經律異相 33
English (machine translation) 33
- Language
- English
33.1
Compiled by the Liang śramaṇas Sengmin, Baochang, and others
33.2
1. Kolita Awakened to the Impermanence of the World and Attained Arhatship
2. Tissa Left the Household and Attained Arhatship
3. Jeta Renounced the Five Precepts, Practiced the Ten Wholesome Deeds, Invited the Buddha to Preach, and Attained the First Fruit
4. Prince Kuṇāla Lost His Fleshly Eyes and Gained the Eye of Wisdom
5. Various Princes Asked the Buddha About Others Who Had Left the Household; Wherever the Buddha Reached, All Awakened to the Way
6. Prince Vijaya Planted Virtue Firmly, Never to Be Shaken
33.3
Kolita Awakened to the Impermanence of the World and Attained Arhatship (no. 1)
33.4
There was a king named Brahmāyu who made offerings to the Buddha and the saṅgha. On every fast day, the king, accompanied by his retinue, would go to the Buddha's presence. Whenever the Buddha preached the Dharma, the king would rejoice and listen to the sūtras with reverence. His crown prince was named Kolita; with earnest mind and vigorous effort, he realized that the world is impermanent and that none who are born escape death, having no craving for worldly glory. He said to the king, "A Buddha's era is difficult to encounter, and the teachings of the sūtras are difficult to hear. I beg to become a śramaṇa." The king immediately granted permission. Kolita then took leave of the king, went to the Buddha's presence, and begged to become a bhikṣu. The Buddha stroked his head with his hand; his hair fell off naturally, and kāṣāya robes appeared on his body. Upholding the weighty precepts and cultivating with diligence day and night without wearying, after three months had passed, he attained arhatship. At that time, the king did not know he had already attained the Way. Seeing his toil and his meals of coarse vegetables, whenever the king went to make offerings, he treated him differently from the rest of the saṅgha, having a different attitude toward him, and would say to him, "In my kingdom, rare treasures, the seven jewels, and sweet and delicious delicacies abound; there is nothing lacking. Why do you delight in being a śramaṇa?" Kolita then lightly lifted himself up into the air, flying, transforming, dividing his body, dispersing his form, and entering and exiting unobstructed. Seeing him do this, the king was filled with mixed grief and joy, threw himself to the ground with his five limbs, and paid homage to Kolita. The Buddha instructed Kolita to explain to the king the Dharma of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and the Four Noble Truths. The king's mind immediately understood, and he attained the fruit of stream-entry. (Extracted from the King Brahmāyu Sūtra.)
33.5
Tissa Left the Household and Attained Arhatship (no. 2)
33.6
When King Aśoka first ascended the throne, he installed his younger brother Tissa (the King Aśoka Sūtra calls him Vītāśoka; the Chuyao jing calls him Shanrong) as crown prince and said to him, "You should generate faith in the Buddha's Dharma." Later, while hunting, the younger brother entered a forest and saw a ṛṣi heating his body with the five fires. He immediately gave rise to deep faith, bowed his head to the ṛṣi's feet, and asked, "How long have you lived here? What do you eat and wear? How do you lie peacefully, yet still give rise to lustful desire?" The ṛṣi replied, "For twelve years I have constantly eaten tree fruits and roots, tied cogon grass for clothing, and spread grass to sleep on. Yet seeing deer copulating gives rise to thoughts of desire in me." Tissa wondered: "If even this ascetic still gives rise to desire, the Buddha's disciples live in comfort and practice in pleasure; how could they not give rise to desire when seeing desirable things? And once desire arises, how could they attain revulsion and detachment?" He then spoke a verse:
33.7
"The ṛṣi toils in vain,
Consuming qi and abandoning foul foods,
Eating only roots, leaves, and fruits,
Yet cannot extinguish craving and desire.
The sons of Śākyamuni
Have clothes and food in warm and sweet abundance,
Never relinquishing what men rely upon,
Yet are steady as Mount Vindhya in Jambudvīpa."
33.8
Tissa further said, "The disciples of the Śākya deceive the king to make him perform merits." Hearing this, the king told his ministers, "My younger brother has generated faith in non-Buddhist paths. I must use skillful means to lead him to correct understanding. I wish to bathe; I should enter the bathhouse. You may adorn my younger brother with the heavenly crown and royal robes, and have him ascend my throne." When the king was bathing, the ministers urged Tissa, and Tissa complied. Seeing this, the king said to him, "I have not yet passed away, and you have already usurped the kingship!" He then ordered him to be put to death, and many men held weapons and surrounded him. The ministers said to the king, "This is the king's younger brother. May the king practice forbearance and not give rise to anger." The king replied, "I shall practice forbearance. For seven days, I will temporarily grant him the kingdom to act as king. Various musical entertainments and court ladies shall be provided to serve him, and all ministers and citizens shall go to pay respects to him." The executioner stood at the gate holding a sword, reporting to the king day by day. When the seventh day arrived, the ministers of King Aśoka and others, with royal adornments, led Vītāśoka together to pay respects to Aśoka. Then the king asked, "You were king for seven days; were the various musical entertainments pleasant to hear and see?" He answered in verse:
33.9
"During these seven days,
I saw no sights and heard no sounds,
I smelled no scents and tasted no fine flavors,
Nor did I feel any touches.
As for my body's adornments
And the palace maidens,
Because of my contemplation and fear of death,
I paid no heed to these things.
The singing and dancing of the courtesans,
The palaces and bedding,
And all the rare treasures of the great earth,
Never brought joy to my mind.
Because I saw the executioner
Standing at the gate holding a sword,
And heard the ringing of the bell,
Death's terror filled my heart.
The stake of death pierced my heart;
I knew nothing of the wondrous five desires.
Affected by this disease of fearing death,
I could not sleep in peace;
Contemplating that death was imminent,
I did not even notice the night pass."
33.10
The king further said to his younger brother, "Within a single lifetime you contemplated the suffering of death, and though you obtained superior, wondrous five desires, you did not give rise to attachment. The ordained monk contemplates boundless saṃsāra and the suffering of the three evil destinies in relation to the twelve sense-bases. Furthermore, he contemplates that striving in all directions among humans and in heaven ultimately ends in ruin and destruction, like an empty village without inhabitants, while the fire of impermanence burns the worlds. All disciples of the Buddha constantly engage in this contemplation. How then could defilements arise [in them]?" The king used skillful means to instruct and transform him through the Buddha-Dharma. Vītāśoka said, "I now take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha." The king embraced his brother's neck with both hands and said to him, "I did not abandon you; it was because I wished to cause you to have faith in the Buddha-Dharma that I manifested this skillful means." Then Vītāśoka offered various flowers, incenses, and musical performances to the stupa of the Buddha, and offered various foods and drinks to the Saṃgha (derived from the *Aśokarājasūtra*). On another day he went out hunting again and arrived at an araṇya, where he saw a monk sitting, named Dharmagupta. An ape snapped off a tree branch and fanned the monk from afar. Tiṣya felt joy in his heart and made a vow, saying, "When shall I be like that monk?" The monk Dharmagupta (the *Aśokarājasūtra* says Yaśas; there are also slight differences) innately knew Tiṣya's heartfelt aspiration beforehand, and immediately flew up into the void by supernatural power to let Tiṣya see. He went to Aśoka's saṃghārāma, sat and stood by the pond water, stripped off his robes and set them in the void, and entered the pond to bathe. Tiṣya saw this and said, "I shall go forth from home." Returning to the palace, he addressed the king, saying, "I beseech your compassion to permit me to go forth from home." The king said, "With musical entertainment and a hundred delicacies, why go forth from home?" The king used various skillful means to restrain his mind, but his resolve was firm and he absolutely refused to comply, answering the king, saying, "Pleasures are momentary; there will inevitably be parting." The great king sighed and said, "Excellent!" (derived from the second fascicle of the *Samantapāsādikā*), [adding,] "You should first practice begging for food and only then go forth from home." At that time, there was a great tree in the king's rear garden; grass was spread upon the ground, and he was made to reside beneath it. He was given an earthenware bowl and made to enter the palace to beg for food. Vītāśoka then held the bowl and walked into the palace interior. Various superior foods were immediately given to him. The king said to the palace attendants, "Why do you give superior food to a beggar? From now on, you must give him coarse food, even barley rice." Then Vītāśoka received and ate it without regarding it as bad. The king said to him, "Do not eat this food. I permit you to go forth from home. After going forth, come constantly to see me." Robes and bowl were immediately prepared, and a thousand chariots and ten thousand cavalry escorted him to Kukkuṭārāma. Reflecting that with this bustling crowd he could not cultivate the Path, he then went to the country of Videha to the place of the monk Dharmagupta and went forth from home. One thousand sons of wealthy elders and eminent nobility in the country also went forth following him. All the people were astonished and said to one another, "He even renounced the royal throne; what are we doing?" Innumerable crowds of people all went forth from home. A son of the king's nephew Ājīva, a brāhmaṇa, went forth from home (Buddha-Dharma, part 4). Feudal lords, the hundred officials, male and female slaves, and servants all upheld the five precepts, and each month upheld the six fast days, fulfilling the eightfold method. Because of this, many kṣatriyas went forth from home, and the Buddha-Dharma flourished. Non-Buddhists declined and were ruined, completely losing their offerings; wandering around begging for food, they obtained nothing. They falsely entered the Buddha-Dharma to become śramaṇas, yet still clung to their original teachings to instruct the people. The wholesome monks would not associate with them in their activities. At that time, Maudgalīputra Tiṣya handed over his disciples to Mahinda, and lived in secluded quiet on Mount Ahogāṅga. The non-Buddhist monks wished to confound the Buddha-Dharma with their own scriptures, which subsequently became tainted and defiled. Some worshipped fire, some scorched their bodies with five fires, some entered water in severe cold, or destroyed the Buddha-Dharma. In this manner it continued progressively, even up to seven years without being able to recite the precepts. Aśoka dispatched a great minister to enter the royal saṃghārāma and address the sthavira, saying, "The king commands the Saṃgha to assemble in harmony and recite the precepts." The sthavira replied, "The wholesome monks will not hold the poṣadha together with non-Buddhist monks." The minister proceeded down the row, decapitating monks until he reached Tiṣya. The minister asked, "Who are you?" He replied, "I am the king's uterine brother." Thereupon he stopped. The minister then reported to the king. Hearing this, the king was shocked and dismayed, and remorse arose in his heart. He went immediately to the monastery and asked, "Which monk has incurred guilt?" One monk said, "Both have incurred guilt." One monk said, "Without an intention to kill, the king himself is without guilt." The king felt doubt in his heart and asked the monks, "Is there anyone who can resolve my doubts? If my doubts are resolved, I shall re-establish the Buddha-Dharma." The monks said, "Tiṣya can resolve them." He dispatched a messenger to welcome Tiṣya, having the messenger convey the king's intention, saying, "Now the Buddha-Dharma has declined. We look up to and trouble the Venerable to come and re-establish it together." Tiṣya replied, "My going forth from home was precisely for the sake of the Buddha-Dharma; now the time has arrived." That night the king dreamed of a white elephant stroking the king's head with its trunk and taking hold of the king's right hand. The next morning he asked a diviner. The diviner replied, "The one holding the king's hand is the likeness of a śramaṇa." He then asked the messenger, who said that Tiṣya was now arriving. The king went out to receive him. Tiṣya took the king's hand; those at the king's left and right drew their swords, wishing to harm him. The king saw the sword reflections in the water and said, "Formerly I ordered you to go to the monastery to have the Saṃgha assemble in harmony and recite the precepts. You distorted my intention and killed the monks; now do you wish to kill me as well?" The king brought Tiṣya into the park, washed his feet with his own hands, and rubbed them with oil. He requested, saying, "I wish to see the Venerable's supernatural power." Tiṣya snapped a cord to make a boundary one yojana on each of the four sides. In the east he placed a chariot, in the south a horse, in the west a person, and in the north a copper vessel of water, making each straddle the boundary; outside the boundary, there was shaking: the outer feet all shook, while the inner feet did not move. The king rejoiced and said, "My former doubt has been transformed. Among the Buddha-Dharma, bad teachings will be eradicated." Tiṣya preached a Jātaka sūtra for him, saying, "The Buddha told the monks: First deliberate in the mind, and only then perform the action; all actions originate from the mind" (derived from the second fascicle of the *Vibhāṣā*). Later he attained the arhat path and experienced the joy of liberation. Remembering the former agreement with the king—"After going forth from home, come constantly to see the king"—[he thought,] "I should now fulfill the original agreement." Proceeding in succession, he went to the country of Pāṭaliputra. Rising early, he put on his robes, took his bowl, and entered the city to beg for food. Walking in succession, he reached the royal city and told the gatekeeper, "Enter and tell the king: 'Vītāśoka is now outside the gate, wishing to see the Great King.'" At that time, the gatekeeper immediately reported to the king. The king said, "Bring him in!" He immediately arose and paid homage like a great tree falling. Arising, he joined his palms and gazed at him insatiably, weeping sorrowfully and saying:
33.11
"All sentient beings
Should delight in harmony;
You have now discarded harmony
And taste the quiet mind.
I now know your mind,
Which through wisdom is never satiated."
33.12
The minister Sujāta saw that Vītāśoka wore rag robes, carried an earthenware bowl, begged for food in regular order, and received both coarse and fine food alike without distinction in his mind. He then addressed the king, saying, "Vītāśoka has few desires and knows contentment; what was to be done has been accomplished." Then the king supported him, placed him on a fine seat, and presented various foods and drinks with his own hands. When the meal was finished, [Vītāśoka] washed his bowl, set it in one place, and expounded the Dharma for the king:
33.13
"The king has now attained sovereignty;
He should cultivate diligence.
The Three Jewels are extremely difficult to encounter;
The king should diligently make offerings."
33.14
His body ascended into the void, and all the people saw it. The king and the great assembly joined their palms and watched him, not taking their eyes off him for an instant, and addressed the king, saying:
33.15
"No longer having affection for kin or friends,
Like a bird flying in the void;
I, bound by the fetters of greed and attachment,
Cannot depart with sovereignty.
Meditation has supreme fruits,
Wherein all things are unobstructed;
Blinded by sensual craving,
One cannot see this Dharma.
You now, through supernatural power,
Look lightly upon my arising of sensual desire;
I originally had the pride of intellect,
Yet now you are the most supreme.
We are attached to worldly dharmas;
Seeing the noble one, we first know fear.
Now we weep and lament
Because you have now abandoned us."
33.16
Vītāśoka went to a border region. Having arrived, he fell ill. Because the illness was severe, sores broke out all over his head. At that time, hearing of this, the king immediately sent attendants and medicines to treat him. Later, when he improved slightly, he sent all the physicians and attendants back. For bodily sustenance he consumed only cow's milk. For the sake of begging food, he went to a place with many cows. There was another country named Puṇḍravardhana (in Liang language, "increasing"). That country wholly believed in non-Buddhists. A disciple of the Buddha saw [this] and reported it to the king. [The king] made a yakṣa bring the non-Buddhist disciples and their painted images in a single thought-moment. Giving rise to great wrath, he killed all the non-Buddhists in the country of Puṇḍravardhana. In a single day he killed one hundred and eight thousand non-Buddhists. There was another non-Buddhist disciple who loved non-Buddhist teachings and served a naked deity, painting the Tathāgata bowing at the feet of his deity. Hearing of this again, the king immediately commanded other people to seize this person and his relatives, place them in a house, and burn them with fire. The king then issued an edict: "If anyone can obtain the head of a Nirgrantha, I will give him one gold coin." Vītāśoka entered the cattle-keeping place, having been ill for many days. The hair on his head, his beard, and his nails were all long and sharp, and his robes were ragged, foul, and without luster. At that time, a cowherd woman secretly conceived this thought: "Now this Nirgrantha has entered my house." She then said to her husband, "You should kill this Nirgrantha, take his head, and give it to the king; you will surely obtain the gold reward." The husband drew his sword and went. Vītāśoka then reflected to himself, seeing that for his karmic retribution there was no place of escape; he then accepted death. [The man] brought the head to the king's place, seeking to obtain the gold. Suspicious, the king asked his physician and attendants, who replied, "This is the head of Vītāśoka." The king fainted for a long time. A minister addressed the king, saying, "Even one free of outflows does not escape this suffering. The Great King should bestow fearlessness upon sentient beings." The king followed his words and proclaimed an order that no one should ever kill Nirgranthas again. The monks felt doubt and asked Upagupta, "What karma did Vītāśoka create in the past that he now receives this retribution?" He replied, saying, "In a past life, there was a hunter who killed many herds of deer. In a great forest there was a spring. At that time, this hunter spread nets and placed his snares by the water, killing many deer. At that time, a Buddha had not yet appeared in the world. There was a pratyekabuddha who ate beside the water; having finished eating, he washed himself and returned to sit beneath a tree. At that time, the herd of deer, smelling the fragrance of the pratyekabuddha, did not go to the water's edge. The hunter, sitting and not seeing the deer come, followed their tracks to the pratyekabuddha's place and thought, 'It is because this man sits here that the deer do not come.' He then killed the pratyekabuddha with a sword. That past hunter was precisely Vītāśoka. Because of killing the deer, he now suffers much illness; further, because of killing the pratyekabuddha, he was constantly in hell for innumerable years, enduring all kinds of suffering; for five hundred lifetimes in the human realm, in every place he was born, he was constantly killed by others. This is now his final retribution: though he attained arhatship, he was still harmed by another. Under the Dharma of Kāśyapa Buddha he went forth from home, took pleasure in practicing generosity, and constantly encouraged and converted people to make offerings to the Saṃgha. There was a stupa of the Buddha's hair and nails, and with fragrant flowers, banners, parasols, and various kinds of music, he made offerings to it. Through this karmic retribution, he was born into a prominent family, constantly cultivated pure conduct for one hundred thousand years, and further made an aspiration; through this karmic condition, he attained arhatship" (derived from the third fascicle of the *Aśokarājasūtra*).
33.17
Prince Jeta renounces the five precepts, practices the ten wholesome deeds, invites the Buddha, hears the Dharma, and attains the first fruit of the Path (3).
33.18
Prince Jeta said to the Buddha, "In the past I received the five precepts. The precept against alcohol is difficult to keep; fearing that I might break it and incur guilt, I now wish to renounce the five precepts and accept the Dharma of the ten wholesome deeds." The Buddha said, "When you drink alcohol, what evil comes of it?" He replied, "The prominent and powerful men of the kingdom from time to time gather together, bringing wine and food to entertain one another, thereby creating joy and having no other evil. When taking wine, I remain mindful of the precepts and do not commit evil." The Buddha said, "If anyone could be like you, what evil could there be in drinking alcohol for one's whole life? One who acts like this should only generate merit and will have no sin. Generally, when people practice goodness, there are two kinds: the first is tainted, and the second is untainted. Tainted goodness receives the bliss of humans and gods; untainted goodness delivers one from the suffering of birth and death, [culminating in] the fruit and retribution of nirvāṇa. If someone drinks wine without giving rise to evil deeds, through the conditions of a wholesome mind they will receive a wholesome karmic retribution. What loss is there in your holding the five precepts? In the city of Śrāvastī, there were powerful clan kṣatriyas, princes and lords who, over a petty dispute, eventually developed great enmity. Each plotted and raised troops to attack the other. Both families were heroes of the state, and all were relatives who could not be arrested. Turmoil and war ensued, and they would not heed reasonable admonitions; I was deeply worried about it. I also thought to myself: in the past, a minister of the late king named Tiveīra (Tiweiluō), relying on his noble lineage, wealth, and power, treated me with contempt, teasing and mocking me. At that time I was filled with wrath and truly wished to execute him. I reported the matter to my father, but my father would not consent. Harbouring resentment and malice, there was nothing I could do. In my anguish and grief, I could neither eat nor drink. The queen mother saw my suffering; though she admonished and comforted me in various ways, my mind still would not rest. She then found some fine wine and urged me to drink it. At that time I said to my mother, 'Our ancestors have traditionally worshipped the god Nārāyaṇa. If I now drink wine, I fear the god will surely be angered, and the brāhmaṇas will reprimand and punish me.' In the stillness of the night, my mother secretly opened the palace gate so that no one would know; she pressed me repeatedly, and bowing to her wishes, I complied. Once I had drunk the wine, I forgot my sorrow and resentment. I summoned the palace maidens and made music and entertainment for three times seven days; through this my grief was brought to an end. Having reflected on this, I forthwith ordered my loyal ministers to prepare fine wine and various sweet foods, and summoned all the ministers to gather in the royal hall. The loyal ministers prepared lapis lazuli bowls, each bowl holding three sheng. The king first drained one bowl, and each person was served a bowl of the wondrous medicine of amṛta. Afterwards, they discussed state affairs while various entertainments were performed. Having received wine and hearing the music, the people were filled with joy, forgot their hatred, and became completely carefree. The king then raised his bowl and addressed the lords, saying: 'Gentlemen cultivate virtue through successive generations; adhering to the sacred teachings, you should not deviate from them. Why should you, over a petty matter, engage in such wrathful contention? If you do not bear with one another, I fear the shrines of the state will be lost. Therefore I admonish you earnestly; it is best that you desist of your own accord.' The ministers said to the king, 'We respectfully obey your solemn command and dare not disobey.' Peace was brought about in this way through the power of wine." (Drawn from the lower fascicle of the Adbhutadharmaparyāya-sūtra).
33.19
4. Kuṇāla loses his physical eyes and gains the eye of wisdom.
33.20
King Aśoka's queen, named Padmāvatī (rendered in Liang as "Lotus Blossom"), gave birth to a male child whose appearance was upright and handsome, and whose eyes were peerless. No one who saw him failed to love and delight in him. The palace attendants informed the king, "The queen has borne a son." The king was overjoyed, and therefore named this boy Dharmavardhana (rendered in Liang as "Increase of Dharma"). They then carried the boy and showed him to King Aśoka. Upon seeing him, the king rejoiced and spoke a verse:
33.21
"My son's eyes are upright and solemn, / created by merit; / their brilliance is radiant and shining, / like the utpala flower. / With these meritorious eyes / adorning his whole face, / his features are upright and handsome, / just like the autumn full moon."
33.22
When Kuṇāla grew up, a consort was wed to him. The consort was named Ujānāmālā (rendered in Liang as "Garland of Gold"). At that time, King Aśoka took Kuṇāla to the Kukkuṭārāma monastery. In the monastery there was a senior monk, an arhat with the six supernormal knowledges, named Yaśas. At that time, Yaśas saw that before long Kuṇāla would lose his eyes. He said to the king, "Do not let Kuṇāla perform his own deeds." Then King Aśoka said to Kuṇāla, "The Venerable One is mindful of what you should do; you must comply with him." Kuṇāla then bowed at Yaśas's feet and said, "May the Venerable One teach me what to do." Yaśas replied, "The eyes are not permanent; you must contemplate this." He then spoke a verse:
33.23
"You, Kuṇāla, / must constantly contemplate the eyes / as impermanent, sickly, and painful, / the gathering of all suffering; / ordinary people are inverted, / and through them give rise to faults."
33.24
Then Kuṇāla sat alone in a quiet place in the palace, contemplating the sense bases such as the eyes as painful and impermanent. At that time, King Aśoka's chief queen, named Tiṣyarakṣitā, went to Kuṇāla's dwelling and saw him sitting alone. Looking at his eyes, she gave rise to a lustful thought; embracing him with her hands, she spoke a verse:
33.25
"With great power, the fire of love / has now come to burn my heart; / just as fire burns firewood, / you must grant my desire."
33.26
Kuṇāla covered his ears and spoke a verse:
33.27
"You are now my mother; / this unlawful love / must be abandoned, / for it opens the gates to the evil destinies."
33.28
The queen mother's heart was filled with wrath, and she spoke another verse:
33.29
"With loving heart I came to you, / but you have no love in your heart; / since your heart harbours malice, / before long, in an instant, you shall be destroyed."
33.30
Kuṇāla said:
33.31
"I would rather die now / than give rise to an impure mind; / if I were to generate an evil mind, / I would lose the wholesome dharmas of gods and humans. / If wholesome dharmas are not intact, / upon what could one depend for life?"
33.32
Tiṣyarakṣitā constantly looked for his fault, wishing to kill him. In the north there was a kingdom called Takṣaśilā, which rebelled against the king. King Aśoka commanded Kuṇāla, "You must go to that kingdom." He answered the king, saying, "Yes."
33.33
The king thought of him and therefore redoubled the decoration and repair of the roads, ordering that all old age, sickness, and death be kept out of sight. At that time the king and Kuṇāla rode in the same carriage to see him off. When they drew near the road where they were about to part, [the king] embraced his son's neck with his hands, gazed upon Kuṇāla's eyes, and wept, saying:
33.34
"If anyone sees / Kuṇāla's eyes, / because their heart rejoices, / all their illnesses are eliminated."
33.35
A physiognomist saw the king gazing only at his son's eyes and paying attention to nothing else; he immediately spoke a verse:
33.36
"The prince's eyes are pure; / the king looks on them with a joyful heart. / All the people of the land / who see them feel heavenly bliss. / If he loses these eyes, / everyone will suffer."
33.37
Eventually Kuṇāla proceeded in turn until he reached the kingdom of Takṣaśilā. The people of that country heard of it, came out half a yojana, adorned and repaired all the roads, and placed water everywhere to await the approaching assembly. The people then spoke a verse:
33.38
"The people of Takṣaśilā / hold jewelled jars filled with water / and various articles of offering / to welcome Prince Kuṇāla."
33.39
When the prince arrived, the people joined their palms and spoke these words: "We welcome the prince; it was not for strife, nor do we harbour resentment toward that great king. It is only that the minister sent by the king who governs our country has been unruly, and we wished to depose him." Then the people, with various articles of offering, made offerings to Prince Kuṇāla and welcomed him into the realm. At that time, King Aśoka was struck with a severe illness: feces came out of his mouth, and various foul fluids issued from his pores; none of the skilled physicians could cure him. The king then told his ministers, "Summon Kuṇāla back; I shall consecrate him and confer the royal throne upon him. At present I do not covet my physical life." Tiṣyarakṣitā said to the king, "I can cure the king's illness." The king accepted her words and dismissed the physicians. Tiṣyarakṣitā told the physicians, "If you hear of any man or woman outside with an illness like the king's, you may bring them in." At that time, in the country of Ābhīra, there was a person whose illness was no different from the king's. The sick person's wife was searching for a physician. The physician replied, "Bring him here; I wish to examine him and prescribe medicine for him." The wife delivered him to the physician, and the physician brought him to the queen. The queen then placed the sick person in an uninhabited place, had his abdomen cut open, and took out his stomach and intestines. There was a large worm; if the worm moved upward, feces issued from the mouth; if the worm moved downward, it came out below; if it moved left or right, it came out from the pores. The queen placed marica (black pepper) beside the worm, but the worm did not die. She then placed pippalī (long pepper) beside the worm, and the worm still did not die. She then placed dried ginger beside the worm, and the worm still did not die. Finally, she placed garlic beside the worm, and the worm died immediately. The queen reported this matter in detail to the king: "Your Majesty should now eat garlic, and your illness will be cured." The king replied, "I am a kṣatriya and must not eat garlic." The queen said again, "For the sake of your life, eat it regarding it as medicine." The king then ate it; the worm died and the illness was cured, and his bodily functions returned to normal. The king bathed cleanly and said to the queen, "Whatever you now request, I shall grant according to your wish." The queen said to the king, "I wish the king would allow me to be king for seven days." The king told the queen, "If you are king, you will surely kill me." The queen said again, "When seven days have passed, I will return the throne to the king." The king then granted it. The queen forged the king's letter to the people of Takṣaśilā, ordering them to pluck out Kuṇāla's eyes. When she had finished writing the letter, it required the tooth seal to seal it. The king was asleep; when the queen drew near to the king to seal the letter, the king was startled awake. The queen said to the king, "Why were you startled?" The king said, "I dreamed that a vulture wanted to gouge out Kuṇāla's eyes." The queen replied, "The boy Kuṇāla is very safe now." He had a second dream; the king again started awake: "I have just had another dream." The queen asked, "What was the dream again?" The king replied, "I saw Kuṇāla's hair, beard, and nails all long and sharp, and he could not speak." The queen replied, "He is safe now; please do not worry." The king went back to sleep. The queen secretly sealed the letter with the great king's tooth and sent an envoy to deliver it to the people of Takṣaśilā. The king also dreamed that his own teeth all fell out. At dawn the next morning, having washed, he summoned a physiognomist and told him of the dreams. The physiognomist replied, "If someone has these dreams, his son will lose his eyes; it is no different from losing his son." Hearing this, the king immediately stood up, joined his palms, and turned toward the deity of the west, uttering this vow:
33.40
"Now with single mind I take refuge in the Buddha, / the pure Dharma, and the Sangha. / The ṛṣis of the world / are supreme in the world; / may all the assembly of holy ones / protect Kuṇāla!"
33.41
The envoy carried the letter to the kingdom of Takṣaśilā. When the people there saw this letter arrive, because they loved Kuṇāla, they concealed the letter together and did not give it to him. But the people reflected further: "The great King Aśoka is very formidable, and his heart lacks faith; he would even take the eyes of his own son, how much more might he harbor evil against us?" They gave the letter to Kuṇāla. Having received the letter, Kuṇāla told the people, "If anyone can take my eyes, I now yield to your wish." The people then called a caṇḍāla: "You must gouge out Kuṇāla's eyes." The caṇḍāla joined his palms and said, "I cannot do it now."
33.42
"If a person could, from the full moon, / remove its bright radiance, / such a person could remove / the bright moon eyes of your face."
33.43
At that time, Kuṇāla took off his jewelled crown and said to the caṇḍāla, "If you gouge out my eyes, I will give this to you." There was another man of repulsive appearance, with eighteen kinds of ugliness, who said to Kuṇāla, "I can gouge out your eyes." Kuṇāla immediately remembered what the Venerable Yaśas had said, and spoke a verse:
33.44
"Remembering my good friend, / his was true speech; / contemplating this meaning, / I know the eyes are impermanent. / My good friend, / the one who can bring benefit, / that person has already spoken / of the causes and conditions of the suffering of the eyes. / I constantly contemplate / that all is impermanent; / this teaching of the master / I deeply hold in mind. / I do not fear suffering; / seeing that phenomena do not abide, / and always abiding by the king's command, / you may take my eyes."
33.45
He said to the ugly man, "You must take one of my eyes and place it in my hand; I wish to look at it." When this ugly man was about to take his eye, countless people angrily cursed him together, speaking a verse:
33.46
"Your eyes are pure and without defilement, / like the moon in the empty sky. / Now that you gouge out these eyes, / it is like plucking a lotus from a pond."
33.47
These countless people wailed and wept aloud. Then the ugly man took out his eye and placed it in Kuṇāla's hand. Kuṇāla received it with his hand and spoke a verse to the eye:
33.48
"In former times, you could see all forms, / but why is it that now / you see nothing at all? / Formerly, you caused those who saw you to give rise to desire; / looking at it now, it is unreal, merely false and deceptive. / Like water-foam, / it is empty and lacks reality. / You possess no power, nor do you have self-mastery. / If one sees this, one will not suffer."
33.49
He contemplated all phenomena as entirely impermanent, and attained the fruit of stream-entry (srotāpanna). He again said to the ugly man, "The remaining eye is yours to take as you please." Then that ugly man gouged it out as well and placed it in Kuṇāla's hand. Having lost his physical eyes, he attained the eye of wisdom. Again he spoke a verse:
33.50
"Now I have relinquished this physical eye, / and the eye of wisdom, so difficult to attain, / I have now obtained. / The king has now abandoned me; I am no prince. / Now I have attained the Dharma and have become a prince of the Dharma. / From now on, having self-mastery, / I leave the palace of suffering, / and ascend again to the palace of the King of Dharma where there is self-mastery."
33.51
Kuṇāla knew that the gouging out of his eyes had been done by Tiṣyarakṣitā. He then spoke a verse:
33.52
"May the king's queen / have long life, wealth, and joy; / when her lifespan ends, may she constantly endure / without exhaustion or destruction. / It was through her expedient means / that I achieved what was to be done."
33.53
Kuṇāla's wife, hearing that her husband had lost his eyes, saw him and fainted dead away; only when sprinkled with water did she revive. Weeping, she spoke a verse:
33.54
"The brightness of your eyes was lovely; / seeing them in the past brought joy. / Now seeing them severed from your body, / my heart gives rise to great anguish."
33.55
Kuṇāla said to his wife, "Do not weep. I produced the karma myself and myself receive this retribution." Again he spoke a verse:
33.56
"All in the world / receive their bodies through karma; / this body consists of manifold sufferings. / You should know / that among all that comes together, / there is none that does not separate. / Knowing this, / you should not weep."
33.57
Kuṇāla and his wife returned from the kingdom of Takṣaśilā to King Aśoka's place. Neither had ever walked upon the bare ground since birth. Their bodies were soft and frail, unfit for labor. Kuṇāla was skilled at playing the lute and could also sing and play wind instruments. Along their way, they begged for food to sustain their lives, gradually traveling until they reached their home country. Wishing to enter the palace gate, the gatekeeper at that time would not allow them to proceed. Unable to proceed, they turned back, went out, and stayed in the carriage and horse stables. During the latter part of the night, he played the lute and sang. His song went: "My eyes are lost; the Four Truths have been seen." Again he spoke a verse:
33.58
"If a person has wisdom, / they will come to see the twelve sense-spheres. / With this lamp of wisdom, / they will gain liberation from the suffering of birth and death. / If one wishes to seek supreme joy, / one should contemplate this."
33.59
The king heard the sound of the singing and felt great joy in his heart. He immediately spoke a verse:
33.60
"Now this recitation of verse / and the sound of playing the lute / resemble the voice of my son, Kuṇāla. / If it is he who has arrived, / why does he not come see me?"
33.61
The king commanded a man: "Listen! It resembles the voice of Kuṇāla. It is clear, subtle, sorrowful, and lovely, throwing my heart into turmoil—like an elephant that has lost its calf, pacing about in distress. You may go and look. If it is he, bring him here." The messenger saw that he lacked both eyes and his skin was parched and exposed so that he was no longer recognizable. Returning, he reported to the great king, "It is a solitary blind man staying in the carriage and horse stables together with his wife." Hearing this, the king thought with anguish and spoke a verse:
33.62
"Just as I dreamed in the past / that Kuṇāla lost his eyes, / now this blind person / is undoubtedly Kuṇāla. / You must go there once more / and simply bring this person here. / Because of longing for my son, / my heart finds no peace."
33.63
The messenger received the command and went back to his place, saying to Kuṇāla, "Whose son are you, and what is your name and clan?" Kuṇāla replied with a verse:
33.64
"My father's name is Aśoka, / prospering the Maurya clan. / All the great lands / are under his rule. / I am his prince, / named Kuṇāla. / From the Buddha, the Sun-lineage King of Dharma, / I have now become a prince of the Dharma."
33.65
The messenger brought Kuṇāla and his wife into the palace. When the king saw Kuṇāla, he had been weathered by wind and sun, wearing ragged scraps of grass and torn cloth pieced together as garments; his appearance was transformed so that he was no longer recognizable. The king felt doubt in his heart and said to him, "Are you Kuṇāla or not?" He replied, "I am." The king fainted and fell to the ground. Those beside him saw the king and spoke a verse:
33.66
"The king, seeing Kuṇāla / with a face but no eyes, / burned in his heart with suffering and anguish / and fell from his couch to the ground."
33.67
Those beside him sprinkled the king with water so that he revived. Returning to his seat, he embraced Kuṇāla and placed him on his knees, then embraced his neck, weeping and shedding tears. Stroking his head and face with his hand, he remembered his former appearance and spoke a verse:
33.68
"Where are your stately eyes now? / The causes and conditions of losing your eyes, / you must tell me now! / You are now without eyes, / like the sky without the moon. / Your appearance is transformed; / who did this? / Your former countenance / was like an immortal's; / who was so devoid of compassion / as to destroy your eyes? / Who in this world was your enemy? / The root of my anguish / has arisen from this! / Who destroyed the wondrous complexion of your body? / The fire of anguish in my heart / now burns my body, / like a thunderbolt / shattering a tree. / The thunder of anguish / has broken my heart. / Such causes and conditions, / tell me quickly now!"
33.69
Then Kuṇāla replied in verse:
33.70
"Has the king not heard the Buddha's words? / Retribution cannot be described; / even a pratyekabuddha / cannot escape it. / All ordinary beings / are entirely created by their karma. / When the time arrives for the conditions of wholesome and unwholesome karma, / they must inevitably be received. / All sentient beings / act on their own and receive the retribution themselves. / Because I know this condition, / I will not speak of the person who destroyed my eyes. / This suffering was made by myself; / there was no other maker. / Such conditions of the eyes / did not stem from another person. / The suffering of all sentient beings / is likewise entirely like this: / it is all born from karma. / The king should know this matter."
33.71
The king again spoke a verse:
33.72
"Just tell me who that person is, / and I will not give rise to anger. / If you do not tell me, / my heart will be in turmoil and find no peace."
33.73
Then the king learned that this was done by Tiṣyarakṣitā. He summoned Tiṣyarakṣitā and spoke a verse:
33.74
"You have now committed a great evil; / why has the earth not swallowed you up? / Now that you do not act in accord with the Dharma, / toward me you have committed a great transgression. / Since you have now done evil, / from now on I abandon you, / just as a person who practices goodness / abandons gains that are contrary to the Dharma."
33.75
The king's mind burned with the fire of anger. Seeing Tiṣyarakṣitā, he again spoke a verse:
33.76
"I now / wish to gouge out her eyes; / I wish to use an iron saw / to dismember her body; / to hack her body with an axe; to cut out her tongue with a knife; / to sever her neck with a blade; to burn her body with fire; / and to make her drink poison / to end her life."
33.77
The king spoke of such matters, intending to punish Tiṣyarakṣitā. Hearing this, Kuṇāla gave rise to deep compassion and again spoke a verse:
33.78
"Regarding all the evil karma / done by Tiṣyarakṣitā, / the great king now / should not simply kill her. / Among all great strengths, / none surpasses forbearance; / as taught by the Bhagavat, / it is foremost of all."
33.79
At that time, the king did not heed his son's words. He placed Tiṣyarakṣitā into a lacquered house and burned her with fire, and furthermore ordered the execution of the people of Takṣaśilā. Then the bhikṣus felt doubt and asked the Venerable Upagupta, "What karma did Kuṇāla perform in the past to receive this retribution now?" He answered, "In the past, there was a hunter in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī who went into the snowy mountains and killed many herds of deer. Once, going to the snowy mountains, he encountered thunder and lightning. There were five hundred deer that entered a stone cave out of fear. The hunter caught them and took them all. If he killed them all, the meat would rot and stink, and nothing could be done with it. So he gouged out both eyes of each of them, so that they would not die but would not know how to escape. Later, he slaughtered them gradually. That hunter of former times was Kuṇāla. For countless years, he was constantly in hell. Emerging from hell and born among humans, for five hundred lifetimes he constantly had his eyes gouged out. The present is the final residue of that retribution." The bhikṣus also asked, "By what cause and condition was he born into a great clan and with stately eyes?" He answered, "Long ago in the past, when the human lifespan was forty thousand years, a buddha named Krakucchanda appeared in the world and entered nirvāṇa without remainder. At that time there was a king named Śubha (in the language of Liang, 'Adornment') who built a four-jewel stūpa for the Buddha. Later, when the king passed away, his younger brother did not have faith in the Buddha, and dug up and took the objects below the stūpa, leaving only earth and wood. When all the people saw the stūpa ruined, they cried out in anguish. Then the sons of elders asked, 'Why are those people grieving?' The people answered, 'The Bhagavat's stūpa originally had four jewels; we did not expect that it would now be completely destroyed.' Then the sons of elders restored it with the four jewels as originally adorned, making it taller and broader, surpassing its initial state, and also erected a golden image to place inside the stūpa. When the work was completed, they made a vow: 'The Buddha Krakucchanda was originally the teacher of the world; may my future teachers also be like this today.' Bhikṣus, you should know that the son of an elder in the past was Kuṇāla. Because he restored the stūpa of Krakucchanda Tathāgata, he was born into a great clan. Because he fashioned the image of the Tathāgata, the body he has now obtained is supremely stately. Because he made the vow to meet a good teacher, he has now met Śākyamuni and seen the Four Truths." (From the fourth fascicle of the Sūtra of King Aśoka).
33.80
5. Princes Asking the Buddha Whether Those Like Themselves Who Renounce the Household Life and Travel Forth Under the Buddha All Awaken to the Way
33.81
In the past, the Buddha was at the Deer Park in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī, preaching the Dharma for the assembly. At that time, the crown prince of a great kingdom led over five hundred crown princes of small kingdoms and went to the Buddha's place. They paid homage to the Buddha, sat to one side, and listened to the teaching of the Dharma. The princes said to the Buddha, "The Buddha's Path is subtle, profound, and difficult to attain. From ancient times to the present, have there been any kings, crown princes, ministers, or sons of elders who abandoned their kingdoms, officials, people, affections, and glorious pleasures to practice as śramaṇas?" The Buddha said, "The glorious pleasures and affections of the kingdoms of the world are like illusions, transformations, dreams, and echoes; arriving suddenly and departing suddenly, they cannot be permanently preserved." He also said, "Kings and crown princes fail to attain the Way on account of three things. What are the three things? First, they are arrogant and self-indulgent, failing to consider studying the subtle meanings of the Buddhist sūtras to rescue the spiritual basis. Second, they are greedy and acquisitive, failing to consider giving to the lowly, poor, destitute, and endangered, and do not share the wealth of ministers and soldiers with the people so as to cultivate the foundation of wealth. Third, they are unable to distance themselves from sexual desire and pleasurable affairs, and cannot cast away the sorrows and vexations of the prison of desire to practice as śramaṇas and eradicate manifold sufferings and difficulties so as to cultivate the foundation of the body. Therefore, when a bodhisattva is born as a king, he eliminates these three things and brings himself to attain buddhahood. There are also another three things: First, when young and vigorous, he studies, governs the kingdom, and guides the people to practice the ten wholesome deeds. Second, in middle age, he gives wealth to the poor, orphaned, widowed, ministers, and warriors, sharing joy with the people. Third, he always reflects on impermanence and that life does not remain long, and realizes that one ought to renounce the household life to become a śramaṇa, cutting off the causes and conditions of suffering and not undergoing birth and death again. If these three things are not practiced, what ordinary death yields will be gained." The Bhagavat said, "In a past life of mine, I was a wheel-turning sage king named Emperor King of the South, escorted by the seven treasures. I reflected to myself: 'Human life is short and swift, impermanent and difficult to preserve. I should only cultivate merit to seek the truth of the Way.' Mindful of constant generosity, I shared all the wealth of the worldly people with them, having already planted merit. It is only fitting to leave the household life to become a śramaṇa; only by cutting off greed and desire can suffering be extinguished. Combing my hair, I found white hairs, plucked them, and placed them on the table. Weeping, the king said: 'The first messenger has suddenly arrived again. It is proper to leave the household life to become a śramaṇa and seek the natural Way.' Holding the hairs in the palm of his hand, he spoke a verse:"
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- 經律異相 — Classical Chinese