經律異相 26.26

26.26

Ānanda, knowing what the assembly was thinking, went forward and addressed the Buddha, saying, "World-Honoured One, through what causes and conditions did you first bring forth the resolve for the Way?"
The Buddha said, "Countless kalpas ago in the past, there was a great king in this Jambudvīpa named Mahāprabhāsa (Great Brightness), who was blessed with merit, virtue, and wisdom. At that time, the king of a neighbouring state was on close and affectionate terms with him, and they regularly sent each other the treasures of their realms as gifts. Later, that neighbouring king caught two elephants in a hunt: white as crystal, their seven points touching the ground, adorned with assorted jewels—the supreme treasures of the world. He dispatched an emissary to deliver them.
"When King Mahāprabhāsa saw the elephants, his heart was delighted, and he entrusted them to the elephant trainer Sañjaya. Sañjaya obeyed the royal decree, and before long he had tamed and trained them. He went to inform the king, saying, 'The elephants are now trained; may the king inspect and test them.' The king assembled his ministers to inspect and test the elephants. Once the great assembly had gathered, the king mounted the elephant for the first time and rode out of the city for recreation. The elephant was vigorous and fierce; seeing a herd of elephants in a lotus pond, it rushed off in pursuit of a female elephant, going straight into a deep forest.
"At that time, the king's body was cut and bleeding, and he thought to himself that he would surely die. Seizing a tree branch with his hands, the elephant dashed away while the king stayed behind. Descending from the tree and sitting on the ground, he suffered great distress. The elephant trainer prostrated, touching his head to the ground, and said, 'May the king not be distressed. When the elephant's lustful desire abates and it tires of filth and weeds, longing for fine food and drink, it will return on its own.' The king answered him, 'I have no further use for it.'
"Later, the elephant indeed returned. The elephant trainer said to the king, 'The elephant has now come back.' The king said, 'I need neither you nor the elephant.' Sañjaya petitioned the king, 'If the king has no use for it, I only request that you witness my method of training elephants.' The king assented to it. He immediately had the trainer fashion seven iron pellets and heat them red-hot. After making them, the trainer thought to himself, 'If the elephant swallows these pellets, it must surely die; the king might later regret it.' He addressed the king, 'Great King, this precious white elephant can only be obtained by a wheel-turning king. Now it has committed only a minor fault; it should not be destroyed.' The king's fury blazed, and he said, 'Be gone!'
"The elephant trainer said to the elephant, 'Swallow these iron pellets! If you do not swallow them, I will shatter your skull with an iron hook.' The elephant knew his intention: 'I would rather swallow these hot pellets and die.' It bent its knees toward the king and shed tears, hoping for rescue. The king glared in anger, and Sañjaya told the elephant, 'Why do you not swallow the pellets?' The elephant then took the pellets, put them into its mouth, and swallowed them. Entering its belly, they scorched and melted its entrails, passing straight through, and it died. When the pellets fell to the ground, they were still red-hot.
"Seeing this, the king felt remorse. He then asked Sañjaya, 'Your training of elephants is such as this; why could you not control it in the forest?'
"At that time, a deva of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven, knowing that King Mahāprabhāsa ought to generate the bodhicitta, caused the elephant trainer to kneel and reply to the king, 'I can only tame the body; I cannot tame the mind. Only a Buddha can tame the mind.' The king asked, 'From what lineage and clan is a Buddha born?' He answered, 'He is born from two kinds of clans: first, wisdom; second, great compassion. Through diligently practicing six matters—namely, the six pāramitās—when merit and wisdom are both completely fulfilled, one is called a Buddha.'
"Hearing this, the king leaped with joy. He immediately arose, bathed, put on fresh clothes, and made obeisance in the four directions. Generating great compassion toward all sentient beings, he burned incense and made a vow: 'May whatever merit and virtue I have be dedicated to the Buddha Way! Having tamed my own mind, I shall also tame all sentient beings. If it will benefit any in the hells, I shall enter those hells, never abandoning the bodhicitta.' When he had made this vow, the earth shook in six ways, and natural music sounded in the mountains, the great seas, and the empty sky."
The Buddha told the monks, "The white elephant that swallowed the iron pellets at that time was Nanda; the elephant trainer of that time was Śāriputra; and King Mahāprabhāsa was myself. At that time, seeing the elephant obediently submit, I first brought forth the resolve for the Way." (Extracted from the third fascicle of the *Damamūka-nidāna-sūtra*).