Chapter 28 - Country of Po-ho or Fo-ho-lo (Balkh)

This country is about 800 li from east to west, and 400 li from north to south; on the north it borders on the Oxus. The capital is about 20 li in circuit. It is called generally the little Rājagṛha.^[1] This city, though well (strongly) fortified, is thinly populated. The products of the soil are extremely varied, and the flowers, both on the land and water, would be difficult to enumerate. There are about 100 convents and 3000 monks, who all study the religious teaching of the Little Vehicle.

Outside the city, towards the south-west,^[2] there is a convent called Navasaṅghārāma, which was built by a former king of this country. The Masters (of Buddhism), who dwell to the north of the great Snowy Mountains, and are authors of śāstras, occupy this convent only, and continue their estimable labours in it. There is a figure of Buddha here, which is lustrous with (reflects the glory of) noted gems, and the hall in which it stands is also adorned with precious substances of rare value. This is the reason why it has often been robbed by chieftains of neighbouring countries, covetous of gain.

This convent a1so contains (possesses)^[3] a statue of Pi-sha-men (Vaiśravaṇa) Deva, by whose spiritual influence, in unexpected ways, there is protection afforded to the precincts of the convent. Lately the son of the Khān Yeh-hu (or She-hu), belonging to the Turks, becoming rebellious, Yeh-hu Khān broke up his camping ground, and marched at the head of his horde to make a foray against this convent, desiring to obtain the jewels and precious things with which it was enriched.^[4] Having encamped his army in the open ground, not far from the convent, in the night he had a dream. He saw Vaiśravaṇa Deva, who addressed him thus: "What power do you possess that you dare (to intend) to overthrow this convent?" and then hurling his lance, he transfixed him with it. The Khān, affrighted, awoke, and his heart penetrated with sorrow, he told his dream to his followers, and then, to atone somewhat for his fault, he hastened to the convent to ask permission to confess his crime to the priests; but before he received an answer he died.

Within the convent, in the southern hall of Buddha, there is the washing-basin which Buddha used. It contains about a peck,^[5] and is of various colours, which dazzle the eyes. It is difficult to name the gold and stone of which it is made.^[6] Again, there is a tooth of Buddha about an inch long, and about eight or nine tenths of an inch in breadth. Its colour is yellowish white; it is pure and shining. Again, there is the sweeping brush of Buddha, made of the plant "Ka-she" (kāśā). It is about two feet long and about seven inches round. Its handle is ornamented with various gems. These three relics are presented with offerings on each of the six fast-days by the assembly of lay and cleric believers. Those who have the greatest faith in worship see the objects emitting a radiance of glory.

To the north of the convent is a stūpa, in height about 200 feet, which is covered with a plaster hard as^[7] the diamond, and ornamented with a variety of precious substances. It encloses a sacred relic (she-li), and at times this also reflects a divine splendour.

To tho south-west of the convent there is a Vihāra. Many years have elapsed since its foundation was laid. It is the resort (of people) from distant quarters. There are also a large number of men of conspicuous talent. As it would be difficult for the several possessors of the four different degrees (fruits) of holiness to explain accurately their condition of saintship, therefore the Arhats (Lo-han), when about to die, exhibit their spiritual capabilities (miraculous powers), and those who witness such an exhibition found stūpas in honour of the deceased saints. These are closely crowded together here, to the number of several hundreds. Besides these there are some thousand others, who, although they had reached the fruit of holiness (i.e., Arhatship), yet having exhibited no spiritual changes at the end of life, have no memorial erected to them.

At present the number of priests is about 100; so irregular are they morning and night in their duties, that it is hard to tell saints from sinners.^[8]

To the north-west of the capital about 50 li or so we arrive at the town of Ti-wei; 40 li to the north of this town is the town of Po-li. In each of these towns there is a stūpa about three chang (30 feet) in height. In old days, when Buddha first attained enlightenment after advancing to the tree of knowledge,^[9] he went to the garden of deer;^[10] at this time two householders^[11] meeting him, and beholding the brilliant appearance of his person, offered him from their store of provisions for their journey some cakes and honey. The lord of the world, for their sakes, preached concerning the happiness of men and Devas, and delivered to them, his very first disciples,^[12] the five rules of moral conduct and the ten good qualities (shen, virtuous rules).^[13] When they had heard the sermon, they humbly asked for some object to worship (offer gifts). On this Tathāgata delivered to them some of his hair and nail-cuttings. Taking these, the merchants were about to return to their own country,^[14] when they asked of Buddha the right way of venerating these relics. Tathāgata forthwith spreading out his Saṅghāṭi on the ground as a square napkin, next laid down his Uttarāsaṅga and then his Saṅkakṣikā again over these he placed as a cover his begging-pot, on which he erected his mendicant's staff.^[15] Thus he placed them in order, making thereby (the figure of) a stūpa. The two men taking the order, each went to his own town, and then, according to the model which the holy one had prescribed, they prepared to build a monument, and thus was the very first Stūpa of the Buddhist religion erected.

Some 70 1i to the west of this town is a Stūpa about two chang (20 feet) in height. This was erected in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha. Leaving the capital and going south-west, entering the declivities of the Snowy Mountains, there is the country of Jui-mo-to (Jumadh?).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

So I think it ought to be translated. It is called the "Little Rājagṛha" in consequence of the numerous Buddhist sites in its neighbourhood, vying in that respect with the Magadha capital. This is plainly intimated in the Life of Hiuen Tsiang (Julien's trans., p. 64), where the Khān says that "it is called the Little Rājagṛha": its sacred relics are exceedingly numerous;" the latter being the explanation of the former. On Balkh, see Burnes, Travels, (1st ed.), vol. i. pp. 237-240; Ferrier, Caravan Journ., pp. 206, 207; B. de Meynard, Les Prairics, d'Or, t. iv. p. 48; Dict. Géog.-Hist. de Perse, P. 571; Jour. R. Geog. Soc., vol. xlii. p. 510; De Herbelot, Bibl. Orient., p, 167; Hyde, Hist. Rel. vet. Pers., p. 494; Yule's Marco Polo, vol. i. p. 158; Cathay, p. 179; Bretschneider, Med. Geog., p. 196; Chin Med. Trav., pp. 47, 117.

[2]:

Julien gives south-east by mistake.

[3]:

This passage seems to require the use of a past tense, "this convent formerly (su) had;" and so Julien renders it. But it appears to me improbable, if the statue of Vaiśravaṇa was in existence when the foray was made, "in recent times," that it should have been lost or destroyed so soon afterwards. Moreover, the symbol su has sometimes the sense of "a present condition" (as, for example, in the Chung Yung, xiv. 1, 2). Considering the sentence which follows, where the interior of the Saṅghārāma is spoken of, I should prefer to think that su is a mistake for ts'ien; they both have the meaning of "before" or "formerly," but ts'ien also has the sense of "in front of." In this case the passage would run: "In front of the Saṅghārāma there is a figure of Vaiśravaṇa Deva." This Deva was the protector of the convent, not so much that he was Kubera, the god of wealth, as that he was the guardian of the north. This was perhaps the most northern Buddhist establishment in existence; at any rate, it was built for the convenience of northern priests.

[4]:

This sentence may otherwise be rendered: "Lately the son of the Turk Yeh-hu-khān, whose name was Sse-yeh-hu-khān, breaking up his camping ground." etc.. Yeh-hu is the Khān that Hiuen Tsiang met on the rich hunting grounds of the Chu'i river (Vie de Hiouen Thsang, p. 55). If the name of his son was Sse-yeh-hu, then doubtless it is he who purposed to sack the Saṅghārāma. But if sse has the sense of "rebelling," then it would be Yeh-hu-khān himself who is referred to. I am inclined to think it must have been the son, whose name was Sse; but the repetition of the name Yeh-hu-khān is perplexing. The symbols po-lo correspond with the Turkish work bulak, camping ground or cantonment.

[5]:

Teou, a dry measure of ten pints.

[6]:

This may mean "the golden-like stone of which it is made has a difficult name", or "the metal (gold) and stone are difficult to name."

[7]:

It may be "hard as the diamond," or "shining like the diamond."

[8]:

There is evidently a false reading here. I think the character "fi", which, in connection with the following character, "hai', means "remiss and idle," is for "mi", which would qualify "hai" in the sense of "absence of idleness." The passage would then read: "Morning and night there is an absence of idleness, but it is difficult to conjecture who are saints and who not."

[9]:

This passage might perhaps also be rendered "after gazing with delight on the Bodhi tree." The symbol tsu has such a meaning, and it would be in strict agreement with the legend.

[10]:

That is, the garden at Banāras.

[11]:

Two merchant-lords (chang-che).

[12]:

"The very first to hear the five," etc.

[13]:

That is, the five śilas and the ten śilas. See Childers, Pali Dict., sub silam. The story of the two merchants alluded to in the text is one well known in the Buddhist legend. It will be found in Spence Hardy's Manual of Buddhism (2d ed.) pp. 186, 187, and note; a1so in the Fo-sho-hing-tsan-king, p. 167; Bigandet, Legend of Gaudama, vol. i. p. 108; Beal, Rom. Legend, p. 236. The incident is also found amongst the Amarāvātī sculptures (Tree and Serp. Worship, pl. lviii. fig. 1, middle disc).

[14]:

Their own country was Suvarṇa-bhūmi or Burma.

[15]:

This translation differs from that of M. Julien. I take the construction thus: "I sang kia chi", "taking his saṅghāṭi;" "fang thee po," "as a square napkin" (i.e., folding it into this shape); "hia," "he placed it underneath." The rest of the sentence, then, will follow as I have tranlated it. The monument erected as a shrine for the relics given on this occasion is said to be the far-famed Shwè-dagun at Rāngun.—As. Researches, vol. xvi., quoted by Spence Hardy, M. B., p. 187 n.