འཕགས་པ་སྙང་རྗ་པད་མ་དཀར་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 285

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and flayed the skin from the king’s living body, took it, and practiced his spell. For seven days King Puṇyabala remained alive, did not lose consciousness, did not experience any suffering, and did not feel regret for even a moment.

“Noble son, who do you think was at that time, in that period, the one named Mahākāruṇika? Do not look elsewhere. I was that Mahākāruṇika, the father of the Tathāgata Ratnagarbha. That was the time when I first developed the aspiration for the highest, most complete enlightenment. Through my first development of that aspiration, I made many beings adopt, enter, and remain in having the highest, most complete enlightenment as their goal. That was my first heroism, my first heroic act.

“When I died, through the power of my prayers I was reborn in Saṃkarṣana into a caṇḍāla family. While I was a member of the caṇḍāla class, I made beings practice good actions. Because of my strength and courage, I became a powerful cakravartin. I brought all fighting, strife, and impurity throughout Jambudvīpa to an end, and extended the lifespan of the people. At that time, I made a gift of my body for the first time. That was my second heroism, my second heroic act.

“I gave away my own eyes, I gave away my own skin, and when I passed away, through the power of my prayers I was reborn in a caṇḍāla family in the second continent of the Saṃkarṣana buddha realm. Then it was as previously described, and through the power of my unwavering diligence I brought beings to the practice of good actions, and so on, up to and including becoming a powerful cakravartin. I brought to an end fighting, strife, impurity, vengeance, and discord,