經律異相 46.13

46.13

In a past life, an asura was once a poor man. Living near a river, he often crossed it carrying firewood. At that time, the river water was deep and the current swift; this man was repeatedly swept away by the water. Having lost what he carried, his body also submerged, and following the current, he nearly died before managing to get out. At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha who assumed the form of a śramaṇa and came to his house begging for food. The poor man was delighted and immediately offered him food and drink. Having finished eating, the pratyekabuddha threw his bowl into the air and flew away into the heights. Seeing this, the poor man made a vow: "May my body in a future birth be immense, so that no deep waters anywhere exceed my knees!" Through this cause and condition, he obtained an exceedingly huge body: the waters of the four great oceans cannot exceed his knees; standing in the great ocean, his body surpasses Mount Sumeru, and resting his hands on the mountain peak, he looks down upon the Trāyastriṃśa heaven (from the fourth fascicle of the Saṃyukta-avadāna Sūtra).