觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 1.9

1.9

「說此偈已告諸菟言：『我今以身欲供養法，汝等隨喜。我從多劫三毒所使，為鳥獸形虛受生死，今將為法棄捨身命。』時山樹神為積香木，菟王母子遶仙七匝，白言：『大師！我今為法供養尊者。』仙人告曰：『汝是畜生，此心難辦。』菟言：『我今身供養者，為法久住，饒益眾生。』王語其子言：『汝可隨意求覓水草，繫心思惟正念三寶。』子聞母告，跪白母言：『如尊為法欲供養者，我亦願樂。』即投火中，母亦隨入。當爾菩薩捨身之時，大地振動，天雨諸花持用供養。肉熟之後，諸神白仙：『菟王母子為供養故，投身赴火。今肉已熟，宜可食之。』仙聞神言，悲不能對，以所誦經書置樹葉，而說偈言：

"Having spoken this verse, she told the other hares: 'I now wish to offer my body to the Dharma; do you all rejoice in this. Driven by the three poisons across many kalpas, I took on the forms of birds and beasts and vainly underwent birth and death; now, for the sake of the Dharma, I shall abandon body and life.' At that time, the mountain and tree deities gathered fragrant wood for them; the hare king and her son circled the ṛṣi seven times and said: 'Great master! We now offer ourselves to the venerable one for the sake of the Dharma.' The ṛṣi told them: 'You are animals; such an intention is difficult to fulfill.' The hare said: 'Our offering of our bodies now is so that the Dharma may long endure and bring benefit to sentient beings.' The king said to her son: 'You may seek water and grass as you wish, focusing your mind and keeping proper mindfulness on the Three Jewels.' Hearing his mother's words, the son knelt and addressed his mother: 'Just as you, venerable one, wish to make an offering for the sake of the Dharma, so too do I wish and rejoice to do so.' He then threw himself into the fire, and the mother also entered after him. At the moment when the bodhisattva sacrificed her body, the great earth shook, and the heavens rained down various flowers as offerings. After the meat was cooked, the deities addressed the ṛṣi: 'The hare king and her son threw themselves into the fire for the sake of making an offering. Now the meat is cooked; you should eat it.' Hearing the words of the deities, the ṛṣi was grieved and could not reply; he wrote the sūtras he had recited on tree leaves and spoke a verse, saying: