佛祖統紀 2.26

2.26

At that time, the Bodhisattva mounted a six-tusked white elephant and departed from Tuṣita Palace (According to the Puyao jing, it says: When the asterism Tiṣya was in conjunction, he transformed into a white elephant. The Ruiying jing says: He transformed and mounted a six-tusked white elephant, penetrating the essence of the sun. Tiṣya is the asterism Gui). He emitted a great beam of light that illuminated the ten directions everywhere, and on the eighth day of the fourth month at the time when the morning star appeared, he descended his spirit into the mother's womb (Growing bright toward dawn, it is thus called the morning star; that is, the asterism Gui). At that time, when Queen Māyā was between sleeping and waking, she saw a six-tusked white elephant soaring through the air and entering through her right flank (According to the Puyao jing, the reason it enters the right is because his actions are never perverse). Having awakened, she reported it to the king and described the auspicious sign. The king summoned a brāhmaṇa to divine it, who said: 'The child in the queen's womb now is certainly an auspicious sign of sambodhi. If he does not leave home, he will become a wheel-turning king.' Daily, the queen increasingly cultivated the six pāramitās; the gods offered food and drink, and she took no delight in the tastes of the human world. At that time, the multitude of Tuṣita heaven thought: 'The Bodhisattva has already been born in the palace of King Śuddhodana; we too should descend to be born in the human world so that we may be the first to hear the Dharma.' Thereupon, the devas descending to be born numbered up to ninety-nine koṭis. Furthermore, from the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven down to the Four Heavenly Kings, and up to the heavens of the form realm, they and their retinues also all descended to be born, beyond reckoning (Sūtra of Cause and Effect). There was a devaputra named Swift Messenger who went to the various hells and cried out in a loud voice: 'The Bodhisattva has descended from Tuṣita heaven and dwells in his mother's womb! You all must swiftly generate vows to seek rebirth in the human realm!' When the sentient beings of the hells heard this voice, they each looked at one another; seeing the light again, they cast off their hellish bodies and were immediately born among humans. All those in the great trichiliocosm who had planted roots of good since the past all came to this city of Kapila to take birth on all sides (Sūtra of the Buddha's Former Deeds; phase of entrusting to the womb as seen by those of small faculty).