In Search of the Supernatural (Soushen Ji)

Lying on his right side with his feet folded, he entered a state of profound stillness and peace. Yet, he rose again from his coffin to preach the Dharma The Buddhist teachings and universal laws. for his mother Queen Maya, who had descended from the Trayastrimsha Heaven to mourn him.. He specifically revealed his two feet to convert Vagi original: "婆耆" (Póqí). Possibly a reference to the disciple Vangisa or a specific observer of the funeral rites. and spoke a gatha on impermanence, saying:

At that time, the various disciples competed to cremate him using fragrant firewood. However, after the fire had burned out, the golden coffin remained exactly as it was before. Then, the great assembly stood before the Buddha and offered praise with this verse:

original: "闍羅" (dūoluó/jwala, meaning to burn or blaze) and "三昧" (sānmèi/samadhi, a state of intense meditative concentration).

Then, the golden coffin rose from its seat and ascended to the height of seven tala trees original: "多羅樹" (duōluó shù). A type of palm tree used in ancient India as a standard measure of height., moving back and forth through the air. In the time it took to enter the "Fire-Transforming Samadhi," the body turned to ash, yielding eight hu and four dou Traditional Chinese units of dry volume. 84 dou would be a significant quantity, emphasizing the abundance of the relics. of relics original: "舍利" (shèlì/sarira). Pearl-like beads found among the cremated ashes of Buddhist masters.. This occurred in the fifty-second year of King Mu A King of the Zhou Dynasty. Traditional Chinese historiography often dated the Buddha's death to the 10th century BCE, much earlier than the modern scholarly consensus of the 5th or 4th century BCE., a Ren-Chen year, on the fifteenth day of the second month. Since the extinction of the World-Honored One, one thousand and ten [years have passed...]