釋迦譜 1.456

1.456

時識伽梵王。與六萬八千梵。來到佛所。白佛言。天地無祐今欲毀壞。佛不說法眾苦沈滯。沒於三界。願轉法輪悉救眾生。佛默可之時有樹神。名曰法明。又名法樂。又名法意。又名持法。白佛言。世尊。當於何處而轉法輪。佛言在波羅柰仙人住處鹿苑之中。人民雖少我宿命時。在中建立法祠。六萬億載。在中供養六萬億諸佛。諸仙人等遊居其中。以佛道眼普觀世間。今當為誰第一說法。何人易化婬怒癡薄。欝曇藍弗三垢尠薄。身故已來已經七日。第二學仙今日壽終。佛復念言。昔父王遣五人。俱侍衛我經歷勤苦。我今寧可為其先說。

At that time the Brahmā King Śikhi, together with sixty-eight thousand Brahmā devas, came to the Buddha's place. He addressed the Buddha, saying: "Heaven and earth are without protection and are now about to fall into ruin. If the Buddha does not preach the Dharma, the multitude of sufferings will stagnate, submerged in the three realms. May you turn the wheel of the Dharma and rescue all sentient beings!" The Buddha silently consented. At that time there was a tree spirit named Dharma-Splendour, also named Dharma-Joy, also named Dharma-Mind, and also named Upholder-of-Dharma. He addressed the Buddha, saying: "World-Honoured One, where will you turn the wheel of the Dharma?" The Buddha said: "In the Deer Park at the dwelling place of the ṛṣis in Vārāṇasī. Although the people there are few, during my past lives I established a Dharma shrine there for sixty trillion years, and made offerings there to sixty trillion Buddhas. All the ṛṣis roamed and dwelt there." Viewing the world with the Buddha's eye of the Way, [he considered]: "For whom should I preach the Dharma first? Who will be easy to convert, having little lust, anger, and delusion? Udraka Rāmaputra had very little of the three defilements, but it has already been seven days since his body died. The second ṛṣi-aspirant has had his life come to an end today." The Buddha thought again: "Formerly my father the king dispatched five men to attend and protect me together through hardships and toil. I had better preach to them first."