法苑珠林 24.50

24.50

又法句喻經云。昔佛在舍衛國給孤精舍。為諸天人民說法時。波斯匿王有一寡女。名曰金剛。父母哀愍別為作好舍宅。給五百妓女以娛樂之。眾共有一長老青衣。名曰度勝。常行市內買脂粉香華。時見男女無數大眾。各齎香華出城詣佛。即問行人。欲何所至。眾人答言。佛出於世。三界之尊度脫眾生皆得泥洹。度勝聞之心悅意憙。即自念言。今老見佛宿世之福。便分香直持買好華。隨眾人輩往到佛所作禮却立。散華燒香一心聽法已。過市取香。因聽法功宿行所追。香氣熏聞斤兩倍前。嫌其遲晚而共詰之。度勝奉道即如事言。世有聖師三界之尊。擊無上法鼓震動三千。往聽法者無央數人。實隨聽法。是以稽遲。金剛之徒聞說世尊法義殊妙非世所聞。悚然心歡而自歎曰。吾等何罪獨隔不聞。即報度勝。試為我說之。度勝白曰。身賤口穢不敢便宣。說法之儀先施高座。度勝受勅具宣聖旨。五百侍女皆大歡喜。各脫衣服一領積為高座。度勝洗浴承佛威神如應說法。金剛之等五百侍女。疑結破惡得須陀洹道。說法甚美。不覺失火。一時燒死。即生天上。王將人從來欲救火。見之已然。收拾棺斂葬送畢已。往過佛所。為佛作禮叉手言曰。金剛不幸不覺失火。大小燒盡。適棺斂訖。不審何罪遇此火害。唯願世尊彰告未聞。佛告大王。過去世時有城名波羅柰。有長者婦。將采女五百人至城外大祠祀。其法難急。他性之人不得到邊。無問親疎。其有來者擲著火中。時世有辟支佛。名曰迦羅處在山中。晨來分衛暮輒還山。迦羅分衛來趣郊祠。長者婦見之忿然瞋恚。共捉迦羅撲著火中。舉身燋爛。便現神足飛升虛空。眾女驚怖泣淚悔過。長跪舉頭而自陳曰。女人愚戇不識至真。群迷長慢毀辱神靈。自惟過釁罪惡如山。願降尊德以消重殃。尋聲即下而般泥洹。諸女起塔供養舍利。佛為大王而說偈言。

Furthermore, the Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra says: In the past, when the Buddha was at the Jetavana Vihāra in the country of Śrāvastī preaching the Dharma for gods and humans, King Prasenajit had a widowed daughter named Vajrā. Her parents pitied her and built her a fine, separate residence, giving her five hundred singing girls to entertain her. Together they had an elder bondwoman named Duśeng, who regularly went to the marketplace to buy rouge, powder, incense, and flowers. At that time, she saw an innumerable multitude of men and women, each carrying incense and flowers, going out of the city to visit the Buddha. She immediately asked the travelers, "Where do you wish to go?" The multitude replied, "The Buddha has appeared in the world. As the Venerable of the Tridhātu, he delivers all living beings so that they all attain nirvāṇa." Hearing this, Duśeng was glad of heart and delighted. She thought to herself, "Seeing the Buddha in my old age today is due to the blessing of past lives." She then set aside part of the incense money to buy fine flowers. Following the crowd, she went to the Buddha's place, paid homage, and withdrew to stand aside. Having scattered the flowers and burned the incense, she wholeheartedly listened to the Dharma; after that, she passed through the market to obtain the incense. Because of the merit of listening to the Dharma and pursued by past practices, the incense's fragrance was smelled afar and its weight was double that of before. [The women] were displeased that she was late and questioned her together. Duśeng, honouring the Way, spoke according to the facts: "In the world there is a holy master, the Venerable of the Tridhātu, who beats the unsurpassed Dharma drum, shaking the trichiliocosm. Innumerable people go to listen to the Dharma. In truth, I followed along to listen to the Dharma, and that is why I was delayed." When Vajrā and her companions heard that the World-Honoured One's Dharma discourse was wondrous and unheard of in the world, their hearts rejoiced in awe, and they sighed, saying, "What sin do we have that we alone are separated from hearing it?" They immediately said to Duśeng, "Try preaching it for us." Duśeng said, "My person is lowly and my mouth impure; I dare not declare it right away. The etiquette for preaching the Dharma is first to set up a high seat. If I receive your command, I will fully declare the holy intention." The five hundred attendants were all greatly delighted. Each took off a garment and piled them up to make a high seat. Duśeng bathed, and relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, preached the Dharma as appropriate. Vajrā and the five hundred attendants had their knots of doubt broken, destroyed badness, and attained the path of the srotāpanna. The preaching of the Dharma was so delightful that they did not notice a fire breaking out. They were burned to death at the same moment, and were immediately reborn in the heavens. The king led his retinue to rescue them from the fire, but seeing that it had already burned down, he gathered them for encoffining and completed the burial. He then went to the Buddha's place, paid homage to the Buddha, joined his palms, and said, "Vajrā was unfortunate; she did not notice the outbreak of fire, and great and small were completely burned up. We have just finished the encoffining. I do not know what sin caused them to meet with this calamity of fire. May the World-Honoured One make known what has not been heard." The Buddha told the great king: "In a past life, there was a city named Vārāṇasī. A householder's wife led five hundred court maidens to a great sacrificial altar outside the city. Its rule was strict and urgent: people of other families were not permitted to approach its edge, regardless of whether they were close or distant relatives; whoever came was thrown into the fire. At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha named Kāla living in the mountains. In the morning he came to beg for food (piṇḍapāta), and in the evening he always returned to the mountains. Kāla came begging for food and approached the suburban sacrificial altar. When the householder's wife saw him, she was infuriated and angry, and together they seized Kāla and threw him into the fire. His entire body was scorched and burned. He then displayed supernatural powers and flew up into empty space. The women were frightened, wept, and repented. Kneeling for a long time and raising their heads, they declared: 'We women are foolish and ignorant, failing to recognise the Ultimate Truth. Filled with delusion and growing arrogance, we insulted a divine spirit. Reflecting on our transgression, our sins are as high as a mountain. May your revered virtue descend to dispel our heavy calamity.' Following their voices, he immediately descended and entered parinirvāṇa. The women erected a stūpa and made offerings to his relics (śarīra)." The Buddha spoke a gāthā for the great king: