法苑珠林 16.24

16.24

又彌勒菩薩所問本願經云。佛告阿難。彌勒不獨以偈讚我。乃往過世十無央數劫。爾時有佛。號焰光響作王如來。所有梵志長者。名曰賢行。於此佛所已得不起法忍。爾時梵志賢行者。今彌勒菩薩是。阿難白佛言。彌勒得法忍久遠乃爾。何以不速逮無上正真之道成最正覺耶。佛語阿難。菩薩以四事法不取正覺。何等為四。一淨國土。二護國土。三淨一切。四護一切。是為四事。彌勒本求佛時。以是四事故不取佛。佛語阿難。我本求佛時亦有此四。然彌勒發意。先我之前四十二劫。我於其後乃發道意。於此賢劫以大精進超越九劫。得於無上正真之道致最正覺。佛告阿難我以十事致最正覺。何等為十。一所有一切無所愛惜。二妻妾。三兒子。四頭目。五手足。六國土。七珍寶財物。八髓腦。九血肉。十不惜身命。我以十事疾得佛道。又大悲經云。佛告阿難汝觀如來在路行時。能令大地高處令下下處令高。高下諸處悉得平正。如來過後地輒還復。一切樹林傾側向佛。樹神現身低頭禮拜。如來過後樹輒還復。一切丘陵坑坎屏廁臭穢叢林瓦礫。皆悉掃除平正清淨。馨香芬烈眾華布地。如來足履蹈上而過。無情諸物尚皆傾側。何況有情而不加敬。何以故。我本修行菩薩行時。於一切人所無不傾側謙下禮敬。以是善業得成佛已。有情無情如來行時無不傾側低頭禮拜。我本曾以清淨微妙稱意資產。至心自手施諸眾生。以是業報。如來行時大地平正。掃灑清淨。又無瓦礫。我於無量諸賢聖所在路行時。曾與掃治道路泥治房舍。我以平等心無高下掃治令淨。於一切時常求菩提利益眾生。以是善根。若佛如來在在處處行來路首。自然清淨地平如掌。乃至須彌山王高八萬四千由旬。在大海中亦深爾許。及鐵圍山高十六萬八千由旬。亦是金剛堅固。佛涅槃時無不傾側低頭禮敬。若欲遠避不傾側者。亦無是處。

Furthermore, the Sūtra of the Original Vows Inquired by Bodhisattva Maitreya states: The Buddha told Ānanda, “Not only does Maitreya praise me with verses. In the distant past, ten incalculable kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named King Who Resounds with Blazing Light Tathāgata. There was a brāhmaṇa elder named Bhadrakārin. In the presence of that Buddha, he had already attained the tolerance of the non-arising of phenomena. That brāhmaṇa Bhadrakārin of that time is the present Bodhisattva Maitreya.” Ānanda said to the Buddha, “Maitreya attained the tolerance of phenomena so long ago, why did he not quickly attain the unexcelled, true and proper path and realize supreme saṃbodhi?” The Buddha told Ānanda, “A bodhisattva does not realize saṃbodhi on account of four matters. What are the four? First, purifying the realm. Second, protecting the realm. Third, purifying all beings. Fourth, protecting all beings. These are the four matters. When Maitreya originally sought buddhahood, he did not realize buddhahood because of these four matters.” The Buddha told Ānanda, “When I originally sought buddhahood, I also had these four. However, Maitreya generated the aspiration forty-two kalpas before me. I generated the aspiration for the path only after him. In this Bhadrakalpa, through great diligence, I surpassed nine kalpas, attaining the unexcelled, true and proper path and achieving supreme saṃbodhi.” The Buddha told Ānanda, “I achieved supreme saṃbodhi through ten matters. What are the ten? First, begrudging nothing whatsoever that I possessed. Second, wives and concubines. Third, sons and daughters. Fourth, head and eyes. Fifth, hands and feet. Sixth, realms and lands. Seventh, precious treasures and wealth. Eighth, bone marrow and brain. Ninth, blood and flesh. Tenth, not begrudging bodily life. Through these ten matters, I quickly attained the Buddha Path.” Furthermore, the Mahākāruṇika-sūtra states: The Buddha told Ānanda, “Look when the Tathāgata walks upon a road: he causes the high places of the great earth to become low, and the low places to become high, so that all places high and low become level and even. After the Tathāgata passes, the earth returns to its previous state. All groves and trees bend toward the Buddha, and tree deities manifest their bodies, bowing their heads in worship. After the Tathāgata passes, the trees return to their previous state. All mounds, pits, cesspools, foul waste, thickets, rubble, and tiles are entirely swept away, becoming level, even, and pure. Fragrant scents drift intensely, and various flowers are scattered upon the ground; the Tathāgata steps upon them and passes by. If even insentient things incline and bend, how much more so sentient beings—how could they not increase their reverence? Why is this? When I originally practiced the bodhisattva conduct, there was no one toward whom I did not bow, humble myself, and show reverence. Having attained buddhahood by virtue of this wholesome karma, whenever the Tathāgata walks, both sentient and insentient beings without exception incline, bend, and bow their heads in worship. In the past, I once gave pure, subtle, and satisfying possessions to sentient beings with a sincere mind and my own hands. As the karmic retribution for this, when the Tathāgata walks, the great earth becomes level and even, swept and sprinkled clean, free of rubble and tiles. When I walked on roads where countless worthy ones and sages dwelt, I once swept and repaired roads and plastered dwellings. With an impartial mind free of high and low, I swept and repaired them to make them pure, at all times constantly seeking bodhi to benefit sentient beings. By virtue of these wholesome roots, wherever the Buddha Tathāgata walks along the roads, they are naturally pure, and the ground is as level as the palm of a hand. Even King Mount Sumeru, eighty-four thousand yojanas high and just as deep within the great ocean, and the Iron Ring Mountains, one hundred and sixty-eight thousand yojanas high and as solid as vajra, all incline and bow their heads in reverence when the Buddha enters nirvāṇa. If one wished to distance oneself and not incline, that too would be impossible.”