眾經撰雜譬喻 1.24

1.24

Once there was a deva whose merits were about to be exhausted, and through seven signs he knew it for himself: first, the flowers upon his head withered; second, the light at his neck was extinguished; third, his body grew gaunt and emaciated; fourth, sweat came forth from under his armpits; fifth, flies came and clung to his body; sixth, dust and dirt soiled his garments; and seventh, he spontaneously departed from his original seat. Knowing that his merits were exhausted and that he would fall to be reborn in the human world into an impoverished household as the offspring of a mangy sow, he was sorrowful and unhappy. Another deva came and asked: "Why are you unhappy?" He replied: "My life is about to end, and I am to fall to be reborn as the offspring of a mangy sow; for this reason I sorrow." That deva said: "Śākyamuni Buddha is in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven preaching the Dharma for his mother. You should go and take refuge in him and in the saṃgha of bhikṣus; you may thereby be spared this suffering." He then went to the Buddha's place and single-mindedly took refuge. After seven days his life ended. He came to be reborn in the human world into the household of a great elder. After his mother conceived, she constantly heard the sound of the Three Refuges. When the full ten months were completed and he was born and fell to the ground, he knelt long with joined palms and took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha. His mother was alarmed, took it to be inauspicious, and wished to kill him, but reflecting on it, she said: "This is the son of an elder; it cannot simply be done so, and it would bring me no small guilt." She went at once to inform the elder, explaining this fully. The elder said: "People born into this world do not know how to take refuge in the Three Honoured Ones, yet as soon as this child was born, he already knew the Three Honoured Ones. He must be a divine person. Raise him well, and do not marvel at it!" This child's merit and intelligence were extraordinary, and his parents loved and respected him. When he reached five years of age, he was playing by the roadside with his peers. At that time Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana passed by, and he stepped forward to pay them homage. Śāriputra said: "I have never seen a small child pay homage like this!" The child addressed the renunciant: "Do you not recognise me?" Śāriputra immediately entered samādhi to observe his original condition, and thus knew that he was that deva. [The child] then knelt long before Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana: "May the venerable ones invite the Buddha and the saṃgha for me to deign to come to my humble dwelling tomorrow for a meal." They immediately granted it. The child returned and informed his parents, saying: "Just now I invited Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, wishing that the World-Honoured One would deign to come tomorrow for a meal." The parents were joyful and exhausted their wealth to prepare the fine fare and utensils. On the morrow the Buddha led the great assembly to their house. The child and his parents welcomed the Buddha and paid homage. The Buddha took his seat, water was poured, food was served, and in an instant it was finished. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and the parents and the child all attained the forbearance of the unarisen dharmas. Hundreds of thousands of devas brought forth the resolve for unsurpassed, true, and complete awakening. When the sūtras say that one can exhaust compassion, it may be said to be like this!