經律異相 30.13

30.13

The king of the country of Pāṇḍu was named Udayana. In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, he had gone forth from home to practice the Way; aspiring to meet Śākyamuni, [he and his queen] both attained the traces of the Way. That country was wealthy and abundant, and its people flourished. The king had twenty thousand consorts. The chief consort was named Yueming (Moonlight). Her deportment was upright and dignified, and the king greatly loved and respected her. Before half a year had passed, the signs of the consort's impending death appeared. The king was extremely grieved. Yueming asked him about it, and the king said: 'Your life is about to end; sorrow comes from the parting of love, and so I grieve.' Yueming answered, saying: 'Where there is birth, there is death; this is the constant of the world. Why grieve alone? If you deeply care for me, simply allow me to go forth from home.' The king permitted her to enter the Way, [saying]: 'If you go forth from home, even if you have not yet attained the Way, you will surely be born in heaven. If you are born in heaven, come back to my place; [on this condition] I allow you to go forth.' Yueming then agreed to his vow, summoned a bhikṣuṇī, and immediately abandoned the five desires. Because many people came to inquire after her, pay homage, and make offerings, hindering her cultivation of the Way, she traveled through various countries. When six months had elapsed from the day of her going forth, keeping the precepts purely and feeling disgust with the world, she attained the path of the anāgāmin. Dying in a certain village, she was immediately born in the rūpāvacara heaven. Observing past conditions and her agreement with the king, she wished to fulfill her original vow. Seeing that the king was immersed in the five desires, obstinate, and difficult to transform, she thought: 'If I simply go like this, there will be nothing to inspire him. It is better to terrify and intimidate him, and only then will he be subdued.' She then transformed her body into a great rākṣasa, with bristling hair and holding a five-foot sword. When the king was sleeping at night, not far away, she hung suspended in mid-air. The king was terrified. She then spoke to the king, saying: 'Although you have ten million troops, now you belong solely to me and have no autonomy. The time of your death has arrived; by what means can you save yourself?' The king then replied, saying: 'I have no means other than relying on the good deeds I originally performed, purifying my mind, so that at death I will be born in a good realm.' The deity said: 'This alone can be relied upon; there is no other principle.' The king then asked, saying: 'What kind of spirit are you that makes me so afraid?' The deity replied: 'I am Lady Yueming. The king let me go forth from home to contemplate and leave desire, and I was born in the rūpāvacara heaven; now I have come to fulfill the agreement.' The king said: 'Although you speak thus, I still do not believe it. Restore your original form, and only then can I believe it.' The deity then transformed into her former shape, standing as before with her original clothes and ornaments. The king's desire arose, and he rushed forward wanting to grasp her. Yueming immediately ascended into the empty sky and preached the Dharma for the king, saying: 'This body is impermanent; it cannot be preserved for the snap of a finger. It is like morning dew, which vanishes when the sun rises. Do not fail to contemplate impermanence and greedily cling to my body. Does the king not see? The flourishing beauty of youth is swallowed and extinguished by old age. The sense faculties decay; the eyes do not see clearly, the ears do not hear sharply, and the physical form is dilapidated and rotten, no longer fit for anything. It is like brewing liquor: one strains off the pure flavor, while the dregs are worthless. Once this body is old, there is nothing to covet or enjoy; only death remains. Since the body is born, death and impermanence accompany it. Does the king not see? The unborn, the young, the adolescent, and the robust all die. This body is fragile and frail, constantly pursued by the thief of death. Body and mind are on fire, nothing but manifold suffering. The mind has the three poisons, and the body has cold, heat, hunger, and thirst; yet without generating revulsion, you greedily cling to my body. Palace attendants, entertainers, blooming beauty, and the five desires—the state's wealth, wives, and children—none of them belong to me. At the moment of death, not a single thing follows along. When even the body is abandoned, how much more so other things? Infatuated and submerged in the five desires, revolving in the flow of saṃsāra, one knows no way out. The king is a wise man; why not feel revulsion and detachment, and go forth from home to seek the Way?' Wholesome thoughts arose in the king, and he promised her that he would go forth from home. Yueming urged him again, saying: 'You should go forth from home, seek the wondrous Dharma, receive it and practice it, being diligent day and night, striving earnestly without laxity.' Having spoken these words, she suddenly disappeared. The king then abdicated the throne to the crown prince, renounced the five desires, and went to Kātyāyana to go forth from home into the Way. At that time, because he had abandoned great glory and profit to seek the true and upright Way, ministers, officials, and the common people came in great numbers to make offerings, pay homage, and inquire after him as he was cultivating the Way. Thereupon he traveled to the country of Magadha. The Buddha preached the Dharma for him, and he attained the path of the arhat. Holding an earthenware bowl, he entered the city of Rājagṛha, begged overnight rice, and returned to the forest to sit and eat. King Bimbisāra went out on an excursion to the forest, paid respects, and said: 'Formerly you were a king, with glorious retinues whenever entering or leaving. Now you act as a beggar, wandering alone to beg for food. How can this be enjoyable? Return, renounce the Way, and share half the kingdom to rule.' The man of the Way replied, saying: 'I was the king of a great country with very many settlements. Now on what grounds should I abandon the great to take the small? That would not be fitting for me.' King Bimbisāra said: 'Formerly you ate superior delicacies served in precious vessels. Now you hold an earthenware bowl and beg for leftover, overnight food; is this not difficult? Formerly you were a king, escorted and guarded by brave warriors. Today you are solitary and alone; are you not afraid? Formerly you were in the deep palace, with consorts and courtesans of exquisite beauty filling and delighting your ears and eyes, seated on precious couches spread with fine cushions. Today you lodge alone in the wilderness, sitting and lying only on grass; is this not suffering?' He replied, saying: 'Now I am content, with nothing to covet or enjoy.' King Bimbisāra said: 'You are now pitiable.' He replied, saying: 'You are pitiable, not I. Why is that? You are bound by the five desires and driven by affection, having no autonomy. Now I am happy and at ease, my mind without hindrance.' Having heard this, Bimbisāra immediately turned back and left. (From the Saṃyuktapiṭaka Sūtra)