On the open ground in front of the Wudao Pagoda.
Master Du’e placed the body of Venerable Kongjian on the firewood, then lit the wood with a torch.
Afterward, Master Du’e sat on the ground, hands clasped in front of his chest, reciting the Ksitigarbha Sutra to pray for Venerable Kongjian.
“Venerable, may you journey well.”
Ye Qiu stood nearby, watching Venerable Kongjian’s body engulfed in raging flames, and bowed deeply.
The fire burned for half an hour.
An astonishing sight appeared.
Venerable Kongjian’s body remained completely unscathed.
Ye Qiu exclaimed in shock, “Truly a realized monk.”
Master Du’e added more firewood.
The fire burned for another hour, and Venerable Kongjian’s body gradually turned to ash.
Remarkably, during the cremation, there was no smell of burning flesh, but instead, a strange fragrance like sandalwood emanated.
After the flames died out,
Master Du’e retrieved a clay jar from the first floor of the Wudao Pagoda to collect Venerable Kongjian’s ashes.
Suddenly,
Master Du’e knelt before Venerable Kongjian’s ashes, proclaiming loudly, “Congratulations, Master, for ascending to the Land of Ultimate Bliss.”
Ye Qiu noticed that, at this moment, Master Du’e’s face showed no trace of sorrow, but rather some excitement.
Why was the master so excited?
At that moment, Master Du’e said, “Benefactor Ye, come here, let me show you something miraculous.”
Ye Qiu approached Master Du’e.
Master Du’e gently sifted through Venerable Kongjian’s ashes, and instantly, a white, round bead appeared in Ye Qiu’s sight.
The bead was crystal-clear, like a gem, shimmering with a faint glow.
Ye Qiu asked in confusion, “What is this?”
“Benefactor Ye, have you ever heard of sharira?” Master Du’e asked.
“I’ve heard of it,” Ye Qiu said, his eyes widening, “Master, is this a sharira?”
Master Du’e nodded with a smile, “Indeed, this is a sharira.”
Ye Qiu was stunned.
Sharira, a transliteration from Sanskrit, typically refers to the relics of the Buddha, also called Buddha relics. It is said to have originated with Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
After Shakyamuni’s passing, his disciples found many colorful, crystal-like, jade-hard relics in his ashes, revered as sharira.
Later, these relics were distributed to renowned temples worldwide as sacred treasures.
Buddhist scriptures say that sharira is obtained through the practice of discipline, concentration, and wisdom, combined with great vows, making it extremely rare and precious.
Throughout history, sharira have appeared occasionally, but only monks of exceptional practice and boundless merit could produce them.
For example, Zen Master Xuyun.
At eighteen, Xuyun became a monk and practiced diligently at Yongquan Temple for nine years. From the age of twenty-seven, he traveled to Buddhist holy sites across the country for over twenty years, visiting places like Mount Emei and the three great monasteries in Tibet, and even making pilgrimages abroad.
As his fame grew, Zen Master Xuyun gained the court’s recognition, receiving a copy of the Dragon Canon, along with a purple robe, a jade seal, and the title “Master of Buddhist Compassion and Dharma Propagation.”
This was a rare honor at the time, reflecting Xuyun’s esteemed virtue.
In 1959, on the thirteenth day of the ninth lunar month, the 120-year-old Zen Master Xuyun passed away. After cremation, hundreds of five-colored sharira were found, causing a sensation.
This was not an isolated case.
Like Venerable Mengcan of Mount Wutai, who, after passing away at 103, left behind hundreds of sharira.
There was also Elder Chuanjing, who, foreseeing his end, refused food and water. When doctors tried to administer an IV, he removed the needle himself, sat in meditation, and passed away peacefully after nine days without food or water.
Elder Chuanjing’s sharira were smooth, varied in color, and differed in size, some as small as prayer beads, others as large as an adult’s fingernail.
Among the most renowned sharira were those of Master Kuanneng.
After passing away at 94, Master Kuanneng left behind several sharira, one of which was about five centimeters tall, resembling Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva seated on a lotus throne. Its features and adornments were naturally formed, vivid and lifelike, with prayer beads encircling the Bodhisattva’s head, leaving onlookers in awe.
This sharira is enshrined at Haining Zen Temple’s Thousand Buddha Pagoda in Huaguo Mountain, and those with the opportunity may see it.
These are all real occurrences in modern history.
Ye Qiu never imagined he would one day see a sharira with his own eyes.
What shocked him even more was that, as Master Du’e sifted through the ashes, more sharira appeared, in red, green, yellow, black, and white, and in great numbers.
Master Du’e hurriedly ran into the Wudao Pagoda, retrieved a large glass jar, and began collecting Venerable Kongjian’s sharira.
“One, two, three…”
“One hundred!”
“Three hundred!”
“Five hundred!”
“Seven hundred… seven hundred seventy-five, seven hundred seventy-six, seven hundred seventy-seven!”
A total of seven hundred seventy-seven sharira!
Ye Qiu was astounded.
Master Du’e, equally shocked, said, “In Buddhism, seven is a special number, not merely a numeral, but a symbol of perfection.”
“My master left behind seven hundred seventy-seven sharira, signifying great perfection.”
“Congratulations, Master!”
After speaking, Master Du’e kowtowed nine times before the glass jar containing the sharira.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Ye Qiu let out a gasp, saying, “Master, look.”
Master Du’e turned and saw Ye Qiu pointing at Venerable Kongjian’s skull.
After the cremation, Venerable Kongjian’s skull remained intact.
Master Du’e carefully lifted the skull and examined it, discovering patterns resembling Sanskrit script, with a clear swastika symbol in the center.
“My master lived a life of compassion, spreading the Dharma in his youth and meditating in his old age, truly a great monk of his generation.”
After speaking, Master Du’e carefully placed the skull in the glass jar.
Then, he scooped handfuls of Venerable Kongjian’s ashes into the clay jar, carried it to the seventh floor of the Wudao Pagoda, and scattered the ashes into the air, letting them drift with the wind.
I came from the void, and to the void I return.
Ye Qiu understood that Master Du’e was fulfilling Venerable Kongjian’s final wishes.
During this time, Ye Qiu carved a spirit tablet for Venerable Kongjian and placed it on the altar on the first floor of the Wudao Pagoda.
After scattering the ashes, Master Du’e returned to the first floor, saw the spirit tablet Ye Qiu had carved, and said gratefully, “Thank you, Benefactor Ye.”
Ye Qiu replied, “This is what I should do, Master, no need for thanks.”
Master Du’e asked, “Long Wu’s body is still outside, Benefactor Ye, how do you plan to handle it?”
Ye Qiu said, “I will arrange for someone to send Long Wu’s body back to the Forbidden City, so Long Qi and the others can see his tragic state.”
Master Du’e said with concern, “Benefactor Ye, if you do this, I’m afraid the Forbidden City will be furious.”
Ye Qiu smiled, “I want them to be angry.”
Master Du’e was taken aback.
What was Ye Qiu planning?
Was he trying to provoke the Forbidden City? Or was he declaring war on them?
