釋迦譜 4.16

4.16

At that time, Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, the Tathāgata is already free from all illnesses, having eliminated all sufferings and afflictions, with no fear remaining. World-Honoured One, all sentient beings have four poisoned arrows, which are the causes of illness. What are the four? Greed, anger, ignorance, and arrogance. If there are causes of illness, then illness arises: namely, heat-fever, lung ailments, rising breath and vomiting, skin twitching, mental confusion, diarrhea, hiccupping, urinary strangury, pain in the eyes and ears, back tension and abdominal distension, madness, wasting thirst, and possession by ghosts and sprites. Such various physical and mental illnesses no longer exist in the Buddhas, the World-Honoured Ones. For what reason does the Tathāgata today turn to Mañjuśrī and say: "My back now aches; you and the others must expound the Dharma for the great assembly"? There are two conditions under which there is no suffering of illness. What are the two? First, having pity on all sentient beings; second, bestowing medicine upon the sick. In the past, throughout immeasurable tens of thousands of millions of kalpas, the Tathāgata practiced the Bodhisattva Path, constantly using gentle speech to benefit sentient beings without causing them distress, and granting various medicines to those who were sick. For what reason does he now state that he is ill? World-Honoured One, when people of the world are sick, they either sit or stand, uneasy in their place, or they ask for food and drink, giving instructions to family members on managing their estates. Why does the Tathāgata lie down in silence, not teaching disciples, śrāvakas, and others the śīla-pāramitā, the dhyāna-liberations, samāpatti, and the cultivation of the right exertions? For what reason does he not expound such profound Mahāyāna sūtras? Why does the Tathāgata not use immeasurable skillful means to instruct Mahākāśyapa—that elephant king among men—and the other great beings so that they will not regress from anuttarā-samyak-saṃbodhi? Why does he not discipline the wicked monks who receive and keep all manner of impure things? The World-Honoured One is truly free of illness; why does he silently lie on his right side? All foolish people will conceive the idea of extinction, and he will be held in contempt by the ninety-five kinds of non-Buddhist traditions, [who will say] that the śramaṇa Gautama has been carried away by impermanence. The Tathāgata, the World-Honoured One, the Unsurpassed Sage, has already pulled out the poisoned arrow and attained fearlessness. Why does he now lie on his right side, causing gods and humans sorrow and anguish?' At that time, the World-Honoured One, his mind perfumed by great compassion, knew what each sentient being was thinking, and intending to comply with them for their ultimate benefit, rose from his lying posture and sat cross-legged. His countenance was serene and radiant, like a mass of molten gold, and he emitted a great light that filled empty space. The light was exceedingly brilliant, surpassing hundreds of thousands of suns, illuminating the Buddha-worlds of the east, south, west, north, the four intermediate directions, above, and below. From all the pores of his body—from each and every pore—a lotus flower emerged, each possessing a thousand petals of pure golden color and each emitting diverse multicolored lights, which reached everywhere: the Avīci Hell, the Sañjīva Hell, the Kālasūtra Hell, the Saṃghāta Hell, the Raurava Hell, the Mahāraurava Hell, the Tapana Hell, and the Mahātapana Hell. The sentient beings within these eight hells were constantly tormented by various sufferings, namely burning, boiling, roasting, chopping, piercing, flaying, and peeling, extending even to the eight cold-ice hells, namely where their bodies are cracked and shattered. Having encountered this light, such sufferings were completely extinguished without remainder. In that light, it was proclaimed that all sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature; when sentient beings heard this, they immediately ended their lives and were born among humans and gods. All the hells in this Jambudvīpa and in other worlds became completely empty, with no one undergoing punishment, except for the icchantikas. Sentient beings in the realm of hungry ghosts who were tormented by hunger and thirst had their hunger and thirst immediately dispelled upon encountering this light. In that light, it was likewise proclaimed that sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature; hearing it, their lives ended and they were born among gods and humans, so that the hungry ghosts were completely emptied, except for those who slandered the Mahāyāna. Animals that preyed upon and devoured one another had their angry minds completely extinguished upon encountering this light. In that light, it was likewise proclaimed that sentient beings possess the Buddha-nature; hearing it, their lives ended and they were born among gods and humans, so that the animals were also exhausted, except for those who slandered the True Dharma. On each and every flower there was a Buddha, whose halo measured one fathom, most supremely dignified and adorned. These World-Honoured Ones either thundered like thunder, poured down torrential rain, fanned great winds, or emitted smoke and flames; or they manifested their initial birth, leaving home, turning the wondrous Dharma wheel, or entering nirvāṇa. Sentient beings in this Jambudvīpa who encountered this light—the blind saw forms, the deaf heard sounds, the mute spoke, the lame walked, the poor gained wealth, the stingy were able to give, the angry became compassionate, and the unbelieving came to believe. Not a single sentient being practiced evil dharmas, except for the icchantikas. At that time, all the gods, dragons, ghosts, spirits, gandharvas, asuras, humans, non-humans, and others chanted with one voice: 'Excellent, excellent! The Unsurpassed Heavenly Honoured One brings abundant benefit!' Leaping with joy, some sang, some danced, and they scattered various flowers over the Buddha and the saṅgha, and celestial musicians made offerings to the Buddha. Then the Buddha told Bodhisattva Kāśyapa: 'These sentient beings do not understand the secret words of the Mahāyāna vaipulya [teachings], and so they assume the Tathāgata is truly ill. Now, between the twin śāla trees, the Tathāgata manifests lying upon the lion bed, intending to enter nirvāṇa, causing all disciples who have not yet attained the fruit of arhatship and all the Mallas to generate great sorrow, and causing gods, humans, asuras, and others to make great offerings. It is intended that people will wrap his body with a thousand lengths of fine cotton, place it in a seven-jeweled coffin filled with fragrant oil, heap up fragrant wood, and cremate it with fire—with only two lengths that cannot be burned: the first touching the body, and the second being the outermost—and that they will divide the relics for sentient beings into eight portions. All the śrāvaka disciples will say that the Tathāgata has entered into nirvāṇa; yet you should know that the Tathāgata does not definitively enter into nirvāṇa. Why is this? Because the Tathāgata is ever-abiding and unchanging.'