釋迦譜 4.15

4.15

The Dīrghāgama says: At that time, the World-Honoured One entered the city of Kuśīnagara and went toward the place of his original birth, between the twin śāla trees of the Mallas. He said to Ānanda: 'Spread a bed and seat for the Tathāgata between the twin trees, with the head to the north and the face toward the west. Why is this? My Dharma shall spread abroad and long abide in the north.' Then the World-Honoured One himself folded his saṅghāṭī into four layers, rested on his right side like a lion king, and lay with his feet overlapping. Then the spirits among the twin trees scattered unseasonal flowers over the ground. Ānanda knelt on both knees, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha: 'Do not pass into extinction in this base, small city and devastated land. There are other great countries, such as Kapilavastu and Vārāṇasī, where the people are numerous and will surely be able to respectfully revere and make offerings to your relics.' The Buddha said: 'Stop, stop! Do not consider this land base and lowly. In ancient times, this country had a king named Mahāsudarśana, fully endowed with the seven treasures, possessing the four virtues and ruling the four continents. When Sudarśana died, he was born in the seventh Brahma Heaven. Seven days after the king's death, the wheel-treasure and the jewel-treasure naturally disappeared; the elephant-treasure, the horse-treasure, the woman-treasure, the householder-treasure, and the army-general-treasure all died on the same day. The city moats, the Dharma Hall, and the golden networks of groves were turned into earth and water. All conditioned phenomena are impermanent, inevitably destined to vanish and be destroyed; only by attaining the Path of the Noble Truths can one know this. I myself recall that here in this place I was a wheel-turning sage king six times, and ultimately laid my bones here. Now that I have attained unsurpassed complete awakening, I again relinquish my life and lay my body here. From now on, birth and death are forever ended; there will be no land anywhere to lay my body. This is the final boundary; I will take on no further existence.'