釋門自鏡錄 1.14

1.14

昔月氏國城西有大山。是離越辟支住處。猛上去此。不遠有人失牛。尋到此山。值此辟支然火染衣。宿業力故。當於爾時鉢變為牛頭。法衣變為牛皮。染汁變為血。染滓變為肉。柴變為骨。其迹既爾。遂為牛主執入獄中。弟子推覓莫知所在。從是荏苒年經十二。後遇因緣知在獄中。便向王說。我師在獄願王放赦。王問獄典有僧否。獄典曰無僧。弟子白王願喚獄中沙門者出。我師自出。獄典尋喚辟支佛即出。此辟支佛在獄既久。髮長衣壞沙門形滅。諸弟子等禮而問曰。師何在此。師於爾時答以上事。弟子復問。宿世造何因。今令致此。師答曰。吾於昔時謗他人偷牛。致使如此耳。

Formerly, west of the city in the kingdom of the Yuezhi, there was a great mountain; it was the dwelling place of the pratyekabuddha Revata. A fierce beast ascended here. Not far away, a man lost an ox, and tracking it, came to this mountain, happening upon this pratyekabuddha lighting a fire to dye his robes. Due to the power of past karma, at that exact time the bowl transformed into an ox's head, the Dharma robes transformed into an ox's hide, the dye broth transformed into blood, the dye dregs transformed into meat, and the firewood transformed into bones. Since the traces were thus, he was seized by the ox's owner and put into prison. The disciples searched for him, not knowing where he was. From then on, twelve years elapsed gradually. Later, through certain causes and conditions, they learned that he was in prison, and then said to the king, 'Our teacher is in prison; we pray the king grant a pardon.' The king asked the prison warden whether there was a monk. The prison warden said there was no monk. The disciples said to the king, 'We pray you summon those who are śramaṇas in the prison to come out; our master will emerge of himself.' The prison warden then called, and the pratyekabuddha immediately came out. This pratyekabuddha had been in prison for so long that his hair was long, his robes tattered, and his śramaṇa appearance destroyed. The disciples bowed and asked, saying, 'Why was our master here?' The master at that time answered with the events above. The disciples further asked, 'What cause did you create in a past life that now brought about this?' The master answered, saying, 'In past times I slandered another person for stealing an ox, which brought about this outcome.'