經律異相 8.4

8.4

The Bodhisattva Sadāprarudita practiced the bodhisattva path in the presence of the Buddha Mahāmeghagarjitasvararāja. When he originally sought the Perfection of Wisdom, he did not begrudge his body or life, nor did he seek fame or profit. A voice in the air admonished and instructed him: 'I must seek the Perfection of Wisdom everywhere.' Thereupon, sorrowful and weeping, he spent seven days until his body was utterly exhausted, suffering hunger, thirst, cold, and heat. A buddha appeared in the air and said to him: 'Good son, when past buddhas practiced the bodhisattva path and sought to hear the Perfection of Wisdom, it was just as you do today. Because of this diligent vigor and love for the Dharma, they made offerings to the Perfection of Wisdom. The Bodhisattva Dharmodgata is now preaching the Perfection of Wisdom from this seat. If there are those who receive, uphold, read, recite, and practice it as taught—from now on, day or night, you will soon obtain hearing of the Perfection of Wisdom.' [He thought:] 'I am now poor and have nothing with which to make offerings to the Perfection of Wisdom and to the Dharma master. I ought not to go empty-handed. I should sell my body to obtain wealth for the sake of the Perfection of Wisdom and to make offerings to the Dharma master. Throughout my lives I have lost my body countless times. In beginningless saṃsāra, I have either died or been sold, or on account of craving and desire have endured immeasurable suffering in the hells life after life. Never once have I lost my body or life for the sake of the pure Dharma or to make offerings to a Dharma master.' He then entered a great city, went to the marketplace, and cried out in a loud voice: 'Who needs a person? Who needs a person?' At that time, the evil Māra had this thought: 'Could Sadāprarudita really wish to sell his own body for the sake of mindfulness of the Dharma? I must now ruin this.' Māra concealed him from the people, preventing them from hearing his voice. Unable to sell his body, he was deeply sorrowful. Śakra Devānām Indra transformed himself into a brāhmaṇa and said: 'I now wish to make a sacrifice to heaven and need a human heart, human blood, and human marrow. Are you able to give them or not?' He answered: 'I have now gained a great and wholesome benefit.' He immediately seized a knife, pierced his left arm to let out blood, and cut the flesh from his right thigh, intending to break the bone and extract the marrow. At that time, the daughter of an elder was up in a tower. Seeing this from afar, she immediately descended and asked the bodhisattva: 'Why do you torment your own body, and what do you intend to do with your heart, blood, and marrow?' He answered: 'I am selling them to this brāhmaṇa for the sake of the Perfection of Wisdom, to make offerings to the Bodhisattva Dharmodgata.' The woman asked: 'What merit will you obtain?' He replied: 'That person is skilled in learning the wisdom and power of skillful means. If I study this Dharma, I will be able to attain the unsurpassable Path, become a refuge for sentient beings, obtain a golden body endowed with all merits, and distribute these benefits so that all sentient beings receive equal benefits of merit.' The woman said: 'So wondrous and rare to encounter! For the sake of such merit, one ought to abandon bodies as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Whatever you require, I will give it all to you. I too wish to go to Dharmodgata to plant wholesome roots together.' Śakra Devānām Indra then restored his original form and praised him, saying: 'Excellent, good man! When the past buddhas practiced the bodhisattva path, they sought it just like this. I truly have no need for a human heart, blood, or marrow; I merely came to test you. What do you seek? I will grant it to you.' [Sadāprarudita said:] 'May this body of mine be restored as it was before.' He then went to the house of the elder's daughter. The girl's parents gave them numerous wondrous flowers and incense, as well as various necklaces, unguents, burning incense, banners, canopies, clothing, the seven treasures, and music. The woman, together with her attendants, went to make offerings to the sūtra and to Dharmodgata. Dharmodgata preached the Perfection of Wisdom and the power of skillful means. When Sadāprarudita sought water to sprinkle on the ground and could not find any, he immediately pierced his own body to sprinkle the ground with his blood so that no dust would settle on the Great Master (from the thirtieth fascicle of the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra).