付法藏因緣傳 5.4.2

5.4.2

"For what reason does Your Majesty now, upon seeing this beggar, widely perform such acts of merit?" Then the great king told Tianfa: "The beggar has brought me great benefit. Through his physical form and words, he wished to make me realize and awaken. Formerly, when I was a king, I did not cultivate causes of merit. For this reason I am now hungry, cold, and destitute, my body emaciated, suffering all kinds of distress. If you, O King, cannot give alms to the poor and needy, in a future life you will surely be hungry, cold, and frail just like me. The beggar's matter was like this. Realizing this matter, I have therefore performed merit." Tianfa said: "Your Majesty not only surpasses the world in status today; your wisdom is also able to govern the myriad realms." At that time, the King of Parthia was stubborn and ferocious by nature. Leading the fourfold army, he set out to attack Kaniṣka. King Kaniṣka also immediately ordered his forces. The two battle lines clashed, and blades and swords continually arose. King Kaniṣka soon achieved victory, slaying nine hundred million Parthians in all. He asked his ministers, saying: "Can this sin of mine be expiated or not?" The ministers replied: "Your Majesty has slaughtered nine hundred million people in all. Since the sin is so grave, how could it be expiated?" Then Kaniṣka immediately had a great cauldron set up, and boiled water in it for seven days until it was boiling hot, surging and bubbling with blazing heat. He placed a golden ring inside this hot water, turned to ask his ministers: "Who has the skillful means to obtain this ring?" Then a minister stepped forward in response to the king's order, poured in cold water, and accordingly took it out. His hands were neither burnt nor injured, and he quickly retrieved the golden ring. The king told the ministers: "The sins I have committed are like that boiling water; with repentance, they can surely be eliminated, just as with the cold water. Although I have slain nine hundred million people, those with grave guilt amount to only two and a half persons. When I was killing, there were two faithful and virtuous persons who, about to be executed, chanted 'Namo Buddhāya'. Yet I killed them; this sin is grave. As for the other person, his mouth uttered 'Namo', but it is unknown whether he meant the Buddha or Pūraṇa. I also killed him; therefore he is called half a person." At that time there was an arhat monk who, seeing Kaniṣka create such evil karma, wished to make the king fearful so that he would repent of his misdeeds. He then used his supernatural powers to manifest hell to him, showing the hacking and piercing, the wheel of swords dismembering bodies, and the wailing and lamenting with pain too difficult to bear. Having seen this, the king was exceedingly terrified, and thought to himself: "I was exceedingly foolish to create such sinful karma! In the future I will surely suffer such torment. Had I known beforehand of such evil retribution, even if the limbs and joints of my own body were hacked to pieces, I would never give rise to a mind to harm enemy bandits, much less harbor a single evil thought toward good people." At that time, Aśvaghoṣa said to the king: "If Your Majesty can single-mindedly listen to me expound the Dharma, follow my teachings, and uphold them atop your head, I will cause this sin of yours not to lead into hell." Kaniṣka said: "Excellent! I receive your teaching." Thereupon Aśvaghoṣa expounded the pure Dharma extensively for the king, causing his heavy sins gradually to become slight and thin. There was also a physician named Caraka, who was well versed in medical recipes and herbs, clever and erudite, endowed with sharp intellect and eloquence, and kindly, gentle, and benevolent. King Kaniṣka had long heard of his name and constantly sought him out. It so happened that Caraka came to the royal palace on his own. When the king heard that the physician had arrived, he said: "I am now well able to harmonize my body: I lie down on my right side and moderate my food and drink. For someone like this, what need is there for a physician?" Caraka said: "If Your Majesty can do this, it would be fitting for you to go forth into the homeless life. As for kings, they indulge their desires and passions, giving free rein to body and mouth. Now that Your Majesty is even able to restrain and protect yourself, why crave this throne and dwell long in the world?" Hearing this, the king realized his reasoning was defeated. He immediately summoned him to enter and exchanged pleasantries with him. The physician then said: "If the Great King can faithfully accept my teachings, following them without contradiction, I will cause Your Majesty's physical form and strength to be abundant, food and drink to digest, and you will never suffer from illnesses." The king said: "Excellent! I respectfully receive your instructions." Not long after that, the beloved queen realized she was pregnant. After ten months had been completed, she gave birth to a boy. The child had already died beforehand and came out feet first from the womb. The mother was in severe pain, her life hanging by a thread. Subsequent births consistently happened like this. At that time, Caraka reached his hand into the womb, unfastened the infant's swaddling, and then drew him out. Thereupon the mother was safe and preserved. The physician said: "Great King, from now on, do not visit this woman again. If you approach her, it will surely be as before." King Kaniṣka's fire of lust was raging; unable to restrain himself, he visited this woman again. Later, when she subsequently gave birth to a child, the bitter misery was as before. At that time the physician Caraka first realized that the five desires are the root of faults and perils. He thought: "I personally instructed King Kaniṣka, yet he did not accept my words, thereby incurring these numerous sufferings. One should know that lustful desire brings no joy at all; ruin of virtue and loss of life are always due to it. It destroys good reputation and defiles pure conduct (brahmacarya). Ordinary worldly people, deluded and confused, cannot abandon it; the wise understand it and view it like an enemy bandit. I should now abandon this evil phenomenon, retire into the forests, and dwell in seclusion to practice mindfulness and meditation." Thereupon he took leave of the king, went forth to study the Way, with lofty talent transcending the world and profound clarity, expounding treatises and commentaries as he traveled and transformed the world. There was also a minister named Māṭhara, whose wisdom was peerless and whose talents and skills were rare in the world. He said to Kaniṣka: "If the Great King can comply with your servant's instructions, I will surely cause Your Majesty's majesty to subdue the four seas, all to revere you, and the eight directions to submit to your virtue. You should keep your servant's words secret and not let them be revealed." The king said: "Very well, it shall be as you say." At that time, the great minister assembled valiant generals in great numbers and arrayed the four types of troops; wherever they turned, all surrendered like grass crushed by hail. The peoples of the three seas all came to submit as vassals. The horse ridden by King Kaniṣka collapsed and buckled its legs while traveling on the road. The king said to it: "I have conquered the three seas, and all have submitted; only the northern sea has not yet surrendered. If I obtain it, I will not ride you again. My task is not yet accomplished, so how can you act like this?" When the ministers heard the king's words, they all conferred together, saying: "King Kaniṣka is greedy, tyrannical, and unprincipled. Frequently marching out on campaigns, he toils the people; not knowing contentment, he wishes to rule over the four seas. Guarding distant frontiers causes kin to be separated. When will such suffering ever cease? We should unite in mind to eliminate him together; only then will we find happiness." Taking advantage of the king suffering from malaria, they smothered him with a blanket, and people sat atop it; in an instant, his breath was cut off. Because of the cause of having listened to Aśvaghoṣa expound the Dharma, he was reborn in the great ocean as a thousand-headed fish. A wheel of swords circled and severed his heads, which immediately grew back only to be severed again in succession; thus turning again and again without measure, in an instant filling the great ocean with heads.