法苑珠林 13.10

13.10

又觀佛三昧經云。昔佛在世時。佛為父王及諸大眾。說觀佛三昧經。佛有三十二相八十種好。身真金色光明無量。時座下有五百釋子。以罪障故。見佛色身。猶如灰人羸婆羅門。見已號哭自拔頭髮。舉身投地鼻中血出。佛安慰曰。汝勿號哭。吾為汝說。過去有佛名毘婆尸。入涅槃後。於像法中有一長者。名日月德。有五百子。聰明多智無不貫練。其父長者信敬三寶。常為諸子說佛法義。諸子邪見都無信心。後時諸子同遇重病。父到兒前。泣淚合掌語諸子言。汝等邪見不信佛法。今無常刀切割汝身。為何所怙。有佛世尊。名毘婆尸。汝可稱名。諸子聞已。敬父言故稱南無佛。復教稱法及稱僧名。稱已命終。由稱佛故生四天王天上壽盡以前邪見還墮地獄。獄卒羅剎。以熱鐵叉刺壞其眼。受是苦時。憶父教稱念佛因緣。從地獄出來生人中。貧窮下賤。後式棄佛出。亦得值遇。但聞佛名不覩佛形。後隨葉佛。拘樓秦佛拘那含佛迦葉佛。亦皆聞名不見其形。以聞如是六佛名故。今得與我同生釋種。我身端嚴如閻浮金。汝見灰色羸婆羅門。皆由前世邪見故爾。汝今可稱過去佛名。并稱汝父。亦稱我名及彌勒佛。稱已作禮。及向大眾大德眾僧。五體投地。發露懺悔邪見之罪。諸人受教懺悔訖已。見佛金色如須彌山。見已白佛。我今見佛三十二相八十種好無量光明。作是語已得須陀洹。求佛出家得阿羅漢。三明六通具八解脫。佛告比丘。我滅度後。若稱我名。南無諸佛。所獲福德無量無邊。

Furthermore, the Guanfo Sanmei Jing says: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, he preached the Guanfo Sanmei Jing for his royal father and the great assembly. The Buddha possesses the thirty-two major marks and eighty minor signs; his body is of true golden color and his radiance is immeasurable. At that time, among the assembly were five hundred Śākyan clan members who, owing to karmic obstructions, saw the Buddha’s physical body as resembling an ashen-faced, emaciated brāhmaṇa. Having seen this, they wailed, tore their hair, threw themselves upon the ground, and bled from their noses. The Buddha consoled them, saying: 'Do not wail; I shall explain it to you. In the past, there was a Buddha named Vipaśyin. After his parinirvāṇa, during the Semblance Dharma period, there was an elder named Riyuede (Sūryacandraguṇa) who had five hundred sons, all intelligent and wise, accomplished in all fields. Their father, the elder, faithfully revered the Three Jewels and frequently explained the meaning of the Buddha-dharma to his sons. The sons, however, held wrong views and had no faith at all. Later, the sons all fell gravely ill together. The father came before his sons, wept, joined his palms, and told them: "You hold wrong views and do not believe in the Buddha-dharma. Now the knife of impermanence is severing your bodies; whom can you rely upon? There is a Buddha, the World-Honoured One, named Vipaśyin; you may recite his name." The sons, having heard this, out of respect for their father’s words recited 'Namo Buddhāya.' He further taught them to recite the name of the Dharma and the name of the Saṃgha. Having recited them, they passed away. Because they recited the Buddha’s name, they were born in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings. When their lifespans there ended, due to their previous wrong views, they fell back into hell. The rākṣasa hell wardens pierced and destroyed their eyes with hot iron forks. While undergoing this suffering, they remembered the causes and conditions of reciting the Buddha’s name taught by their father. Emerging from hell, they were born among humans, impoverished and lowly. Later, when the Buddha Śikhin appeared, they also encountered him, but only heard the Buddha’s name without seeing his form. Afterward, with the Buddhas Viśvabhū, Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, and Kāśyapa, they likewise only heard their names without seeing their forms. Because they heard the names of these six Buddhas, they have now been born together with me in the Śākya clan. My body is dignified like Jāmbūnada gold, yet you see an ashen-faced, emaciated brāhmaṇa, all because of the wrong views of previous lives. You should now recite the names of the past Buddhas, recite your father’s name, and also recite my name and the name of Maitreya Buddha. Having recited them, make prostrations, throw your five limbs to the ground before the great assembly and the venerable saṃgha, and openly confess your sin of wrong views.' Having received the instruction, the men completed their repentance and saw the Buddha’s golden color like Mount Sumeru. Having seen it, they addressed the Buddha: 'We now see the Buddha’s thirty-two major marks, eighty minor signs, and immeasurable radiance.' Having spoken these words, they attained srotāpanna. They requested the Buddha for ordination and attained arhatship, being endowed with the three knowledges, six supernormal powers, and eight liberations. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'After my parinirvāṇa, if one recites my name and says "Namo to all Buddhas," the merit obtained is immeasurable and boundless.'