經律異相 8.14

8.14

In ancient times, the Bodhisattva was once a brahmacārin named Kṣāntivādin. He lived in the mountains beneath a tree, drinking spring water and eating fruits. With his inner defilements completely eliminated, his six spiritual penetrations became immensely luminous, and he attained the wisdom of exhaustive knowledge. His fragrant reputation perfumed everywhere and was heard in all eight directions, above and below. Sages and commoners praised him, and his presence protected the country, so that wind and rain came in their proper season, the five grains ripened abundantly, and calamities and poisons were eradicated. The king was named Kali. He entered the mountains to hunt, chasing after elaphures and deer. Following their tracks, he passed right in front of the Bodhisattva. The king questioned him, but the Bodhisattva remained silent. The king said: 'You beggar worthy of death! I am the supreme lord of an entire realm. When questioned, you do not answer promptly. The tracks of the beasts passed here, yet you pretend to hang your head. With my power, I can execute you!' The Bodhisattva said: 'I am merely listening to the King.' The king said: 'Who are you?' He replied: 'I am a man of forbearance.' In fury, the king drew his sword and severed his right arm. The Bodhisattva said: 'My resolve is set on the unsurpassable Path; I have no dispute with the world. If I can extend my forbearance even to this king, how much more so toward the common folk! May it be that when I attain buddhahood, I will surely liberate him first, so that sentient beings will not emulate his evil deeds.' The king said: 'Who are you, sir?' He replied: 'I am a man of forbearance.' The king then severed his left hand, and even both feet, ears, and nose. His blood flowed like a spring, and his pain was immeasurable. Heaven and earth trembled, and the sun and moon lost their light. The Four Great Heavenly Kings arrived together in anger, saying with one voice: 'This king is cruel and ferocious!' They said to the man of the Path: 'We shall execute him and his wife and children, and destroy his entire country to make manifest his evil.' The man of the Path answered: 'What words are these? This is because in my previous life I did not uphold the Buddha's teachings and inflicted harm upon him. Evil brings retribution following closely behind, just as a shadow is tied to a form.' The common people, witnessing these anomalies, rushed forward to confess their faults, saying with one voice: 'The man of the Path resided here, warding off disasters and bringing salvation. Our foolish lord did not recognize good from bad, nor did he know what to pursue or avoid. He inflicted evil upon the foremost sage. We only pray that the holy one will not retaliate against us through the Sovereign on High.' The Bodhisattva replied: 'Though the king inflicted cruelty and ferocity upon me, my heart pities him just as a mother thinks of her infant child. What fault have the common folk? You need have no doubt.' The Bodhisattva had a younger brother living on a different mountain, who observed this with the divine eye. At that time, heavenly spirits and dragons conferred together about the king's evil, and none was not filled with rage. Fearing that his elder brother might have thoughts that damaged his virtue, the younger brother arrived at his brother's side by the power of his supernatural feet. He took the severed hands, feet, ears, and nose and placed them in their original positions. When the younger brother rejoined them, they were immediately restored to their original state. The elder brother said: 'The truth of my universal compassion has been manifested today.' The heavenly spirits and earthly deities were all moved to both sorrow and joy. They bowed their heads, praised him as excellent, exhorted one another, received the precepts, and withdrew. Kṣāntivādin was myself; the younger brother was Maitreya; and the king was Kauṇḍinya (from the fifth fascicle of the Liudu ji jing).