釋迦譜 5.22

5.22

法益經云。王有太子。名達摩跋檀那。齊言法益。是起八萬四千塔日所生也。眼可愛如。似鳩那羅鳥眼。即以為名焉。風姿明雅有文武稱。善彈一弦琴。王有一別房夫人。見而愛之欲與私通。太子固辭不從。夫人懷恨既深。又恐事泄密欲棄之。因白王曰。當今華裔一化四海同風。太子年德俱美文武備通。宜可鎮撫邊要以取百姓之心。王從其志。即分部兵眾以送。太子在鎮甚有治能。歲餘王忽遍身患臭。天下師藥皆不能治。夫人密使人訊訪國內。與王病同者。破腹看之。得一黑虫長數寸。臭不可近。即取眾藥灌之。其臭彌甚。又以大蒜熏之。虫死而臭歇。於是白王曰。妾能治王必使得差。願聽我七日為王。王喜而許之曰但令我差七日何有哉。夫人即以大蒜與王。令服之便愈。於是宮中綵女上酒稱慶。令王醉臥無所覺知。夫人即嫌恨太子。即矯勅挑其兩眼。令餘人代之。國法以王齒為印。乃以臘摸王齒而印之。太子奉勅歡喜無怨。先挑一眼置掌中。看之良久乃悟苦空無我。得須陀洹道。然後以一眼與之。於是與其妃相携步行出城。行人為之流涕。悉仰頭呼天。太子有何罪乃致此耶。辭拜嗚咽並不能復起。亦有感激致死者。乞食流迸遇還本國。猶持一弦琴在所而彈之。時有大臣。識是太子亦知夫人所為。不敢以問。乃因餘人啟王。外有一盲人能彈琴。備六十四伎變弄殊絕。不可不聞。王即召之乃見其子。子婦悶絕墜地。良久乃蘇即問其故。方悟是夫人所為。王先受五戒不復殺生。唯宍刑之棄於深林。太子聞夫人被刑。結氣發病而死。王年耆惛旄。疾臥床褥無復威力。半年之中諸臣行事。王卒後立位。法益之子名三波提。紹位也。

The Dharmavardhana Sūtra states: The king had a crown prince named Dharmavardhana (Dharmavaddhana), which in Qi speech means 'Increase of the Dharma' (Fayi). He was born on the day the eighty-four thousand stupas were erected. His eyes were lovely, resembling the eyes of a kuṇāla bird; thus he was given that name. In demeanor he was bright and refined, renowned in both civil and military arts, and skilled at playing the one-stringed zither. The king had a secondary consort who saw him, fell in love with him, and wished to have an illicit liaison with him. The prince firmly refused and would not comply. The consort's resentment ran deep, and fearing that the matter might leak out, she secretly wished to dispose of him. Thereupon she addressed the king, saying, "Today our borders are unified and the four seas follow the same custom. The crown prince's age and virtue are both fine, and he is thoroughly accomplished in both civil and military arts. It would be fitting for him to pacify and govern the strategic frontiers so as to win the hearts of the people." The king complied with her intention and immediately dispatched troops to escort him. While at his post, the prince showed great governing ability. After more than a year, the king suddenly suffered from a foul stench throughout his body, which none of the world's physicians or medicines could cure. The consort secretly sent people to inquire throughout the realm for anyone with the same illness as the king, cut open their belly to examine it, and found a black worm several inches long, so foul that one could not approach it. They immediately took various medicines to pour over it, but its foulness only increased. They then fumigated it with garlic; the worm died and the stench ceased. Thereupon she addressed the king, saying, "I can cure Your Majesty and ensure your recovery. I beg you to allow me to rule as king for seven days." The king was delighted and consented, saying, "As long as you make me recover, what are seven days?" The consort immediately gave garlic to the king and had him take it, whereupon he was cured. Thereupon the palace maidens presented wine to offer congratulations, causing the king to lie drunk without awareness. The consort, bearing resentment against the prince, fabricated an imperial edict to gouge out his two eyes, ordering others to take his place. By the law of the state, the king's tooth served as his seal; she therefore took wax to make an impression of the king's tooth and stamped it. The prince received the edict with joy and without resentment. He first had one eye gouged out and placed in his palm; looking at it for a long while, he awakened to suffering, emptiness, and non-self, and attained the stage of stream-enterer (srotaāpanna). Afterwards, he yielded the other eye. Thereupon, taking his consort by the hand, he walked out of the city on foot. Passersby wept for him, all raising their heads and crying out to Heaven, "What crime has the prince committed to come to this?" Prostrating to bid farewell, they sobbed and could not rise; some even died from intense grief. Begging for food while wandering in exile, he happened to return to his home country, still carrying his one-stringed zither and playing it wherever he went. At that time, a great minister recognized that he was the crown prince and also knew what the consort had done, but did not dare to inquire. Through another person, he addressed the king, saying, "Outside there is a blind man skilled at playing the zither, fully master of sixty-four arts, with wondrously exceptional skill; he should not be missed." The king immediately summoned him and thus saw his son. The son's wife fainted and fell to the ground; only after a long while did she revive. When the king questioned him about the cause, he realized that it had been done by the consort. Since the king had previously received the five precepts and no longer killed living beings, he only had her nose cut off and cast her into a deep forest. When the prince heard that the consort had been punished, his pent-up sorrow brought on an illness and he died. The king was old and senile, bedridden with illness, and had no remaining authority. For half a year, the ministers administered affairs. After the king passed away, they established the throne: the son of Dharmavardhana, named Saṃprati, succeeded to the throne.