經律異相 36.9

36.9

Formerly, in the kingdom of King Aśoka, there was a householder (kulapati) who made offerings to twenty thousand monks, inviting them constantly for a whole year. His renown reached the king of the country. The king summoned and received him, saying, "I hear that you are exceedingly rich. What manner of things do you possess?" He replied, "In truth I have nothing at all." The king did not believe him, so he detained the householder and sent men to inspect his house. They saw that his gate had seven tiers of residences, halls, and buildings, all made of the seven treasures, surpassing the royal palace, and his womenfolk were also superior; yet there were neither grains, silks, nor coins and goods. They then returned and reported to the king, and the king's doubts were gradually dispelled. At that moment the householder smiled. The king asked, "Why do you smile?" He replied, "Only because Your Majesty did not believe me." The householder pointed his finger to the east, and it was filled with the seven treasures; pointing south, it was also thus. The king then sent him back. Now the monastery of the saṃgha was not far from the palace. The king proceeded to the monastery, saw the community of monks, made reverent prostrations, and asked the senior monk (sthavira), "What past merit does that householder have, such that natural rare treasures arrive as soon as he thinks of them?" The senior monk entered samādhi, saw the objects across four hundred yojanas conceived in mind, and saw that during the time of Vipaśyin Buddha, four men jointly erected a stūpa-monastery. Among them, one man was earnest and diligent in mind. After the stūpa-monastery was completed, he combined gold, silver, the seven treasures, and various fine flowers, climbed atop the three-tiered stūpa, and scattered them in the four directions, making a vow: "May I constantly enjoy unceasing merit in the future." The one who now obtains natural treasures is this very person. Hearing this, the king cultivated great merit (extracted from the first fascicle of the Avadāna-sūtra).