法苑珠林 59.34

59.34

興起行經云。佛告舍利弗。往昔波羅柰城邊。去城不遠。有多狩邑。中有婆羅門。為王太史。國中第一。有其一子。頭上有自然火鬘。因以為名。火鬘彼首端正有三十相。梵志典籍圖書讖記無事不博。時有一瓦師子。名曰難提婆羅。此云護喜。與火鬘少小親交。心相敬念須臾不忘。瓦師精進慈仁孝順。父母俱盲。供養二親無所乏短。雖為瓦師手不掘地。亦不使人掘。唯取破墻崩岸鼠壤土等和以為器成好無比。若有男子女人欲來買者。不爭價數不取金銀財帛。唯取穀米供養而已。迦葉如來所住精舍。去邑不遠。與大比丘眾二萬人俱。皆是阿羅漢護喜語火鬘曰。共見迦葉如來去乎。火鬘答曰。用見此髠頭道人。為真是髠頭人耳。何有道哉。如是至三。後日復語火鬘曰。共至水上澡浴乎。火鬘答曰。可爾。便共詣水澡浴。著衣服已。護喜舉右手遙指示曰。如來精舍去是不遠。可共暫見。火鬘答曰。何用見此禿頭道人為。何有佛道難得。護喜便捉衣牽不去。火鬘便脫衣捨走。護喜逐後。捉腰帶挽曰。可暫共見佛便即還耶。火鬘復解帶捨走。曰我不欲見此禿頭沙門。護喜便撮其頭牽曰。為一過見佛去來。爾時國諱捉人頭。捉者皆斬。火鬘驚怖。竊心念曰。此瓦師子分死捉我頭。此非小事。必當有好事乃使此人分死相捉。火鬘曰。汝放我頭。我隨子去。護喜即放。共詣佛所。護喜禮如來足於一面坐。火鬘直舉手問訊已便坐。護喜叉手白迦葉佛言。此火鬘者。多狩邑中太史之子。是我少時親友。然其不識三尊。不信三寶。願世尊開化愚冥使其信解。火鬘童子熟視世尊。從頭至足覩佛相好。威容巍巍諸根純淑調和。以三十二相嚴飾其體。八十種好以為容儀。如娑羅樹華。身猶須彌。無能見頂。面如滿月。光如日明。身色如金。火鬘見佛相好。便心念曰。我梵讖記所載相好。今佛盡有。唯無二事。一陰馬藏相。二吐舌舐面相。於是說偈問曰。

The Sūtra of Previous Causes and Deeds of the Buddha says: The Buddha told Śāriputra: "In the distant past, near the city of Vārāṇasī, not far from the city, there was a village of many hunters. In it there was a Brahmin who served as the king's Chief Astrologer, the foremost in the realm. He had a son whose head naturally bore a garland of fire, and he was named after it: Uttara (Fire Garland). That Uttara was handsome in his features and possessed thirty marks. There was nothing of the Brahmin scriptures, charts, books, or omens in which he was not erudite. At that time, there was a potter's son named Nandipāla, which translates as 'Guarding Joy'. He had been close friends with Uttara from childhood, and in their hearts they respected and thought of each other without forgetting even for a moment. The potter was diligent, compassionate, and filial; both his parents were blind, and he supported them with nothing lacking. Although he was a potter, his hands never dug the earth, nor did he allow others to dig it. He only took earth from broken walls, collapsed banks, and rodent burrows, mixing it to make vessels, which turned out incomparably fine. If there were men or women who came wishing to buy them, he did not haggle over the price and did not take gold, silver, or valuables, but only took grain and rice to support [his parents]. The vihāra where Kāśyapa Tathāgata resided was not far from the village, together with a great assembly of twenty thousand monks, all of whom were arhats. Nandipāla said to Uttara: 'Shall we go together to see Kāśyapa Tathāgata?' Uttara replied: 'What is the use of seeing this shaven-headed man of the Way? He is truly just a shaven-headed man; what Way could he have?' This happened up to three times. On a later day he said again to Uttara: 'Shall we go together to the water to bathe?' Uttara replied: 'That is fine.' So they went together to the water and bathed. Having put on their clothes, Nandipāla raised his right hand and pointed into the distance, saying: 'The Tathāgata's vihāra is not far from here. We can go together to see him for a moment.' Uttara replied: 'What is the point of seeing this bald-headed man of the Way? How could the Buddha's Way be so hard to attain?' Nandipāla then seized his clothes and pulled him, but he would not go. Uttara then stripped off his clothes, left them, and ran. Nandipāla pursued him, seized his sash, and tugged it, saying: 'Can we not just briefly see the Buddha together and then immediately return?' Uttara again untied the sash, abandoned it, and ran, saying: 'I do not wish to see this bald-headed śramaṇa.' Nandipāla then grabbed his hair, tugged him, and said: 'Just go once to see the Buddha!' At that time, it was a taboo in that kingdom to seize someone's head; anyone who seized it would be beheaded. Uttara was terrified and thought secretly to himself: 'This potter's son would risk death to seize my head; this is no small matter. There must surely be something good that causes this person to risk death to seize me.' Uttara said: 'Release my head, and I will follow you.' Nandipāla then released it, and they went together to the Buddha's abode. Nandipāla bowed at the Tathāgata's feet and sat to one side. Uttara simply raised his hands in salutation and then sat down. Nandipāla joined his palms and said to Kāśyapa Buddha: 'This Uttara is the son of the Chief Astrologer in the village of many hunters, and is a close friend of my youth. However, he does not recognize the Three Venerated Ones and does not have faith in the Three Jewels. May the World-Honoured One instruct his benighted darkness and cause him to have faith and understanding.' The youth Uttara stared intently at the World-Honoured One, viewing the Buddha's marks and characteristics from head to foot: his majestic demeanor was towering and lofty, all his sense faculties were utterly gentle and harmonious; he was adorned with the thirty-two marks on his body and eighty secondary characteristics as his appearance, like the flowers of a sāla tree; his body was like Mount Sumeru, and none could see his uṣṇīṣa; his face was like the full moon, his radiance like the brightness of the sun, and the color of his body like gold. When Uttara saw the Buddha's marks and characteristics, he thought in his mind: 'All the marks and characteristics recorded in my Vedic prophecies, the Buddha has them all now, except for two things: first, the mark of the retracted male organ; second, the mark of extending the tongue to lick the face.' Thereupon he spoke a verse of inquiry: