Cesar Čin Šihuang zapre meniha iz Indije

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Cesar Čin Šihuang zapre meniha iz Indije

Long ago, in the reign of Qin Shi Huang in China, a monk came from India. The emperor regarded him with suspicion and asked, “What manner of man are you? What has brought you here?” The monk replied, “I am a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha. I have journeyed here from the distant lands of the West to spread the Buddha’s teaching.” At this the emperor grew angry. “Your appearance is most peculiar. Your hair is cropped short, and your garments are unlike those of other men. You call yourself a disciple of the Buddha, but what sort of being is this Buddha? This is a suspicious fellow. He must not simply be sent away. Put him in prison. From this day forth, anyone who speaks such strange things shall be put to death.” And so the monk was cast into prison. An imperial decree ordered that he be shut away securely and kept under strict guard. In obedience to the decree, the prison keeper confined him where the gravest offenders were held and fastened the door with many locks. The monk thought, “Having encountered an evil king, I have been brought to this grievous plight. Though my teacher, Shakyamuni Tathagata, has passed from this world, surely his power remains undiminished. May he save me!” As he prayed with all his heart, Shakyamuni Buddha came flying down from the sky, sixteen feet tall and radiating the glow of pure purple-gold. He kicked down the prison gate, took up the monk, and carried him away. In the confusion, many thieves also escaped. Hearing a noise in the sky, the prison keeper went outside and saw a golden monk, sixteen feet tall and shining with light, fly down from above, kick down the prison gate, and carry off the Indian monk who had been confined there. When this was reported to the emperor, he was seized with terrible fear. So it is told. The Buddha’s teaching, which had sought to reach China at that time, did not arrive until generations later, in the Han dynasty.