法苑珠林 59.16

59.16

興起行經云。佛在羅閱祇竹園精舍。與大比丘僧五百人俱。晨旦著衣持鉢。與五百比丘僧及阿難。共入祇城乞食。家家遍至。見此里中有破剛木一片木長尺二。於佛前立。佛便心念。此是宿緣。我自作是。固當受之。眾人聞見皆共聚觀。大眾見之驚愕失聲。佛復心念。今當現償宿緣之報。使眾人見信解殃對不敢造惡。佛便踊在虛空。去地一仞。木槍逐佛。亦高一仞於佛前立。佛復上二仞四仞乃至七仞。槍亦高隨上七仞。世尊復上高一多羅。此槍亦高一多羅。佛復上乃至十多羅。槍亦隨上立於佛前。佛復上高七里。乃至上七由延。槍亦隨之。佛於空中化作青石。厚六由延。廣縱十二由延。佛於上立。槍便穿石出在佛前立。佛復於空中化作水。廣十由延。縱二由延。深六由延。於水上立。槍復過水於佛前立。佛復空中化作大火。縱廣十二由延。高六由延。於其焰上立。槍亦過焰至佛前立。佛復空中化作旋風。縱廣十二由延。高六由延。於風上立。槍從傍邊斜來趣佛前立。佛復上至四天王宮。如是展轉乃至梵天。木槍從三十三天。以次來上乃至梵天。於佛前立。諸天皆相謂曰。佛畏此槍捨走。然槍逐不置。爾時世尊與梵天說自宿緣法。從梵天還展轉還至羅閱城。所過諸天皆為說宿緣法。槍亦隨從上下至羅閱城。佛亦為羅閱祇人說宿緣法。佛與比丘僧出羅閱城。槍亦尋佛後。國人盡逐佛出城。佛問眾人。汝等欲何所至。眾人答曰。欲隨如來看此因緣。佛語眾人。各自還歸。如來自知時節。阿難問佛。如來何以遣眾人還。佛語阿難。若眾人見我償此緣者。皆當盟死墮地。阿難便默。世尊即還竹園僧伽藍。自處己房。勅諸比丘。各自還房。阿難問佛。我當云何。佛語阿難。汝亦還房。阿難即還。佛便心念。是緣我宿自造必當償之。即取大衣四褺襞之。還坐本座。佛便展右足。木槍便從足趺上下入徹過。入地深六萬八千由延。過地至水。水深亦六萬八千由延。過水至火。火高六萬八千由延。至火乃焦。當爾之時地為六返震動。阿難諸比丘。各自心念。今此地動其槍必刺佛脚足也。佛被瘡已苦痛酸疼阿難即至佛所。見佛脚刺槍瘡。便死倒地。佛以水灑。阿難乃起。起已禮佛足。摩拭嗚佛脚足。啼泣墮淚。佛以是脚行至樹下降魔。上至三十三天為母說法。世尊金剛之身。作何因緣為木所害。佛語阿難。且止勿啼。世間因緣輪轉生死有是苦患。阿難問佛。今者瘡痛增損何如。佛語阿難。漸有降損。舍利弗及諸比丘來禮佛。問答亦復如是。佛語比丘。且止莫啼。我乃先世自造此緣。要當受之。無可逃避。此對非父非母所作。亦非天王沙門等。佛自造自受。諸漏已盡得神通者。各自默然。思惟往日曾所說偈曰。

The Sūtra on the Arising of Past Deeds states: The Buddha was staying in the Bamboo Grove monastery at Rājagṛha together with a great assembly of five hundred bhikṣus. In the early morning, having put on his robes and taken his bowl, he entered the city of Rājagṛha to beg for alms together with the five hundred bhikṣus and Ānanda. Going from house to house in turn, he saw in this lane a piece of cracked hard wood, one foot two inches long, standing upright before the Buddha. The Buddha then thought: 'This is a past condition. I myself created it, and I must certainly receive it.' When the crowd heard of it and saw it, they all gathered to watch. The great assembly saw it and gasped in astonishment. The Buddha thought again: 'Now I must visibly repay the retribution of this past condition, so that people may see it, have faith in, and understand karmic retribution, and not dare to commit evil.' The Buddha then leaped into empty space, a fathom above the ground. The wooden stake pursued the Buddha, also rising one fathom high and standing before the Buddha. The Buddha rose further to two fathoms, four fathoms, and up to seven fathoms; the stake also rose following him up to seven fathoms. The World-Honoured One rose further to the height of a tāla tree; this stake also rose to the height of a tāla tree. The Buddha rose further up to ten tāla trees; the stake also followed him upward and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha rose further to a height of seven li, and even up to seven yojanas; the stake also followed him. The Buddha transformed a blue stone in the air, six yojanas thick, and twelve yojanas in breadth and length; the Buddha stood upon it. The stake then bored through the stone, emerged, and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha again transformed water in the air, ten yojanas broad, two yojanas long, and six yojanas deep, and stood upon the water. The stake again passed through the water and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha again transformed a great fire in the air, twelve yojanas in breadth and length, and six yojanas high, and stood upon its flames. The stake also passed through the flames and arrived before the Buddha to stand. The Buddha again transformed a whirlwind in the air, twelve yojanas in breadth and length, and six yojanas high, and stood upon the wind. The stake came slantwise from the side toward the Buddha and stood before him. The Buddha rose further to the palace of the Four Heavenly Kings; progressing successively in this way, he reached the Brahmā Heaven. From the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, the wooden stake came up in sequence, even to the Brahmā Heaven, and stood before the Buddha. The devas all said to one another: 'The Buddha fears this stake and flees, yet the stake pursues him without relenting.' At that time, the World-Honoured One preached the Dharma of his past conditions to the Brahmā devas. Returning from the Brahmā Heaven, he progressed back down to the city of Rājagṛha; to all the heavens he passed through, he preached the Dharma of past conditions. The stake also followed him, ascending and descending, to the city of Rājagṛha. The Buddha also preached the Dharma of past conditions to the people of Rājagṛha. The Buddha and the bhikṣu saṃgha went out of the city of Rājagṛha, and the stake also followed behind the Buddha. The people of the kingdom all pursued the Buddha out of the city. The Buddha asked the crowd: 'Where do you wish to go?' The crowd replied: 'We wish to follow the Tathāgata to see this circumstance.' The Buddha said to the crowd: 'Return to your respective homes. The Tathāgata knows the proper time himself.' Ānanda asked the Buddha: 'Why does the Tathāgata send the crowd back?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'If the crowd were to see me repay this condition, they would all faint, fall to the ground, and appear dead.' Ānanda then remained silent. The World-Honoured One then returned to the Bamboo Grove saṃghārāma, stayed in his own chamber, and instructed the bhikṣus: 'Each return to your own chambers.' Ānanda asked the Buddha: 'What should I do?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'You also return to your chamber.' Ānanda then returned. The Buddha then thought: 'This condition was created by myself in a past life; I must certainly repay it.' He immediately took his saṅghāṭī, folded it fourfold, and returned to sit on his original seat. The Buddha then extended his right foot. The wooden stake then pierced straight through the instep of his foot from top to bottom, entering deep into the earth for sixty-eight thousand yojanas. Passing through the earth, it reached the water; the depth of the water was also sixty-eight thousand yojanas. Passing through the water, it reached the fire; the height of the fire was sixty-eight thousand yojanas. Only upon reaching the fire was it scorched away. At that moment, the earth quaked in six ways. Ānanda and all the bhikṣus each thought to themselves: 'Now this earth has quaked; that stake must have pierced the Buddha's foot.' After the Buddha was wounded, he suffered intense, aching pain. Ānanda immediately went to the Buddha's dwelling. Seeing the wound where the stake had pierced the Buddha's foot, he fainted and collapsed to the ground. The Buddha sprinkled water on him, and Ānanda then arose. Having arisen, he paid homage to the Buddha's feet, rubbed and kissed the Buddha's feet, weeping and shedding tears. [He thought:] 'With these feet the Buddha walked beneath the tree to conquer Māra, and ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother. The World-Honoured One has a vajra body; for what cause has he been injured by wood?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'Cease now and do not weep. Such is the suffering and affliction in the worldly conditions of transmigrating through birth and death.' Ānanda asked the Buddha: 'How is the pain of the wound now—has it increased or decreased?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'It has gradually diminished.' Śāriputra and all the bhikṣus came to pay homage to the Buddha, and the questions and answers were likewise. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus: 'Cease now and do not weep. I myself created this condition in a previous life; I must certainly receive it, and there is nowhere to flee or evade it. This retribution was not caused by father or mother, nor was it caused by heavenly kings or śramaṇas; the Buddha created it himself and receives it himself.' Those who had extinguished all defilements and attained supernormal powers each remained silent, contemplating the verse that had been spoken in past days: