經律異相 17.36

17.36

In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there were two brothers who were both śramaṇas. The elder brother kept the precepts, sat in meditation, and single-mindedly sought the path, but did not practice generosity. The younger brother practiced generosity and cultivated merit, but was fond of breaking the precepts. The elder brother left home under Śākyamuni and attained the path of an arhat; his clothing was insufficient and he was constantly never full of food. The younger brother was born among elephants; being an elephant of great strength capable of repelling enemies, he was loved by the king. His body was adorned with necklaces of gold, silver, and precious jewels, and he was enfeoffed with a town of several hundred households to supply this elephant with whatever he needed. At that time, the elder brother monk encountered a severe famine in the world; wandering to beg for food, he received nothing for seven days. At the end he obtained a little coarse food, barely preserving his life. Knowing beforehand that this elephant was his younger brother from a previous life, he went to the elephant, held its ear with his hand, and said to it: “You and I both had faults in the past!” The elephant reflected on the monk's words, immediately recognised its past lives, saw the causes and conditions of its previous existence, and became sorrowful and would not eat. The elephant keeper was frightened and went to report to the king: “The elephant will not eat or drink; I do not know why.” The king asked the elephant keeper: “Has anyone previously offended this elephant?” The elephant keeper replied: “There was no other person, only a śramaṇa who came to the elephant's side and left shortly thereafter.” The king immediately dispatched men to find the śramaṇa and asked: “What did you say when you went to my elephant's side?” The śramaṇa replied: “I only said to the elephant, ‘You and I both had faults.’ ” The śramaṇa explained fully to the king as above. The king's mind was enlightened, and he immediately released the śramaṇa, ordering him to return to where he stayed. (Extracted from the Miscellaneous Parables Sūtra, fascicle four.)