經律異相 34.6

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*)