大毘盧遮那經供養次第法疏 1.6

1.6

Second, as for explaining the background: in the past, in Central India, there was a king who had four sons. When this king was on the verge of death, the queen asked: "After the great king passes away, which son should succeed to the throne?" The king then replied: "The youngest son can succeed to the throne." Thereupon, after the royal father passed away, the ministers and officials all gathered and asked about the testamentary decree; the queen replied according to the king's final words. At that time, the queen, the elder brothers, and the ministers formally invited the youngest son to succeed to the royal throne. The youngest son replied: "I have made a vow to leave household life and study the Path, hoping to save all beings. I am not capable of succeeding to the throne." The queen mother and others repeatedly urged him according to their royal father's testamentary decree, but the youngest son declined as before. After the queen mother and others had pleaded three times, they later forced him to succeed to the throne. The youngest son dared not disobey, and so ascended the royal throne. Later he thought further: "If I remain in this country, I cannot leave household life. My maternal aunt is the queen of a neighboring country; it is best to turn to her for refuge, and I will surely be able to leave household life." Finding an expedient means, he fled and rushed to that country. When he reached the border of that country, a garrison commander asked him: "Who are you?" The youngest son replied: "I am the king of Central India." The garrison commander said: "If you are the ruler of a state, why have you come alone?" He replied: "I originally hoped to leave household life and study the Path; if I remained long in my native country, I would never be able to leave household life. I deeply desire to leave household life and study the Path." Bowing, [the commander] dispatched an envoy to report this to the throne. When the queen heard of it, she sent someone to welcome him. When the youngest son saw the queen, he knelt on both knees and spoke of his aspiration. Hearing him speak, the queen wept tears of sorrow, pitying and grieving in her heart, and after a long while said: "Your clan is kṣatriya, the descendants of King Śuddhodana, a distant nephew of Śākya Tathāgata. I have heard that Śākya renounced the position of crown prince, left the city, entered the Path, and attained true awakening. In all the world, what is hardest to renounce is the precious throne alone; you, like Śākya, have renounced the throne of a king and generated a great vow—you will surely attain Buddhahood! From this day forth, you will go to the doors of the common people holding a bowl to beg for food, and observe the fast on coarse meals. This can truly bring sorrow! Even so, what a great man aspires to with a sincere vow cannot be hindered." She then permitted him to leave household life. She invited an eminent and virtuous Dharma master within the realm for him, so that he became a disciple, left household life, and studied. The youngest son was endowed with bright wisdom; upon hearing once, he comprehended the wondrous principle, and upon being asked twice, he knew thousands and hundreds in comparison. Though he did not study for many years, he mastered all that he studied. Thereupon the Dharma master declined, saying: "All that I understand is exhausted; there is nothing more for me to expound. I have heard that in that country there are sagely and greatly virtuous ones; you should go there to study." The youngest son received the instruction, bowed in gratitude, and withdrew. He went to the abode of a worthy master and practiced and studied as before. He thus traversed more than fifty countries, until in North India, there was a city named Gandhāra. The king of that country relied upon the upādhyāya to receive the teachings and recitations; since the text of the scripture was vast and its meaning profound, he could not follow the sequence of offering rites, and so requested from the upādhyāya a method of offering. The upādhyāya accepted the request, and beside a stūpa built by King Jinsu (Suvarṇabindu / Aśoka), he prayed for holy adhiṣṭhāna. This offering method suddenly appeared in the sky, radiant with golden letters. The upādhyāya read it through once briefly and remembered it clearly. Looking up to the sky, he asked: "Who composed this?" [A voice] said: "I composed it." He asked: "Who is 'I'?" [The voice] said: "I am Mañjuśrī." He immediately summoned a scribe and had it written down, then gave one copy to the king and wrote a copy himself to carry with him, intending to propagate it in the four directions. The one called the "youngest son" is named the Tripiṭaka Upādhyāya Śubhakarasiṃha, who is [my teacher]. Fukesigi, a humble monk, was fortunate enough to consult the upādhyāya face to face, and recorded as best he could the essentials of the Dharma he heard.