經律異相 35.29

35.29

Formerly there was an elder named Dharmaruci who came to pay his respects. The Buddha said, “Dharmaruci, we have been separated for a very long time before finally meeting.” Someone asked [about this], and the Buddha replied, saying, “Formerly, an asaṃkhyeya of kalpas ago, there was a Buddha in the world named Dīpaṅkara. At that time I was a brahmacārin named Chaosshu. At that time, Dīpaṅkara Buddha was about to enter the city. I met him midway on the road, untied my hair, and spread it over the mud to let the Buddha walk over it. The Buddha then made a prophecy, saying, ‘You are so valiant; after an asaṃkhyeya of kalpas you shall become a Buddha.’ You at that time gave rise to an angry thought, saying, ‘This person is no different from an animal, that he should walk across another person’s hair!’ From the time you gave rise to that [thought] for an asaṃkhyeya of kalpas, you constantly fell among animals. Moreover, in the great ocean you became a makara fish, seven thousand yojanas in length. At that time there were five hundred merchants who boarded a ship and entered the ocean to gather jewels. Encountering this great fish inhaling the ship, which was about to enter its mouth, the five hundred people each invoked the deeds they practiced. At that time, the leader of the merchants spoke to the crowd, saying, ‘In this world there is now a Buddha named Śākyamuni. In rescuing people from distress and peril, there is none superior to him. Let us chant his name, hoping to be delivered.’ Thereupon they called out with one voice. When the fish heard the Buddha’s name, its original consciousness still remained, and it reflected to itself, ‘Śākyamuni Buddha has already appeared in the world; why is my body still among fish?’ It immediately submerged back into the water, and the five hundred merchants returned in safety and peace. At that time, the fish threw its body onto a sandbank, and without drinking or eating, it ended its life after two times seven days. It was born as a son in an elder’s household, named Dharmaruci. He has now come to meet with me; that is why I said it has been a long time.” When Ruci heard this origin from beginning to end, he went to the seashore to seek out his former corpse. Seeing the great fish’s bones, its skin and flesh already gone, he walked upon its rib bones. He contemplated, saying, “This is my former corpse.” He then scattered flowers upon the former corpse. As he reflected, he passed away, and suddenly the Path was accomplished (taken from fascicle 4 of the *Fenbie gongde jing*).