經律異相 34.29

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: