法苑珠林 37.48

37.48

如菩薩本行經云。昔佛在世時。佛與阿難入舍衛城而行乞食。時彼城中有一婆羅門。從外而來。見佛出城光相巍巍。時婆羅門歡喜踊躍。繞佛一匝作禮而去。佛便微笑告阿難言。此婆羅門見佛歡喜。以清淨心繞佛一匝。以此功德。從是以後二十五劫不墮惡道天上人中快樂無極。竟二十五劫得辟支佛。名持觀那祇梨。以是因緣若人旋佛及旋佛塔。所生之處得福無量也。

As the Bodhisattva-caryanirdeśa-sūtra says: In the past when the Buddha was in the world, the Buddha and Ānanda entered the city of Śrāvastī to beg for food. At that time, a brāhmaṇa in that city came from outside, and saw the Buddha coming out of the city, his radiant marks towering and majestic. The brāhmaṇa rejoiced and leaped for joy; he circumambulated the Buddha once, paid homage, and departed. The Buddha smiled and told Ānanda: "This brāhmaṇa saw the Buddha and rejoiced, circumambulating the Buddha once with a pure heart. By this merit, from now on for twenty-five kalpas he will not fall into the evil destinies, and his joy among gods and humans will be boundless. At the end of the twenty-five kalpas, he will attain pratyekabuddhahood, named Daṇḍanāgiri. For this reason, if a person circumambulates the Buddha or circumambulates a Buddha's stūpa, the merit obtained wherever they are born is boundless."