經律異相 42.9

42.9

In the past, there was a man of prominent clan who always delighted in giving. Later, a son was born to him who had neither hands nor feet; his body resembled a fish, and he was named Fish-Body. When his parents died, he inherited and maintained the family estate, lying in his bedchamber so that no one saw him. At that time, there was a strongman who relied on the king's kitchen for food and was constantly hungry and lacking. By himself, he pulled sixteen carts of firewood and sold them to support himself, yet his needs were never met. He went to this man of four castes to seek what he lacked. Fish-Body invited him to meet and showed him his physical form. The strongman reflected to himself, "Even with strength such as mine, I am not as well-off as a man without hands or feet!" He went to the Buddha's place to ask about his doubts. The Buddha said, "In the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, Fish-Body and this king went to provide a meal for the Buddha. At that time, you were poor and helped them as a servant. What Fish-Body prepared, he sent with the king, but said to the king, 'Today I have business and cannot go with you; if I were to go, it would be no different from cutting off my hands and feet.' The one who went then is the king today. The one who did not go and uttered those words is Fish-Body. The one who assisted then is yourself." The strongman came to realization, immediately became a śramaṇa, and attained the path of arhatship. (Extracted from the upper fascicle of the Jiu piyu jing).