經律異相 34
English (machine translation) 34
- Language
- English
34.1
Compiled by the Liang śramaṇas Sengmin, Baochang, and others
34.2
The Daughter of the King of Vārāṇasī, the Golden Woman, Sought the Buddha as Her Husband, No. 1
King Prasenajit's Daughter Vajrā Was Ugly in Form, but Through the Power of Mindful Recollection of the Buddha Instantly Changed to a Beautiful Countenance, No. 2
King Prasenajit's Daughter Lost Her Husband and Found a Later Husband Beneath a Tree, No. 3
The Daughter of the King of the Parthians Had Previously Come from Among Dogs, No. 4
The Seven Daughters of the King of Vārāṇasī Spoke with Śakra, No. 5
The King's Daughter Vajrā Was Burned by Fire, No. 6
A King's Daughter Saw Bubbles on the Water and Conceived the Idea of Impermanence, No. 7
The King's Daughter Madanī Was Envied by Brāhmaṇas, No. 8
A King's Daughter with a Dog's Head Moved the Fisherman Subhaga, No. 9
34.3
The Daughter of the King of Vārāṇasī, the Golden Woman, Sought the Buddha as Her Husband, No. 1
34.4
The queen of the king of the kingdom of Vārāṇasī gave birth to a daughter whose body was yellow-gold in color and whose hair was deep blue-black. At the time she was sixteen years old. Seeing the girl had grown up, her parents wished to seek a husband for her. The girl said, "I have no need for a husband. If you wish to seek a husband for me, he must have a body of yellow-gold color and deep blue-black hair. Only one like this will do." Her parents then sought for one, but could not find any at all. At that time, the Buddha was in the kingdom of Śrāvastī. There was a merchant from Śrāvastī who traveled for trade to Vārāṇasī. The king of the kingdom invited the merchant to meet with him, exchanged greetings, showed him the daughter, and said, "I am seeking a husband for this girl. Is there such a fine person anywhere under heaven?" The merchant replied, "In my country there is someone who surpasses even this girl." Hearing this, the king was delighted and ordered the merchant to welcome the Buddha. The merchant then wrote a letter to the Buddha. In the letter he stated that this girl was upright, wonderfully beautiful, and peerless, and that he wished to take her for the Buddha. The Buddha was in the Jetavana, preaching the sūtras to several thousand monks. The bearer of the letter went straight before the Buddha. The Buddha, knowing in advance what was written in the letter, took it and tore it to pieces. He wrote a letter in reply to the Golden Woman, saying: "The suffering of humans is all born of affection. Birth must be followed by aging; aging must be followed by sickness; from sickness one arrives at death; and from death one arrives at grief and weeping. All sufferings under heaven are born of affection." Upon receiving the letter, the girl reflected upon it and immediately attained the five supernormal knowledges: first, her eyes could see without obstruction; second, her ears could hear without obstruction; third, she knew the mental thoughts of others; fourth, she knew where she had been born from; fifth, she could fly. She then bade farewell to her parents and flew before the Buddha. The Buddha immediately smiled, and five-colored rays of light came out from his mouth. Ānanda stepped forward and asked about it. The Buddha said, "Ānanda, do you see that this girl is capable like this? If you wish to know: In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, this Golden Woman was the wife of a poor family. Her husband's hands and feet were contracted, and he could not walk. At that time, the king of the country was named Kiki, and he had a daughter who was upright and beautiful, wearing gold and silver necklaces upon her body, who went straight to Kāśyapa Buddha's place to receive the scriptures and precepts. At that time, this poor man's wife was draped in only a single cotton cloth, yet she also followed along to the Buddha's place. The outsiders would not allow her forward. The poor man's wife thought to herself, 'Why am I alone not allowed forward, while the king's daughter alone goes forward?' The Buddha immediately knew this and ordered someone to call her forward. The wife bowed and said, 'Why is this king's daughter alone noble like this, while I alone am poor?' The Buddha told the woman, 'In a past life, this king's daughter loved to recite the scriptures and gave robes to śramaṇas, and therefore in her present life she obtained nobility, dignity, and beauty. In your past life you did not take delight in the Dharma of the scriptures, were stingy and unwilling to practice giving, and seeing śramaṇas did not serve them, which has caused you to be poor like this in your present life.' The poor woman said, 'I pray the Buddha pity my foolishness and teach me the Dharma of the scriptures.' Kāśyapa Buddha then taught her. Beneath a tree she recited the scriptures, sat, and reflected on them. She then took tree leaves, stitched them together to make a garment to cover her body, and wished to offer the cotton garment she was wearing on her body to the Buddha. Śakra, King of the Gods, seeing her utmost sincerity, brought heavenly robes, gold coins, and food and drink to give to her. Having obtained the robes, the woman gave them in charity and made offerings. When her life ended, she was born in heaven. When her lifespan there was exhausted, she came to be born in the human world as a king's daughter. Because she loved to recite the scriptures and practice giving, her body was yellow-gold in color and her hair deep blue-black." (Extracted from the *Golden Woman Sūtra*)
34.5
King Prasenajit's Daughter Vajrā Was Ugly in Form, but Through the Power of Mindful Recollection of the Buddha Instantly Changed to a Beautiful Countenance, No. 2
34.6
The Buddha was in the kingdom of Śrāvastī. At that time King Prasenajit's principal consort was named Mallikā. She gave birth to a daughter named Vajrā (rendered as "Diamond" in the Liang). The girl's face was ugly and hideous, and her skin and flesh were coarse and rough, just like camel skin; her hair was like horse hair. Looking upon this girl, the king felt not a single thought of joy, so he ordered the inner palace to guard her diligently and not let outsiders see her. As the girl grew older, it became time for her to marry. The king told his officials, "You may search for someone of noble clan who is poor, and bring him here." The ministers followed his instructions and found an impoverished man of noble clan, bringing him to the king's presence. [The king] said to that man, "I have a daughter whose facial features are ugly and hideous, and she has not yet found a match. I shall provide for you, and I expect you will not refuse, but will accept her [in marriage]." At that time, the son of the elder knelt and said, "I shall obey the king's command." The king then gave the girl in marriage to that poor man and built a palace residence with sevenfold gates and towers. The king instructed the son-in-law, "Hold the door-latch yourself; whenever you wish to go out, lock it yourself, and do not let anyone catch sight of the girl's face and appearance." The king provided for his son-in-law so that he lacked nothing, and furthermore appointed him as a great minister. Now that this man had wealth, he held gatherings together with all the noble clans. Each month, when they held these gatherings anew, husbands and wives would go together to the assembly, everyone bringing their wives; only that great minister always went alone. The crowd found it strange and suspicious: "Could that man's wife perhaps be upright and beautiful, or could she be extremely ugly, so that he purposefully does not bring her?" They secretly conferred together, encouraged him to drink wine until he was drunk, took his door-key, and opened his gates and doors. At that time, the woman was distressed in heart and blamed herself for her past offenses: "What transgression have I planted to be detested by my husband, constantly locked away in confinement without seeing anyone?" She further thought to herself: "The Buddha is now present in the world; he enriches and benefits sentient beings, delivering all from suffering and adversity." Thereupon, with an earnest heart, she bowed toward the World-Honoured One from afar: "I only pray that you look down with compassion, come before me, and briefly grant me your instruction." The girl was sincere, and the Buddha, knowing her intention, went to her house and welled up from the earth before her. When the girl saw the Buddha, joy arose in her heart; her ugly features instantly vanished, and her body became dignified and majestic like a heavenly maiden, with an extraordinary beauty surpassing the world. Pitying the woman, the Buddha preached the wondrous Dharma for her; she immediately exhausted all evils and attained the path of a srotāpanna. At that time, those five men opened the door and entered inside. Seeing the wife was beautiful, they were astonished that he had not brought her. They locked the door again, took the key, and tied it to his belt as before. When the man sobered up, the gathering dispersed, and he returned home. Seeing his wife's beauty and elegance was rarely found among humans, he asked with delight, "Who are you?" The woman answered her husband, "I am your wife." Her husband said, "Previously you were extremely ugly; why are you now beautiful?" The wife reported the above events in full. Her husband immediately went to report to the king: "Now, receiving the Buddha's divine grace, she has become beautiful, no different from a heavenly maiden." The king ordered her brought, and welcomed his daughter into the palace. The king was overjoyed to see her. The king, the queen, the daughter, and her husband went together to the Buddha's place, bowed to the Buddha, and said, "We do not know: what blessings did this girl plant in the past to be born into a noble and wealthy family, yet receive an ugly form?" The Buddha told the king, "In a past life, there was a kingdom named Vārāṇasī. There was a great elder of immeasurable wealth; the whole family constantly made offerings together to a pratyekabuddha whose body was coarse and ugly in appearance. At that time, that elder had a young daughter who, seeing that pratyekabuddha, harbored an evil mind of slight and disrespect, scolding, reviling, and disparaging him: 'Your face and appearance are ugly, and the skin of your body is coarse and hideous—how utterly detestable!' Having received their offerings, this pratyekabuddha wished to enter nirvāṇa, and for the sake of his patron performed eighteen transformations, descending from the sky back to their house. The elder was doubly overjoyed, and the girl immediately repented of her fault: 'I only pray that the Venerable One will forgive me.' At that time, the pratyekabuddha accepted her repentance. The Buddha told the great king, "The girl of that time was the king's daughter now. Because she disparaged this worthy sage, she received an ugly form; later, because she saw his spiritual transformations and reformed and repented herself, she regained a beautiful appearance. Because of making offerings to the Buddha, she has been wealthy and noble life after life, and this has served as the condition for her to attain liberation." (Extracted from Fascicle 2 of the *Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish*)
34.7
King Prasenajit's Daughter Lost Her Husband and Found a Later Husband Beneath a Tree, No. 3
34.8
The Buddha went to the house of a gṛhapati to eat. Upon entering, he did not close the door, and to anyone who followed and came in afterwards, he gave food to make them all fully satisfied. The younger brother conceived an evil thought: "I will not allow them to enter! If I am ever free to do so, when a bhikṣu comes, I will break his legs." The two brothers then parted ways, and both went to lie beneath trees. Because the younger brother had conceived an evil thought, a startled ox galloped by, ran him over, and broke his legs. Because the elder brother had conceived a wholesome thought, as the sun moved west, the shade of the tree remained over him as before. King Prasenajit's son-in-law died, and the king loved his daughter dearly; for her sake he summoned a brāhmaṇa to look for a man of merit to be his son-in-law. The brāhmaṇa went out to inspect and saw a man lying beneath a tree, and as the sun moved west, the tree shade still covered him. The brāhmaṇa said, "This is a man of merit," and immediately reported it to the king. The king said, "How do you know?" [The brāhmaṇa] related the above matter in full. [The king] summoned him, washed him, dressed him in fine clothes, and gave his daughter in marriage to him. (Extracted from Fascicle 4 of the *Ten-Fascicle Avadāna Sūtra*)
34.9
The Daughter of the King of the Parthians Had Previously Come from Among Dogs, No. 4
34.10
In the past, there was a city in a foreign country named Toujialuo. In it was a householder who invited a śramaṇa every day to come to his home to eat. The śramaṇa was an arhat. While the śramaṇa was seated and eating, there was a dog within the house. Whenever the śramaṇa ate, he always made a ball of food and shared it with the dog. Having obtained the food and eaten it, the dog gave rise to a good thought toward the śramaṇa. The śramaṇa came daily, and the dog grew accustomed to waiting for him. When it was time for the śramaṇa to eat, the dog longed to see the śramaṇa. When the śramaṇa arrived, he again took a ball of food and gave it to the dog. The dog held a good thought toward the śramaṇa. After many years, its life came to an end, and it became a daughter of the king of Parthia (Anxi). At birth she remembered her past lives and knew that she was originally a dog, saying, "I cast off a dog's body and attained a king's daughter's body." In that country there were no Buddhist monasteries or śramaṇas at all. At that time, the king of the Yuezhi sent an envoy to the king. Seeing that the envoy was virtuous and intelligent, [the king] wished to give his daughter to him as his wife. The envoy took the daughter away. When the woman saw śramaṇas, her heart was filled with great joy. She recalled that previously, when she had been a dog, a śramaṇa gave her food and she turned toward the śramaṇa with goodwill, and now she had obtained a human body: "Now I must greatly support the śramaṇas." In the country of the Yuezhi there were very many śramaṇas. Every day, the woman regularly fed three to five hundred people, serving them with her own hands and never employing servants. As soon as the meal was finished, she swept the floor with her own hands. The women, slaves, and maidservants in the household all gave rise to good thoughts, saying, "This woman is indeed a king's daughter. Having come here, she always sweeps and cleans to make offerings to the śramaṇas. We too should apply our minds." The slaves and maidservants then hid the brooms away, wishing to sweep the ground themselves. The mistress searched for a broom and could not find where it was at all; she then took the clothes she had worn when she first arrived, rolled them up out of the basket, and used them to sweep the floor. When her husband saw his wife sweeping the floor with fresh clothes, he said, "Although you revere the Buddha's teaching, why must you sweep the floor with fresh clothes? You should look for a broom." The wife said, "It was merely by directing a good thought toward a single śramaṇa that after two years I obtained these clothes. If I just sweep with these clothes, what hardship is there? In my previous life, at the beginning, I had nothing with which to practice generosity; it was only by having a good thought and faith that the Buddha's teaching exists that I obtained this blessing. Nor did I obtain these clothes by making a living." The husband said to the wife, "Although you have faith in the Buddha's teaching and make offerings to the śramaṇas, I have never seen a śramaṇa give you a single coin or two coins. The clothes were all obtained through my own physical toil." The wife then recounted her past life to her husband herself, saying, "In my previous life, I was born among dogs. The master of the house frequently invited a śramaṇa, and the śramaṇa made a ball of food and gave it to me. Because I had a good thought toward the śramaṇa, I cast off that dog's body and was born as a king's daughter." Hearing this, the husband was joyful and said to his wife, "Merely by directing a good thought toward a single śramaṇa did you attain such blessing!" The husband was originally stingy and greedy, but upon hearing what his wife said, he immediately performed great generosity without stinting or regretting anything. He observed the fasts, kept the precepts, practiced vigorously, and founded Buddhist monasteries. The husband thought to himself, "Merely by having a good thought does one obtain such merit." The wife then replied, "The mind can cause one to attain Buddhahood, to be born in heaven, to become a pratyekabuddha, or to attain arhatship—these are all the power of the mind. If the mind thinks evil thoughts, it causes one to fall into hell." (Extracted from the Sūtra on the Dog Whose Life Ended, Becoming a King's Daughter, and Remembering Her Past Lives, and also from the Sūtra on Karmic Retribution).
34.11
5. The Seven Daughters of the King of Vārāṇasī Converse with Śakra
34.12
The place of enlightenment (bodhimaṇḍa) in the country of Vārāṇasī was entirely of golden color from beneath the earth upward, layered like overlapping fish scales and turtle carapaces. In the past, the ancient Buddhas had all sat upon it. The king was named Zhixunni; he was an upāsaka who was clear about the scriptural path, and he erected a vihāra for the Buddha, adorned with extreme magnificence. The king had seven daughters, all of whom were upright and beautiful, fully observing the five precepts, maintaining their integrity, and not marrying. The first daughter was named Shudiao, the second was named Yimiao, the third was named Chutan, the fourth was named Qingshou, the fifth was named Xixin, the sixth was named Jingyou, and the seventh was named Sengbi. On the eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, twenty-third, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of the month, they meticulously received the eight precepts and observed the fast of the true Dharma, cultivating their faith, observing the precepts, practicing generosity, and practicing renown and wisdom. When the seven daughters had completed their fast, they asked to go out of the city among the graves to sightsee. The king told the seven daughters, "The graves are repulsive; there are only dead people, with bones scattered about, and foxes, wild dogs, and horned owls devouring their flesh. Weepers fill the space between them. What is there worth seeing? In my palace there are gardens and bathing ponds, wherein are five-colored lotus flowers, and water birds such as pond herons and mandarin ducks flock and gather; on the ground are rows of glowing-eyed grasses, strange trees offering cool shade, and sweet fruits to indulge your palates. You may go there to sport and play." The seven daughters replied, "Great King, of what benefit to us are sweet fruits and myriad delicacies? We see that the lives of worldly people last but a short while; life daily rushes toward death, and the physical form is an illusion, unable to endure for long. Having avoided husbands and young children, we are not seduced by sweetness and delicacies. We merely wish to contemplate the dharma of impermanence, hoping only to eliminate greedy thoughts. May the king graciously grant permission." The king then permitted it. The seven daughters together went out of the city, arriving at the foul-smelling graves. Hearing the sounds of weeping, their hair stood on end with dread. Thereupon they went straight forward together to view the dead people. They saw severed heads and severed arms, hands and feet in different places; some were stiff corpses covered with grass or wrapped in mats; some were placed on execution frames on the ground, bound with fresh ropes, among whom were condemned prisoners who had not yet died, while their families wailed and wept, begging for their release; and there were also those carrying corpses out from the city. The seven daughters looked far to the left and right and saw that the dead were extremely numerous; various birds and beasts vied to devour their flesh, or dragged corpses out from the earth, swollen and generating maggots, so foul-smelling that they were hard to approach. Thereupon the seven daughters circled them once and said to one another, "Our bodies will before long also be like this." Each spoke a verse.
34.13
The first daughter said:
34.14
"Worldly people value their bodies, / adding fine clothes and precious incense, / with elegant looks and graceful steps, / their demeanor meant for others to view. / At death, all are cast out into the graves; / of what use is this adornment?"
34.15
The second daughter said:
34.16
"Like dwelling alone in a single house, / when the person departs, the house collapses and falls. / The spirit wanders and the body is cast away, / none being able to control its form. / Deluded and greedy, they think it can be preserved; / how do they know it must later perish?"
34.17
The third daughter said:
34.18
"Contemplating the spirit mounting the physical form, / it is like horses yoked to a moving carriage. / When the carriage breaks, the horses depart; / one may know this is impermanent."
34.19
The fourth daughter said:
34.20
"Originally one sees the city intact and fine, / the people within rejoicing in peaceful dwelling. / What they seek is not yet satisfied; / how then does it suddenly become empty and desolate?"
34.21
The fifth daughter said:
34.22
"Like riding a boat to cross water, / upon arrival one must abandon the boat and leave. / The physical form is not the spirit's permanent abode; / how could it dwell there for long?"
34.23
The sixth daughter said:
34.24
"When a person dies, they lie relying on bricks; / their physical form complete, still fresh and fine. / Stiffly lying without moving— / where is their spirit now?"
34.25
The seventh daughter said:
34.26
"Like a sparrow inside a jar / with fine gauze covering its mouth; / when the gauze is pierced, the sparrow flies away, / and the spirit itself follows along and departs."
34.27
At that time, Śakra, Lord of the Gods, heard them and descended to praise them: "Excellent, excellent! What wish do you desire? I shall now grant it to you." The seven daughters asked, saying, "Are you Brahmā? Or an earth deity? Could you be Śakra?" He replied, saying, "Indeed. I am Śakra, Lord of the Gods of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven." The first daughter said, "I wish to obtain a tree without roots, without branches, and without leaves, and to be born therein; such would be joyful." The second daughter said, "I wish that the place where I am born be pure and without desire, without yin and yang, tranquil and without object of condition." The third daughter said, "I wish to be like the echo of a shout in the mountains, neither going nor returning, naturally formless." The fourth daughter said, "I wish to be like empty space, without beginning and without end, nowhere arising, thoroughly penetrating the Way." Śakra said, "Cease, cease! What you daughters wish is exceedingly wondrous. If you wished to be rulers among the sun and moon, that could be attained; but as for emptiness and non-conception, they are beyond my control." The seven daughters said, "Lord of the Gods, your divine virtue is exalted and great; why are you unable to bring this about? The Buddha taught that those who consume blessings, once the blessings are exhausted, cannot escape from fear. Just like an old ox that can no longer serve people, of what benefit are you to us?" Śakra, Lord of the Gods, said, "You daughters cultivate the fasts and precepts, and I too revere the Buddha. We ought to be Dharma brothers and sisters. Delightful are your wondrous wishes!" When he finished speaking, he disappeared. (Extracted from the Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on the Seven Daughters).
34.28
6. King Prasenajit's Daughter Vajrā Is Burned by Fire
34.29
King Prasenajit had a widowed daughter named Vajrā (Jingang) who had adorned herself and returned home. Her royal father pitied her and established a separate palace for her, providing five hundred courtesans to entertain her. There was a senior maidservant named Dusheng who regularly went to the market to buy cosmetics, incense, and flowers. Suddenly she saw an immeasurable gathering of men and women, each carrying incense and flowers, going out of the city. She then asked, "Where do you wish to go?" The multitude replied, saying, "We wish to pay our respects to the Buddha. The Buddha has appeared in the world as the Honored One of the three realms; he delivers sentient beings so that all attain nirvāṇa." When Dusheng heard this, her heart was pleased and her mind rejoiced. She then thought to herself, "Meeting the Buddha in my old age is due to blessings from past lives." She then divided the money for the incense and used it to buy fine incense and flowers, following the multitude to the Buddha's place. After paying homage, she stood back, scattered flowers, burned incense, and single-mindedly listened to the Dharma. Having passed the market and obtained a single incense item, through the merit of listening to the Dharma and her past conduct, the scent of the incense obtained was twice as strong as before. [The palace women] were displeased at her delay and questioned her together. Dusheng said, "In the world there is a holy teacher, the Honored One of the three realms, who preaches the unsurpassed Dharma. Following people, I listened to it, and on this account I was delayed." Hearing this, Vajrā rejoiced and sighed, "What sin do we have to be isolated and not hear it?" She immediately replied to Dusheng, "Try preaching it for me." Dusheng received the order, but first sent word to go out and fully learn the ritual protocol. Before Dusheng had returned, Vajrā and her maidservants held their breath in the courtyard, like children awaiting their mother. The Buddha told Dusheng, "For the protocol of returning to preach the Dharma, first spread a high seat." Dusheng received the instruction and fully proclaimed the holy decree, and all were greatly delighted. Each took off a garment and piled them up to make a high seat. Dusheng bathed, and relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, preached the Dharma appropriately. Vajrā and the five hundred or so women had their doubts resolved, destroyed evil, and attained the path of the srotaāpanna. The preaching of the Dharma was so beautiful that they did not notice a fire breaking out. They were all burned to death at once, and were immediately born in heaven. The king provided coffins, encoffined them, and completed the burial, after which he went to the Buddha's place. The Buddha asked, "Where has the king come from?" The king said, "Vajrā was unfortunate; unaware of a fire breaking out, great and small were completely burned up, and I have just encoffined them and returned. I do not know what sin caused them to meet with this disaster of fire. May the World-Honoured One make known what has not been heard." The Buddha told the great king, "In a past age there was a city named Vārāṇasī. There was an elder's wife who led five hundred palace women out of the city to perform a great sacrifice. Its rules were strict: people of other clans were not allowed to approach, and regardless of whether they were kin or strangers, anyone who came was thrown into the fire. At that time there was a pratyekabuddha named Jialuo living in the mountains, who came in the morning to seek alms and always returned to the mountains at dusk. Jialuo, begging for alms, came toward the suburban sacrificial site. When the elder's wife saw him, she suddenly flew into a rage, and together they seized Jialuo and threw him into the fire, so that his whole body was scorched and ruined. He then displayed spiritual powers, soaring up into the sky. The women were terrified, shed tears, and repented. Kneeling upright and raising their heads, they stated their confession, saying, 'We women are foolish and did not recognize the supreme truth; in our evil and delusion we violated and insulted a holy spirit. We reflect that our transgressions are piled high as mountains; may your exalted virtue descend to dispel our heavy calamities.' Following their voices, he immediately descended and entered parinirvāṇa. The women erected a stūpa and made offerings to his relics. The Buddha spoke a verse for the great king:
34.30
"The foolish commit evil, / unable to free themselves; / calamity pursues and burns them. / When sins mature, they blaze fiercely; / where the fool places hope, / they do not think they will encounter suffering. / Only when on the verge of falling into perilous ground / do they recognize unwholesomeness."
34.31
The Buddha told the great king, "The elder's wife at that time was this present king's daughter Vajrā. The five hundred maidservants were these present five hundred maidservants including Dusheng." (Extracted from the Sūtra of the Dharmapada on Ignorance and Darkness, fascicle 2).
34.32
7. The King's Daughter Sees Bubbles on Water and Conceives the Thought of Impermanence
34.33
Formerly, a king had a daughter who was so beloved by the king that she was never out of his sight. At that time, rain fell from the sky, and bubbles formed upon the water. Seeing the water bubbles, the daughter was filled with fond affection for them. She said to the king: "I wish to obtain the bubbles on the water to make a flower garland for my head." The king told the daughter, saying: "The bubbles upon the water now cannot be grasped or held. How could one take them to make a flower garland?" The daughter said: "If I cannot have them, I shall commit suicide." Hearing his daughter's words, the king told his skilled artisans, saying: "You possess wondrous ingenuity and there is no craft you do not master. Quickly take the water bubbles and make a garland for my daughter. If you do not, you shall be beheaded." They replied: "We are unable to take bubbles to make a garland." There was an old craftsman who said: "I can take the bubbles." The king was greatly pleased and immediately told his daughter, saying: "Now there is a man capable of making the garland. You may go yourself and watch over it in person." In accordance with the king's words, the daughter went outside to look on. Then the old craftsman addressed the king's daughter, saying: "I am ordinarily unable to distinguish good bubbles from bad. I humbly ask the king's daughter to personally select the bubbles, and I will make the garland." The daughter then tried to grasp the bubbles, but they broke beneath her hand and could not be seized. Thus the whole day ended without her obtaining any bubbles. Exhausted and weary, the daughter gave up and left. The daughter said to the king: "Water bubbles are false and fleeting, unable to endure for long. I ask the king to make me a garland of purple-sheen gold, which through all days and nights will never wither. The bubbles on the water deceive human eyes; though having form and substance, as soon as they arise they perish. The shimmering heat mirage of the wilderness is also like this; wearied by craving, one loses one's life. The human body is false and fleeting, with little joy and much suffering. A thing destined for destruction cannot endure for long; shifting and transforming, it remains in the world for only a little while." (Extracted from the Water-Bubble Sūtra)
34.34
8. Mālinī Is Envied by the Brāhmaṇas
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In the past there was a king named Kṛki. He fathered a daughter who wore a naturally formed garland of golden flowers and was named Mālinī. The king summoned five hundred girls born on the same day throughout the country to serve as her attendants. When Mālinī grew older, she made offerings daily without fail to five hundred brāhmaṇas. At that time, Kāśyapa Buddha was residing in a park. She often went out on excursions and reached the park where the Buddha resided. Her charioteer would not enter. The daughter asked: "There is no park I do not enter; why do you avoid this one?" He answered, saying: "In this park there is only a shaven-headed śramaṇa named Kāśyapa. It is not suitable to see him; therefore we do not enter." The daughter said: "You may enter." Seeing the Buddha's golden colour, she rejoiced greatly in her heart. She bowed her head and face in veneration, and the Buddha preached the wondrous Dharma to her. She received the three refuges and the five precepts, paid homage, and departed. The daughter reflected to herself: "The brāhmaṇas are not a true field of merit and should not receive offerings." She redirected them as offerings to the Buddha. When the brāhmaṇas heard that Mālinī had become a disciple of Kāśyapa and made offerings of even more superior delicacies to him, jealousy arose in their hearts. When Kṛki's night was over, he had eleven kinds of dreams. At dawn, he assembled his ministers and recounted the dreams he had had. The ministers had him consult soothsaying brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas said: "These dreams are inauspicious. You may lose the kingdom or lose your life." The king said: "Can this be averted?" The soothsayers replied, saying: "You must take various cattle, sheep, elephants, and horses, together with the king's daughter Mālinī and her five hundred attendants, and seven days from now slaughter them at the crossroads as a sacrifice to the gods; then this calamity can be averted." Hearing this, the king gave orders to prepare it at once, called Mālinī, and told her of the matter. Within the six days, she was granted whatever she wished. She replied, saying: "I do not begrudge death at all. I only wish that on the first day, together with the men and women of the city, I may go to Kāśyapa Buddha's place so that all may receive the three refuges and the five precepts." The king granted this. "I wish that on the second day, I may go to the Buddha's place together with the king's ministers. I wish that on the third day, I may go to the Buddha's place together with the princes. I wish that on the fourth day, I may go to the Buddha's place together with the princesses. I wish that on the fifth day, I may go to the Buddha's place together with the king's consort and court ladies. I wish that on the sixth day, I may go to the Buddha's place together with the king." The king consented to all of these. She went with the people to the Buddha's place, and the Buddha preached the Dharma for them, so that they attained the fruits [of the path] and all received the three refuges and the five precepts. The king told his eleven dreams to Kāśyapa Buddha. The Buddha said: "These dreams are concerned with the future, not the present. Dreaming of a small tree bearing flowers means that in the future there will be a Buddha named Śākyamuni; at that time, people will have white hair growing on their heads and will already have begotten children when only twenty years of age. Dreaming of a calf ploughing means that a ten-year-old child will manage household affairs while the parents have no independence. Dreaming of three cauldrons boiling rice side by side, where the cauldrons on the sides boil over into each other without falling into the middle one, means that the wealthy will bestow gifts upon one another while the poor receive nothing. Dreaming of a two-headed camel eating grass means that the ministers will consume the king's salary and also seize the people's property. Dreaming of a mare drinking the milk of her foal means that mothers of that time will marry off their daughters and in turn beg food from them. Dreaming of a golden bowl moving through empty space means that rain and moisture will not fall in season. Dreaming of a wild fox urinating in a golden bowl means that people will marry for wealth regardless of caste or lineage. Dreaming of a monkey sitting on a throne means that kings of that time will employ what is contrary to Dharma, being tyrannical and unprincipled. Dreaming of an ox's head wearing a sandalwood turban being equal in value to rotten grass means that the Śākya clan, out of greed for gain, will preach the Dharma to people. Dreaming of water being turbid in the middle but clear on all four sides means that the Buddha's Dharma will first perish in the central lands and conversely flourish in the borderlands. For the king's own person, there is no misfortune." The king then, right upon his seat, gave orders to his ministers, saying: "The sacrificial animals for the gods now need have no fear. From now on, I would rather lose my own life than intentionally kill a living being, much less kill human beings!" (Extracted from the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya, Fascicle 40)
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9. The King's Daughter Dog-Head Inspires the Fisherman Śubhaka
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A king had a daughter named Dog-Head (Śunīmukha). There was a fisherman named Śubhaka. Walking along the road, he caught sight of the princess from afar in a high tower. Seeing her face in the window, his imagination became enflamed with desire. His mind could not abandon her for a moment; as days and months passed, he was unable to eat or drink. His mother asked him the cause, and he answered his mother with the truth: "Having seen the king's daughter, my mind cannot forget her." His mother restrained him, explaining: "You are a lowly person, and the king's daughter is noble; she cannot be attained." The son said: "My heart's desire cannot forget her for a moment. If I cannot have my wish, I cannot live." For the sake of her son, the mother entered the royal palace and constantly brought fat fish and fat meat to give to the princess without taking payment. The princess wondered and asked: "What do you seek?" The mother addressed the princess: "I pray that you dismiss your attendants, and I will speak the truth. I have only one son, who reveres and longs for the princess; his feeling has formed an illness, and his life is not far from ending. I pray that you will show pity and grant him his life." The princess said: "On the fifteenth day of the month, have him stay behind the deity's statue in such-and-such a temple." The mother returned and told her son: "Your wish has been granted," telling him as above. Having bathed and put on new clothes, he stayed behind the deity's statue. When the time came, the princess addressed her father the king: "I have an inauspicious sign and must go to the temple to seek good fortune." The king said: "Very well." He then prepared five hundred chariots to go out to the temple. Having arrived, she ordered her attendants to stop at the gate and entered the temple alone. The god thought: "This should not be. The king is a donor; this lowly person must not be permitted to defile and disgrace the king's daughter." He then cast a spell on the man, causing him to fall into a deep sleep without waking. When the princess entered, she saw him sleeping heavily; she pushed him, but he did not awaken. She then left him a necklace worth one hundred thousand ounces of gold and departed. After she left, the man woke up. Seeing the necklace and asking the crowd, he learned that the princess had come. His desire unfulfilled, he was consumed with sorrow, resentment, and anguish; the fire of lust broke out within him, and he burned himself to death. From this evidence it is known that a woman's mind makes no distinction between noble and lowly, following only lust. Furthermore, in the past a king's daughter followed a caṇḍāla to engage in impurity together; there was also a sage's daughter who followed a lion. (Extracted from the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, Fascicle 14)
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Diverse Phenomena from the Sūtras and Vinaya, Fascicle 34
Linked texts (1)
- 經律異相 — Classical Chinese