經律異相 47.86

47.86

The Buddha said, 'If you do not believe my words, you may return home and say to the white dog, "If in your previous birth you were my father Taudeya, go back up onto the couch and mattress, eat nonglutinous rice and meat from the golden bowl, and show me the wealth left behind by my father, which you hid and placed where I do not know." ' Thereupon, Śuka, son of Taudeya, having heard what the Bhagavat said, reflected deeply upon it. Having returned home, he spoke completely to the white dog. At that time, the white dog went back up to sit on the couch and mattress, ate nonglutinous rice and meat from the golden bowl, went to the four legs of the bed at its original sleeping place, and dug at the ground with its mouth and paws. Thereupon, Śuka, son of Taudeya, obtained a vast amount of money and valuables. Joy arose in his heart. Placing his right knee on the ground facing the Jeta Grove, he proclaimed his clan and personal name, saying: 'He is truly a śramaṇa! His words are real and not false!' Having proclaimed this three times, he left the city of Śrāvastī and went to the Jeta Grove. Seeing him from afar, the Bhagavat told the monks, 'Do you see Śuka, son of Taudeya, coming?' 'Indeed, Bhagavat.' 'If at this moment the son of Taudeya were to die, he would be born in a good destination, because he possesses a wholesome mind toward me. On account of a wholesome mind, when sentient beings die upon the dissolution of the body, they are born in a good destination, in the heavens.' At that time, Śuka, son of Taudeya, went to the Bhagavat's presence, and after exchanging mutual greetings, he said, 'The Buddha's words are without variance' (from the *Madhyama-āgama*, fascicle 39, 'Chapter on Śuka').