經律異相 10.6

10.6

In a past age, in the kingdom of Upāravat, the five grains ripened in abundance and the populace was numerous. In that kingdom was a king named Pāla. Prior to this, there was a courtesan whose appearance was captivating and beautiful. Coming by chance to another household, she encountered a woman who had just given birth to a boy and was about to eat her own child. The courtesan questioned her, and she answered: “I am starving.” The courtesan said: “Just wait while I seek food for you.” She answered: “My hunger is acute; before you can step outside the gate, I will starve to death. How can I wait for you?” The courtesan reflected: “If I take the child away, the mother will starve to death; if I leave it, she will eat it. I must ensure both are saved.” The courtesan cut off both her breasts and gave them to her to eat, and the mother ate them. The courtesan asked: “Are you sated yet?” She answered: “I am already sated.” The courtesan returned home. A man came to the courtesan's house, and upon seeing her, he said: “Who cut off your breasts?” Compassion arose in him, and lust no longer arose. The man asked: “Sister, you should display this utmost sincerity for my sake.” The courtesan said: “If my sincerity was genuine, let my breasts be restored as before!” Instantly, both breasts were restored as before. Śakra Devānām Indra, seeing the merit of this courtesan's giving, feared she would seize his seat. Transforming into a brāhmaṇa, he went to her house. The courtesan filled a golden bowl with food and offered it to the brāhmaṇa. At that time, the brāhmaṇa stepped back and refused to accept it. The woman asked: “Man of the Way, why do you not accept it?” He replied: “I have no need for food. I heard that you gave your breasts in charity; is that truly so or not?” She replied: “It is truly so.” The brāhmaṇa said: “When you gave your breasts in charity, did your mind feel any regret?” The woman said: “If I gave my breasts in charity with utmost sincerity and my mind had no deviation, let my body be transformed into that of a man!” As soon as she finished speaking, she was transformed. At that time, the king of Upāravat had ruled the kingdom for fifty years; his lifespan came to an end and he died. The ministers and courtiers on all sides heard that the courtesan had transformed into a man and reflected: “It is proper that we establish him as king.” Together they invited and enthroned him. After being enthroned, he took joy in giving; whatever people needed, he supplied to all of them. He taught the entire world to observe the eightfold purification precepts. Governed in this manner, the people of the kingdom were joyful, and their lifespans were lengthened. The king then reflected: “Although I have practiced giving, I have not yet given my own body; giving one's body is truly difficult.” Then the king smeared his body with ghee and fragrance, entered a secluded mountain, and lay down upon a rock. Hundreds of birds all came and ate him alive. After his life ended, he was born into a brāhmaṇa household, upright, handsome, and pleasing. When he grew up, he slipped away to go to the marketplace; seeing merchants and impoverished beggars, he grieved for them, saying: “If these people were made rich and happy, they would not engage in trade.” Hurrying to report to his parents, he begged to become a śramaṇa. His parents would not permit it, so he did not eat for five days. When his relatives and acquaintances arrived, they all tried to reason with and advise him, but the youth did not respond. The relatives persuaded his parents, urging them to allow him to study the Way. Looking at each other, the parents wept in sorrow and granted permission. The son provided offerings to his parents for six or seven days, then circumambulated them three times, paid homage, and departed. Arriving in a grove of trees, he saw two men of the Way who had attained the five supernormal powers, sitting in the open and contemplating the Way, engaging in diligent and bitter austerities for the sake of living beings. The youth thereupon sat beneath the grove of trees; through meditative contemplation and ascetic practice, he immediately attained the five supernormal powers, surpassing the two men of the Way in vigorous zeal. The rule of the men of the Way was that only when tree fruits fell by themselves would they take and eat them, not picking them from the trees. As the men of the Way walked together seeking wild fruits and melons, they saw a pregnant tigress. The youth who was a man of the Way said to the other two men of the Way: “Before long, this tigress will give birth. Having been starved for days, I fear she will eat her own cubs. Who can give their body to feed her?” Maitreya said: “I will give my body to feed her.” Just as they returned from gathering fruits, they saw that the tigress had already given birth; she was exceedingly hungry and was about to eat her cubs. The youth who was a man of the Way said to the other two: “The tigress has already given birth and is lactating; starving, she is about to eat her cubs. Who can give their body to relieve her suffering from hunger? Let us go together to the place where the tigress is.” The tigress opened her eyes and gaped her mouth toward the two men of the Way; the men of the Way became terrified and flew into the empty sky. One of them said: “Is your utmost sincerity like this? You just said you would feed your body to the tiger; why do you now fly away?” Tears of sorrow flowed from one of the men of the Way. Looking around to the left and right, there was nothing at all. The youth who was a man of the Way then took a sharp knife, stabbed his arm to make blood flow, doing so in seven places; the blood entered the tiger's mouth, and she drank it. He then threw himself before the tiger, feeding his body to the tiger. The Buddha told Ānanda: “If you wish to know: the courtesan of that time, the one enthroned as king, and the brāhmaṇa's son who threw down his body to feed the tiger were all myself. The men of the Way of that time were the two bodhisattvas Kāśyapa and Maitreya. Because of my diligent and vigorous practice in giving my body over sixty kalpas, I bypassed nine kalpas and attained Buddhahood before Maitreya.” (Extracted from the Sūtra on the Three Transformations in Previous Lives).