經律異相 25.18

25.18

In the kingdom of Śrāvastī there was a separate place where the ground was exceptionally flat and broad. Once, the Buddha went there and sat down. Brahmā, Śakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, and various kings of men such as King Bimbisāra, each addressed the Buddha, saying, "We wish to arrange a high seat for the Bhagavat." The Buddha said, "Stop for a while. I know the proper time myself." At that time, among the householders there were some who had faith in non-Buddhist teachings, and each set up a seat worth hundreds of thousands [of coins]. There were also those who joyfully had faith in making offerings to the Buddha. From the first day of the month until the fifteenth day, Bimbisāra and the other kings of Magadha took turns presenting offerings. In the middle of all the seats, there spontaneously appeared a seven-jeweled lion seat. The Tathāgata sat upon it, and everyone then took their seats. At that time, a dānapati whose turn it was that day to provide offerings presented a tooth-stick to the Buddha. The Bhagavat chewed it and cast it behind him, whereupon it immediately became a great tree with roots, trunk, branches, and leaves spreading luxuriously. The great assembly, beholding the Buddha's spiritual power, rejoiced and praised it as unprecedented. Then the Buddha, the Bhagavat, expounded the Dharma in various ways using countless skillful means to make them rejoice. At that time, countless hundreds of thousands of people on their seats distanced themselves from dust and separated from defilement, attaining the purification of the Dharma-eye. In this manner, different kinds of spiritual transformations were manifested up until the fifteenth day. Seeing the Buddha's spiritual powers and transformations, the great assembly all rejoiced greatly, and when the Buddha expounded the Dharma to them, they attained the purification of the Dharma-eye. Then, on the fifteenth day, King Bimbisāra of Magadha provided food for the Buddha and the Saṅgha, as well as for King Pradyota, King Udayana, King Brahmadatta, King Prasenajit, Queen Mallikā, the householders Ṛṣidatta and Pūraṇa, and the whole great assembly; he presented offerings to them all. When they had finished eating to their satisfaction, they relinquished their bowls and water was distributed. King Bimbisāra then took a low seat and sat before the Buddha. At that time, the Bhagavat released his cross-legged posture and extended his feet onto a footstool. Thereupon the earth shook with the eighteen aspects of the sixfold earthquake. On the soles of the Buddha's feet, the marks of the wheels had a thousand spokes, with the rims and hubs perfectly accomplished, fully complete with the mark of the spoke-wheels. Their brilliant radiance shone upon the three-thousandfold world. King [Bimbisāra] of Magadha saw this, immediately arose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee on the ground, and addressed [the Buddha], saying: "Bhagavat, what merit did you perform in the past to obtain these marks and signs?" The Buddha told Bimbisāra: "In a past age, in the land of Jambudvīpa, there was a king named Benefiting Sentient Beings. At that time the kingdom was abundant and prosperous, and the population flourished. He governed eighty-four thousand cities and fifty-five billion villages. The city in which the king resided was named Splendour of Wisdom. The king's principal consort was named Wisdom Deed. At first they had no children. To seek a successor, she worshipped and served the devas, mountains, rivers, spirits, and deities, seeking her wish everywhere. Later, she conceived and reported to the king, saying: 'I am now pregnant.' The king doubled her attendants, food, clothing, and medicines. Later she gave birth to a boy whose facial features were upright and handsome. On the day the child was born, eighty-four thousand hidden treasures spontaneously welled up, forming rows according to their materials. The king said to his mother: 'Name the boy Lamp of Wisdom.' Later the king passed away. The crown prince was eight or nine years old. His mother taught him the arts, writing, calculation, and horse-riding. When he reached fifteen years of age, the ministers addressed him, saying: 'The great king has passed away; you should succeed to the throne.' The crown prince replied: 'In a previous life I was a king for six years, and afterwards I fell into hell for sixty thousand years. For this reason, I cannot be king.' The ministers said: 'Is there any means by which you might become king?' He replied: 'If the people of Jambudvīpa, male or female, anyone capable of speech, will all practice the ten wholesome deeds, I will become king.' When the ministers heard the prince's command, they immediately proclaimed the order in the four directions: 'All people of Jambudvīpa must practice the ten wholesome deeds and not kill living beings.' The ministers fully reported this to the prince, saying: 'Now you may ascend the throne.' The prince then succeeded to the throne. The ministers addressed the king, saying: 'When the king was first born, eighty-four thousand hidden treasures spontaneously welled up. Now they may be gathered into the royal treasury.' The king said: 'There is no need to enter them into the treasury.' He then ordered that at the crossroads where they had emerged, they should be given in charity to śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, the poor, the destitute, the orphaned, and the elderly. The ministers then complied with the king's order and, wherever the treasures were located, gave them away in charity at the four crossroads outside the eighty-four thousand city gates. At that time, Śakra Devānām Indra transformed himself into a man and went about saying to others: 'The king has instructed me to commit the ten unwholesome deeds.' The ministers reported to the king: 'Was there such an edict?' The king replied: 'I previously ordered that all who can speak within Jambudvīpa must practice the ten wholesome deeds; I never uttered such words.' He immediately mounted a precious elephant and went to that place. The king asked: 'Did you say that Lamp of Wisdom instructed you to commit the ten unwholesome deeds?' The transformed man answered, 'Indeed it is so.' The king asked again: 'Can you practice the ten wholesome deeds?' He replied: 'If one who wishes to achieve the Bodhisattva Path will let me eat his flesh raw and drink his blood warm, then I will personally practice the ten wholesome deeds.' The king reflected: 'From beginningless time I have passed through manifold sufferings, transmigrating in the five paths of rebirth and undergoing slaughter everywhere.' He immediately took a knife, cut the flesh from his thigh, filled a vessel with blood, and handed it to him, saying: 'Man, you may eat the flesh and drink the blood, and respectfully practice the ten wholesome deeds.' The transformed man instantly vanished, reappeared in the form of Śakra, and asked him: 'Is your giving for the sake of one world, or for the four worlds?' The king said: 'It is only to seek the unexcelled Path and deliver those who have not yet been delivered.' Śakra poured heavenly ambrosia over him, and his wounds immediately healed, bringing benefit to sentient beings. The father king of that time was my present father king. The principal consort was my present mother. King Lamp of Wisdom was myself." (Extracted from the second fascicle of the Vinaya in Four Parts)