釋迦譜 1.390

1.390

爾時白淨王既聞仙人決定之說。心懷愁惱。慮恐出家。即擇五百青衣賢明多智。為作嬭母。養視太子。其中或有乳者。或有抱者。或有浴者。或有浣濯者。如是等比供給太子。皆悉具足。又復別為起三時殿。溫涼寒暑。各自異處。其殿皆以七寶莊嚴。衣裳服飾皆悉隨時。王恐太子棄家學道。使其城門開閉之聲。聞四十里。又復擇取五百妓女形容端正。不肥不瘦。不長不短。不白不黑。才能巧妙各兼數技。皆以名寶瓔珞其身。百人一番迭代宿衛。於其殿前列樹甘果。枝葉蔚映華實繁茂。又有浴池清流澄潔。池邊香草雜色蓮華。猗靡芬數不可稱計。異類之鳥數百千種。光麗心目趣悅太子。太子既生始滿七日。其母命終。以懷太子功德大故。上生忉利。封受自然。太子自知福德威重。無有女人堪受禮者。故因將終。託之而生（普耀經云。菩薩生七日後。其母命終。所以者何。本命應然。菩薩察之臨母命終。因來下生。懷菩薩時諸天供養。已服天食不甘世養。本福應然。去來今佛皆亦如是。母七日終受忉利天上功祚。適昇彼天。五萬梵天各執寶瓶。二萬魔妻手執寶縷。侍菩薩母。瑞應本起云。菩薩本知母人之德不堪受其禮。故因其將終而從之生。長阿含經云。毘婆尸佛降神母胎。專念不亂。安樂無畏。身壞命終。生忉利天。此是常法。大善權經云。生後七日。其母便薨。福應昇天。非菩薩咎。前處兜率觀后摩耶。大命將終。餘有十月七日之期。故神變來下。是菩薩權方便）。

At that time, King Śuddhodana, having heard the sage's definitive prediction, felt sorrow and distress in his heart, fearing that the prince would leave home. He immediately selected five hundred maidservants, virtuous, wise, and highly intelligent, to serve as wet nurses and rear the prince. Among them, some breastfed him, some held him in their arms, some bathed him, and some washed his clothes. In this manner, all necessities for attending to the prince were fully provided. He also specially built palaces for the three seasons—warm, cool, cold, and hot—each in a different location. These palaces were all adorned with the seven treasures, and the garments and ornaments were completely adjusted according to the season. Fearing that the prince would abandon his household to study the Way, the king had the city gates made so that the sound of their opening and closing could be heard for forty li. Furthermore, he selected five hundred courtesans who were upright in appearance, neither fat nor lean, neither tall nor short, neither fair nor dark, talented and skilled, each possessing multiple proficiencies, all adorned on their bodies with exquisite jewels and necklaces. In groups of one hundred per watch, they took turns keeping night guard. In front of the palace, sweet fruit trees were planted in rows, their branches and leaves luxuriantly overlapping, and their flowers and fruits abundant. There were also bathing ponds with clear, pristine waters; beside the ponds were fragrant herbs and multicolored lotuses, graceful and richly fragrant beyond reckoning. There were hundreds of thousands of kinds of exotic birds, whose bright beauty delighted the heart and eyes and brought joy to the prince. Seven days after the prince was born, his mother died. Because of the great merit of conceiving the prince, she was reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to naturally receive celestial rewards. The prince himself knew that his merit and majesty were so momentous that no woman could endure his paying obeisance to her; therefore, relying on the fact that her life was about to end, he took birth through her. (The Puyao jing says: Seven days after the Bodhisattva was born, his mother died. Why was this? Her original lifespan naturally ended so. The Bodhisattva observed that his mother's lifespan was nearing its end, and therefore descended to be born. When she conceived the Bodhisattva, the heavenly beings made offerings to her; having consumed divine food, she could no longer savor worldly sustenance. Her original merit naturally dictated this. All Buddhas of the past, future, and present are likewise so. Seven days after giving birth, the mother dies to receive heavenly merit and fortune in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. As soon as she ascended to that heaven, fifty thousand Brahmā deities, each holding a precious vase, and twenty thousand wives of Māra, holding precious threads, attended upon the Bodhisattva's mother. The Ruiying benqi [jing] says: The Bodhisattva originally knew that a mother's virtue could not endure his paying obeisance to her; thus, relying on the fact that her life was about to end, he took birth from her. The Dīrghāgama says: When Vipaśyin Buddha descended spiritually into his mother's womb, she was single-minded and undistracted, peaceful, happy, and fearless; when her body broke up at the end of life, she was reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. This is the constant rule. The Da shanquan jing says: Seven days after the birth, his mother died. Her merit warranted her ascent to heaven; it was not the Bodhisattva's fault. Earlier, while in Tuṣita, he had observed Queen Māyā, whose great lifespan was nearing its end, with only ten months and seven days remaining. Therefore, by spiritual transformation he descended. This is the Bodhisattva's skillful means.)