經律異相 5.34

5.34

In the kingdom of Kosala, there were five hundred bandits. King Prasenajit, troubled by their unrestrained violence, dispatched soldiers to ambush and capture them. Having caught them, they gouged out their eyes and drove them into a dark, dense forest. These bandits had already planted numerous roots of virtue under past Buddhas. Having lost their eyes, they suffered immense distress, and each said: “Namo Buddhāya!” At that time, I was dwelling in the Jetavana monastery. Hearing their voices, I immediately gave rise to loving-kindness. At that moment, a cool breeze blew various fragrant medicinal herbs from Mount Gandhamādana, filling their eye sockets. Immediately, they regained their eyes, no different from before. The bandits opened their eyes and at once saw the Tathāgata standing before them preaching the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, the bandits gave rise to the mind of anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi (derived from the fourteenth fascicle of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra; largely identical to the seventh fascicle of the Sūtra on the Buddha’s Skill in Means to Repay Kindness).