經律異相 28.8

28.8

In the kingdom of Śrāvastī there were two merchants. One thought to himself: "The Buddha's body is sixteen feet tall, radiant like purple-gold. He has an uṣṇīṣa upon his crown, and the halo of light behind his neck is lofty and sublime beyond words. The Buddha is like an emperor, and the śramaṇas are like loyal ministers. The Buddha expounds the bright Dharma, and the śramaṇas recite and proclaim it—truly, this king is enlightened!" Knowing that the Buddha was worthy of veneration, the Buddha knew his thoughts and looked closely at him. The man's heart was as joyous as if he had obtained a precious gem. The other thought: "The Buddha is like an ox, and his disciples are like a cart. That ox pulls the cart east, west, south, and north; the Buddha is just like that." The Buddha, knowing that he harboured evil thoughts and would surely suffer calamity, grieved for him with compassion. That man was evil in heart, and the two went away together. When they had travelled thirty li, they came to an inn, where they stayed the night and bought wine to drink. They argued heatedly while settling their business. For the one who had good thoughts, the Four Heavenly Kings dispatched good spirits to protect him. For the one who had malicious thoughts, the ghosts and spirits of Mount Tai made the wine enter his belly like fire burning his body. Going out of the inn, he lay exposed in the open, rolling about until he fell into a cart rut. In the morning, a caravan of five hundred merchant wagons passed by and crushed him. His companion saw this and said: "Misfortune has befallen me! If I return to my country, I will be suspected of having taken his goods and departed, and I will be deemed unrighteous." Thereupon he abandoned his wealth, travelling light, and departed. Wandering far and wide, he reached a kingdom tens of thousands of li from Śrāvastī. The king of that country had died leaving no crown prince. A prophetic book had said: "A humble man from the Middle Country shall become king of this land." The officials deliberated, saying: "A state without a ruler is like a body without a head; it cannot long stand. The late king had a horse that always bowed to the king. If one is fit to be king, the horse will surely bend its knees." All said: "Excellent!" So they prepared a ceremonial carriage and placed the royal seal and ribbons upon the vehicle. Horses and people filled the road, and none among the onlookers could hold back their tears. At that time, that merchant also came out to watch. The royal astrologer said: "There is a canopy of yellow clouds; this is the aura of a king!" The divine horse went straight up to him, bent its knees, and licked his feet. The ministers rejoiced, bathed him with fragrant water, saluted him as lord of the realm, and unanimously declared themselves his subjects. The king said: "I was originally a merchant. I have no virtue toward the people and am not fit for the heavenly throne." The ministers said: "Heaven confers it upon the virtuous, and the divine horse has bent its knees." Thereupon he took up residence in the royal palace and oversaw the governance of the state. He reflected deeply within himself: "I have not the slightest goodness; by what cause did I obtain this? It must surely be the Buddha's grace that brought this about!" In the morning, seated upon the royal throne, he praised the Buddha's unsurpassed sanctity. Leading all the officials of the realm, he faced toward the kingdom of Śrāvastī, bowed his head, and said: "A base person such as I has received the World-Honoured One's favour and become a ruler of men. Generations have passed in this land without knowing that there is a Buddha, and the common books contain no record of him. May you, with great brilliance, open the eyes of the deaf and blind among the people of this land. Tomorrow, may you deign to visit here with the assembly of arhats for a period of three months." The Buddha told Ānanda to instruct the monks: "Tomorrow, at that king's invitation, all should display divine and venerable virtues through transformations according to their powers, causing his people to behold them together." When the devas heard that the Buddha was going thither to convert them, they led the escort, playing music and singing of his virtues. Jewelled canopies, banners, and streamers were displayed, and flowers fell in profusion, their dazzling light radiant to the eyes. The Buddha and the arhats all sat in the main hall. After the king had served them himself, he sat before the Buddha on a small seat. The Buddha expounded the Dharma at length. The king said: "I was originally a humble man, with no fine virtues in my deeds; by what cause did I obtain this?" The Buddha told the king: "Formerly, when the king of that country offered food to the Buddha, you thought in your heart: 'The Buddha's mind is like a king, and the śramaṇas are like ministers.' You sowed that seed, and today you reap its fruit. That other man said: 'The Buddha is like an ox, and his disciples are like a cart.' He sowed for himself the seed of being crushed by a cart; now he is in Mount Tai, being crushed by flaming carts, reaping his own fruit. This was not something brought about by your own valour. Goodness is followed by blessings, and walking in evil is pursued by calamity. An echo answers a sound; good and evil are like sounds and their echoes. It is not conferred by devas, dragons, ghosts, or spirits, nor is it wrought by ancestors. It is the mind that creates it, and body and speech that bring it to pass." The Buddha chanted this verse: