太子瑞應本起經 1.37

1.37

「瓶沙王憙曰：『善哉！菩薩志妙，世間難有，必得佛道，願先度我。』大子默然而逝。當度尼連禪河，天神為止流令中暫乾。大子渡河，行數十里，見三梵志，各與弟子，索居谿邊。過問其道，自稱言：『吾事梵天，奉於日月，日修火祠，唯水是淨。』菩薩答曰：『是故生死道耳！水不常滿，火不久熱，日出則移，月滿則虧，道在清虛，水焉能令人心淨？』傷之而去，行起慈心，遍念眾生老耄專愚，不免疾病，死喪之痛，欲令解脫以一其意，而起悲心。愍傷一切，皆有飢渴寒暑、得失罪咎艱難之患，欲令安隱以一其意，而起喜心。念諸世間，皆有憂苦恐怖遭逢之患，欲令恬惔以一其意，而起護心。欲度五道八難之生，愚蔽曚闇，不見正道，念欲成濟，使得無為，以一其意，得善不喜、逢惡不憂，捨世八事，利衰毀譽稱譏苦樂，不以傾動。

"King Bimbisāra rejoiced and said: 'Excellent! The Bodhisattva's aspiration is wondrous, rare in the world. When you surely attain the Buddha Way, I pray that you cross me over first.' The Prince silently departed. As he was about to cross the Nairañjanā River, a deva halted the current, causing the riverbed to dry up temporarily. The Prince crossed the river, traveled several tens of li, and saw three brāhmaṇas, each with their disciples, dwelling separately beside a stream. Approaching them, he inquired about their path. They proclaimed: 'We serve Brahmā, revere the sun and moon, perform fire sacrifices daily, and hold water alone to be purifying.' The Bodhisattva replied: 'This is merely the path of birth and death! Water is not perpetually full; fire is not long hot; the sun rises and then moves; the moon waxes and then wanes. The Way lies in pure emptiness—how could water make a person's mind pure?' Pained by this, he departed. As he walked, he gave rise to loving-kindness, comprehensively contemplating sentient beings in their senility and obstinate foolishness, unable to escape sickness and the pain of death and mourning; wishing to liberate them, he unified his mind and gave rise to compassion. Pitying all who suffer from the afflictions of hunger, thirst, cold, heat, gain, loss, sin, fault, and adversity, wishing to bring them security and peace, he unified his mind and gave rise to sympathetic joy. Contemplating all the worlds as having the afflictions of anxiety, suffering, terror, and misfortune, wishing to bring them tranquility, he unified his mind and gave rise to equanimity. Desiring to cross over the living beings of the five destinies and eight difficulties who are ignorant, covered in darkness, and do not see the right path, he resolved to accomplish their rescue and enable them to attain the unconditioned. Unifying his mind, he did not rejoice when encountering good nor grieve when meeting evil; abandoning the eight worldly conditions—gain and decline, disgrace and honor, praise and blame, suffering and pleasure—he was not swayed by them."