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Now, after the Great Awakened World-Honored One (The Buddha) entered Parinirvana, the propagation of the True Dharma relied upon human transmission. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, monks from the West came East, and Sanskrit scriptures arrived in succession; yet, the doctrines were diverse and confusing, with no single standard to follow. By the Tang Dynasty, Tripitaka Master Xuanzang appeared. Lamenting the decline of the Holy Teachings, he vowed to sacrifice his life to seek the Dharma. He traveled ten thousand miles alone, crossed the Pamir Mountains, traversed the shifting sands, personally inherited the Yogacara (Consciousness-Only) teachings, and returned to Chang'an. He translated seventy-five sutras and sastras, totaling over one thousand three hundred fascicles, established the Middle Way of Consciousness-Only, and opened a new era for the Buddhism of Zhendan (China). His merit is lofty, shining as brightly as the sun and moon.
However, although the Master’s physical body demonstrated extinction, his Spiritual Relics (Sarira/Spirit Bones) have undergone great vicissitudes. After a thousand years, they miraculously reappeared in Jinling (Nanjing) amidst the fires of the War of Resistance. They then crossed the sea to Fusang (Japan), took up residence at Jion-ji in Saitama, and further divided their light to the Treasure Island of Taiwan. This is truly an inconceivable chain of causation and a beautiful tale of modern Sino-Japanese Buddhist exchange. Now, based on the "True Style" (Shinpu) documents, the Kaiyuan Era Catalog of Buddhism, and various historical records, I summarize the history of the Master’s translation achievements and the migration of his relics, and analyze them through the doctrines of the Cien (Faxiang) School, engraving this upon stone and heart to be handed down for eternity.
The Master’s secular surname was Chen, his given name Yi; he was a native of Goushi, Luozhou. Intelligent from youth, he ordained early and read widely. However, feeling that the lectures of the time followed different paths and that conflicting theories abounded, he made a great vow to travel west to India (Tianzhu) to seek the Yogacarabhumi-sastra (The Treatise on the Stages of Yogic Practice) to resolve all doubts.
In the third year of Zhenguan (629), when the national borders were closed, the Master violated the ban and traveled alone. He exited the Jade Gate and crossed the shifting sands. "Above, there were no flying birds; below, no running beasts; only dry bones served as signposts." Passing through Turpan and Kucha, crossing the snow-covered Ling Mountains, enduring hunger and cold, he did not regret his actions even in the face of death. Traversing one hundred and ten countries, he arrived at Nalanda Monastery and studied under Master Silabhadra. Silabhadra, over one hundred years old, lectured on the Yogacarabhumi-sastra and other Mahayana texts for the Master. The Master was diligent beyond measure, touring the Five Indias, refuting heretics, subduing the Hinayana, and making his name renowned throughout the Five Indias. King Harsha held a Great Unrestricted Assembly for him; kings of eighteen countries converted wholeheartedly. No one dared to challenge the Master’s thesis, and he was honored with the title "Mahayanadeva" (Deity of the Great Vehicle).
In the nineteenth year of Zhenguan (645), the Master declined the kings' requests to stay and returned to Chang'an with 657 Sanskrit texts. Emperor Taizong welcomed him at Luoyang, ordered him to reside at Hongfu Temple, summoned renowned virtues from across the realm, and established a Translation Bureau. The Master’s translation was rigorous and precise. From May of the 19th year of Zhenguan until October of the 3rd year of Longshuo (663), for nineteen years, he never put down his scrolls or stopped his brush. The translated texts were refined in literary quality and substance, possessing faithfulness, comprehensibility, and elegance; they were known to the world as the "New Translations."
Although the Master’s physical body has perished, his Dharma Body remains forever. According to Volume 8 of the Kaiyuan Era Catalog of Buddhism by Tang Dynasty monk Zhisheng, the Master’s translations were vast in category, covering the Tripitaka. I list the essentials here to manifest his Dharma Body:
His translation achievements were weighty in both quality and quantity, truly as Emperor Taizong praised in his preface: "The wind in the pines and the moon in the water are not enough to compare to his purity; heavenly dew and bright pearls cannot match his radiance."
In the first year of Linde (664), the Master entered Parinirvana. Initially buried on the Bailu Plain, he was later moved to Xingjiao Temple. During the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty, the pagoda was destroyed and the bones scattered. In the fifth year of Tiansheng of the Song Dynasty (1027), the monk Kezheng of Jinling welcomed the parietal bone to Changgan Temple (Great Bao'en Temple) in Nanjing for burial. For a thousand years, the world forgot this.
In the 17th year of Showa (1942), the Japanese army was clearing land at the ruins of the Great Bao'en Temple in Nanjing and accidentally discovered a stone chamber. The inscription confirmed it contained Xuanzang’s parietal bone. After negotiation, the relics were divided into three parts: one remained in Nanjing, one was sent to Beiping (Beijing), and one was gifted to Japan as a symbol of Buddhist amity.
In the 19th year of Showa (1944), the relics crossed the sea to Japan. Initially enshrined at Zojoji Temple, they were evacuated to "Karinzan Jion-ji" in Iwatsuki, Saitama Prefecture, due to the war. This place was secluded, and the temple's name matched the "Great Cien Temple" in Chang'an, suggesting a destiny determined by the unseen.
After the war, the Republic of China government initially intended to reclaim wartime artifacts. However, President Chiang Kai-shek, considering the shared cultural origins of China and Japan and the connection between Jion-ji and the Master, issued a verbal order: "There is no need to return the spiritual relics... It is appropriate to make this place a site for manifesting his virtue." With these words, the relics were permanently enshrined in Japan.
After obtaining permission to keep the relics, Abbot Oshima Kendo of Jion-ji vowed to build a pagoda. Although the post-war livelihood was destitute, the Master compared himself to "drawing water with a bamboo basket" (a seemingly futile effort), yet he did not fear the hardship. Eventually, his sincerity moved Mr. Nezu Kaichiro of Tobu Railway to donate granite. In the 28th year of Showa (1953), the thirteen-story Xuanzang Pagoda, modeled after the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, was completed, standing tall in the Kanto region as a sacred site for Sino-Japanese Buddhism.
In the 44th year of the Republic of China (1955), the Buddhist community in Taiwan requested to welcome the relics. Jion-ji divided the relics, and Abbot Oshima Kendo carried them to Taiwan. The relics were first enshrined at Xuanguang Temple at Sun Moon Lake, and later the Xuanzang Temple and Cien Pagoda were built. From then on, Master Xuanzang’s Dharma Body (scriptures) and Physical Body (relics) shone brightly on the Treasure Island. In 1981, relics were further divided to Yakushiji Temple in Nara (Head temple of the Hosso School), creating a triangular radiance across Saitama, Nara, and Nantou.
Now, the Dharma does not arise in isolation; it manifests relying on conditions. Since Master Xuanzang’s relics are garrisoned in Saitama, it requires later practitioners to observe them with Right View for the meaning of "The Vulture Peak assembly has not yet dispersed" to manifest.
I (Wang Muti), having planted roots of virtue in past lives and researched Consciousness-Only, compiled the Complete Collection of Tripitaka Master Xuanzang’s Translations to repay the Master’s kindness. After the catalog was completed, I crossed the sea to Iwatsuki, Saitama. It was spring; cherry blossoms like snow covered the thirteen-story granite pagoda. I circumambulated the pagoda three times and prostrated with utmost sincerity. Reflecting on the past, imagining the Master’s suffering in the desert and his diligence in Yuhua Palace, I could not hold back my tears. This first pilgrimage was truly a "search for roots"—seeking the roots of Yogacara and the source of Chinese Buddhism.
Later, having deeply studied the doctrines of the Cien School, I made a second pilgrimage to the pagoda. Unlike the excitement of the first visit, this time was marked by silence and contemplation. I stood silently beneath the pagoda, thinking: "How can the Master’s Sarira (Material Dharma) and the doctrine of 'Consciousness-Only and Non-existence of External Objects' (Mental Dharma) be harmonized? How can one not get stuck in the phenomenon and forget the principle?"
Originally, the Master’s primary intention in going West was to resolve doubts regarding the Yogacarabhumi-sastra. At that time, Buddhism in Zhendan (China) had been transmitted by masters like Kumarajiva and Paramartha, but there was still much unclarity regarding the distinction between "Emptiness" and "Existence."
The Master took Yogacara Consciousness-Only as his tenet. What is its meaning? It means "All phenomena are Consciousness-Only"; there are no dharmas outside the mind. Mountains, rivers, the earth, grass, and forests are all transformations of our Alaya Consciousness. Upon returning to his country, the Master compiled the Cheng Weishi Lun (Demonstration of Consciousness-Only) and established the "Five Levels of Consciousness-Only" contemplation:
These five levels of contemplation proceed layer by layer, analyzing the relationship between mind and matter with unsurpassed precision. The Master used this to correct the error of "Partial Emptiness" of the time and manifest the principle of "Marvelous Existence" of the Mahayana; truly, this can be called the pinnacle of Buddhist psychology.
The Treatise says: If everything is Consciousness-Only, how can one say that Master Xuanzang’s relics, the Saitama Jion Pagoda, and the monasteries at Sun Moon Lake manifestly exist in the world? Furthermore, the Master has already entered Remainderless Nirvana; his physical body has long perished, the firewood is consumed, and the fire is extinguished. Why then is there the event of the Sarira crossing East or the dividing of the lamp to the Treasure Island? And why is it that his virtue only manifests after later students like Wang Muti cross the sea to bow in reverence? To manifest the truth of Mahayana Consciousness-Only and to shatter the two extremes of "Clinging to Reality" and "Clinging to Annihilation" held by sentient beings, I compose this treatise.
Objection: The mountains, rivers, earth, war fires, and unearthed relics seen in the world all exist separately from consciousness. How can you say they are transformations of Consciousness-Only?
Answer: These various dharmas do not exist apart from consciousness. They are the transformations flowing in the likeness of external objects, caused by the power of the Dominant Condition of Common Karma and the individual seeds of sentient beings. Master Xuanzang’s relic is not a real self or real dharma separate from consciousness. It is the transformation manifested in Jinling (excavation) and Saitama (pagoda) by the seeds of the Master’s past stainless vows combined with the power of the common karma of East Asian sentient beings. If one clings to the relic as real outside the mind, it is like the hair of a tortoise (non-existent); it has no substance or function. If one clings to it as having no function at all, one falls into the view of annihilation and destroys the Conventional Truth. Therefore, know that this relic is an "Image of Connected Texture" (Dai-zhi-jing); relying on the Essence (the Master’s bone), the Seeing Portion (sentient beings’ reverence) arises. It is neither identical nor different; it is purely the manifestation of Consciousness.
The Treatise says: Furthermore, observing the Master’s journey West to seek the Dharma—did it depart from the mind?
In the third year of Zhenguan, the Master exited the Jade Gate alone and crossed eight hundred miles of shifting sands. At that time, "Above, there were no flying birds; below, no running beasts," and he used dry bones as signposts. These dry bones were the decaying aspect of the "Container World." The Master’s vow, "I would rather take one step toward the West and die, than take one step toward the East and live," corresponds to the "Mental Factors of Good," specifically "Diligence" and "Faith," which subdued the secondary afflictions of "Laziness" and "Fear."
Question: Was the danger of the shifting sands Mind or Object?
Answer: It was a transformation of Consciousness-Only. The Master’s "Retribution Consciousness" (Vipaka-vijnana) manifested the vast wilderness (Image Portion), and the Sixth Consciousness perceived it, giving rise to fear (Seeing Portion). However, through the "Stage of Preparation" corresponding to the "Wisdom of Marvelous Observation," the Master gathered his mind, internalized the experience, realized that the object is Mind-Only, and thus was able to cross all suffering and arrive at Nalanda.
The Treatise says: How should we interpret the fact that the relics were hidden for a thousand years and suddenly reappeared in Jinling in the 17th year of Showa?
Interpretation: This is the arrival of the time of the "Retribution Fruit." The pagoda at Changgan Temple was the reliance (Container World) for the Master’s physical relics. The reburial by Master Kezheng in the Song Dynasty was the power of "Preparation." The thousand-year concealment was the dark obstruction of the sentient beings' "Common Karma." When the fires of the War of Resistance arrived, weapons disturbed the land, and the earth split open to reveal the stone chamber; this was not accidental, but the maturation of both "Leading Karma" and "Completing Karma." Although the Japanese Takamori Unit held implements of slaughter (engineer shovels), at the moment they touched the ground, they accomplished the "Dominant Condition" for revealing the holy object.
Question: Once the relics appeared, where should they return?
Answer: They follow the flow of the consciousness of sentient beings. At that time, Master Mizuno Baigyo possessed the mental factors of "Compassion" and "Wisdom." Fearing the holy object would be destroyed, he gave rise to discrimination and proposed dividing the relics. This discrimination was not "Imaginary Attachment" but the "Skillful Means" of Dependent Origination. Thus, the relics were divided into three. Their manifestation in three places is like the moon imprinting on a thousand rivers; the essence is one, but the images are three—none apart from consciousness.
The Treatise says: Since the relics crossed East, why did they take up residence at Jion-ji in Saitama?
Interpretation: Names and locations are all transformations of Consciousness-Only, but they are not without cause. There is a "Great Cien Temple" in Chang'an, and a "Jion-ji" in Saitama. The similarity of names indicates the permeating power of "Seeds of Names/Words." After the war, President Chiang Kai-shek’s intention that "there is no need to return" can be viewed through Consciousness-Only as the correspondence of the "Renunciation" and "Non-anger" mental factors. This spoken word (Sound Dust) permeated the hearing of Master Oshima Kendo and others, giving rise to joy and peace, thus accomplishing the "Natural Principle" (Niyama) of Buddhism.
The Treatise says: Furthermore, observing the construction of the Cien Pagoda, did the earth and stone accomplish it by themselves?
Interpretation: No. It was caused by the "Power of Vows" of Master Oshima Kendo and conditioned by the "Charity of Wealth" of Mr. Nezu Kaichiro, manifesting the gathering of thirteen layers of granite. Master Oshima’s self-description of "drawing water with a bamboo basket" metaphorically expresses the meagerness of his physical strength (inferiority of Dependent Nature) while showing the inexhaustibility of his vow (superiority of Good Seeds). Because there was faith, the stone became a pagoda, a revealing of the Dharma Body.
The Treatise says: Since the relics were settled in Saitama, why divide the lamp to Taiwan?
Interpretation: It is like one lamp lighting a hundred thousand lamps; the darkness becomes bright, and the brightness never ends. In the 44th year of the Republic of China (1955), the good roots of sentient beings in Taiwan (Changkya Khutukhtu, Master Baisheng, etc.) matured, giving rise to the mind of seeking (Intention). The Japanese Buddhist community (Kuramochi Shuho, etc.) gave rise to the mind of gratitude (Reciprocation). The two minds harmonized, sensing the division of the relics. Welcomed at Songshan Airport, ten thousand people filled the streets with incense and flowers. This incense, flowers, and chanting are all "Offerings" that permeate the Eighth Consciousness, planting seeds for future Buddhahood.
Question: Are Saitama and Sun Moon Lake one or two?
Answer: Neither one nor two. Regarding location (Container World), separated by ten thousand miles of sea, they are two. Regarding the Relic (Essence), being the same equal outflow of the Master’s Dharma Body, they are one. Regarding Consciousness-Only, both are images transformed by the mind. A practitioner seeing the pagoda in Saitama or the pagoda at Sun Moon Lake sees differently, but the subjective faith is not different. Thus it is said: The True Style crosses East, the Dharma Water flows long; inheriting one vein, there is no separation.
The Treatise says: I visited the Saitama Xuanzang Pagoda twice with my tin staff. What is the meaning of this action?
Interpretation: This manifests the supreme interaction between the "Subjective Perceiver" (No-en) and the "Objective Perceived" (Sho-en). Compiling the Complete Collection of Xuanzang's Translations is "Wisdom of Hearing"; crossing the sea to search for roots is "Wisdom of Reflection"; contemplating before the pagoda is "Wisdom of Cultivation."
First Pilgrimage: My Eye Consciousness perceived the stone pagoda amidst the cherry blossom forest (Nature Realm). My Sixth Consciousness followed with discrimination: "This is the Master's relic, this is proof of the Westward Journey" (Image of Connected Texture). Overcome with emotion, I wept; this was the manifestation of the "Compassion" mental factor. What was seen at this time was still stuck in "Matters" and belongs to the "Logical Conventional Truth."
Second Pilgrimage: Gathering matters to return to principle. Standing beneath the pagoda, I did not perceive external appearances but only observed the internal consciousness. "Form is not different from Emptiness; the bone is not a bone." The relic is what the Master’s compassionate vow left behind, not an accumulation of a real self. What was seen at this time entered "Principle" and is close to the "Evidential Conventional Truth." The act of walking is the "Seeing Portion" of the later student witnessing the "Image Portion" of the Master’s history, ensuring the True Style does not perish and the Dharma Torch shines again.
Question: If the relic is a transformation of Consciousness-Only and has no substantial entity, why must later students like Wang Muti cross the sea to bow in reverence?
Answer: Relying on the doctrine of the "Four Levels of Two Truths" established by the Cien Patriarch (Master Kuiji), we establish the characteristics of the relics and pagoda in four stages to prevent error.
Conclusion: The Physical Body is the reliance of the Dharma Body; the Dharma Body is what the Physical Body manifests. Compiling the catalog is seeing the Dharma Body; bowing to the pagoda is seeing the Physical Body. Form and Dharma are not two; this is the ultimate exaltation of the True Style.
The Treatise says: Thus analyzing the history of the migration of Xuanzang’s relics through the principle of Consciousness-Only—what is the intention?
Interpretation: To manifest the inexhaustibility of the "True Style" (Shinpu) and to encourage later students. Master Oshima Kendo’s "drawing water with a bamboo basket" is the Bodhisattva’s action of "doing without attaining." Master Mizuno Baigyo’s mediation is the Bodhisattva’s precept of "benefiting sentient beings." President Chiang’s "repaying resentment with virtue" is the Bodhisattva’s practice of "Patience." The two pilgrimages are the emulation of the practice of "Diligence." Now, the True Style has crossed East, resides in Fusang, and divides its lamp to the Treasure Island. This is not merely a historical trace but a living drama of Consciousness. May all sentient beings who read this treatise not get stuck in matters nor lost in principles before the Saitama Cien Pagoda. May they realize that all dharmas are Consciousness-Only and verify the True Thusness of Two Emptinesses. May they continue the Buddha-seeds and prolong the Buddha-wisdom.
The Treatise says: Furthermore, if everything is Consciousness-Only and there is no external object, how can sentient beings bowing to the Saitama Xuanzang Pagoda or the Taiwan Xuanzang Temple relics generate immeasurable merit? Is there not a dharma outside the mind that can bestow blessings?
Interpretation: It is not that a dharma outside the mind bestows blessings; it is actually the meaning of "Self-Permeation of the Mind." Sentient beings possess stainless seeds in their Eighth Alaya Consciousness, but they are covered by afflictions and cannot manifest. Master Xuanzang’s relic is a "Supreme Form Dharma" accomplished through three great Asankhya kalpas of cultivation, possessing great power. When sentient beings stand before the Saitama Pagoda, the Eye Consciousness perceives this "Image of Connected Texture" (Relic Image), and the Sixth Consciousness follows with the mental factors of "Right Faith" and "Reverence." Using this strong good mind as the "Permeator," it strikes the inherent stainless seeds in the Eighth Consciousness. Seeds generate current manifestations; current manifestations permeate seeds. Thus turning, good roots increase, and sins are eliminated. Therefore, it is said: "One bow to the Buddha extinguishes sands of sins." It is not the relic that extinguishes sin, but the sentient being using the relic as a "Dominant Condition" to trigger their own repentance and purity, thereby extinguishing their own sin.
Objection: If one gives rise to reverence for a piece of rubble, can it also generate merit?
Answer: Although it can generate merit, it is not as supreme as the relic. Why? Rubble is not supported by the Master’s past power of vows (it lacks the Object-Condition). Xuanzang’s relic flows out from the Master’s stainless vows; it possesses the supreme function of an Object-Condition. It enables the perceiver to quickly generate the Bodhicitta. Crossing the sea to worship is being drawn by this "Supreme Distant Object-Condition."
The Treatise says: Observing this relic migrating through Nanjing, Saitama, and Nantou—the sentient beings of these three places have different retribution environments. How do they commonly sense this one great cause?
Interpretation: This manifests the inconceivable meaning of "Common Karma" and "Individual Karma."
1. Sensed by Common Karma (General Retribution): Although the sentient beings of the three places differ, they all receive the moisture of the lineage of Han Buddhism. Master Xuanzang’s translations circulate in all three places; this is the common permeation of "Seeds of Names/Words." Because this common karma ripened, the Master’s relics are not confined to one place but manifest "Divided Bodies" to moisten all three directions broadly. It is like one moon reflecting in all waters, making no distinction between rivers, lakes, and seas.
2. Sensed by Individual Karma (Specific Retribution): The land of Jinling obtained it first, lost it, and then regained its light. This represents the hidden and manifest nature of the Dharma fortune, turning according to the thickness of sentient beings' merit. In Saitama, Jion-ji's Master Oshima Kendo protected it with his life. This signifies that sentient beings in Japan, at that time and place, possessed the "Individual Karma" good roots to protect the Dharma, thus sensing the relic's residence. In Nantou, the True Dharma awaited revival. The relic coming East was like rain on dry seedlings. This signifies that sentient beings in Taiwan had a sympathetic response and needed this holy object for protection, thus the lamp was divided to the Treasure Island. Though the three places differ, the True Mind is not different. The migration of the relic is not a relocation, but the Master’s compassionate vow, according with the capacities of sentient beings in the three places, prescribing medicine according to the illness, manifesting equally.
The Treatise says: This treatise is titled "True Style" (Shinpu), and the Saitama Jion-ji publication is also named "True Style". What is named "True"? What is named "Style"?
Interpretation: Relying on Consciousness-Only principles, I analyze these two characters.
1. Interpreting "True": "True" is True Thusness (Tathata), the Parinispanna (Perfect Nature). When the Master went West to seek the Dharma, what did he seek? Not merely Sanskrit texts, but the Reality of All Dharmas, which is the "Reality of Consciousness-Only." Although the relic is a Form Dharma (Paratantra), its substance is True Thusness. The second pilgrimage realized "The bone is not a bone," which is seeing this "True."
2. Interpreting "Style" (Wind): "Style" is Edification, it is Function. Just as the wind blows and causes the grass and trees to bend, the Master’s virtue is like the wind that bends the grass. Furthermore, wind is formless yet powerful. Although the Master has passed away, his spirit is like the wind, blowing through Chang'an, blowing through Saitama, blowing through Sun Moon Lake. Whoever is touched by this wind has the dust of ignorance swept away.
3. Combined Interpretation of "True Style": "True" is Substance; "Style" is Function. Arising from Truth to Function is the Dharma Body flowing out the relics. Gathering Function to return to Truth is worshipping the relics to realize the Dharma Body. Saitama Jion-ji is named "True Style" with the intention that all who see or hear it will be permeated by this "Wind of True Thusness" and quickly realize Bodhi.
The Treatise says: The composition of this treatise is concluding; the meaning is gathered herein. Master Xuanzang’s relic is not a dry bone, but the Equal Outflow of the Dharma Realm. The Saitama Cien Pagoda is not earth and stone, but an Accumulation of Merit. The migration of the True Style is not history, but the Transformation of Consciousness. The pilgrimages of visitors are not tourism, but Prajna Contemplation.
Question: Who can believe this treatise?
Answer: Those who possess the Mahayana Lineage (Gotra) and deeply believe in Consciousness-Only can believe this treatise. Those who cling to a Real Self and Real Dharmas will be startled and doubtful upon hearing this. However, due to the Master’s compassion, even if they are startled and doubtful, it becomes a distant cause for enlightenment (like the drum smeared with poison).
May this merit be transferred to the Dharma Realm.
Saitama and Nantou, Jinling share one vein.
The True Style blows for ten thousand ages,
Consciousness-Only illuminates the great thousand worlds.
May those who see, hear, and rejoice,
Together realize Great Bodhi.
Treatise on the Exaltation of Tripitaka Master Xuanzang’s Sacred Relics and the True Style of Saitama Jion-ji
Year of the Wood Snake (Yisi), Composed respectfully by Disciple of the Bodhisattva Precepts, Wang Muti.
(Early Spring, Buddhist Era 2570)
