法華傳記 9.22

9.22

昔如來滅後五十年中。舍衛城有王。名曰波斯匿伽羅。此即波斯匿王玄孫也。有二大臣。一名流水。一名行雨。輔佐王者。覆育人民。爾流水駕車。欲入王宮。外國有一阿羅漢聖者。名曰毘沙尸利密多。容儀挺直。行步庠序。流水見生尊重。還駕問訊。聖者何處來。有何所求。答我是外國吳興山比丘聖者陀俱羅弟子也。師指我巡撿此國。是故來入也。流水勸請聖者。唯願尊者。慈悲枉駕。我欲供養。即默隨情。流水還家。香湯沐浴。具備聖禮。行食已請說小法。尊者說十二因緣。兼讚摩訶衍深旨。如是時間經三日。王召流水。流水恐違命。王具問不來由。流水白王。王大嗔怒。與餘臣評議其罪過。爾時行雨白王言。大王將召旃檀木及青蓮華三莖。王諾。以責之時。流水白王言。待七日。王許之。即還著蔽衣憂若。時屬冬氣。青蓮華何求。旃檀在摩黎山。毒蛇圍樹不可近。設蛇去相似木多。將知何木。時聖者毘沙尸梨蜜多在吳山。以天眼觀視。具知其情。來至流水宅。問訊安慰。知故問。即答上狀。聖者吳山頂有大池。四時皆生水華。池岸有旃檀。大龍守護之。君往彼池。稱南無佛。龍知佛弟子。敢不加害。即請聖力到池邊。稱南無佛。龍起慈心。隱形而住。流水取華及木。將還本路。龍化作優婆塞形謂大臣。我是汝君主大王波斯匿迦羅之父。其名曰羅𨵃闍。以非法治國。以邪惡意。不信福田。自不行十善。民亦隨王行惡。以是因緣故。受毒龍身。百千毒虫。食噉身分。三熱苦痛。不可堪任。唯願為修出離業。救我苦惱。流水曰。大王舊君吾受持佛所說芬陀利修多羅。若聞信受必生天上。即誦修多羅一品。優婆塞兩目出淚憶吾昔。道人汝早還。吾聞法力。助昔日行。當生三十三天。各辭別去。流水還王宮。以二種物。奉上大王。王生希念問由來。即具答。王不信之。先王治國。受佛禁戒。豈生惡趣成毒龍。又發願。此蓮華實父池所生者。三月莫萎落。即收藏中。三月後其華鮮生如本。王及諸臣。信受此事。開藏修福。王臣共到吳興山。龍死臭氣滿山。即收骨還起塔。塔上忽有光明雲蓋。中有一天告大眾。吾聞法華。助往日緣。離苦得樂。復生何處。答生金色世界。即說偈曰。

Anciently, within fifty years after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa, there was a king in the city of Śrāvastī named Pasenadi-kāra (Prasenajid-kara). He was the great-great-grandson of King Pasenadi (Prasenajit). He had two great ministers: one named Liushui (Flowing Water) and the other named Xingyu (Raining). They assisted the king and nurtured the people. Once, Liushui was riding in his chariot, intending to enter the royal palace. In that foreign land there was an arhat, a holy one, named Viśeṣaśrīmitra (Pishashilimituo). His appearance and deportment were upright, and his walking was paced and orderly. Seeing him, Liushui gave rise to deep respect, turned his chariot, and inquired of him: "From where does the Holy One come? What do you seek?" He replied: "I am a monk of Mount Wuxing in this foreign country, a disciple of the holy one Dhakura (Tuojuluo). My teacher instructed me to inspect this realm, and therefore I have come here." Liushui invited the holy one, saying: "I only pray that the Venerable One, out of compassion, condescend to visit my home; I wish to make offerings." The arhat silently assented. Liushui returned home, bathed in scented water, and prepared the holy rites. Having served the meal, he requested that minor Dharma teachings be spoken. The Venerable One expounded the twelve links of dependent origination and moreover praised the profound purport of the Mahāyāna. In this way three days passed. The king summoned Liushui. Liushui feared disobeying the royal command. The king inquired in full of the reason for his failure to come. Liushui explained to the king. The king became greatly enraged, and deliberated on his crime with the other ministers. At that time, Xingyu said to the king: "Great King, summon him to produce candana wood and three stalks of blue lotus blossoms." The king agreed. When reproaching him with this, Liushui said to the king: "Allow me seven days." The king granted it. He then returned home, put on tattered clothes, and was sorrowful. It was the winter season; where could blue lotuses be found? As for candana, it grew on Mount Malaya, where poisonous snakes encircled the trees so that none could approach; and even if the snakes departed, similar trees were plentiful, so how would he distinguish the wood? At that time, the holy one Viśeṣaśrīmitra was on Mount Wu. Viewing with the divine eye, he knew the situation completely. He came to Liushui's residence, inquired after him, and comforted him. Although knowing, he asked, and Liushui recounted the circumstances above. The holy one said: "On the summit of Mount Wu there is a great pond; in all four seasons aquatic flowers bloom. On the bank of the pond there is candana wood, guarded by a great dragon. When you go to that pond, call out 'Namo Buddhāya'. The dragon will know you are a disciple of the Buddha and will not dare harm you." Liushui then relied on the holy power and reached the edge of the pond. He called out 'Namo Buddhāya'. The dragon gave rise to a mind of compassion, concealed its form, and remained still. Liushui took the blossoms and the wood and was about to return along his original route. The dragon transformed into the shape of an upāsaka and said to the minister: "I am the father of your sovereign, the Great King Pasenadi-kāra; my name was Rājā (Luotusha). Because I ruled the kingdom unrighteously and with evil intent did not have faith in the field of merit, nor did I practice the ten wholesome deeds myself, the people also followed the king in doing evil. On account of these causes and conditions, I received the body of a poisonous dragon. Hundreds of thousands of poisonous insects feed upon my flesh, and the suffering of the three heats is unbearable. I only pray that you cultivate karma for liberation on my behalf to rescue me from my suffering and affliction." Liushui said: "Great King, former sovereign, I uphold the Puṇḍarīka-sūtra spoken by the Buddha. If one hears it and accepts it in faith, one will certainly be born in heaven." He then recited one chapter of the sūtra. Tears flowed from the upāsaka's eyes, and recalling his past, he said: "Man of the Way, return quickly. By the power of hearing the Dharma, aiding my past practice, I shall be born in the Trayastriṃśa Heaven." They bid farewell to each other and parted. Liushui returned to the royal palace and presented the two kinds of items to the Great King. The king gave rise to a sense of wonder and asked of their origin, and Liushui answered in full. The king did not believe it, saying: "The former king ruled the realm and received the Buddha's precepts; how could he have been born in an evil realm as a poisonous dragon?" He then made a vow: "If these lotuses truly grew from my father's pond, may they not wither for three months." He placed them in a storehouse. After three months, the blossoms were as fresh as originally. The king and all the ministers came to have faith in this matter, opened the storehouse, and cultivated merit. The king and ministers went together to Mount Wuxing. The dragon was dead, and a foul odor filled the mountain. They gathered the bones, returned, and erected a stūpa. Above the stūpa there suddenly appeared a cloud-canopy of bright light, from the midst of which a deva addressed the great assembly: "I heard the Lotus Sūtra, which aided my past conditions; I was freed from suffering and attained bliss." They asked: "Where were you born?" He replied: "I was born in the Golden World." He then spoke a verse: