She then passed the Mountain of Wasted Money ["Paper that has not been burned to ashes and is therefore of no use in the Underworld." (p. 211, fn. 2:16)]".
118	"Red and white lotus flowers opened and filled the city walls." "she saw a bright light, dazzling and blinding. A hundred musicians all played in unison, and the world of the hells was filled with white and red lotus flowers."
119	"The world of the hells had become a realm of free roaming, And the earth-prisons had become palaces of pleasure." "When the princess walked on and came upon a bridge, Gold bells and jade chimes all resounded together. There, by the bridge, Grannie Meng offered tea and fruits". ["Grannie Meng operates a teashop in the underworld and offers a cup of tea to every soul. After swallowing Grannie’s tea, the soul forgets everything about his or her life on earth." (p. 211, fn. 2:19)] {" That place is called "Meng Po Ting". All souls due to be reborn must go there and drink the tea which is called "Ou Wang Tang". If you drink this tea and your soul returns to earth, you will be a ‘muddled’ person. ... This place Meng Po Ting is under the charge of deity Meng Po duly authorized by Yu Di. Any soul who is due to be reborn, must first come to this place to drink the tea Ou Wang Tang. If he does not drink this Ou Wang Tang and is reborn, he will be able to remember the happenings of his previous life and association with other people still living and can cause trouble and embarrassment to others thereby upsetting the peace. This tea Ou Wang Tang tastes sweet, sour, acrid, bitter and saltish, which after being drunk, makes a soul forget north, south, east, west and becomes muddled, making him walk aimlessly towards Zhuan Lun Tai. ... This Ou Wang Tang is infatuated Soup which makes one’s mind confused. There is also a kind of soup on Earth. ... Outside this pavilion Meng Po Ting, there is hot vapor which makes every sinful soul thirsty thus the urge to quench their thirst – some souls are not satisfied to drink just one cup of this soup, asking for more! Yet there are some cunning sinful souls who come here refusing to enter the pavilion because they happen to know the effects of drinking this soup. But under the ground an iron hook contraption has the effect of gripping the feet to prevent movement. At the same time, a female attendant nearby forces these cunning souls to drink this soup." (JU57)} {" After a person dies, and before he is reincarnated, he is asked to drink the Mengpo soup, which will allow him to forget everything in his previous life, and be reincarnate with a blank slate." (TMH)}
120	"thousand times a thousand, nay, ten thousand times ten thousand male and female ghostly criminals. ... They promptly climbed up to the other shore and departed, after thanking her with a bow. ... These are the sinners departing to be reborn in heaven, The Alas River was transformed into a precious lotus pond. The guardian of the bridge then went, like a shooting star, To the hall of deepest darkness to report what had happened : "... Marvelous Goodness ... When she herself walked over the bridge, ... ferried Across all the evil sinners in the Alas River below!" ... Boiling vats were transformed into streams of merit, And Sword Mountain became a hundred-flower forest."
121	"The princess and the consorts of the Ten Kings enjoyed themselves in the hells. That is because all the yaks.as had been turned into immortal lads and maidens, and all earth-prisons had become the saintly realms of the halls of heaven."
123	"We’ll expound the circumstances of how she was resurrected. ... Horse-faced and ox-headed demons saw her off; ...
124	When they had accompanied her to the south bank of the Alas, They took their leave of the princess ... . ... The immortal youth and immortal maiden returned to darkness. After the princess had crossed the golden bridge [across the Alas River], she traveled on along her way. Suddenly the hundred birds started to sing, and she saw a huge bright red gate, rooted in the earth and rising to heaven. The locked doors opened all by themselves, booming like thunder, and that very moment her soul and spirit returned to her body".
	"The Metal Star of the Great White ["planet Venus" (p. 211, n. 2:24)] saw her predicament and, Flying with the speed of an arrow, came down to the mortal realm. While in the clouds of the ninth heaven, he transformed his shape, And so he turned himself into an old man of the human world.
125	On his head he wore the Daoist headgear of the freely roaming, And his body was wrapped in the black gauze gown of a priest. In his hand he grasped a staff that was taller than his person, *And to his chest he held the Sutra of Countless Ways."*
126	He said : "this place houses an evil dragon, whose body is huge and whose stench is unbearable ... . But I will direct you to a blessed place. There is a mountain, in this very country, in Pure Heart county of Huizhou prefecture, that is called Incense Mountain. It is a place that has from pas to present sheltered immortals. To the left side one hears the roar of the lion, and to the right, one hears the trumpeting of the elephant-king. ... You won’t find even half of a single evil person there! No one picks up the gold and jewels lost by others in the street, Great Peace reigns, gates remain unlocked both day and night. No freezing cold, no stifling heat : the weather is always the same, There are flowers, there are fruits : a springtime that lasts forever! ...
127	I’ve got some pills that will enable you to live forever without food; you should take one." ... From the sleeve of his gown the priest took a peach of immortality, big as a golden gourd, and he gave this to the princess. "This ... is a peach from the Garden of joy in the world above. The one who eats it will not suffer hunger throughout the four seasons and not know thirst for a full year. When traveling, your body ... also will not feel freezing cold [n]or stifling head."" "The priest ... Took his leave of the princess and went to the courts of heaven. Slowly he rose into the sky as he was borne aloft by the clouds".
	"During the day the golden crow is my only companion, And during the night only the jade hare keeps me company."
128	The Great Lord Jade Emperor "ordered the god of the earth of Incense Mountain To transform himself into a brightly hued, motley-striped tiger ... . ... When the tiger saw her, it ... spoke with a human voice : "I am the god of the earth of Incense Mountain. ... I am yours to ride." When the princess heard this, she ... mounted the tiger’s back. She closed her eyes for a moment, and before she knew it had arrived at Incense Mountain! In a grotto in a steep cliff she saw thousands of tigers gnawing through trees and carrying stones in order to build walls all around. ... Gibbons and monkeys offered her fruits, and the hundred birds brought her flowers."
129	"the princess ... entered deeply into the trance of meditation. ... In this way ..., ... the demon of sleep could not possess her. She happened to hear the cry of the gibbon resound through the valley, and her divine understanding was cleansed of delusion, and suddenly she was completely liberated ... . Her name became Contemplating the Cries of the World."
130	*The Jade Emperor decreed : "The Marvelous Splendor emperor ... will suffer from kamala-illness." ["leprosy" (p. 212, n. 2:30)]*
145	"The monk, flying on his tin staff, soared up into the sky".
146	"The Marvelous Splendor emperor personally visited Transparent Heart county in Huizhou. ... From afar he saw how purple clouds encircled in emerald peaks, and how a rain of flowers fell from the clear sky."
147	"On top of Sandalwood Peak, in Purple Bamboo Grove, ...The emperor, wearing his golden crown, holding his royal tablet, and dressed in his dragon robes, ... thrice offered incense."
150	"At this moment the body of the immortal was like pure glass, showing her true golden form inside."
151	The emperor Marvelous Splendor was *"Born in a mao-year, in a mao-month, in the hour of mao."*
152	The account spoken by Marvelous Goodness : "When I entered the Underworld it was as if I was [were] dreaming, On the roads of the Yellow Springs deepest darkness reigns. ... The Ten Kings and their consorts all came out to greet me. The three pathways were transformed into realms of roaming, Five-colored auspicious clouds filled the deepest darkness. Sinner ghosts who had been long imprisoned were all set free, And new souls who had just arrived all received a full pardon. But ... I was promptly escorted back to the world of the living. ... When I came back to life it was like waking up from a dream".
156	"Among the congreagation on Incense Mountain, there was a certain Sir Moon Parasol." ["Sir Moon Parasol (Yuegai) is mentioned in chapter 13 of the Vimalakirti-nirdes`a sutra ... . The Sanskrit form of "Moon Parasol" had been reconstructed on the basis of the Chinese translation as Candracchattra, but the Sanskrit text of the Vimalakirti-nirdes`a sutra discovered in 1999 in Lhasa actually writes Somaccatra." (p. 212, n. 2:42)] As reply to a quaestion from him, Marvelous Goodness explained : "Those who practice what we call the outer way ... visualize the crown of the head ... . They see a light between the brows and the nose ... . ... They ... terminate the red and the white. They collect yin to supplement yang. They practice the work of the ten stages. They know the divine affairs of luck and misfortune. ... They sit like a block and guard emptiness. They themselves know the roads and routes,
157	and the seals and names of their birth and death, and ... they ascend ..., roaming through fine realms where they can observe all phenomena ... . ... They practice magic and abstain from grain, ... manifesting miracles".
	"She then composed the following gatha : In immeasurable light, I purely contemplate ... the world, ... For a long time I lived secluded on Potalaka, ... It was in the Manifest Dew ... I first became known." ["Stories ... link Guanyin to Mt. Putuo, a little island off the Chinese coast near Ningbo, which was named after Potalaka, the mountain abode of Guanyin in the Garland Sutra." (p. 213, n. 2:46)]
158	She "is enveloped in strings of jewels, and on her head she wears a pearl crown. In her hands she holds a pure vase and a willow wand, and her feet rest on a thousand-petal lotus flower. Streaming from the crown of her head, a white ray of light universally illuminates the innumerable worlds." "She donated both her eyes, and how she has received a thousand eyes in return. She donated both her arms, and now she has received a thousand arms in return."

JU57 = "Journey to the Underworld, 57" http://www.geocities.com/compassiontoall/jttu/Journey57.html

TMH = "Tales from the Mirror of the Heart" http://www.aestheticism.com/Visitors/Editor/fanficspot/Tsu-chi/kaiyuan-eng.htm

various descriptive aphorisms in the Pretious Scroll of Incense Mountain

p.	*aphorism*
63	"A blue-green pond of eternity, the moon in the empty sky : It takes repeated backbreaking effort to know the sound."
75	"There’s a road that leads to heaven, but none do walk it, Earth’s prison may have no gate, yet people flock there."
79	"When the white dew settles on a field, it is a thousand specks of snow, When the yellow oriole sits in a tree, the whole branch turns to gold."
92	"Even tough from floating clouds snowflakes drift down, The bright moon impresses its seal on a thousand rivers."
99	"As stars move and the Dipper turns, the creatures are exchanged and people fly off."
101	"In the hall of yellow gold the pearly screen is rolled up, Before the green jade steps the mournful cuckoo cries."
104	"The plum blossom in the snow, the moon on a frosty night – Alas, the color may be the same, but the perspective is not." "The worm bores through the mud, the dragon soars to heaven."
108	"Even a skeleton is still more aware of the true buddha-nature, For a skeleton will to the end never marry another skeleton." {but, Citi-pati & Citi-patni are husband and wife, married skeletons!}
109	"As soon as the metal wind rises, the jade dew turns cool, And the osmanthus flower fills the sky with perfume."
123	"The endless floating clouds are all swept away by the storm, The one circle of bright moon illuminates the whole cosmos."
138	"Be willing to believe a grafted tree can produce flowers!"
143	"This unhitches the heavenly moon and stars from their orbits, The lotus-breeze shakes the brocade of rivers and mountains!"
145	"The oriole sings, the crane cries, the phoenixes dance : How many people know the hidden meaning of this?"
153	"Who recognizes the jade that’s hidden in the rock of Chu? One only sees the treasure once the stone has been broken."
158	"Pull the nail from your eye and remove the barrier of clouds".

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Wilt L Idema (transl.) : Personal Salvation and Filial Piety : Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her Acolytes. U of HI Pr, Honolulu, 2008.