法苑珠林 59.21

59.21

又大乘方便經云。昔舍衛城中有二十人。皆是最後邊身。彼二十人更有怨家。二十人各各思惟。我當為作親友而至其舍奪。其命根。不向人說。彼時四十人以佛神力故共至佛所。如來爾時為調伏是四十人故。於大眾中告大目揵連言。令此大地出佉達羅刺欲刺吾右足。未至足之間。此佉達羅刺即從地出長一肘。當出之時。目連白佛言。我今當取此刺擲著他方世界。佛告目連。非汝所能。此刺在地汝不能拔。爾時目連以大神力。前拔此刺。于時三千大千世界皆大震動。一切世界隨刺而舉。而不能動乃至一毛。爾時世尊以神通力上四天王天。彼刺亦隨佛去如是。展轉乃至梵天亦復如是。爾時如來從梵天還至閻浮提本所坐處。刺亦逐還。至此地中竪向如來。爾時如來即以右手捉刺。左手按地。右脚蹋之。爾時三千大千世界皆大震動。時尊者阿難向佛合掌。而作是言。世尊。往昔作何等業得如是報。佛告阿難。我過去世入大海中。持𥎞刺人斷其命根。以此因緣得如此報。善男子。我說是業緣已。彼二十怨賊欲害二十人者。作是思惟。如來法王尚得如是惡業之報。況我等輩不受此報。是二十人即從坐起。頭面禮佛作如是言。我等今日向佛悔過。不敢覆藏。我先惡心欲害彼人。今重悔過。不敢覆藏。時二十人即得正解及四萬人亦得正解。是故如來示佉達羅刺刺足。是名如來方便。

Furthermore, the Upāyakauśalya Sūtra states: In the past, there were twenty men in the city of Śrāvastī who were all in their final existence. These twenty men had another twenty enemies, each of whom thought: 'I will pretend to be his friend, go to his house, and deprive him of his life-faculty, without telling anyone.' At that time, through the Buddha's supernatural power, those forty people came together to the Buddha's dwelling. At that time, in order to subdue these forty people, the Tathāgata spoke to Mahāmaudgalyāyana in the midst of the great assembly: 'Let this great earth produce a khadira thorn that seeks to pierce my right foot.' Before it reached his foot, this khadira thorn emerged from the earth, one cubit in length. When it emerged, Maudgalyāyana said to the Buddha: 'I will now take this thorn and cast it into another world.' The Buddha said to Maudgalyāyana: 'It is not within your power; as this thorn is in the earth, you cannot uproot it.' At that time, Maudgalyāyana, using his great supernormal power, went forward to uproot this thorn. At that time, the trichiliocosm quaked violently, and all worlds were lifted along with the thorn, yet he could not move it by even a hair's breadth. At that time, the World-Honoured One, using his supernormal power, ascended to the heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings; that thorn also followed the Buddha. Progressing successively in this way, even to the Brahmā Heaven, it was likewise. At that time, the Tathāgata returned from the Brahmā Heaven to his original seat in Jambudvīpa; the thorn also pursued him back, stood upright in this earth, and pointed toward the Tathāgata. At that time, the Tathāgata immediately seized the thorn with his right hand, pressed the ground with his left hand, and stepped on it with his right foot. At that time, the trichiliocosm quaked violently. Then the venerable Ānanda pressed his palms together toward the Buddha and said: 'World-Honoured One, what kind of karma did you perform in the past to receive such retribution?' The Buddha told Ānanda: 'In a past life, having entered the great ocean, I held a spear and pierced a man, terminating his life-faculty. Due to this condition, I received such retribution. Good sons, after I explained this karmic condition, those twenty enemy-thieves who wished to harm the twenty men thought: "If even the Tathāgata, the King of the Dharma, receives such retribution for evil karma, how could we not receive this retribution?" These twenty men immediately arose from their seats, bowed their heads and faces to the Buddha's feet, and said: "Today we repent before the Buddha and dare not conceal anything. Formerly we had evil minds and wished to harm those people; now we repeatedly repent and dare not conceal anything." Then the twenty men attained correct understanding, and forty thousand people also attained correct understanding. Therefore, the Tathāgata's manifestation of the khadira thorn piercing his foot is called the Tathāgata's skillful means.'