經律異相 9.14

9.14

昔者菩薩從四姓生。墮地即曰。眾生萬禍吾當濟之。無明無法吾當除其盲聾令之聞見眾聖明範。九親驚曰。未聞孩幼而能言。斯將非天龍鬼神之靈乎。當卜之焉。答曰。吾為上聖之所化。懷普明之智。非彼眾妖慎無疑矣。言畢即默。親曰。兒有乾坤弘潤之志。將非凡夫乎。名曰普施。年至十歲。佛諸典籍流俗眾術靡不貫綜。辭親濟眾布施貧乏。親曰。吾有最富之上名也。爾可恣意。對曰。不足乞作沙門。垂賚法服應器錫杖以斯濟眾。父母聽之。周旋教化經一大國。國有豪姓亦明眾書。覩其儀容普施心性惔怕淨若天金。有上聖之表。將為世雄。謂普施曰。吾有陋女願給箕帚。答曰。大善。須吾還也。即附載度海上岸入山。到無人處遙覩銀城。宮有毒蛇繞城七匝。體大百圍舉首相看。普施念曰。斯有害心吾當興慈。蛇毒即滅垂首而眠。登首入城。城中天神覩之。欣豫曰。久服聖德今來翔茲。誠吾心願。留三旬。普施以事委付近臣。身受供饌。時供養畢以明月真珠一枚送之。珠明四万里。志願若發眾寶滿足。若後得佛願為弟子。普施曰可。即復前行。覩黃金城毒蛇圍城十有四匝。巨軀倍前舉首數丈。普施復入慈定蛇即垂首。登之入城。中有天人相見歡喜曰。久服靈耀翔茲甚善。願留百八十日。吾所供養。過是辭退。天人復以神珠一枚送之。明耀二十萬里。志之所願眾寶滿中。若子得道願為弟子神足無上。即復前進覩琉璃城。又有毒蛇軀以繞城二十一匝。仰首瞋目當彼城門。復生慈定誓濟眾生。毒歇垂首登之入城。天人欣喜如前。請留三時。願供所志期竟辭退。又送神珠明耀百六十萬里。珠之所在眾寶尋從。滿其明內在志所欲無求不獲。子得正覺願為弟子有最明之智。曰必獲爾願。普施得珠反其舊居。海諸神僉會議曰。吾等巨海唯斯三珠為吾榮華。道士悉得。吾等寧當都亡諸寶不失斯珠。海神化為凡人。當普施前曰。吾聞仁者獲世上寶。可得觀乎。即以示之。神搏手奪取。普施曰。吾歷險跨海乃獲斯寶欲濟困乏。反為斯神所見奪乎。曰爾還吾珠不者吾竭爾海。神曰。巨海深廣孰能盡之。天勸作風。普施曰。吾於錠光佛前。願得道力反覆眾海。指擢須彌震天地移諸剎。佛從吾志。吾今得之矣。今爾鬼物絲髮之力。焉能遏吾正真之勢乎。即併兩足摽渫海水投鐵圍外。遍淨天曰。吾昔於錠光佛前聞其志願。必為世尊度吾等眾生。即下助其渫水十分去八。海神怖曰。斯水盡矣。吾居壞也。即還其珠。尋路布施。所過之國無復貧民。處處諸王無不改操。以五戒十善為國政法。開獄大赦。潤逮眾生遂至得佛。普施我身是。父者即白淨王是。母者即吾母舍妙是。時道士女今裘夷是。時銀城中天者今阿難是。金城天者目連是。琉璃城天者舍利弗是（出度無極集第一卷又出賢愚經）。

In the past, the Bodhisattva was born into one of the four castes. As soon as he fell to the ground, he said: "Sentient beings face ten thousand calamities; I shall save them. They are without understanding and without the Dharma; I shall remove their blindness and deafness so that they hear and see the clear model of the many sages." His relatives were startled and said: "We have never heard of an infant who could speak. Could this be the spirit of a deva, nāga, ghost, or deity? We ought to divine it." He replied: "I have been transformed by the highest sages and cherish the wisdom of universal illumination. I am none of those various specters; do not doubt it." Having spoken, he fell silent. His relatives said: "The child has the intention to vastly enrich heaven and earth; could he be an ordinary mortal?" They named him Puśi ("Universal Giving"). By the time he reached the age of ten, there was none of the Buddha's scriptures or worldly techniques that he had not mastered. Taking leave of his parents to save the multitude and give alms to the impoverished, his parents said: "We have the highest reputation for the greatest wealth. You may do as you please." He replied: "That is not enough. I beg to become a śramaṇa; bestow upon me the Dharma robes, the alms bowl, and the tin staff to save the multitude with them." His parents consented. Traveling around teaching and converting, he passed through a great country. In that country, there was a prominent clan who was also learned in various texts. Beholding Puśi's appearance and demeanor, his mind and nature calm, tranquil, and pure as heavenly gold, showing the signs of a superior sage who would become a hero of the world, he said to Puśi: "I have an unsightly daughter and wish to offer her to sweep your floors." He replied: "Very well, wait until I return." He then embarked on a ship, crossed the sea, went ashore, and entered the mountains. Arriving at an uninhabited place, he saw a silver city in the distance. In its palace, there were venomous snakes circling the city seven times; their bodies were a hundred spans in girth, and they raised their heads to look at him. Puśi thought: "These beings have harmful intentions; I must arouse loving-kindness." The snakes' poison immediately subsided, and they lowered their heads and fell asleep. Climbing over their heads, he entered the city. A deva in the city saw him and said with joy: "I have long submitted to your holy virtue, and now you have soared here; this is truly the wish of my heart." He stayed for thirty days. Puśi entrusted the affairs to a close attendant and personally received the food offerings. When the offerings were finished, the deva presented him with a luminous, genuine pearl. The pearl's light shone for forty thousand li; if a vow was made, all kinds of treasures would be supplied. The deva said: "If later you attain buddhahood, I vow to be your disciple." Puśi said: "So it shall be." He then proceeded forward and saw a golden city, with venomous snakes surrounding the city fourteen times. Their enormous bodies were twice those of before, and they raised their heads several zhang high. Puśi entered the absorption of loving-kindness again, and the snakes lowered their heads. Climbing over them, he entered the city. The devas within were joyful to meet him, saying: "We have long submitted to your divine brilliance; that you have soared here is very good. We wish for you to stay for one hundred and eighty days to receive our offerings." When this period passed, he took his leave, and the devas presented him with a divine pearl. Its bright radiance shone for two hundred thousand li; whatever was wished in the mind, all kinds of treasures would fill it. "If you, noble son, attain the Way, we vow to be your disciples, supreme in supernatural powers." He then advanced further and saw a lapis lazuli city. There were again venomous snakes whose bodies encircled the city twenty-one times, raising their heads with glaring eyes, blocking the city gate. He aroused the absorption of loving-kindness again, vowing to save sentient beings. Their poison ceased, and they lowered their heads; climbing over them, he entered the city. The devas rejoiced as before, requesting him to stay for three seasons, wishing to offer him whatever he desired. When the period ended and he took his leave, they also presented him with a divine pearl, whose radiance shone for one million six hundred thousand li. Wherever the pearl was, all kinds of treasures followed it, filling the space within its illumination, so that whatever was wished in the mind, nothing sought was not obtained. They said: "When you, noble son, attain right awakening, we vow to be disciples possessing the most luminous wisdom." He said: "You will surely obtain your wish." Having obtained the pearls, Puśi returned to his former abode. All the sea deities gathered in counsel and said: "In our vast ocean, only these three pearls are our glory. The man of the Dao has obtained them all. We would rather lose all other treasures than lose these pearls." A sea deity transformed into an ordinary man and stood before Puśi, saying: "I have heard that the benevolent one has obtained the supreme treasures of the world; may I see them?" He immediately showed them to him. The deity clapped his hands and snatched them away. Puśi said: "I braved dangers and crossed the sea to obtain these treasures, wishing to relieve the destitute. Am I now to have them snatched away by this spirit?" He said: "Return my pearls; if not, I will drain your ocean dry." The deity said: "The great ocean is deep and wide; who could drain it? The heavens prompt the rising of winds." Puśi said: "Before Dīpaṅkara Buddha, I vowed to attain the power of the Way to overturn the oceans, point at and pull up Mount Sumeru, shake heaven and earth, and move all buddha lands. The Buddha granted my wish, and I have attained it today. How could the thread-and-hair strength of you ghostly creatures halt the force of my right truth?" He then stood on both feet and scooped out the sea water, tossing it outside the Iron Ring Mountains. A Śubhakṛtsna deva said: "Formerly, before Dīpaṅkara Buddha, I heard his vow; he will surely become a Bhagavat and deliver us sentient beings." He then came down to help him scoop out the water, draining eight-tenths of it. The sea deity was terrified, saying: "This water will be exhausted, and my dwelling will be ruined!" He immediately returned his pearls. Puśi made offerings all along the road. In the countries he passed through, there were no longer any impoverished people. The kings everywhere all transformed their conduct, taking the five precepts and ten wholesome deeds as the governance and law of their states, opening prisons in a grand amnesty, and extending moisture to sentient beings until he finally attained buddhahood. Puśi was my own person. The father was King Śuddhodana. The mother was my mother Māyā. The ascetic's daughter at that time is now Gopī. The deva in the silver city is now Ānanda. The deva in the golden city is Maudgalyāyana. The deva in the lapis lazuli city is Śāriputra. (Extracted from the first fascicle of the Collection on Crossing the Limitless; also appearing in the Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish.)