法苑珠林 24.54

24.54

又雜寶藏經云。爾時般遮羅國。以五百白雁獻波斯匿王。王令送著祇桓精舍。眾僧食時人人乞食。雁見僧眾來在前立。佛以一音說法眾生各得類解。當時群雁亦解僧語。聞法歡喜。鳴聲相和還於池水。後毛羽轉長飛至餘處。獵師以網都覆殺之。一雁作聲諸雁皆和。謂聽法時聲。乘是善心生忉利天。生天之法。法有三念。一念本所從來。二念定生何處。三念先作何業得來生天。便自思惟。自見宿因更無餘善。唯佛僧邊聽法。作是念已五百天子即時來下在如來邊。佛為說法悉得須陀洹。波斯匿王遇到佛所。常見五百雁羅列。佛前。是日不見。便問佛言。此中諸雁向何處去。佛言。欲見諸雁者。先雁飛去他處。為獵師所殺。命終生天。今此五百諸天子等。著好天冠端正殊特者。是今日聽法皆得須陀洹。王問佛言。此諸群雁以何業緣墮於畜生。命終生天今日得道。佛言。昔迦葉佛時。五百女人盡共受戒。用心不堅毀所受戒。犯戒因緣墮畜生中作此雁身。以受戒故得值如來聞法獲道。以雁身中聽法因緣生於天上。

Furthermore, the Za baozang jing says: At that time, the kingdom of Pañcāla presented five hundred white geese to King Prasenajit. The king ordered them sent to the Jetavana Vihāra. When the assembly of monks ate, each person begged for food. Seeing the assembly of monks, the geese came and stood before them. The Buddha preached the Dharma with a single voice, and living beings each understood according to their kind. At that time, the flock of geese also understood the monks' speech. Hearing the Dharma, they were delighted; calling in harmony with one another, they returned to the pond water. Later, as their feathers grew longer, they flew to another place. A hunter covered them all with a net and killed them. One goose made a call and all the geese harmonised, making the sounds from when they listened to the Dharma. Riding on this wholesome thought, they were born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. According to the law of heavenly rebirth, there are three mindfulnesses: first, minding where one originally came from; second, minding where one is definitely born; third, minding what karma one previously performed to be born in heaven. They then reflected and saw their own past causes: there was no other wholesome deed, only listening to the Dharma beside the Buddha and the saṃgha. Having had these thoughts, the five hundred sons of the gods immediately descended beside the Tathāgata. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they all attained the srotāpanna fruit. King Prasenajit happened to visit the Buddha's place. He had regularly seen the five hundred geese lined up before the Buddha, but on this day he did not see them. He then asked the Buddha, "Where have the geese here gone?" The Buddha said, "If you wish to see those geese, earlier the geese flew to another place and were killed by a hunter. At the end of their lives, they were born in heaven. Today, these five hundred sons of the gods wearing fine celestial crowns, handsome and extraordinary, are they; through listening to the Dharma today, they have all attained the srotāpanna fruit." The king asked the Buddha, "Due to what karmic conditions did these geese fall into the animal realm, and then at the end of their lives be born in heaven and today attain the path?" The Buddha said, "In the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, five hundred women all took the precepts together. Because their minds were not firm, they broke the precepts they had received. Due to the conditions of breaking the precepts, they fell into the animal realm and took on these goose bodies. Because they had received the precepts, they met the Tathāgata, heard the Dharma, and attained the path. Due to the condition of listening to the Dharma in goose bodies, they were born in the heavens."