經律異相 12.4

12.4

In the past, during the time of Kakutsunda Buddha, there was a monk named Wugou who lived in seclusion in a mountain cave within the borders of a kingdom. Not far from him were five immortal ṛṣis. A woman encountered a great downpour on the road, entered the monk's cave, and departed when the rain stopped. At that time, the five ṛṣis saw her, and each said, 'The monk is licentious and defiled.' Hearing this, Wugou immediately leapt into the air, forty-nine feet above the ground. Seeing him flying in the air, the ṛṣis each said, 'According to the records of our scriptures, one who is tainted by the dust of desire cannot fly.' Thereupon, they cast their five limbs to the ground, prostrated themselves, and confessed their false slander. Had the monk not manifested supernatural transformations, the five kings of ṛṣis would have fallen into the great hells. That monk Wugou was the present Bodhisattva Maitreya. (Extracted from the first fascicle of the Huishang pusa jing.)