經律異相 29.12

29.12

The Buddha was in the country of Śrāvastī. There was a king of the country of Nan named Fenhetan, who was very fond of the Way and virtue. Every day he fed more than a thousand men of the Way. The king considered himself matchless in wisdom, binding his belly with iron for constant fear that his wisdom might burst out sideways. Wishing to arrange a marriage for his son, he asked his ministers, "Is there anyone in the world as wise as I am? If there is such a person, I wish to take his daughter for my son." As there was no one in his own country, the king dispatched envoys to seek abroad. When they arrived in the country of Śrāvastī, they asked the people there, "Is there a Buddha here?" The envoys then said, "Does the Buddha have a daughter?" The reply came, "A man of the Way has no daughter." The envoys asked, "Who is next after him?" The reply was, "Anāthapiṇḍada is virtuous and good, fond of the Way, and his daughter is supreme." The envoys asked, "Why is she considered supreme?" The reply came, "He once vied with Prince Jeta over a park and land in order to offer them to the Buddha; elephants bore tens of thousands of millions [of pieces of] gold, yet he did not covet valuable treasures, aspiring only to do good." The envoys at once proceeded to Anāthapiṇḍada's residence, and upon their return reported this to the king. The king immediately sped there to see [him]. The king of the country of Nan had no clothing whatsoever on his body; he was naked, black, and ugly, appearing like a ghost. Anāthapiṇḍada asked, "What is your quest?" The king said, "I heard that you are virtuous, good, and fond of the Way, and that you have a daughter who is supreme. Therefore I have come to request your daughter for my son." Anāthapiṇḍada invited him forward to sit, saying, "I must consult the Buddha." He reported everything to the Buddha. The Buddha said, "Give her to him." Anāthapiṇḍada said, "I fear they will kill my daughter." The Buddha said, "They will not." Thereupon he gave her to him. The daughter's name was Sumāgadhā; she was destined to liberate eighty thousand people in the country of Nan. Anāthapiṇḍada dared not question the Buddha further, but his heart was truly full of resentment. He immediately returned and said to the king of the country of Nan, "My daughter shall be given to you." The king then performed the marriage rites and took her back to his country. At night, the prince went to Sumāgadhā's quarters. Sumāgadhā kicked the prince with her foot, knocking him to the ground. This went on for four or five days, until the prince dared not go again. The queen mother asked him, "Why do you not go?" The prince remained silent. The queen then went to Sumāgadhā's quarters: "I took a wife for my son, and now she ought to serve him. Why do you humiliate my son?" Sumāgadhā said, "You, the prince, and the people of your country all have the appearance of dogs, no different from beasts." The queen reported this to the king: "Your wisdom is matchless, and you sought a bride for our son from afar; yet without any fear she has humiliated my son and scolded me to my face." When the king heard this, he immediately went to Sumāgadhā's quarters. Sumāgadhā did not come out to bow. The king said, "I took a bride from afar; is it right that you scold the queen to her face and humiliate my son?" Sumāgadhā said, "Indeed. The people in your majesty's kingdom are all like dogs and beasts." The king was greatly astonished and said, "Because I was constantly afraid that wisdom might burst out sideways from my belly, I bound it with iron. Daily I feed more than a thousand men of the Way. Who can equal me? Yet on the contrary, I am insulted!" Sumāgadhā said, "Men and women, elder and younger, face each other naked. Even if you cultivate merit, you are still despicable and lowly." The king went to his master's gate and recounted all the above matters. The master said, "Go back and ask her again; be careful not to get angry." The king then returned and asked, "In what way are the people of your country superior?" Sumāgadhā said, "In my country, men and women all wear garments. The noble and the base have different stations and do not look upon one another's bodies. There is a Great Man named the Buddha, who has converted thousands of millions of people, causing them all to attain the Way. Entering fire he is not burned; entering water he does not drown. He holds sway over three thousand suns and moons and twelve thousand heavens and earths. He knows the affairs of the three periods of time. His body possesses the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics. His Way and virtue are all-pervading, and all the devas pay him homage." The king said, "Can this Buddha be seen?" Sumāgadhā said, "He can be summoned by an invitation from afar." The king said, "Excellent! How should we invite him?" Sumāgadhā said, "Simply burn incense; your majesty may follow behind me, and the queen and prince may all follow me." Sumāgadhā then ascended a high tower and invited [him], saying, "The king of the country of Nan has just heard the name of the Tathāgata. May the Buddha accept the king's meal offering tomorrow." The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana to instruct the bhikṣus that all should go to the country of Nan tomorrow. Sumāgadhā instructed the king, queen, and prince to observe the fast, burn incense, lay out mats, and arrange the utensils for the meal, providing for twelve hundred and fifty people. Sumāgadhā then stood together with the king, queen, and prince in the courtyard, [saying,] "Let all the arhats arrive first; the Buddha will be at the rear. Be careful not to be terrified; follow what I do." The Buddha's bhikṣus each displayed various transformations. Śāriputra manifested as a pair of white elephants. Maudgalyāyana transformed into a lion. The great bhikṣus each transformed their bodies, showing various manifestations—some as wild geese—all different, descending from above. The people of the country of Nan were greatly frightened. Sumāgadhā said, "Do not be afraid." The Buddha was the last, his body emitting water and fire. Sumāgadhā stepped forward and paid homage to the Buddha; the king, queen, and prince also paid homage. The arhats took their seats in order of seniority. Sumāgadhā, the king, the queen, and the prince then came forward in turn to offer washing water and serve the meal. The people of the country, finding it strange that the king had shut the gates, were furious; each seized an axe, intending to chop down the palace gates. The Buddha said, "I wish to cause all people to do good." He then caused the palace walls to transform into crystal. Inside and outside could see each other, and the people immediately stopped, daring not chop any more. At that time, Piṇḍola was sitting on a mountain; suddenly he left for the country of Nan. He pierced the earth with a needle, the thread connected to his robe, and through his supernatural powers travelled to the country of Nan, with the mountain following behind him. A pregnant woman of the country, seeing the mountain coming, feared it would fall, and in her terror miscarried. The Buddha had Maudgalyāyana ask Piṇḍola, "What is that behind you?" Piṇḍola looked back, and hurled the mountain back to its original location eight thousand li away. The Buddha said, "I taught you so that you might attain deliverance, yet now you have broken the appointment and killed a person. The value of human life is weighty; this is not what I take pleasure in. From this day forward, you shall not follow me at the time of meals. Only when Maitreya Buddha appears shall you attain parinirvāṇa." Piṇḍola fell silent in grief and distress. The king said to the Buddha, "May we compete in the power of the Way? The one who is inferior shall cast himself into a well." The Buddha said, "Very well. If after three questions one is inferior, he shall cast himself into a well." The king said, "Agreed." The Buddha asked, "When you recite scriptures, how do you do it?" The king said, "When I recite scriptures, I crawl on hands and knees; when exhausted, I lie prostrate on the ground." The Buddha said, "When I recite scriptures, I sit; when sitting becomes exhausting, I walk in meditation. To crawl on hands and knees while reciting scriptures is the conduct of a dog." The king was proven inferior. The king was about to throw himself into the well, but with both hands supported on the ground, he was unwilling to enter. The Buddha said, "Leave it." [The king] then returned to his country to practice the Buddha's Way. Sumāgadhā then served the king, the queen, and the prince, and in the country of Nan she converted eighty thousand people, all of whom attained the four fruits of the śrāvaka (from the Sūtra of King Fenhetan).