[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [眾經撰雜譬喻](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208) › 2.16 # 眾經撰雜譬喻 2.16 眾經撰雜譬喻 2.16 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.16) 昔山中有兩沙門，閑居行道得六通。去之不遠，有一師子生二子。稍稍長大，師子母欲行，心念惟道德二慈可以委命，即語：「欲行來，二子尚小恐人傷害，欲寄道人。惟蒙慈護，自當來視。」道人許之。師子行還，見子附道人，復捨而行。道人分衛還，餘食共食之，每見道人還喜行迎。道人後行，獵師遇之，師子子迸走入草，獵師依憑道人，便著室中袈裟，入草擒之。師子謂是道人，即出赴之，獵師打殺剝皮取作師子皮裘，直金千兩。道人行還不見師子，坐禪觀之，知為獵師所殺，即以神力奪皮來還，作褥坐上，口為呪願，復禪觀之，知當往生國中長者家作雙生子。道人往詣其家，問長者：「何所乏？」曰：「惟患無子。」便報為長者求子。長者大喜，道人言：「若得子何以相報？」曰：「子長大當施為沙彌。」道人曰：「勿忘此要。」唯覺有娠，後果雙生二男，相似如一。年八、九歲，道人過，二兒見自然歡喜，道人謂長者曰：「識本誓不？」長者不敢違誓，便以二子施沙門，沙門將入山學。未久亦得阿羅漢，亦恒自坐故皮上，日日入禪自觀，便見己前身皮，各起禮謝：「師恩力乃令我等得道，皆是慈念之力。」禽獸善心猶尚解脫，何況志情發於善願而不解脫也？ > Formerly, there were two śramaṇas in a mountain, living in seclusion and practicing the Way, who attained the six supernormal powers. Not far from them, a lioness gave birth to two cubs. As they gradually grew bigger, the lioness wished to roam about. She thought to herself that only the virtue and benevolence of the renunciant could be entrusted with their lives. She then said, "I wish to go roaming. The two cubs are still small, and I fear someone might harm them. I wish to entrust them to you, renunciant. Relying on your kind protection, I will return to see them myself." The renunciant agreed. When the lioness returned from roaming and saw that the cubs were attached to the renunciant, she again left them and roamed off. When the renunciant returned from almsround, he shared the leftover food with them. Whenever they saw the renunciant return, they joyfully came out to greet him. Later, when the renunciant had gone roaming, a hunter encountered the cubs. The cubs scattered and fled into the grass. The hunter, relying on the renunciant's appearance, put on the kāṣāya robe from inside the cell and entered the grass to capture them. The cubs thought he was the renunciant and immediately came running to him. The hunter beat them to death, skinned them, and made a lion-skin coat worth a thousand liang of gold. When the renunciant returned from his walk and did not see the lions, he sat in meditation to observe. Knowing they had been killed by the hunter, he immediately used his supernormal power to retrieve the skins, made a mat to sit upon, and recited aspirational prayers for them. He meditated and observed again, and knew that they would be reborn in the household of an elder in the kingdom as twin sons. The renunciant went to the household and asked the elder, "What do you lack?" The elder replied, "I only suffer from having no son." He then promised to seek sons for the elder. The elder was overjoyed. The renunciant asked, "If you obtain sons, how will you repay me?" The elder replied, "When the sons grow up, I will offer them as śrāmaṇeras." The renunciant said, "Do not forget this agreement." Conception was soon perceived, and later twin boys were indeed born, looking so alike as to be identical. When they were eight or nine years old, the renunciant passed by; the two boys saw him and were naturally joyful. The renunciant said to the elder, "Do you remember your original vow?" The elder did not dare to break the vow, and gave the two sons to the śramaṇa. The śramaṇa took them into the mountains to study. Before long, they also attained arhatship. They constantly sat upon the old skins, and entering meditation daily to observe themselves, they saw the skins of their own former bodies. Each arose, bowed, and expressed gratitude: "It is through the master's gracious power that we were enabled to attain the Way; it was entirely the power of your benevolent thought." If even animals with wholesome minds can attain liberation, how much more so those who set their wills and generate wholesome vows—how could they not attain liberation? > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.15) - [Next: 2.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.17) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208~en-mt.2.16) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.16) · Pramāṇa