法苑珠林 34.117

34.117

又佛本行經云。爾時佛告諸比丘僧。作如是言。汝諸比丘。我念往昔久遠之時。有一貧人以乞自活。從一城至波羅柰城。至彼城已。其城所有乞人見者皆呵責言。汝從何來而至於此。遂遮不聽游行告乞。爾時彼人見有障礙作是思惟。我於彼輩無有過失。何故障我而告乞也。於時波羅柰城有一長者。遺失銅鉢。時彼長者求覓銅鉢所在不獲。因求鉢故至餘一村。時彼乞人於糞聚中得彼銅鉢掛於杖頭。將來往入波羅柰城。從街至街。從衖至衖。從此交衖至彼交衖。從此方隅至彼方隅。口唱是言。此之銅鉢是誰之物。識者收取。而彼游歷處處東西求覓其主了不能得。既不得主。便即往至付梵德王。乃至長者後聞有人從彼糞中得一銅鉢掛於杖頭。將來入彼波羅柰城。處處游訪不知主處。既不得主便付梵德王。既聞是已。到梵德王邊。到已白言。大王當知。前者乞人所奉銅鉢是我之物。時梵德王遣使往喚彼之乞人。而語之言。汝於前者所送銅鉢。今此長者云是我許。其事如何。彼人即白梵德王言。如是大王。我本不知彼之銅鉢是誰之物。在糞聚中。我既得已。即掛杖頭將來入城。東西訪問不知主處。遂奉大王任王所用。爾時梵德聞彼語已。心大歡喜而告彼言。人者。汝今欲於我邊乞何等願。我當與汝。而彼銅鉢還其長者。爾時彼人白梵德王作如是言。大王。今若必欲歡喜與我願者。願王於此波羅柰城。所有乞人用我為王也。時梵德王復告彼言。今者何用與彼乞兒而為王也。但當更乞諸餘好願。或金或銀。或索國中最勝村落用為封邑。我即與汝。時彼乞人復白王言。王若歡喜與我願者。我今正欲得前所願。王遂報言。任汝所樂。隨汝作耳。爾時在彼波羅柰城。合有五百乞兒依住彼乞願者。悉喚令集而告之言。我今得與汝等為王。汝等必當聽我處分。時諸乞人問彼王言。汝今云何處分我等。令作何事。時彼人言。汝等相共或有捉置髆上者。或有取我而背負者。自餘皆悉為我左右圍繞而行。而彼五百諸乞兒輩聞彼語已。即從處分。或有輿者。或背負者。處處游行所有飲食坐席之所即往彼乞。乞已將向一處。分張而共食噉。如是方便多時活命。時有一人屏處獨食摩呼茶迦（隋言歡喜丸也）。爾時乞王從其人邊奪取彼食已將走。其王徒眾五百乞兒。逐彼王走至於遠處。皆悉疲乏。既疲乏已。悉各迴還。其彼乞王身力壯健。走而不乏。更至遠已。迴頭望看五百乞兒悉皆不見。既不見已。入一園內取水洗手。坐於一邊欲食彼食。未食之間便生悔心。我今不善。我今何故於彼人邊奪取其食。更復誑我隨從人輩。此食既多我食不盡。若世間內有諸聖人。願知我意而來此者。我即分與。發是心已。有辟支佛。名曰善賢。從虛空裏飛騰而來。在彼人前。從空直下。去其不遠。其人遙見彼辟支佛威儀庠序。行步齊。停。舉動得所不緩不急。見如是已。於彼辟支佛所心得淨信。得淨信已作如是念。由我往昔所受貧煎。及以現在皆悉不值如是福田。於如是人不行布施恭敬供養。我昔若值如是福田。今日應不遭斯困頓。亦不應被他逼切而得活命。我今將此食奉上仙人。未審此仙受納以不。若蒙受者。願我將來免此貧煎困厄之身。作是念已。即將此食奉此仙人。然辟支佛有如是法。唯現神通教化眾生。更無別法。時辟支佛受取彼食。從地騰空而去。其人見彼歡喜踊躍。遍滿其體不能自勝。以歡喜故頂戴指掌。遙禮彼尊辟支佛足。作是禮已心發是願。願我此身於未來世。每常值遇如是世尊。或勝此者。而彼世尊所說之法。願我一聞速得證解。又願我於未來世中。在大威德豪族姓家。為王治化更莫在彼貧兒之內。復作是願。生生世世不墮惡道。

Furthermore, the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: At that time, the Buddha addressed the saṃgha of bhikṣus, saying: "O bhikṣus! I recall that long ago in the distant past, there was a poor man who supported himself by begging. He went from one city to the city of Vārāṇasī. Having arrived in that city, all the beggars living there who saw him scolded him, saying: 'Where do you come from, arriving here?' They then obstructed him and would not allow him to wander about begging. At that time, that man, seeing these obstacles, thought to himself: 'I have done no wrong to them; why do they obstruct me from begging?' At that time, in the city of Vārāṇasī, an elder had lost a bronze bowl. The elder searched everywhere for the bronze bowl, but could not find it. Because of searching for the bowl, he went to another village. At that time, the beggar found the bronze bowl in a dung heap, hung it on the tip of his staff, and brought it into the city of Vārāṇasī. From street to street, from lane to lane, from this intersection to that intersection, from this corner to that corner, he called out, saying: 'Whose bronze bowl is this? Let whoever recognizes it take it.' Yet as he wandered about in every direction, searching for its owner, he could not find him at all. Since he could not find the owner, he then went and delivered it to King Brahmadatta. Eventually, the elder later heard that someone had found a bronze bowl in that dung heap, hung it on the tip of his staff, brought it into the city of Vārāṇasī, and wandered about everywhere seeking the owner without knowing where he was, and having failed to find the owner, had delivered it to King Brahmadatta. Having heard this, he went to King Brahmadatta's presence. Having arrived, he said: 'May the Great King know: the bronze bowl offered earlier by the beggar is mine.' At that time, King Brahmadatta dispatched an envoy to summon the beggar and said to him: 'Regarding the bronze bowl you delivered earlier, this elder now says it is his. How is this so?' The man then said to King Brahmadatta: 'It is so, Great King. Originally, I did not know whose bronze bowl it was. It was in a dung heap. After I found it, I hung it on the tip of my staff, brought it into the city, and inquired everywhere without knowing the owner's whereabouts. I then offered it to the Great King to be used as Your Majesty wishes.' At that time, Brahmadatta, having heard his words, was greatly delighted and said to him: 'Good man! What wish do you now desire to ask of me? I shall grant it to you, and that bronze bowl shall be returned to the elder.' At that time, the man said to King Brahmadatta: 'Great King, if you truly wish with joy to grant me a wish, I wish that the King would make me the king of all the beggars in this city of Vārāṇasī.' Then King Brahmadatta said to him again: 'What is the use of being king over those beggars now? You should only ask for other, better wishes: either gold or silver, or ask for the finest village in the kingdom to use as your fief. I will grant it to you at once.' Then the beggar said to the king again: 'If the King is pleased to grant me a wish, I now only desire to obtain my former wish.' The king then answered: 'Whatever you take pleasure in, do as you please.' At that time, in that city of Vārāṇasī, there were five hundred beggars who had gathered relying on that wish. He summoned them all together and said to them: 'I have now been granted to be king over you all. You must certainly obey my directions.' Then the beggars asked the king: 'How will you direct us now? What would you have us do?' Then the man said: 'Together, some of you carry me on your shoulders, some carry me on your backs, and the rest shall surround me on the left and right as we walk.' When the five hundred beggars heard these words, they complied with his directions: some carried him on a litter, some carried him on their backs, and wandering everywhere, wherever there were banquets with food and drink, they went there to beg. Having begged, they took it to one place, divided it, and ate it together. By such means, they sustained their lives for a long time. At that time, there was a man eating a modaka (in the language of the Sui, a 'joy-sweet') alone in a secluded place. Then the beggar king seized that food from the man and ran off. The king's retinue of five hundred beggars chased after their king to a distant place, and all became exhausted. Having become exhausted, they all turned back. The beggar king was physically strong and ran without tiring. Having gone still farther, he turned his head and looked back, but none of the five hundred beggars were to be seen. Having seen no one, he entered a garden, took water, washed his hands, and sat down on one side, wishing to eat that food. Before he had eaten, he gave rise to regret: 'I am not good now. Why did I seize this food from that man, and furthermore deceive the people following me? Since this food is abundant and I cannot finish it, if there is a sage in the world, may he know my thought and come here, and I will share it with him.' After he had generated this thought, there was a pratyekabuddha named Bhadrika who flew through the empty sky and descended straight down from the sky before that man, not far from him. From afar, the man saw the pratyekabuddha's dignified deportment and composed carriage: his walking was even and steady, and his movements were well-measured, neither sluggish nor hasty. Having seen this, he attained pure faith in that pratyekabuddha. Having attained pure faith, he thought: 'Because of the poverty and torment I suffered in the past as well as in the present, I never encountered such a field of merit, nor did I practice giving, respect, and offerings to such a person. If I had encountered such a field of merit in the past, I would not suffer this exhaustion today, nor would I have been constrained by others to sustain my life. I will now offer this food to this immortal. I do not know whether this immortal will accept it or not. If he deigns to accept it, may I in the future be freed from this body of poverty, torment, distress, and hardship.' Having made this thought, he then offered this food to the immortal. Now, pratyekabuddhas have such a principle: they only manifest spiritual powers to teach and transform sentient beings, with no other method. Then the pratyekabuddha accepted the food and soared from the ground into the sky. Seeing him, the man leaped for joy, which filled his entire body beyond his control. Out of joy, he raised his folded hands to his crown, bowing from afar to the feet of that venerable pratyekabuddha. Having made this bow, he made this vow: 'May I, in future lives, always encounter such a World-Honoured One, or one superior to him; and may I, upon hearing the Dharma spoken by that World-Honoured One once, quickly realize and understand it. Furthermore, may I, in future lives, be born into a powerful and eminent clan, and govern as a king, never again to be among those poor people.' He made another vow: 'May I never fall into the evil destinies life after life.'"