七佛八菩薩所說大陀羅尼神呪經 2.12

2.12

爾時佛告諸大眾言：「吾本無數劫中處於凡夫時，字遮他陀，在加偷邏國，作於商客販賣治業。虛妄無實，造諸惡行不可稱計，婬荒無道不可具說。是時愚癡害父愛母，經數年中舉國人民一皆知之，稱聲唱言：『是遮他陀害父愛母經今數年。』吾時思念與六畜無異更無人事，時於加偷邏國跳城奔走趣於深澤。時此國王名毘闍，告令國中人民：『此遮他陀婬荒無道致為此事。其有能得此人者，當重賜寶物。』時此國人各各愛慕欲捕吾身。是時驚怖，即出國作沙門，在於他國修行十善、坐禪學道，晝夜泣淚，經三十七年。以五逆罪障故心不定，憂悲叵處。以三十七年中在於山窟，常舉聲泣：『苦哉苦哉。當以何心去此苦也？』悲歎下窟乞食時，道中地得一大鉢，中有一匣經，更無餘經，唯有集法悅捨苦陀羅尼。說過去恒河沙諸佛泥洹時，常在毘悅羅國說此陀羅尼付諸大菩薩。後有人得聞此陀羅尼者，此人過去世時修持五戒十善當令得聞。有人雖聞，而不在心不修集者，是名無緣。此陀羅尼能除去百億劫生死五逆大罪，若有人受持讀誦者，終不墮於三塗地獄、餓鬼、畜生。何以故？過去諸佛以欲泥洹時會當說之，尊重歎仰，稱其功德不可計量，付諸菩薩。後有眾生得聞此陀羅尼者，修習著心，福報難計。猶如須彌寶海，凡夫不能得量。若有人作諸惡行，竊聞此陀羅尼名不及修習，一用在懷墮於地獄，一切地獄中蒙此人恩，苦痛不行。有人能行現身精勤修習得者，覩見百千萬佛剎土，得福無量不可具說。唯有諸佛與諸菩薩乃能究盡，聲聞二乘人者不能得知。何以故？此陀羅尼非一佛二佛所說，過去恒河沙諸佛所說。是時吾得此經，即不乞食，歡喜向窟，到於窟中燒香禮拜悲淚讚仰。於窟中修習讚誦經一年始得，以罪業障故不能得入心懷。是時吾即以秋月夜，洗浴修行，經一七日，如童子初學憒憒者不少，便更行於七日，亦如是憒憒無異。心中愁惱不知云何，意中恬思此陀羅尼字，經於數反心中忽定。我時欣悅如人地得百千斤金，人無知者內欣不止，吾時亦然。修行數年飛行無礙，覩見十方三世諸佛。後有行者，如法行之。」

At that time, the Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying: "In the past, during incalculable kalpas when I was an ordinary being, my name was Jātata. In the kingdom of Kāthura, I worked as a merchant engaging in trade. Deceitful and untrue, I committed countless evil deeds; my lustful depravity was unprincipled beyond description. At that time, in my delusion, I killed my father and had lustful relations with my mother. Over several years, the people of the entire country all came to know of it, raising their voices and proclaiming: 'This Jātata has killed his father and had lustful relations with his mother for several years now.' I then reflected that I was no different from beasts and no longer possessed human conduct; then in the kingdom of Kāthura, I leaped over the city wall, fled, and headed for the deep marshes. At that time, the king of this country, named Vija, proclaimed to the people of the kingdom: 'This Jātata's lustful depravity was unprincipled, which brought about these acts. Whoever is able to capture this person will be lavishly rewarded with precious treasures.' Thereupon, the people of this country each eagerly desired to apprehend me. At that time, terrified, I immediately fled the country and became a śramaṇa. In another country, I practiced the ten virtues and meditated in study of the Way, weeping tears day and night for thirty-seven years. Because of the obstacle of the five heinous crimes, my mind was unsettled, and my sorrow and grief were unbearable. During those thirty-seven years, dwelling in a mountain cave, I constantly wept aloud: 'How bitter, how bitter! With what mind can I cast off this suffering?' While lamenting and descending from the cave to beg for food, I found a large bowl on the ground along the way, inside of which was a sūtra box. There were no other scriptures, only the Dhāraṇī for Gathering the Joy of the Dharma and Renouncing Suffering. It explained that when the past Buddhas, numerous as the sands of the Ganges, were about to enter nirvāṇa, they always preached this dhāraṇī in the kingdom of Viyala and entrusted it to the great bodhisattvas. If someone later gets to hear this dhāraṇī, this person must have cultivated and maintained the five precepts and ten virtues in past lives to be enabled to hear it. If someone hears it, yet does not keep it in mind and does not cultivate and collect it, this is called being without karmic connection. This dhāraṇī can eradicate the great sins of the five heinous crimes and birth and death of ten billion kalpas; if someone upholds, reads, and recites it, they will never fall into the three bad destinies: hell, hungry ghosts, or animals. Why is this? When the past Buddhas were about to enter nirvāṇa, they would inevitably preach it, revering and praising it, declaring its merit to be immeasurable, and entrusting it to the bodhisattvas. If subsequent sentient beings get to hear this dhāraṇī, cultivate it, and keep it in mind, their retributive blessing will be hard to calculate. It is like Mount Sumeru or the treasure ocean, which ordinary beings cannot measure. If someone commits evil deeds, secretly hears the name of this dhāraṇī without time to practice it, but once holds it in their heart, when they fall into hell, all those in hell will receive this person's grace and their suffering will cease. If someone is able to practice, diligently cultivate, and attain it in their present body, they will behold hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddha lands and obtain immeasurable blessings beyond full description. Only Buddhas and bodhisattvas can exhaustively know it; śrāvakas and those of the two vehicles cannot comprehend it. Why is this? This dhāraṇī was not spoken by one or two Buddhas, but by past Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. At that time, when I obtained this sūtra, I did not continue begging for food, but returned joyfully to the cave. Reaching the cave, I burned incense, paid homage, and praised it with tears of sorrow. Cultivating, praising, and reciting it in the cave, it took a whole year before I began to grasp it; because of the obstacle of sinful karma, I was unable to take it into my heart. Thereupon, on an autumn night, I bathed and practiced for seven days; like a child first learning, I was not a little bewildered. I then practiced for another seven days, and was just as bewildered without difference. Sorrowful and troubled in heart, not knowing what to do, I quietly contemplated the words of this dhāraṇī in my mind; after several repetitions, my mind suddenly became settled. I was then as overjoyed as a person who finds hundreds of thousands of catties of gold in the ground: with no one else knowing, the inner joy never ceases; so it was with me at that time. Cultivating for several years, I flew through the air without obstruction and beheld the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three times. Future practitioners should practice it according to the Dharma."