釋迦氏譜 1.146

1.146

經云。菩薩自念。我今苦行形如枯木。將滿六年不得解脫。憶昔禪定是最真正。為滅外邪自餓非道。我當受食然後成佛。即從坐起入河洗浴。身體羸瘦天為按樹。得攀出池。有牧牛女。淨居天勸令施乳糜。即取奉上。呪願受食。身力充足堪受菩提。五人見驚謂為退轉。各還所止。菩薩獨詣畢鉢羅樹。以德重故地動作聲。盲龍得眼見瑞讚頌。五百青雀左繞飛空。瑞雲香風交相映拂。同過去佛以草為座。帝釋化人執淨軟草。受已敷坐。如過去佛結跏趺坐。不成正覺不起此座。天龍歡喜諸相難言。觀佛三昧云。天化作樹乃至高八千里者。下劣薄福見坐草蓐。

The sūtra says: The Bodhisattva thought to himself, “Now I practice austerities and my body is like a withered tree. Nearly six years have passed, yet I have not attained liberation. I recall my former dhyāna; that was the most genuine and correct. In order to extinguish external heterodox views, [I see that] self-starvation is not the Path. I should accept food and then become a Buddha.” He then arose from his seat, entered the river, and bathed. His body was emaciated, and a deva pressed down a tree branch for him, so that he was able to grasp it and pull himself out of the pool. There was a cowherd girl whom a Śuddhāvāsa deva encouraged to offer milk-rice; he then took and accepted it, recited an incantation of blessing, and ate the food. His physical strength was fully restored, rendering him capable of receiving bodhi. The five men, seeing this in astonishment, thought that he had regressed, and each returned to his own dwelling. The Bodhisattva went alone to the pippala tree; because of his weighty virtue, the earth trembled and made a sound. A blind nāga regained its sight, and seeing the auspicious sign, uttered praises. Five hundred bluebirds circled to the left, flying in the sky; auspicious clouds and fragrant breezes intermingled and brushed against each other. In accord with the past Buddhas, he made a seat of grass. Śakra transformed into a man holding pure and supple grass; having received it, he spread it for a seat. Like the past Buddhas, he sat cross-legged [and resolved]: “If I do not achieve true awakening, I will not rise from this seat.” The devas and nāgas rejoiced, and the various auspicious signs were beyond words. The Guanfo sanmei [hai jing] says: When a deva transformed into a tree that was as high as eight thousand li, those of inferior capacity and scanty merit saw him sitting on a mat of grass.