法苑珠林 33.33

33.33

又付法藏經云。昔過去九十一劫。毘婆尸佛入涅槃後。四部弟子起七寶塔。時彼塔中有佛形像。面上金色少處缺壞。有一貧女遊行乞匃得一金珠。見像面壞欲補像面。迦葉爾時作鍛金師。女即持往倩令修造。金師聞福歡喜為治。用補像面。因共立願。願我二人常為夫婦身真金色常受勝樂。從是已來九十一劫身真金色。生天人中快樂無極。最後託生第七梵天。時摩竭國有婆羅門名尼俱律陀。過去修福聰明多智。巨富無量金銀七寶。牛羊田宅奴婢車乘。比瓶沙王千倍為勝。瓶沙王有金犁千具。彼婆羅門恐與王齊畏招罪咎。其家但作九百九十九具金犁。唯少一具。其家有㲲。最下之者其價猶直百千兩金。有六十簞金粟。一簞有三百四十斛。其家雖富而無兒息。於其舍側有一樹神。夫婦常往祈請祭祀。求乞有子多年無應。瞋忿語曰。今更七日盡心奉事。若復無驗必相燒樹。樹神愁怖告四天王。王告帝釋。釋觀閻浮提無堪彼子。即詣梵天王廣宣上事。梵王即以天眼遍觀見一梵天臨當命終。即往語之。勸其往生。梵天受教即來託生。滿足十月生一男兒。顏貌端正身真金色。光明赫奕照四十里。相師占曰。此兒宿福必當出家。父母聞之甚懷愁惱。夫婦議曰。當設何方斷絕其意。覆自思惟。世所耽著唯有美色。當為娉娶端正好女用斷其情。至年十五欲為娉妻。語父母言。我志清淨不須婦也。父母不聽。兒知難免便設權計。語父母言。能為我得紫金色女端正超世。我當納之。父母即召諸婆羅門遍行娉求。諸婆羅門鑄一金女。端正奇特輿行村落高聲唱言。若有女人得見金神禮拜之者。後出嫁時必得好婿。身真金色端正殊妙。女聞悉出。唯有一女軀體金色端正殊好。即是往日施金女也。以昔勝緣有此妙身。志樂清潔獨不肯出。諸女強將共見金神。此女即到。金色光明映奪金神。婆羅門見即為娉得。既到夫家。夫婦相對各皆清潔了無欲意。共立要契各住一房。父母知已毀除一房。令共同室安置一床。迦葉語婦。我若眠息汝當經行。汝若眠息我當經行。後次婦臥垂手床前。毒蛇入室欲螫其手。迦葉見已以衣裹手舉著床上。婦便驚寤而責之曰。共我立誓要不相近。今復何緣竊舉吾手。迦葉答言。有蛇來入恐傷汝手。故舉之耳。即指蛇示婦意乃寤。夫婦節操深厭世間。啟辭父母求欲出家。父母見已遂便聽許。於是夫婦俱共出家來至佛所。佛與分座。佛為說法。即於座上得阿羅漢。婦於後時亦得羅漢。迦葉在世。常與如來對坐說法。佛滅度後所有法藏悉付迦葉。後時結三藏竟。至雞足山入般涅槃。全身不散。候彌勒佛出世之時。從山而出。在大眾中作十八變。度人無量。然後滅身。未來成佛。號曰光明（六十簞金粟者出薩婆多傳未來成佛出法華經）。

Furthermore, the *Fu fazang jing* states: Long ago, ninety-one kalpas in the past, after Vipaśyin Buddha entered nirvāṇa, the fourfold assembly of disciples erected a seven-jeweled stūpa. At that time, inside the stūpa, there was a Buddha image whose golden face had a minor defect. A poor woman wandering and begging obtained a single golden pearl. Seeing the damaged face of the image, she wished to repair it. Kāśyapa was a goldsmith at the time. The woman took it to him and hired him to make the repair. Hearing of the merit, the goldsmith was delighted to fashion it, using it to repair the image's face. Thereupon they jointly made a vow: “May the two of us always be husband and wife, our bodies of genuine golden color, continually enjoying superior bliss.” From then on, for ninety-one kalpas, their bodies were of genuine golden color, born among devas and humans, enjoying limitless happiness. In the end, [he] was conceived in the seventh Brahmā Heaven. At that time, in the country of Magadha, there was a Brahmin named Nyagrodha. Having cultivated merit in the past, he was intelligent and very wise, with limitless immense wealth: gold, silver, the seven treasures, cattle, sheep, fields, residences, male and female slaves, carriages, and mounts, surpassing King Bimbisāra a thousandfold. King Bimbisāra possessed one thousand golden plows. That Brahmin, fearing to equal the king and afraid of inviting blame and retribution, had his household make only nine hundred and ninety-nine golden plows, falling short by just one. His family possessed fine muslin cloth, the lowest quality of which was still worth a hundred thousand ounces of gold. They had sixty hampers of golden grain, each hamper holding three hundred and forty bushels. Although his family was wealthy, they had no sons. Beside their house was a tree deity. The husband and wife often went to pray, make offerings, and beg for a son, but for many years there was no response. Angered, they said: “Now for another seven days we will serve you with utmost devotion. If there is still no sign, we will certainly burn down your tree!” The tree deity, sorrowful and terrified, reported this to the Four Heavenly Kings. The kings reported it to Śakra. Śakra examined Jambudvīpa and found no one fit to be their son. He then went to the King of the Brahmā Heaven and explained the matter in detail. The Brahmā King then surveyed everywhere with his divine eye and saw a Brahmā deity who was about to die. He went and spoke to him, urging him to be reborn there. Receiving the instruction, that Brahmā deity came and entered the womb. When the ten months were complete, a boy was born, his features upright, his body of genuine golden color, his brilliant light shining forth forty li. A physiognomist divined: “Due to this child's past merit, he will certainly leave the household life.” When the parents heard this, they were deeply worried. The husband and wife conferred: “What means should we devise to cut off his intention?” Thinking it over again, [they considered]: “What the world is addicted to is only beautiful women. We should arrange a betrothal to an upright and beautiful girl to cut off his disposition.” When he reached the age of fifteen, they wished to betroth a wife to him. He said to his parents: “My intention is pure; I have no need for a wife.” The parents would not listen. Knowing he could not easily avoid it, the son devised an expedient tactic, saying to his parents: “If you can obtain for me a purple-gold woman, upright and surpassing the world, I shall take her.” The parents immediately summoned several Brahmins to search everywhere for a betrothal. The Brahmins cast a golden woman, upright and extraordinary, carried her on a carriage through villages, and loudly proclaimed: “If any woman sees this golden deity and pays homage to it, when she marries in the future she will certainly obtain a fine husband, whose body is of genuine golden color, upright, and extraordinarily wonderful.” When women heard this, all came out. There was only one woman whose body was golden, upright, and exceedingly lovely; she was none other than the woman who had given the gold in the past. Because of that superior condition of old, she had this wondrous body. Her intention delighted in purity, and she alone refused to come out. The other women forced her to go along to see the golden deity. When this woman arrived, her golden radiance overshadowed the golden deity. When the Brahmins saw her, they secured her betrothal. Having arrived at the husband's house, husband and wife faced each other, each pure and completely devoid of lustful desire. They jointly made an agreement to each live in a separate room. When the parents found out, they demolished one room, making them share the same room with only one bed set up. Kāśyapa said to his wife: “When I sleep and rest, you should practice walking meditation. When you sleep and rest, I will practice walking meditation.” Later, while the wife was lying down, her hand hung down before the bed. A venomous snake entered the room and was about to bite her hand. When Kāśyapa saw it, he wrapped his hand in a garment and lifted her hand onto the bed. The wife was startled awake and rebuked him, saying: “We swore an oath not to come near each other. For what reason do you now secretly lift my hand?” Kāśyapa answered: “A snake came in, and fearing it would harm your hand, I only lifted it for that reason.” He pointed to the snake and showed her, and the wife realized [his intention]. The husband and wife maintained strict integrity and deeply loathed the mundane world. They took leave of his parents, requesting to leave the household life. Seeing this, the parents finally granted permission. Thereupon, husband and wife both left the household life together and came to where the Buddha was. The Buddha shared his seat with him and preached the Dharma for him. Right on the seat, he attained arhatship. His wife later also attained arhatship. While Kāśyapa was in the world, he frequently sat facing the Tathāgata as the Dharma was preached. After the Buddha passed into extinction, the entire treasury of the Dharma was entrusted to Kāśyapa. Later, having completed the compilation of the Tripiṭaka, he went to Mount Kukkuṭapāda and entered parinirvāṇa, his entire body not decomposing. Awaiting the time when Maitreya Buddha appears in the world, he will emerge from the mountain, perform the eighteen transformations among the great assembly, deliver countless people, and only then extinguish his body. In the future, he will attain Buddhahood with the name Prabhāsa. (The detail of sixty hampers of golden grain comes from the *Sarvāstivāda Biographies*; the detail of his future Buddhahood comes from the *Lotus Sūtra*.)