釋迦譜 1.425

1.425

The Za baozang jing states: In the past, when the Tathāgata was beneath the bodhi tree, the evil Māra Pāpīyān led a host of eighty billion beings, wishing to destroy the Buddha. Coming before the Tathāgata, he said, "Gautama, all alone by yourself, how can you sit here? Quickly rise and depart! If you do not depart, I will seize your feet and hurl you into the ocean." The Buddha said, "Looking at the world, I see no one capable of hurling me into the ocean. In a past life, you merely established one monastery, observed the eight precepts for a single day, and gave a single bowl of food in alms to a pratyekabuddha; therefore you were born into the sixth heaven as the great Māra king. But I, through three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, have extensively cultivated merit. In the first asaṃkhyeya kalpa, I made offerings to immeasurable Buddhas; in the second and third asaṃkhyeya kalpas, it was likewise so. The śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas to whom I made offerings cannot be counted. Throughout the great earth, there is not even a needle's point that has not held my bones." Māra said, "Gautama, what you say about my keeping precepts and giving food to a pratyekabuddha for one day in the past is indeed true; I know it myself, and you also know it. But as for what you say of yourself, who will bear witness to it?" The Buddha pointed his finger to the earth and said, "This earth will bear witness to me." When this witness was invoked, the entire great earth shook in six ways, and the earth spirit emerged from the vajra-boundary, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha, saying, "I will bear witness to you. Ever since this earth has existed, I have always been in it. What the World-Honoured One speaks is true and not false." The Buddha said to Pāpīyān, "Now, if you can first move this water-jar, then you may be able to hurl me into the ocean." At that time, Pāpīyān and his host of eighty billion beings could not make it move. The Māra king's military host tumbled and fell of themselves, shattered and scattered like stars. At that time, the Māra king thought to himself, "I used a strong bow and sharp arrows, along with my three daughters, and used skillful means and gentle words to entice him, yet I could not disturb this Gautama's mind. Now I must devise various other expedients, broadly assembling my army to intimidate him with force." As he thought this, his hosts suddenly arrived, filling empty space with diverse appearances. Some held halberds and gripped swords; some bore great trees upon their heads; some grasped golden pestles; and all kinds of combat gear were fully readied. Some had the heads of pigs, fish, donkeys, horses, lions, and dragons, or bears, brown bears, tigers, and rhinoceroses, as well as various beasts. Some had multiple heads on a single body; some had only one eye per face; some had numerous eyes. Some had huge bellies and tall bodies; some were emaciated and had no bellies. Some had long legs and huge knees; some had big feet and fat calves. Some had long tusks and sharp claws; some had their heads before their chests. Some had two feet and many bodies; some had broad faces or sideways faces; some were colored like ashes and dirt; some emitted smoke and flames from their bodies. Some had elephant bodies carrying mountains; some had disheveled hair and naked forms. Some had faces half red and half white; some had lips hanging down to the ground; some had lips pulled upward, covering their faces. Some wore tiger skins, lion skins, or snake skins; some had snakes completely coiled around their bodies; some had fire blazing atop their heads. Some glared with angry eyes and bared their arms; some leaped and bounded sideways; some tossed and turned in mid-air; some galloped and roared threateningly. Evil forms such as these, beyond reckoning, surrounded the Bodhisattva. Some wished to tear the Bodhisattva's body apart; some caused smoke to rise from the four directions and flames to shoot up into the sky; some unleashed frenzied shrieks that shook the mountains and valleys. Wind, fire, smoke, and dust cast darkness where nothing could be seen, and the four great oceans boiled up at once. The devas, nāgas, and spirits guarding the Dharma were all enraged at the hosts of Māra, their anger intensifying until blood flowed from their pores. The devas of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven, seeing this evil Māra harass and disturb the Bodhisattva, took pity with a mind of compassion. Thereupon they descended, crowding empty space, and saw the immeasurable and boundless armies of Māra surrounding the Bodhisattva, uttering great and terrible cries that shook heaven and earth. The Bodhisattva's mind was steadfast, his countenance without change, like a lion in the midst of a herd of deer. They all sighed in praise, saying, "Oh, how wonderful! Unprecedented! The Bodhisattva is certain to attain correct awakening!" These hosts of Māra mutually urged each other on, each exerting their full strength to shatter the Bodhisattva. Some cast sideways glares and ground their teeth; some flew about wildly and threw projectiles. The Bodhisattva viewed it like children's play. Māra grew even more enraged and further increased his combat forces. By the power of the Bodhisattva's compassion, those who embraced boulders could not lift them, and those who managed to lift them could not bring them down. Flying knives and brandished swords halted in mid-air; lightning, thunder, and rain of fire turned into five-colored flowers; the venom spewed by evil nāgas transformed into fragrant breezes. All the evil forms, wishing to harm the Bodhisattva, could not move him. Māra had two sisters: one named Meghā and the second named Kālī. Each held a skull cup in hand, displaying various strange apparitions before the Bodhisattva to harass and disturb him. Although these hosts of Māra displayed various hideous bodies to terrify the Bodhisattva, they ultimately could not move a single hair of the Bodhisattva. Māra became even more sorrowful. In empty space there was a spirit named Bhūta, who remained invisible and said, "Today I see the Muni, the Honoured One, his mind utterly serene without thoughts of dread. These hosts of Māra have given rise to venomous minds, generating anger out of nowhere against one who bears no enmity. This foolish, evil Māra merely tires himself in vain and will gain nothing forever. Today you should abandon your mind of malice and harm. Your mouth might indeed blow down Mount Sumeru and cause it to collapse; fire could be made cold and water made hot; the hard nature of the earth could be made soft; yet you cannot destroy the wholesome fruits cultivated by the Bodhisattva through successive kalpas, his proper reflection, his diligent expedients, and the pure light of his wisdom. None can sever these four merits, or create obstacles so that he does not attain correct awakening. Just as a thousand suns shining must dispel darkness, or drilling wood yields fire and boring the earth yields water, so through diligent expedients nothing sought is unobtainable. The sentient beings of the world are submerged in the three poisons with no savior. The Bodhisattva, out of compassion, seeks the medicine of wisdom to remove affliction for the world; how can you now disturb him? Sentient beings of the world are deluded without wisdom, all adhering to wrong views; now he establishes the Dharma-eye and cultivates the correct path, wishing to guide sentient beings; how can you now disturb this guide? This cannot be allowed. It is like being in a wilderness and seeking to deceive the guide of merchants. Sentient beings have fallen into great darkness, utterly bewildered and not knowing where to abide; the Bodhisattva has lit the great lamp of wisdom for them; how can you now seek to blow it out? Sentient beings are now submerged in the sea of birth and death; the Bodhisattva has crafted the treasure-ship of wisdom for them; how can you now wish to sink it? Forbearance is the sprout, firmness the root, and the supreme Great Dharma the great fruit; how can you now wish to strike it down? The shackles of greed, hatred, and delusion bind all sentient beings; the Bodhisattva undergoes austerities wishing to untie them for them. Today, beneath this tree, he will decisively sit cross-legged and realize the unsurpassed path. This earth is the vajra-seat of the past Buddhas; all other directions turn, but this place is unmoving. It can sustain sublime concentration and cannot be destroyed by you. Today you should give rise to a joyful heart, put an end to arrogant thoughts, regard him as a spiritual friend, and serve him." At that time, the Māra king heard the voice in the air and also saw the Bodhisattva serene and unchanged. In his heart, Māra felt shame, abandoned his arrogance, and immediately retraced his steps to return to his palace. The host of Māras were sorrowful and all broke and scattered; their spirits dispirited and withered, they had no more strength. Their battle equipment lay strewn across the forest and fields. When the evil Māras retreated and dispersed, the Bodhisattva's mind was pure, limpid and unmoving. In the sky there was no smoke or mist; the wind did not stir the branches; the setting sun lingered in brilliance, twice as bright and resplendent; the clear moon shone brightly, and the stars were brilliant; all shadows and darkness were devoid of hindrance. The devas in empty space rained down wondrous flowers and perfumes, playing music to make offerings to the Bodhisattva. The Ruiying benqi [jing] states: The Māra king, even more enraged, further summoned the kings of spirits and ghosts, totaling one hundred and eighty million beings. He made them all transform into the shapes of lions, bears, brown bears, rhinoceroses, tigers, elephants, dragons, oxen, horses, dogs, swine, and monkeys, beyond description. Some had the heads of bugs on human bodies, the bodies of vipers and snakes, or the heads of softshell turtles and tortoises, yet with six eyes; or multiple heads upon a single neck; with teeth, fangs, claws, and talons, bearing mountains and spitting fire, surrounded by lightning and thunder, brandishing spears and pikes. With a mind of compassion, the Bodhisattva felt no alarm and no dread; not a single hair moved, and his radiant countenance grew ever more glorious. The ghost soldiers could not approach him. The Māra king came forward himself to question and dispute with the Buddha. His words said: