經律異相 7.21

7.21

King Śuklodana (the second younger brother of King Śuddhodana) had two sons. One was named Ānanda, whose height was one zhang, five chi, and three cun. The other was named Tiaoda [Devadatta], whose height was one zhang, five chi, and four cun. (The Dazhidu lun calls him Bhadrika; the Shier you jing states that King Amṛtodana's eldest son was Devadatta and his younger son was Ānanda.) King Śuddhodana went to the Buddha's dwelling. Seeing that the followers of Kāśyapa were ugly and unsightly in appearance, he assembled his royal clan and said, "Asita foretold by physiognomy: 'If the Buddha did not go forth from the household, he would become a Cakravartin King ruling the four continents; his attendants on left and right would be exceedingly handsome and upright.' Now his disciples are utterly lacking in dignity of form and appearance. If there are those among you who wish to cultivate the Way and whose deportment and appearance are fully dignified, I permit them to fill the monastic ranks and bring splendor to the Bhagavat." They all said, "Very good!" Tiaoda said (also named Devadatta; in the Liang language, "Heaven's Heat"): "We, the sons and younger brothers of kings, now renounce worldly glory to go forth from the household and dwell in the Way. We should arrange our attire and adornments with the utmost worldly elegance, and ride in elephant- and horse-drawn chariots worth tens of thousands in gold." On that day they departed in magnificence. The onlookers choked the roads, their caps and turbans falling to the ground. The horse ridden by Kokālika spread all four legs upon the earth and neighed like a bird. A physiognomist divined it and said, "The rest will all attain the Way; two of them will encounter ill fortune." They all proceeded to the Buddha's place and sought to become śramaṇas. The stubborn and intractable were subdued, and there were none who did not receive it with joy. (Extracted from the first fascicle of the Zhong benqi jing; also in the Shier you jing.)