經律異相 29.14

29.14

At that time there was a king named Aji. The land he ruled was a hundred thousand li across, and its population was flourishing. The king was extremely brave and fierce, but he did not understand the Dharma; he invaded neighbouring countries and unjustly oppressed the good and innocent, so that all the neighbouring countries suffered from him. When the Buddha and his great assembly went to his country, Aji heard of it. He and his thirty-two sons, all brave and robust in body, raised an army with evil intent, assembling millions of soldiers to intercept and resist the Buddha upon the great highway. The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'Tomorrow the king of Aji and his sons will direct their evil intentions against me and the great assembly. How will you subdue them?' The great beings, gods, and humans laughed so that heaven and earth shook. The Buddha asked: 'Why do you laugh?' Ānanda said: 'We are merely laughing at King Aji.' The Buddha said: 'Aji is foolish and has aroused this evil intent, causing his people to incur guilt. He has dispatched a great army, relying on the strength of men and horses. Even if the four continents were full of them, they could not move a single hair of mine, let alone a mere few millions.' The Buddha told Ānanda: 'Instruct all the luminous beings to proceed carrying their bowls. Tomorrow we shall take food in the army of the king of Aji.' The troops and horses of the king and his sons were formidable, startling the ghosts and spirits. At that time, the Buddha walked in front, emitting a great light, and crossed through the army into the land of Aji. The king's drums no longer sounded; bows and crossbows could not be discharged, nor swords and weapons drawn; elephants and horses tumbled over, and the foot soldiers suffered cramps; heaven and earth grew dark and gloomy, and the sun and moon lost their light. The king and his sons were all bewildered, lost their breath, fell prostrate, and fled. The Buddha's great assembly stood firm, and all took food until their bowls were filled. They proceeded to the royal city, and the city gates opened of themselves. The Buddha advanced into the royal palace, entered the hall, and sat down; it was silent, without a sound. Eight hundred and seventeen thousand gods and humans each took their seats. The palace grew even more spacious; spontaneously there appeared high seats, jewelled canopies with open sides, and the five musical notes played of themselves. The king and his sons said among themselves: 'The power of a king is not equal to the power of the Way and virtue.' The soldiers were terrified. The princes said: 'We hear that the Buddha has already entered and is inside the palace; we should return and meet with the Buddha.' The king said: 'With what face could I meet the Buddha? Above, I am ashamed before the spirits; below, I have failed the people.' The sons said: 'The Buddha is benevolent and merciful and does not hurt people's feelings.' The king then gathered his troops and returned leisurely to the palace. Meeting with the Buddha, he placed his head and face on the ground, bowed to the Buddha, and stepped forward to apologize, saying: 'Base, dark, and ignorant, unlearned from youth, I knew not propriety and righteousness, and was no different from wolves and wild beasts. In my foolishness and delusion, I offended against gods and men. The Great Sage did not neglect this small borderland realm, and now the World-Honoured One has suffered the hardship of coming afar to this base land, yet ruler and ministers rebelled against you. We only pray that the God among Gods will pity our ignorance, and having already bestowed great kindness, will instruct and transform the people.' The king again placed his head and face on the ground, joined his palms, and stepped back to stand. The king's thirty-two sons, the dukes, ministers, hundred officials, clerks, and commoners all repented, blamed themselves, and single-mindedly turned toward the Buddha. The king saw the assembly of eight hundred and ten thousand divine beings all seated in ranks upon lion thrones, with music playing spontaneously inside the canopies with open sides, and recognized the Buddha's divine wonder. The king ordered the ladies and court maidens of the inner palace all to come out and bow to the Buddha. The king prepared food of a hundred flavours, and together with his queen and thirty-two sons, crawled on his knees, washed with water, and served it with his own hands. When the food had been served to all, high and low respectful and solemn, rejoicing with one mind, and the meal was finished, the king stepped forward, bowed his head, and said to the Buddha: 'Having received the grace of the God of Gods, and through the abundance of past blessings and the assistance of former rulers, I have been placed above the multitude of people. May the God among Gods, the Great Sage, pity the people of our country: I beg for the precepts to uphold them for life. By what method should I govern the people uprightly and equitably? I should form alliances with neighbouring states, abandon evil, and pursue good. May the Buddha deign to give thought to this.' The Buddha said: 'The king's invasions were unrighteous and not what should be sought. They were not the way to obtain long life or pacify the state. A king should be gracious, trustworthy, benevolent, righteous, compassionate, filial, chaste, pure, magnanimous, gentle, forbearing, generous, nurturing of the people, protective, and forgiving. By practicing these matters, one may long preserve the state. Without these nine, the state is difficult to preserve.' The king said: 'How should I practice them? Please deign to grant compassionate instruction.' The Buddha said: 'Sentient beings are pitiable; human life is to be cherished. Lands and treasures are not sufficient to rely upon. A king should cherish human life as parents love their children. The people will be closer to the king than to their parents, and all ten thousand realms under heaven may be preserved, not merely one country. Although the king has an army of millions with chariots and horses, it can only withstand minor enemies. When I was practicing the bodhisattva path and sat in meditation under the tree, the Demon King and his army of ghosts and spirits, one hundred and eighty million strong, all transformed their shapes into various wild beasts and animals, wishing to destroy my mind. With divine power, I pressed the earth with my right finger, and heaven and earth shook violently so that they all fell prostrate and could not return to their original forms; the Demon King was subdued. How does the strength of the king's millions of people compare to the strength of hundreds of millions of ghosts and spirits?' The king said: 'It was truly out of foolishness and lack of knowledge.' The king then kowtowed in repentance and begged to reform and exert himself. The Buddha said: 'With great compassion, I think of saving all people in the ten directions, causing them all to attain liberation, to attain the Buddha-way early, and saving those who are not yet saved—not only for the sake of the king and his sons.' The king repented and blamed himself again: 'May the Buddha pity me, and let me receive instruction and precepts anew to uphold them for life, so that the people of the state may have peace.' The Buddha said: 'The king should lighten punishments, abolish levies and taxes, extend grace and trust, provide for the orphaned and solitary, grant amnesties frequently to prisoners, rescue the destitute, enrich the poor, and satisfy the hungry. If the king acts thus, he may preserve his reign from beginning to end.' The king aroused the aspiration for the Way and said to his attendants and ministers: 'Take the treasures from the treasury and offer them to the World-Honoured One.' When the Buddha had finished his blessing, he bestowed them all upon the king, and those around him were all made wealthy. The king's thirty-two sons said to one another: 'To live as unrighteous men and to die as unrighteous ghosts—it would be better for us brothers to seek to become śramaṇas.' All said: 'Excellent!' They then went together to the Buddha and fully expressed their intentions. The Buddha knew their minds had penetrated deeply into the wisdom of the Way. Śakra Devānām Indra shaved their hair and beards, and they all became śramaṇas. The three thousand queens and court maidens of the inner palace, the dukes, ministers, hundred officials, and all the people received the five precepts and observed the six monthly fasts. The country attained abundance and harvest. Neighbouring countries heard of it and revered him from afar. From then on, the king governed the country with leniency and benevolence; there were no thieves or robbers; men and women respected each other without lustful desire, and all were harmonious and good. The king built a great monastery with the seven treasures. The people in the country all practiced the ten wholesome deeds; when their lives ended, they were born in heaven, and none entered the evil destinies. The Buddha said: 'I seek the Way for people's sake only to liberate them; it cannot be shaken by gods, dragons, ghosts, or spirits. In practicing the Way, you all should be like me.' (From the Sūtra of King Aji)