經律異相 9.6

9.6

There were two hundred sons of the gods who had generated the bodhisattva mind, but it was not yet firm, and they all wished to fall back. Each thought to himself: "The Buddha-Dharma is difficult to attain. We are now determined not to practice as bodhisattvas; it would be better to attain arhatship or pratyekabuddhahood and enter parinirvāṇa." The Buddha knew that these people were capable of becoming bodhisattvas, yet their minds were retreating. The Buddha then transformed into a householder carrying a bowl full of food of a hundred flavors, who came before the Buddha, paid homage, and offered the bowl to the Buddha. The Buddha accepted the bowl. Mañjuśrī said, "Bhagavat, you should requite this kindness." Śāriputra was puzzled and immediately questioned the Buddha. The Buddha then dropped the bowl onto the ground. The bowl sank downward, passing through various lands, passing directly through lands equal in number to seventy-two Ganges sands, to a land named Ohasa. The Buddha there was named King of Radiance, who is presently in the world. The bowl hovered stationary in the empty space of that Buddha's land without anyone holding it. In the various Buddha lands through which the bowl passed, that Buddha's attendants all asked their Buddha about it. Their Buddha answered: "Above there is a Buddha named Śākyamuni. The bowl came from there merely to rescue and protect the resolution of the bodhisattvas who are falling back." The Buddha said to Śāriputra: "Go, seek the bowl, and bring it back." Śāriputra, relying on the Buddha's majestic spiritual power and using his own power of wisdom, passed through ten thousand Buddha lands with ten thousand samādhis, yet did not see the bowl at all. Rising from samādhi, he returned and said to the Buddha: "I sought it but did not see it." He then dispatched Maudgalyāyana, who also did not see it. Subhūti and the other five hundred venerable ones were all unable to see it. The Bodhisattva Maitreya was also unable to see it. He commanded Mañjuśrī to seek the bowl. Without rising from his seat, Mañjuśrī entered samādhi. Pointing to the earth with his right finger, he traveled through the various Buddha lands, and there were none that did not hear and know of it. The lands he passed through all quaked. In all the lands, they saw Mañjuśrī passing through seventy-two Ganges sands. Between each and every hair on his arm, there were a hundred thousand koṭis of lights and a hundred thousand koṭis of lotus flowers. Upon each lotus sat a bodhisattva, all praising the merits, śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, and Buddha-land of Śākyamuni Buddha. At that time, Śākyamuni emitted light from under his feet, illuminating downward through lands equal in number to seventy-two Ganges sands. Seeing this light, they all attained the Madhura samādhi. Mañjuśrī took the bowl with his right hand, and together with countless bodhisattvas, he came back with the bowl in hand, paid homage, and presented the bowl. The Buddha said to Śāriputra: "Now I shall tell you of an event in a past kalpa. In the past, there was a Buddha named Courage Unsurpassable. There was a monk named Wisdom King, who held his bowl and entered the country of Vedeha to beg for alms, obtaining food of a hundred flavors. At that time, there was an elder's son named Vimalarāja, who was held in his wet-nurse's arms atop the city gate. Seeing the monk from afar, the boy climbed down from her arms and went toward him, begging for his food. The monk gave him a honey cake. When the child ate it and knew its sweet flavor, he followed the monk, paying no heed to his wet-nurse. He followed him directly to the place of the Buddha Courage Unsurpassable, paid homage to the Buddha, and sat to one side. The monk gave the bowl of food he held to this little boy, having him offer it to the Buddha. The boy then presented it to the Buddha. As the Buddha ate, it became full again. With this, eighty-four thousand monks and twelve thousand bodhisattvas were all fed to satisfaction, yet the food held by the boy was still not diminished. By his majestic spiritual power, the Buddha caused the boy to rejoice, whereupon he received the five precepts from the monk and generated the bodhicitta. The child's parents, searching for their child, paid homage to the Buddha. The son said to his father: 'I have now attained entry into the bodhisattva Dharma; I wish to become a śramaṇa.' The parents then granted permission, saying: 'We also generate the aspiration and follow you.'" The Buddha said: "The monk Wisdom King was Mañjuśrī, and the boy of that time was myself. Buddhas equal in number to my own body, incalculable, in asaṃkhyeya lands, were all inspired by Mañjuśrī. We have all received the kindness of Mañjuśrī." The two hundred sons of the gods immediately reflected: "Śākyamuni Buddha was inspired by Mañjuśrī to attain buddhahood on his own. Why should we be indolent?" Through this reflection, their minds became firm. (From the Ajātaśatru-rāja-sūtra, fascicle 1).