雜譬喻經 1.46

1.46

鹿林昔有五百群鹿，在此林中有鹿王，一是菩薩，一是真鹿王。時有國王出城獵，見此群鹿引兵圍之，彼二鹿王共設方計，俱詣人王，長跪白人王言：「今在王界分受屠割，若王一時併殺諸鹿，噉不時盡或臭爛，意欲日送二鹿以供王食，餘者次第當日日奉送不敢有闕也。願王見聽，小得延命，此豈是非大王之恩耶？」於是人王聽如所白，開圍放之。從此以後，彼二鹿王自相料簡，遂為次第，日送二鹿詣王厨下。更數日後，有一妊身鹿次應就死，彼鹿詣其王所求待產竟，彼王報言：「餘鹿次第未至，誰代汝者？」彼鹿便詣菩薩王所，白菩薩言：「我王不仁，不以理恕，今來歸命，願為理之。」菩薩鹿王愍其如此，遂便自詣人王厨下，厨士白王言：「鹿王自來詣厨，求代彼妊身之鹿。」王乃怪之希有，語厨士言：「將彼鹿王來。」於是鹿王詣人王所，遂向王廣說其意，於是人王信心遂生。「禽獸猶尚修德，何況人乎？」令一國之內永不射獵，以此林野長施群鹿，從是以來遂以鹿林為名也。

Formerly in the Deer Park there was a herd of five hundred deer. In this park there were two deer kings: one was a bodhisattva, and the other was an ordinary deer king. At that time, a king went out of the city to hunt. Seeing this herd of deer, he led his troops to surround them. Those two deer kings devised a plan together and both approached the king of men, knelt, and addressed the king of men, saying: “We are now within Your Majesty’s borders and are destined to suffer slaughter. If the King slaughters all the deer at once, they cannot be consumed before they rot and spoil. We wish to send two deer daily to supply the King’s meals; the rest in sequence will be offered day by day, not daring to be deficient. May the King grant this permission so that our lives may be prolonged a little. How could this not be the great King’s kindness?” Thereupon the king of men granted what they requested, opened the cordon, and released them. From then on, those two deer kings sorted their herds themselves, set an order, and sent two deer daily to the king’s kitchen. After several more days, a pregnant doe was next in line to face death. That doe went to her king and begged to wait until she had given birth. That king replied to her: “The turn of the other deer has not yet arrived; who will take your place?” That doe then went to the bodhisattva king and addressed the bodhisattva, saying: “My king is not benevolent and does not pardon me with reason. I now come to take refuge with you; may you handle this reasonably.” The bodhisattva deer king took pity on her situation, and so went in person to the king of men’s kitchen. The cook reported to the king: “The deer king has come in person to the kitchen, seeking to take the place of that pregnant doe.” The king found it astonishing and rare, and told the cook: “Bring that deer king here.” Thereupon the deer king went before the king of men and fully explained his intention to the king. Thereupon the king of men gave rise to faith: “Even beasts still cultivate virtue, how much more so humans!” He commanded that within his whole country there should never be any hunting, and gave this forest wilderness forever to the herd of deer. From this time onward, it was named the Deer Park.