景德傳燈錄 1.78

1.78

Having heard his master's wondrous gāthā, Dhītika bowed and upheld it. Later he went to Central India. In that country there were eight thousand great ṛṣis, with Miccaka as their leader. Hearing that the Venerable had arrived, he led the assembly to pay homage, saying to the Venerable: 'Formerly, I was born with you, Master, in the Brahmā heaven. I met the ṛṣi Asita, who taught me the ṛṣi arts; you, Master, met a disciple of the Ten-Powered One and practiced dhyāna. From that point our retributions took different paths, and six kalpas have already passed.' The Venerable said: 'Scattered across successive kalpas—this is truly not false. Now you can abandon the heterodox, return to the correct, and enter the Buddha vehicle.' Miccaka said: 'Formerly the ṛṣi Asita gave me a prediction, saying: "Six kalpas later, you shall meet your fellow student and attain the undefiled fruit." Meeting today, is this not due to past conditions? May the Master have compassion and grant me liberation.' The Venerable then ordained him, and commanded holy monks to administer the precepts. The remaining ṛṣis initially gave rise to conceit. The Venerable manifested great supernatural powers, whereupon they all gave rise to the mind of bodhi and went forth from home at the same time. He then told Miccaka: 'Formerly, the Tathāgata secretly entrusted the Great Treasury of the Dharma Eye to Kāśyapa, and it was transmitted successively down to me. I now entrust it to you; you should protect and be mindful of it.' He then spoke a gāthā, saying: