ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 34.4

34.4

after a long time waiting, I have now finally consulted the Blessed One. By means of the words spoken by the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha, the thorn of my doubt and second thoughts has been removed.”

The Blessed One asked him, “Kauśika, do you recall asking such questions of the other ascetics and brahmins?”

Śakra, King of the Gods, replied, “Yes, Lord, I do recall this. At one time the gods gathered and took their seats in the assembly hall of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. They searched for the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha, and not having found the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the totally and completely awakened Buddha, they rose from their seats and went their separate ways, and while the more prominent gods among them remained to search further, the others died, transmigrated, and disappeared.

“Lord, when even those most prominent gods died and transmigrated, I grew panicked and afraid, thinking, ‘Will I too die and transmigrate?’ And wherever I saw ascetics and brahmins living in isolation, thinking that they were the tathāgatas, the arhats, the totally and completely awakened buddhas, I approached them.

“ ‘Who are you?’ they would ask me, and I responded, ‘I am Śakra, King of the Gods.’ Then in joy and gladness they exclaimed, ‘Oh, we have seen Śakra!’ over and over again, and began to ask questions of me, so I did not put my questions to them. They took refuge in me, so I did not take refuge in them.

“From this day forth I am a disciple of the Blessed One. I take my refuge in the Blessed One.

“There’s no end to thought construction.²⁰⁹
I