經律異相 10.16

10.16

Formerly, when the Buddha was in Tuṣita Heaven, the ṛṣi Vasu was in Jambudvīpa. Constantly serving as a caravan leader with 6.2 million merchants, he entered the sea to gather jewels. Boarding a large ship, they were about to return to their home country when midway they met with the perils of a makara fish, great winds and waves, and yakṣas. At that moment, each of the 6.2 million men made a pledge to Maheśvara that each would sacrifice a beast. Having escaped the four perils and returned to their home country, each prepared a sheep and wished to proceed to the celestial shrine. Then Vasu silently thought: 'How can I now allow these merchants to perform unwholesome deeds? I must devise an expedient means.' Thereupon he transformed himself into two men: one a monk who had gone forth from home, and the other a lay brāhmaṇa. At that time, the brāhmaṇa proclaimed among the crowd: 'The lord of heaven, along with 6.2 million people, wishes to go to the celestial shrine.' Then the monk, midway on the road, saw this brāhmaṇa from afar and asked: 'Where do you and this great assembly intend to go?' The householder said: 'I am going to the celestial temple to seek great benefit.' The monk replied: 'I observe that you are seeking great ruin. How could it be great benefit? Contention will not cease.' Then the people asked the brāhmaṇa: 'What kind of man is this with such an appearance?' The brāhmaṇa said: 'This is called a monk.' The people asked: 'What does the monk say?' He replied: 'Killing living beings to sacrifice to heaven brings great sin.' The people said: 'What use are the words of this foolish monk? Let us hasten to the celestial shrine to obtain great benefit.' Then the brāhmaṇa said: 'Our great master is now at the celestial shrine and understands all things; we may go together and question him.' They all said: 'Excellent!' The monk, the brāhmaṇa, and the people arrived at the great ṛṣi's dwelling. Then the monk asked the great ṛṣi: 'Does killing living beings to sacrifice to heaven result in rebirth in heaven or entry into hell?' The great ṛṣi answered: 'What a foolish monk! Killing living beings to sacrifice to heaven will certainly plunge one into hell.' Vasu said: 'Not so.' The monk said: 'If one does not fall, you shall bear witness to it.' Thereupon Vasu immediately sank into the Avīci hell. When the people saw this, they cried: 'Alas, what a calamity that such a thing should happen! Even the great ṛṣi's wisdom has now been extinguished; how much more so could we avoid entering hell?' Then the people each released their sheep and fled in the four directions. Going into the mountains, they sought out ṛṣis, and having found ṛṣis, they received the teachings of the ṛṣis. After twenty-one years, each ended his life and was reborn in Jambudvīpa. At that time, I descended from Tuṣita Heaven and was born in Jambudvīpa into the household of King Śuddhodana. The 6.2 million people were born in the country of Śrāvastī, obtaining human bodies. Formerly, when I first arrived in Śrāvastī, I subdued those 6.2 million people, causing them to go forth from home and generate the bodhicitta; these were indeed those merchants of the past. Good son, the ṛṣi Vasu possessed such supernatural power that he transformed those people and led them to my presence." (Extracted from the Fangdeng tuoluoni jing, fascicle 1).