法苑珠林 50.35

50.35

又雜寶藏經云。時提婆達。心常懷惡欲害世尊。乃雇五百善射婆羅門。使持弓箭。詣世尊所挽弓射佛。所射之箭變成諸華。五百婆羅門見是神變皆大悑畏。即投弓箭禮佛懺悔。佛為說法皆得須陀洹道。復白佛言。願聽我等出家學道。佛言。善來比丘。鬚髮自落法服著體。重為說法得阿羅漢道。諸比丘白佛言。世尊神力。甚為希有。提婆達多常欲害佛。然佛常生大慈佛言。非但今日如是。於過去時。波羅柰國有一商主。名不識恩。共五百賈客入海採寶。得寶還返到淵洄處。遇水羅剎而捉其船不能得前。眾商人等極大驚悑。皆共唱言。天神地神日月諸神。誰能慈救濟我也。有一大龜背廣一里。心生悲愍來向船所。負載眾人即得度海。時龜小睡。不識恩者欲以大石打龜頭殺。諸商人言。我等蒙龜濟難活命。殺之不祥不識恩也。不識恩曰。我停飢急誰能念恩。輒便殺龜而食其肉。即日夜中有大群象蹹殺眾人。爾時大龜我身是也。爾時不識恩者。提婆達多是也。五百商人者。五百婆羅門出家得道是也。我於往昔濟彼免難。今復拔其生死之患也。

Furthermore, the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra states: At that time, Devadatta always harboured evil in his heart, wishing to harm the World-Honoured One. He then hired five hundred brahmins skilled in archery, causing them to take bows and arrows and go to where the World-Honoured One was, to draw their bows and shoot the Buddha. The arrows they shot turned into various flowers. Seeing this divine transformation, the five hundred brahmins were all terrified. They immediately threw down their bows and arrows, bowed to the Buddha, and repented. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they all attained the path of the srotāpanna. They further addressed the Buddha, saying: 'We wish to be permitted to go forth from the household and study the Path.' The Buddha said: 'Welcome, monks (ehi bhikṣavaḥ)!' Their hair and beards fell off on their own, and the Dharma robes adhered to their bodies. He preached the Dharma to them again, and they attained the path of the arhat. The monks addressed the Buddha, saying: 'The World-Honoured One's supernatural power is extremely rare. Devadatta constantly desires to harm the Buddha, yet the Buddha always gives rise to great compassion.' The Buddha said: 'It is not only today that it is so. In the past, in the country of Vārāṇasī, there was a merchant leader named Ignorant of Kindness. Together with five hundred merchants, he entered the sea to gather jewels. Having obtained the jewels, on their return journey they arrived at a place with deep whirlpools. They encountered a water rākṣasa that seized their ship so that it could not proceed. The merchants were all greatly terrified, and they all cried out together: 'Deities of heaven, deities of earth, and deities of the sun and moon, who can compassionately rescue and save us?' There was a great turtle whose back was one league (li) across. Giving rise to pity in its heart, it came toward the ship, carried the multitude of people, and enabled them to cross the sea. At that time, the turtle took a short nap. The one named Ignorant of Kindness wished to kill the turtle by striking its head with a large rock. The merchants said: 'We were delivered from disaster and had our lives saved thanks to the turtle. Killing it brings misfortune, and is to be ignorant of kindness.' Ignorant of Kindness said: 'I am severely starved and pressed; who can think of kindness?' He then immediately killed the turtle and ate its meat. That very night, a large herd of elephants trampled and killed the multitude of people. The great turtle at that time was myself. The one named Ignorant of Kindness at that time was Devadatta. The five hundred merchants were the five hundred brahmins who went forth and attained the Path. In the past, I rescued them and freed them from disaster; now I again pull them out of the affliction of birth and death.'