The High Master Dharmaraksha was a native of central India. When he was six years old, his father died and his widowed mother supported herself and her son by weaving woolen blankets. When she heard of the fame of the High Master Buddhayashas, who was receiving offerings from the great officials of the court and even from the King, she thought, “It’s difficult to keep my son alive. Perhaps I should send him to a monastery to leave home. He will be well taken care of, and in the future, if he receives offerings anything like those received by Master Buddhayashas, I, as his mother, certainly won’t starve to death.”
After Dharmaraksha left home under Buddhayashas, he studied the Small Vehicle teachings and read and recited a great many Sutras. As a Shramanera, or novice, he was entirely different from his peers. None of them could match his wisdom or lofty character.
At that time, he met the Great Vehicle Dhyana Master Baitou (白頭) and debated with him for one hundred days. Dharmaraksha was defeated and asked Dhyana Master Baitou, “Do you have any Sutras I could read?”
Dhyana Master Baitou gave him a copy of the Nirvana Sutra (《涅槃經》), and when Dharmaraksha read it, he realized that his own realm was the size of a puddle, or like that of a frog sitting at the bottom of a well looking up at the sky. He knew that his wisdom was incomplete and that the Small Vehicle was not correct. So he gathered his fellow students, all novices, together and they bowed to Dhyana Master Baitou, seeking repentance. After that, Master Dharmaraksha studied the Great Vehicle and read over two million words of Great Vehicle Sutras.
Dharmaraksha’s brother happened to be an expert elephant trainer, and, when the King’s favorite white-eared elephant refused to listen to him, Dharmaraksha’s brother killed it. The enraged King executed him and afterwards issued an edict. This said that anyone who even looked at the corpse would be put to death, including the dead man’s family, and
his father’s family, and his mother’s. So no one dared to look at it, except Dharmaraksha who cried because it was his brother and because he wanted to bury the corpse. When he went ahead and buried it, the King threatened to kill him. Dharmaraksha said, “You killed my brother according to the law, and I buried him because he was my relative. This is certainly no infringement upon moral duty.” Hearing this, the King noticed that Dharmaraksha’s bearing was calm and undisturbed. “This Bhikshu doesn’t fear death,” he thought. “He certainly must have virtue. Very well, we won’t kill him,” and he made offerings to Dharmaraksha instead.
Dharmaraksha was especially good at reciting mantras. His recitation was efficacious to the point that, if you were sick and he recited a mantra, you immediately got well. All unlucky affairs became auspicious, and because of this he was known as “The Great Mantra Master.”
Once he accompanied the King to the mountains on a hunting expedition. As there was no water in the area, the King said, “I am really thirsty. I wish I had some water.” Dharmaraksha secretly recited a mantra which told the Dragon King to send some water. Strangely enough, water started to flow from the dry rocks. Dharmaraksha said to the King, “Your Way virtue and benevolence towards the citizens is so great that you have caused water to flow from the rocks.” Actually, it was Master Dharmaraksha’s mantra that caused the water to flow, but he wanted to “give the King a high hat.”
The King put the high hat on, and thought it quite comfortable. The story of the water spread to the surrounding countries and everyone admired and respected the King. “His virtue is so lofty,” they said, “that he caused water to flow from the barren rocks,” and everyone wanted to be his ally.
The King made generous offerings to Dharma Master Dharmaraksha and so Dharmaraksha’s mother was not disappointed. However, after a time, the King forgot about him and became distant from him. Master Dharmaraksha thought, “I really shouldn’t stay here and wait for offerings. I should leave.”
He traveled to Kashmir where there were many students of the Small Vehicle. Feeling no particular affinity for them, he then went to Kucha where he propagated the Teaching widely, converted many people, and gained a large following. Then he decided to go to China, and traveled to Xiliang (西涼). Xilang was later annexed by the ruler Juqu Mengxun (沮渠蒙遜) who had established the Beiliang (北涼) Kingdom in Liangzhou (涼州) at the beginning of the 5th Century.
The King was especially respectful toward Master Dharmaraksha and made offerings to him, and so Master Dharmaraksha stayed there and taught the Dharma.
Because Master Dharmaraksha could recite mantrans, he was able to see ghosts. On one occasion he said to Mengxun, “Many epidemic ghosts have come into the area.”
Mengxun said, “I don’t believe you. If I see one, then I’ll believe.”
“All right,” said Master Dharmaraksha, “take a look.” Sure enough, Mengxun saw a ghost and was nearly frightened out of his wits. Dharmaraksha recited a mantra for three days and the ghosts finally left. Many people of the country saw them. Epidemic ghosts spread a deadly sickness; once people catch it, they die right away. When the ghosts left, everyone knew it was because of Master Dharmaraksha’s merit and virtue.
Mengxun had sent his son, Xingguo (興國), to fight Mumo (乞伏暮末) of the Western Qin (西秦), but Xingguo was taken prisoner. Before long, the country of Western Qin was leveled by Helian, and, in the fighting, Xingguo was slain.
When Mengxun heard that his son had been killed, he was enraged. “All my life I believed in the Buddha and yet I haven’t received any response. Why hasn’t the Buddha protected my son?” Then he issued an edict ordering all Bhikshus under the age of fifty to return to lay-life. Those over fifty could remain Bhikshus.
Previously, the King had had a large stone image carved in rock (over sixteen feet high), in memory of his mother. When he was about to issue the edict, the statue wept; tears fell from its eyes and snot ran out of its nose. When he saw this, Dharmaraksha spoke to the King. “You shouldn’t do things this way,” Dharmaraksha said, “It’s not that the Dharma hasn’t done anything for you. Your son’s death was a matter of cause and effect. It couldn’t be avoided.” After that, Mengxun decided not to issue the order and instead helped to propagate the Buddhadharma.
When Emperor Taiwu (太武) of the Northern Wei, Tuoba Tao (拓跋燾, 424–452), heard that Dharma Master Dharmaraksha was as wise as National Master Kumarajiva, and as accomplished in spiritual penetrations as Master Fotucheng (佛圖澄, also as Fotudeng), he dispatched a party to bring Master Dharmaraksha back to Wei. But Mengxun was too fond of Master Dharmaraksha to part with him. Several years passed without war, and then Wei sent the official Li Shun (李順) to request that Master Dharmaraksha come to Wei. At this time prodigious offerings were made to Mengxun with the hope of obtaining the Master. Mengxun invited the Wei official Li Shun to eat, and during the meal said to him, “No matter what, I’ll never let you have Master Dharmaraksha. He’s my Teacher. He only leaves over my dead body! I won’t let him go.”
The official, Li Shun said, “The Emperor has been so good to you. He’s allowed you to be king and sent you many gifts. He wishes that Dharmaraksha go to Wei, but you’ve lost your head over a foreigner. If I were you, I wouldn’t do things this way. You really should let Master Dharmaraksha go.”
“Never!” said Mengxun. “He’s the most important person in my country and I can’t let him go.” On one hand, Mengxun feared the country of Wei, but on the other, he couldn’t bear to part with Dharma Master Dharmaraksha. More time passed, and Dharma Master Dharmaraksha, who had previously visited India for a year, wanted to go back to India again. Mengxun became angry and did not want him to go anywhere at all.
However, Master Dharmaraksha decided to go after all. He wept when he left and said, “My karmic obstacles have found me, and they are such that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas cannot rescue me. I wanted to teach the final portion of the Nirvana Sutra, but now I have to stop,” and he departed.
Mengxun was so angry that he sent a gang of assassins after Master Dharmaraksha. They killed him and recovered all of the valuable offerings Mengxun had given him. Dharmaraksha was only forty-nine years old when he died. After his death, Mengxun’s attendants saw a ghost holding a sword standing at Mengxun’s side every day. Not long afterwards, in the fourth month of that year, Mengxun died.
Before Master Dharmaraksha died, Dharma Master Daojin (道進) had requested Master Dharmaraksha to transmit the Bodhisattva Precepts to him. Master Dharmaraksha said, “Go and repent first.” Daojin returned and bowed to the Buddha in repentance for seven days and seven nights. On the eighth day, he went to see Master Dharmaraksha again. This time, Master Dharmaraksha acted really angry and scolded him soundly. Daojin said, “My karmic obstacles must be too heavy and so the Master won’t transmit the Precepts to me.” He returned, and for three years he cultivated Dhyana concentration and sought repentance. At the end of three years he had a dream in which he saw Shakyamuni Buddha and all the Bodhisattvas of the ten directions come to transmit the Precepts to him. He was not the only one who had this dream. Over ten people had the same dream.
He went to inform Master Dharmaraksha, and as he approached the Master, at a distance of perhaps thirty feet, Dharmaraksha stood up and shouted, “Good indeed! Good indeed! You’ve already got the Precepts! Although you have obtained them, I will certify them for you.” They went before the Buddha images and Master Dharmaraksha transmitted the Bodhisattva Precepts to Master Daojin.
On the very day Daojin had the dream, far off in Chang’an, the Western Capital, Master Daolang (道朗) also had the same dream. Although Daolang was actually senior to him, he called Daojin his superior and adopted a lesser position than his. Everyone thought these affairs most extraordinary, and because of them, many people received the Precepts from Master Daojin. These are the general events in the life of Master Dharmaraksha.