ལས་བརྒྱ་ཐམ་པ་པ 9.23

9.23

These are their thoughts as they look out in wisdom: “Who is in decline? Who will flourish? Who is destitute? Who is in a dreadful state? Who is being harmed? Who is destitute, in a dreadful state, and being harmed? Who is veering toward the lower realms? Who is descending through the lower realms? Who has descended to the lower realms? Whom shall I pull up from the lower realms, and establish in the resultant state of heaven and liberation? Whom, mired in misdeeds, shall I lift up by the hand? Whom, lacking the seven jewels of the noble ones, shall I lead to command of the seven jewels of the noble ones? Whom, not having produced roots of virtue, shall I lead to produce them? Whom, having already produced roots of virtue, shall I lead to ripen their roots of virtue? Whom, having already ripened their roots of virtue, shall I slice open with the blade of wisdom? For whom shall I cause this world, adorned with a buddha’s presence, to be fruitful?”

The ocean, home of creatures fierce,
Could fail to send its tides on time.
But when the time has come to tame
Their offspring, buddhas never fail.

Then the Blessed One thought, “The time has come to issue a prophecy of this rākṣasa’s awakening. Through him I shall guide a great many disciples.” With this in mind, in order to guide them the Blessed One transformed Śrāvastī such that it was filled with the terrible stench of the sewage bog.

The people of Śrāvastī were mystified, and, impelled by their previous roots of virtue, they wondered, “Where is that terrible stench coming from?” Thousands upon thousands of them gathered, hoping for a spectacle. The people followed the terrible stench out toward the sewage bog, where they saw the filthy rākṣasa living there, dragging himself back and forth.

Looking at him, they thought, “A being like this! And such suffering! What is all this?”

Thereupon the Blessed One thought, “Every one of my disciples from Śrāvastī