ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 28.12

28.12

“Monks,” the Blessed One recounted, “in times gone by, in a certain mountain village there lived a householder named Citra. He was prosperous and wealthy, a person of vast and magnificent means, endowed with the wealth of Vaiśravaṇa—with wealth to rival Vaiśravaṇa’s.

“One day in spring the tree branches in the garden had thickened and the flowers were in bloom.

Now in times when a blessed one has not arisen in the world, in compassion for the destitute and suffering the solitary buddhas appear, taking up residence in remote places. Solitary as the rhinoceros, in all the world they alone are worthy of offerings. So it was that there was a certain solitary buddha who, wishing to go for alms on that mountainside, heard the sounds of music coming from the park and thought, ‘What need is there to go out onto the mountainside for the sake of this stomach, so difficult to fill? I will go into the garden. My alms can come from there as well.’

“The solitary buddha entered the garden, where the householder saw him, elegant in body and elegant in mind. When he saw the solitary buddha, the householder experienced a surge of joy toward him. In his joy he offered him food, and said, ‘Noble one, where are you staying? Let me offer you my respectful service.’

“The solitary buddha replied, ‘I am staying at such-and-such a place, deep in the forest,’ and departed.

“After that, from time to time the householder would offer him a meal and his respectful service. One day the householder went to see him and found the solitary buddha sitting beneath a tree as if asleep, legs crossed, his body drawn up like a nāga king. Upon seeing the solitary buddha living in such solitude, he felt a strong desire to go forth, so he