雜譬喻經 1.42

1.42

In a past lifetime, an asura had been a poor man who lived near a river and frequently crossed the river carrying firewood on his shoulders. At that time the river water was deep and the current was swift; this man was repeatedly swept away by the water, losing what he was carrying and nearly drowning, tossing about with the current, only escaping with great urgency. At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha who appeared in the form of a śramaṇa and came to his house begging for food. The poor man rejoiced and immediately gave alms. When the meal was finished and the washing water had been given, [the pratyekabuddha] placed his bowl in the air and flew away. The poor man saw this and made a vow accordingly: "May my body in a future birth be tall and vast, such that no deep waters exceed my knees." By this nidāna, he obtained an extremely large body: the waters of the four great oceans cannot exceed his knees; standing in the great ocean, his body surpasses Mount Sumeru, and resting his hands on the mountain peak, he looks down at the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. How much more so when the Buddha accumulated great vows for countless kalpas—why should it be surprising that his Dharma body fills the void?