[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法苑珠林](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122) › 26.17 # 法苑珠林 26.17 法苑珠林 26.17 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [26.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.26.17) 如佛說師子月佛本生經云。佛在王舍城迦蘭陀竹園。與大比丘眾千二百五十比丘百菩薩俱。爾時眾中有一菩薩比丘。名婆須蜜多。遊行竹園間緣樹上下。聲如獼猴。或施三鈴作那羅戲。時諸長者及行路人。競集看之。眾人集時身到空中。跳上樹端作獼猴聲。耆闍崛山八萬四千金色獼猴集菩薩所。菩薩復作種種變現令其歡喜。時諸大眾各作是言。沙門釋子。猶如戲兒幻惑眾人。所行惡事無人信用。乃與鳥獸作於非法。如是惡聲遍王舍城。有一梵志上啟大王。頻婆娑羅王聞此語嫌諸釋子。即勅長者迦蘭陀曰。此諸釋子多聚獼猴在卿園中。為作何等。如來知不。長者啟王。婆須蜜多作變化事。令諸獼猴一時歡喜。諸天雨華持用供養。為作何等臣所不知。爾時大王前後導從。往詣佛所。遙見世尊。身放光明如紫金山。普令大眾同於金色。尊者蜜多及八萬四千獼猴亦作金色。時諸獼猴見大王來作種種變。中有採華奉大王者。大王見已與諸大眾俱至佛所。為佛作禮右繞三匝。却坐一面白佛言。此諸獼猴。宿有何福身作金色。復有何罪生畜生中。尊者蜜多復宿殖何福生長者家出家學道。復有何罪雖生人中諸根具足不持戒行。與諸獼猴共為伴侶。歌語之聲悉如獼猴。使外道笑。唯願天尊。為我分別令我開解。佛告大王。諦聽善思念之。吾當為汝分別解說。乃往過去無量億劫之前。有佛出世。名曰然燈。彼佛滅後有諸比丘。於山澤中修行佛法。堅持禁戒如人護眼。因是即得阿羅漢。時空澤中有一獼猴至羅漢所。見於羅漢坐禪入定。即取羅漢座具被作袈裟。如沙門法。偏袒右肩。手擎香鑪繞比丘行。時彼比丘從定覺已。見此獼猴有好善心。即為彈指告獼猴言。法子。汝今應發無上道心。獼猴聞說歡喜踊躍。五體投地敬禮比丘。起復採華散比丘上。爾時比丘即為獼猴說三歸依。爾時獼猴即起合掌白言。大德。我今欲歸依佛法僧。比丘為受三歸已。次當懺悔具說罪業。我得羅漢能除眾生無量重罪。如是慇懃三為懺已告獼猴言。法子。汝今清淨。是名菩薩。汝今盡形受五戒已求阿耨菩提。爾時獼猴依教受已發願已竟。踊躍歡喜。走上高山緣樹墜死。由受五戒破畜生業。即生兜率天上值一生補處菩薩。為說無上道心。即持天華下空澤中供養羅漢。羅漢見已即便微笑。告言。天王。善惡之報如影隨形。終不相捨。而說偈言。 > As the Buddha spoke in the Sūtra on the Past Life of Siṃhacandra Buddha: The Buddha was in Rājagṛha, at the Kalandaka Bamboo Grove, together with a great assembly of bhikṣus numbering one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus and one hundred bodhisattvas. At that time, among the assembly there was a bodhisattva bhikṣu named Vasumitra. He wandered among the bamboo groves, clambering up and down the trees, with a voice like a monkey, or he would set up three bells and perform acrobatics. Then the elders and wayfarers vied with one another to gather and watch him. When the crowd gathered, he would rise into the air, leap to the tops of trees, and make monkey calls. Eighty-four thousand golden monkeys from Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa gathered at the bodhisattva's place. The bodhisattva again performed various transformations to make them rejoice. Then the great multitude each spoke these words: 'The sons of the Śākya śramaṇa are like jugglers, deluding the crowd. Their evil deeds are trusted by no one, and they even engage in unlawful behavior with birds and beasts.' Such ill reports spread throughout Rājagṛha. A brāhmaṇa went up and reported this to the great king. King Bimbisāra, hearing these words, was displeased with the sons of the Śākya. He immediately commanded the elder Kalandaka, saying, 'These sons of the Śākya are gathering many monkeys in your grove. What are they doing? Does the Tathāgata know or not?' The elder reported to the king, 'Vasumitra performs transformations to cause the monkeys all to rejoice at once, and the devas rain down flowers to make offerings. What they are doing, your servant does not know.' Then the great king, led and escorted before and behind, went to the Buddha's place. From afar he saw the World-Honoured One, his body emitting radiance like a mountain of purple gold, causing the entire assembly to take on the same golden color. The venerable Mitra and the eighty-four thousand monkeys likewise became golden. Then, seeing the great king come, the monkeys performed various transformations; among them were those who picked flowers and offered them to the great king. Having seen this, the great king went with the great multitude to the Buddha's place, made obeisance to the Buddha, circumambulated him thrice to the right, sat to one side, and addressed the Buddha, saying: 'What past merit do these monkeys have that their bodies are golden? And what guilt do they have that they are born among animals? What merit did the venerable Mitra cultivate in past lives to be born in an elder's family, leave household life, and study the Path? And what guilt does he have that, though born among humans with all faculties complete, he does not maintain the precepts and conduct, but makes companions of monkeys, singing and speaking entirely like a monkey, making the non-Buddhists laugh? We pray only that the Heavenly Honoured One explain it for me and bring me understanding.' The Buddha told the great king: 'Listen attentively and reflect well on it; I will explain it for you. Boundless kotis of kalpas ago in the past, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world named Dīpaṅkara. After that Buddha's passing, there were bhikṣus who cultivated the Buddha-Dharma in the mountains and marshes, firmly upholding the prohibitive precepts as a person guards their eyes. Because of this, they attained arhatship. At that time in the deserted marsh, there was a monkey who came to an arhat's place. Seeing the arhat sitting in meditation and entering samādhi, he took the arhat's sitting mat, wrapped it around himself as a kāṣāya, in accordance with the rule of a śramaṇa, bared his right shoulder, held an incense burner, and walked around the bhikṣu. Then the bhikṣu, having awakened from samādhi, saw that this monkey had an auspicious, good heart. He snapped his fingers and said to the monkey: "Child of the Dharma, you should now give rise to the mind of the unsurpassed Path." Hearing this, the monkey danced with joy, threw his five limbs to the ground, and reverently paid homage to the bhikṣu. Getting up, he picked flowers and scattered them over the bhikṣu. Then the bhikṣu spoke the three refuges for the monkey. The monkey then stood up, joined his palms, and said: "Venerable One, I now wish to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha." After the bhikṣu gave him the three refuges, \[he said,\] "Next, you must repent and recount your sinful deeds in full. Having attained arhatship, I can remove the boundless heavy sins of sentient beings." Having earnestly repented three times in this way, he said to the monkey: "Child of the Dharma, you are now pure; this is called being a bodhisattva. You should now receive the five precepts for the rest of your life and seek anuttarasaṃbodhi." The monkey, having received them according to the teaching and completed his vows, danced with joy, ran up a high mountain, clambered up a tree, fell, and died. Because of receiving the five precepts, which destroyed his animal karma, he was immediately born in the Tuṣita Heaven, where he met a bodhisattva in his last bodily existence before buddhahood, who taught him the mind of the unsurpassed Path. He then took heavenly flowers and descended into the deserted marsh to make offerings to the arhat. When the arhat saw him, he smiled and said: "Deva King, the retribution of good and evil follows like a shadow following the form, never departing from one another." And he spoke a verse:' > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 26.16](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.26.16) - [Next: 26.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.26.18) - [Up: 26](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.26) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.26.17) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.26.17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.26.17) · Pramāṇa