法苑珠林 35.26

35.26

說此語時。天地大動無雲而雨。諸天觀見雨華供養。死已剝皮持以奉王。求索賞募。王見念言。經書有云。若有禽獸金色身者。必是菩薩。我今云何與物賞之。若與賞者同彼無異。王即問言。師子死時有何瑞應。獵師答言。口說八字。雨華動地無雲而雨。王聞語已。悲喜交集。即召諸臣。令解是義無能解者。時山林中有一仙人。名曰奢摩。善解字義。王即請來為王解說。耶囉囉者。謂𩮜頭著袈裟者。當於生死疾得解脫。婆奢沙者。謂𩮜頭著染衣者。皆是三世賢聖之相。近於涅槃。莎訶者。謂𩮜頭著染衣者。當為一切諸天世人所見敬仰。仙人解竟。王大歡喜。即召八萬四千小王。悉集共作七寶高車載師子皮。燒香散華盡心供養。打金作棺。盛師子皮以用起塔。爾時人民因是善心。命終之後悉得生天。佛告阿難。爾時師子由發善心向染衣人。十億萬劫作轉輪王。給足眾生。廣殖福業。致得成佛。時師子者今我身是。時王提毘。由因供養師子皮故。十萬億劫天上人中尊貴第一。修諸善本。今彌勒是。時仙人者。今舍利弗是。時獵師者今提婆達多是。以是義故。若有眾生有惡心向諸沙門著袈裟者。當知是人則起惡心。向於三世諸佛賢聖。以起惡故獲無量罪。若有眾生能發信心。敬於出家著袈裟人獲無量福。

When it spoke these words, the earth shook greatly and rain fell from a cloudless sky; the devas, beholding it, rained down flowers in offering. After it died, [the hunter] flayed its hide and carried it to present to the king, seeking a reward. Seeing it, the king thought to himself: 'The scriptures say that if there is a beast with a golden body, it must be a bodhisattva. How could I now give him goods as a reward? If I reward him, I would be no different from him.' The king then asked, saying, 'When the lion died, what auspicious omens were there?' The hunter replied, saying, 'Its mouth spoke eight syllables; flowers rained down, the earth shook, and rain fell from a cloudless sky.' Having heard these words, the king was overcome with mingled sorrow and joy. He immediately summoned his ministers, ordering them to explain this meaning, but none could explain it. At that time, in the mountain forest there was an ascetic named Śama, who was adept at explaining the meaning of syllables. The king immediately invited him to come and explain it for the king: 'Ye-ra-ra means that those who shave their heads and wear kāṣāyas shall swiftly attain liberation from saṃsāra. Va-śa-ṣa means that those who shave their heads and wear dyed robes all bear the marks of the worthy and holy of the three times, and are close to nirvāṇa. Svāhā means that those who shave their heads and wear dyed robes shall be revered and looked up to by all devas and worldly people.' When the ascetic finished explaining, the king was greatly delighted. He immediately summoned the eighty-four thousand lesser kings, all gathering together to make a high carriage of the seven treasures to carry the lion's hide, burning incense and scattering flowers, making offerings with all their hearts. They beat gold to make a coffin, containing the lion's hide to erect a stūpa for it. At that time, because of this good mind, after the people ended their lives, all were able to be born in heaven. The Buddha told Ānanda: "Because the lion at that time gave rise to a good mind toward the person in dyed robes, for a billion kalpas it was a cakravartin, amply providing for sentient beings, widely planting meritorious karma, and achieving buddhahood. That lion was none other than myself today. King Devī at that time, due to the cause of making offerings to the lion's hide, for a hundred billion kalpas was foremost in honor and nobility among devas and humans, cultivating roots of goodness; he is Maitreya today. The ascetic at that time was Śāriputra today. The hunter at that time was Devadatta today. For this reason, if there are sentient beings who hold an evil mind toward śramaṇas wearing kāṣāyas, know that such people have given rise to an evil mind toward all the Buddhas, worthies, and sages of the three times. Because of giving rise to evil, they obtain immeasurable sin. If there are sentient beings who can give rise to a faithful mind and revere those who have gone forth and wear kāṣāyas, they obtain immeasurable merit."