釋迦譜 1.516

1.516

From the Buddha's past practices,
through countless crossings of birth and death,
he was ever mindful of the wriggling, flying creatures,
toiling diligently through immeasurable kalpas.
Then, seated beneath the Buddha-tree,
he attained his former vow.
You should listen with joy to what is spoken,
for it is difficult to see or hear often.
Just as he achieved the Buddha Path,
he at once subdued Māra's retinue,
forthwith destroying the root of birth and death,
extinguishing craving and desire without remainder.
The Buddha remembered his native land,
his mind wishing to see his kinsmen.
Now having heard what King Śuddhodana said,
[the Buddha felt it] most pitiable.
There was a bhikṣu named Udāyin,
whose nature was delightful to people.
The Buddha dispatched him as an envoy,
to swiftly convey tidings and return,
going back into his royal father's realm,
to enter and proclaim the Buddha's intent:
'Now the King's crown prince is mindful [of you],
and intends to return to the palace.'
Udāyin heard the Buddha's instruction,
and at once received and carried it out.
Thereupon, before the Buddha,
he transformed his body according to the terrain;
his form suddenly disappeared,
and by supernormal power he entered the city,
reaching even the Great King's hall,
before where his royal father sat.
The bhikṣu Udāyin
advanced to present himself to Śuddhodana.
Transforming in various ways,
he welled up out of the royal father's palace [floor],
pure like a lotus flower,
free of mud, soil, and dust.
The royal father was terrified at the sight,
and at once asked, 'What spirit is this?
Could it be a heavenly deity or earthly spirit?
How extraordinary that you emerge from the ground!
What is this form and surname?
From where did you originally obtain this?
I pray you open my understanding,
and unravel the doubts knotted in my heart.
From my birth until now,
I have never seen such a marvel.'
[Udāyin said:] 'The Prince originally abandoned the kingdom,
to seek the Way and deliver living beings;
yearning and toiling through countless kalpas,
only now has he attained accomplishment.
Now let the King have no fear,
but be at ease and rejoice.
Having destroyed all evils,
I am an envoy sent by the King's crown prince.'
The King heard the Prince's inquiry,
and his tears fell like raining stars:
'For twelve years now,
I only now hear news of Siddhārtha!
Now arriving from an auspicious one,
my yearning awakens as if I were reborn.
The Prince relinquished the royal throne;
having attained the Way, by what title is he known?'
[Udāyin said:] 'Leaving the kingdom, he sat for six years,
and by vigorous effort he presently became a Buddha.
He is titled "God among Gods",
the foremost venerable one in the triple realm.'
[The King said:] 'Formerly when with me, the honored one,
I made for him palaces of various treasures,
carved and engraved with exquisite ornaments;
what is his chamber like now?'
Udāyin replied:
'The Buddha's true reality is subtle and profound;
he always sits beneath a tree,
where all the gods come to take refuge.'
[The King said:] 'When my son was in the palace,
mats and cushions were spread with fine silks,
all made of brocade and embroidery,
soft, supple, and lustrous.'
[Udāyin said:] 'A nāga's wife offered a jeweled couch,
and the Lord of the Gods presented a kāṣāya;
he does not rejoice in fine garments,
his mind knowing neither increase nor decrease.'
[The King said:] 'In the kingdom he was fond of fine food,
sweet delicacies complete with every flavor;
what does he ingest now,
and how does he sustain his body?'
[Udāyin said:] 'Holding his bowl, he goes on almsround,
blessing all beings, fine or coarse;
he makes vows for the donor's household,
that they may be secure life after life.'
[The King said:] 'When Siddhārtha lay down to sleep,
none dared rashly call him awake;
they plucked lutes and sang songs,
only then awakening him.'
[Udāyin said:] 'In the Tathāgata's samādhi,
day and night there is neither sleep nor waking;
Śakra and Brahmā come to exhort and assist,
all appearing to bow their heads and receive [his teachings].'
[The King said:] 'At home he bathed in blended perfumes,
with diverse kinds of numerous fragrances,
every scent filling the chambers;
with what does he do so now?'
[Udāyin said:] 'With the eight liberations and three gates of deliverance,
he bathes to cleanse the mind's defilements;
his mind is pure like space,
universally at peace, free of affliction and grief.'
[The King said:] 'When Siddhārtha was at home,
various blended incense was pounded
to scent his garments,
pure and free from defilement and hindrance.'
[Udāyin said:] 'Precepts, samādhi, wisdom, and liberation
serve as the fragrance of the Way and virtue,
scenting the eight difficult situations,
life after life delivering the ten directions.'
[The King said:] 'There were four kinds of fine couches and seats,
fashioned from various treasures,
laid with multiple layers of furnishings,
upon which he lay and arose.'
[Udāyin said:] 'The four dhyānas serve as his couch and seat;
his intent is concentrated, without confusion;
pure like a lotus flower,
unstained by mud and water.'
[The King said:] 'In the palace were countless soldiers,
and ministers who kept night watch;
those to the left and right ever guarded him,
so his eyes saw nothing vile or foul.'
[Udāyin said:] 'The full assembly of disciples
numbers one thousand two hundred and fifty,
and bodhisattvas beyond measure
all come, bow their heads, and gather.'
[The King said:] 'Formerly at home before renouncing,
he had four kinds of fine chariots,
drawn by elephants, horses, oxen, and sheep, or on foot,
touring to view the four directions.'
[Udāyin said:] 'The five supernormal knowledges serve as his chariot team,
seeing clearly, hearing penetrate, and flying;
he perceives the past and discerns the minds of beings,
touring to deliver them from birth and death.'
[The King said:] 'When my son went out and returned,
banners, pennants, and feathers were carved and adorned,
with guides and escorts before and behind,
each bearing weapons.'
[Udāyin said:] 'The four immeasurables—benevolence and compassion—guard him,
with kindness, favor, benevolence, and love he delivers;
universally covering all in peril and distress,
he adorns all living beings.'
[The King said:] 'At his birth there was diverse music,
striking bells and beating drums;
onlookers filled the roads,
before and behind without harming one another.'
[Udāyin said:] 'Beneath the tree and at Vārāṇasī,
he beat the drum of the Deathless;
Kauṇḍinya and the others attained the Way,
along with eighty-four thousand devas;
the ninety-six paths were subdued;
its sound was heard throughout the three thousand [worlds];
there were none among living beings who did not rejoice,
receiving it with minds fully illuminated.'
[The King said:] 'What realm does he rule over?
How many are its people?
How many are those he has transformed?
Have they all submitted or not?'
[Udāyin said:] 'He rules over the trichiliocosm,
transforming and instructing all living beings;
those throughout the ten directions are beyond reckoning,
none of whom fail to receive deliverance.'
[The King said:] 'In the kingdom he contemplated the true Dharma,
helping me govern the myriad people;
his movements conformed to rites and instructions,
and there was none who did not heed his teachings.'
[Udāyin said:] 'The Buddha understands emptiness and original non-being,
having abandoned the four inversions;
there is none who does not submit;
with tranquil spirit, he takes the divine as his task.
The Buddha has no enmity toward the world;
he is broadly and completely accomplished in all things;
how could what you say not fall short of him?
All beings naturally take refuge in him.
Even if the whole world were filled with people,
each person having multiple heads,
each head having multiple tongues,
each tongue explaining countless meanings,
and gathered together like the sands of the Ganges,
praising the Buddha's merits and virtues,
they could not exhaust them in kalpas as numerous as river sands—
how much less could my glowworm candle-light!'