釋迦譜 1.94

1.94

The Ruiying benqi jing says: The Bodhisattva took kuśa grass and spread it on the ground. Clasping his hands and closing his eyes, he single-mindedly vowed: 'Even if my flesh and bones wither and rot here, if I do not become a Buddha, I will never rise.' When heavenly spirits offered food, he would not accept it. The devas caused hemp and rice to grow spontaneously beside him. Eating one hemp seed and one grain of rice each day to sustain his vital energy, he sat upright for six years. The Guanfo sanmei jing says: Sitting beneath the tree of the Path, his body was emaciated and withered; only the golden radiance shone ever brighter. His joints stood out against one another, having lost the coiled-dragon markings. When the six years were ended, he thought to himself: 'If I now go to the tree of the Path with an emaciated body, later generations will mock me, saying that one attains the Path through starvation. I would rather take soft and nourishing food to restore my body, and thereafter become a Buddha.' At that time there was an elder's daughter who, having married, had given birth to a son and was joyous in heart. She milked a thousand cows, letting them feed on one another's milk, and taking the purest milk, made rice-milk gruel intending to make an offering to the tree spirit. She sent a servant girl, who saw the Buddha sitting there, but not knowing what spirit he was, returned and reported: 'Mistress! Beneath the tree is a spirit, remarkably handsome and fine.' Hearing this, the daughter was overjoyed and went to take the gruel; but the gruel leapt up out of the cauldron more than a zhang high, and could not be taken. The daughter marveled greatly at this. A deva spoke from the sky, saying: 'A great bodhisattva has already arisen from his seat. You had an original vow to offer him food first, before he attains correct awakening.' Hearing the deva's words, the daughter immediately took the milk gruel, filled a golden bowl to the brim, and went to the bank of the Nairañjanā River. By spiritual power, the Bodhisattva entered the water to bathe. A deva son of Tuṣita took heavenly kāṣāya robes and offered them; the Bodhisattva took and donned them, standing in the Nairañjanā River. The elder's daughter offered the milk gruel and bowed her head at his feet. The Bodhisattva accepted and consumed the food, and knew that his energy and strength were restored. He went toward the tree of the Path; to the right of the road was a man named Svastika, where soft, supple, and untangled green grass was growing. The Bodhisattva went to Svastika's place: 'I wish to obtain grass.' As soon as he arranged the grass for a seat, the earth shook violently. The devas transformed eighty thousand lion seats beneath Bodhi trees, some Bodhi trees eight thousand li high, some four thousand li. Each deva son thought: 'The Bodhisattva sits upon my seat, and on no other.' Those lowly beings whose blessings were originally meager saw only the Bodhisattva's body sitting upon a mat of grass. When the Bodhisattva was seated, he considered: 'Māra Pāpīyān is the most arrogant and supreme. Now that I am about to attain unsurpassed correct awakening, I must move him to come, subdue and transform him; only then will the sentient beings of the three realms be inspired.' At that time the Bodhisattva sat beneath the Bodhi tree.