經律異相 26.28

26.28

Formerly, there was a king named Bahupuṇya (Abundant Merit), and his crown prince was named Vardhamāna (Increasing Merit). The king revered the six heterodox masters, while his son served the Buddha. At that time, there were no śramaṇas in the world, and a single white-robed layman served as their leading teacher. Five hundred non-Buddhists envied his reputation and virtue, and they told the king, "The state follows two teachings, so people's minds are not unified. We wish each to display extraordinary arts against the Buddha's master; whoever is inferior shall be bound as a slave in service." The king consented.

The non-Buddhists set a date and made a pact with the master, and before the king they each were to test their skills. The brahmacārins were skilled in archery, so they went into the mountains. All five hundred men shot large deer, each piercing the left eye, and carried them back to compete in skill. The virtuous layman went into the mountains and intently meditated on the Buddha, seeking majestic spiritual aid to make the Great Way shine forth. A five-coloured deer leaped up out of the earth, and he joyfully brought it home.

The non-Buddhists learned of this, waited for the layman to go out, and went to tell his wife, "Your husband has forsaken the household to act as a śramaṇa, yet solely because of this deer he has ruined your household rules." Hearing this, the wife became angry and gave the deer to them. When the layman returned and did not see the deer, he asked where it was. The wife said, "That inauspicious thing has now been lost." The husband was deeply grieved; he returned to the mountains and sincerely repented. Thereupon a divine bright-moon pearl suddenly emerged from the earth. Holding this pearl, he observed the brahmacārins going out, went to their gate, and offered the rare object for sale. The brahmacārin's wife said, "My house also has an extraordinary thing that can rival it," and brought out the five-coloured deer. The layman then said, "The king ordered me to bring this deer; now you have stolen it, and your crime is immeasurable." The wife hurriedly returned it to him.

When the day of the contest arrived, the brahmacārins each presented deer that had their left eyes wounded, which were filthy and foul-smelling; the king was deeply disgusted. The layman arrived, presented the divine deer, and brought the divine bright-moon pearl into the king's palace. The two objects soared and danced together, flashing like shooting stars and shining like lightning. The entire palace praised them as extraordinary. The five hundred brāhmaṇas, knowing their arts were inferior, were made into slaves, and their wives became handmaidens. The layman instructed them in the sūtras and teachings, making them his disciples. (Extracted from the third fascicle of the *Za piyu jing*).