法苑珠林 35.61

35.61

尋以珍寶施與眾人。於佛法中出家求道。精勤修習得阿羅漢。雖獲道果而此屍寶常隨逐之。比丘問佛。燈指比丘。以何因緣從生已來有是指光。以何因緣受此貧困。復以何因緣有此屍寶常隨逐之。佛告比丘至心諦聽。吾當為汝說其宿緣。燈指比丘。乃往古世生波羅柰國大長者家。為小兒時乘車在外。游戲晚來門戶已閉。大喚開門。無人來應。良久母來與兒開門。瞋罵母言。舉家擔死人去耶。賊來劫耶。何以無人與我開門。以是業緣死墮地獄。地獄餘報還生人中受斯貧困。光指因緣屍寶因緣。為汝更說。過去九十一劫有佛名毘婆尸。彼佛入涅槃後。佛法住世。燈指爾時為大長者。其家大富。往至塔寺恭敬禮拜。見有泥像一指破落。尋治此指以金薄薄之。修治已訖。尋發願言。我以香華伎樂供養治像功德因緣。願生天上人間。常得尊豪富貴。假令漏失尋還得之。使我於佛法中出家得道。以治佛指故。得是指光及死屍寶聚。以惡口故。從地獄出時貧窮果報。以是因緣少種福業。於形像所得是福報。乃至涅槃形像尚爾。況復如來法身者乎。

He soon gave away his treasures to the multitude, went forth from household life in the Buddha's Dharma to seek the Way, and practicing with diligence, attained arhatship. Although he had attained the fruit of the Way, this corpse-treasure constantly followed him. The monks asked the Buddha: 'By what causes and conditions has the monk Dīpaprabha had this finger-light since birth? By what causes and conditions did he suffer this poverty? And by what causes and conditions does this corpse-treasure constantly follow him?' The Buddha told the monks: 'Listen attentively with a focused mind! I shall explain his past conditions for you. In an ancient age, the monk Dīpaprabha was born into the household of a great elder in the country of Vārāṇasī. When he was a young child, he rode in a carriage playing outside. Returning late, the gates were already closed. He called loudly to open the doors, but no one answered. After a long while, his mother came to open the doors for the boy. Angry, he reviled his mother, saying: "Has the whole household gone off carrying dead people? Have thieves come to rob us? Why was there no one to open the door for me?" Due to these karmic conditions, when he died he fell into hell. As the remaining retribution of hell, he was reborn among humans to suffer this poverty. Now I shall further explain to you the conditions for his luminous finger and the conditions for the corpse-treasure. Ninety-one kalpas ago, there was a Buddha named Vipaśyin. After that Buddha entered nirvāṇa, while the Buddha's Dharma remained in the world, Dīpaprabha was then a great elder whose household was very wealthy. Going to a stūpa temple to pay homage, he saw that one finger of a clay image was broken and fallen off. He immediately repaired this finger and gilded it with gold leaf. Having finished the repair, he made a vow, saying: "By the karmic causes and conditions of the merit from offering flowers, incense, music, and repairing the image, may I be reborn in the heavens or among humans, always enjoying honor, nobility, wealth, and high rank. Even if I lose them, may I quickly regain them; and may I go forth from household life in the Buddha's Dharma and attain the Way!" Because he repaired the Buddha's finger, he obtained this finger-light and the heaps of corpse-treasures. Because of his harsh speech, when emerging from hell, he received the retribution of poverty. By these causes and conditions, he planted a small amount of meritorious karma, and obtained such retribution of merit from an image. If such is the case even regarding the image of one who has entered nirvāṇa, how much more so regarding the Tathāgata's Dharmakāya!'