經律異相 28.26

28.26

In ancient times, King Bimbisāra's ancestors had laws for punishing criminals: if someone committed theft, his head was slapped with a hand; the thief was so deeply ashamed that it was no different from dying, and he would never do it again. By the time of his father the king, if someone committed theft, he was driven out of the city as a severe reprimand; the thieves were all ashamed, no different from dying, and would never do it again. When Bimbisāra succeeded to the throne, if someone committed theft, he was driven out of the country. At that time there was a thief who was driven out seven times, yet he still returned to plunder and kill in villages and cities. At last, he was bound and sent to the king. The king said, 'Take him away and cut off his little finger.' At that time, the official cut it off in haste, fearing the king might regret it. The king tried biting his own finger, and finding the pain extraordinarily difficult to bear, he immediately sent word not to cut it off. The minister replied to the king, saying, 'It has already been cut off.' The king was full of sorrow and regret, and thought to himself, 'I am the last of the righteous kings, yet the first of the unrighteous. A king should be anxious and caring toward his subjects, yet I have cut off a man's finger.' He immediately ordered his chariot and went to the Buddha, saying, 'From my great-grandfather down to my father the king, all governed the people with righteousness. But when it came to my person, evil has increased daily and correct transformation has gradually weakened. Having wrongly become king, I have wounded and severed a man's body. Reflecting on my own lack of virtue, my shame and fear are truly profound.' The Buddha asked the great king, 'According to the laws of statecraft, theft of how much money warrants the death penalty, how much warrants exile from the country, and how much warrants corporeal punishment?' The king said, 'Bhagavat, nineteen ancient coins make one part of a kārṣāpaṇa, and one kārṣāpaṇa has four parts. If one steals one part, the crime warrants death.' The Buddha preached the Dharma for him, and the king bowed to the Buddha and withdrew. At that time, the monks said, 'Why does King Bimbisāra fear offenses so greatly?' The Buddha said, 'Not only in this life does he fear offenses. In the past there was a country named Kāśi, whose king was called Mingcheng (Renown). At that time, the people of the country were fully equipped with arts and crafts to support themselves. Those without crafts were called foolish, and those who committed theft were also called foolish. At that time a man committed theft and was bound and sent to the king's location. The king said, "Stop, stop! That man lost his property and this man committed theft; why should I join in committing evil?" He reflected, "Since ancient times, this is the first foolish man. Until these foolish men reach a thousand, my life will not end." He immediately handed the foolish man over to his ministers, saying, "I need a thousand foolish men to hold a great assembly. When you have gathered that full number, report it to me." The ministers held the foolish man and bound him in one place. Soon the king thought, "Might not this foolish man be suffering?" He then told his ministers, "Look after this man well and do not let him become emaciated. Place him in my Aśoka Garden, and provide him with the pleasures of the five desires and musical entertainment." The ministers obeyed the order, and wishing to please the king, they looked after him with extra care. In this way, before long, the number reached a thousand. The ministers reported, "The thousand is complete. What else is needed? We shall prepare it quickly." Hearing these words, the king was exceedingly sorrowful: "In the long past, there was only one such man; how is it that now there are already a thousand? This must be the latter age when evil dharmas proliferate." The king ordered his ministers to sweep and clean the garden, burn incense, hang silk banners, and prepare all kinds of delicacies and food and drink. The king, accompanied by his ministers and the eighteen groups, went to the Aśoka Garden. He ordered the foolish men to be presented, and seeing their clothes torn and filthy, their nails long, and their hair disheveled, he immediately ordered them to bathe, cut their hair, trim their nails, and be supplied with new clothes. Afterwards, they were brought forward, and each was given various kinds of food, drink, and treasures according to what they needed. They were told to return home, provide for their parents, diligently pursue their livelihoods, and never commit theft again. Hearing the command, the foolish men rejoiced and obeyed. The king then ceded his throne to the crown prince, renounced the household life, entered the mountains, and studied the ways of the ṛṣis. That king was none other than Bimbisāra. He was always fearful of karmic retribution.' The Buddha said, 'Not only in this life did King Bimbisāra regret immediately after ordering a finger to be severed; in a past life there was a brāhmaṇa who had no wealth and lived by begging. This brāhmaṇa's wife bore no son. The household originally had a nakula (mongoose) that gave birth to a young one. The brāhmaṇa regarded it as his own child, and the young mongoose also regarded the brāhmaṇa as its father. After a short while, the wife gave birth to a son. When going out to beg for food, he instructed his wife, saying, "If you go out, you must take the child with you." The wife fed the child and went to a neighboring house to help pound grain. The child had the fragrance of ghee and curd; a poisonous snake opened its mouth and spat poison, wishing to kill the small child. The mongoose thought, "My parents are not here; how can this poisonous snake try to kill my younger brother?" It immediately killed the poisonous snake, tore it into seven pieces, smeared its mouth with blood, and stood facing the door, wishing to make its parents rejoice upon seeing it. At that time, the brāhmaṇa, just arriving from outside, saw his wife outside the house from afar, and angrily said, "When I instructed you to go out, you were to take the child; why did you go alone?" When the father approached the door, he saw blood on the lips of the mongoose, and thought, "My wife and I were away; did the mongoose kill and devour my child behind our backs?" With a staff he beat and killed the mongoose. Entering the door, he saw his child sitting in the courtyard, sucking his fingers and playing, and also saw the poisonous snake in seven pieces. He was overcome with profound sorrow and regret: "This mongoose saved my child's life, but without examining carefully, I killed it in haste! How tragic and pitiable!" He then fell into a dead faint upon the ground. At that time, a deity in the air uttered a verse:'