ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 20.18

20.18

and defeated the advocates of all the different philosophical schools; and that he pleased the Blessed One, did not displease him, went forth in the doctrine of the Blessed One, cast away all afflictive emotions, and manifested arhatship?”

“It came about by the power of his prayers,” replied the Blessed One.

“Lord, where did he make these prayers?” they asked.

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times past, in this fortunate eon, when people lived as long as twenty thousand years and the tathāgata, the arhat, the totally and completely awakened buddha possessed of insight and perfect conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world, the tamer of persons, the charioteer, the unsurpassed one, the teacher of humans and gods, the blessed buddha known as Kāśyapa was in the world, he carried out all the activities of a buddha and passed beyond all sorrow into the realm of nirvāṇa without any remainder of the aggregates.

“King Kṛkī covered his reliquary stūpa and the entire surrounding area for the distance of one mile with four different kinds of jewels. When it was complete in every respect, he made great offerings to it and announced the opening of the traditional festival of the stūpa. Then the king proclaimed, ‘When the festival occurs, every single person living in Vārāṇasī must go to venerate the stūpa. Those who do not go will have all their possessions confiscated.’

“King Kṛkī’s magistrate was a faithless person, whose son had become an intimate of the prince. Out of anger, that faithless brahmin magistrate did not go to the stūpa. When King Kṛkī heard this, he thought, ‘My magistrate has disobeyed my command,’ and felt an upsurge of anger. ‘I shall confiscate all his possessions, and never return them!’ he shouted. The prince heard his words and told the magistrate’s son, ‘Hurry to the festival of the stūpa,