經律異相 17.28

17.28

The Buddha was in the Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha. At that time, there were four brothers from a great clan. Their parents having died early, they quarrelled over the family estate. Seeing Śāriputra, they rejoiced and asked him, saying, “We pray that you will speak to us of this, so that we will quarrel no longer.” Śāriputra said, “Excellent! I have a Great Master, the Buddha, the most venerable in the three realms. Follow me and return to the Buddha's place; you will surely attain understanding.” Following Śāriputra, they returned. Seeing the four men from afar, the Buddha smiled and emitted five-coloured light. The four men paid homage to the Buddha and addressed him, saying, “We are foolish. We pray that the Buddha will explain and instruct us, so that we may quarrel no longer.” [The Buddha said:] “In the past, there was a king named Weilou. His body was afflicted with an illness. A physician was summoned to examine him; compounding the medicine required lion's milk. The king immediately offered a reward: whoever obtained it would be enfeoffed with a portion of land and given his younger daughter in marriage. At that time, a poor man announced that he could obtain it, and the king granted permission. That man was clever and first sought where lions dwelled. He then slaughtered a sheep and took several decalitres of grape wine, and went to that mountain. Watching for the lion to go out, he slaughtered the sheep and placed it together with the grape wine at its dwelling. Seeing the wine and meat, the lion drank and ate, fell into a deep drunken sleep, and lay down. He went forward, drew its milk, and returned rejoicing. Before reaching his home country, at dusk he lodged in a village. An arhat was also lodging there. He had pursued the lion, traversed perilous paths, and being utterly exhausted in body, he fell asleep, entirely unconscious of anything. The man of the Way observed the six consciousnesses within his body, each contending for merit. The foot-spirit said, ‘It is thanks to my walking to this place that the milk was obtained.’ The hand-spirit further said, ‘It is thanks to my hands that it was seized and taken.’ The eye-spirit further said, ‘It is thanks to my seeing it.’ The ear-spirit further said, ‘It is thanks to my hearing that the king sought milk and bringing you all here.’ The tongue-spirit then said, ‘You all dispute in vain! This merit belongs to me. Whether he now dies or lives rests entirely in my power.’ The man carried the milk to the king's place and announced, ‘I have now obtained lion's milk, and it is outside.’ The king said, ‘Whether right or wrong, simply bring it in.’ Just as the king saw the milk, the tongue then spoke: ‘This is not lion's milk; it is merely donkey's milk.’ Hearing this, the king was greatly enraged and said, ‘I sent you to fetch lion's milk, yet you bring donkey's milk!’ and was about to execute him. At that moment, the man of the Way who had lodged with him arrived before the king by supernormal power and reported, saying, ‘This is truly lion's milk. At that time, lodging together with this man in the village, I saw the six bodily faculties within him contending over their toil. The tongue said, “I shall turn against you all.” Now it has indeed turned out like this. Let the king simply compound the medicine with the milk, and his illness will surely be cured.’ The king then believed the arhat's words, used the milk to compound the medicine, gave him his daughter in marriage, and enfeoffed him as in the original pact. The man of the Way addressed the king, saying, ‘The bodily faculties of a single person are themselves mutually discordant—how much more so with others!’ At that time, he who had fetched the milk was grateful for the kindness of the man of the Way; he sought to become a śramaṇa, his mind opened, and he attained the path of an arhat. At that time, the king also rejoiced, received the five precepts, and attained the path of a srotaāpanna.” When the four men heard this, their minds opened to understanding; they then begged the Buddha to become monks. The Buddha remained silent and stroked their heads with his hand; their hair fell off and kāṣāya robes appeared on their bodies. Their bonds dissolved and their defilements were removed. Ānanda asked, “What roots of merit did these four men have in the past, that upon hearing the sūtra now they immediately understood and swiftly attained arhatship?” The Buddha said, “In the past, at the time of the Buddha *Māpitu, Śāriputra was a monk. These four men were merchants, and together they offered a single kāṣāya to Śāriputra. Śāriputra made an aspirational prayer: ‘May you gentlemen swiftly attain deliverance in a future life!’ Now they have attained liberation through Śāriputra.” (Extracted from the Sūtra of the Parable of King Weilou and the Lion's Milk.)