經律異相 2.18

2.18

時悉鞞梨天子白佛言。我自過去世時國王名悉鞞梨。於四城門普施為福。城內交道皆亦布施。時第一夫人言。王大作福德而我先。王言城東門外布施作福悉皆屬汝。諸子復言。城南門外所作施福悉皆屬汝。時有大臣復白王言。城西門外所作施福悉皆屬汝。時諸將士復白王言。城北門外相與。時諸庶民復白王。王答言。於其城內四交道頭所作施福悉屬汝等。爾時國王夫人大臣將士庶民悉皆惠施。於諸功德我先所作。惠施功德於茲則斷。時我所使諸作福者還至我所為我作禮而白我言。大王當知。諸修福處夫人王子大臣將士及諸庶民。各據其處行施作福。大王所施於茲則斷。我時答言。諸方歲輸應入。我者分半入庫半於彼惠施。我先長夜如是惠施常得可愛念可意福報。常受快樂無有窮極。以斯福業果報入大功德聚。譬如五大河合為一流。所謂恒河無有人能量。其河水百千萬億㪷㪶之數。功德果報不可稱量。悉得入於大功德聚。時悉鞞梨天子聞佛所說。歡喜禮足即沒不現（出悉鞞梨天子諸佛說偈經）。

At that time, Devaputra Śibi said to the Buddha, 'In a past life of mine, I was a king named Śibi. At the four city gates, I practiced universal giving to cultivate merit, and at the crossroads within the city, I also practiced giving. At that time, the principal queen said, "The king performs great merit, but I wish to be foremost." The king said, "The giving and making of merit outside the eastern gate of the city shall all belong to you." The princes further said, "The merit of giving performed outside the southern gate of the city shall all belong to you." At that time, a minister also addressed the king, saying, "The merit of giving performed outside the western gate of the city shall all belong to you." At that time, the generals and soldiers also addressed the king, saying, "Allow the outside of the northern gate to be ours." At that time, all the common people also addressed the king, and the king replied, "The merit of giving performed at the four crossroads within the city shall all belong to you." At that time, the king, queen, ministers, generals, soldiers, and commoners all gave generously. In all the merits that I had formerly performed, the merit of generous giving was thereupon interrupted. Then those whom I had employed to perform the meritorious deeds returned to where I was, bowed to me, and said, "Great King, you should know: the places for cultivating merit have each been occupied by the queen, the princes, the ministers, the generals and soldiers, and the commoners to practice giving and cultivate merit. The Great King's giving is thereupon interrupted." I then replied, "As for the annual taxes from all regions that should enter to me, divide them in half: half to enter the storehouse, and half to be given generously there." Through such generous giving over the long night of the past, I have always obtained lovely, agreeable, and delightful retributions of blessing, and constantly enjoyed happiness without end. Through this karmic retribution of blessing, I have entered the great accumulation of merit. Just as the five great rivers merge into a single stream, namely the Gaṅgā, whose waters no one can measure in terms of hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, or billions of pecks and pints—its retributions of merit are immeasurable, and all enter the great accumulation of merit.' At that time, Devaputra Śibi, having heard what the Buddha said, rejoiced, paid homage to his feet, and vanished from sight (From the Sūtra on the Verses Spoken by Buddhas to Devaputra Śibi).