བསད་ནམས་ཀྱ་སྟབས་ཀྱ་རྟགས་པ་བརྗད་པ 2
The Exemplary Tale of Puṇyabala 2
- Language
- English
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from the sky. The sounds of divine music resounded. A gentle, fresh breeze began to blow.
“Śakra, the lord of the gods, was astounded by this merit. It inspired faith in gods and humans. At that time, in amazement at having witnessed for himself the copious fruits of ripened merit, faith arose in his mindstream. He asked Prince Puṇyabala, ‘O Prince, what do you wish to accomplish through this effort?’
“Puṇyabala responded, ‘Kauśika, I wish that through this effort, after attaining unsurpassed and perfect awakening, I may extricate all sentient beings from the ocean of saṃsāra. I aspire to establish them in the everlasting ultimate, the attainment and security of nirvāṇa.’
“When Śakra, the lord of the gods, realized that Prince Puṇyabala’s intent to attain unsurpassed and perfect awakening was as immovable as Mount Sumeru, he was pleased and said, ‘Well done, well done, great being! Your aspiration is vast! Your perseverance cannot be shaken! Because of this perseverance, it will not be long before you awaken to perfect buddhahood—the unsurpassed and perfect awakening.’ After Śakra, the lord of the gods, praised Prince Puṇyabala, he disappeared. And having fulfilled his aspirations, Prince Puṇyabala returned home.
“Later, the king from that town passed away, but he left no son. So his retinue of queens, the grooms, the ministers, the people from the city, and the people from the countryside all gathered. They deliberated, ‘Alas! We must enthrone a king!’ At this point, one of them said, ‘Let us enthrone as king someone who is greatly renowned for merit.’ Then together they exclaimed, ‘Let it be so!’ They all agreed, and thus took up the search for a suitable person to be king, one greatly renowned for merit.
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They dispatched scouts in all directions.
“Meanwhile, motivated by the previous virtuous roots that would enable him to become king at that time, Prince Puṇyabala, together with his close friends, had journeyed to a pleasure garden on the outskirts of the city. Upon their arrival, several auspicious omens appeared: A rain shower fell from the sky onto his head. Brightly colored birds circled clockwise. Young boys and girls proclaimed words of victory, standing there with high spirits and happy thoughts. The prince was so overjoyed that all the hairs on his body stood on end. The ground became free from any rocks, gravel, and pebbles. His body also became very light. He heard joyous and pleasing sounds.
“Prince Puṇyabala was an expert in prognostication, and he thought, ‘These omens that appear to me now indicate without doubt that I will be enthroned as a great king!’ Then he entered the groves at the perimeter of the pleasure garden. Experiencing joy among the groves of the pleasure garden, he went to sleep under an aśoka tree that was heavy with blossoming flowers. His friends wandered around in the pleasure garden, utterly enthralled with its flowers and fruits. While they enjoyed the pleasure garden, the power of Prince Puṇyabala’s merit inspired the nāgas to cause an incredibly magnificent, fragrant-smelling, beautifully colored, joy-giving, thousand-petaled, divine lotus to blossom from the ground. This great lotus gradually and slowly lifted Prince Puṇyabala as he lay there; but due to a magical blessing, he did not awake. After the time of the midday meal, the shadows of the other trees extended toward³³ the east and descended toward the east. But even as the other shadows descended toward the east, the shadow of the aśoka tree did not leave Prince Puṇyabala’s body.
“All the flowers and fruit trees in the park
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inclined toward the aśoka tree, and each of them bowed. Deer and birds delightful to behold³⁴ engaged in auspicious activities; after circumambulating him in a gentle manner, they came to rest. Meanwhile, in his sleep, Prince Puṇyabala was still deep in dreams. He dreamed that he was sitting atop a massive heap of filth. Then he dreamed that he was deep in the filth. He dreamed that he licked the sky. He dreamed that he sat atop a lotus. He dreamed that he ascended to the summit of a mountain. He dreamed that a large crowd of people prostrated before him.
“At about the same time, some of the people sent out to search for a king by the townsfolk, ministers, and people from the countryside arrived in that area, accompanied by various other people. When they witnessed Prince Puṇyabala’s godlike wealth, they became amazed. They concluded, ‘This being must be one who is greatly renowned for his merit.’ They hastened directly to the townsfolk, ministers, and people from the countryside and described this in detail.
“At that moment, Prince Puṇyabala awoke. Because he was an expert in interpreting dreams, this thought entered his mind regarding the interpretation of those dreams: ‘The dream in which I was sitting atop a massive heap of filth is an omen that I will be installed as the sovereign of a great kingdom. The dream in which I was deep in filth is an omen that I will sit upon a great lion throne. The dream in which I ascended to the summit of a mountain is an omen that I will rise above everyone. The dream in which a large crowd of people prostrated before me is an omen that large crowds of people will venerate me. Since I had such dreams and witnessed such omens, it is certain that I will become king this very day.’
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“When they heard the report from the search party, the townsfolk, ministers, and people from the countryside grew excited. All together they proceeded to the pleasure garden carrying the implements needed for a royal coronation. A short time later, they too witnessed the prince’s divine wealth, and were deeply astonished when they beheld it. When Prince Puṇyabala noticed them, he was sitting cross-legged on the divine giant lotus. Inspired by Prince Puṇyabala’s merit, the Four Great Kings offered him a divine lion throne fit for a great being. Śakra, the lord of the gods, offered him a white umbrella and a yak-tail fan with a jeweled handle. The gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three spread out divine canopies decorated with various precious gems. The gods who live in the air and the sky rained down myriad divine flowers. The gods in the Four Great Kings’ realm showered down precious gems, played divine music, and scattered garments.
“The royal palace precincts, the pleasure garden, and the forest were all beautified. Rocks, gravel, and pebbles were removed. Victory banners and pennants were hoisted. Tasseled flags were strung out everywhere. Censers of fragrant incense were hung. Various sorts of flowers were scattered. Everything was decked out like a divine realm. At Śakra’s request, the god Viśvakarma emanated a divine multistoried mansion for Prince Puṇyabala’s enjoyment in that pleasure garden. It was created from four kinds of precious substances and endowed with myriad features.
“When the townsfolk, ministers, city dwellers, and people from the countryside beheld all this divine opulence, they were astounded. With great respect and with no hesitation, they entreated Prince Puṇyabala to be seated on the divine lion throne. With utmost veneration, he was then crowned as their sovereign.
“Monks, immediately after the coronation,
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light rays that outshone even the sun’s corona radiated from Prince Puṇyabala’s body. These divine rays pervaded space for a league directly around him. From then on, he was no longer called Prince Puṇyabala; his name was changed to King Avabhāsakara.³⁵ Since then, he has been known to some as King Puṇyabala, while others know him as King Avabhāsakara.
“After this, King Puṇyabala took his wealth, the wealth of gods and humans, and proceeded to the royal palace, where he was properly attended by Śakra and the other gods. From then on, King Puṇyabala reigned in the royal palace. The kingdom now possessed riches, a vast territory, happiness, good harvests, and a sizable population. Arguments and disputes were settled. Fighting, infighting, thieves, diseases, and hunger all disappeared. The kingdom was replete with wild rice, sugarcane, cattle, and buffaloes. He treated everyone like his own son and governed the kingdom in accordance with the Dharma. Flower and fruit trees were always abundant. The gods sent down showers of timely rains, and this produced excellent crops.
“Soon thereafter, his brothers heard the story of the coronation. Upon hearing it, they were amazed and said to each other, ‘So Puṇyabala has defeated us both in his pledge, as well as in power and wealth. Why? Because through his merit, he has become the great sovereign master of a kingdom. Come, before he makes inquiries after us; let us all go and gratify King Puṇyabala!’
“They set out for King Puṇyabala’s residence. Upon arriving they said, ‘May King Puṇyabala reign! May he have a long life!’ Then they sat down together.
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While sitting together, they said to King Puṇyabala, ‘Well done, O Lord! Well done! You have been steadfast in your pledge. You have defeated us both in your pledge, as well as in power. Why? Because due to your merit, you have accomplished your objectives. You have become the sovereign master of a great kingdom.’
“Humbly, King Puṇyabala rose promptly from his lion throne and showed his brothers respect by seating them on seats fit for nobles. The brothers returned his respects, and then he sat back on the lion throne. From his throne, he delighted them by telling stories about their past, thus putting them at ease. After honoring them with great respect, he gave them all a considerable share of his wealth.
“Later, wishing to establish his brothers and the populace in merit-making, he addressed a large gathering:
“ ‘Lack of merit causes unbearable suffering to multiply,
And one is reborn in hell.
Those without merit will go
To the unbearable and forsaken animal destinies.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will be reborn
As pretas who are tormented by hunger and thirst.
Due to lack of merit, they will become
Slaves who suffer deeply and endlessly.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will become mute.
Due to lack of merit, they will become deaf.
Due to lack of merit, they will become dull,
Intellectually unstable, and mentally unsound.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will have wrong understanding.
They will also become ugly.
Lack of merit causes beings to be born in the lowest castes,
Among those who are despised by the entire world.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will become deluded
And hated by the world.
Due to lack of merit, they will become insane.
Due to lack of merit, enemies will appear.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, despite striving for all their goals,
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Their efforts will be wasted.
Likewise, due to lack of merit,
Their bodies will become rough and cracked.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will always
Lack splendor and radiance.
Due to lack of merit, even insentient things
Will become their enemies.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will be killed swiftly
By pretas, mahoragas, or demons.
Due to lack of merit, beneficial medicine
Will cause them tremendous harm.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will become poor.
Due to lack of merit, they will be despised.
Due to lack of merit,
People will disparage them viciously.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will always
Be separated from their group.
Due to lack of merit, they will lose their eyes.
Due to lack of merit, they will be habituated to suffering.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will incur many illnesses,
And lack of merit makes it difficult to recover.
Due to lack of merit, they will have unsightly bodies.
Due to lack of merit, they will have unpleasant voices.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will have missing fingers,
Crippled³⁶ legs, and ineffective words.
Due to lack of merit,
Kings, thieves, and fires will destroy their wealth.
“ ‘Due to lack of merit, they will hear unpleasant things.
Due to lack of merit, they will always be fearful.
Due to lack of merit, when they travel
The ground will be covered in stumps and thorns.
“ ‘If they are people who desire wealth,
Whether as workers or merchants,
Due to lack of merit, they will always squander their time,
And will never become wealthy.
“ ‘Anything and everything in the world
That is unhappy, unpleasant, and unbeneficial,
And likewise all their downfalls—
All these things are due to lack of merit.
“ ‘Merit, on the other hand, will protect you.
Merit will make you diligent.
Merit wards off heat and cold.
Merit prevents untimely rains.
“ ‘Merit is like a wish-fulfilling cow.
Merit yields wish-fulfilling jewels.
Merit yields wish-fulfilling trees,
Whose fruits all ripen as you wish.
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“ ‘Through merit you will receive praise.³⁷
Merit makes you stunningly attractive.
Merit makes you trustworthy.
Those who have merit are born in high castes.
“ ‘Through merit you will become famous.
Through merit you will become learned.
Merit bestows extensive delights.
Through merit you will retain what you learn.
“ ‘Because one dies without illness due to merit,
Merit defeats the Lord of Death.
Those who may greatly fear the Lord of Death
Should have no fear because of their merit.
“ ‘The gods who live in celestial mansions
Also live in divine joy because of merit.
Because of merit, you can become a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.
Similarly, because of merit you can become a god in the Heaven Free from Strife.
“ ‘Because of merit, you become a supreme god in the Heaven of Joy.
The same is true for the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations.
Because of merit, you will become a Lord of the Desire Realm.
Similarly, you become a god in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations.
“ ‘Merit can also make you a great Brahmā,
Who is respected by ten million gods.
You could wield sovereign power
Over Brahmā’s thousand worlds.
“ ‘Because of merit, you will get whatever you wish,
Always secure in good fortune.
Merit even enables you
To control insentient objects.’
“When King Puṇyabala declared these delightful words that are the appropriate teaching for this and future lives, the crowd entrusted themselves to merit. Then, so that even more in the crowd might cherish merit to a greater degree, King Puṇyabala gazed at the sky, and having given rise to the aspiration to inspire more people, said, ‘Well now, wouldn’t it be wonderful if a shower of various precious divine jewels and garments were to rain down on my inner and outer courts!’
Monks, as soon as King Puṇyabala voiced this aspiration, a stream of various types of divine garments fit for nobles rained down from the sky. After that, a stream of beautiful divine
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flowers rained down. After that, a stream of divine jewels rained down, resounding loudly, and the entire royal palace and its environs were covered with various precious jewels. When the whole crowd witnessed this wondrous display of merit, which made gods and humans rejoice, they were amazed. They all came to cherish merit. Overjoyed, they exclaimed, ‘Ah! Lord Puṇyabala’s merit is indeed great!’
“Soon thereafter, during a conversation, the kings of the Western Continent heard of this, and they were very impressed. Saying, ‘This great being is very famous because of his merit; he must be worthy of veneration,’ they all assembled. After mustering four divisions of troops—an elephant division, a cavalry division, a chariot division, and an infantry division—they all went to pay their respects to King Puṇyabala.
“They descended from their mounts, touched King Puṇyabala’s feet, pressed their hands together, and said, ‘Lord, you are very famous for the power of your merit. We beseech you to be our king, and we beg to become your servants.’ Then, having thoroughly satisfied them by giving them precious jewels suitable for great beings, King Puṇyabala set them and their retinues on the path of the ten virtues. He then dispatched them to their respective lands.
“Eventually his father, King Bright Power, heard of these events. As soon as he heard of them, he promptly sent messengers, and very soon thereafter he himself set off with a vast contingent. When he arrived in the vicinity to pay his respects to King Puṇyabala, he swooned with longing for his cherished son. His eyes welled up, he was choked with tears, and he wept profusely. Dismounting from his elephant with tears in his eyes,
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he embraced King Puṇyabala around the neck without hesitation. Holding his head, he examined him for a long time and then said, ‘Young son, please understand what I say to you now. I have grown old and decrepit. Because I am no longer able to bear the burden of ruling the kingdom, you must shoulder the burden of sovereignty.’ As he said this, King Bright Power offered the crown, diadem, and tiara from his own head.
“In this way, by degrees, King Puṇyabala came to have dominion over the sovereigns of all the kingdoms of Jambudvīpa. After satisfying all the many beings who resided in Jambudvīpa with whatever they desired of gold and silver, he set them on the path of the ten virtues. During this time, no one in Jambudvīpa was poor or sick. All the people of Jambudvīpa were happy. They were free from diseases and endowed with strength. They had prodigious faculties. They were wealthy and had vast resources. They came to acquire great stores of wealth, many possessions, multitudes of riches, grains, gold, silver, storehouses, and treasuries. All Jambudvīpa possessed riches, prosperity, happiness, and good harvests, and was filled with many animals and people. Quarrels and fights were quelled, and there was freedom from fighting, infighting, thievery, disease, and famine. Wild rice, sugarcane, cattle, and buffaloes were all plentiful. There were no thorns, rocks, gravel, or pebbles. Flowering and fruiting trees were continuously in bloom. The gods sent down showers of timely rains, and the fields yielded excellent crops.
“At this time, the entire populace was delighted and entrusted themselves to merit. They continuously performed acts of charity and merit. They maintained one-day precepts and maintained discipline after taking it on. During this time, those who passed on from being humans in Jambudvīpa—everyone separated from their bodies—were
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born among the gods. Most of them were born among the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings. After enabling countless beings to achieve their objectives in this life and the next, when King Puṇyabala and many thousands of others in his retinue died, they were born in the Heaven of Joy.
“Monks, do not think that King Puṇyabala at that time was anyone other than me. I am the one who became a bodhisattva at that time. King Puṇyabala’s father, King Bright Power, is now none other than King Śuddhodana; King Śuddhodana was King Bright Power at that time. Queen Vibhūṣitā is now none other than Queen Mahāmāyādevī.³⁸ The good-looking prince is now none other than my aunt’s son, the monk Nanda. The diligent one is now none other than the monk Śroṇakoṭīviṃśa. The artistic one is now none other than the monk Aniruddha. The wise one is now none other than the monk Śāriputra. Śakra, the lord of the gods, is now none other than the monk Maudgalyāyana. The king who died before Puṇyabala succeeded him is now none other than the evil one, Māra. The poor man in whose house Puṇyabala stayed is now none other than the monk Rāhula. The man whose limbs were amputated by a king—who was restored by Prince Puṇyabala’s own blood, whose limbs were lengthened by his own limbs, and whose body was restored to its previous state by his words of inspiration by words of truth—is now none other than the monk Kauṇḍinya. He was the man who at that time offered his medical expertise to a king.
“Therefore, monks, you should understand that merit, called by that very name, is the most valuable quality of all sentient beings for all times and in all respects.
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Monks, this is why I have declared, ‘I have never observed anything that is a more valuable quality of sentient beings than merit.’ ”
After he had spoken, some monks had doubts. They asked the Blessed One, the Buddha, the one who dispels doubts, “Honorable One, through the ripening of what sort of karma did King Puṇyabala come to be renowned as a great and powerful king? And why did the gods and humans bestow kingship on him? Why did everything he thought of and wished for drop from the sky when he merely wished it? Why did the earth shake as this occurred? And why did it rain knee-high divine jewels? Why was he placed on a divine lion throne? Why did Śakra, the lord of the gods, hold in his own hands fine fabrics and a divine umbrella for him? Why did inexhaustible treasures appear?”
“Monks,” the Blessed One replied, “it was because King Puṇyabala had gathered the provisions and had set up the conditions. He had performed and accumulated these karmic deeds that bring inevitable results³⁹ that come about like waves. Therefore, monks, do you think that anyone other than Puṇyabala—who himself had performed and accumulated such deeds—would experience them?
“Monks, actions that are performed and accumulated do not ripen upon the external earth element, or the water element, or the fire element, or the wind element. The virtuous and nonvirtuous actions that are performed and accumulated will only ripen upon the appropriated aggregates, constituents, and sense bases.
“The karmic deeds of embodied beings
Are never wasted, not even in a hundred eons.
When they are accumulated and the time arrives,
Their fruits will ripen automatically.
“Monks, once upon a time the blessed Buddha Aparājita was born in the world. He was a teacher, a thus-gone one, a worthy one, a perfect buddha, someone endowed with perfect knowledge and conduct,
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a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide and tamer of beings, a teacher of gods and humans. Sometime later, after performing all his buddha activities, this perfect Buddha Aparājita attained complete nirvāṇa. This was the nirvāṇa without remaining aggregates, which is just like a fire at a king’s palace that has burned out and been extinguished. After the king constructed a stūpa for his relics, periodic celebrations were held. Later, when a celebration was held for the stūpa, a log drum was beaten, kettledrums were beaten, and a conch shell was blown. Later, in the afternoon light, a monk sat in the middle of the crowd and taught the Dharma to hundreds of thousands of living beings.
“During this period, among the king’s court was a man named Dyūtajaya, who was deeply addicted to gambling. His wife was named Vijayā, and his son was named Vijaya. One day Dyūtajaya lost all his possessions—everything inside and outside his house—to a wager. All that was left were the clothes he wore, an umbrella, his sandals, and five paṇa of cowrie shells. After everything he owned had been lost, he was tormented by unbearable worry and stress.
“He said, ‘Alas! It is terribly unfortunate that I have not created merit and am now utterly destitute!’ Exhaling a long, deep, strong breath, he put on his two sandals. With his five paṇa and his umbrella, he left the gambling den. Eventually, he arrived at a place where people were listening to the Dharma. When he saw so many people listening to the Dharma with folded hands, he was very pleased. He thought, ‘Just for a while, let me see what kind of Dharma instruction this is.’ To listen to the Dharma, he put his umbrella to one side and sat down. Removing his sandals, he listened with folded hands.
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After a while, the Dharma preacher uttered the following verse:
“ ‘If beings accumulate merit, they will be happy.
Therefore, humans should perform meritorious deeds.
Moreover, they should perform them again and again.
They should aspire for this alone.’
“Upon hearing this verse, he thought, ‘It is indeed true that the accumulation of merit leads to happiness! Why? It is only my past actions that have led to my present unbearable suffering. Certainly, this is because I did not gather merit in the past. I must perform a few meritorious deeds!’
“Having considered things in this way, he thought of his remaining possessions. He saw that nothing remained aside from the clothing he was wearing, the umbrella, the pair of sandals, and the five paṇa of cowrie shells, and that he had lost everything else gambling. He then thought, ‘If I offer my five paṇa of cowrie shells and my upper garment, I may die of hunger. But if I do not offer them, I will certainly enter the next life without merit, and there I will again experience the suffering of poverty. If only there were some way to neither starve to death nor exhaust my merit!’ He thought further, ‘But I would rather die of hunger than enter the next world without merit. Therefore, I must offer my five paṇa of cowrie shells and my upper garment.’
“While he was thinking this, the Dharma preacher uttered another verse:
“ ‘If you engage in merit only slowly,
You will actually be delighting in wrongdoing.
So you should be virtuous quickly,
To turn your mind away from wrongdoing.’
“When he heard this verse, Dyūtajaya thought, ‘He said, “Perform merit quickly!” I should make an offering immediately!’ Thus it happened that this gambler, wretched due to poverty but with strong devotion, approached the Dharma preacher’s lion throne and held his umbrella over his head.
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Then he left his sandals near the Dharma preacher’s feet, scattered his five paṇa of cowrie shells before the Dharma preacher’s feet, removed the upper garment from his body, and used it to cover the Dharma preacher’s feet. All his bodily hair stood on end, and he developed faith. Touching the teacher’s feet, he established a powerful aspiration of faith: ‘Due to these virtuous roots, the mind of awakening, and this offering for the sake of the Dharma, from this time onward may I never be poor. May I be greatly renowned for my merit in all my lives. May gods and humans make me king. May all the things I wish for be provided from the sky. May many miracles and wonders appear when I am reborn. May inexhaustible treasuries with many precious jewels and various precious gems appear wherever I am.’
“As he made these aspirations, the Dharma preacher made dedications for him in his prayers, and the entire assembly departed. Reflecting on the offering he had made for the Dharma, Dyūtajaya returned home wearing one piece of cloth. Seeing him, his wife and son thought, ‘He must have lost even⁴⁰ his upper garment while gambling somewhere.’ They were infuriated and said, ‘The only things you have left to lose are the two of us. You now intend to wager us! Go away!’
“Feeling ashamed, he thought, ‘It is due to the fault of poverty that I am humiliated in this way.’ He then uttered the following verse:
“ ‘Such suffering is the suffering of poverty!
How acute a suffering it is to be poor!
Being poor is the same as dying.
I would rather die than be poor.’
“After saying this, he exhaled a long, deep, strong breath and sat silently.
“In the courtyard of their house, there was a well. His wife tried to draw water from it with a pot and a rope.
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But even after trying for a while, she could not pull up the water. After a while, still unable to raise it, she said to Dyūtajaya, ‘Master,⁴¹ I am unable to pull up this pot. Please come and have a look.’
“Dyūtajaya also tried to pull it up. After he proved unable to pull it up, the two of them called their son. Then the three of them together—with a great effort that tore their skin and flesh—were suddenly successful. After some time they noticed that in the bottom of the pot, weighing it down, were five pairs of copper vessels filled with gold and silver. At the moment when Dyūtajaya witnessed the wondrous fruits of giving that had ripened in that very life, his eyes widened with astonishment. With a joyous heart, he sang the following verse:
“ ‘Ah! On the faultless field,
Naturally replete with good qualities,
I sowed seeds moments ago;
And already the fruits have ripened!’
“At this, his wife’s eyes also grew wide with astonishment. She said, ‘Master, what were you thinking when you said that?’ He replied by relating what had happened in detail. After witnessing the wondrous ripening of the supremely pleasing fruits of meritorious actions in the present life, she too was amazed.
“The news was passed on from one person to another until it reached the king’s palace. When the populace heard, people were astonished; and in astonishment they said,⁴² ‘Ah! How wondrous! Ah! Such is the greatness of merit!’
“At this point, having directly witnessed the fruits of merit, upon suddenly becoming rich and acquiring great wealth due to fervent faith in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, he ardently venerated them. Every day he made vast offerings to the Buddha’s stūpas, listened to the Dharma, and, with excellent food, satisfied the monks who had been appointed by the Saṅgha. Using his wealth, he also fulfilled the wishes of ascetics, brahmins, the poor, the sick, and beggars from elsewhere.
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He made an offering of a grand temple replete with all facilities. After presenting it to the monks of the Saṅgha of the four directions, his fame spread to all the members of the royal court.
“Sometime later, the king passed away, and the royal court had no heir to the throne. The townsfolk and ministers were aware that Dyūtajaya was renowned for his great merit and made him their king. Since then, people started calling him King Jaya⁴³ (“Winner”) instead of his old name, Dyūtajaya. Having witnessed the supremely pleasing fruits of ripened merit in his very lifetime, King Jaya developed conviction, and he entrusted himself mainly to merit. He continually made offerings and engaged in meritorious acts. He took up discipline and maintained it. He also urged the queen’s court, the ministers, the townsfolk, people from the countryside, and other groups to perform meritorious deeds.
“Later still, after King Jaya inevitably died, he was reborn alongside the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. He was reborn as the son of its king, Vaśavartin. When he was born, a rain of great divine jewels and a rain of resplendent fabric descended from the sky. Light from his body illuminated all Vaśavartin’s palaces. This radiance was so bright that it outshone the radiance of the other gods in the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. Having witnessed the wondrous ripening of the fruits of merit for themselves, the other gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations were utterly amazed.
“Monks, do not think that the gambler who became a king at that place and time was someone else. Dyūtajaya, that very same person, later became King Puṇyabala.
2.19
After hearing the Dharma, because his mind developed faith, this person offered the Dharma preacher his umbrella, sandals, upper garment, and five paṇa of cowrie shells. The results of these karmic deeds were that five lots of treasure appeared, and he was crowned as a king with dominion over his realm in that very lifetime. The ripening of that karma also led him to become the king of the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others' Emanations thirty-six times, the king of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations thirty-six times, the king of Tuṣita thirty-six times, the king of the Heaven Free from Strife thirty-six times, the king of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three thirty-six times, and the king of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings thirty-six times. Many hundreds of times he was a universal monarch, victorious in the four directions, a Dharma king who lived by the Dharma and possessed a universal monarch’s seven precious possessions. The seven possessions are the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious jewel, the precious woman, the precious householder, and the precious minister as the seventh. He had one thousand sons, and they were all brave, courageous, handsome, and able to subdue the armies of others. Consequently, he extended his rule⁴⁴ over this great world to the shores of the ocean, without causing any harm, without violence, without any interruptions, without coercion, and without recourse to warfare, in accordance with the Dharma. Due to his fairness, he was able to remain at ease.”
Then the Blessed One uttered these verses:
“This is the cause by which one becomes
A ruler of great beings.
The buddhas, who wish to help
Those in the world, speak in this way.
2.20
“Upon hearing of these vast miracles
And wonders,
Who would not become devout,
Whether they were born into a family of sages or miscreants?
“Therefore, those who want the best for themselves, and
Who wish to become great beings in this life,
Should be mindful of the Buddha’s teachings
And regard the supreme Dharma as preeminent.
“Therefore, monks, you should venerate the supreme Dharma. Take it to be preeminent. Honor it. Worship it. You must train in this way. Yes,⁴⁵ monks, you should venerate the supreme Dharma. Take it to be preeminent. Honor it. Worship it. You must train upon it in this way.”
When the Blessed One spoke these words, the monks rejoiced and praised his words effusively.
Colophon
This work was translated and finalized by the Indian preceptor Jinamitra and the great editor and translator, Bandé Devacandra.
Linked texts (1)
- བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་སྟོབས་ཀྱི་རྟོགས་པ་བརྗོད་པ — Classical Tibetan