經律異相 14.24

14.24

At that time, the minister brought the heads of the seven treasures, came forward, and said to the brāhmaṇa, 'This head of the king is an impure thing compounded of bone, flesh, and blood; what use is it to ask for it? Now I bring you this many heads of the seven treasures to trade. You may take them; trading for them will be enough to give you lifelong wealth.' The brāhmaṇa said, 'I have no use for these; I wish to obtain the king's head to fulfill my intention.' The minister Mahācandra used every means to persuade him, but he would never relent; out of indignation and grief, the minister's heart split into seven parts and he died. The king had earlier given an order: his subordinates rode elephants capable of traveling eight thousand li to announce everywhere to the various kingdoms, saying, 'Seven days from now, the great King Moonlight will take his head and give it to a brāhmaṇa. If you wish to come, make haste and arrive quickly.' At that time, the eighty-four thousand kings arrived by courier relay; seeing the great king, they threw themselves prone before him, [saying,] 'The people of Jambudvīpa rely on the king's kindness. How can you, on a single day and for the sake of a single man, forever abandon the multitude and show no more pity? We only pray that you will show mercy and not give away your head.' The ten thousand ministers all cast their bodies to the ground and threw themselves prone before the king, [saying,] 'Only look upon us with pity and compassion; do not give away your head.' The twenty thousand queens also cast their bodies to the ground and looked up, saying to the king, 'Do not forget and abandon us; only extend your sheltering shade over us. If you give away your head, on whom can we rely?' The five hundred princes wept before the king, [saying,] 'We are young children; to whom can we turn? We pray that you will have pity on us and not give away your head, but raise us so that we may reach adulthood.' Thereupon the great king addressed the ministers, commoners, queens, and princes, 'Consider this: since I first took on a body, my passage through birth and death has been long indeed. When in the three evil destinies, my head was severed and I died and was reborn, countless times like this, yet without any karmic merit. When born among humans, I fought over wealth and sex, constantly having multiple bodies killed out of greed, anger, and delusion, but never did I abandon this life for the sake of merit. Now, this body of mine is diverse in its impurities; it must inevitably be cast away and cannot last long. To abandon this defiled head in exchange for a great benefit—how could I not give it? I take this head and give it to the brāhmaṇa; by this merit, I vow to seek the Buddha Way and deliver you all from suffering. Now my mind of giving is on the verge of fulfillment; be careful not to obstruct my mind set on the unsurpassed Way.' Having heard the king's words, all the kings, ministers, commoners, queens, and princes were silent and said nothing. At that time, the great king said to the brāhmaṇa, 'If you wish to take my head, now is the right time.' The brāhmaṇa said, 'Now the king's ministers, commoners, and a great assembly surround you; I am alone and my strength is weak; I am unable to cut off the king's head here. If you wish to give it to me, you must go to the back garden.' At that time, the great king addressed the lesser kings, princes, ministers, and commoners, 'If you truly love and revere me, take care not to harm this brāhmaṇa.' Having spoken these words, he entered the back garden together with the brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa then said to the king, 'Your body is vigorous with the strength of a champion; if you suffer the pain of the cut, you might regret it. Take your hair and tie it firmly to the tree, and only then will I be able to cut it.' At that time, the king gave an order, saying to the brāhmaṇa, 'Cut my head so that it falls into my hands, and only then take it away. Now I give my head to seek the unsurpassed, true, and correct Way, vowing to rescue all living beings.' The brāhmaṇa raised his sword, intending to strike. Seeing this, the tree spirit was greatly distressed: 'Why would anyone wish to kill such a person?' He immediately struck the brāhmaṇa's ear with his hand. The brāhmaṇa's head turned backward, his hands and feet became contorted, he dropped his sword to the ground, and was unable to move. At that time, the great king looked up and said to the tree spirit, 'In the past beneath this tree, I have already given nine hundred and ninety-nine heads in acts of charity. Now, if I abandon this head, it will complete one thousand. Once this head is abandoned, my giving will be perfected. Do not obstruct my mind set on the unsurpassed Way.' Hearing the king's words, the tree spirit caused the brāhmaṇa to recover as before. The brāhmaṇa then arose from the ground, took up the sword again, and cut off the king's head, which fell into the king's hands. At that time, the earth shook in six ways, and the palaces of the devas swayed unsteadily. Each was terrified, wondering at the cause. Soon they saw that the bodhisattva had abandoned his head in charity for the sake of all beings; they all descended, moved by this extraordinary act, weeping tears of grief like rain. They joined together in praising him: 'King Moonlight has given his head in charity; he has now fulfilled the pāramitā of generosity!' Their voices resounded everywhere. When King Bhīmasena heard these words, his heart tore apart in a mixture of joyful leaping and shock, and he died. At that time, the brāhmaṇa carried the king's head away. The kings, ministers, commoners, queens, and princes, having seen the king's head, threw themselves to the ground, crying out together in grief, fainting and reviving. The brāhmaṇa was disgusted by the foul smell of the king's head, threw it to the ground, kicked it away with his foot, and departed. Some people said to the brāhmaṇa, 'Your cruelty is extreme indeed! Since it is of no use to you, why did you demand it?' The brāhmaṇa continued on his way; people who saw him rebuked him, and none would give him food. He became famished, emaciated, and pressed by extreme distress. On the road, someone asked him for news and learned that King Bhīmasena had already passed away. Having lost what he hoped for, Raudrākṣa also passed away; both fell into Avīci Hell. The rest of the ministers and commoners, who died from grief and longing in remembrance of the king's kindness, were all reborn in heaven. In this way, Ānanda, if you wish to know who King Moonlight was at that time, he was my very self. King Bhīmasena was Māra Pāpīyān. The minister Mahācandra at that time was Śāriputra. At that time, he could not bear to see me die and died before me; even today, he could not bear to see me enter parinirvāṇa and so passed into extinction first. (Drawn from the Damamūka-nidāna-sūtra, fascicle 5, and the Sūtra on the Buddha's Skillful Means in Repaying Kindness, with minor variations.)