七佛八菩薩所說大陀羅尼神呪經 3.31

3.31

「誦呪三遍，白疊縷結作七結，繫項。是大神呪乃是過去七恒河沙諸佛所說。我於往昔在閻浮提作大國王，十六小國皆悉屬我。我有威猛大策謀力，降伏諸國，三十六國悉皆屬我。我時得病垂欲終，薄福少兒正有三子，最大太子闇鈍少智，中者尫弱，其最小者聰明勇哲、博學多聞策謀威勇，見我欲終悉皆來集，一萬大臣亦悉來集，一萬夫人亦悉來集。王時欲終語諸群臣言：『我三子中誰中為王？』諸群臣言：『任大王意。』王時答言：『不應任我。我去之後，治國之法、霸王之事，汝曹當知。云何任我？』諸臣啟言：『善哉大王！慈悲臨覆，心無憎愛。』一萬大臣同聲唱言：『第三王子堪任為王。』一萬大臣言已辭退。時王正殿身體疲懈，語諸子言：『我今欲臥。』第三王子抱父王頭，中者捉脚，第一王子捉父王手。時王仰臥即便命終。群臣聞之號哭來集，一萬夫人亦悉號哭舉身投地。第三王子見父背喪，呼咷懊惱自投於地，良久乃穌。第一太子默然不哭，第二王子坐啼脚頭。諸群臣言：『諸王子等相貌有異。』有一大臣是王叔父，大王在時恒以國事付此大臣。宰相念言：『大王在時恒以國事付囑於我。今此王子意志有異，我宜問之。』即前問言：『今王背喪。諸群臣等皆悉已集，人子之情不應如是，默然而坐而不涕泣。』王子答言：『我與父王都無因緣。第三王子獨是王子，我等二人猶如賓客暫來相過。』大臣答言：『不應如是。國是汝有，非兄則弟。』第三王子呼咷宛轉前抱兄足：『我小幼稚，不應為王。願兄臨顧，紹父王位。』兄時答言：『父王臨終告勅於汝，我徒先生不見告勅。是父王過，非汝愆咎。我等二人且當入山，精誠剋勵求神仙道。』言已即去。精誠不久獲得五通，移山駐流、手挽日月。第三王子葬送父訖，得紹王位，統領諸國四十八年。其後漸漸貪濁心起，人民厭賤。諸小國王及諸群臣咸皆思念山中神仙：『無貪之性乃得為仙。我等往昔咸皆愚癡，聰聖王子以為愚癡，貪濁王子以為賢聖。』作是念已咸相謂言：『我等諸人當共入山，勸請神仙以為大王，兼有神化威伏諸國。』作是念已，一萬大臣皆共入山，推覓求索會遇見之。一萬大臣拜覲問訊：『神仙尊者！我等頑愚，不識正真，為此貪王之所荒亂，人民逃迸國將空虛。唯願尊仙垂顧留眄，慈悲普覆令國還復。』仙人答言：『我無是事。』諸臣答言：『實不得止。』仙人答言：『我寧此死，終不戀國還為人王。』一萬大臣咸相謂言：『我若返國亦皆當死，貪王所殺。不如住此求神仙道，飲水食果清閑寂寞。』精誠不久皆獲五通，飛騰清虛靡不周遍。爾時貪王心生慚愧，即捨王位出家學道，開父王庫藏欲大布施。見一金櫃七處印之，以手開櫃得陀羅尼，乃是過去諸佛所說如前無異。得陀羅尼已，開父王庫藏著四衢道頭，恣其人民擔負而去。我於爾時得此陀羅尼已，即入淨室，七日七夜精勤修習，漏盡意解即獲五通。爾時國王福德少故，隣國侵境、風雨不時、人民飢餓。是時國王即請比丘以為國師共我治化。比丘是時即受其請，愍眾生故為作國師，教其國王治化正法，不貪為本慈悲為性，賞善罰惡尊敬道德，慈愍人民如視赤子。爾時教王此陀羅尼句。王於爾時精誠至故，七日七夜精進不懈。已精進故，十方諸佛、諸大菩薩、釋梵四天王、二十八部諸大鬼神、諸大龍王，擁護國土集其國界，雨澤時節、穀米豐熟，人民安樂。已安樂故，諸小國土皆悉歸屬。當知皆是大神呪力威神乃爾。若諸國王於釋迦牟尼佛千載末頭欲求所願，亦應如是古昔國王等無有異。」

"Recite the spell three times, knot white fine-cotton thread into seven knots, and tie it around the neck. This great dhāraṇī spell was spoken by past buddhas [as numerous as] the sands of seven Ganges rivers. In ancient times, I was a great king in Jambudvīpa, and sixteen minor states all belonged to me. Having the power of fierce valour and great strategy, I subdued the various kingdoms, and thirty-six states all belonged to me. At that time I fell ill and was on the verge of death. Having scant merit, I had few children, only three sons. The eldest crown prince was dull and of little wisdom; the middle one was frail and weak; while the youngest was intelligent, brave, and sagacious, widely learned with broad knowledge, strategic, and valiant. Seeing that I was about to die, they all assembled, ten thousand ministers also assembled, and ten thousand royal consorts also assembled. When the king was about to die, he said to his ministers: 'Among my three sons, who is fit to be king?' The ministers said: 'As the Great King pleases.' The king then replied: 'It should not be as I please. After I am gone, the laws of governing the state and the affairs of sovereign rule are matters you should know. How could it be left to me?' The ministers stated: 'Excellent, Great King! You oversee us with loving-kindness and compassion, your mind free of hatred or partiality.' The ten thousand ministers proclaimed in unison: 'The third prince is capable of being king.' Having spoken, the ten thousand ministers took their leave and withdrew. The king was then in the main palace hall, his body weary and exhausted. He said to his sons: 'I now wish to lie down.' The third prince embraced the father king's head, the middle one held his feet, and the first prince held the father king's hand. The king lay on his back and immediately passed away. Hearing this, the ministers wept aloud and gathered; the ten thousand royal consorts also wept aloud and threw themselves to the ground. Seeing the father's passing, the third prince wailed and lamented, throwing himself to the ground, reviving only after a long time. The first crown prince was silent and did not weep, while the second prince sat weeping at his feet. The ministers said: 'The princes' demeanours are different.' There was a minister who was the king's uncle; while the Great King was alive, he had always entrusted state affairs to this minister. The prime minister thought: 'When the Great King was alive, he always entrusted state affairs to me. Now these princes have different inclinations; I should inquire about it.' He went forward and asked: 'Now that the king has passed away and the ministers have all gathered, the feelings of a son should not be like this—sitting in silence without weeping.' The prince replied: 'I have no karmic affinity with the father king. The third prince alone is his son; we two are like guests who have come to visit briefly.' The minister replied: 'It should not be so. The kingdom is yours; if not the elder brother, then the younger.' The third prince wailed, rolled on the ground, and went forward to embrace his elder brother's feet: 'I am young and childish; I should not be king. May my elder brother look down with care and succeed to our father's throne.' The elder brother then replied: 'Our father king, on the verge of death, gave orders to you. Though I was born first, I was given no orders. This is the father king's fault, not your wrongdoing. The two of us shall simply enter the mountains, and with dedicated sincerity and utmost effort seek the path of the immortals.' Having spoken, they departed. Through dedicated sincerity, before long they attained the five supernormal powers, moving mountains, halting flowing waters, and pulling the sun and moon with their hands. Having buried the father, the third prince succeeded to the throne and ruled the kingdoms for forty-eight years. Thereafter, a mind of greed and defilement gradually arose in him, and the people grew weary of and despised him. The kings of the minor states and all the ministers all thought of the immortals in the mountains: 'Only a nature free of greed can become an immortal. In the past we were all foolish: we thought the intelligent and sagacious prince was foolish, and took the greedy and defiled prince to be worthy and sagacious.' Having thought this, they all said to one another: 'We should go into the mountains together to invite the immortal to become the great king; furthermore, possessing supernormal transformations, he can overawe and subdue the various states.' Having thought this, the ten thousand ministers went together into the mountains, searching and seeking, and happened to meet him. The ten thousand ministers prostrated, paid homage, and inquired: 'Venerable Immortal! We were obstinate and foolish, failing to recognize what was true and right. We have been thrown into chaos by this greedy king; the people have fled and the state is on the verge of desolation. We only wish the venerable immortal would look down with favour, and with loving-kindness and compassion broadly cover us so that the state may be restored.' The immortal replied: 'I have no such interest.' The ministers replied: 'Truly, this cannot be stopped.' The immortal replied: 'I would rather die here than ever long for the kingdom and become a king of men again.' The ten thousand ministers all said to one another: 'If we return to the state we will also surely die, killed by the greedy king. It is better to remain here and seek the path of the immortals, drinking water, eating fruits, in serene seclusion and stillness.' Through dedicated sincerity, before long they all attained the five supernormal powers, soaring through the pure void everywhere without hindrance. At that time, the greedy king felt shame in his heart; he immediately renounced the throne to leave home and study the Path. Opening his father king's treasury, he wished to perform great generosity. He saw a golden chest sealed in seven places; opening the chest with his hands, he obtained a dhāraṇī, which had been spoken by past buddhas, no different from the previous one. Having obtained the dhāraṇī, he opened his father king's treasury, placed [its contents] at the heads of the crossroads, and let the people carry them away as they pleased. Having obtained this dhāraṇī, I immediately entered a clean chamber and for seven days and seven nights diligently cultivated and practiced it; with outflows ended and mind liberated, I immediately attained the five supernormal powers. At that time, because the king had scant merit and virtue, neighbouring states invaded his borders, wind and rain were unseasonal, and the people suffered from famine. The king then invited a monk to be the national preceptor to govern and transform [the realm] together with me. The monk then accepted his invitation, and out of pity for sentient beings acted as the national preceptor, teaching the king the correct Dharma of governing: taking non-greed as the foundation and loving-kindness and compassion as the nature, rewarding good and punishing evil, revering morality, and pitying the people as if looking upon an infant. He then taught the king the phrases of this dhāraṇī. Because the king was exceedingly sincere at that time, he was vigorous and unflagging for seven days and seven nights. Because he was vigorous, the buddhas of the ten directions, the great bodhisattvas, Śakra, Brahmā, the Four Heavenly Kings, the twenty-eight classes of great ghosts and spirits, and all the great nāga kings, protecting the realm, gathered at his borders; rain fell in season, grains ripened in abundance, and the people were peaceful and happy. Because they were peaceful and happy, all the minor states submitted to his rule. You should know that it was entirely the mighty spiritual power of this great dhāraṇī that was such. If kings at the end of the thousand years of Śākyamuni Buddha wish to seek their desires, they should also act like this ancient king, without any difference."