法苑珠林 34.31

34.31

又木槵子經云。時有難國王。名波瑠璃。白佛言。我國邊小頻歲寇賊五穀涌貴。疫疾流行人民困苦。我常不安。法藏深廣不得修行。唯願垂矜賜我法要。佛告王言。若欲滅煩惱障者。當貫木槵子一百八。常以自隨至心無散。稱南無佛陀。南無達摩。南無僧伽名。乃過一木槵子。如是漸次度木槵子。若十二十若百若千。乃至百千萬。若能滿二十萬遍。身心不亂離諸諂曲者。捨命得生第三焰摩天。衣食自然常安樂行。若復能滿一百萬遍者。當斷除百八結業獲無上果。王聞歡喜我當奉行。佛告王曰。有莎升比丘。誦三寶名經歷十歲。得成斯陀含果。漸次修行。今在普香世界作辟支佛。王聞是已倍復修行。

Furthermore, the Muxuanzi jing says: At that time, the king of the country of Nan, named Pasenadi (Prasenajit), addressed the Buddha, saying: "My country is remote and small; year after year there are bandits and invaders, the five grains soar in price, epidemics spread, and the people are impoverished and distressed. I am constantly ill at ease. The treasury of Dharma is deep and vast, so I am unable to practice it. I only pray that you have pity on me and bestow upon me the essential points of the Dharma." The Buddha told the king: "If you wish to extinguish the hindrance of defilements, you should string one hundred and eight soapberry seeds and always keep them with you. With a sincere and undistracted mind, recite 'Namo Buddhāya, Namo Dharmāya, Namo Saṅghāya', passing one soapberry seed with each recitation. In this way, gradually pass the soapberry seeds, ten, twenty, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten million times. If you can complete two hundred thousand times with body and mind undistracted, free from all deceit and crookedness, at the end of life you will be born in the third heaven, the Yāma Heaven, naturally provided with food and clothing, constantly living in peace and happiness. If you can complete one million times, you will cut off the hundred and eight defilements and karmas, and obtain the unsurpassed fruit." When the king heard this, he rejoiced, saying: "I shall practice it accordingly." The Buddha told the king: "There was a bhikṣu named Shasheng who recited the names of the Three Jewels for ten years and attained the fruit of a sakṛdāgāmin. Gradually cultivating, he is now in the World of Universal Fragrance as a pratyekabuddha." When the king heard this, he redoubled his practice."