大方便佛報恩經 7.16

7.16

「爾時有大獵師，見是師子，身毛金色，心生歡喜，而作是念：『我若得此師子，剝取其皮，奉上國王，必施爵祿，七世無乏。』思惟是已，復發是言：『堅誓師子，獸中之王，弓箭所不及，弶網所不制。我今復當更設異計。堅誓師子所敬望者乃是沙門，我今當作沙門之像，密弓射之。袈裟覆上，細視徐行，往詣樹下，彼若見我，必來親附。以親近已，便復挽弓，藥箭射之，萬無不獲。』思惟是已，即便還家，而唱是言：『祖先已來，歷世相承，常為獵師，未曾聞獸，身毛金色，況復見之？今欲獵取。』即剃鬚髮而被法服，如所思惟，還入山中，坐一樹下。爾時堅誓師子見是比丘，心生歡喜，騰躍親附，舐比丘足。爾時獵師即便射之。既被毒箭，嘊喍哮吼，欲前搏撮。臨欲毀害，復作是念：『此是沙門！被壞色衣，是三世佛賢聖幖幟。我今若害，不足為難，若奪其命，便奪諸佛賢聖幖相。』思惟是已，飲氣忍苦。復經少時，毒藥轉深，苦痛難忍。思惟是已，復欲搏嚙，復發是言：『不足為難。若毀害者，諸佛賢聖之所呵責。又復世間善惡不別，此是惡人，懷毒陰謀，欲來害我；我若不忍，與彼惡人，則無有異。修忍之人，一切愛敬；不忍之人，眾所憎惡，增長煩惱，長煩惱故，生死增長；長生死故，生諸難處；生難處故，遠離善友；遠善友故，不聞正法；不聞法故，重翳疑網；以疑網故，遠離阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。是故我今不應起惡。』

"At that time, there was a great hunter who saw this lion with golden fur on its body. He was filled with joy and thought: 'If I can catch this lion, strip off its skin, and offer it to the king of the country, he will surely grant me rank and emolument so that seven generations will not lack for anything.' Having thought this, he further said: 'The lion Firm Resolve is a king among beasts; bows and arrows cannot reach him, and snare nets cannot control him. I must devise another scheme. The one whom the lion Firm Resolve reveres and looks up to is none other than a śramaṇa. I shall now assume the guise of a śramaṇa and secretly shoot him with a bow. Covering myself with a kāṣāya, looking closely and walking slowly, I will go beneath a tree. If he sees me, he will surely come close to me. Once he draws near, I will draw my bow and shoot him with a poisoned arrow; out of ten thousand chances, I will not fail to get him.' Having thought this, he immediately returned home and exclaimed: 'From my ancestors down through the generations, we have always been hunters, yet never have we heard of a beast with golden fur on its body, let alone seen one! Now I wish to hunt and take it.' He then shaved off his beard and hair, put on the Dharma robes, and, just as he had planned, returned into the mountains and sat beneath a tree. At that time, the lion Firm Resolve saw this bhikṣu, was filled with joy, bounded up close to him, and licked the bhikṣu's feet. At that moment, the hunter shot him. Struck by the poisoned arrow, he snarled and roared, wanting to charge forward and seize him. On the verge of destroying and harming him, he thought again: 'This is a śramaṇa! Wearing robes of subdued color, he bears the emblem of the Buddhas, worthies, and sages of the three periods of time. If I now harm him, it would not be difficult; but if I take his life, I would be taking away the emblem of the Buddhas, worthies, and sages.' Having thought this, he swallowed his breath and endured the pain. After a short while, as the poison penetrated deeper, the pain became unbearable. Having reflected on this, he again wanted to attack and bite him, but he again said: 'It would not be difficult. But if I harm him, I will be rebuked by the Buddhas, worthies, and sages. Furthermore, in the world, good and evil are distinct: this is an evil man who harbored a venomous plot and came to harm me; if I do not endure it, I will be no different from that evil man. One who cultivates endurance is loved and respected by all; one who does not endure is loathed by the multitude, which increases afflictions. Because afflictions increase, saṃsāra increases; because saṃsāra increases, one is born in the difficult realms; because one is born in the difficult realms, one is separated from good spiritual friends; because one is separated from good spiritual friends, one does not hear the Saddharma; because one does not hear the Dharma, one is doubly veiled by the net of doubts; because of the net of doubts, one is far removed from anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi. Therefore, I must not give rise to evil now.'